Following The Journey

January Update

2012-01-24T01:44:00.000-06:00

December 2011

Hello Friends and Family,

As I am writing this, the weather outside is 60 degrees and sunny. I say this because it is beautiful, but also shocking. It has been a mild winter this year in Arvada, Colorado. Another thing that’s beautiful is that I am nearing the 2 year mark of when I joined staff here at YWAM Denver. I must say that I have learned so much and I have grown so much as an adult. I would not change anything. Some of the things that I’ve grown in are as follows: trust in God to provide finances, time management, vulnerability, cultural growth (going to Africa), maturity, spiritual leadership and positional leadership. I am planning to continue to be on staff for another 2-4 years which will include moving up in positional leadership, leading 7 week mission trips/outreaches to other countries, and continuing to learn and grow.

I hosted a movie night at my house in the Summer of 2010. About 20 people were there.

For the last year I have been a small group leader in 4 different schools. This means that within the last year I have directly discipled and mentored 13 students, along with speaking into lives and encouraging many other people. Recently, I have prayerfully decided to take a break from being a small group leader and take some time to personally develop more into my personal growth. Sometimes it can be hard to personally rest and grow when you are constantly pouring into the lives of others. So far, God has been teaching me discernment and wisdom. I have been learning so much since this year has begun, and I am constantly in awe of how great God is and how faithful He is to give us the desires of our hearts. Taking this time off from being a small group leader is a minor change, yet with major lifestyle changes. I’m not quite sure how these lifestyle changes will look now, but I am excited to see how my obedience to God will bring understanding later. Even though right now I am not a small group leader, my work load has not decreased as I am currently working in Hospitality, Childcare, and the Creative Ministry Department.

My Small Group - Fall 2011 (Santa and the Elf were not in my small group ;-) )

In a couple months I will be making some lifestyle changes such as moving on campus which will allow me to put some money in my savings account. I will also be selling my car to get out of some credit card debt. Although I am making these decisions, I still need more financial support. I plan to save for some big life changes in the future. If you would like to invest in my future please contact me, and I will be greatly appreciative. I pray you are doing well and that you are having a blessed new year.

Blessings,
Becca J

Summary of the last 3 months

2011-12-26T17:26:00.000-06:00

It’s nearing the end of a year and the new year will begin. I know I haven’t written here in 3 months, so let me start off by paraphrasing what’s been going on in my life.
God has been teaching me how to be more vulnerable which in results in trusting Him more. He is teaching me more positional and spiritual leadership. He is teaching me to believe and hope more in the things He has promised me or that I would like to see happen. He is teaching me how to dream with Him. And I am sure there are more things that He is teaching me.

I have been extremely busy this last 3 months and it’s been good but at the same time extremely exhausting. I know things will be slowing down soon, and as things slow down I will still be busy but in a different way because God still wants to work on these things more in my life.

Some decisions I’ve made in the last 3 months:
* To stay on staff with YWAM Denver until 2015 or 2016.
* To move out of my apartment and move on campus (to save money)
* To sell my car to pay off credit card debt.
* To possibly go on an outreach this summer, to see if I want to lead people on missions trips.

This entry is kind of all over the place, and it’s because my mind is in several place. I am currently sitting at the airport waiting to go back to Denver. I had an earlier flight, but had a chance to get a voucher so I took it. I still have 3 more hours at the airport until I board. I will hopefully write a deeper entry soon.

It’s JUST the Beginning

2011-08-28T13:20:00.000-05:00

The outreach to Orange County, California is over but the work that God has done in the lives of the people there has just begun. Hundreds of people gave their lives to Christ and some rededicated their lives to Him. Many people were delivered from addictions and oppression, while many more were filled up with the Holy Spirit. And about 40 people, including myself, were baptized with in the Pacific Ocean.

Every day we would begin all 250 of us at a church with worship, testimonies, and intercession. We would take a break for lunch and then split into groups to pray about what God wanted us to do for the day. Most of the time my group would break off into two or more people and just love on people by speaking truth into strangers lives, or even simply pray for them.

It was a very fruitful outreach, the people were ready and beautiful willing to have God move in their life. It was beautiful to be bold and courageous to do the things God was putting on our hearts to do.

This was the end of the outreach but only the beginning of what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of people in Orange County.

Day 3 of 10: This is Real

2011-08-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

I don’t even know where to begin telling about today. I will just give a brief synopsis of what happened today. We began with worship and then John Dawson spoke and encouraged us. John was is one of the founders of YWAM when it began and he encouraged us about revival and about how hungry people are for hearing about God. After this time of John speaking, we took a break for lunch and gathered again into our groups to go off into ministry.

My group went to Huntington Beach and walked along and talked to people. We share with them about a “party” at a tent at the Hilton that we were having and they were invited. There were several crazy. amazing stories shared as we gathered.

God is moving in RADICAL ways. I feel like as I am living my life right now that I am reading it in a fictional story. But this is not fiction… THIS IS REAL!!!! And it is amazing to see more and more healings, salvations, and more people come back to God after falling away. It’s so beautiful. The atmosphere is changing in a good way. Woo Hoo!!!

I am so privileged to be a part of another revival moment that will soon be written about in history books.

Day 2 of 10: The Circuit Riders have Arrived

2011-08-18T23:18:00.000-05:00

Today we began our day with fellowship and worship. It was an encouraging time to be joined together with Ywam Denver and the Circuit Riders from Kona, Hawaii. Even though we are from 2 different places and doing different things, we have all joined together to see revival be spread across the United States, beginning in the West. The people in Hawaii and Denver are not 2 different groups, but 1 large group moving in unity to the heartbeat of our Father. My heart was overjoyed to see about 300 people giving their all in worship, and literally crying out to God for the salvation of people all across the world. I have been to church camps, Acquire The Fire, Christian concerts, and evangelists preach on revival in churches, BUT I have never seen so many people of all ages so passionate about partnering with God about a revival in America. It is so exciting what God is doing and how He is moving. He is already moving in Orange County and people are noticing a shift in the spiritual atmosphere.

After a time of worship and talking about the things God wants to do while we are here in Orange County, we took a break for lunch and then met back to organize into ministry groups. Most of us went over to Huntington Beach to simply share the love of Jesus with people. It was amazing to walk around and see us talking to people or praying for someone. I am sure tomorrow we will hear some stories of God moving while we are here in the O.C. and I am sure tomorrow will look much like today. Around 7pm most of us went to a nearby church where Brian Brennt was speaking. Brian is the visionary behind the Circuit Riders school in Kona.

We arrived back at one of the churches that we are staying around 9:45pm and most of the girls were eager to get into bed. Today was a fruitful and exciting day.

Day 1 of 10: Heading to Orange County

2011-08-17T13:41:00.000-05:00

As I write this, I am driving through Utah in a 15 passenger van headed for California. There are around 100 people from YWAM Denver traveling right now with me to meet up with abut 120 people from Kona, Hawaii who just finished a 5 week seminar on seeking revival in America.

For one week there will be meetings in a tent next to the Hilton Hotel by Huntington Beach. These meetings will be evangelism focused, however I am not sure what it will look like from day to day but I am very excited. I believe God has been giving me small glimpses of what amazingness He is going to do in Orange County, while over 200 YWAMers from all across the world are joining to catch the wave of vision that God has been sharing to many people.

I brought my laptop along with me to help blog the process of what God is doing in Orange County, through my perspective.

A picture I found off flickr.com

God is doing a NEW THING

2011-07-23T17:29:00.001-05:00

I don’t know where to begin this blog post. Since I have been back from Africa I have been steadily busy. The Summer Quarter at YWAM Denver began June 27th, one month ago. I am staffing the School of Biblical Foundations (SBF) along with being the Hospitality Assistant. One of the requirements for the SBF students is to read through the Bible in chronological order within the 3 months of the school, I am trying to read along with them. It’s about 16 chapters a day. It is really good, but I must admit that I am behind on the reading. However, I am confident that I will catch up and I will have completed reading the Bible by the end of the quarter.

I have had a busy summer and looking ahead it is just going to get even more busy. My 26th birthday is in 3 weeks, and the SBF students and staff will drive to Orange County at about 3AM. We are partnering with an evangelism outreach from Kona, Hawaii and we will be out there for 2 weeks. I need to raise $100 for food and a bus pass. It’s not much, but if YOU are reading this and would like to donate please email me at becca81385@gmail.com and then I will be able to help you figure out a way that works out best for you.

I do not know much about the outreach to Orange County, California except that I will praying for people and that it will be like a modern day tent service and modern day Billy Gram street evangelism. We are sending all of the students and most of the staff to be out at Huntington Beach to see God pour out His spirit and bring REVIVAL. I don’t know if you feel it where you are, but God is doing a NEW THING!

Forget the former things;
   do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honor me,
   the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
the people I formed for myself
   that they may proclaim my praise.

--- Isaiah 43:18-21

Still Processing ...

2011-06-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back from Africa. I am currently on vacation at my parents house, in Illinois. A few days ago I forced myself to sit and process the past 6 months. It’s not that it was a terrible time of my life, but probably one of the best times of my life. I gave so much of myself to the girls I discipled in my small group, and while in Africa for 7 weeks I continued to give of myself to other students as well.

It was an amazing time of my life and a growing time. I would love to write this update to you, my readers, and tell you of some crazy awesome memories and/or share pictures. But right now, that will have to wait until another day. I need to process more, because when I processed a few days ago, it wasn’t enough. I journaled for 3 hours at Starbucks, but it was just the surface, and I have much more that I need to reflect and even dig into while I ask God some tough questions.

However, I will say that Africa is beautiful. I recommend anyone and everyone to go to South Africa… it is stunning with beauty. The land is stunning and the people are friendly with beautiful accents. Mozambique is also beautiful, just in a deeper way. The people are friendly and hospitable, and the land is natural with very few concrete buildings (compared to the US).

Also, I have learned that I love 3rd world countries. There is something about the simplicity and joy in the little things, that excites my spirit. Every morning when I would wake up, I would be excited and have an expectation for God to do miracles and amazing things, even if unseen by human eyes. I also enjoyed, sometimes, the challenge of the language barrier. I loved that the people there are so hungry for the truth. I love the relationships that I began there and in South Africa, of which I miss tremendously.

Maybe next time will be an update about Africa…

AFRICA!!!!!!

2011-02-13T22:58:00.001-06:00

I have exciting news that I am eager to share with you. I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!!!! Ever since I did my Discipleship Training School (DTS) and did my outreach phase/missions trip 4 years ago, I knew that I wanted to be a missionary. But I had no specific idea where I wanted to go, so I began asking God 3 questions: Where, What, and Why. I soon realized that I had a huge heart for Africa, specifically the Southern part of Africa. As I continued to ask God about what I was called to do in Africa he showed me that I come alive when I hear about AIDS and HIV in Africa. Then I asked the final question, “Why?” and the answer is bring faith to the faithless, hope to the hopeless, and to love the unloved – simply as Jesus did and continues to do. Then God gave me the verse 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I believe this dream and passion to go to Africa started when I was around the age of 8 when I watched the movie The Lion King. I know now that Africa is not like the movie, but I still get excited thinking about when I will be going there.

So you may be asking, how did you get chosen to go to Africa? Every small group leader in the DTS gets put into consideration as to who will assist the outreach leader. In the DTS that I am staffing, there are 2 outreach locations for the students to choose from. One is to China and the other is to Africa. I talked to one person responsible for choosing outreach assistants and told them that I would love to go to Africa. A couple weeks later they approached me and asked if I would like to go to Africa. I screamed and said, YES!!!!! There will be 23 students going to Africa, and for every 5 students 1 staff person needs to go. So I will be assisting the leader along with a married couple and their 2 year old son.

The next question that may have crossed your mind is, where will you be going in Africa, and what will you be doing? We will be going to Johannesburg, South Africa for 3 weeks. Then we will be going to Dondo, Mozambique for the final 4 weeks of the outreach. In South Africa we will be working in the slums and also with AIDS babies. While in Mozambique we will be working with Heidi Baker’s ministry called Iris Ministries. This specific location that we will be at is boy’s orphanage ages between 7-18years old. We will be working hard on this trip by helping with farming, plowing fields, leading church services, loving on the widows and orphans, and many other things.

There are many more details to be worked out and our plane tickets will be bought soon. The tentative dates that we will be traveling will be from March 28^th – May 7^th. After arriving back in Denver, Colorado the students will go through a week of teaching and debrief times as well. They will then graduate on May 20^th and will go back to their homes.

My current plan after the students graduate is to take a 3 week vacation where I will be spending about a week in Arvada, CO with my parents and then flying back home to Illinois with them for about 2 weeks. I’ve been wanting to spend more than a week in Illinois, because 1 week is not enough time to see family and friends. I am also hoping to share with friends, family, and supporters about specific stories and things that God did in my life during this trip. I believe that while I am in Africa God will give me answers to questions that I have been asking Him for awhile now.

I will try to send out another update before I leave for Africa.

Update and Plans

2011-01-23T23:43:00.000-06:00

It’s the start of a new week and the Compassion DTS is 1/3 of its way through the lecture phase. I am so excited about the willingness that the students have been putting forth and God is doing so many things in their lives and healing them from things in their past. God is so amazing.

So here is what in store for me and the DTS…

It’s the beginning of week 4 for the Compassion DTS and during week 6 the Musicians DTS that I staffed last quarter will be back from Norway and Mexico. I am so excited to hear their testimonies, what God spoke to them, and what is next in their lives. They will be sharing with this current DTS about the things that God did while they were on outreach.
For week 8, the Compassion DTS and the staff will be traveling to LA for a week to do ministry at the Dream Center. I am really looking forward to God using the students and preparing them for their 7 week outreach to another country.

The outreach opportunities for the DTS are China and Mozambique, Africa. Since I am on staff with the DTS, I have a chance to go. I would love to go to Mozambique, because I have such a heart for Africa and Mozambique is one of the places that I have wanted to go to. I also have a heart to do ministry with women and children, and that is what the DTS will be doing in Mozambique.

Also, God has been teaching me to immediately obey Him, when I feel his prompting. It’s been good through cause when I obey, God uses me in great ways and to speak words of encouragement to people. It’s so good.

Growth and Maybe More...

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

It’s 2011 and I hardly have any insight from God as to what this year will bring for me. Usually by this time I have a word or some insight into the new year, but this time… not much. I have myself to blame. I have been procrastinating in asking God questions about this next year, because honestly I was extremely disappointed in the month of December. The plans and ideas that I had thought I heard from God did not come true as I had envisioned they would. Now I know last year was a year of “Great Expectations” and “Big Things”, even if they did not meet my own expectations and desires. But my disappointment is in the past and it’s a new year, so I am moving on.

I really believe that this year is going to be a year of tremendous growth. At first this sounds exciting and new, but as I have learned in the last 3 months – growth does not come easy. You have to choose to grow and be stretched. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. You have to be sensitive to God’s leading, because He will lead you to places where you will not fall or stumble. He is a safe place of refuge. Growing is not an easy thing, and it doesn’t always come naturally. But the end result is life, nourishment, and fulfillment.

All I know for this new year, is that the journey is going to be difficult at times, but the end result is going to be fruitful.

Dictionary.com says growth is - something that has grown or developed by or as if by a natural process.

