It can be so hard to sum up a season of one's life. Another DTS has come and gone, leaving 70 souls changed and my own heart more set on seeing the nations come to know their Maker. I have finished leading my second outreach and can only look back with gratitude. Our 2.5 months spent in Masiphumelele were challenging. Life changing. Eye opening. I will never be the same.

Our last few weeks were hard and the best at the same time. Relationships with the local Africans had bloomed and the rhythm of living in our house was a steady one. The doors to the Jesus house were open all day as our friends came in and out. Hours were spent laughing, talking, drinking tea. Kids ran in and out the door, pulling on our hands to draw us outside to show us something. One of these little ones won my heart. His name is Tulan, he is 5, and from Zimbabwe. He speaks another language but that didn't stop us from being friends. Although he had his naughty moments, he touched my heart so many times by the smile in his eyes, his outrageous laughter, and his crazy dance moves. Some days we would play, some he would be in the kitchen watching what I was doing, and some we just sat together, looking at the street in front of our house. With a rough life at home, I was very aware that he was watching us all and that we had the incredible opportunity to show him what true love looks like. The importance of living like Jesus was engraved into my heart. With this little one at my side most days, I wanted everything to show him Jesus and that he was loved loved loved. That nothing he did would stop that. That he could be more than what his circumstances spoke. That he could change the world.

Tulan

We left Masi 2 weeks ago, with the peace of God that it was our time to leave, with Hope for what He will do, with Joy that he used that place to radically effect our hearts. It broke our hearts to leave our friends, but we know that the Lord is moving there. We know that God is committed to seeing all of Masi know Him. We know that His love abounds for each soul that lives there. 

The view of Masi from our roof. 

Returning to Hawaii was a joyous time. After being scattered all over the world, there is something so sweet about being reunited with your best friends. Hearing the stories of how God moved in each student's heart, the lives that were touched in 11 nations, the miracles and love and grace that He poured out over and over for 3 months were so encouraging. I left Kona with a full heart of hope, joy and love. 

I am currently in California visiting dear friends that I have not seen since my DTS 2 years ago. I love how God has placed people in my life that no matter the time or distance, the friendship doesn't fade. I will be reunited with my family in 2 days time when they fly out here to watch my little brother graduate from Biola! Yay! My plan for 2013 is still in the works. The only thing for certain is heading home for a time of rest and being with my family and praying into what is next. I am so thankful for the last 2.5 years of my life and all that God has done in and around me. He is faithful and I can not wait to see where He leads me next. I pray that this Christmas season, each of you will be filled with Joy and Love from the Father :)

Thank you for your prayers and support. You guys never cease to amaze me in your commitment to my life. Thank you :)

Much love,

Kristi 

We are into our 7th week in South Africa, and I can hardly believe it. We are continuing our ministry here in Masi and plowing through with only 3 weeks of ministry left. The longer we have stayed here, the more my heart has begun to burn for these lost people, swayed by alcohol and drugs. I desire to see their hearts be anchored in identity and freedom in Christ and am so full of hope to see Jesus move here.

1 week ago, as some of the team was coming home from an outing, a man came up to us and asked for prayer. We invited him into our living room, and he bagan to share with us some of the burdens his spirit has been caring. He was addicted to Tik (the drug that many are lost to, a pure form of meth), and 2 days before he came to us, he felt and saw demonic presence on and around him. He was frightened, and came to ask for prayer because he didn't know what else to do. He was clearly high on the drug when we began to pray and within 10 minutes of prayer, his mind had completely sobered and was physically more peaceful. He said he felt some of the demonic presence leave and then he began to thank us, saying we had no idea how powerful we were because of what we believed, and that he appreciated us just being in Masi. The Holy Spirit moves so much when we follow His commands to love God, love each other, and love the lost.

In my time here in Masi, I have learned to pursue Jesus in all circumstances. There are, of course, times when I fail horribly at this, but He has never and will never turn away. He may be silent at times, but He does not abandon. Jesus is who He says He is. He is love, He is provider, He is protector, He saves, He redeems, He is our hope, He keeps His promises. In the past 2 and a half years of truly following Jesus, I have seen Him as all of these over and over again, despite what my flesh is feeling. Jesus is real, moving in my heart, the team, and in Masi :)

With only 3 weeks of ministry left, please continue praying for us in these ways!

• Team unity
• Safety/wisdom
• Open doors to share the gospel
• Continuation of building relationships within Masi

South Africa!

Almost 5 weeks have gone by since we landed in this beautiful, crazy, wild, nation of South Africa. We have made our home in the middle of a local township called Masiphumelele, or Masi for short. This township is unlike anything I have seen in the past 2 years of missions. Over 40,000 people live on this plot of land that you can walk through in 30 minutes. Most homes are shanties, built in clusters and made of tin, with a few dozen stone houses scattered among them. Roasting chicken feet and sheep’s head can be bought at any corner. Taxis, in the form of large vans, race down the streets, horns blaring. Bars are open with a consistent flow of buyers, and Tik (their version of meth) is as common and accepted as cigarettes. Kids run barefoot and mamas’ walk to the corner store (known as Spazas) with their babies on their backs, held in place by strapping them on with a bath towel. We are the only white people who live here, but drive 10 minutes away and you’ll find your self at a western mall, selling your favorite brands. 

                                                                          (street in Masi)

Our days are spent partnering with different ministries and running along side the long term missionaries here. Some ministries are working with women learning to sew to make a living, and for the men, learning to woodwork. We meet up with our local friends and study the Word together. We partner with BabySafe (a local ministry helping mothers and babies) in intercession and playing with kids. But our biggest ministry is just living. Simply obeying Jesus, becoming more like Him, and letting our overflow of that influence the people we see everyday. Our home is open during the day so locals and children can come and build relationship, discover more of God together, and learn from each other. 

                                                                     (Cape Town Coast)

Our team has been learning how to grow in community each day. Our team of 10 live with an African, who has been walking with Jesus for the past year, and we all share 1 bathroom. It is safe to say we have all grown in the area of patience! We cook for ourselves and rotate days we make dinner for everyone. We have been growing in intercession and taking everything we struggle with as a team to the Lord. We have grown so much in overcoming passivity and fear and I am excited to see how much more God will do with us!

There are several things you can be partnering in prayer with us during our time here!

- We will begin prostitution ministry next week, please pray with us for that!

• Safety 
• For continual breakthrough in our team
• For health! Sickness has been going around our team
• Wisdom as we go about our lives here in Masi

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Internet is not that common, but I do hope that I can continue to share stories of what God is doing during our time here!

Much love,

Kristi 

Thoughts

It is the 7th week of lecture and my mind is getting blown. Our speaker this week is Matt Rawlins, teaching about the Fear of God. He tore apart (in a good way, trust me) Psalm 147:7 to really show just how big our God is. "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." Did you know there are 30 billion trillion stars in the universe? I don't even know how many zeros that is. And that is just a guess. As wild as it is to even think that they are there in existence, God knows their names. HE KNOWS THEIR NAMES. He could stand before me right now and list 'em all of, no prob. What the heck. Our God is so BIG. And He effortlessly hold 30 billion trillion stars in His hands. With that context in mind, let Psalm 139 blow your mind for a minute. "You have searched me and you know me." The very God who created and can name those stars in a split second knows me in and out. It stuns me. I am so overwhelmed by His love! What an amazing God we serve. 

A theme that keeps coming to my mind this season is relationship. It is what we were created for. Adam and Eve walked daily with God in the garden. Moses hung out with Him on a mountain. Jesus, God in the flesh, was here for 33 years making friends all over the place. And its the same today. Every human soul on this earth was created for relationship with the Father. Some have no idea of this because the enemy comes in with lies of legalism, telling us we have to do do do and work work work to reach the Father. I lived that way for 20 years, my friends, and let me tell you, it is better on the other side! The pressure of failing (which I did often and still do since I am human) is gone when we know who our Father is and how much He loves us! The best part of this is that it can begin at any time. Whether you are 5, 105 or somewhere in between, the invite never ends! 

I will be leaving exactly a month from today with 9 of my dearest friends for South Africa! With this fire burning in my heart and revelation of relationship, I am bursting to go forth and share with those in Masi. Please be praying for my team as we prepare to head out! Also, please partner with me in praying for a release of finances! I personally need around $1,600, and my team needs around $4,000 by August 30th. If you feel led to donate, please clink the link to the right and help us change the world!

"Left to Right, top to bottom: Michael, Anna, Jin, Sophie, Kevin, Annika, Kourtney, Kelsey, Co-leader Amy and myself)

Much love,

Kristi 

5 weeks down and only 6 weeks to go! It can be difficult to sum up all that God has done in these 5 weeks without going on for hours and hours, so I will just hit on a few major things that has been going on in the DTS.

Out Reach Locations Revealed! 

The second week of school was buzzing with excitement after the announcement of outreach locations!  We played a short video revealing the 11 outreach nations, released them to pray about it, then they came back with the nation they felt God was leading them to. The following week, us staff were in prayer, watching as God assembled each team so divinely and then announced them the following week. I have the privilege of co-leading a team with my amazing friend, Amy, to Cape Town, South Africa! We have an incredible team of 8 students, ages 18-33, from all over the world joining us on this crazy adventure on the other side of the globe.  We will be partnering with a community plant that has been running there for over a year and has seen God move among this nation. Our team will be the only westerners (and the only white people) living in the township of Masiphumelele (Masi, for short), composed of 30,000 impoverished South Africans. Our home will be an open house so we can minister to everyone and anyone. In the course of our 3 months there, we will be partnering with other ministries such as soccer ministry, children, Community Eats, and Living Way. I have been dreaming of going to Africa since I was a little girl and am so excited to see what God has in store for myself and the team there!

(The other outreach locations are India, Togo, Mozambique, Iceland, Brazil, Nepal, Turkey, and Cambodia *not all are listed due to locations that are being protected*) 

Break Through in the Class!

This past Thursday, the staff were in a time of ministry with out speaker, Christian Gonzzales (check out his podcasts! He'll blow your mind!) while the students were in a time of worship in the classroom. Towards the end of our meeting, we get a text saying that the students in the classroom were totally getting encountered by God. We head down there and sure enough they were going for it!!! Some praising, some praying, and others gathered around each other praying for breakthrough in their identity in Jesus, and they were getting it! This went on for hours! It was awesome to see God do His thing without the staff. They knew what they wanted, went for it, and God did the rest.

Prayer requests
We are half way through the lecture part of DTS which means we have begun preparing for Outreach! Please partner with me in praying for...

• More breakthrough!
• Unity in the class and team South Africa
• Finances! I personally need $2,800 by the end of this month and many more in the class need funds for outreach as well. 
• Wisdom and Amy and I plan for our time in South Africa

Thank you so much for all the support, love, and prayers you have sent my way! It means the world to me to have such amazing family and friends all over the world who are supporting me :)

Much love,

Kristi 

Kona Updates

Hello friends!

