Friday, July 9, 2010
I'M HERE!!!!
Oh my osh kosh b'gosh, I cannot beleive that I am finally here!!! Travel went well yesterday, no snafoos at all. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone but once I was through security I was totally fine and could not wait to get htere. After 11 hours of flying time, we all safetly arrived at the Kona airport. When we all got off the plane, I realized that there were about 15 other YWAMers there and we immediatley started to connect to each other. Once we got to the base, we registered and got setteled in to our dorms. I have 4 roommates, 2 from South Korea and 2 from California. They are all super sweet girls :) After we all met we went to dinner. We eat outside here and the weather was wonderful. After dinner, a group of about 10 of us walked down to the beach-about a 10 minutes walk. We stayed until sunset and it was gorgeous. It was awesome getting to meet people from all over the world. THere are students from 35 countires on campus right now. THis morning, after breafast, we had a welcoming ceremony/orientaion. THe people of the Island welcomed us and we gave them gifts to say thank you for hosting us while we are here. This was followed by an amazing first worship. You could totally feel the presnce of God around you. My dorm is right across form the 24/7 prayer room, so we can hear people singing on and off through out the day. I am so excited for the real journey to start on Monday, when classes begin. Thank you to all who have been praying for me. They are totally working :) I miss you all so much yet I am excited to see what God is going to do with all your support. Aloha!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
God is creepy
Ok, so let me explain the "God is Creepy." I mean this in a good way. I first heard it from my dear friend Emily, and it just stuck. God can be pretty creepy-like when he shows up in your life when you least expect it. Or you randomly come across a Bible verse that you have never seen before and yet totally fits what is going on in your life. Or you are having a conversation with someone about your fears and then the next day you read an awesome quote from a christian author that is basically about your fears. Here is my example for why God was creepy in my life today. Emily gave me the daily devo book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young and, just for kicks and giggles, I flipped to July 8th (the day I leave for YWAM) to see what it says---and it was creepy. "When you seek my face, put aside thoughts of everything else. I am above all, as well as in all...open wide your heart and ming to receive more and more of me. When your joy in me meets my joy in you, there are fireworks of heavenly ecstasy." Basically, for the last 3 months, I have been praying that God opens my heart to what He has to teach me at YWAM, and that I not fear the changes He has for me. And then I read that it is just creepy. Gotta love it.
So basically, these last few days I have been a big ball of emotions. Although I haven't cried yet, I am sure I will be a weepy mess for the next few days. I can't even think about saying goodbye to my family without having a mini panic attack. One thing that keeps me going is prayer. The praying that I do and the praying that I know people are doing on my behalf. It is so encouraging knowing that I have a whole slew of people praying for me and my fellow YWAMers while I am preparing and when I go. It seriously calms my heart. I could not have asked for more supportive friends and family members, and I am so thankful for them.
God has once again been crazy by providing almost all the money that I need. I received a very large check this week from a good friend (you know who you are-and you are awesome!!!) and it has helped a TON. I can not express the gratitude that I have for all of you who have supported me. You are all flipping awesome and you are totally helping others hear about the Lord! I only need roughly 1,000 more in the long run. I will know for sure how much when I find out where my outreach will be. Thank you all again so much for being apart of my life and for supporting me and my endeavor! The next time you hear from me, I will be reporting from Hawaii :)
Please pray for
-an open heart
-safe travel
-no fear
"For I am convinced that neither death not life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:8-9
So basically, these last few days I have been a big ball of emotions. Although I haven't cried yet, I am sure I will be a weepy mess for the next few days. I can't even think about saying goodbye to my family without having a mini panic attack. One thing that keeps me going is prayer. The praying that I do and the praying that I know people are doing on my behalf. It is so encouraging knowing that I have a whole slew of people praying for me and my fellow YWAMers while I am preparing and when I go. It seriously calms my heart. I could not have asked for more supportive friends and family members, and I am so thankful for them.
God has once again been crazy by providing almost all the money that I need. I received a very large check this week from a good friend (you know who you are-and you are awesome!!!) and it has helped a TON. I can not express the gratitude that I have for all of you who have supported me. You are all flipping awesome and you are totally helping others hear about the Lord! I only need roughly 1,000 more in the long run. I will know for sure how much when I find out where my outreach will be. Thank you all again so much for being apart of my life and for supporting me and my endeavor! The next time you hear from me, I will be reporting from Hawaii :)
Please pray for
-an open heart
-safe travel
-no fear
"For I am convinced that neither death not life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:8-9
Friday, June 25, 2010
Getting Closer...
