Our world's population hit 7 billion people in October, for me November's numbers went something like this...


*Preparing to send 36 people on outreach to Asia
*a 2 hour waterfall hike with 13 amazing staff and 1 crazy dog
*12 staff meetings, 12 worship sets, 40 hours of lecture
*1 day of prayer and fasting for provision for outreach
*2 dinner parties at our casa, cramming 16 people into our living/dinning room for a staff feast
*1 mind blowing, extremely challenging week with Rick Thompson on comparative world views
*1 week of study on missions and outreach prep with Dave Hewitt
*1 rocking week with Amy Sollars teaching on the Holy Spirit
*1 very refreshing week of teaching and ministry of spiritual warfare from freedom ministries and Keith Martins.


I've laughed, I've cried, I've been challenged and I've even been wrong. I know that is hard for some of you to believe, but it's true, I've been wrong. I was wrong about how hard I thought leading the DTS would be. When I said yes to leading the DTS for the foreseeable future it was primarily because that's what I knew the Lord was calling us to do. As I thought about everything the role would entail I was thinking more about the responsibility of leading 100 or so 20 year olds into over seas missions then I was thinking about the joy of it. I thought of the dollars we would have to raise and the late nights spent having long talks with staff and students. I thought of the difficult students and the  possible strain it would put on our new marriage. A mingling of fears and reality made me hesitant to be over excited about our new role. 


What I didn't know is that I would enjoy the job so much! My eyes have been opened to the massive need for Discipleship Training Schools in our world. It has been so fun to see our students lives get totally rocked by the Lord these last few months. God does it through the lectures and the one on one time with the staff. Our students are stretched to the max but what I have found out is that this generation really does want truth and holiness. In fact they are hungry for hope. I have been challenged to do our very best at presenting truth to this generation in a loving environment where they can grow. Chris and I are so blessed to be leading the DTS in Honolulu. I can't imagine anything else I would rather be doing with my life then this!

DTS Staff

October Has Rocked!

To most people October signifies the changing of leaves, colder weather and halloween,  to me it meant...

31 days, 6 Flights, 5 YWAM Bases, 2 boarder crossings, 1 giant financial miracle and a "new to us" car.

Kauai DTS

 

Josh & Will, Fearless Staff

The Lovely Base Director Raquel, and Cary

I have been insanely blessed. This month started out with a teaching assignment in the Kauai DTS. I did my best at imparting a passion for Gods word into DTS students. It was amazing to see the faithfulness of God to the pioneering team sent out from YWAM Honolulu to the neighboring island of Kauai in Jan 2010. After spending the summer praying and wondering where they will hold the DTS, God surprised the team with what has to be one of the most beautiful locations on earth. The property is located where a gorgeous river feeds into the ocean. The buildings were in need of a lot of help when the YWAMers got there, but it was equipped with a chapel, cafeteria, a girls house and a boys house and even land for an awesome garden. Watch the video below if you want to see an entertaining YouTube of all the hard work which was required to make the DTS a success even before the students arrived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMXWI_S0kCk&feature=share

Kauai Kitchen

Kauai Garden Beginings

The following week I jumped on a plane with my husband and 34 other YWAMers to go to the big island to join in corporate week with the 500 DTS staff and students. Darleen and Loren Cunningham (YWAMs founders) were our main speakers, what a privilege! To sit under teaching from a man and woman who have changed the world by their lives through love and faith in God to do the impossible and to hear them still dreaming for the future, it was inspiring to say the least!

Worshiping with 800 people in Kona

Will, Raquel, Chris, Cary, Andrew

Volcano Day

Getting blasted by steam vents

Staff and Students waiting to hear Darleen share!

Living on the edge

While I was in Kona I sent an email out to some friends and family letting people know of our financial needs. At that point we were behind in staff fees and clueless about where the money would come from. I got very convicted about trying to rely on "miraculous provision" instead of "relationship based support", so reluctantly I let our needs be known. I had been struggling with the feeling of abandonment and the truth was I had been trying to do ministry on my own. The response I received was very encouraging. We had a handful of people respond to our needs in monthly pledges, this is extremely encouraging to me, so thank you those of you who responded!

