into His harvest.: July 2011

Aloha from Kona, Hawaii:)

Well, it has officially been 10 days since I've arrived in Kona and been at the YWAM base here. I haven't updated my blog because 1. my schedule here is crazy. and 2. it's been hard for me to put into words what i have learned already. I am going to try:)
There are about 400 students at the base right now, so needless to say, check in day was absolutely crazy and overwhelming. I met my staff of the Awaken DTS and got settled into my new room. I have four beautiful roommates- Jen from Florida, Rachel from Portland, Karli from Vancouver, and Ilona from Finland. I have SERIOUSLY been blessed with these girls. It's been amazing. I love them a lot. Here is part of our room:)

Friday we got oriented with the beautiful campus and the buildings, etc. It's still crazy to me that I get to grow more and learn more about Jesus while in this GORGEOUS place. I get to see the most beautiful sunsets, walk to coconut grove (a little shopping center right on the ocean) to get frozen yogurt, it's been so great. There are about 90 students in my school, and right away we started getting close. I feel like I have been here for months. They have become family, instantly. This is a little of campus:

Saturday and Sunday we spent hanging out as a school and getting to know each other. They rented huge water games and slides from across the island and we spent the day hanging out and just having fun. It was awesome. Later that night the staff had a party for us and we got to just hang and have desert and get to know each other. We ended the night with an awesome time of worship and just being in prayer each other and the school.

Monday classes started. This first week we didn't have a speaker, we just got the chance to hear the testimonies of our school staff. It was incredible. This is the link to what we heard: http://www.awakendts.com/podcasts/
I would seriously encourage all of you to listen to these beautiful men and women of the Lord, where they came from, and their hearts. I am beyond blessed to be able to run with this group after the heart of God. This week we have pretty much established that none of us know what we are doing, we are just running after God together and loving each other. From there, the rest will come:)
A typical day in the life of a DTS student looks like this:
Wake up at 545, breakfast at 630, worship/prayer/intercession from 8-9, class 9-12, lunch 12-1, work duty (i am on recycling duty- basically get to drive around in a truck and collect recycling) from 3-5, then dinner, then mondays and thursdays we have either community outreach or worship as a school. SO, yes, my days are insanely busy. I am very tired at night:)

It's hard for me to process all that I have learned this week and what God has already started to show me, but I am excited about it. The next 3 months are going to be hard, as I discover more and more of what I need to grow in, walls I need to break, and areas of my heart that need to be healed and restored, but so worth it. I am learning more of my identity in Christ and how He looks at me. How much His heart beats for me and the plans that He has for me. I am learning about my own testimony, and the power in it. I used to think for so long that my testimony wasn't really worth telling or didn't have the power to reach people because I didn't have this dark crazy past that led to Jesus. But through so many of my staff, I have been learning that my story does in fact have power and is absolutely worth telling. It is a story of Gods hand of protection over my life again and again. The ways He protected me from so much is really crazy to think back on. So, to all of you, you have a story. No matter what it is. He has led you to where you are, and it is ABSOLUTELY worth sharing. Speak your testimonies with power and confidence, because the Lord HAS done incredible things in your lives that have led you to where you are now.

Here are a few points from my notes this past week that I would like to share:
-True revelation demands a response in your heart.
-We are not meant to be in control of what we do. The original sin was that, being in control and pride, it's not our way but His.
-Ephesians 2:4-6, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ.
-1 Corinthians 14- pursue love and desire the gifts.
-what you behold, you become.
-It's on His heart for EVERY person to know Him. share your story.
-when you're most uncomfortable, that is when He will work the most.
-when you pursue Christ with everything you have, heaven and earth are GOING to collide.
-our inheritance is to love.
-He is more after me than I am after Him.
-We can't do anything for the Lord to have pleasure in us, He ALREADY DOES.
-the Gospel is not about how much we can do- it's never been about us- it's about Him.
-our heart posture should be "Jesus use me".
-He has dreams He wants to release.
-Being 100 percent sure of what God wants is overrated, it's more about knowing His character.
-everything you do for God will come from the place of intimacy with God.
-Let Jesus love you and let other people watch.
-the Christian life is the most glorious invitation to the heart of God.
-There is no heart too hard for Jesus.
-He is radically and furiously devoted to us.

One of our staff went through 1 Corinthians 13- explained each one as if it was the Lord speaking to us- I want to encourage all of you to read that and go through each aspect of love as it reveals more and more of the heart of God and His character.

SO, this September, 90 students and 28 staff will be sent out literally ALL over the world. Here are the countries that we are sending teams to:

We found out these countries on Wednesday, had 20 hours to pray about where we felt God wanted us, wrote down our top choice on Thursday morning, and were introduced to our team on Friday. I was in the prayer room and asked God where He wanted me, Nepal was the first country that came into my head, and then I saw a picture of this coffee shop. I didn't think anything of it and then saw a friend who is doing another school here and told him I think I am writing down Nepal and explained the coffee shop. Well, he used to work at a coffee shop in Holland Michigan and knows a man who owns a coffee shop in Nepal and runs that as his ministry sharing the gospel there. crazyyyyyy. so that was confirmation also. and then my other friend came up and told me that he watched our outreach video twice that morning and asked the Lord where I was going to go, and he got Nepal also. So, needless to say, I wrote down Nepal. and felt so much peace about it. Friday morning we found out, and yes, I am going to Nepal. The crazy thing is that my girl leader, Haley, is one of the girl staff I have gotten extremely close with and she speaks a LOT of truth into my life. and about 6 of the 7 students on my team are people who I have already began becoming really close with. Total blessing. We are really focused on becoming a family and just learning how to love each other and out of that love coming Jesus and being able to share the gospel with each other. So, its going to be an incredible journey with these beautiful people over the next six months. We really are going to change the world.

Meet my team: