Just after 6am on the first day of the school holidays, most of their peers were probably sound asleep. But a dozen students from Penrith Anglican College huddled together Monday morning waiting for the Country Link train to Broken Hill.
As part of Bush Church Aid's "Dusty Boots Program', the year 11 students have travelled to Tibooburra. Just 200 people live in the town located 350 kilometres north of Broken Hill and the students will go out to lend a hand at the Church of the Corner (named after the town's position in the corner of NSW).
Some will help out with maintenance. Others will run a kids club for children from the local school. A few will prepare food to keep the team energised.
As the sun splintered through the dawn as they waited on the station, it did little to ease the chill. Conversations produced clouds of white fog. Extremities went numb. The temperature dips to 1.5 degrees. But it's all part of the experience for these pupils, many of whom haven't travelled west of the ranges.
"I've gone overseas," said 15-year-old Vasilios Moisiadis, "but inland I haven't been further than the Blue Mountains". Moisiadis is on the maintenance team. His group will be painting and repairing the church hall.
His classmate, Charlotte Smith, 16, is part of the cooking team. She has been to Uluru and expects to see "lots of red dirt". "I cook lots at home," she says. "I'll just be making everyone's food so they can go and do work."
Standing beside her is 16-year-old Alison Miller who attends Penrith Anglican Church. She is one of three students putting on a children's program for kids in Tibooburra. Through "craft and sport and Bible talks" the team hopes to show God's love to the handful of children in the community. They've also stocked up on Colin Buchanan's Connect09 DVD.
Since last year Rob and Jenny Stubbs " both school teachers " have been taking groups of teenagers to remote areas of Australia. Over nine days students see the vastness of the Australian outback, learn about God through daily devotions, and get involved in hands-on service.
Just half of this year's Dusty Booters are Christians, but Jenny says the program encourages ministry. "The whole idea of the program," she says, "is to have young people go in from the city to the bush and do some service ministry". She says students are challenged to think about God.
Ellen Taylor went last year and "was really blown away by the beauty of God's creation in the desert". "It was beautiful to see a place that was unpolluted and pretty much untouched by mankind."
For more information on how your youth group or school can be part of the Dusty Boots Program contact rj.stubbs@bushchurchaid.com.au