The most exciting thing that came out of that email was an answer to prayer that has been in the works for at least 3 years. 3 years ago I confessed to our YWAM staff that I had gotten myself in credit card debt to the tune of about 4 thousand dollars, it was mostly through very stupid decisions and lack of discipline in waiting for Gods timing for plane tickets and that sort of thing. After confessing my debt, (which I honestly believe was sin because Gods word warns about debt) the weight of the burden it had over me disappeared. I felt free from the weight of it, yet somehow it did not disappear right then, huh.... God wanted me to learn discipline with money. For the last 3 years I have been making the minimum payment on that credit card as well as learning the discipline of tithing and trying to save when possible and NEVER using credit! One week ago I opened the mail and literally almost fell over when I saw a check which was enough to cover ALL of our debts, both present from our staff fees and the credit card which ad been haunting me from my past. God is such a good Father who both teaches us and provides for us in His timing! In fact the very same day that our debts were paid, we were given a used car, how crazy is that?

I am sitting on a plane as I write this, headed back from a week spent in Mexico and LA. My dad who has never left the country got a passport to venture south of the border with me as I taught in a Biblical Core Course in Ensenada. It is so fun to study Gods word with people from many differing back grounds. I was so honored and blessed to see the school thriving under Tammy and Eddy Villavicencio. They were students in a the first BCC in Ensenada which I got to staff 2 years ago. I love to see Gods multiplication at work.

Our New Ride

Chris has been faithfully holding down the fort in Honolulu, where we have been working with the DTS. Chris is very appreciated by our staff and students as they all know he loves them but won't put up with their nonsense and isn't afraid of telling them the truth. This is a rare quality and everyone is very blessed by Chris's leadership.

"Slow Down and Make Me a Priority"

This is an unusual thing to hear from the Lord when you are in full time ministry, or maybe it's not. This is the busiest I have felt in long time. Chris and I are currently staffing our Discipleship Training School at YWAM Honolulu. It has been a blast getting to know the students and working with our staff. I can not say enough about how awesome our staff are. They truly believe that God loves them and will use them in radical ways. If you spend any time in our prayer room you'll hear prayers by young people who really believe that God is all powerful and loves them and wants to use them to radically change the world. I feel very refreshed in this season. God is moving in our midst. We've seen the miraculous from physical healing to young people's eyes opening to how the Lord sees them. It's been a lot of fun.

Along with working with the DTS, I am also blessed to get to travel and teach at other YWAM bases this month. Currently I'm in Kauai teaching about how to study the Bible and get a passion for Biblical truth. The students have been very receptive and fun to work with. I'll write a longer blog about this time soon.

Next week  Ywam Honolulu's DTS & Ywam Kauai's DTS will join with Kona's schools for a corporate week at the Kona campus. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of good friends and for the opportunity to worship together.

The final trip I will go on this month is to Ensenada, Mexico to teach on the book of Hebrews in their Biblical Core Corse. I'm excited about this trip because 2 years ago I was part of a team which pioneered that school in Ensenada. It is so exciting to see how God multiples works and raises up leaders. I love seeing that school going strong.

Maybe this is why the Lord has spoken to me about slowing down and making Him a priority. He's been reminding me that it is not what I do for Him  in which my value lies but in who I am as His child that He delights.

Chris and I would really appreciate your prayers for a few areas.

* Unity and love in our marriage to continue to grow as we prepare to lead the DTS.

* Safety and grace for traveling

* That people would want to partner with us financially and follow through with that desire. Finances continue to be a monthly struggle. Also that we would gain more wisdom about this area.

Thanks for Reading!

The Dream

When I was at the ripe old age of 12 I had a dream. The dream was to travel to somewhere exotic where few people knew Jesus, poverty reigned and babies were abandoned and move there, open an orphanage and spend the best years of my life raising babies and teaching them about a God who will never abandon them. 