I Don't Want To Ride On Somebody Else's Passion

2010-12-21T12:26:00.005-06:00

I don't wanna ride on somebody else's passion

I don't wanna find that I am just dry bones

I want to burn with unquenchable fire

Deep down inside

See it coming alive

Help me find my own flame

Help me find my own fire

I want the real thing

I want your burning desire

--- song "Help Me Find My Own Flame" by Will Reagan and United Pursuit

Ever since I first heard this song a couple months ago, I've had a stirring in my heart for something more. Something much more. I believe that I have a unique calling on my life, and that my own flame is to go to South Africa and help people with Aids through health care and music. I feel a stirring in my heart to get more training, either do more YWAM school's or go back to college. I am not sure if I will become a Nurse some day or if I will just get training fit specifically for the ministry that I feel I have been specifically called to do.

As for now, I am going to be on staff with YWAM for another year and maybe even for another year after that. I am unsure what my future holds, but I know that it holds in the hands of my God.

TRUST

2010-11-07T14:38:00.001-06:00

It’s a typical fall day today. It’s cloudy, breezy, cool, and most of the leaves have fallen off trees as they layer the ground with a new shade of brown. Much like the changing of seasons, I have recently discovered a new layer of change in my life. I am growing and changing with every season, but I have realized that I will soon be entering into a new layer. This layer is something that I am going to have to make a conscious effort to change in my life.

One of the biggest things God told me He was going to do in my life this year was develop trust in my life. I have seen how I have had to learn how to trust God, first. Then I have learned that I need to trust others. And now I need to use the two together. I will be soon learning how to trust God when I trust others. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t willingly open myself up to people unless they open up to me first. But those relationships tend to be draining for me because they are one sided relationships. I have realized that I push people away before getting too close, and I don’t let people know how I really feel, especially in moments when I really need a friend. I don’t want to be co-dependent and so I try to deal with things that I am struggling with on my own, or with God’s help. So I am going to try to open myself up more, in hopes that I wont get hurt, and if I do I am going to ask God to help me to continue to open up and trust people more.

The Number of the Day is: 10

2010-10-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

It’s 10 o’clock at night, on the 10th day of the 10th month in the year of 2010. The air is cold and rain falls from the sky. The wind blows as sounds of cars driving in puddles on the pavement . For me the Autumn season has just begun. Summer will blow it’s warm air through, but will only make an appearance from time to time until Winter makes it’s dramatic entrance.

A sigh of disappointment escapes my mouth. Thoughts of longing and of letting go fill my mind. And as I ponder this thought an epiphany comes to mind!

This is what I have been doing a lot lately. I have been letting go of my dreams and desires to fulfill God’s dreams and desires for me. Some of these dreams I believe are ones God has given to me years ago, but I still need to let those dreams go. It’s hard, but I really believe that in this season of my life God wants all of my heart. He wants all of my thoughts to be about Him. When I think about letting go of my dreams and desires, I cannot help but think of a song by Francesca Battistelli called I’m Letting Go. It speaks volumes to me right now.

Chorus:

I’m letting go of the life I’ve planned for me and my dreams
I’m loosing control of my destiny
It feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

2nd Chorus:

I’m letting go of the life I’ve planned for me and my dreams
I’m loosing control of my destiny
It feels like I’m falling and this is the life for me

a BIG season

2010-09-25T23:19:00.002-05:00

Its the beginning of the Fall Season. The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are beginning to change, and the football season has begun.

For me, the new quarter is about to begin with about 105 students arriving on Monday. I am very excited to be staffing my 1st school as a Small Group Leader (SGL). I will be a SGL for the Musician’s Discipleship Training School. I will also be the Hospitality Assistant and helping out with some childcare (babysitting). It will be a busy quarter. With being a SGL, I will be discipling 3 young women throughout their 3 months of teachings. I will be meeting with them once a week for a one-on-one, and we will have Small Group times with all of us together. I am really looking forward to getting to know these women, along with the other people in the Musicians DTS.

On a more personal level, I am expecting highs and lows this season in my life. I am expecting good time and hard times. Now, I know that through the lows and hard times I will grow more and I will learn more, but I am prepared for it to not come “easy” or naturally. I have noticed a pattern of God revealing really significant things to me during seasons like this, and I am anticipating for God to reveal some answers to questions that I’ve had for a while. I am really looking forward to this season in my life, and the BIG things that are going to happen.

Twenty-Five

2010-08-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

I am twenty-five years old. I am a quarter century old. I am old enough to rent a car without under age fees. I am more beautiful inward and outward than I was a year ago.
As of August 13th, I am twenty-five years old!

I am really excited for this year of my life. I feel in my spirit that big things are going to happen this year. I am going to go through a huge amount of growth and maturity. It’s going to be good.

At twenty-five, I would have thought that I’d be married, have at least one child, and possibly live the American Dream. But at twenty-five I am single, have no children, am living on my own in a suburb in Denver, Colorado, working for a non-profit organization, trusting in God to provide for my finances, and living off of faith for God to provide all of my needs. It is wonderful. God knew what was best. I love my life!

This year I spent my birthday away from my family. It was hard at times, but I have such great friends and people that are like family here. I think because of these people, I had the best birthday in long time. I felt so loved and encouraged. I spent some quality time with several friends and went to downtown Denver for a girls night out. I am so blessed.

I am looking forward to what God has planned during my year of being twenty-five years old, and I am prepared to let Him use me in any way He has planned.

Happy Father’s Day

2010-06-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

I’m a little late in writing this blog, but just as I acknowledged my mom – I want to acknowledge my dad.

My dad and I have a funny relationship. We are so much alike that we butt heads at times, and other times we think and see things alike.

As I have matured and grown up, I have noticed how much of God’s character I see in my dad. My dad provides for me when I need him to. If I get into a jam and need money, he is there to provide. If I need new clothes or a new pair of shoes, he is there to provide. If I need some family time; he is there. If I need advice, he is there. And if I need a hug, he is definitely there.

My dad sometimes appears to be “tough guy” by showing little emotion, but deep down he has such a soft, gentle, and compassionate heart. He often befriends the “underdog” even if that means an actual animal. Several times my mom and I have tried to convince my dad to get another animal (even when we had 4 cats and 3 dogs inside the house). But his answer was always, “NO!”. I now realize why he his answer was always no. It was because when he commits to something he sticks to it. Also, the animal that he seemed to like the most was the one that didn’t get as much attention.

My dad is witty and has random moments of silliness. He even likes to try to embarrass me. For example, I will be walking around in Wal-Mart with my parents and I may go off to look at something in a nearby isle. Sometimes my dad will shout “Rebecca! Rebecca!”, when he knows exactly where I am. I have learned to ignore him because it makes him look like a weirdo. I have also learned to follow his example, so once in a while I will be the weirdo yelling his name in a store.

I really appreciate my dad for all of the times that he could have given up during hard times. But he remained strong and continued to move forward. My dad has endured much in his life and made sure that my brother and I were always taken care of and that history did not repeat itself.

My dad is humble , loving, kind, generous, sensitive, perceptive, funny, honest, charismatic, loved by everyone he comes in contact with, and so much more.

I LOVE MY DAD!

Happy Mother’s Day

2010-05-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

Today is my first mother’s day away from my mom that I can ever remember. I don’t like being away from family during holidays, but I know that it’s not going to be the last. I look forward to the day when I will one day have my own children and be able to celebrate Mother’s Day. I look forward to passing on traditions that my mom and I have done together, and even to making my own family traditions. My mom has had such an important part in my life and in shaping who I am today. I am so thankful for her and all of the sacrifices that she has made for me.

I love the relationship that my mom and I have. We can act like sisters sometimes and some even say that we look like sisters. :-) I love that whenever we argue about something all we need is a few minutes away from each other before we talk about the reason we acted the way we did and then we are back to normal.

I love my mom so much, not only because I have a piece of her DNA, but because she is amazing. Throughout trials in her marriage she remained strong and patient for God to heal her always forgiving heart. And because of her faith in God, my parents have been married for 30 years and counting.

I love that my mom tried not to show any signs of fear, resulting in some of my favorite childhood memories of catching bumble bees in a jar (without getting stung) and asking her if I could bring them inside. As a child I never understood why I couldn’t bring them inside.

I also love the compassionate heart she has. My mom is always wanting to “rescue” an animal from a local shelter or even from the side of the road. Although she has enough self-control to know when she is taking care of too many animals. And it’s interesting to me that sometimes animals would show up at the front door and look into the little side window, as if to say “aren’t you going to let me in”. It’s like they knew she would take care of them.

I love that my mom and I have the same sense of humor, and sometimes take a few minutes before understanding a joke. I love that she is so understanding and understands me when I feel like no one else does.

My mom is so willing to learn new things. I even love when trying to teach her something new, she sometimes gets easily distracted and loses focus. But her heart is still in the place of being teachable.

I love that my mom is always, and I mean ALWAYS encouraging. She will tell you the truth in a kind and loving way, then encourage you. She’s always been encouraging me to be whatever I want to be in life. And even the times when I didn’t know what I wanted to do, she still gave me encouraging words.

And during my teenage years when I was rebellious and did not want to obey my parents, my mom still loved me. She has always loved me.

I love that my mom is my best friend and always will be.

I love you, mom!

:-)

Intended for Larger Things

2010-04-30T00:18:00.000-05:00

Picture taken from flickr.com

For the past week I’ve been reflecting on the personal growth that I’ve experienced. As I looked back I was reminded of a quote from the movie BIG FISH…

… Kept in a small bowl the goldfish will remain small, with more space the fish will double, triple, or quadruple it's size. It occurred to me then that perhaps the reason for my growth is that I was intended for larger things
After all, a giant man cant have an ordinary size life.

If I were a goldfish, I feel like I have already doubled in size and I am going to grow even more. I have gone through several difficult things: moving away from home, living on my own, being out of my comfort zone, etc. And through these things, like the picture above, I have jumped from the little bowl to the bigger bowl.

When I look back on my life and even think of the small town I grew up in. I think about the times that I have wanted more space to grow, but didn’t know how to obtain it. Now, I understand that I had to wait until it was given to me.

One of the biggest thing that I enjoy about my job is that I don’t have someone frequently checking up on me. Don’t get me wrong, I have a supervisor but they give me a task and expect me to get it done or most of it done. I’ve noticed that by having this freedom I have grown tremendously in maturity, discipline, and even spiritually. I love growing and moving forward in life. I’ve also realized that I like to be challenged because it stretches me to learn more and experience more.

Although hard, I am enjoying this challenging time and season of growth. I wonder how big of a fish I will grow to be.

Trying Not To Get Comfortable

2010-04-14T17:16:00.002-05:00

It’s the middle of April which means that I have been on staff for 6 weeks. Usually by this point I have a pretty good assessment on how things are going in my life and with the things around me and what I need to do to change.

Being on staff has been good, tiring, and exciting. I love being able to work in a Christian atmosphere with positive people. I love meeting new people from all over the world and nurturing the children around me. I love where I am physically (at YWAM Denver) and what I am doing on staff (Reception, Child Care, Housekeeping, and planning for YWAM’s 50th anniversary).

Personally I can sense that I am starting to get comfortable. This is both a pro and a con. Getting comfortable can be a stepping block to apathy. I am at peace where I am, but I need to not forget to continue to push myself. I realized this today. I need to keep pushing myself to continue to develop relationships with the new students, which may include spending time with them when I am not on working hours. I need to be who I am and do what I do. I need to find a balance in pouring into others (staff and students) while also resting and allowing myself to get poured into by God. I need to remind myself daily of the promises that God has spoken to me since I have been here. He is so faithful and full of love!

Transitioning

2010-03-31T11:56:00.001-05:00

The outreach teams are gone and in Samoa, Haiti, and Thailand. I am really excited to hear what God is doing in those countries and how He is using the teams to be a positive influence in the people there.

This week, so far, has been quiet around the base as the students are gone and myself and the other staff are preparing for the new students to arrive for the Spring quarter, which starts on Monday.

Next quarter my jobs are reception in the morning and childcare in the after noon. I am really looking forward to getting into a daily routine of my work week.

Today, as I write this I am filled with lots of joy and excitement for this new quarter to begin and also to move into my new home. Tomorrow I will be moving into the furnished basement of a family who just ended their commitment with YWAM Denver. I will be living there with another girl on staff, Ilsa. Ilsa did her Phase 2 with me and we’ve been roommates with each other for the past 2 weeks, so it’s been good getting to know each other on a different level than just classmates.

I’m Finally Here

2010-03-14T18:59:00.001-05:00

Three years ago I finished my first YWAM school, and I was finally 100% sure about the calling that God had on my life. I was going to be a full time missionary and start off in the states with YWAM, but I didn’t know where. Before I eagerly jumped on the band wagon I needed to be be patient because God wanted me to go to YWAM Denver to do a School of Worship. After completing that secondary school I didn’t know what was next. I didn’t want to come back to YWAM Denver, but God slowly softened my heart and I began feeling like I was going to be on staff with YWAM Denver. I worked to save money for the next school – Phase 2/School of Ministry and Development. Three months after graduating from my 3rd school with YWAM – I came back to YWAM Denver to join staff.

YWAM Denver has become my home away from home.

I am officially a staff member of YWAM Denver. I have committed to being on staff here for a year at a time. I am excited for the next season of my life: one that I have been waiting 3 years to get to. I know that God has great plans for me and how to use me. I am going to meet many people in the next year along with touching the lives of many people of which excites me to the core. :-) However with all of the positive things that are going to happen, I am aware that it is not going to be easy and I am going to grow and mature to a deeper level.

The next quarter doesn’t start until April 5th, so until then I will be helping out wherever is needed. So far I know that I will be helping out in the kitchen, childcare, and maybe housekeeping.

I will post another blog once I know what I will be doing for the next quarter and of anything else that God is doing in my life.

:-)

Going to Haiti: Sooner Than Later

2010-02-01T21:59:00.001-06:00

It’s been 3 years since I went to Haiti for outreach and a piece of my heart is still there. I was first broken for Haitians when I went to a Haitian village in the Dominican Republic (DR) which was near a garbage dump. I was told that those Haitians were there illegally there hoping for a better life in the DR, but by the way they were living it was worse. They had no running water, in fact the water they were drinking out of was a barrel of standing rain water that would drain off of their rusted tin roofs. Flies and mosquitoes often congregated around these water barrels. I saw many children with hardly any clothes on and very few were wearing shoes, let alone sandals. It was poverty at it’s core.

These pictures were taken at the Haitian village in the DR.

After about 2 weeks in the DR, I traveled to Haiti for 3 weeks. I was completely humbled as I traveled from Port-au-Prince (the capitol) to Jacmel where I stayed with a YWAM base there. My heart was broken even more as I compared my life back home to the poverty I was seeing right before my eyes. I was intimidated for the 1st week of my stay because I didn’t feel like I was doing enough for that country, but as time went on I developed more boldness within my spirit.

