Issuu

THE challenge EDITION ISSUE #05 SEPTEMBER 2018

@bradmistry

ORIAL

LE T’S FACE L IF E TO G E T H E R As busy students we are always facing different challenges each week. The next looming essay, a mountain of reading, or the all consuming prac folder. And sometimes we handle everything like a boss (yay go us!) but we’re human and imperfect and sometimes things pile up and before we know it we’re crying on the ground eating Oreos (or is that just me?). For this issue the team here at the Voice decided that since challenges are something we all face – let’s chat about it. Let’s be open and honest with those around us. Let’s lean on the community here at Avondale and put into practice what we hear about every Sabbath. Let’s face life together, with God up front and centre and see what happens!

Kayla

photo co mpe t it io n

someone nailing a challenging feat will win a $30 coles voucher u s e t h e h a sh tag # t h e vo i c e avo n da l e 1 8

send entries to

@ t h e v o i c e av o n d a l e

EDITOR Kayla Carter ASSISTANT emmerson grey GRAPHIC DESIGNER Minah Bocchino Images sourced from pexels.com COVER ART/ PHOTO Brad Mcnabb

Thanks Rejuve Donuts Warm weather Cute sheep

No thanks Swooping magpies Late parcels Slow internet

K AY L A C A R T E R Kayla loves chocolate and dark chocolate and is hoping that this semester doesn’t make her stress eat to the point of having to actually use her gym membership.

EMMERSON GREY Sometimes I think my life could be a really hilarious sitcom, then I realise that eating, watching hours of Netflix and running into every inanimate object isn’t classed as entertainment. Thank goodness I’m going to succeed with my stable Arts degree. C H A N TA L M O A G A Chantal hopes to one day utilise her studies in counselling to assist young people, young families and couples dealing with the challenges and stresses of life.

J E N AY M E N Z I E Jenay is studying to land a good job so that she can financially support her dream of having a house full of cats.

L I NDA E DO R SSO N I’m an international student from Sweden who has moved from Nursing to an Arts degree in communication. I love playing dress-ups, riding unicycles and all that jazz.

regulars 10

wo/man

#avondalexp

interview

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features faking the funk

t h e c h e at s h e e t

you canâ€™t love animals

COllege church special

nothing is impossible

nappy valley represent

w i n N ER

travel photo competition

faking the funk Kayla Carter

This semester I am taking Tony Martin’s digital photography class. It seemed the logical and fun choice to pick when selecting my units because a communications student who can’t visually communicate is just not going to be the best communicator she can be. Try saying that five times fast. Of course, the upside to this class is that my Instagram pictures will finally live up to my fabulous life. Once I have mastered the complicated art of the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed settings everything will fall into place and my flat lay of my breakfast will become akin to that of the Mona Lisa (if she ever ate avocado toast that is.) Unfortunately, the downside to this entire charade is that life just isn’t that simple. The perfect image of life often has multiple failed attempts with every bad angle of you imaginable and that’s ok. I have bad days, where all I feel like doing is rolling over in bed and forgetting I woke up because it feels like I’m the only one experiencing all the bad angles of life and the perfect image is just not coming. So, I hide all the parts of my life that are sloppy and uneven and fake a funky groove that I’m just not feeling.

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER But, and here’s the kicker, when I do share something real, when I break down for a second and let someone see behind the lens, I have found empathy, compassion and shared encouragement from someone that has and is experiencing the exact same thoughts every day too. We’re all in this together! (If you just sung that in your head I’m so proud of your childhood.) So here is my challenge to you: stop faking the funk and start living outside the lens. Because, when we step back and see who we are, we’re all stars and we see that!