Kona is hot, as usual, and amazing, as usual! My 3 weeks back here have been awesome and beautiful. I have been blessed beyond belief with an amazing community, Awaken. It is impossible not to grow when you are surrounded by 20-something people who believe in, encourage, and challenge you to run after God. We were immersed in staff-training just days after I arrived. Our days were filled with lectures, meetings, prayer times, and office work to get the students accepted. We have also found out our outreach locations which I will be announcing in about a month! Be assured though, I am very excited about the country I am going to :) 


My heart has already been challenged and I've learned so much, even though I have been back for less than a month. Community is one of the best things, even if it makes all the junk in our hearts surface. In community, God lets things that He wants to work on in our hearts bubble right up to the surface for everyone to see. Not fun. But it happens because He trusts those with whom I am around. And I do too. I trust them even if they see the crabbiest, wildest, or most emotional side of me. I learn more and more everyday that God is more concerned with my heart, our intimacy, and my identity than He is with my comfort. He did not place me on this earth to be comfortable, but to grow, to trust and love Him more and more everyday. 


I am so glad that I am learning this lesson. It instills even more in me that this life is not about me and what I want, but about His plan to bring His glory to earth, even though I know He loves me more than words can ever attempt to express. It still blows my mind that the God of this ENTIRE UNIVERSE cares more about me and my wellbeing than anything else and that He wants me to know Him. Know Him. Wild! 


We are only 11 days away from the awaken students arriving and we are all sooooo excited! Each year it gets better and better and I can not wait to see what this year will hold :) Please join my in praying for ...

• The Awaken 2012 students!
• Unity of the school and for the Lord to move how He wants!
• Financial provision! I am currently raising $3,000 for this year which will go towards my living costs and outreach fees. If you feel led to donate, please click the donate button to the top right. 

Thank you all so much! Your support in prayer and financial means the world to me. Much Love!

European Nuggets

As promised, here are some of the nuggets I learned, things I experienced, and changes in my heart that occurred over the course of the Europe Faith Journey!

God taught me about some of my spiritual giftings on the trip, the main one being discernment of spirits (1st Corinthians 12:10). I did not know how sensitive I was to the spiritual strongholds of the land until I embarked on this journey. Each time we entered into a new country, a wave of insecurities would crash upon me, insecurities I thought I had conquered. One second I would be fine, completely myself. Then we would walk into a room of people and I would feel self-hatred, fear, doubt, anxiety, whatever others in the room were experiencing. Kaylea has the same gift and would feel the same things I did. It took us one very long month of being on a spiritual roller coaster to figure out that it wasn't us feeling these things. It was something else. We were feeling the strongholds in the land that satan had sent to grip people. The Lord started to reveal to us that the stuff we had been feeling weren't our own struggles, but those that others had. This brought us so much peace because we were free from all of it and no longer had to come under it! Through the discernment we would be able to pick up what people were feeling, call it out of them, release the opposite, and help  them to overcome these strongholds in their lives. If someone would be feeling self-hatred, we would tell them that it was the enemy, pray with them, and release the truth that they were beautiful. It was a tough lesson to learn, but so thankful that I did! It is a gift, not a curse!

For the past year, a prayer that I have often prayed is that God would grow me in character. To become a Proverbs 31 woman, to honor God and those around me with all I have. Day in and day out, my character was challenged for 3 months. Little habits that I had my whole life were brought to my attention by the Spirit, habits that were dishonoring others, unbeknownst to me, such as interrupting people when speaking, or being a few minutes late. Even if others did not care or even notice, I knew that I was not honoring their voice or their time and was convicted. I wish I could say that once I became I aware these habits, they broke quickly. THEY DIDN'T. They stuck to me like glue! Its an ongoing process, but God is sharpening my character so I can bring Him more glory!

One last thing that greatly impacted is that everyone's story has meaning, depth, a purpose. The most clean of testimonies will effect people. Jesus lived a perfect pure life, yet his testimony has shaken generations for thousands of years. Although I have not had crazy, disastrously hard times, God still used my story to reach others. While we were in Sweden, I met a girl named Anna, who the Hanson's knew from their DTS outreach 2 years before. We hung out with her for the evening, just walking around and chatting. She is not a believer, but was asking questions. I told her my entire testimony, not realizing the effect it had on her. She said it was bittersweet for her to hear. Sweet because she was happy for me, bitter because I had what she wanted. God uses my tiny little life to effect others. He can use yours too.

There is so much more, but it would take days and days to tell. God did so much on the trip, through us and in each of us. Even though it has ended, I am still taking things away from it. I am still shocked that it is over, and so thankful that it happened. What a beautiful and wonderful God we serve!

I am in Kona as of right now. LOVING IT! Staff training is going well and students will be arriving in about 3 weeks. Please be praying for the school as we get ready for it!

Much love, Kristi

My oh my, where has the time gone?! It has been over a months since my last update already! The europe trip has ended, K-squad parted ways (but soon to be reunited!) and I am now home with my family.

The rest of the Europe trip was fantastic. We had an amazingly restful time in the eastern city of Herrenhut, Germany. We partnered with the Fire and Fragrance DTS that is running there, speaking and participating in their classes. We explored the tiny town and learned more about its history, thick with Revival. It may seem sleepy now, but 300 years ago Herrenhut was thriving in the Spirit. Missionaries were being sent out, packing their belongings in a coffin, planning to live and die in the land that God sent them to. A prayer movement was birthed and for the following 100 years, prayer was being lifted up 24/7.  Talk about commitment! It was so encouraging to walk the streets of that town, knowing the history, and to see the Fire and Fragrance DTS doing the same thing. Different generation, different people, but same loving, powerful, amazing, beautiful Jesus. After our time in Germany, we wandered over to Spain to close out the trip by speaking in a church and debriefing as a team. After 5 days, I headed home to surprise my mom for mother's day! Many squeals, screams, and tears (this is of no surprise to those of you who know my mother) followed when I showed up to her bible study 8 days early. So blessed I got to do that!