It has been almost 3 weeks since a 7.0 earthquake shook most of the country of Haiti. Immediately when I had heard the news my heart was broken for the Haitians. As I was praying for the country I felt so helpless because I so badly wanted to go and help out in any possible way. But as I was praying God reminded me that what I am doing, praying, is doing so much that I cannot even fathom. Also as I was praying I strongly felt like I will be going back to Haiti sooner than when I thought. Since I went on my outreach to the Caribbean I have always had a feeling that I would be going back but never knowing when and thinking it would be in the distant future. But I felt like God was telling me that I’d be going back to Haiti (possibly leading an outreach team) sooner than later. As I continue to pray and watch/read the news about the devastation of the earthquake I am anxious to go back to Haiti and help, but only anxious for God’s timing.

The Palace now after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
(picture taken by one of my missionary friends January 30, 2010)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
--- Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

A building in Jacmel, Haiti

A boy at an orphanage that my team and I helped at.
I got attached to this little boy.

2010: Great Expectations

2009-12-31T22:30:00.003-06:00

As the end of a year approaches, I find myself and others reflecting on the current year and making plans and goals for the year to come. Sometimes dreams and visions get pushed aside throughout the year, but as a new year begins those dreams and visions sparkle and shine. Again hearts are captured and desires are stirred up, giving hope that something better will come for that new year.

It's New Years Eve and the commercials on TV encourage me to think about this past year and to make new goals for the new year. I am pleased with the things that I have done in 2009 and I look forward to 2010 with great expectations.

Last year was filled with lots of love and being patient for the next step in missions in my life.

As 2010 begins (tomorrow), I have great expectations for things in my life to unfold. It is hard for me to explain why I feel this way, and why I believe that things are going to unfold. The best way I can explain it is a feeling of anticipation in my spirit and I am standing on the promises God’s given me. I am really excited to see how God orchestrates His plans for my life throughout the year.

Home Is Where Your Heart Is

2009-12-27T21:07:00.015-06:00

Home is ultimately not about a place to live but about the people with whom you are most fully alive. Home is about love, relationship, community, and belonging, and we are all searching for home. --- Soul Cravings by Erwin Raphael McManus

I am back home again. Christmas has come and gone and 2010 is just around the corner. It feels so surreal. It's always nice to be home even though I miss my friends in YWAM. While involved in YWAM I meet a lot of people from all over the world, but by the end of a school many of those people I will probably never see again. It's kind of depressing, but I have hope because in March I will be going back to YWAM Denver to join staff with 10 or more of my classmates. I will be signing a contract for a year. I may be there longer but I am talking it a year at a time. Right now I am not sure what types of jobs I will be doing, but I will know soon enough. Some of the jobs that I could be doing are the following: childcare, hospitality, housekeeping, helping out in the kitchen for meal preparations, miscellaneous personnel jobs, working directly with a school/disciplining students, and many other jobs. I will be working from 9 am-5 pm, Monday through Friday which leaves no time for another job. I will have several perks like being given vacation time, being with friends who are like family, etc. The biggest perk is doing what I love: serving people and loving people.

I am so excited for this next step in my life. Not only is Denver, Colorado like my home away from home, but I will be doing the thing that I have been wanting to do for the past 3 years --> to be a full time missionary. However, it is bitter-sweet to move out of my parents house and live almost 1,000 miles away from home. Nothing will ever take that feeling of love, comfort, family, and peace like being in the place where I grew up; the place filled with many memories of which I call home.

Thanksgiving at the Care Center

2009-11-26T17:33:00.004-06:00

Thinking back on last year - I spent a couple hours helping out at a local homeless shelter and it felt so good to help people out on a day that I typically like to spend with my family. This year I am in Colorado and decided not to go home for Thanksgiving. In our school we have been doing weekly local outreaches. Myself and a few other of my classmates have been going to The Care Center almost every Monday night. (The Care Center is set up like a nursing home but the residents are mostly people with physical or mental handicaps.)We have seen the anticipation on the residents faces when we get there, and can see the sadness in their eyes when we have to leave. One lady that I have grown close to is Patty (in the pictures). She is very nice and just lights up when she sees us. I look forward to seeing her every week and just hanging out with her.

It felt so great to take a couple hours out of my Thanksgiving day to just hang out with some really cool people who didn't get to see their family this holiday. I think this is a Thanksgiving that I will always cherish.

The Leadership School Called PHASE 2

2009-11-25T16:29:00.000-06:00

It's going into the 9th week of school for me, that means the leadership school only has 3 more weeks left. I am learning a lot about Principles in Leadership, Pitfalls in Leadership, God's Word (the importance of staying in the Word as a Leader), Faith in Finances, Effective Personal Ministry, and Strength Finders (learning about our top 5 strengths and how to effectively use our strengths in leadership). But I am also learning more about what God is calling me to do and what He wants me to work in my personal life. I have been really diligent with my time and disciplined in getting my homework done on time, if not early. I am surprised at how I haven't procrastinated much and I am wondering if I finally "grew up". :-) I do not have a love for reading, and so far a good portion of my homework has been reading books and doing book reports. But despite the busy lifestyle that is YWAM, I am learning a lot.

Moving onto other topics, the weather here has been beautiful. Colorado is always inconsistent and at the beginning of October the leaves were changing and then it snowed about a half inch so all of the beautiful leaves quickly turned into many shades of browns.

Then about a week later it snowed for about 24hrs and we got about 2 feet of snow. While it was snowing I listened to some Christmas music and dreamed of Christmas. Three days later the snow was almost gone with it reaching up into the 60's. It was nice though to get a little taste of winter and the feeling of Christmas. It was so nice.

I was thinking about touring with a band to the East Coast after my school ends on December 18th, but after thinking and praying about it more I have decided to go home after my school ends. I will be home for Christmas and I will be staying home for about 2 months. In March, I am going to come back to Colorado and be a full time missionary for at least a year. I am so excited about it, and I am so excited to discover more of what God has planned for my life.

VIdeo Blog # 6 - A Simple Update

2009-08-26T11:22:00.003-05:00

In this Video Blog I talk about the busy months I've had working, where I work and what I do. I also talk about my near future plans.

UPDATE: on the baby Robins (Greedy & Williena Robinz) also included in this video!

Watch and Enjoy!

:-)

Making Dream Come True

2009-08-12T11:03:00.002-05:00

My 24th birthday is tomorrow and I was trying to think of what I wanted to do on my birthday.
Many things came to mind like: go shopping, go on a romantic date, hang out with friends, go bowling with friends, etc. However, I am trying to save money and I do not have a significant other right now to go on a romantic date with. Also, I have to work. So I thought about what would make me happy... getting up early, getting the most out of my day, take some pictures of the beautiful scenery that's around me, work out and spend time with family. And that's exactly what I am going to do! :-)

I can't just sit around waiting for my dreams to come true, so I am going to make my dreams come true by doing what makes me the most happy for my birthday. And no, I'm not going to go out and find a boyfriend to go out on a romantic date. But I will do everything that is practical and cost efficient. :-)

Greedy and Williena Robinz

2009-06-19T15:44:00.006-05:00

Sitting in the windowsill

Williena and Greedy resting where I sleep

Bath time!!!

Day 1: Looking for food

Day 2: Close up of Williena sitting on the deck about to sleep after a day of exploring

In this video I talk about the 2 baby birds that I hand raised and a story or 2 of what I learned and what God taught me (see next post) through this experience. It was bitter-sweet to let them go, but I knew it was best for them to be where they were intended to be - in the wild.

Motherly Instinct

2009-05-28T22:29:00.008-05:00

So I have rescued 2 baby Robins from work and I am hand raising them until they are ready to be set back into the wild. I got them Sunday May 24th and they are more work than I thought they would be. They need to eat every 30 minutes and if needed they can go for 2-3 hours once a day. I am feeding them worms and a berry mixture (which consists of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and 12 grain whole wheat bread crumbs). They were about 1 week old when I got them and they are growing fast.

I've nicknamed one "Greedy SOB (Son of a Bird) because it's more aggressive over the food and always seems to never stop eating. The other I just nicknamed today "One Eye Willie" because I found a drop of mud on one of it's eye/eyelid and I tried to carefully clean it off. This was probably from a piece of mud falling off a worm during feeding. It will sometimes open it's eye, but most of the time it's closed. I'm sure it's eye will be fine in a couple days.

Other than that the babies are 11 days old today and I am looking forward to their "fledgling" stage... when they will get out of the nest and begin to fly short distances and learn how to take a bath, hunt, and exercise their wings. However it will be interesting and fun for me (a human) to teach them their independence as a bird.

Since I've had "my babies" I've noticed an increase of my own motherly instincts kick in. My attention gets drawn to the slightest noise that resembles their chirp and even when I know they are safe I cannot seem to focus clearly on the thing I was previously focused on until I go check on them. And I am attached (obviously since I'm calling them "my babies"). Even when I left them with my grandma for 45 minutes just to pick up some things at Wal-Mart, I found myself getting excited to see the birds as I pulled into her driveway. Also, in between feedings I'll find myself staring at the birds and seeing how much they have grown and how little they still are, then I realize that it's time for me to feed them again. :-)

I do believe that God is preparing me for the day when I will have my own family. And I can happily say that I think I am just about ready. And by "just about" I mean that I'm just lacking the Wonderful Godly Man that I will one day call My Husband. But as every day goes by I feel closer and closer to meeting him and knowing that he is "the one".

But anyways that day will come... back to the robins.

About the mother of the baby robins I am raising: I've had to take the baby robins to work a few times because of the busy feeding schedule and I thought maybe the mom would hear her babies chirping, but I never spotted her. So I am assuming she is busy taking care of another nest of baby robins.

Stay tuned to see a couple videos of the baby robins before I let them go back into the wild. :-)

The day I got them

4 days later (today)
Greedy on the right and Willie on the left

A Little Creativity

2009-05-11T22:34:00.006-05:00

This is my 4th Video Blog this year. Since I was busy working more during the month of April, I didn't have much time to put together a blog... so this is my blog for April & May.

I am really enjoying my new hobbies (crocheting and painting) and I am looking forward to learning how to sew and knit. Just a couple more things that I will learn from my talented grandmother.

Right In The Middle

2009-05-07T14:05:00.009-05:00

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

--- Song written and sung by John Waller
"While I Wait"

This is where I am ... I am waiting. My life could go in 2 different directions and I'm right in the middle of knowing what is going to happen.
1 direction could be what I desperately want to do: Go to YWAM Denver in the Fall and do their leadership school (Phase 2), possibly go on outreach after the 3 month school, then prayerfully consider becoming a full time missionary with YWAM Denver.
Or the other direction could be: Stay at home, continue to work and serve my church family, save up money to do missions trips to Africa or where ever God leads, invest in friendships and family. With either direction God is behind it. The only way that I could do the 1st direction I mentioned is by God providing a financial miracle. And I'm waiting for that financial miracle, because there is no way that I can physically do to get the money that I need in 5 months.
While I'm waiting ... But patiently I will wait.

Decision # 1

OR

Decision # 2

Moving in Slow Motion

2009-05-02T13:05:00.001-05:00

Continuing on from the last blog:

There are days when I feel like I've taken a step forward and other days when I feel like I've taken a step backwards. Day after day I feel like the world keeps moving and the things that I know God wants for me are moving in slow motion. But are those things moving in slow motion or just not as fast as I would like them to move.

This year in my blogs I've been talking about how I need a significant amount of money to do what I believe God has called me to do. It's extremely frustrating because when I get a some extra cash, an unexpected bill seems to pop up. I'm trying to save money for the leadership school that I believe God has told me to do this fall, but I've only got 5 months now to get the money that I need.

I've asked God and even friends if they have any ideas on how I could get some cash. But God is still quiet and I'm not sure what to do. I've pursued God about getting a 2nd job numerous times, but I never have peace about it and then He'll bless me by picking up some extra hours at my job. I've still been trying to Give God More Spiritually , but it's difficult when like last month I'd work the equivalent of a full time job (my current set hours are part time hours).

Despite my frustration and being impatient, I've been praising God for the little ways that He blesses me and continues to bless me.

P.S. God gave all of us extra organs that we don't need to survive on, so maybe I could sell some organs... like one of my kidneys. Just Kidding! Ha Ha! :-)

What Does That Look Like?

2009-03-24T22:41:00.007-05:00

About a month ago, I was feeling like someone had hit the "pause button" on my life. I felt like no matter how much I'd push forward, I'd end up not going anywhere. I was frustraited with God, because I was lacking any direction from Him. So I asked some respected elders in my church to pray for me. I told them that if God wanted me to head in another direction of my life, then NOW would be the time for Him to lead me to where ever He wanted me to go. After praying for me the couple told me that I needed to give more spiritually, but what does that look like?! I understood what they told me, but as time went on I realized that I still had no clue what specifically I was to do.

Once again, I pushed forawrd in my life and with the things I believe God was telling me to do. But instead of feeling like my life was "paused" I felt like it was going in slow motion. I decided to not stress about things not going my way, and just relax as I planned for a road trip with a couple friends to Colorado for 2 of my good friends wedding (March 14th).

On the way home from Colorado, a wise friend confirmed some things about what he believed God was laying on his heart to tell me. It was about giving spiritually and some ideas on how to do that.

I enjoy giving. I feel like I give so much of myself, time, money, and other things freely... sometimes a little too freely. I don't consult God in what I'm giving and I've realized sometimes I'll say "I really feel like God wants me to give __________ to you." But really it's me being impulsive and the adrenaline of being spontaneous makes me think that God's telling me these things.

I believe that consulting God more about the things I give, and giving more to Him spiritually is going to be a HUGE step in maturity and growth spiritually.

With this said, I feel like it's going to be a slow process, which makes me anxious about the things I need (finances) and I'm feeling the crunch (6 months) of when I need these things. But I know that God has put this passion inside my life for a reason, and that reason is not for failure. I know God will provide, and I need to be patient for His timing for it all take place.

I made my 3rd Video Blog while I was at the YWAM Denver base, and I've put some pictures in the video as well to help you see the place where I know God has called me for another season of my life.

Watch and Enjoy!

P.S. Comments are always welcomed!!!

My Faith in God = God's Faithfulness

2009-02-22T17:13:00.010-06:00

Just a brief update from the last blog.
After completing the all natural cleanse, I feel amazing! I feel more alert, have a clearer mind, I lost 10-15 lbs, and I'm still trying to break old habits by making healthier choices and practicing moderation. I often tell people that I feel like I've drank a cup of coffee without the negative effects, and the energy I have continues throughout the day.

Now, here's my 2nd Video Blog about Faith and Faithfulness. Also, here's a scripture God gave me last week about having Faith in Him and He will show me His faithfulness.

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." - Matthew 13:31-32 NIV

Cleansing

2009-02-08T19:36:00.006-06:00

Day 15 of 21:

For 15 days I've been doing an all natural body cleanse which is also a liver detox. Days 1-10 I was ONLY eating raw fruits and vegetables, and taking vitamins and minerals. The 1st day I had a terrible headache which lasted through most of the next day. A cold was going around and I got it. I almost thought I should quit the cleanse, but I knew that if I quit I'd either have a lot of vitamins left over or I'd just have to start over from day 1. So I pressed on and I got over my cold much faster than other times. On day 11 I was able to allow my taste buds to have a dance party with fish and chicken. Mmmm... it tasted SO good.

How am I feeling now? GREAT! Most days I feel like I've had a cup of coffee without the tired feeling after it wears off. My energy has increased, I'm more focused, and I just feel good for eating healthy. I have also lost an average of a pound a day of weight. When I've gone on the Wii Fit my BMI continues to go decrease to a healthy BMI, and my Wii Fit age has gone from 48 to 30.

