The third God’s Way Ltd Volunteer Selection Project was completed on Friday 10th May. The organisation welcomes 5 new volunteers, and one new member. The participants were delightful in their enthusiasm and excitement at completing the project and God’s Way Ltd current members and volunteers look forward to working with the new volunteers.

God’s Way Ltd members wish the participants who did not complete the project this time all the best and remind you that you can participate in future volunteer selection programmes if you desire to.

Thank you to all the participants who were involved in the project, your time and donations were appreciated. Thank you also to the team of God’s Way Ltd members and volunteers who contributed time, resources and expertise to running the project.

The facilitators, mentors, members and current volunteers really enjoyed the project. They love meeting and getting to know all the participants who attend the selection programme and working on the different projects God’s Way Ltd Branches are currently running.

Plans are underway for the next Volunteer Selection Project which will commence later in 2019, a post will be published in the coming weeks with more information and details on how to register.

Week 3 activity details

A few of the God’s Way Ltd members & current volunteers join Volunteer Selection Project participants for a morning of moving wood chip at the God’s Way Ltd Environment Learning Centre.

Week three of the Volunteer Selection Project (VSP) began with the Benefiting the World assignment presentations and concluded with participants doing a variety of tasks including: working on environmental projects, being trained by Jesus (AJ Miller) in audio editing, collecting grass seed to sow for various environmental terracing projects, and cleaning and maintenance of the heavy machinery God’s Way Ltd uses for large scale environmental projects.

The mentors of the VSP (Jesus and Mary (Mary Luck)) suggested to the facilitators (Eloisa Lytton-Hitchins and Tristan Miller) to make some changes to the activities during the last week of the programme. This meant that participants worked on environmental projects for two hours each morning and were then divided into small groups and experienced a variety of tasks under the direction of different members and volunteers. It proved to be a seamless way to introduce the participants to various God’s Way Ltd Branches and some of the tasks they will be working on in future if they were to qualify as volunteers.

God’s Way Ltd members, volunteers and Volunteer Selection participants create a firebreak around the Environment Centre Caretakers house.

Benefiting the World Assignment

On Monday 6th May participants gave a presentation to an invited audience about their ‘Benefiting the World Assignment’. Brief details of the assignment are listed below.

Some of the participant presentation topics included: creating water filters out of recycled materials that are easily accessible for people who do not have access to clean water; prison reform systems based on Principles of God’s Truth; short animated info graphs educating people about Principles of God’s Truth; Sharing Truthful inspiration from the padgett messages with the world; A documentary about God’s Way Ltd organisation; discovering why God created music.

Wayne Shaw gives a presentation on a water filter design to make dirty water clean and drinkable using materials people have available for little or no expense in their local area.

Brief details about the Benefiting the World Assignment

Benefiting the World assignment task

Participants choose a global problem that they feel passionate about changing or that they desire to be changed.

Participants design and begin to implement a project which aims to resolve causes, or educate others about, the causes of the global problem.

Participants may do one or more of the following:

• Implement a strategy in harmony with God’s Way to address and eliminate a global problem
• Experiment with using principles of God’s Way in an attempt to address a global problem
• Teach the world about God’s Truth in relation to a global problem

The project must positively benefit many, preferably all of humanity and the environment, not only a few people. In order to do this project participants must:

• Give gifts to the world that deal with causes of global
• Gift and share truthful information and ethical and moral solutions with the world for free.
• Create results that can be replicated by others

Participants are required to give a 15-minute presentation about their assignment to an invited audience; and to supply a written document outlining their project aims, design and the steps they have taken and plan to take in order to implement the project and share it with the world.

Benefiting the World assignment details

The assignment is designed to encourage participants to think of ways to practically apply principles of God’s Love and Truth to global issues.

Participants will

1. Identify a global problem that they feel passionate about changing (or want to see changed). A global problem is one that affects worldwide communities and the environment.
2. Focus on finding and/or addressing the causes rather than the effects of the global problem.
3. Research their chosen problem and investigate ways to change, improve and provide solutions to the issues that affect worldwide
4. Create a project design that outlines how they will address the causes of the global problem they have chosen.
5. Take action to implement their project design before the assignment is due
6. Create a 15-minute presentation to educate an invited audience about all aspects of their project
7. Submit a written project design document which outlines:

• The process of how they created the project
• Actions taken so far to implement the project
• Results of the actions they have taken
• How the project and its results will be shared with the world

The project can take any form as long as it provides a loving benefit and is able to be shared with anybody in the world for free.

