Solutions June 2018 | Page 58

they embraced the dream he placed in their hearts—whether it was becoming a doctor, a teacher or a journalist, operating a franchise, or staying home to raise a family. Step by Step In God’s little-by-little process, steps are essential for success, whether it’s in our personal life, professional life, or in our spiritual and emotional development. When I started traveling through those small towns, speaking in high schools to youth and inviting them to nighttime crusades, I was taking steps. I was building on what I’d learned working with youth at church and in the youth center. Those first two steps prepared me for my work with Youth Alive. And that third step, which lasted seven years, prepared me for the next steps. But it all began with the first step: • I went to church. • I said yes to serving at a cleanup day. 58 • Solutions • I said yes to volunteering at the Youth Center. • I said yes to serving as the New South Wales Director of Youth Alive. • I said yes to being a coordinator in the Hillsong Network. • I said yes to starting Equip & Empower Ministries. • I said yes to initiating A21. • I said yes to launching Propel. It’s not that one thing led directly to the next thing, it’s that one step led to the next step—and I couldn’t bypass any of the steps. It was like climbing a set of stairs, and what I learned on each step gave me the wisdom, knowledge, strength, confidence, and maturity to succeed when I moved up to the next one. Here is an example of just one way that happened. When I worked for the Youth Center in Sydney, before I went to serve with Youth Alive in the countryside, I started meeting with government