While being on this cleanse, I've noticed things about my eating habits... they are terrible. When I'm really hungry I reach for the the thing that will give me the quickest fix to get rid of my hunger pains, which are usually things filled with refined sugars or something that processed. I hardly ever want to eat a piece of fruit or even munch on some veggies.

Just the other day I realized that I have bad eating habits with my spiritual life. I may "eat" good for a season, but then I binge on junk:TV, movies, music, things on the Internet, etc. or sometimes I become spiritually anorexic by not eating at all (reading the Bible, praying, etc). As is true in the flesh, it is not spiritually healthy that I have developed these bad eating habits. I need to do a spiritual cleanse.

So, I've started a spiritual cleanse. I'm making sure I read my Bible and pray everyday. I've also put a filter and a conscious effort to be careful what I watch and listen to. I'm hoping that this isn't just a season that I periodically go through, but a life change. And I am aware that I will encounter things along the way that will make me want to quit, but I know that I have enough discipline to press on.

More Reflections of 2008

2009-01-20T20:58:00.008-06:00

So there I was unloading dishwasher when I began to have a conversation with God. I started talking and voicing all of my problems; asking Him to take care of them. A few minutes later I realized I wasn't talking,nor was I thinking of my problems. I was remembering the things God taught me during 2008 and wondered why I wasn't ecstatic about 2009anymore. God is always faithful to fulfill His promises, so what happened to that excitement of what God is going to do...?

Thinking back on 2008...

God has taught me many things about being a mother. I've spent many days being with children: In the Spring, I helped out with nursery in my church, watching and teaching about 1-4 toddlers (some of them only knew Spanish); In the Summer, I babysat my cousins (then ages 6, 9, and 11); And in the Fall/Winter, I began working with physically and mentally handicapped adults in their home (which sometimes would be like dealing with children). God also showed me how He's teaching me how to be a wife through Proverbs 31, by serving with a giving attitude, by learning how to cook and clean with a loving heart, learning how to crochet, and how to live selflessly. Oh, how quickly I had forgotten about these things I've learned. I've tried do these things on my own before, but it took God to mold and soften my heart to effectively learn what it was that He wanted me to learn.

So as I found myself silently reflecting on 2008, I noticed a smile come across my face and a giggle burst out of my voice. God didn't teach me how to be a wife and a mother for no reason. So as every day passes I get more and more excited for the days when I will be a wife and a mother.

P.S. Some day I would love to be a stay at home mom.

Words for the New Year

2009-01-01T23:51:00.008-06:00

At the end of every year I ask God what He is asking of me for the upcoming new year. And every year I ask, I get at least 1 word.

The word for 2007 was Sacrifice. He taught me so much about that with little things like giving up social time with friends to work or do fundraisers, to big things like losing friends when they were killed for doing what God called them to do.

The word for 2008 didn't come to me until 3 months into the year and it was Serve. A word I thought would be easy but was everything but easy. However, I did notice my character slowly growing with this action word.

And now as I've asked God to reveal to me something for the year 2009, He's given me Love and Patience. I absolutely love to love, but I have a feeling that the word love is going to have a whole different meaning to me as I patiently press on through this New Year.

I've decided to do something a little different and a little more personal this time. So please watch my 1st video blog to hear a little more about what I am passionate about and also what God's been doing in my life.

Love,
Rebecca Lynne

Christmas 2008 - A Cherished Memory

2008-12-29T13:44:00.010-06:00

Playing Apples to Apples at the Rossman Family Christmas

This Christmas is a cherished memory, because the past 2 years I have been away doing missionary training schools with YWAM and also it's is the 1st Christmas I've been content with being single (ever)!

My nieces shouting "PRESENTS!" right before we begin to hand them out.

I cherished the little things and especially the big things. However, I didn't like the frequent weather changes and terrible road conditions that led up to Christmas day.

After the Ice Storm 1 week before Christmas

This Christmas I got everything and more that I was hoping for and the best thing about it was that I was financially able to get everyone in my immediate family the gifts they wanted.

The ornament I got for my dad (not the only gift)

I tried my hardest to cherish every single memory this holiday season because I have no idea where or what I will be doing for the following years to come.

I love sitting by the fire in the fireplace around the Holidays!

I Will Never Forget...

2008-12-09T02:45:00.006-06:00

Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid. Do I act for God? Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I'll take care of you and your children." He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.
- Genesis 50:19-21 (The Message)

Today is the anniversary of a memory that I will never forget, however it is an anniversary that sometimes I wish I could forget... the anniversary of what I call "The Shooting" (see link for more information).

Last week I had experienced most if not all of the emotions I had experienced the night of the shooting, and all of the memories came rushing back to me uncontrollably. It seemed like everywhere I looked something was triggering the memories, which caused me to feel like I was reliving the trauma.

So I humbled myself and I went to a counselor yesterday, for the first time in my life, to see if she could help me deal with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and help me with the symptoms that I have been having for a year now.

She said that it sounds like I am almost over the peek of it and that I need to do more grieving. Which I believe is true. Since the moment it happened it felt surreal, and I just wanted to wake up from this bad dream but I never woke up. Then I just wanted to get over it and forget it ever happened. So I'm sure there is more grieving that I need to do. Also she mentioned the difference in cultures of Illinois and Colorado and how I could be also grieving the culture change. She hit the nail on the head with the whole grief thing. Colorado is my home away from home, and when I am there I feel like my heart is full. :-)

She mentioned some different types of therapy/tests that I could do along with the counseling and she said that I'd probably only need a few more sessions. Yea!

But no matter how much I may want to forget what happened, I will never forget ...

Articles to read for more information:
Rocky Mountain News article published December 6, 2008
YWAM Article # 1
YWAM Article # 2

Emphasis on Giving

2008-11-21T16:47:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is NEXT week and Christmas will be fast approaching and then another New Year!

Ahhhh!!!!

My youth pastor gave a message a couple days ago on Thanksgiving, and I was expecting the traditional "be thankful for what you have" type of speech. But as he was speaking God spoke to me something else: what's the last part of the word "Thanksgiving"? ... GIVING! My youth pastor even touched on it.

This year I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my life and being thankful for many things, so this Thanksgiving I am going to do something else ... exercise giving. Sometimes I feel like I give enough physically or emotionally, but who am I to judge how much is enough or how much is too little. With help from the BIG G I can give so much more.

Photo taken from Flickr.com

Yarning

2008-10-30T11:39:00.006-05:00

"Yarning" is the word I've made up when I want to talk about crocheting and knitting. For the last month I've been trying to teach myself how to crochet, with the help of my grandma. It's been a lot of fun! Next, I'm going to try and learn how to knit. Maybe even as soon as next month (1 day away).

I've felt like God stirred up a rebellion inside of me that I will not let fear of failure control what I do or don't do. So all of the things I've wanted to learn how to do, or even things that I want to do just once - I WILL DO or try to do! I will face fear because fear does not control me, love surrounds, I will be everything God wants me to be! (Maybe I'll use that in a song sometime!)

So anyways, I've kind of always wanted to learn how to crochet, knit, sew, paint, cook, and many more things; but I would push it aside and tell myself that I couldn't do it or I would try it and get frustrated by my failure. But now with this new "rebellion" the disappointment or frustration only pushes me forward to succeed.
I was reading Proverbs in The Message version one day and I realized that God is shaping me into this type of woman:

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
(just a few sections of Prov. 31)

It's so cool how God speaks to us, we just need to make sure we are listening.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I've done this month.

These are hats and scarves I made for my nieces birthdays.
They are 2 years and 2 days apart: Nov. 3, 2004 and Nov. 5, 2006

This is a soft and fuzzy scarf I made my mom.
It's a "just because" scarf because she thought it was really cool what I was doing.

Content with Cornfields and Bean Fields

2008-10-30T10:28:00.007-05:00

I've been at my job for 1 month already and I still love it! But as I watch the leaves change color and fall I begin to feel restless. The last 2 years I have been away from October - March, so I assume that's why I feel like I should be going away again. A few weeks ago as I was driving home from a friends house God shared with me (once again) that I should be content where I am, where He's told me to be for right now. So I took a deep breath and looked around at the Mid-Western scenery. I saw cornfields and bean fields on each side of me, a beautiful sunset sky, and I felt the peace only God gives. So once and a while when I begin to feel restless I think back to that day and what God told me. I take a deep breath and look around at my surroundings ... what I see is beauty and what I feel is contentment and peace.

This picture was taken from Flickr.com

Summer Blessing of 2008

2008-09-28T17:14:00.016-05:00

I have been so blessed this year and so privileged to do many new and exciting things. This summer surprised me the most. I expected now that I was out of the YWAM community that my life would become dull and uneventful. But God blessed me and at the same time that He was blessing me, He allowed me to be a blessing to others.

Here's how I have been blessed this Summer:

May

I flew to Colorado and visited my friends in YWAM Denver for a week.
2 of my good friends from Madison came down and spent a 3 day weekend with me.
I went to a Rodeo with my mom and dad in a near by town.

June

I went to my 1st Chicago Cubs Game at Wrigley Field (also my 1st MLB game) with my dad (early Father's Day gift) and we got free hats!
I got to catch up with a childhood friend.
Went to Kid's Church camp for the 2nd year in a row as a Cabin Leader.
My Uncle from California came and visited for 10 days.

July

I went to my cousins Softball Championship Tournament (she's the pitcher).
Went to a Black and White Ball with my mom for an annual MaryKay rewards banquet.
I went with a friend and her kids to Springfield for the day of fun, history, education, and a train ride.
I went to Chicago with 2 my friends that I did SOW with.

August

I went on a road trip to San Francisco for a friends wedding with a friend from Oregon. She drove and picked up me and new friend. Then we drove all the way to San Francisco and I flew back home. We stopped in Iowa, Colorado, Nevada (camped at The Valley of Fire), Long Beach, CA - where I saw my aunt and uncle, then San Francisco!
I got to spend time with my Aunt and Uncle from New Mexico along with my other relatives from the Mid-West.
I got a car for a $1!
I went to my 1st Circus with a friend from High School.

WOW! I was so blessed this summer! :-)

0 - 60 in ...

2008-09-22T17:02:00.009-05:00

After 6 months of waiting for God to release me to apply for jobs, I am finally employed. I say "finally" because at times I felt like a 20-something still living with her parents and living off of them.. oh wait... I was. My parents and I joked around that they were housing a homeless person (me) and that they were. I had no job, no car, and I felt like was going no where.

On Monday, I start classroom training and hands on training with Horizon House. The position is 60 hours a pay period (every 2 weeks) not including the classroom training. Also, there are always opportunities to pick up extra hours. This job has great benefits and a bonus after the training is completed. The house that I will be assisting has 8 ladies. They look like they have great attitudes. This is going to be a great learning experience and I am really looking forward to starting. Also, the house that I will be working at is about 5 blocks from the nursing home where my grandparents live... so that is a nice bonus.

I'm looking forward to the challenges and the experiences that I will learn from with this job.

After 2 Years I Have a Car

2008-09-15T14:08:00.001-05:00

My Grandparents have been in the nursing home for about 6 months now. It's hard on me sometimes to see them there and hear them express how much they miss their independence. It's also been hard because I've wanted to do so much for them, to ease their pain, but I until 2 weeks ago I didn't have a way to get there.

My Grandpa has decided to give me his car, and with the help of my dad finding and getting together all of the paper work... I have a car. Now that I have a car, I can get a job and save money for Phase 2. Also, I can drive this reliable car to Colorado when I go back!!!

I have been so blessed and the timing is perfect. What more can I ask of God, but perfection?!

(P.S. I've noticed that I tend to write novels when I post things, so I am trying to just keep it short and to the point.)

The Past 3 Months

2008-03-24T03:20:00.000-05:00

Hello!
This is random, but I just wanted to mention it because I am so excited! I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but before I left for a tour of the West Coast with 8 people in my School of Worship (SOW) in YWAM Denver, I was blessed by someone giving me a guitar. I had been praying for about a year for God to give me a guitar or provide me with enough money to buy a guitar and here I was given a Gibson electric guitar. It was made in 1997 and is in good condition. Even though I didn't know how to play it, I took it with me on tour and it was played many times by the guys in the band.

Trillium: Waiting For Summer Tour

I am so sorry for not writing an update sooner. I am back home in Illinois now and I am done with my tour of the West Coast. I had an incredible time and God was evident in our lives and especially in our praise and worship. We did have some road blocks that appeared as we prepared for this outreach/tour as well as throughout the outreach. One really big one was the shooting that happened at the beginning of December. We all had the choice to go home or keep going with the outreach. We chose to go on. Then 2 weeks into our outreach our leader (and only staff person from YWAM Denver) fell off of a horse and fractured her skull (she ended up with 24 fractures in the base of her skull) and ruptured her ear drum. Once again we were faced with the question - were we going to continue on? We as a team were not going to give up. But it was up to the staff at YWAM Denver. They had never allowed an outreach team to go on without a staff person. After much prayer they decided that God had a reason for us to go on and it was evident that obstacles were coming in our path to hinder us. So they appointed Bart, our bass player, to be our leader and for him to be accountable to the staff back in Denver. During this time we grew as a team and also as individuals. For myself going on this outreach was not easy... I was still struggling with the tragic incident of the shooting, I was struggling with insecurities, and I was wanting to be with my dad as he was going through heart procedures. However, even through this time God was destroying the fear I had from the shooting, He was with me as I was learning and working on my insecurities, and He was comforting me as I was wanting to be with my dad. Like I said I had an incredible time and I had an amazing time with the people on my team. I got to know them really well. At times when I was really stressed out, someone would be there making me laugh. We all were definitely a fun group and laughed a lot.

Home Again

After the outreach/tour was over I decided to go visit my relatives in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 10 days and then take a train home. But once I got to New Mexico I found out that I had developed bronchitis. I got an antibiotic and got better really fast. Therefore, I rested and once I started feeling better I went horse back riding and just hung out with my cousin. Even though I had bronchitis I had a really good time in New Mexico. Then I took a 24 hour train ride back home - which was also relaxing and gave me time to process the last 5 months in YWAM Denver and to prepare myself for coming home. But I was not prepared for what was about to happen.
My mom picked me up at the train station and about 10 minutes later she got a phone call from my dad saying that my grandma was going to go to the hospital. She had a bleeding ulcer and was bleeding internally. Basically she almost died. My grandpa (her husband) was not in good condition either. A few days later he was admitted to the same hospital for bronchitis and not taking his medicine. My grandparents were in the hospital for about a week before being transfered to the same nursing home to go through physical therapy. They are doing well and I am not sure how long they will be there. Therefore, since I've been home I've been trying to help my parents out in any way possible as well as trying to get myself adjusted to being home again.

What now?