Being 12 years old growing up in the middle Oklahoma, Africa was the most exotic place on my map so I checked out a language learning CD from our local library on Swahili and attempted to learn my first foreign language. I never did conquer Swahili and I have yet to make it to Africa but as I approach the milestone age of 30 my dream of running an orphanage is stronger than ever. 

My practically minded husband typically just rolls his eyes and acts like I'm crazy when I tell him an idea that I'm working on. While I believe it was the adventurous spontaneous side of my personality which attracted him to me in the first place Chris is usually much too practical to get caught up in one of my "ideas" about the future. When forecasting a vision about the future I usually see possibilities while Chris thankfully sees the hurdles. This being the case and me being" me", I believe God brought us together so I can teach him how to dream and he can take care of all of the necessary details to make the dreams a reality. 

Chris knew I had a dream of an orphanage but never took it too seriously until one night when neither one of us could sleep the Lord began to speak to him about our orphanage. He said he felt that the work we are doing now with YWAM Honolulu and running the DTS is a training ground for "something". He thought the Lord may be showing him that running an orphanage is that "something" we were being prepared for.

 The seed was planted and I have been watering it ever since.  A few nights later Chris had a dream about little girls that were going to be abused and sex trafficked in Asia. In the dream he was trying to protect and rescue them before it happened. Upon waking Chris felt that was his mission and goal to protect those little girls. I pray it was a prophetic dream from the Lord!

One year ago I too had a dream about girls being sex trafficked, although in this dream I was the girl who was taken. It was not graphic and gory, instead it was filled with the emotion of helplessness. I got a brief sense of what it would feel like to be in that position. The Lord was opening my heart to feel what so many in the world must feel everyday.

Sex trafficking is getting a lot of attention in the news today, I hope all of this attention is being turned into change. The problem seems so big and rooted in greed and lust it can seem overwhelming. I hope we can be a small drop in the ocean of change that needs to occur in the world. 

Chris and I are in the dreaming and praying phase of this idea. The beautiful nation of Thailand has been in our thoughts a lot. I keep thinking that we will be in Hawaii for the next 5 years before moving over seas and beginning language studies in preparation. 5 years go by fast though so I wanted to let people know about the dream so they can begin to pray, partner and dream with us!

A Month in California

 We are back in Hawaii after and restfully busy time spent with friends and family all over California. The first week of our trip was spent with Cary's parents in La Mirada, CA. It was a relaxing week of laying by the pool and playing ping pong.

Dana & David Taylor (Cary's Mom & Dad)

Orange County Fair

Hanging out with Amy Ortega in L.A.

 Our next stop was San Jose where we spent a few weeks with Chris's family. One of the highlights of our trip was spent near Big Tree's at the Solima's time share. During this week Chris had the priveledge of baptising his Dad in White Pines lake. It was only 8 in the morning so it was a bit chilly but I am sure a moment neither will forget.

Chris and his pops, Ben

Chris, Ben Sr. & Ben Jr.

Happy Baptism

Ashley Johnston & Cary overlooking Alcatraz

 Some of our good friends the Johnston family have moved to the Bay Area so that Phil can attend Birkley Law School. It was such a blessing to see them and spend the day in down town San Francisco with them.

Johnston Family, Phil, Serena, Ash & Izzy

Cary & Serena

Nice Hair

Our good friend Andrew Davenport meet us in San Jose and gave us a tour around the bay area. It was awesome seeing YWAM San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and not to mention the Olive Garden.

Crazy Cap Store

Golden Gate Bridge

Chris, Cary, Andrew

Seals Sunbathing off Pier 39

 

We are so thankful for both sides of our families. Their support and understanding for our lifestyle of ministry gives us lots of fuel to keep going. We are hoping it won't be long before we get to see them again! Thank you to everyone who made this trip relaxing and rejuvenating. We feel ready to begin another season at YWAM Honolulu and are so thankful for the break we got in California. 