For those who have heard from my family/friends yesterday, I am totally fine. I was in the hospital for what they thought was gallbladder or appendix problems but it ended up being some girl stuff which I will spare you all from hearing, but I will be fine and it is nothing to worry about. Praise God this didn't happen 2 weeks form now or it would have made a very interesting start to YWAM! Thanks for all the prayers!
Now, moving on to more fun stuff. 13 days is what I have left here in Illinois. One minute I am having a panic attack about it and the next I feel like I am going to burst if I don't get there any sooner. It really hit me that I am going to be gone for half a year when my good friend Paul Boyer left to do his YWAM 2 weeks ago. The night he left, I was with his girlfriend (my best friend, Hannah, who I will miss dearly) and I was like "dang. 6 moths is a long time." Its not like in a few weeks we will see him again. We will still be months away. And it kinda freaked me out. But then I started to think a lot more about time and how 6 months really isn't that long it you look at it from a different view. Lets say that the average person lives 80 years (God willing). That means this trip is only going to take up 1/160th of my life, which is so not that long. So it freaks me out less if I think of it that way. And I know that this 1/160th portion of my life is going to change me forever and I am getting so pumped just thinking about it!
One thing that I have been dealing with while preparing for this trip is what God is going to ask me to give up or do. Which is totally dumb because I know that whatever he has in mind for me is 10874635487 times better than what I could ever plan. But here is another crazy story about God. So, I was talking to my dear friend Hope about this and then the next night I read THIS in Forgotten God by Francis Chan. "the flip side of fearing that God won't show up is fearing that he will. What if God shows up but then asks you to go somewhere or do something that is uncomfortable?"So that pretty much sums it up for this fear. God is always listening, even when we don't feel like He is, and in the smallest of ways( like in a book), He comforts us. I just love that.
A little side note on support...God is freaking COOL. I am so serious. One night I was totally doubting it, that he would provide (again, I know I am stupid). The next day, I got a check in the mail from someone who knew I was doing the trip, but I never even sent them a letter! I LOOOOVE that God is showing me that He is taking care of me, even when I am a fool and doubt it. I am definitely learning what trust really is during this time of my life. As of now, I still need roughly 2-3 thousand more. Thanks again to all who have supported me both in finances and prayer!
A few things to be praying about in these last 2 weeks...
-No more health snafoos for me or anyone else
-Support still comes in
-That I (and my team) will not fear what God has in store for us
-For the school leaders as the prepare for us to arrive
-For my friends who have already started their YWAM and those who are going to start when I do, and those who start after after me!
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" Zephaniah 3:17
Now, moving on to more fun stuff. 13 days is what I have left here in Illinois. One minute I am having a panic attack about it and the next I feel like I am going to burst if I don't get there any sooner. It really hit me that I am going to be gone for half a year when my good friend Paul Boyer left to do his YWAM 2 weeks ago. The night he left, I was with his girlfriend (my best friend, Hannah, who I will miss dearly) and I was like "dang. 6 moths is a long time." Its not like in a few weeks we will see him again. We will still be months away. And it kinda freaked me out. But then I started to think a lot more about time and how 6 months really isn't that long it you look at it from a different view. Lets say that the average person lives 80 years (God willing). That means this trip is only going to take up 1/160th of my life, which is so not that long. So it freaks me out less if I think of it that way. And I know that this 1/160th portion of my life is going to change me forever and I am getting so pumped just thinking about it!
One thing that I have been dealing with while preparing for this trip is what God is going to ask me to give up or do. Which is totally dumb because I know that whatever he has in mind for me is 10874635487 times better than what I could ever plan. But here is another crazy story about God. So, I was talking to my dear friend Hope about this and then the next night I read THIS in Forgotten God by Francis Chan. "the flip side of fearing that God won't show up is fearing that he will. What if God shows up but then asks you to go somewhere or do something that is uncomfortable?"So that pretty much sums it up for this fear. God is always listening, even when we don't feel like He is, and in the smallest of ways( like in a book), He comforts us. I just love that.
A little side note on support...God is freaking COOL. I am so serious. One night I was totally doubting it, that he would provide (again, I know I am stupid). The next day, I got a check in the mail from someone who knew I was doing the trip, but I never even sent them a letter! I LOOOOVE that God is showing me that He is taking care of me, even when I am a fool and doubt it. I am definitely learning what trust really is during this time of my life. As of now, I still need roughly 2-3 thousand more. Thanks again to all who have supported me both in finances and prayer!