Many people have been asking me, "What are you going to do now?" and so far what I know that I am going to do is get a job to save up for the next thing that God wants me to do in YWAM. I believe that God wants me to do another school and I feel most led to do a leadership school. I feel like God wants to strengthen my weaknesses and show me my specific strengths and how to use them effectively. One thing that I am considering is... YWAM Denver has a school called Phase 2 which is a program designed to equip individuals who plan to serve God in full-time ministry. I believe that God has a specific ministry for me He just hasn't revealed that to me yet. Also after I have 12 weeks of training I will be ready to take my place in ministry (whatever that may be) just about anywhere in YWAM or a local church ministry. Also, completion of Phase 2 is required for people who want to join staff at YWAM Denver (which is also something I am thinking about). However, my next step in YWAM will not begin until 2009.
Also, while I am home I am learning how to play guitar as well as continuing to write music. I believe that if I continue to pursue music that God is going to open many doors and give me opportunities to bless others as well as it could also be something that could be used for my future ministry.

One last thing - I would like to thank you for supporting me in every way possible. I really appreciate it and it encourages me greatly.

BY the way, here are some pictures from the tour and of me and my guitar... ENJOY!

The Trillium Band

Playing worship in LA

Andrew Boyer playing during the offering in The People's Church in Fresno, CA

Playing for Worship in YWAM Denver
for the last time as a band

My Electric Guitar a
1997 Gibson ES 335

Me playing my guitar

The Rock Star inside of me comes out!
:-D

Unexpected Visit Home for Christmas

2007-12-25T19:18:00.000-06:00

This time I am writing from Illinois. I am back home however I leave today (Christmas Day) to go back to Colorado. I was not expecting to come back home however with the recent shootings that took place at my school I decided that I needed to come back home to be with family and rest.

Because of the shootings my school graduated a week early, and therefore I was home on December 15th. And like I said I go back to Denver today. I am going back to Denver to go on tour with a band that was created by 9 people (including my band leader/school assistant). We are called Trillium - which comes from a flower that blooms in the West Coast, which is where we will be touring. Here is some more information about the purpose of the tour and where our band name originated from.

Trillium
A group of students taking our passion on tour, using the abilities God has given us to impact our generation. Through our music, through our words, through the passion God has stirred for the youth of this nation. Our name is taken from a small flower found in Ontario Canada, Oregon, and North West California. The name Trillium was given to this plant because all of its parts comes in groups of 3. The flower is also unique because it only blooms every seven years. The significance of naming our band Trillium is that our focus and goal as a band is to plant seeds into the lives of our generation. Seeds that will have deep roots, and bloom in Gods perfect timing.

We will be leaving Colorado on December 30th and heading to Arizona. Then we will continue to travel in 15 passenger van, with a small trailer for our equipment, to southern California making stops at just about every major city and we will continue traveling north. We are even going into Canada for a few days - then making our way back down to Colorado. I am not sure about the specific dates right now as to where and when we will be in specific places. We will return to Denver around Valentine's Day.

I am so excited for this tour and just to see how God is going each person in our group personally and to see and hear stories of how God worked and used us all together.

Well, I am sending this last email for a while. I do not know when I will be able to write again, but I hope it's not too long. I hope you all have a Wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year! Thank you all for your support - you have been so wonderful to me this past year and I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

4th SOW entry: the shooting

2007-12-13T17:08:00.000-06:00

December 13, 2007

Hello Everyone,

I am sure you've heard the news about the 2 Colorado attacks by a lone gun man. And I am writing you to tell you that I am OK... however to keep praying for me as I go through the grieving process. I am going to tell you a bit of my side of the story and then let the things in the news complete the story. If you'd like

The 1st shooting took place in Arvada, Colorado - where my dorm is. At the time I was not there, however I could have been. A bunch of people in my school went out bowling after a Christmas banquet. 4 staff members were shot and 2 of the 4 were killed. This action took place in a common area of the building, in a hallway, in between the boys in my school bedroom and "the war room" (which is a room that myself and many other people in my school hung out). Our curfew is usually at 11:30pm and at Midnight we need to be in bed with the lights out. However, because most of my school was out bowling - we did not get back by curfew. So, as we were on our way back to the base/dorm at 12:30am we got a phone from another student in my school who called saying to not come back because there had been shooting. So we immediately went to my school leaders house. We then got up to date phone calls from school leaders who were at the hospitals and let us know about the conditions with the 4 people that were shot. In between phone call updates, we prayed for the victims, quietly sang worship songs, and simply just comforted each other.

From there we were not allowed back to the base/dorm until the investigation was completed. Which did not happen until Tuesday late afternoon.Therefore, we stayed at my school leaders house for a couple of nights.

I'll let you watch the rest in a news video link I've found about the events on the night. I've also found the Rocky Mountain News to be the most accurate in telling details and not emphasizing on non-important details. Things have been crazy here ... and graduation is 1 week sooner than planed due to the recent events. Then after Christmas is outreach to the West Coast. Please pray for continue protection.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, concerns, e-mails, phone calls, and love.

I love you all VERY much.

3rd SOW entry

2007-11-24T17:04:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Colorado,

I just realized that it's been almost a month since I've last sent out an update, therefore I apologize. I have been really busy and I am not trying to use that as an excuse, but being in YWAM keeps you busy. I start my day at 6am and go until 11:30pm. My days are pretty full - filled with class time, band practice, meals, work duities, and other miscellanious things. I'm sorry.

Anyways, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was filled with love, thankfulness, and joy. This was my first Thanksgiving away from home. On Thursday night we had dinner made by the students, that didn't go home for Thankgiving, and we made your traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was good. I missed my family, but only about 1/4 of the people in my school were gone - so it was nice to have them around to hang out with. I will not be coming home for Christmas either, and it should be interesting because even more people are going to be going home for Christmas. But I am looking forward to having this experience during Christmas because I know that God is going to do something in my life. I am not sure what, but He'll reveal it to me when I need it most.

Recent News:

About 2 weeks ago, was probably the hardest time that I have had here. I stuggled with uncertainty and doubt - about my talents. I questioned the reason as to why I was doing this school. When I applied for this school God told me to do this school to expound on my musical abilities and also developing a foundation with Him being #1 in my life. But I just felt like that I was not growing as much as I thought. I believe that I have matured more and that I have changed (in a good way) since I have been here... but I cannot put my finger on it - therefore, making me feel discouraged.

But last week was an amazing week because I put my guard down. You know when you meet someone for the 1st time you want to make a good impression on them... well, for the past 6 weeks I still have been trying to make a good impression on people. And when you do that for so long it's frustatiting and tiring because your not being exactly who you really are. But after I put my guard down and stated to just be me... the person that God created me then I noticed that I was happier, at peace about my life, and I had more fun. :o)

Last week some people did some recording and we had our 3rd song due. I really like my 3rd song - I think mostly because it has a lot of imagery and because I have a story of how I wrote my song. Sometimes when I write songs or even poetry I have a hard time going deep and being vulnerable. But this one seemed to be easy. One of our speakers was encouraging us to always write songs or poetry, because she said that ou of every 10 songs/poetry that you write there will be an average of 1 song that is really good.

Also last week we had a speaker, Duff Rowend, talk on Spiritual Authority. He was really good and at the begining of class we would start off by singing some worship songs. He taught us a couple of new songs and some songs were songs that I had learned in the church that I grew up in. During the whole week God was giving me revelation about things in my life and He also gave me a little more information about what my future is going to look like. I am excited to find out more and more of what God wants me to do for my future and also what the next step is that He wants me to take after this school and outreach is over.

Fun Things:

Last weekend some of my roommates and I went to a mall and then we went to Wal-Mart and got a Christmas tree and decorations. We even got an airfreshner - so every time I walk in my room it makes me feel more at home and also it makes me think of Christmas. It's so awesome. I've enclosed a couple pictures of the tree.

On Wendesday, it snowed about an inch and it's been cold ever since. I wanted to play in the snow, but it I thought that it was too cold. Maybe next time it snows.

Last night our toilet overflowed and thankfully we noticed it before it got really bad. The water was just starting to come into our room and nothing was ruined. The bathroom just smelled really bad and it was an inconvenience.

This Thanksgiving break I have having fun with my hair. Like on one day I teased my hair and frowed it, then later that night I put the front of it up and it looked like and 80's hair style. Then the next day I straightned it. It was a lot of fun. I love straightening my hair (with a flat iron) because it's so dry here so my hair doesn't get frizzy and also because it's the straightest that I've ever gotten it.

Afro

80's hair style Straight

Last night some of the people in my school learned how to play a game that involves a pool table and just the que ball and any other pool ball. We didn't make this game up, however we don't know what it is called but it's a lot of fun. The object of the game is to try to get the colored ball in the pocket by throwing the que ball. If you get the ball in the pocket then the person after you gets a point and 3 points and you are out. If the ball stops then you get a point and if you cannot hit the ball after 3 tries then you get a point. Also, a little twist to the game is that the que ball has to thrown on the opposite of the table as the colored ball. And once you hit the colored ball you have to move away from the table so the next person can grab the que ball and hit the colored ball. It was a lot of fun. Some of us played it for 4 hours straight with only short breaks. I realized that when I play some sports that I enjoy - I get aggressive.

For example, a few weeks ago I played soccer with a bunch of guys on the base and another girl in my room. (They go once a week.) It was a lot of fun and I was surprised at how competitive and aggressive that I played. I didn't stretch that much and I really paid later. I was so sore that I could hardly move for about 3 days. I still felt sore muscles 5 days after I played. So the next week I didn't go to soccer, but I did go the next week and I was the only girl from my base to go. I didn't play as aggressively or competitively because I was really tired from that week. But I still really enjoyed it.

Prayer Points:

- That God would coninue to speak to me about my next step after Outreach

- There are about 2 other people in my school that need money for Outreach

Well, that's about it - I think. :o) Like I said before, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I cannot believe that Christmas is only a month away.

P.S. The CD release party is scheduled for December 13th. If you'd like a CD please let me know and I can give you more information as to how I can send it to you. I think they are $10.

2nd SOW entry

2007-10-29T18:41:00.000-05:00

It's starting to get cold here in Colorado. It seems to get cold on Sunday's and then warm up through out the week. For example: last Sunday it snowed about a half inch and was about 30 degrees, then later in the week it got up into the 80's. Colorado is so inconsistent with the weather and I am not used to it yet. But I do love it here.

Recent News:

Well the last 2 weeks I have been learning many things and perfecting my 2 songs that I've written. Some of the teachings that we have been taught on have been about the following: Getting in the Word with Mary Jane Powers, Prophetic Worship with David Powers (Mary Jane's son), and Freedom in Worship with China Kent (she is also my vocal lesson teacher).

The thing that I got the most out of Mary Jane's teaching was the importance of reading the Bible and making sure that the songs I write about are not JUST coming from emotions but also the Bible. She would teach us and then let us practice what she taught. This was very helpful and a good way for me to totally understand what she was talking about as well as the HUGE importance of reading the Bible, and memorizing it.

Then the next speaker was Mary Jane's son, David. He taught on Monday and Tuesday this week. Monday was very unique and was totally led by the Holy Spirit. I entered class time thinking that we were going to get a lecture, but we began to share with one another what God has been speaking to us and the importance of the things that we were all hearing from God. Then on the next day, David taught on the things that he didn't have time to get into the day before. We talked about the Fear of Man, Worship, and then we just touched upon Prophetic Worship. I would have liked to get into Prophetic Worship more, but I was told that we will get into that later in the school.

On Wednesday and Thursday, China Kent taught us on Freedom in Worship. I don't know how to describe this, but to just tell what happened to me personally - so here goes. There was something that China said which got me thinking... "Why don't I draw anymore?" When I was a kid I used to draw, color, paint, etc. and now that I am an adult I don't hardly draw. And the funny thing is that I am still drawn to the Art section at stores (especially anything with the CRAYOLA name). There have even been artistic reletives that have told me that they thought that I'd be an artist when I grew up... but I am not. So I asked myself... why don't I draw anymore, because I used to love it when I was a kid? After the self-reflection I figured that it was because I thought my art work had to be perfect and/or I would compare it to someone who was much better. Therefore, I'd get discouraged and have no desire to draw. But there is still something in my adult years that still is drawn to those Crayola's. :o) So, I really want to go back to that... I want to go back to drawing and coloring and just drawing random things. Even if it isn't perfect... it will be unique because of it's imperfections. Also, I would like to paint with my nieces and even with my own kids someday. :o)

On Friday, we as a school picked the songs that we would like on the CD that will be released in December. And this coming week we will be practicing those songs and recording them. It's going to be a busy week, but should also be a lot of fun.

Outreach:

I have decided to do the optional outreach for SOW, which will begin on December 26, 2007 - February 15, 2008. The outreach will consist of about 10 musicians touring around the West Coast singing the songs we've written in this school, popular Christian songs, and will also cover some songs. We will be doing most of our touring in California, however we will also be going to Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Canada.

Some fun things:

Last Friday, most of our people in our school went out to Red Robin for one of my band members 21st birthday. It was a lot of fun and I took many pictures. Here is a picture of me, Summer (in my band), and Hae Eun (from S. Korea).

Last Saturday about 25 people from the base went to the Denver Zoo for their free day. So I've enclosed a couple pictures. The 1st picture is of Susan, me, and Lisa and the 2nd picture is of me and the Zebra's. I took many pictures, but most of them didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.

This Saturday, I went to a Halloween Costume party hosted by my band leader. Since there are 9 girls and 9 guys... each one of the girls dressed up as each one of the guys. Then we went over to my school leader's house about a 1/2 mile away so he could see our costumes. Then we stayed and watched a movie. That night was so fun and funny. It was the

best Halloween party that I've been to. :o)

The "girls" and guys each person is by the one they dressed up as

Well, I think that's about it for now. Next week we will be doing recording prep for the CD. Which will bring about a busy week.

P.S. This picture is of me and most of the people in my band for the 1st song presentation.
I'm working on putting the videos of my 2 songs that I've written on my webpage.

1st SOW entry

2007-10-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

I flew into Colorado for YWAM Denver's School of Worship (SOW) on Sunday night - so when I got picked up from the airport it was about 9:30pm so I did not get to see much of Colorado at that moment. We drove to Arvada, which is where I am staying on the base here. My room has 4 bunk beds with onl only 6 girls from SOW. Our room also has an attached bathroom with 2 bathroom stalls and 2 showers. It's nice. :o)

On Monday (October 1st) was registration and at 7pm we had "Community night". Community night is where everyone on the base got together and told what school they were doing along with their name and where they were from. There are 4 different schools that are going on. There is the DTS (Discipleship Training School) at Eagle Rock - which is also owned by YWAM Denver and it's up higher in the mountains. We will be going to visit that base later on in the school. The other three schools are: DTS - here on the base, Phase 2 - gives leadership training along with more biblical foundation, and School of Worship (SOW). There are probably about 150 people here when we are all together (staff and students). But in my school there are 18 people... 9 boys and 9 girls. I love it.

On Tuesday we were given our first task... to 2 songs on the school's theme - RENEW - on of the songs is fast and the other is slow. We have to write the 1st song with lyrics and chords by Monday the 8th.

Basically the whole week we have just taken things easy and gotten to know each other. But my school leader, John Connor, is so funny and laid back. It's so cool. I'm not going to go into detail about who all is here in my school or on this base... but we have many people from ALL over the world.

I am so thankful to be here. :o) This week I have felt discouraged at times with my song writing, but I have also had some amazing times with God where I have felt His peace come over me. It was amazing!!! :o) I do have my 1st song done and I have a start to the 2nd song. I love this. I cannot wait to learn more about music.