A Bitter Sweet Goodbye

Thursday morning during a prayer and worship time one of my sweet students came to me in tears thanking me for my work and leadership in her school and explained how the course has changed her life. As she prayed for me I began to cry and reflect on the time I've spent working with the School of Biblical Studies Core Course.


I joined YWAM on staff primarily because of how the School of Biblical Studies Core Course changed my life. Prior to taking the course I knew very little about the Bible and less about it's Author. It has been an incredible blessing to work in the world of SBSCC's over the last 6 years. I can honestly say I am hungrier now to study the word now then when I first began. My plans were to stay working with the SBSCC for as long as anyone would let me but God had other plans and on July 3rd I will graduate 13 amazing students from the course and pass on the leadership of the school. I am so thankful for this season of my life. I have received so much more than I could have asked for.


Beginning in September Chris and I will begin working with the Discipleship Training School at YWAM Honolulu. We are making a 3 to 5 year commitment to leading this school. As we anticipate receiving this responsibility we are both humbled, excited and a little scarred. Humbled because God is trusting us with discipling dozens of young people each year. Excited because we get to work together in doing our part in seeing the gospel preached to every tongue tribe and nation. And scared because there are a million details and each new season requires more faith than the last.  Prayers are highly encouraged! 


We are planning to go to California this summer for a break and to visit family. Hopefully we will come back to Hawaii refreshed and ready to get to work in August. We still need provision for this trip so any contribution is very appreciated.  


THINGS TO PRAY FOR
*Unity and Grace for each other as we learn to lead together
*Finances to get to California and monthly supporters
*That the current DTS Staff will feel loved and protected through the transition of leadership
*Good passing off of leadership and vision for the SBSCC

Vietnam...

Team Pic

God is on the move in Asia! It was an incredible privilege to see what He is doing in the communist country of Vietnam. From a very young age children are taught that all religion is evil because it brings disunity and unrest to a society. The result of this world view is that anyone who practices any kind of faith is looked down upon. We surprisingly found quite a few spirit filled believers among the Vietnamese people.

So is there religious freedom? Well it depends who you ask. Largely because of globalization and foreign investment the government is trying to put a more tolerant face forward, so many Vietnamese people believe there is religious freedom. Yet the government keeps a close eye on any registered church and many international missions efforts have encountered serious consequences for their efforts.

Shine in Ancient University

One of the benefits for the body of Christ which has suffered serious persecution is that when a person becomes a believer the decision has not been made lightly. I have heard it said that in America if a person does not make a decision for Christ before the age of 18 the likelihood of it happening becomes very small. That is why one of my most treasured moments from this trip was witnessing a woman in her late 70's come to know the Lord. She began to weep and weep and when asked why, her response was that she had never in all of her years experienced peace like she was experiencing at that moment.

We landed in Vietnam not knowing how our days would be filled as it is illegal to do many of the "typical" outreach activities. What we discovered is that we serve a God who is faithful even in the details.

Cortney speaks sign language and one of our prayers was that she would be able to use this gift. We had not been in Vietnam for more than a few days when we met a woman who had been praying that God would send someone to lead bible studies for a company that hires deaf and disabled people! Cortney and Chris invested many hours in this ministry.

 Cary, Tatum, Will & Andrea had the privilege of working in the #1 technical university in Vietnam. We were able to introduce over 100 students to the bible through the use of parables and biblegateway.com. Along side these daily activities we had the opportunity to teach and preach in the under ground church as well as lots of time spent in friendship evangelism. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that we were trusting the relationships we had made into the hands of local believers. We left Vietnam knowing that God was in our midst each step of the way.

English Class

Roasting Dog For Dinner...yummy!

Junk Boat we spent 2 nights on!

Ha Long Bay

Typical Produce Market

New Year Delicacy

Quilts & Arts handcrafted by the Deaf & Disabled Crew

Want to buy a shell?

 

Quilts & Arts Crew