Environmental project continued

For two hours each morning God’s Way Ltd members, volunteers and participants continued creating holes to hold water and plant seeds or seedlings (link to previous post on this activity here). The holes were designed by Jesus to hold and retain as much water as possible to hydrate the soil.

The holes were designed in a fish scale sequence meaning that when one hole is full of water it is designed to overflow into the next hole, this way the water runs from one hole to another hole keeping the water on the land during a large rain event. It was found that the soil quality is lacking life and nutrients and needs to be improved, to do this mulch and green waste was added to the holes with the intention that it decomposes and attracts intelligent life to aid the regeneration process.

Members, volunteers and participants picking and shoveling dirt to create holes to hold water and nourish seeds

Picking and shoveling dirt to create holes to hold water and nourish seeds

Documenting the activity and receiving instruction on creating holes to hold water and nourish seeds.

Scraps are poured into wheel barrows to be moved to the holes to attract insects and create soil

Diagram of the way that water is dispersed via the fish scale design

Juices from the greenwaste are loaded into a wheelbarrow to pour in pre-prepared holes

green waste in the holes to decompose, feed insects and create soil

covering the organic green waste with hard woodchip

During week 3 the activity day was split into two parts. 7am to 9am everyone engaged in physical labour working together on environmental projects. After the physical work each morning participants split into groups and worked under the direction of members or volunteers on various activities including: cleaning and maintenance, audio editing training, seed collection & construction activities  (images below).

Cleaning and maintenance

Participants did various cleaning and maintenance tasks including cleaning and servicing the heavy machinery and cleaning Divine Truth office (God’s Way Ltd members and volunteers use Divine Truth facilities and gift time to clean and maintain these facilities).

The machinery and maintenance was led by God’s Way Ltd volunteer Wayne Shaw. Participants cleaned the cabs of the heavy machinery and did some basic servicing of the vehicles (checking oil, grease, refueling etc.) to ensure they were ready for the next use.

Wayne Shaw checking over the excavator

Participants assess the dozer and figure out the best way to tackle the job before beginning to clean.

Cleaning the dozer

Participants clean the tools after the environmental activity to keep them clean, maintained and in working order (standard practice in God’s Way organisation).

Audio editing training

Some participants were trained in audio editing by Jesus who was assisted by Kate Eckersall.

Sound editing software screenshot

Kate Eckersall setting up for training participants in audio editing

Seed collection project

The Environment Branch is constructing large scale terraces on the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre to hold water on the land longer. Once the bulldozer has shaped the terraces seed is spread over the cleared area to speed up the recovery process.

God’s Way Ltd requires a wide and diverse variety of plant species for the regeneration projects so the seed project has been set up to collect and source a diverse variety of native Australian seed (from all states and regions of Australia not just the local area) including but not limited to native: grasses, shrubs, regeneration species such as acacias and large tree species.

At the moment there are native grasses seeding in the local area so a group of participants spent three afternoons documenting the various species of seed on the God’s Way Ltd Learning Centres and collecting large quantities of seed to spread over the terraces once they are completed.

Link to Project Introduction: Terrace Project

Link to Environmental Project: Terracing

Members and volunteers document grasses and collect grass seed at the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre.

Members and volunteers document grasses and collect grass seed at the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre.

Collecting grass seed

Taking photographs to document grasses at the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre.

Taking photographs to document grasses from the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre.

20.12.2018 Function Learning Centre, Environment Branch Terrace Project phase 1 complete including terraces being seeded with a variety of native Australian seeds.

Function Learning Centre Terrace with seed sprouted and growing

Construction Branch-caretakers cottage renovation project

Some participants had the opportunity to work as a builders labourer with David Walsh (Corny) on a construction project renovating the Function Learning Centre Caretakers cottage.

The cottage will be used by members and volunteers to live in while they gift their time to God’s Way Ltd projects.

David Walsh give instructions about the construction project activity.

Week 3 Conclusion

The week concluded with what one participant calls ‘feedback Friday’.

Friday’s have a portion of the day where feedback is given to each participant on the main issues that have been collectively and individually exposed during the week that will affect them being a great volunteer. On Friday’s participants have the opportunity to self-reflect, ask questions of the mentors and facilitators on both personal and general issues.

Participants ask questions during feedback from facilitators.

On Friday of week 3 (the last week of the project) as well as feedback and questions & answers, volunteers were selected and a shared lunch was held to celebrate those who completed the project, farewell participants who did not complete the project or who were returning overseas.

Best wishes from the Volunteer Selection Team

Tristan and Eloisa during the feedback and Q&A presentation.

Jesus & Mary during Friday’s Q&A