Well, that is all that I am going write about for now. So far all is going good and I am so thankful that I am here and for everyone who have supported me. If you have any questions, please let me know. The first week of school is usually pretty laid back and it's basically all introductions. But I will write more... not weekly, but maybe once every month or more. One of my personal goals is to not spend so much time on the internet.

P.S. I've posted some scenery photos of what it's like here in Denver, Colorado.

Take A Picture It Lasts Longer

2007-07-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Last night I was cleaning my room and my closet. As I was going through things and I thought to myself, "Why do I have all of these things?And do I really need them?". What I tend to do with things I haven't used for a while, or things that are sitting around and collecting dust, is I put them away somewhere and then if I don't used them or even think about them for a few months then I get rid of it.

I'm trying to simplify my life and I don't need things cluttering it up.

Last night I had a hard time parting with some dried flowers that I had from a special occasion. "What was the point of me having them?", I thought. If I just wanted them to remember that special occasion then I should just take a picture because it will last longer.

Then I also applied this to a spiritual aspect. There are things in my life that I try to hold onto and it's hard to give those things up (or get rid of them) but all in all I will be living a happier life if I just get rid of those things that I don't need. Also, there are things just sitting around collecting dust that I need to have either God dust them off (gifts He's given me), or I need to get rid of them completely (things that cause stress, bitterness, hatred, etc.).

Grandpa, Did You Hear What I Said?

2007-04-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to my Grandparents house to clean and do miscellaneous things for my Grandma because she has polio and cannot do easily, and also my grandpa has been in the hospital for about a week. He is not in the hospital for anything serious, therefore I am not too concerned. However, I have a feeling that one of these times he is not going to make it home. He is living with CHF (Congestive Heart Failure), kidney failure, and last year he had half of his right lung removed due to lung cancer. He is in his 80's and he never did take care of himself. Neither him or my grandma have ever eaten very healthy and they also were binge drinkers and smokers (especially on the weekends). But in their defense I don't think that there was much knowledge on the effects of heavy drinking and smoking.

Anyways, so I cleaned for about 2 hours which I only made a dent in it. Then I had to take some things to my Grandpa in the hospital. I was at the hospital for only a short time before I needed to get back home. But before I left I gave him a hug and I told him that I loved him. But I didn't get much of a response from my Grandpa, so I asked him "Grandpa, did you hear what I said?". He shook his head. So I got down to eye level and I said, "I love you". I don't think that I will ever be able to forget his expression. He started to get choked up and spoke words of gratitude of me and my family for all that we do for them.

As I was leaving the hospital I could not remember the last time that I told my Grandpa Gene that I loved him, but really meant it. In our society we throw the phrase "I love you" around like dirty laundry. When will we learn to actually love one another, like the way Jesus loved... the genuine love???

Conversations at Starbucks

2007-04-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

So on Friday morning I was at Starbucks drinking my Venti Mocha Frap and reading my Bible, but then I was interrupted by a lady cleaning tables. She asked me if I was reading a Bible, I nodded and she looked over my shoulder to see that I was reading Habakkuk. I told her that I was trying to finish reading the Old Testament. We talked for a minute about the Bible when she soon asked me what church I attend. I told her and she mentioned that she has been looking for a church. I asked her what types of churches she's gone to before (so I could quickly try and figure out her beliefs since she was on the clock). She mentioned many different churches, so I invited her to my church this Easter Sunday. I also told her that I recently came back from a type of Missions Trip and invited her to come and hear me talk for a few minutes about my trip. We talked for a minute or two more about my trip, before customers walked in the door. We introduced ourselves and she went back to work. I don't remember her name, but I do remember that it was an unusual name. As soon as she left a guy sitting on a couch behind me repeated her name a couple times to the 2 other people that he was sitting next to. As I tried to focus on The Word, I couldn't help but think... was this guy ease dropping on my conversation? If so I guess it's not a bad thing, maybe I should have spoken louder though. :o) Before I left Starbucks I wrote down the address to my church and when it starts, and I gave it to this lady.

I thought it was cool that God gave me this opportunity to talk to her, and even cooler for the unexpected ease dropper and his friends. :o) This experience just reminded me that everywhere you go and everything you do/say should be done for God because you never

By the way, who needs Starbucks when God can give you an energy boost?!

Eh! ... I LOVE Starbucks!

But God's my #1 all the way! know when someone is watching or listening to you... who knows, they might just choose to follow God because of your actions.

Ministry

2007-03-29T01:17:00.000-05:00

Well, tonight I taught Junior High at my church (there are only 3 of them) for the first time. I am always hesitant when someone asks me to teach, because I do not think that I am able to teach effectively (sometimes I have a hard time explaining things). But I as I was teaching - I wasn't nervous and I didn't have a problem explaining things. I was a little nervous before teaching because my pastor was going to sit in on my class to make sure that I didn't have any problems or questions along the way. But after worship was over - I wasn't nervous anymore. Thank God! :o) But like I said, I think things went well. There is a curriculum that I am going through and I taught on WORSHIP. I was so excited to teach on worship because that is exactly what I plan to get more training on in the Fall.

As I was driving home and thinking about how God had used me throughout the night... Well, I am realizing more and more that God is calling people (especially under the age of 40) to minister to the world. People don't think that they are qualified - so they don't step up into what God is calling them to do. Also, so many people in church complain and gossip about what should be done differently. But no one is doing anything about it. Why not?! Just think... young people could spice up this world... oh wait, the courageous and obedient ones are. ;-)

I also am seeing more of the importance of having ministry in the Christian life. I was told this by many influential people in my life but I am really starting to understand it now that I have my own personal ministry. I LOVE IT!!! It's so refreshing!!!

I Remember When ...

2007-03-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today I was reading some of my journals that I had written while I was doing my DTS, and I found myself saying things like: "Oh, yeah I remember that!" and "Yeah, that was really good/fun. I remember when...". As I was reminiscing I felt like the last 6 months was all a dream. Here I am back in the real world, and I want to go back to "that dream". I love being home and back in the real world, but lets face it... the real world sucks sometimes. I cannot wait until I get back into doing what I feel like God has called me to do... make a difference in this world through SINGING and writing lyrics. I've had some inspiration to write lyrics since I've been home, but I am rusty at it because I haven't written any poems or lyrics for years. Anyway, I am looking forward to the Fall when I can do a SOW, but until then... it looks like I'm back in the real world trying to do what God's called me to do.

A Time Of ...

2007-03-23T01:03:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking about the things that God has been speaking to me lately about relationships. During this time that I am home, before I go away to do a SOW, I have felt like it is going to be a time of.... a time of... I just couldn't figure out how to end the sentence until now. I feel like this short time that I am home is going to be a time of restoration of old friendships/relationships.

For example, I didn't realize until I came home from my DTS how much of a rebellion that I was in BEFORE I did my DTS. In my testimony I refer to my "rebellion phase" being the time when I was 16 and I felt as though my life was the hardest it has ever been. But I realized once I came back home from my DTS that I never really left my rebellion phase - I just covered it up or put a mask on it.

I've realized that while I am home I have a time to redeem myself and restore relationships that I have neglected. These relationships include EVERYONE in my life, but especially my parents. They have put up with so much CRAP from me, and I am sure that I've given them many gray hairs.

I just want to say that I am sorry. I am sorry to my parents, my immediate family, my extended family, my old friends, and even my new friends. I am sorry if I have neglected our friendship/relationship. I secretly saw that my life was headed no where, and I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt - so I built a wall. I would let people into my life, but I would only let them be at arms length. I was afraid of getting close to people. Like I said, I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt, but in reality I not only hurt myself - I also hurt you.

I am sorry. Is there a chance that we can restore our friendship/relationship?!

Home from DTS

2007-03-10T00:30:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to have graduated from my DTS. I have such a sense of accomplishment. I have put so much of my time and energy into discovering God, discovering who I really am through God, discovering God's plans for my life, and so much more. Although, through my excitement I am still sad to have to say "goodbye" to my friends who have become my family. I am planning on visiting the people that will be in Wisconsin, but for those who live father away - well, I am sad that I will not see them until God has our paths cross again. Tomorrow I have to say "goodbye", and I HATE goodbye's - I'd rather say "See you later", because at least with "see you later" there is a feeling of hope that you will see each other again sometime soon. I can honestly say that I love everyone I did my DTS with, as well as my wonderful leaders and staff.

I am so excited to go on with my life. I plan to do a School of Worship (SOW) through YWAM in the fall of this year. Where I plan on being away from home for 3 months and then for about another 3 months I plan to do an outreach. School of Worship is much like a Discipleship Training School (DTS) but it is focused on worship and intercession/prayer. After I do a SOW, which will be about a year from now, I do not know what I will be doing or where I will be going. I am just trying to take one day at a time. That is one of the many things that God has shown and taught me during this DTS.

By the way, tonight for my graduation I helped do vocals for worship. But before then I was feeling so completely stressed out. I had to help plan for the graduation and I had no idea why I was stressing about it so much. But it was AWESOME because after singing half of a song for worship I felt so at peace. It is so AMAZING how when you focus on God, how He takes all of your worries/stresses away.

GOD IS SO INCREDIBLE! :o)

DTS outreach: HAITI

2007-02-06T18:26:00.000-06:00

well i am in Haiti now. we are 1 hour ahead of CST. we rode in a really nice bus from the Dominican Republic, then it broke down so we had to switch buses... which was just a little less nicer. then once we crossed the boarder... it went really fast and they were supposed to check our luggages, but since we are missionaries, they told us that they were not going to check our luggages. and also everyone was able to get their visa's without any problems (thank God). :o)   
as we were driving into Haiti, I noticed that there was an obvious difference in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti. Haiti not as clean, has less color (everything seems to be gray, whereas in the D.R. everyone is wearing bright colors), and there is obvious poverty. it is really humid here and they say that we are staying in the most beautiful place in Haiti... which is awesome. :o) 
 
on Saturday we are going to the beach, then the next week we are going to a waterfall, and the next one we are going back to the beach. i am really enjoying my time on this outreach, but i really miss all of you. i am excited to come home, but i just don't want to forget all of the things that God has taught me and I also don't want to fall back into my old habits. (you can pray that i don't fall back into old habits - if you wish). 
 
i hope that when i do come home that you will all be able to see that i am a different person and that i am different in a good way. 
 
well, that is all that i am going to write for now. please continue to pray for our team as we are in this "gray" country. also pray against any attacks that the enemy (Satan) has on this country, our team, and anything else that you can think of. 
 
thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

DTS outreach: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

2007-01-28T17:01:00.000-06:00

In the Dominican Republic from January 21 - February 5, 2007

Things are going great here in the Dominican Republic. We stay here until February 5th, which we will then take a bus through the mountains to Haiti. Please be praying for our team as we travel. I have good news... everyone is here with us on our team. Mandy - one of the staff members was not able to come with us to Trinidad because she did not have the finances, but she is with us now. She got here about 12 hours after we had arrived. Then Bodo was did not have her visa for the Dominican Republic (DR) in time, so she got accepted on Thursday and then she arrived here yesterday afternoon. It is so great to have all of us together again. God is so faithful!

God is doing so much in my heart as I am getting out of my comfort zone and ministering to people that I tend to be shy around, such as: prostitutes, orphans, people in a Leper colony, etc. We are ministering to many many more people. God is so amazing at the way he is using our team and also with me. I have been giving Shelby, a 14 year old girl who came with her brother and sister - because their mom is doing her DTS outreach, voice lessons for about a month or 2, and now her sister and brother want me to give them voice lessons. Then Tisha, a woman from California - who came to join us on our outreach, found out that I have been giving voice lessons and so now she wants me to give her voice lessons. Then we were singing worship songs in Spanish and English, and Shelby brought up the topic of voice lessons to a 16 year old boy - Ben... so now I might be giving him voice lessons during free time until I leave the Dominican Republic. Then just the other day, Shelby was helping her sister sing better. It is so awesome how God is using me to bless others. :o)

I thank God that I can wash my laundry in a washing machine - but I still have to hang it out to dry. I am also learning Spanish and I am beginning to develop a passion for the language. As every day goes by, I love this country more and more. I would love to come back some day and stay for longer than a a couple of weeks, but we will see what God wants. :o)

I would love to tell you stories and stories of what God has been doing, but I don't have enough time on the computer. Please keep out team in your prayers, because the enemy is always lurking around every corner - trying to trip us (not only our team - but everyone) and make us fall.

DTS outreach: TRINIDAD

2007-01-08T14:19:00.000-06:00

In Trinidad from January 1-21, 2007

So as you all know I am in Trinidad. The plane ride and everything went smoothly. Thank God! This las week we did some team building exercises and also talking on unity. Mark - the staff member that was working with us, was full of compliments. We as a group have struggled with UNITY - so for me it felt really good to hear all of his compliments. :o)

On Saturday the YWAM base had a movie night and there were about 100 kids from the age of 4-18 years old. It started at 4pm - 9pm. we played games with them (volleyball, basketball, soccer, and supervised the trampoline) and we also did crafts with the kids. It was so much fun, and surprisingly I couldn't feel the muscle pain from things I had don't within the past couple of days. I had a lot of fun playing with the kids and loving on them. :o)

Yesterday we spoke at a church on UNITY and also did a short skit yo show how we can be unified and how we are called to lift one another up in Christ. It was so awesome! Then after church we went to the beach. :o)

I am enjoying the 80 degree plus weather along with getting a nice tan. I am learning many things such as doing my laundry by hand. The people here in Trinidad are very nice and warm/ friendly. They always greet you with a smile and i love it.

well, I only have a 1/2 hour, so i need to get going. I don't know when i will be able to get back online -so God bless you all!

A New Year - 2007

2007-01-01T01:56:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone,

Well, I leave for the Caribbean in the early morning (tomorrow), therefore I pray that you all have a safe and Happy New Year! :o) I am not planning on using the Internet much while I am away. Therefore, I hope you understand if I don't reply to e-mails very quickly. I am looking forward to spending time in the Caribbean and meeting new people, but I will miss you all. Therefore, please pray for me ... pray for strength, safety, and good health. I look forward to sending you pictures of the places that I will be heading to, and I also look forward to writing you all and telling you of what God is doing. 
  Well, I need to go pack.
I love you and like I said earlier ... I will miss you. 
 
Love in Christ,
Becca  :o)
 
  
** HAPPY 2007 **

Week 12 of DTS - Anticipations

2006-12-15T15:14:00.000-06:00

Well, I think this is going to be the last email for awhile. This was the last full week of the lecture phase of DTS. This week we watched Dean Sherman videos on Spiritual Warfare. The videos were good, but after 3 hours I would become restless. We watched about 3 hours of the videos a day. I would write more about this, but I don't have my notebook with me.

This week my mind has been full of anticipations. Anticipations for Christmas, spending time with family, giving gifts, and even receiving gifts for my outreach in about 2 1/2 weeks, and many other things like - sleeping in my own bed, taking showers in a private bathroom, having my own room, and my own privacy. :o) Oh, the things that we take for granted and then once we don't have it - we realize how much we missed it. I am wondering how I am going to do in another country for almost 3 months. I know I can do it, but as I said in my 1st email... I am spoiled. I have so many things - that so many don't. I believe that God is going to do many things while I am away in the Caribbean on outreach and that is another thing that I am anticipating. I am so excited for outreach for many reasons. But the #1 reason why I am excited about outreach is because of what God is going to to through me for other people. I just pray that I will not be shy or afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone. 