Flower field in Herrenhut

2 weeks have past since then and I have been having an amazing time at home! It has been so good to unwind from the intense yet glorious Europe trip and to catch up with my family and friends in good ol' Wheaton. With one week left, I can feel my Kona senses tingling!!! Most of Awaken is out there, preparing for the school and participating in the Leadership Track, and I can not wait to be reunited with them. This year is going to be so different than the past 2 summers, yet filled to the brim with God, family, and growth. I can not wait to get this thing rolling!

I will be writing an update of little nuggets I learned and heart transformations while in Europe, so be on the look out! In the mean time, please be praying for

• Awaken staff as we prepare
• Awaken DTS 2012 students!!!!!
• Awaken Unity
• Finances

Thank you! Love love love!

Update

We are now in Prague, Czech Republic, our 16th country on our faith journey! Crazy, eh? Never in my life would I have ever thought I would be doing something like this. 2 year ago, God was something I heard all the time, but a distant figure hanging out in the clouds. Now I am listening to His voice, drawing nearer to Him everyday, traveling with close friends, meeting new friends along the way, showing them the Love of God, all while in some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. 

Our time in Kosovo was awesome! We met with YWAMers there and were encouraged by what God is doing in them. In a 3-year old nation that is still being built up after a time of war, these young believers are passionate about the Lord and His heart for their country. For a short while, we were able to partner with them, encourage them, pray for them and the work that is being done there. They trust God completely with their Muslim country, and can not wait to see Jesus reign there. With seed planters like them, I bet we won’t have to wait long to hear about how God is moving in Kosovo!

Our friends in Kosovo

After Kosovo, we made our way north to Bosnia!!! Out of the 4 million that live there, only 1,000 are evangelical believers, the rest predominantly Muslim. God has laid Bosnia on my heart for months now, especially the women. There was a long, confusing war that took place on Bosnian soil in the 90‘s. Concentration style camps were set up, some specially for women, also disgustingly known as “rape camps”. I hate that I even have to write that. Girls just a few years older than me are walking around today with 4 years worth of painful memories and scarred hearts. Although prostitution is illegal, this war opened the door to human trafficking. One of my heart’s biggest desires is to see this end there. To see the women walk into their identity as Daughters. For them to know and believe that they are beautiful. 

It was incredible to be in the land, getting a vibe for the land and feeling what God feels towards that beautiful country. Our contacts there (who mega blessed us!) held a house church one night. I got to talk with 2 Bosnians and heard their radical stories of salvation. One woman was sent to the states during the war. Her family disowned her (she was a muslim and married a catholic-big no no there), her husband left her, she didn’t speak the language, and quickly became depressed. She literally lost her mind for 3 months when her daughter was taken by social services and was staying in a psych hospital. One day, she had an angelic visitation. An angle dressed in white held out a book to her and asked if she wanted life, and if she did, to take the book from his hand. She snapped awake (not just physically, but mentally), as she struggled to reach the book. She called someone shortly after that she knew from a local church and they led her to Christ (yay!). Another man I got to talk to was orphaned in the war, with no other family, completely alone. After watching the 50’s movie Ben Hurr one night, he had a tangible encounter with God. Pressed to the ground by His overwhelming presence, He heard God speak to Him for the first time, “You are my son and I love you! I will never leave you!”. Can you imagine?! Never hearing about God besides an old movie classic then BOOM! Down on the ground because you feel Him so strong! It may be hard to see, but God is alive and moving in Bosnia!

Banja Luka, Bosnia

After a few restful days in Croatia, we continued on to Austria, Slovakia, and now Prague. Each country we have been to we have met searching people. Little divine 5 minutes talks with strangers have been striking chords in hearts. God has had this trip set up for all eternity, orchestrating who we meet, when and where, all in His perfect timing. Through all this, my faith in Him has increased, my trust in hearing His voice has increased. To explain all He has done in my heart on this trip would take hours. To explain all that we have seen Him do would take days. He is good. All the time!

In a few days, we will be in Harrenhut, Germany! A DTS is running there and we will be joining them for a while, living with the students, getting to see what God is doing there. The Lord changed my life through DTS and I am excited to see how He is working in the lives of the students there! Please be praying for us as we continue traveling! 

Much love,

Kristi 

This trip looks much different than I thought it would. Of course it does because my plans are never the same as God’s, right? He always hijacks them and makes them better. God has been using us to encouraging and strengthen the Church body that is already thriving in Europe. We have been told more than once that we have come at the perfect time. I love seeing what God is doing through His faithful servants in Europe...they are changing the world and I am so blessed that the Lord has called us to run along side them for a season!

These past seven weeks have been mind blowing. It is difficult to sum in in a few paragraphs all that the Lord has done in the past few weeks. Since my last update, we have journeyed through 6 more countries, each one holding unique, divine stories to be told. I hope you enjoy a few of them that I share here.

After time spent in Belgium and Holland (which were both insane! Check www.hansonsatywam.com for video updates), we went to Germany for about 10 days in 2 different locations. We started in Lohne, Germany to partner with the Hansons’ friend, Selena, and what she was doing there. The second place was Hamburg, where we were with Valseka, a DTS friend of the Hansons. While in Hamburg, we were invited to sit in on her Pastor’s small group. So we did! At the end of the bible study, they asked us 5 if we had any prophetic words to share. We thought we would just share a general word or two. But of course, God had a lot to say than just a couple words! We spent the next hour or so prophesying over each person (about 13 of them). Specific words came to us to speak out over them. Many came up to us saying that what we spoke was spot on. A lot of them did not know that they could hear God’s voice in their own hearts. It was like Christmas morning, seeing their faces light up as they discovered this gift in them.

