Life after DTS is very different from what I expected, both good and bad. I new that coming home back to the real world would be challenging and that more distractions would be all around me. I was faced with many distractions and things from the past that tried to creep up to haunt me, but I realized that I had to lean into God even more. I remember our speaker from our last week of lecture phase right before outreach he said to us "you have to lean into God so hard that if he moves you fall". It really shows me how I need to trust in God and spend time with him even though I am not surrounded by 55 other students who are going after the same thing as me, even though there is not a set time to be with Jesus I can still do it!
God has been so faithful to me he has shown me his character every day and he has provided people in my life to keep building me up and encourage me. Since being home I have had another awesome ministry time. I have been able to work with a ministry called Coastlands Consultants. It is a relational based ministry that goes into Christian schools and leads the week with worship, games, lessons, and stories from the Bible. it is an awesome ministry that focuses on the kids at the school, they mentor them, listen to them and pray with them. they work with pre-k all the way up to 12th grade. Each week has a theme this weeks word was DREAM each day went with a letter Monday was D which stood for dare to dream, Tuesday was R which stood for repair. I cam in on Tuesday night, the team welcomed me with dinner and an initiation ( I had to blow out a candle stick with nothing but my nose!) needless to say I felt welcomed. The next day was my first day with the team I was so blessed to be welcomed by the kids, we worked with the 6th to 8th grade. Our morning started with introduction, bible reading and an object lesson the kids were so involved and filled with enthusiasm and excitement. We than moved into worship, it was so encouraging watching the kids lift there hands in worship and sing out praises to God. After someone taught a lesson the next letter was E which stood for Equip the kids learned about how God gives us all gifts and he equips us with power some gifts are different from others but they are all as important. they learned that we have the power of prayer and they all prayed for there teachers, the kids were so eager to pray and bless there teachers. The 6th and 7th graders were brought back to class while the 8th graders stayed, we than began to journal that is were the kids are able to write to us there feeling thoughts and questions, whatever they are going through it is only between the student and the team we are able to write a response back with encouragement advice and scriptures. I had a 14 year old 8th grade girl she wrote about the struggles she faces every day in her own school even though she is surrounded by Christians, people can still say things and do things that hurt. Her words were filled with pain of mean words that were said over her and her insecurities of people judging her. I was able to write back to her about Gods love and the truth that He says over her. The day followed by going into class rooms and doing what is called coffee can questions, this is where the students write an anonymous question about anything and put it in the can, we pick one put and answer it. These students were so curious and had some amazing questions, one question that I got was "If God is the same yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow than should we obey the same laws in the old testament"? that is a pretty good question coming from a 6th grader! Thursday was much of the same thing the lesson was about Gods grace. The letter was....... what a surprise A that stood for Amazing grace we talked about how God gives us second chances, he forgives us and helps us heal from the past, during the week a big cross was put up in the front of the chapel the students would nail to the cross sins and lies that they heard in there life, nailing it to the cross meant giving it up and letting God take it, it meant that they would believe the truth about them instead of the lie. It was a powerful thing to watch and to take part of. The rest of the day was similar to the one before. On Friday we had a snow day! but even though we didn't go to school our ministry was still going, some of the kids from the neighborhood came over. We started playing spoons which led to a big snow ball fight( I was taken down numerous times) then we came in for cookie making and board games, we made pizza for dinner and eat a lot of food. We just hung out with the kids and listened to them tell us there stories. Some of the kids even went to church on Sunday! it is really cool to see that even though you are not on scheduled time of ministry you can always be led by God and let him use you because you never know when there is a kid who need a friend or someone to hang out with. It was an awesome week and I am so excited to see what next week holds, we will be at Concord Christian Academy. Please pray that God will use my team in a great way!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
DTS Recap
For the past five months I have been participating in a school Discipleship Training School, for the first three months I was in the beautiful state of Montana where it was there during the lecture phase that I had a realization of who God really was.
Lecture phase was fantastic; Jesus worked so much in my life, and the lives of my fellow DTS’ers. It was an awesome time to live in constant “ Community”. Our days began with worship, what a blessing it was to get to spend every morning worshiping Jesus corporately. We then went into bible overview or intercession. Then we had lectures, we had topics from the Missions and pioneering all the way to Father Heart of God. Each week God showed me who he was and how much he loved me. I could feel the wounds and hurt from my past begin to heal. I was able to discoverer my true Identity in Christ and come to the realization that he calls me his daughter!