A few things to be praying about in these last 2 weeks...
-No more health snafoos for me or anyone else
-Support still comes in
-That I (and my team) will not fear what God has in store for us
-For the school leaders as the prepare for us to arrive
-For my friends who have already started their YWAM and those who are going to start when I do, and those who start after after me!
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" Zephaniah 3:17
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Pushing my limits
This week, God is showing me how comfortable my life is. Right now, I barely have anything to worry about. I have a good life. I have kick-butt parents. I love my siblings. I have awesome friends. I have a relatively cush job. I live in a nice home, I have a nice car, I have people who care about me and love me. Overall, I am pretty darn blessed. Besides my brief stint away at college, I have been pretty comfortable. That isn't going to last long.
I have come to realize that I like my life here in Wheaton. I like my job, I like babysitting, I like hanging out with my family, I like seeing my friends whenever I want to, I like to shop, and I like Caribou. Soon, I will not be able to do these things. And even though it is lame, it is starting to freak me out. In less than 5 short weeks, I can no long see my family everyday, hang out with my friends, go out to eat at my favorite places, or drive my pretty red jeep. True, I'll be living in Hawaii, but I have become so used to my life here in good old Wheaton, that I am surprisingly finding it hard to let go (I never in my life thought that I would be sad to leave Wheaton for Hawaii).
This is going to be the first time in my life where I am completely on my own. Yes, I went away to college but I had freaking awesome roommates and I could come home whenever I wanted to. That won't be an option at YWAM. I am going to have to throw myself out there into a group of people all over the world (not quite the same as college). That is where God is already showing me that I am going to be thrown out of my little comfort circle. I am pretty easy going, but I generally do not put myself out there. I am still totally pumped for YWAM because I know that this is EXACTLY where God wants me right now, but to be honest, I am still a little freaked about leaving my comfort circle. I will totally have to depend on God. I have before but I also had my family and friends right there with me, but not this time. I have found that I am already growing closer to God just by talking about my fears and I CAN NOT WAIT to find out what else He has in store for me :)
There are a few things that you can be praying for, if you wish.
1-That I not let fear consume me but that I put my self out there to make the most of my YWAM experience.
2-That I am completely open my heart to what God has to show me and that I am not afraid to do what He asks of me
3- That support keeps coming in for me and my fellow YWAMers
SUPPORT NEWS: I now have over 6,000 of the 10,000 dollars that I need, PTL! Over 2,000 of it has come from support letters that I have sent out which is more than I ever hoped for. Thank you to all who have supported me financially and prayers!
Psalms 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me"
Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear, for I will help you'"
Deuteronomy 31:8 "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed"
I have come to realize that I like my life here in Wheaton. I like my job, I like babysitting, I like hanging out with my family, I like seeing my friends whenever I want to, I like to shop, and I like Caribou. Soon, I will not be able to do these things. And even though it is lame, it is starting to freak me out. In less than 5 short weeks, I can no long see my family everyday, hang out with my friends, go out to eat at my favorite places, or drive my pretty red jeep. True, I'll be living in Hawaii, but I have become so used to my life here in good old Wheaton, that I am surprisingly finding it hard to let go (I never in my life thought that I would be sad to leave Wheaton for Hawaii).
This is going to be the first time in my life where I am completely on my own. Yes, I went away to college but I had freaking awesome roommates and I could come home whenever I wanted to. That won't be an option at YWAM. I am going to have to throw myself out there into a group of people all over the world (not quite the same as college). That is where God is already showing me that I am going to be thrown out of my little comfort circle. I am pretty easy going, but I generally do not put myself out there. I am still totally pumped for YWAM because I know that this is EXACTLY where God wants me right now, but to be honest, I am still a little freaked about leaving my comfort circle. I will totally have to depend on God. I have before but I also had my family and friends right there with me, but not this time. I have found that I am already growing closer to God just by talking about my fears and I CAN NOT WAIT to find out what else He has in store for me :)
There are a few things that you can be praying for, if you wish.
1-That I not let fear consume me but that I put my self out there to make the most of my YWAM experience.
2-That I am completely open my heart to what God has to show me and that I am not afraid to do what He asks of me
3- That support keeps coming in for me and my fellow YWAMers
SUPPORT NEWS: I now have over 6,000 of the 10,000 dollars that I need, PTL! Over 2,000 of it has come from support letters that I have sent out which is more than I ever hoped for. Thank you to all who have supported me financially and prayers!
Psalms 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me"
Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear, for I will help you'"
Deuteronomy 31:8 "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed"
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