Later that week, we attended the church’s youth group. The pastor asked us to share something before the speaker began. But then the hijacking Holy Sprit came. A 15 minute encouragement turned into a 2 hour prophesy time. God highlighted about 15 kids to us so we called each of them up and took turns prophesying over each of them. Words of truth, encouragement and love poured out, touching hearts of young teens. Tears flowed as words from the Father struck their spirits. Some needed to know that they were beautiful. Some needed to know they were loved. Some needed to know that God saw the terrible things that have happened to them and it broke His heart. This experience was one of the most personal heart changing moments for myself. It was incredible to see how God is moving in people’s hearts, speaking to and using them no matter their age, nationality, or circumstances.

A theme we have seen all throughout Europe is the expansion of the Church. Literally. We have now been to 2 different churches (Portugal and Holland) where it was their last Sunday service in that building. Both churches were moving into bigger buildings because they could no longer hold the amount of people flowing in through the doors. The YWAM bases in France and Berlin and the church in Germany we visited were also on the hunt for bigger places for the exact same reason. God is moving and people are responding!

After Germany, we stayed in Copenhagen with Anne-Sofie, who I did DTS and outreach with in 2010. Such a blessing to see her! Then to an amazing community in Sweden before we headed south. (much happened in Sweden! visit the Hansons' blog for video update!) Kaylea has returned to Kona to staff and the rest of us have continued on to Kosovo with our friend Dan Baumann. We will be praying and traveling through several countries this week as the Spirit leads us. Please partner with us by praying for open doors, protection, and provision! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and been covering us in prayer! It means more to me than you will ever know. Let us keep Him the center. Forever and always.

Much love,

Kristi

Europe update!

Bonjour! We have just entered into our 4th country of our trip...Belgium!!! We have been led by faith for 4 weeks now and my heart is stirred by the Love of God, seeing Him move in each country, and the ways He provides, protects, and leads us. Each country we step into, we gain a new perspective for that nation as we feel the Father’s heart for it, hearing the thoughts of Heaven of the Sons and Daughters who live there.

After praying in Spain, we felt the Lord speak Portugal as our next destination, the one place we did not have contacts. Portugal was not even on my radar, thinking it was in another continent. Lord knows I need to brush up on my geography skills. We posted on facebook and blasted out emails of our newly formed plan to head out to the Western most part of Europe, hoping a contact would emerge. The day came to leave, and we had yet to hear from anyone. With no real final destination, we stepped out in faith and moved forward with buying train tickets to Lisbon, the Capitol of Portugal. Minutes before the taxi arrived to get us, we received an email from a friend of a friend in the south offering us a place to stay for a week for free and the invitation to be involved the church they pastored down there! Jesus is faithful, up to the very last second. Before going south, we spent 5 nights in Lisbon- 2 at a hostel, 3 at the YWAM base there. We had connected well with a Portuguese church, which happened to be moving into a new building that week. We helped move into the new building, and formed an amazing relationship with the Pastor there and a man of the Church who was able to hook us up, John.

We then headed south to Logos, or “the end of the world” to the locals. Calvin, Camille, and Christer stayed with the pastor of an international church while Kaylea and myself stayed with his daughter and her family. The next week was filled with friendship, ministry, beautiful sights, and seeing 7 people saved! The families who hosted us were an absolute blessing and I will be so thankful the day our paths cross again.

After hearing from God, we headed to the YWAM base in south France via a 28 hour bus ride. I do not recommend doing this. Ever. What awaited us on the other side of this that beastly ride was incredible. The YWAM base, a 250 year old renovated farm house, was up in the country side hills of france. BEAUTIFUL.The true beauty of this place was not the sights, however, but the amazing community that they cultivate there. My heart felt at home as we sat around the dinner table, chatting away as if old friends. Their time is spent together hanging out, cooking, and just being a family after the day is kicked off with worship and prayer (when not running schools). We were able to pick the brain of Dudley, the base leader, and he gave us some awesome insight to community living with Christ as the center. When speaking about discipleship and evangelism, he made a good point. Our purpose in life is not to save. That is what Jesus does, and Jesus alone. We are to love God, love others, and be obedient to what He says. Do what He says, nothing more. He will take care of the rest. Makes life so much easier than trying to do what we think He wants us to do over actually doing what He says!

Our time came to an end in the south, and we trekked to Paris for a night. PARIS. My heart sings with the beauty of this place! Jesus must love Paris, it is one of the most stunning cities I have ever been to. One thing that I have been discovering on this trip is that Psalm 37:4 is so so so true! “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” He gives us the desires of our hearts, for He has put them there and will use them for His glory. Even seeing Pairs :)

And now here we are, on a bus arriving in Brussels, Belgium. We do not know what God has in store for us here, but it must be something great if He told us to come for 2 nights! That is another thing I have learned...I don’t always need to know the answer! I can easily revert to the 4 year old Kristi, asking why why why about everything, challenging everything He says instead of actually doing it. It has been such a leap of faith to head out a city where none of us have been, no set place to stay, and no agenda of what to do. But that is the beauty of it. It gives God the freedom to do what He wishes without us boxing Him in to our own plans. He has not failed us once, but instead provided more abundantly than we ever thought possible.

I cannot wait to see where else He will lead us on this trip. Thank you for all the prayers and support that have been coming our way!!!! I can not wait to share all of these experiences in person with all of you :)

Much love,

Kristi

Europe!

Made it safely into Spain 3 days ago! It was so good to be reunited with Team Europe (also known as the K-squad), the first time we have been together since September. These past few days have been restful with them as we wait on the Lord for what is next. We know we are going to see Him move in incredible ways- can't wait to see how!!!