wo robertson 1. What is the greatest challenge you’ve had to face? How did you solve it? When I was 9 my grandma was sick and passed away and it was difficult as I didn’t get to see her much when I was younger. My mum was also sick after this, but we were lucky to have a good support network of family and friends who were there for us. 2. When are you most yourself? When I’m around people who I’m comfortable with and enjoy spending time with. 3. What’s the best attribute you bring to a friendship? I love caring for people and giving to others. 4. How do you challenge yourself each day? I try to make the most of each day by taking in new opportunities that come my way. 5. In your opinion, what makes a strong lasting relationship? Trust, loyalty, quality time with each other, communication, and respect. 6. What is your greatest childhood memory? My greatest childhood memory would be the holidays that I went on with my family, exploring places I’d never been too

and spending quality time with the people I love. 7. What is one thing most people don’t know about you? I have a close friend I went to primary school with who was born on the same day, in the same year, at the same hospital, one minute apart from each other. 8. Describe yourself in a famous movie line: “Get in loser, we’re going shopping” Mean Girls 9. If you had to choose one thing to do before you died, what is at the top of your list? I want to travel more, try and step foot on most continents at least once, visit famous landmarks, try new foods and experiences and meet new people from around the world. 10. What is a legacy you would like to leave in Avondale? I would hope to leave behind a positive legacy, known for helping people, being kind and giving back to those who have guided me along the way.

man weg 1. What tools (people, things, scriptures) help you to face a challenge? My parents, God and close friends. Depending on the challenge…

7. If you were guaranteed the answer to one question, what would you ask? What is God’s purpose for me while I’m on earth?

2. When are you most yourself? When I am surrounded by good friends adventuring!

8. Describe yourself in a famous movie line: How about a quote? “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Coach Carter

3. What’s the best attribute you bring to a friendship? I have been told that I am a really good listener. I am someone who wants to try and help my friends where ever I can. 4. How do you challenge yourself each day? I try and impact someone in a positive way or try to learn new things from others. 5. In your opinion, what makes a strong lasting relationship? Most importantly is finding someone who loves God more than anything else, has similar morals, has a love for helping people who have less, and honesty, trust, a wicked sense of humour and the love to explore adventure and experience new and exciting things together! 6. What is your greatest childhood memory? My family use to live on 28 acres and use to have a lot of fun running around after the ducks, chickens, geese and dogs. Also, the swims in the dam, building bush huts and hours of pool I would play.

9.What’s one thing you know that you wish you didn’t? How much money I have in my bank account right now! 10. What is a legacy you would like to leave in Avondale? I would like to be a friend to all, encourage people to reach for the sky and be someone that anyone can feel free to come and talk to about anything, anytime!

you can’t love animals and eat them (or what they produce) too Jenay Menzie Warning: The following article may contain traces of the truth, disturbing information, and the occasional pun, which may also result in guilt, sadness, and hopefully veganism. 8 AM: Time to get up…shower, brush your teeth, style your hair, put on make-up, and spray some perfume/cologne. You know the drill. But do you know that the majority of the products you just used in your morning routine are tested on animals. Animals are held captive in metal cages all their lives, in order to see whether ingredients in these products are harmful. Many practices are inflicted on animals causing them unimaginable agony, like rubbing chemicals on their skin/eyes to test for irritation, which results in “…blindness, swollen eyes, sore bleeding skin, internal bleeding and organ damage, birth defects, convulsions and death.” ¬ While cosmetic companies don’t test on animals in Australia, more often than not they’ll be tested on animals elsewhere before they reach us. I encourage you to check out crueltyfreekitty. com to see whether your products are the result of cruelty. 11:30AM: You go to the caf, it’s fasian, which you don’t feel like, so you head to KFC. However, before your nuggets were nuggets, they were cute little chickens, and contrary to popular belief, the chicken didn’t cross the road and walk right in Colonel Sanders’ front door. Broiler chickens (meat chickens) are pumped full of steroids to fatten them up for slaughter, but because they’re not developed enough to be able to cope with the unnatural increase of weight, their legs break, and organs shut down. When they reach the slaughterhouse, their little legs are forced into shackles, hung

upside down and dunked in electrical water before having their throats cut and then being submerged in scalding water to defeather them. So, by going to Kentucky Fried Cruelty, you’re funding something more sinister than you probably even realise: Factory farming. Factory farms provide us with two things; Meat and animal products. What about animal products then? Let’s have a squiz at milk and eggs. Believe it or not, cow milk is for baby cows. Mind. Blown. In fact, we’re actually the only species to drink the milk of another animal and we’re also the only species to drink milk past infancy. In order for milk to be produced, a calf must be born, therefore, Heifers are continually artificially impregnated. Within hours of the calf’s arrival, it’s taken from mum, so that it can’t drink the milk. Milk is not just cruel though, it’s actually really unhealthy for us. Milk has been found to contain pus cells, growth hormones, faeces, and antibiotics. That’s UDDERly off-putting (see what I did there?). What about eggs? If a male chick is born, it’s completely useless as it can’t lay eggs, and they’re shredded alive on the day they’re born. Female chicks have their beaks cut off, and live their lives in cages no bigger than an A4 sheet of paper. But, chickens wouldn’t lay them if they weren’t happy, right? Wrong. Think about this: “Are you more likely to hand over $1000 to a needy person when you’re asked politely or when a gun’s pointed at your head?” Despite claims free range chickens are better, sometimes they’re even worse off.