God has really been working in my life this week. I am learning how to humble myself and also I am seeing how God is answering even my littlest prayers. Also, I am learning just how faithful God really is, and how to obey him when He speaks to me. This week I have felt really close to God and I love that feeling. God is so AWESOME! I love God! :o) God is also telling me that I need to use the gift that he has blessed me with - my voice. So now I am just asking God what He wants me to do and how He wants me to use my voice for Him. 

Well, I think that is about it. I know this is short, but I really don't have much else to say. I am really excited about going home for a week and also for outreach. 

Merry Christmas and I hope you have a Happy New Year. 

May God bless you this Holiday season and keep you all safe and healthy. 

P.S. I will be home on December 20th - December 27th. Then on the 27th I will be going back to Wisconsin until January 1, 2007 where I will be then flying to the Caribbean.

Week 10 & 11 of DTS - Relationships & Destiny

2006-12-10T18:56:00.000-06:00

I apologize for being late on week 10. Last week we learned about Relationships with Gayle Keeproth (one of the directors in YWAM). And this week (week 11) we learned about Destiny by D.E.S.I.G.N with Gwen Berquist.

Before I start talking about the things I've learned within the last 2 weeks, let me just say that I had a great time at home for Thanksgiving. When I 1st got home I spoke in my church about the things that God has been doing in my life. I was surprised to find out that my pastor had highlighted points in my emails that I send out. And so, he took things that I wrote and gave me like a "pop quiz". It was funny. :o) Then on Thanksgiving Day - I went over to my brothers to see my new niece, Faith. She is so beautiful and precious. Then on Saturday I celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents house. Then on Sunday I went to church, then out to eat and then back to Wisconsin. I was one of the 1st people back. Also Sunday morning my aunt and uncle from New Mexico took the horses (Sunny and Little Joe) to go live with them in Albuquerque. On Friday my mom and I rode the horses for the last time in Illinois. It was kinda a bitter sweet moment for me. But I know that things will be good for them in New Mexico and I am also glad that I know who they are going to and the next time that I go to visit my relatives then I can ride the horses again. I had a busy time while I was home and I wasn't able to see all of the people that I wanted to see, so I cannot wait until I come home for Christmas to be able to see those people. 

OK, now back to what I've recently learned. Well the week of Relationships, I basically learned more about myself and about other people. We took a couple personality tests which showed that I am easily influenced. Some things that I do are things that I was trained to do as a child - which shows that I am a "good team player", says Gayle. But those things that I was trained to do are not natural for me to do. For example: I like to plan things out because it gives other people time to prepare, but naturally I like to do things spontaneously. It was also good to learn more about other people in the class and see the similarities and differences in each other. 

Over the weekend I went to Acquire the Fire in Madison as a volunteers. It was a good experience and I was able to give time to God to help serve other Christians and also to see teens lives changed. One thing I almost forgot to mention was that on Sunday a lady, Jan, who did a DTS in the summer came here to the Training Center. Jan and her 3 children are coming with us on outreach. She has 2 daughters and one son: Amanda is 15, Shelby is 14, and Jake is 13. They bring so much life to our little group. Also after Christmas we will be getting one more girl, Tisha, that did her DTS in the summer. 

Then this week (week 11) our guest speaker was Gwen Berquist who taught us on her own material called, Destiny by D.E.S.I.G.N. - each letter in the word design meant something. ( D - Dream, E - Experiences, S - Soul print, I - Identity, G - Gifts, N - Network.) Her teachings were really good. I learned more about what I would like to do after DTS. I also learned about more about my gifts which I found very interesting. On Thursday Gwen encouraged me to pick out a worship song that I felt God was laying on my heart. Then she told me to sing it in front of everyone. I was apprehensive at first, but I knew that she wasn't going to let me get away with not singing. So I sang and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then on Friday during worship I did the same thing without Gwen telling/encouraging me to do it. It was cool how she encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and sing more ... not for other people, but for God. :o) 

We only have 1 more full week of teachings left. I cannot believe that so much time has passed. I leave for Christmas on December 20th and then come back on the 27th. Then on January 1st we leave for ... are you ready ... Trinidad, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. We will be in both of those places for about 3 weeks. We will be ministering to prostitutes, orphanages, and street kids. We will be coming back to Wisconsin on February 27, 2007 and we will be going to local places sharing our testimonies and about our outreach. Then I will be home in the beginning of March of 2007. I do not yet know if I will have access to the Internet and I also do not know if I will have time. 

Week 8 & 9 of DTS - Breaking Down Walls

2006-11-21T19:38:00.000-06:00

Because of Thanksgiving, I have included Week 9 along with Week 8. Last week our speakers were Barbara and Roy Sandiford and they taught on The Divine Plumbline. To sum it up, it is about tearing down walls in your heart and in your life. I openly admit that I have walls in my life, and that sometimes I make walls to protect myself from getting hurt. So it was hard for me this week to tear down those walls, because those walls were built on the foundation of either "pride" or "unbelief". We did not read the book Walls of My Heart by Dr. Bruce Thompson, but I highly recommend it because our teachings were based off of that book. Right now I am in the process of reading Walls of My Heart. We learned about our personalities and also about what controls us: our mind, emotions, or our will (meaning our attitude that leads to our actions). Barbara and Roy were the only guest speakers who gave us homework. One of the assignments was to write a letter to God and then continue to write a letter of response from God; however we could not stop and correct it - we just had to keep going. It was really good. I was surprised to hear how deep we all were going. I was also surprised that what I had to write was so long. And we had to read our letters in class, which I was not looking forward to, but after I was finished I realized that it wasn't that bad after all. This week was definitely a week of healing for all of us. And it also helped us grow closer together and open up more to one another. :o)

This week ... Week 9, Michael Leeson (our leader) taught us on topic of The Christian Life. I feel like this short week of teaching is going to be for me like going back to basics. Most of the teachings week after week are pretty intense, and with Michael's teachings are more laid back, yet still worth paying attention to (meaning that his teachings are good).

I am so glad to be home for Thanksgiving. I really miss my family, my friends, and as crazy as it sounds... I even miss my animals. The time home is going to be short and packed with things to do, but it's OK. I have to be back to the Training Center on Sunday night. Therefore, I know these few days (Wednesday afternoon through Sunday night) at home are going to be busy because I will be trying to see and visit everyone.

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Week 7 of DTS - Continuation of Last Week

2006-11-12T14:01:00.000-06:00

Week 7... Whoa! Time is flying by. I really do not know what to say in this e-mail. I think it is going to be a short one. This week we had a couple different speakers: Paul Allen and Johanan Rehmt. Paul taught on Monday and Tuesday on Giving Up Rights. This just means that Christians are to place God before their spouse, children, work, etc. God is supposed to be # 1 in a Christians life. For me this was just a continuation of last week. Because last week at the GO! Conference in Colorado - I made God # 1 in my life again. But for me it is a daily thing that I struggle with... laying aside my concerns and worries and focusing on God to take care of the things that I have no control over. I also struggle with putting people or things before God (I make those people or things as a priority above God). God is so GREAT though, because He doesn't hold a grudge, He is always faithful and extremely gracious. :o)

Then on Wednesday through Friday Johanan taught us on the topic of Missions. He gave helpful insight of What is missions? and what it is like to be in another country and not understanding the language. He also gave many visual examples (through movie clips) and also through games. (Example: We had to play a game of cards that was like a mix of euchre and hearts. In this game we had 3 groups of 4 people and the team [the person across from you] who won after about 10 minutes would then move to the next table. But we could not talk, and we did not know until the game was over that each table had different set of rules. Some of the rules had trump, whereas others did not. Some of the rules had Aces as the highest card, where as Aces were the lowest cards and 6's were the highest cards. It was a good example of learning how to deal with each other and try to communicate with one another. It was fun, but also frustrating at times.) Johanan also told us some statistics about the country Rwanda in Africa - which was very interesting.

God's been doing a lot in the last couple of weeks, and I am still trying to process and figure out what it is that God wants for my life. Once I have things figured out then I will be sure to let you know. But in the mean time, please be praying for me. Pray for guidance, clarity, direction, wisdom, and patience.

Week 5 & 6 of DTS - Amazing

2006-11-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

I apologize for not writing week 5, but I was really busy. I am going to give a quick summarization.

Week 5 was on the topic of The Holy Spirit and our speaker was Mike Esposito. Mike was AMAZING!!! He gave me so much clarification on the Holy Spirit. I grew up in a church that talked often about the Holy Spirit, but Mike's teachings taught me so much that I did not know, or was never explained to me. Now, don't get me wrong... I really like the church that I grew up in, maybe I just wasn't paying close attention when there were sermons on The Holy Spirit. Anyway, Mike had to leave early on Friday because his flight did not have a crew, so his teachings had to be cut short. All of Thursday was spent in prayer, he went around with some of the staff praying for people just waiting on God. What he prayed for me about was really good. I would like to share it with you, but it is kinda personal.

Then on Saturday I packed for the GO! Conference in Colorado. We left at 5 in the morning for a 12 hour van ride to Colorado, where we stayed at Valerie's (on of the staff members) aunts house. Then on Monday we had another 3 hours to go before we got to our destination: Estes Park, (YMCA of the Rockies). We had a time of worship and a short service at 7pm until 9:30 pm. The worship was AMAZING, I have never been able to worship God the way that I did this whole week. Then on Tuesday, I totally surrendered my life over to God, for Him to use me - completely. I also gave back to Him everything that He has given to me. My life here on this earth short, and how I see it... God created people to spread the Good News (in other words known as The Gospel). Therefore, why not let God use me for His purpose rather than for my own purpose. Anyway, Tuesday was the most intense day for me, however all of the other nights were pretty intense. I cried every night during worship due to the Holy Spirit working in my life. All of the speakers were really good as well. I was able to walk away with something that I did not know, that I could apply to my life. On Friday, we had a time of worship and intercession from 9 am - 11 am. We prayed for everyone is going out to other countries for short term or long term missionary ministry. Then we had lunch and after lunch we set out for a 15 hour van ride. The van ride to and from Colorado was the worst part of it all. It was so uncomfortable, but the experience that I had was so AMAZING that I don't even think about the van ride. We got back to the Training Center around 9 am on Saturday. I took a nap for about 3 hours, but I was still extremely tired. So today I ended up sleeping a total of 11 hours. It felt amazing! :o)

God is still speaking to me and slowly revealing to me what it is that He wants me to do. I am unsure of the specifics, therefore I am going to wait until I know more about what it is that I am going to be doing with my life, before I start to tell people. God is giving me "teaspoons" by revealing to me what it is that He wants for my life, and I know that if he showed me the whole picture then I would be completely overwhelmed. Right now I am already overwhelmed, however this is an excited kind of overwhelming feeling.

Well, I think that is a pretty good summarization. However, I will leave you with this: Psalms 33 . For me, Psalms 33 sums up what I was able to experience for this last week.

Week 4 of DTS - Disappointing

2006-10-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

Week 4... WOW! It doesn't seem like I have been living in Wisconsin for that long. This week was a pretty good week. Dawn taught us the whole week on then Fear of the Lord and it was very good. And she also shared with us her personal testimony, which I found very interesting and I admire her willingness, openness, and courage to share it with all of us. During this week nothing BIG happened like last week, but God is still working in my life - personally and He is also speaking to me. :o)

On Sunday, I went to church with Bekah at Mad City in Madison (again). We went to the early morning service, which was at 9 am - 11 am. So when we got back to the training center no one was there except Fara because she didn't feel well. That is why I was able to finish "week 3" earlier than "week 2". Then I spent the rest of the afternoon reading the book Father Heart of God, which I actually should have read throughout the week. I called my mom and dad and talked to them for about an hour. And that is pretty much all that I did.

On Monday, Dawn (one of the staff members) taught us on Intimate Friendship With God: Through Understanding the Fear of the Lord, which was really good. It really made me realize how much closer to God I want to be. And how God loves me and wants to have an intimate (close) relationship with me.

On Tuesday, we actually did something a little differently. We got to sleep in just a little bit, and then we had work duties, then quiet time, and then we had a time of intercession. We (just the 8 students) prayed for where we were going to go for outreach. We split into 2 groups and when we came back together to talk about what we felt God was speaking to us. We had some confirmation about the things that we had heard from God, which I thought was really cool.Then we had an hour of free time, which I spent writing thank you cards and letters. Then we went to the GMC for lunch and then class afterwards. Then we had a short break before we started getting ready for our local outreach. I went to Juvy (Juvenile Detention Center) with Emma, Bodo, Nils, Shawn, Bekah, and Missie. I was so excited because I knew that God was going to be doing so GREAT things. But when it was time for us to talk and pray with the kids that were there, the girl I talked to was not responding to me much. She just gave me short answers. Missie joined in with us, which I didn't want at first, but I became glad when I realized that Missie and the girl in Juvy were able to carry on a conversation. I was also disappointed because the boy that I had talked to last week was there, but he left shortly after we had started. I wanted to be able to talk to him a little bit more. I was glad that I was able be there, but I like I said I was disappointed because I felt like I didn't make much of a difference. Also, on the car ride it was encouraging to hear all of the stories from everyone else.

On Wednesday, we had a normal day of class. But after supper we spent some time as a group talking about some decisions that have been made for our International Outreach in January 2007. Michael wrote some names of countries on the board, which were some of the countries that we had been praying for. He told us that those places are English speaking places, and that when we go for our Outreach we will be going to one of those countries, along with 2 more countries. Then he wrote the other 2 countries that we will be going to; he wrote Dominican Republic (Spanish speaking) and Haiti (French/Creole speaking). I am so excited to be going to 3 different places, along with learning 2 other languages. I have always wanted to learn French, and Spanish would be the next language that I would want to learn. But as Michael was talking to us about some things that had to do with our outreach, I began to feel overwhelmed with emotion. So after we were finished talking, I went into the Recreational room (also known as the Rec. room) and began to pray. After a short time of praying God gave me a scripture : Psalm 74 which I then took to Dawn (because she is my one on one person). She said that she had received that passage of scripture before when praying for another country. I was so emotionally exhausted, so I went to bed as soon as I could, which wasn't until 11 pm.

On Thursday, we another normal day of class. I was still feeling the effects of the night before (being emotionally exhausting), so after class I grabbed a 2 subject notebook and my CD player and began to write thing things I had prayed about in the 1st section of the notebook, and in the other section I wrote the things God has spoken or shown me since I've been doing this Discipleship program. After some singing and reflecting on all of the wonderful things that God has been doing in my life, I became very happy. This feeling stayed with me the rest of the night and for most of the day on Friday.

On Friday, we had class and Dawn finished up on The Fear of the Lord and then around 4 pm Rufina, Fara, Nils, and Robin went to Nightmare (which is a youth event that teenagers come to watch - it's hard for me to explain but if you would like to know more about it go here. Sean also left for the weekend because he had a wedding to go to. And Michael and Emma left for the weekend with their kids. So there was me, Bekah, Bodo, Mandy, and Dawn left for the weekend. It was very quiet. After I had supper clean up, Dawn and I had our 1 on 1 time, which was very good. Then we all (well, the remainder of us) watched the movie Failure to Launch. I thought it was a cute movie. I thought it was very similar to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days , but I thought that the movie we watched was better.