I have been running with these lovely 4 folks for almost 2 years now, and I am absolutely thrilled God has placed us together for this season. Ask me a year ago what I thought I would be doing now, and I never would have guessed that I would be in Spain, preparing to launch out on the biggest faith journey of my life with 4 of my greatest friends. I am so blessed!

(Christer, Calvin, Camille, Myself, Kaylea-the "K-squad")

We hiked 10 miles up hill both ways (at least it felt like it) on a nearby mount to see the ruins of 4-century old Spanish Monastery. Beautiful!

We feel from the Lord that we will be moving on to our next destination on Tuesday. As to where, it is still a mystery! There are a few places that they Lord has spoken clearly about, and it will be quite interesting to see where we will journey to next.

Our team has made a short video to inform others about the trip and to keep y'all update. You can see it here.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers! Can't wait to see what God does in these next 3 months :)

Goodbye 2011, Hellllllo 2012!

Hello all! It is hard to believe that the first month of 2012 has flown by. My time at home has been very restful with friends and family. I am extremely thankful for a family who believes in me, supports and prays for me as I follow the Lord across the world.

(family vacation)

EUROPE:
We are just 27 days into the new year, but God has already put me on a crazy adventure. In less than 3 weeks, I will be heading to Spain on a 1 way ticket with 4 other Awakeners. AH! This past summer, some of us started to dream about what it would like to see revival happen all through out Europe. Europe has been called 'hopeless' with the amount of wars, and human trafficking that have increased over the past few decades. The spiritual atmosphere has simultaneously been under attack. Estonia has been named to be the least religious country in the world along with other countries taking God out of the picture. Our hearts have been broken for Europe yet we have so much joy, excitement, and hope for what God is doing and will do there. It is our desire that during these 3 months of traveling across different countries, we will see an awakening in hearts to know their Father, the lost come Home, the broken be made whole, and the hurting be healed. Along the way, we will be partnering with other ministries, evangelizing, and looking into potential long term commitments to this nation. This will be an incredible faith building journey and I am excited to see where we will be at on the other side of it :)

AWAKEN DTS:

Once our Awaken Europe trip has come to an end, I will be heading back to Kona for round 2 of staffing! The Awaken DTS has been growing and changing at a fast pace for the past couple of years. I run with an amazing crew of Awakeners who I am sooooo thankful for. Last year, God completely highjacked our plans and implemented His own through out the entire summer. And IT. WAS. AWESOME. Those 4 weeks that speakers had cancelled and left us to rely solo on Him were by far the most life changing weeks of lecture phase. A 50 hour burn, faith journeys throughout the island, and speakers who came on last minute notice, changed the course of our school. Students were encountered and grew in ways only He could do. We are so excited to see what He has up His sleeve for this year! A part of my trip in Europe will be to scout for potential Awaken DTS outreaches. Bosnia has been laid heavily upon my heart over the past months, especially those who are held in sexual slavery. This country is definitely out there on the prayer table for future missions!

SUPPORT:

God has abundantly provided for me these past 2 years and I know He will continue to do so, for what Good Father does not provide for His children? It is my goal to raise $2,000 a month for room, board, travel, and other expenses. I have already received some support, which I am so grateful for! It is, however, difficult to financially plan for a faith-led trip, so I will be on quite the trusting journey! I am excited to see all the ways that God is planning on providing for us. If you feel led to support, you can do so (tax deductible!) by clicking on the "donate" button on the right side. Airline miles are also greatly appreciated!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Finances for the year
• Safety during travels
• Team unity
• That we stay completely submitted to God!

Thank you all! Love.

To sum it all up

Of the past 3 months, I can’t tell you how many pounds of rice I have eaten, baby wipes I used, or bugs I have accidently swallowed. I still can’t count past 10 in Khmer or carry on a conversation beyond “hello”. I can’t even begin to describe the smell of the meat market or what its like to ride your bike in Battambang traffic, and I am pretty sure dirt is permanently embedded in the soles of my feet.

(market food)

But I can try to convey how incredible this chapter of my life has been. To say that God has amazed me would be an understatement. From the first week in the village to the last goodbye at the bus station, He has never stopped pouring out His peace, joy, grace, faithfulness, strength, provision, wisdom and protection over myself and my Fambodia.

The people of Cambodia are some of the most giving, joyful, hopeful people I have ever met. Many have close to nothing, yet they would offer you the shirt off their back if you needed one. Even as I write this on the bus to Phnom Pehn, the pregnant woman seated next to me offers me a bite of her spring roll with a smile, even though we have never met before.

In the last 2 weeks of outreach, I started to hang out with 2 older women (the mom and aunt of a friend) in the slum across from our base. Their home was made of wood and a tin roof upon stilts to avoid the floods that come with monsoon season. They sleep on bamboo mats, have river water delivered into giant clay pots so they can shower, and keep their possessions in since they have no room for shelves. The aunt makes money by sewing children’s shirts out of worn out adult clothes. Each shirt takes 2 hours to make and are sold for 50 cents at the market. Whenever I came to visit, they made sure I left with a belly full of rice and soup. They made me laugh, even though we don’t speak the same language. They ask me to pray for them, even though they do not believe in God. Hope, hope, hope.

The Lord was true to His promises He made my co-leader and I earlier this year and marked our team with unity and joy in abundance. 6 months ago, we met as strangers. 3 months ago, we came here as friends. Today, we leave as family. I will forever be thankful for the lives of these 12 and that the God had their paths cross mine. The memories of family bike rides, mandatory fun nights, and family banter at the dinner table will always bring me joy.