With often up to 10,000 chickens per hectare many die simply because they’re unable to reach their food and water. There are no EGGceptions for this kind of cruelty. These conditions only exist because there’s demand, and the more demand, the crueller it gets. The kindest thing that you can do is become vegan. What’s veganism? “A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose…” But, what about the Bible? Leviticus 11 gives us permission to eat certain meats, true. But, go back to Genesis and read about Eden. Eve was the epitome of perfection and the world God intended for us to live in. So, what was on the perfect menu? Plants! Adam and Eve were plant based. It was only after sin entered the world that meat was consumed. The reality is, in some form or another, animal cruelty is in all of our daily lives. It’s up to us

whether we remain comfortable and turn a blind eye or be kind to every kind and live less selfishly. If you’re interested in becoming a kinder human, check these out: Earthlings (Earthlings.com) Earthling Ed (Youtube) Live and Let Live (Netflix) Happycow.net Peta.org.au Animalsaustralia.org Animal liberation by Peter Singer hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/facts/about_cosmetics_animal_testing.html peta.org.au/news/australian-government-delays-ban-on-cosmetics-testing-on-animals-again/. peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/ advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2007/05/the-difficult-lives-and-deathsof-factory-farmed-chickens/ thedailymeal.com/why-you-should-stop-drinking-milk-right-now/013014 Ibid. voiceless.org.au/hot-topics/battery-hens Waddell, J. (2017), But you kill ants. Brookvale, NSW: BA printing and publishing services. P.44 animalsaustralia.org/features/what-does-free-range-really-mean.php vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism

#avondalexp

@teeepppsss

with

student services

Eilish Ryan & Kayla Seuala

Who are you? We are Avondale’s new Student Services Officers; Eilish Ryan and Kayla Seuala. 1.Can you tell us about the new student services? Student Services is not new, but we are a new team. Along with Jen Petrie and Ray Moaga, we are working to create a positive cultural change around campus. The Student Services department is quite literally here to create a service with the students’ best interest at heart. We also have a new welcome board and free lollies!

4. Are you still studying? What did you study/are studying? I (Eilish) graduated last year with a Bachelor of Arts degree Majoring Graphic Design and Communications. Kayla is currently in limbo (2nd last year) studying Counselling and Chaplaincy. 5. Where are you located? We are located in Lower College Hall. We invite all students to drop by whenever. Even after hours, you might not see us but you can talk to our roller door Paul; he’s a good listener!

2. What changes have been made in this department? Apart from the two of us joining the Student Life Services team, we also have Ray Moaga who’s taken over sport & rec, and student accommodation.

But in all seriousness, we are here to help anytime between 9am5pm Monday-Thursday, and 9am12pm on Fridays. The Avondale Student Association facebook page is where to go for 24hour help.

3. What is your main job here on campus? We are here to serve you (the students) and help your experience at Avondale College be smooth and hassle free.

6. What types of inquiries can students come to you with? ANYTHING (almost). We can help you find your way around campus or advise you on anything to do with college life. Student Services

help with accommodation, transport, where to find food on campus, what events are happening around campus, and we can also help arrange tutor support, counselling and pastoral care for all students and staff. 7. How did you get into this line of work? Jennifer Petrie. 8. What do you love about this job? Jennifer Petrie!

9. Is there anything you would like to change/improve about this job? We would love to create more awareness of where we are, what we do, and how we can help. 10. What would you say are the biggest challenges that come with the job? No challenge is too big when you have a Jen Petrie or a Ray Moaga on your team.