This whole time in Montana was just an awesome process of Jesus showing me how faithful and good He is. He is always so good to give us more as we continue to run after Him. He always has more to teach us more to show us, and deeper places to bring us to. What an honor is has been to allow him to take me deeper and deeper. I came into this school, with so much hurt and even doubt but Jesus came in and took my heart and began to put it back together showing me that it is ok to trust again. The base did a commissioning for all the DTS students before we went out on Outreach. and we all made signs, one side was a before statement, the other side a after statement, basically just stating what Jesus has done is us through DTS, mine read, Filled with Brokenness lost in shame................ Filled with Purity Found in freedom
I can honestly say that I learned so much form my fellow DTSers we all went through a journey together and came out as new creations in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefor if anyone is in Christ He is a new creation, the old is gone the new has come".
That's not all! The next two months we went on outreach there were five different locations, Cambodia, South Africa, Taiwan and the Philippians, Thailand, and Iceland. I of course went to Iceland. However that was not my first choice I was determined to go to South Africa, But God had other plans and met me there. Iceland was not at all what I was expecting. I found myself challenged, stretched, and at most times at loss for words but at the same time I have never felt so close to God. I realized that I had to lean into him to trust in him that he knew what he was doing and that he was going to use me while I was there. During our time in Iceland we had many opportunities to serve such as helping out with the local churches, helping with the Salvation Army, youth groups, downtown night ministry, and even children's hospitals. God used us through building relationships with the people of Iceland. They learned that they could trust us as well as God. They learned that God would never leave them or hurt them. It was really awesome being able to watch some of the transformations unfold before our eyes. At times the team struggled; we lost sight of why we were there and doubted that we were even making a difference. Many times we would come home discouraged or frustrated because we weren't seeing any fruit or people didn't want to listen to us. we realized that It was not about us, that God could save the whole country of Iceland and not even need our help, but he wants us to be apart of a big picture we cannot do it on our own we need Jesus. We learned that it’s just living life with him and through the way you live and love Jesus people can see. That. Overall I loved outreach, my team became so close and we were able to make awesome friendships that will last.
Here is my outreach video I have posted the web page all you have to do is go to the Iceland video and press play
http://www.ywammt.org/fall2012.html
Lecture phase was fantastic; Jesus worked so much in my life, and the lives of my fellow DTS’ers. It was an awesome time to live in constant “ Community”. Our days began with worship, what a blessing it was to get to spend every morning worshiping Jesus corporately. We then went into bible overview or intercession. Then we had lectures, we had topics from the Missions and pioneering all the way to Father Heart of God. Each week God showed me who he was and how much he loved me. I could feel the wounds and hurt from my past begin to heal. I was able to discoverer my true Identity in Christ and come to the realization that he calls me his daughter!
This whole time in Montana was just an awesome process of Jesus showing me how faithful and good He is. He is always so good to give us more as we continue to run after Him. He always has more to teach us more to show us, and deeper places to bring us to. What an honor is has been to allow him to take me deeper and deeper. I came into this school, with so much hurt and even doubt but Jesus came in and took my heart and began to put it back together showing me that it is ok to trust again. The base did a commissioning for all the DTS students before we went out on Outreach. and we all made signs, one side was a before statement, the other side a after statement, basically just stating what Jesus has done is us through DTS, mine read, Filled with Brokenness lost in shame................ Filled with Purity Found in freedom
I can honestly say that I learned so much form my fellow DTSers we all went through a journey together and came out as new creations in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefor if anyone is in Christ He is a new creation, the old is gone the new has come".
That's not all! The next two months we went on outreach there were five different locations, Cambodia, South Africa, Taiwan and the Philippians, Thailand, and Iceland. I of course went to Iceland. However that was not my first choice I was determined to go to South Africa, But God had other plans and met me there. Iceland was not at all what I was expecting. I found myself challenged, stretched, and at most times at loss for words but at the same time I have never felt so close to God. I realized that I had to lean into him to trust in him that he knew what he was doing and that he was going to use me while I was there. During our time in Iceland we had many opportunities to serve such as helping out with the local churches, helping with the Salvation Army, youth groups, downtown night ministry, and even children's hospitals. God used us through building relationships with the people of Iceland. They learned that they could trust us as well as God. They learned that God would never leave them or hurt them. It was really awesome being able to watch some of the transformations unfold before our eyes. At times the team struggled; we lost sight of why we were there and doubted that we were even making a difference. Many times we would come home discouraged or frustrated because we weren't seeing any fruit or people didn't want to listen to us. we realized that It was not about us, that God could save the whole country of Iceland and not even need our help, but he wants us to be apart of a big picture we cannot do it on our own we need Jesus. We learned that it’s just living life with him and through the way you live and love Jesus people can see. That. Overall I loved outreach, my team became so close and we were able to make awesome friendships that will last.