(family bike picture)

My own heart has undergone a major transformation. My trust in the Lord was put to the test more than once and is now stronger than ever before. I relied way too much on my weak human strength and when it failed, His abiding strength would catch me. The reality of Jesus and His heart for every single child of His on this globe has been awakened in my spirit. Not a single Khmer person was born to worship a mute, deaf, and emotionless god, and then fade out of existence when life here on earth ends. Every single body has a soul. Every soul has a Maker and every soul was meant to meet that Maker. And that is my prayer for this world, that sleepy souls will be awakened.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for all your prayers and support! The Lord did SOOOO MUCH and we were protected the whole time, thank to all the prayer coverage we had. It means the world to me to have the support from friends and family :)

I am blessed to be sitting in an air-conditioned room, enjoying ice water and cream cheese wontons with a TV radiating light from above. I glance out the 2^nd story window and am reminded that right outside, people are no where near as fortune as I. Take a right outside the front doors of Café Eden, hang another right on the first street, and about 2 blocks down on the left hand side, make a stop. There you will find 12 young Khmer boys, homeless, dirty, and high off of glue-sniffing. Some abandoned and the rest homeless by choice, these 12 now call this street corner their home. Aging from 16 to 20, they roam the city during the day, asking for spare change, or take a hit off glue fumes, trying to escape the pains of life for just a few hours.

After being asked for change by them last week, Kim, a girl on my team, invited them to our Wednesday Night Gathering (basically, a church service) at the YWAM base. Surprisingly, all 12 showed up, suspicions guarding their faces, not knowing what to expect. After the gathering ended, some of the guards fell to the wayside and they began to chatter outside of their clan a bit. They left with bellies full of corn, and logan fruit, some even grinning and waving goodbye. After a few days of planning, 4 of us showed up to their “home” Saturday, arms filled with bags of rice and meat-on-a-stick. No picture can capture their surprised delight. No words can express the way my heart strings were plucked.

That night with them was more than a reality check. I can leave this nation. They can’t. I can go to the store and pick up whatever food I was craving. They can’t. I can call my parents and tell them I love them. They can’t. It is moments like these that keep me going. It is the reason my heart is filled to the brim with thanks. It is what spurs me forward when all I want to do is quit. To see warmth light up their eyes and hope dance across their faces adds new sparks to the flame that is already in my spirit.

I long for the day when I won't wonder how many kids have empty stomachs, or how many are hardened from years of abuse, or how many are orphaned because sickness has claimed their parents. My heart burns for it, to see a generation who knows their identity as Heavenly Royalty. If it is this strong on my broken, feeble, human heart, how much more can it be on our Father's?

I am thankful to my Father for how He has provided in abundance my entire life.

I am saturated with hope for what God can do in these kids’ lives.

I am carrying a soul full of Fire, ready to see His Kingdom come to this earth.

"No place I'd rather be, than here in Your love. So set a fire down in my soul that I can't contain and I can't control. I want more of you God"

These lyrics by the United Pursuit Band have been my prayer over this past year. How faithful the Lord is to answer the deepest cries of my heart. He has been incredibly faithful to the desires of my soul, to be taken deeper in the Spirit, for Him to be my teacher, the first love of my life. To open my eyes more to how He moves in the world, from the biggest to the smallest of ways.

It can be a challenge, to wait on the Lord for prayers that have been prayed for what seems like eons. To not give up but to keep pressing in because you still have that tiny strand of hope that He will still answer, even when all is quiet. And just when it seems like He won't, He opens your eyes to the ways He has been moving during your entire life, all for you so you can bring Him more praise.

One of these ways I saw Him pour out faithfulness was back in the village when we were staying at the orphanage. A few days before we left, for some random reason, an ice cream truck was driving down the dirt road. Sunny, a girl on our team, saw it, flagged it down, and we had all the kids come meet us on the road. All the kids got ice cream that day, some for the very first time.




Squeals of delight came from behind me as I stood in front of the truck. Nead and Minn came flying out form the back of the village, racing through the front gates with water dripping from their hair. Of course there was no time to dry off after a shower when there was ice cream! The joy that lit their faces up was indescribable. The ways that He is faithful to even the little prayers for ice cream is so sweet.



We have truly been seeing the Faithful heart of God here. Our classes are all going great. We have started to make friends with them and other locals, building up relationships and going deeper. Our team unity is still amazing and we are all becoming more of a family by the minute. With outreach half way over, we are seeking His heart for more of what He wants to do with us while we are here.

Thank you for all of you prayers and support while we are out here! They mean more than words can describe.

Love.

It has been over 2 weeks since we first arrived in Cambodia, and already this beautiful nation has stolen a piece of my heart. After being in the country for just a few days, we headed out to live in a village for the next 12 days.

As we arrived at the orphanage we would be staying at, shy kids peered around door corners to catch a glimpse of 13 new people who would be staying with them. After settling into our new rooms, my coleader and myself sat at a rickety wooden table that the kids eat their meals at, to talk with the pastor of the orphanage. Within minutes, 3 little girls (Nuein, Nead, and Minn) were clambering up me, braiding my hair, playing with my hands, and giggling like there was no tomorrow.

(Minn, Nuien, and Nead)

That night, our team gathered in the church building in the center of the orphanage to meet all the kids. After meeting all the children, one of the most touching moments of my life took place. All the kids gathered around us and for the next 5 minutes, 35 orphaned children prayed with zeal for us, all at once, and all out loud. Not because they had to, but because they love Jesus and they already loved us.

(church time)

The next twelve days were challenging but so incredible. We slept on mats on floors surrounded by mosquito nets, bucket showered with rain water, used squatty potties. Dirt roads, murky water, mud. Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Ramen noodles for breakfast, rice and meat for lunch and dinner. Little boys coming home from school, carrying hand picked bouquets for all us ladies. Little girls braiding our hair, intertwined with flowers. Lots of tickling, laughter, and joy. Through out the days, we got to know the stories of all the kids a little bit more. The story of Nead, Da and Kao are one of them.