We also love being able to help students, even with small things that may make their student experience a little bit easier.

is imp ossibl e Linda Edorsson

I had no clue how to apply to a school on the other side of the planet, but I figured I could send an e-mail and pray that God would open the doors needed for me to come to Avondale. After all, He did call me to go. I have heard God’s voice twice, once when my foot got caught in the stirrup of a bolting horse and then when I got called to do nursing. The first time is another story… While in Australia volunteering, I had a conversation with an Avondale nursing student. When people would ask me what I was doing, I would tell them I wanted to be a director and I took up a 5 week acting course in Sydney. To my surprise I brought up how I worked as a carer for a girl with disabilities in my village back in Sweden. His response was, “man, caring for people is so cool”. As he said it, the same voice I heard that saved my life on that horse I told you about earlier now said “That’s it”. Nursing was the last thing I wanted to do but I couldn’t let this go. God called me, why? I needed to find out! I prayed about it and then told my parents. “So I think I’m going to do nursing...” “Oh, that’s great” ” In Australia” “What?” 7 months later, and a lot of paperwork, I started Nursing at Avondale College at the Sydney campus. It was the most challenging thing I have ever done and yet the most awesome challenge because I was following God and His plan for me. I loved nursing. Caring for people IS cool and I was so far out of my comfort zone that I constantly had to lean on God. His guidance made me good at something I could never have imagined myself doing. And then three semesters in, I got a call from mum. “Dad’s not doing well”. He had struggled with cancer for over three years at this point. “I think you need to come home”. The time at Avondale equipped me to go through the toughest year of my life. My dad was pretty much against my mum and I believing in God since I can remember. He thought it was stupid. But through his illness he became closer to God. It was a journey and there were many days where

the spiritual fight was real and hard. We lost my dad in 2017 but I know I will see him again when Jesus returns. After dad was gone we couldn’t afford the house anymore. God gave me more time back home. But after nine long months of family fights and stressful circumstances, we had a little house for mum. I was given time to grieve and make peace. It only hit me a week before I was flying back to Australia that I didn’t have that call to do nursing anymore. God, what am I doing? I knew God wanted me to go back to Avondale but I also knew I couldn’t do nursing anymore. I sent Avondale another e-mail asking what my options were in changing my degree …No response. I had checked my bags and gone through security at the airport. I found a bathroom and broke down crying, having a panic attack. I felt physically pushed down to the floor. Everything was telling me not to go. I was there for about 20min before I remembered something pastor Eddie told me. He had three words that he lived by. I can’t remember his but I remembered the words I came up with for myself: Creativity, Curiosity & Courage. ..So I prayed for courage. I felt like I was lifted up off the floor and onto my feet again. Sometimes God calls you to start walking before you know where you’re going but He will help you. When I landed in Sydney I had an e-mail waiting for me. I was able to change from Nursing to Communication with no overloading units and I would graduate in the same time as doing nursing. That should not be possible! But all things are possible for God.

Represent Chantal Moaga I did NOT see myself living in Nappy Valley. Not. Ever. There was something mysterious yet unromantic about the thought of living so close to your neighbours, having random kids in your yard, (or even in your house) and being cooped up in what seemed like such a tiny space! While it appeared to be fun for the few residents I knew who actually resided there, it didn’t seem glamorous. And as a mid-20’s female I was on the lookout for all things modern, shiny and fashionable. Fast-forward 7 years and this now married, 32-yearold woman and mother of 2.75 children is living the dream! Nappy Valley represent! This small, unfenced community is home to a wide variety (let’s not forget the mice and cockroaches who are very friendly!) of residents who are not too proud to live in small spaces, not too cranky to have some unknown kids jumping on your trampoline and home to people who are always lending a hand, a tool or some ingredient that I need for a last-minute cook-up. What has also amazed me since living here is the diverse makeup of the people who call this place home. Historically, it was a place for married people with or without children to reside, hence the nickname “Nappy Valley”, but let me give you a snapshot into the variety of residents here in 2018. The single parents in our community must have to navigate some difficult things, and yet these are some of the kindest and most