Here is my outreach video I have posted the web page all you have to do is go to the Iceland video and press play
http://www.ywammt.org/fall2012.html
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Memories
So I am starting this blog to keep my supporters, friends and family updated on my adventures and journeys that I embark on. I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to travel all around the world and meet new people, experience different cultures and simply do what I love. Since I was a little girl I have been on awesome adventures and have been able to go on many mission trips. I have lots of memories from an early age of traveling. From the first time I went on a plane alone, I was a very scared 11 year old little girl not wanting to let go of my mothers hand but I mustered up all the courage I could and walked onto the plane. as a reward for my braveness I was moved up to first class, now imagine the excitement I had! it made the trip so much better. I was on my way to Gallup New Mexico to help on an Indian reservation. I loved every second of it being with the kids and helping to rebuild the homes that were destroyed.
The other memory of traveling I have is flying once again alone but this time out of the US and the the beautiful Island of Jamaica! there we went into the slums, played with the children, went into orphanages, and just tried to put smiles on there faces. I can remember now that at that moment when I was holding a little girl who had not showered in what seemed like days, had a smile on her face because she knew that I cared for her but most important that Someone else out there, someone bigger than anything else loved her. I remember knowing that this is what I want to do is to go to places that people don't want to go or don't think of going to, I want to be that person and share the love and the happiness that I know with everyone! so from than I kept going to new places, I have memories of Buffalo New York and reaching out to the kids on the street, my heart broke for the young kids that were on the street following into there family footsteps which would land them in prison at the age of 16. I knew I had to do something but I was just a 16 year old girl myself what could I do? From then It was local trips around my neighborhood. little did I know that broken people were all around me, the people I went to school with. People that I lived in the same town with for years, they were dead inside and needed to know that they were loved, forgiven, and redeemed.
Coming upon graduation I had plans for my life, Collage, Job , family and than happily ever after. Little did I know that someone up there had way different plans for me. so I decided to join YWAM, Youth With A Mission with my fist stop being in Montana for a month than following Taiwan for another month. Here I was able to really use my gift of dance I was able to grow as a dancer and a Christian. Still I was holding on the the idea of living a "normal" life but I knew that there were bigger plans out there for me so I embarked on yet another journey and did a DTS, Discipleship training school where it was there that I found my Identity,found freedom, was forgiven and forgave. Than was able to bring what I learned to Iceland where I saw people who where hurt by the church, forgotten by the world and lost in sin. myself along with 18 other people were able to bring freedom into there lives and watch as relationships started to bloom. Throughout all my life, all the place I go to all the people I meet I always learn new things whether its about myself or about God I have learned life long lessons.
But I never ever would of been able to go on any of these adventures if it wasn't for your support, both financial or just being a friend. So thank for everything and thank you for letting me live this amazing adventure and helping me go to these places. So I hope that through the stories that I share you can come along on the adventure with me!
The other memory of traveling I have is flying once again alone but this time out of the US and the the beautiful Island of Jamaica! there we went into the slums, played with the children, went into orphanages, and just tried to put smiles on there faces. I can remember now that at that moment when I was holding a little girl who had not showered in what seemed like days, had a smile on her face because she knew that I cared for her but most important that Someone else out there, someone bigger than anything else loved her. I remember knowing that this is what I want to do is to go to places that people don't want to go or don't think of going to, I want to be that person and share the love and the happiness that I know with everyone! so from than I kept going to new places, I have memories of Buffalo New York and reaching out to the kids on the street, my heart broke for the young kids that were on the street following into there family footsteps which would land them in prison at the age of 16. I knew I had to do something but I was just a 16 year old girl myself what could I do? From then It was local trips around my neighborhood. little did I know that broken people were all around me, the people I went to school with. People that I lived in the same town with for years, they were dead inside and needed to know that they were loved, forgiven, and redeemed.
Coming upon graduation I had plans for my life, Collage, Job , family and than happily ever after. Little did I know that someone up there had way different plans for me. so I decided to join YWAM, Youth With A Mission with my fist stop being in Montana for a month than following Taiwan for another month. Here I was able to really use my gift of dance I was able to grow as a dancer and a Christian. Still I was holding on the the idea of living a "normal" life but I knew that there were bigger plans out there for me so I embarked on yet another journey and did a DTS, Discipleship training school where it was there that I found my Identity,found freedom, was forgiven and forgave. Than was able to bring what I learned to Iceland where I saw people who where hurt by the church, forgotten by the world and lost in sin. myself along with 18 other people were able to bring freedom into there lives and watch as relationships started to bloom. Throughout all my life, all the place I go to all the people I meet I always learn new things whether its about myself or about God I have learned life long lessons.
But I never ever would of been able to go on any of these adventures if it wasn't for your support, both financial or just being a friend. So thank for everything and thank you for letting me live this amazing adventure and helping me go to these places. So I hope that through the stories that I share you can come along on the adventure with me!
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