On Saturday, I woke up at 10:30 am and then we ate brunch at 11 am, and then did some miscellaneous errands and shopping. On Sunday (today), we are throwing a surprise party for Michael and Emma to show them how much we appreciate all that they have done for us, and will do for us. Bekah helped me decorate the Rec. room for a couple hours. I think it looks pretty good. Then Bekah and I stayed up until 1 am just talking about stuff. :o)

I thought this week was kinda disappointing because I would have liked more to happen at Juvy and also because I felt like I did not get as much as I would have liked out of this weeks topic. But I really need to re-read my notes, and I think then I will be able to get more out of what I was taught.

I cannot wait, next week we are going to be going to the GO!Conference in Colorado and then also on Thursday the Summer DTS team will be coming back from Namibia, Africa. I am looking forward to meeting them, and also to hear their stories.

Week 3 of DTS - Emotional

2006-10-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

Well we just finished week 3, which was very emotional. The topic was on The Father Heart of God which was taught by Claude Bonjour. I thought Claude was a very good teacher. We got a new projector, so Claude was the first one to use it by showing us slides so we could take notes. I learned so much about myself. I learned how God is like a Father, and even though my earthly father may have messed up in the past; God wants to take away that hurt and pain and love me the way my earthly father could/can not. I am not saying that  my dad was a bad dad or anything, but he is human and humans make mistakes. It is sad, but I have never been able to fully forgive him for somethings until this week. I would love to share more with you, but I think that you'd have to experience what I experienced by yourself. Everyone has their own story about how their dad abused them, or said mean things, or even simply wasn't there for them... so everyone will experience what I experienced differently. I know that it may seem like I am not telling you as much as I did the last 2 weeks, but it's just hard to explain. But just know that God has been doing GREAT things in my life, personally.  
Anyway, here is what I did throughout the week:
 
On Sunday I went to church with Sean, Nils, and Fara. We went to Mad City in Madison. I really liked it. Then I spent most of my afternoon on Nil's laptop because I was trying to upload my pictures on my free picture hosting website, but it did not work. :o( Then I had a a few phone calls and then I watched some of the football game with some people. I love Sunday's they are always so relaxed. 
 
On Monday, we had our teaching with Claude. He taught us the first week that we were here and I really enjoyed it. So I couldn't wait to learn more from him. Monday was a normal school day for us and for those of you who may have wanted to know ... even though it was Columbus day (and we live in Columbus, Wisconsin) we did not celebrate it. 
 
On Tuesday, we went to the GMC for class and then we went our separate ways to do our local outreach. I went to the Juvenile Detention Center near the capitol in Madison. Compared to the Evangelical outreach... I loved it. I know that it is what God wants me to do. I cannot wait to go back. When I finish this Discipleship Training, I would love to do something like that when I get back home. It made me feel so good talking to Jr. High aged kids about my personal testimonies and praying with them and just encouraging them. Every kid comes in for different things... some big and some small... but either way, they want to know more about God and the Bible, and I find that very encouraging. :o) 
 
On Wednesday, our teaching was on the movie  Antwan Fisher with Denzel Washington. It is a really good movie. I had seen it before, but it really tied in with our topic for this week. After we watched this movie (which was emotional for some people) we had an exercise to do. We had to go find something that reminded us of our earthly father. I looked at my pictures which I was going to show everyone how funny, loving, and caring that my dad is. But then I looked at my digital camera and brought it. I was in tears the whole time, and I do not totally understand why. When I decided to to speak and tell everyone why I chose my camera... I fought to choke back tears. It was hard to speak. But I just simply said, "I chose my camera because I had been wanting a digital camera for a while. Then for Christmas my parents got it for me. I didn't know what kind I wanted or anything, so my dad was the one who did the research. Then right before I came here my parents got me a docking station so that way I wouldn't have to keep recharging batteries all of the time. And this just shows that my dad always provides for me, for what ever I want or need. And I will always be 'daddy's little girl' and nothing can take that way". Something happened during that time... but all of the hurt that I had been keeping in for years was gone. I truly felt like I loved my dad. So after we finished our exercise and after I finished crying. I called my dad at work and told him the story and told him that I love him. This was a HUGE day of healing for me. I could not believe that I had been keeping all of this hurt and pain in for so long. I didn't realize it, but it had been effecting my relationships with other people, but it had been especially effecting my relationship with God. 
 
On Thursday, we had more teaching, which was good. And another normal school day for us. After lunch we talked and prayed about where we might go to for our International outreach, which will be somewhere in the Caribbean area. I am so excited. I cannot wait until we find out where we are going to be going. :o) 
 
On Friday, we had our last day with Claude. But we did something different than just the normal teachings. It is hard to explain what we did, but Claude and some other people prayed for all of us, separately. After we did this, I felt like we as a group had bonded more. Like we were more of a family. It was a really great feeling. I personally felt at peace about my future... whatever God wants it to be. :o) In the afternoon when we had free time, I took an hour and a half nap. It felt so good, because this week had been so emotional. After supper a group of us played basket ball. It was a lot of fun.
 
On Saturday (yesterday), Bekah, Fara, Robin, and I took Rufina's car to McFarland to go to Bekah's and pick up her car. We stopped at The Petal Patch  where my Aunts work, but they were not there. So we ate at  McDonald's, then went to Borders, then to WalMart, then back to The Petal Patch to see if my Aunt Karyn had come back from doing a delivery, and sure enough she was there. We stayed for about 5 minutes. It was really good to see her, but it made me really miss my mom. :o( Then I drove Rufina's car back to the Training Center where we hung out for a little while. Then after supper Nils asked if we all wanted to do something, so after awhile of no one deciding on what to do ... I laid the smack down (ha ha). We finally decided to rent a movie. So Bekah drove her car and Nils, Robin, and I drove to the nearest Blockbuster where we rented 3 movies. One of the movies was for Nils, while the other 2 were for all of us. So last night we (Nils, Fara, Bekah, Robin, Mandy, and I) watched The Bench Warmers .
 
This week has been really good. I was not looking forward to it at first, but once it started... I didn't want to stop learning about The Father Heart of God. Before I end this update, I want to encourage you to forgive your father (even if he has passed away) for anything and everything that he has done. If you cannot speak to him about this in person, write a letter to him and just open your heart up. You don't have to give it to him if you don't want. It might sound kinda silly, but just try it. Once you genuinely do this, you will not forget it, and you will feel so much better. I never knew what I was holding onto until I truly forgave my dad.

Week 2 of DTS - Busy

2006-10-13T00:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I just wrapped up week 2 and let me tell you... we were really busy. We had to leave for the Global Mission Center (GMC) at 7:15am almost every morning, and most nights we would be busy doing things until 9:30pm or 10pm (lights out are at 10:30pm). So needless to say, I am really tired this week. But the weeks to come will not be like this.Because I am only going to be getting busier, I am not going to write as long updates as I did with week 1. Therefore, here is a quick summary of what my week was like:

Sunday - Was a wonderful day of relaxing. I took an hour nap after church, then I just did whatever. I spent most of my time writing out my last e-mail (titled: "week 1").

Monday - We had breakfast at 7 am, as usual. Then after having a quiet time and worship, we had a lecture with Warren Kepproth on  The Nature of Sin . Warren is the director of YWAM - Madison. At 1 pm, we had lunch (as usual as well) and then continued on with our lecture until 3:30 pm. This topic was really heavy. Then we had work duties and then supper. After supper we had a scheduled study time. At first I was not liking the idea... but once I got started... I thought that it was really good. Because even though there is not much to do here, it is still easy to get distracted and not do your homework.

Tuesday - We had breakfast a little later at 7:30 am. At 10:30 am, we left for the GMC where we stayed there until 5 pm where we then went our separate ways to do our local outreach. This week I did my local outreach with David as the leader and Mandy and Rufina. David is in charge of the Evangelical outreach. Our little group went to a park in Madison where we were able to witness to a few homeless guys. We prayed with one guy and another accepted the Lord. It was exciting and sad at the same time to see that these guys had nothing. I so badly wanted to invite them back to at least shower, but of course that was not possible.

Wednesday - We had to leave for the GMC at 7:15 am, where we had worship and lecture until lunch at 1 pm. It was a long day; I struggled to stay awake. Then we came back to the training center where we had Intercession and then work duties until supper. After supper we had our first small group meeting, which we finished around 9 pm.

Thursday - We had to leave  for the GMC at 7:15 am, again. We had lecture until 1 pm, again. Then lunch. After lunch we had Bible Class with Beth Anne on the book of Ephesians. She is teaching us about digging into the Word of God and trying to understand the history of "why" the letters from Paul were written the way that they were. It was really interesting. She will be coming to the training center every week on Wednesdays, but since we were at the GMC this week... it just made sense for her to come and teach us while we were there. After Bible Class we had a little bit of free time, but then we went to Fara's sisters house (in Madison) where supper was provided. Then we headed back to the GMC for a "YWAM Madison Community Meeting". I was so tired, that afterward I asked to go into the van to sleep while other people were enjoying a time of fellowship. We got back to the training center around 9:30 pm, where I soon went to bed.

Friday - THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! I was so exhausted from getting up early and going to bed late. Some people refereed to this week as "Boot Camp". I'd have to say that it was pretty challenging for me to stay awake, when I normally go to bed (at the earliest) at Midnight and get up around 9 am or 10 am. Today we went to the GMC for the last time at 7:15 am, which was also the last time that Winkie Pratney taught us about The Nature of Sin. At 10:30 am we left to come back to the training center, where we had a quiet time. Then for lunch my small group (Mandy, Dawn, Rufina, Fara, and myself) went to Culver's. Then after Culver's we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. I bought some chips because my mom had sent me in a package some homemade salsa (yum!). Then we came back at 3:30 pm and the rest of the night we had free time. I talked on the phone and wrote out some thank you's and miscellaneous letters. It felt so good to get caught up on those things.

Small Group - Rufina, Me, Dawn, Mandy, and Fara

Saturday -  Well, I finally got a chance to catch up on some sleep. I went to bed at 1 am, but woke up around 9:30 am. If felt so good. :o) I ate some brunch (waffles, eggs, and toast). Then I got ready to go out with everyone. We went to the Arboretum where we walked on some trails. I took a lot of pictures, which I would love to share sometime soon. The weather was beautiful and the different shades of color throughout the trees were gorgeous. Then after the was walked some trails... we went to a Mall. But Bekah, Fara, and I went to  Barns and Nobles where I had Starbucks  for the first time. It was good. Then we went to  Shopko  where we just looked around. I took a few silly pictures. Then at 4:30 pm, we went back to the training center ( a.k.a. "home") where I helped get supper ready (leftovers) and then of course ate supper. After supper Sean, Nils, Fara, Robin, and I went out to go see a movie. Then we came back and just hung out.

A Continuation from Week 1 - Scavenger Hunt

2006-10-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures that were taken on Saturday, September 30, 2006. We, the DTS, went to Madison, Wisconsin (about 30 miles from Columbus - which is where we live) to do a scavenger hunt on State Street. This scavenger hunt was designed to help us get familiar with the city and the ministry that we would later be involved in.

Me - "Person dressed in UW apparel from head to toe"

"Team photo, everyone wearing 'cheese head' hats"

Left to Right: Emma, Linus (baby), Bekah, Me, and Michael, Judah -not pictured

Nils - "Team member trying on a bizarre outfit at a clothing store"

"Make a human pyramid including strangers (at least 3 stages)"

Top: Robin

Middle: Emma and Me

Bottom: Nils, Fara, and Todd (the stranger)

Me and Bekah on our way to Madison - before the Scavenger Hunt

Me and Emma (with Linus)

"get a picture with a person with 2 or more animals"

Bekah "milking" one of the many cows that are all along State Street.

State Street

Week 1of DTS - Interesting

2006-10-06T14:27:00.000-05:00

I have officially been here at YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in Wisconsin for 1 week. This week has been very interesting. As I sit down and try to put together some of my thoughts and memories that I want to share with you... the word "Interesting" best suites how I want to describe my experience so far.

There are 8 people in this Discipleship Training School (DTS). We are small, but because we are small in number we are also like a BIG family.

So about my experience so far... well, like I said it has been very interesting just trying to get to know new people and learn about what it is like for them back in their country. It has also been interesting dealing with the shower in the mornings. There is only a small shelf in the shower to place your bar of soap, and the shower head sprays out far and hard and wide (plus they have hard water). I cannot wait to take a shower at home. Probably the thing that I miss the most would be my bed at home, because the bunk bed that I am sleeping in is hard and stiff, so may back has been stiff and I don't feel like I am getting a good nights sleep. I also am living in a room with all of the ladies plus Mandy, one of the staff members (but that is not that big of a problem because everyone is respectable to everyone else). But these are minor things that I am complaining about, because there are so many people that do not have the things that I have. I am so spoiled!

When I first arrived here a week ago today, I brought a lot of stuff. My parents mentioned that they might have to take 2 vehicles just to fit all of my things. I think I went mad (or crazy) when I was packing. But the next time I go home, I will bring some things back to stay just because I really do not need everything that I brought. I think all of the staff was secretly laughing at me when they saw all of the things I brought. And later on in the day when I realized how much stuff I brought, I realized that I am high maintained. I was kinda upset with myself, because I do want to be that way and I am only high maintained because I am spoiled. Therefore, I have a feeling that when I get back home I will have a whole new perspective on life and will no longer want the things that I want right now.

The first day (Sunday) we got to know a little about ourselves and about the staff. Then on Monday we answered some "Quaker Questions" (they are simple questions about yourself that are answered descriptively). This mostly consisted of the whole day. Then on Tuesday, we went to the GMC (Global Mission Center) in Madison. We will be going there ever week on Tuesdays. Then on Wednesday we began the teachings where we began to learn about Hearing the Voice of God. I took lots of notes, it was very interesting and good. On Wednesday night a group of us went to a Conference in Madison to celebrate 200 years in Missions. It was interesting, and kinda like a history lesson. This was optional; I sort of wanted to stay back to catch up on some sleep and other things, but I felt like I was supposed to go, so I did. Then on Thursday we had some more teaching on Hearing the Voice of God and then we put it into practice. When we shared about what we had heard God speaking to us all of the responses fit together like a puzzle. It was so amazing to hear God working in us separately and also as a group. Then on Friday we learned about Intercession (according to dictionary.com it means: a prayer to God on behalf of another.). Then we practiced it for a little bit. On Saturday (yesterday) we went to Madison (to the capital) for a scavenger hunt. We had to do things such as: ask someone if they are republican and get a picture with them (I got a video and about 5 people said NO! until this girl enthusiastically said YES!), we had to find the most expensive item in a boutique (our group found a 500 year old vase that was $1800), etc. It was a lot of fun. Then today I went to Michael and Emma's (my school leaders) church - then when I came back I took a nap. There are many other details that I could share with you, however you'd probably fall asleep reading this if I did. :o)

I look forward to many more weeks to come. I also look forward to learning more about God and also to get to know everyone better. After I am done with this DTS, the people I currently live with will probably be like my "new" family.