generous people you’ll meet in our streets. The families with older kids still at home who seem to always have enough love and kindness to stretch to anyone needing a last-minute babysitter or someone to talk to. The young married couples in our midst who have immaculate pot plants on every outdoor balcony (that I envy, but would no doubt kill in one day) are full of energy and always on the go. The families with little children who are forever ‘missing’, meaning they’re in someone else’s yard or sitting at someone else’s dining table eating whatever they can find. There are even young single students and young professionals living here now. But while we are a diverse group of individuals, we all have our struggles. Struggles with studies, grades and academics. The pressure to succeed from within, from family and from the world. The guilt we experience when we’d rather be with our children, but are desperately needing to spend time at the library to get the assignments done, all the while knowing that your family is at home waiting to see you. Managing study AND work to provide for your family who wants an Adventist education but can’t quite afford it, because Centrelink is good, but not THAT good. The new baby who is taking away all sleep and all resources from mums and dads who smile and love their little one all the way through it. Finding new and improved ways to ar-

gue with your spouse, while not letting the neighbours hear – but let’s face it, we CAN hear it! The young students who just recently joined us in the valley, who are enjoying the freedom of living out of the dorms and in a flat with a friend, but who now realise the price of food, heating and using electricity! We are all struggling with something. As a community of people who have chosen to devote time to study and bettering ourselves, mostly with our families in tow, there are some aspects of our lives that will not ease up until the completion of our studies. But if I could go back and tell my 20-something year old self anything, it would be this: “Life in Nappy Valley is a BLESSING. Living here will show you what true generosity, friendship and kindness looks like. You will learn that there is no shame in asking for help

when you need it. You will look forward to the visits from the bay pantry food van, eagerly holding your ‘shopping bag’ to see what free food you can get your hands on. You will learn that those days when you walked through the caf to get your meals and gave someone else the dishes to clean up were some pretty good days! You will learn that you have a lot to offer and that when the Holy Spirit prompts you to do good you better listen!” In summary, if I could tell my 20-something year old self a thing or two about my future and the way it would be spent, it would be that “the time as a resident in Nappy Valley will be some of the best times of your life. Look forward to those times. Embrace them. And use them as a lesson in humility and grace for the rest of your life.”

1. Ask R U OK?

4. Check in

Help them open up by asking â€œHow are you going?â€?

Make time to catch up soon.

Start a conversation using these 4 steps

2. Listen without judgement

3. Encourage action

Take what they say seriously.

Urge them to commit to doing one thing that might help them.

Visit us at ruok.org.au

BLOSSOMS Chris McClelland

Stars blooming silver Like a thousand eyes of night And grass at my feet

@_lachieharders

Th e

e g n e all Sh eet

Challenge - noun: a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities. Without the challenges that we face daily we would have no idea what great things we are capable of and what things can be achieved if we simply step out of our comfort zone and push our limits. This issue’s Cheat Sheet has been given a fresh appearance as it is fully decked out with a 21-Day Challenge for you to accept, brave, and overcome. You have one life, one hope and one chance at being the best version of yourself you can be.

SO, WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?

Accept 1. 2.

deny

Read a chapter of the Bible a day. Find 1 thing about each person you interact with today that you appreciate and tell them about it. 3. Be punctual, or even 5 minutes early, to every meeting/class you have this week (yes, even the non-compulsory ones.) 4. Wake up at 5:30 each day for a week. 5. Have a social media free day. 6. Sit with a different group of people at the Caf today. 7. Read a book - I hear Ellen White is quite a page-turner... 8. Learn a new word/fact each day – “Making dinner conversations great again.”

9. 10.

Give up coffee for a week – helllooooo sunshine! Don’t do an assignment the night before, organise and pace yourself to avoid burnout. 11. Volunteer your time to serving other people (“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people…” – Ephesians 6:7). 12. Take five minutes each day to reflect on 5 things your grateful for. 13. Do HIIT twice a week. 14. Drink 2 litres of water each day. 15. Face a deep fear of yours – this might take some time but ease yourself into it step by step. Fear is False Evidences Appearing Real, it’s your time to gain control of your happiness and expose fear for what it really is. 16. Do something nice for someone today and tell no one about it. 17. Learn a new hobby this week (I hear Callan is giving ukulele lessons…) 18. Wear the brightest/weirdest thing in your closest. 19. Take time daily to walk humbly with your God. 20. Use today to take care of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Remember your goals for your present and your future, note the things that are holding you back and make a conscious decision to push yourself to achieve – everyday.

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