After their father left the family, their mother turned to alcohol, leaving the 3 of them to fend for themselves. By the age of 4, Nead had learned how to catch rats in rice fields, kill, cook and sell the bodies at the market. They would keep the heads of the rats as their source for food. Her older brothers could build wooden guns to catch and kill the rats quicker. The pastor saw one of the boys running through the fields at night and set out to hear his story. When he found the living conditions they were living in, he quickly gained permission to take them to the orphanage, where they can eat, play, go to school, and encounter the Father's heart. With the amount that beautiful little girl smiles and laughs, you never would have guessed about the life she used to live.

(Me and Nead)

My life is forever changed because of these kids. No fighting, no tears, no drama, no fits. Just love. No games, no toys. Just each other. No mother, no father. Just Jesus. And they love Him with all they got. With so little in the physical and so much in the faith, these kids have become my new heroes.

1 week left

11 weeks ago, 85 people who had never meet before gathered here on this island. They packed their bags, said goodbye to home, and headed out to a giant rock in the middle of the ocean for 6 months to seek the Lord. Leaving all they knew behind, they came here looking for something real, something Divine. Loaded with questions, seeking hearts, and eagerly growing faith, the school began.

It is absolutely amazing looking back and seeing how much God moved in our school. I have watched the most broken of hearts encounter the Father's love for the first time. I have witnessed hardened hearts be softened to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Watching 85 strangers become a family is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The Lord has been so faithful to each heart, no matter student or staff. We are all His kids, and He has watched out for us, loved us, grown us all this past season. I have had more breakthrough and walking in FREEDOM of being a Daughter than I ever have in my life.

Exactly 1 week from today, I will be heading out with my amaaaaaazing outreach family to Cambodia. We are all quickly gaining His heart for this broken nations and can't wait to get there and share the Love.

Team Fambodia!!!

Our first week there will be spent living in a village, ministering to orphans. After that, we will be staying with the YWAM base in Battambang, the second largest city. We will be partnering with a variety of ministries in the mornings, and focusing on the youth center that the base runs in the afternoon.

Please be praying for

• Protection over travels
• Favor while we travel
• Health while we are there
• Team unity
• That we all gain a bigger heart for Cambodia
• That we stay completely Spirit-led

Thank you so much for all your prayer and support!

A revelation that has been hitting me over and over these past 4 months has been that I am a daughter and nothing more, nothing less. Not only that I am a daughter, but there is absolutely nothing in all of eternity that can strip me of this. It's not a job, it's not a label, it's just what I am. I do not need to earn it, I do not need to strive to keep it, I do not have to worry about losing it. This is something that I have always known, but He keeps taking me deeper into this beautiful place in His heart.

The more He shows me that I am His daughter, the more I want to know Him. The more I want to be with Him. The more I desire to see Him. This supernatural hunger for Him has settled on my heart, and I can't get enough of Him. This burning for Him has driven me to a place of intimacy with the Lord, where my heart connects with His. The world has taken the word "intimacy" and twisted it into something sensual. The correct definition of intimacy is "close familiarity or friendship." The Father is SO GOOD! As much as I want to grow closer to Him more, He wants it a million times more. To rest in this fact will brings so much peace, love, and contentment.

The school has lit on fire and is continually having fuel thrown on it. After a speaker cancelled last week, we had a 50 hour burn of straight worship and prayer, pressing in and seeking Jesus. THe Lord broke so many boxes, it was insane. So much dancing, worship, and laughter. The Lord loves have fun.

Our Cambodia team has been marked with family, they are all amazing!!! We grow closer every week as we gain God's heart for Cambodia. We will be leaving in a month to go to Cambodia and we are getting so excited to see God move there. PLease be keeping us in your prayers as we get ready to leave, thank you so much!

"where you cease, I will begin"

What once began as a simple pluck on my heart strings to grow near Him, has turned into a pull. That pull has drawn me in deep. Deep into Him, deep into intimacy, deep into His presence.

The simple concepts that He wants to show me end up being the very things I complicate the most. Being a daughter to the Father turned into a place of striving and fear of disappointing. It became something organized, my own agenda. Instead of being led by His spirit, I created my own check list that I was sure would take me deeper into His heart. What I thought would bring me closer only lead to a place of being unrestful, unsatisfied, and frustrated.

We were in a time of worship last Friday as a class, and I was going through an internal battle of not being able to tap into the presence that I knew lived in me. I couldn't focus, my mind was scattered, and my heart began to harden a bit. Towards the end, we all laid on the ground to just soak to the music that was being played. I told the Lord that I gave up trying to get closer to Him. I tried everything. I read the right verses, prayed the right words and yet I didn't seem to be where I wanted to be. That was when He spoke. "My Daughter, stop. Only I can take you to those Heavenly places. You can't. So stop, and let me. I want it even more than you, so let me do the work"

It was then that I realized how I had taken my relationship with the Lord into my own hands. I knew where I stood with Him, I knew where I wanted to go deeper, and I thought I knew the best way to achieve that. The desire to be nearer to Him was real, but in striving, I forgot my first and only identity of being His daughter. As I laid on the classroom floor, He showed me a picture of a wall. Not a flimsy drywall, but a thick rock wall held together by concrete. The moment I stopped doing my own thing was when He was able to break a hole into that wall. As the light shone through that broken rock wall, I felt His peace wash over me.

He has spoken so clearly to me a phrase over and over this weekend "Where you cease, I will begin." Where I cease striving, He begins. Where I cease my own agenda, He begins. Where I cease control, He begins.