BIG NEWS

Boy, have I got some things to write about! Over the past 2 weeks, lots of different things have been going on around base and for me personally.. and they are pretty exciting I’d say. 

First off, my second week working was primarily focused on working in fund raising for the new property that our staff and students will be moving into in October.  So that means I have gone out into many businesses around our area and in the city to sell chocolates. At first I didn’t really see how this was a good way of making money but it amazes me how much money comes in just from leaving a box of Cadbury chocolate in a business for a week or so. It's huge for us, and we actually had a day where a select group went out in pairs of two and sold as well. I think there was about $1,300 that was sold in just a few hours. How sweet!

Aside from that, I have been working with promotions with the Discipleship Training School and YWAM in general. My friend Alicia and I have been working together to create a presentation that we will take and bring to high schools, youth groups, and universities around Perth, and around the state of WA (Western Australia). In just 3 weeks, I have gained a new appreciation for people who work with promotions of any kind, along with people who are devoted to fundraising. It’s actually such an important job and if it didn’t get done, our base wouldn’t be able to run. So I have recognized that and it has really encouraged me to just go into the work I’m given with a whole heart and a sweet attitude. I know that God honors that, which is a motivation in itself. 

I also take a class that is once a week for 3 hours. It’s called Certification 4 in Christian Missions. And about 2 weeks ago, our speaker of the day talked about our desires. He asked us the question: “What do you want?” Now this is a group of students who have done a Discipleship Training School, so obviously we all know the Lord. But even living at our base in the environment we live in, it can be very easy to just rely on all the activities that the base holds to fan the flame of our walks with the Lord. This challenged me to think about the way I will spend my time on the week nights and weekends. It was a huge wake up call to me, especially when he asked the question “Are you carrying Youth With a Mission? Or are you being carried by Youth With a Mission?” He made a great point, and I think that can even transcend back to the Christian lives that are lived outside the Missions field.  That day really ignited something in me to gain an even greater desire to go after Jesus. 

We have been having some amazing evangelism nights. I’m on the team that goes into the city near some popular areas, and we rock up this ramp with our old bus and park it on this piece of walking space/patio area that we don’t even know is legal to park on or not; which is kind of funny to me. But it works for us. The last 2 evangelism Thursdays were awesome, but very different from the each other. One of them was devoted to serving. We set up hot soup and pack again, and then paired off into twos and went around the area (which is in the city) to find people to talk to, and love on. I ended up talking with this guy from Iraq called Qtan. There was another girl with me named Amanda, don’t worry. He sat down to talk to us, and right away we realized that he was drunk. In my head I was thinking, “alright, how do we slip out of this situation.. because I don’t think we will make much progress with the state that he is in..” But for some reason we kept with him, and I’m glad we did. He kept asking us for a Kebab, and repeatedly doing so he would follow it up by saying “up to you, sorry.. sorry” A few times, I almost couldn’t keep my face straight because this guy was so set on his kebab.. he never got one, but we brought him back to our little area where there was soup and lots of love for him. Amanda and I sat with him and tried to get the most conversation out of him but just asking him questions about his life. We talked about God, and about Jesus, but again he kept repeating things and we felt like we were getting nowhere. It’s moments like this that stretch one’s patience, and inside mine felt like a rubber band about to snap. However it didn’t. I remembered how much God cares for this guy man, and that he is his precious child. So that really encouraged me to keep with it. And then Amanda and I both realized that He would get these little bursts of pain in his head and he’d have to re focus.  So Amanda and I asked if we could just pray for soberness. He let us, and in the times that we were praying, he seemed really calm, and then aftwerward he looked and me and thanked us and kissed my hand. Even though he couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on, he could recognize that he felt something inside of him. We couldn’t do much else for the sake of time, but we prayed the he would remember that night and that more Christians would be put into his life so that he might find direction with God. 

This last weeks’ evangelism was pretty awesome as well. We worshiped as a large group in the same area and right away there were two people (a guy from Manchester – can’t remember his name, and a girl called Laura from Italy). They were about our age and they were both really drawn to our music – we had been singing Amazing Grace at the time. They too share a love for music, and so that was a great way to ask them about themselves. A little bit later we sat down and talked with them about what that song “Amazing Grace” actually means. My friend John who is actually from Wales did a great job explaining simply that the grace we receive from God is undeserving, yet He loves us so much that He wants to cover us in grace. He then continued by sharing the gospel, but in words that these kids could understand. It wasn’t threatening nor was there any pressure placed on them; it was simply sharing the heart of God with two people who have never experienced it before. We were able to pray for them afterwards and they seemed pretty blessed by the time we took to hang out with them. Laura told me that her heart was warm, and I couldn’t help but smile because I know God was there among us totally as work. I thought this was pretty cool, but it amazed me even more how a simple thing like music can be used to bring the Lord’s love, message and life everywhere. Which leads me into my big news…

I hope I haven’t lost anyone who is reading this. I think the majority of people know enough about YWAM to understand this next bit. So I was here in Perth a year ago in July where I did a Discipleship Training School that had a focus in Music. I have shared with a lot of people about how much I have learned from this school, and how much God has taught me through it. I knew after I finished in December that God was calling me to come back to Perth, but I didn’t know what for. If you know me well, you know that I love soccer and running and playing sports in general (most now for fun but I was pretty competitive in soccer for awhile). Perth has a DTS (Discipleship Training School) that focuses in sports and they use that as a way to minister to others, which I find pretty cool as well. I really had my heart set on staffing a Sports DTS either in July or October, but I knew I really wanted to do sports. But these were only desires, and nothing really that I felt God’s hand in yet. So since I have been back, I really felt like God was just speaking to me about broadening my vision for my time here these next 2 years. So I felt like I should just tell Adam (the leader of the Music DTS) that I would be open to staffing in July with him.. but that I would be in prayer about if it was right or not. I said I still wanted to staff sports but I really just wanted to listen to God’s guidance with which one I should do.  He just said thanks for telling him. This past week, I hadn’t really thought about it or prayed about it a whole lot but all of a sudden on Wednesday when I was praying in the morning, I just randomly started to pray for it. I asked for strong confirmation to do it- that God would speak to me clearly about the Music DTS, and Adam clearly about the Music DTS. Towards the end of the day Adam approached me, and sat me down and said “We would like you to staff the Music DTS”. And I was like woah… if that’s not clear, I don’t know what is. But even having that clear word from God, I still wanted to keep praying about it, so I gave it another night, and I was reading the next day in Hebrews chapter 11 where it talks about having Faith.. and by Faith all of these things happen. I also had a picture that showed me music, so I trusted that as God’s word, and I am now an official Staff of the 2011 July Music DTS. Here we go! After I talked to Adam, I walked away thinking “What did I just do…” More so because I sometimes don’t think I am ready to take on such a role – Discipling people my own age and older here in Perth for 3 months, and then leading a team of them into the nations for another 3 months.  So that’s my big news. I can honestly say, I NEVER thought that this is what my life would look like at age 19. But I’m ready to roll, and I’m trusting God with all my heart that He will be faithful to me until the end. He promises me that, so I know I have nothing to fear. Although this is so new to me, I am so excited for this next month as I prepare for the school. Like I have heard people tell me before…”God doesn’t always call the equipped, but He equips the called”. So that’s so cool. MY heart is so full of joy right now writing this because I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. I can’t wait to share more as I plunge into this next season as it brings NEW friends, NEW challenges, NEW adventures, and NEW lessons. BRING IT ON!

I have found when God Speaks, it's ALWAYS the best.. and this verse that is so fitting right now confirms that.

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13)