Darlene Cunningham really spoke to me this morning!

Darlene Cunningham, one of my heroes, spoke this morning to a gathering of hundreds of DTS students. She was teaching on using the gift God has given you. “What is in your hand”, she asked. It’s an inspiring teaching that I’ve heard her share before, but it wasn’t that teaching that struck me so much. She went off on a tangent about trusting God with your children's future. She shared how God provided for her son’s education. Their son David actually has 2 degrees. He has one from the University of the Nations and one from U.S.C. Being missionaries it would have been extremely difficult to pay for that kind of education for the Cunninghams. Through tragic circumstances God provided. There was another family who saved for many years for their son’s education, and tragically he passed away before he could use it. This remarkable family gave generously out of their grief. David’s education was paid for all the way through! Loren and Darlene never paid a dime.

Being a new mom, I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about Noah. I am trying to enjoy every day of his little life, but I can’t help but think about his future. Chris and I joke about what he will say about us during his DTS, and I do hope and pray he chooses to do a DTS. Being in full time missions, we too wonder how we will provide for Noah as he grows older. Everyone says babies are soooooo expensive and children just get more and more expensive. To be honest Noah has hardly cost us anything in the 8 months since we had him. Everything I can think of that I have wanted for him has been given to us. I could bore you with a long list of things that I wanted and the next week someone said to me, “hey do you have one of these? I bought it and only used it once and now my kid is too big for it.” I received the breast pump I wanted, the baby carrier I wanted, more clothes than Noah could wear and I literally have enough shoes for him until he is 5!

God’s provision in this kid’s life has been a crazy thing to witness. Noah probably couldn't care less what clothes he’s wearing, but I think God wanted to make it VERY clear to us in this first year as parents that He is more concerned with Noah’s needs than we are, and we can trust Him to take care of Noah’s future too.

I am so thankful for the women and men who have gone before me in this mission and whose lives are a testimony and witness to the faithfulness of Him who calls us. I’m sure you’ll never read this but thank you Darlene for leading the way. You are a gift to my generation! 

School Is Back In Session

          

DTS

  In the beginning of the school we asked each staff and student, "Why are you here?". Students answers varied from "I want to travel and find out who I am" to, "I know I am called to missions and I am ready to give my life for that". The majority of the staff''s answers were slightly different. Most said something to the effect of.... "DTS changed my life in a dramatic and transformative way and I want to give that same experience to other students".  For me (Cary) the answer was a bit different. I do love the students, and I do believe in the DTS program but for me it is and has always been about doing my part in fulfilling the great commission. Mathew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

  When I was younger I thought that meant I would be trekking through a jungle somewhere, bringing the gospel where it has yet to go. I never  imagined that I would get to live in Hawaii, the land of perpetual summer and virtual paradise. God has brought the nations to us to disciple. In this school we have students from 8 different countries. Last week we decided outreach teams. After 12 short weeks of lecture they will head off  5 nations in South East Asia to share the good news. I am a bit jealous that I don't get to join them but I know by staying here we are doing our part. 

Teaching

I (Cary) will be teaching in our 2 schools here in Honolulu. In the DTS I am teaching "Hearing God's Voice" and in the CSBS I am teaching the book of Deuteronomy (for the first time). As well we will be flying to Kona in a few weeks to teach the book of Genesis in the Ships BCC. I have a love/hate relationship with teaching. I absolutely love that it forces me to study and dig deeper. I also love getting to interact with students and impart to them, as well as learning so much from them in the process. What I hate is the pressure and stress that I sometimes take on. At the end of a teaching week I always have the feeling of finishing a final exam in high school. I would love prayer in the area of preparation and delivery. This morning during my prep time I spent some time mediating on this scripture in Deuteronomy. God is and has always been so faithful to His people.  

The Creative Team

I am so excited to be apart of the "The Creative Team" this quarter. It is our social media and marketing department. I am LOVING it! We are just getting started but I can see I am really going to enjoy using my creative gifts. If you haven't already, please go to our YWAM Honolulu Facebook page and like it! Again for me it is all about fulfilling the great commission. The more students we get to disciple, the more nations are reached, the more people are blessed and ultimately the more God is glorified. 

Leadership

 Chris has been very busy with the daily runnings of the base. His focus is supporting our key leaders in their roles. Often we feel like spiritual parents or older brothers and sisters. Leadership for us is usually stretching and challenging, sometimes even lonely. It is, however, almost always rewarding and a great honor to lead this ministry. 


Our Family
As a family we are in a good place. Noah continues to be an absolute joy! Raising a baby on a YWAM base comes with lots of perks, including lots of baby sitters and most meal times spent as a family. With Noah everyday is something new, learning to drink from a straw, recognizing his name, sitting up. We are trying to soak up every moment, well not every moment, but most. We would love prayer for wisdom in our leadership, and understanding with one another. We have been learning to work as a team from the day we got married. We've lead outreach teams together, schools together, the ministry of YWAM Honolulu together and now we are raising a child together. Pray for us as each new challenge always comes with a learning curve. It seems we are always in need to prayer and financial covering as well. Our ministry is an extension of those who partner with us in prayer and through giving. We are still in need of more monthly support to be fully funded. Thank you to those who have faithfully sown into our ministry. We literally could not be doing this work without the generosity of others and we are so grateful! Thank you! 

OUR SUMMER IN NUMBERS

8,266 Miles traveled to visit family
Noah got to meet all his cousins, aunts and uncles and be reunited with his grandparents. We were so blessed to spend a few weeks on the mainland in San Jose & St. Louis

11 Amazing young people sharing Christ in Indonesia I got to take our returning staff and students to coffee this morning and hear their highs and lows of outreach and what God taught them in Indonesia. The #1 theme that I heard repeated was GOD IS FAITHFUL! DTS truly is amazing! That is due not to the staff, speakers, logistics or all the thought and planning that goes into each school, but because young people devote 6 months of their lives to knowing God and making Him known, and God has yet to disappoint. He ALWAYS shows up in each student's life, it truly is amazing to witness. It is in these moments my resolve to continue in missions is strengthened..... More about their time in Indonesia to come.  


4 Weeks until the next training schools at YWAM Honolulu begin September 25th is the next Aloha Day. We are expecting around 50 students in our fall training schools. There is much to complete before they arrive. Flooring, bathrooms and paint for our housing,  2 weeks of training for our staff and time spent seeking the Lord in preparation. 


3 Rooms in the female dormitory a.k.a. Shekinah house restored For anyone who has lived in the Shekinah house at YWAM Honolulu you know what a miracle this is. For most of the year our girls housing is full to capacity and therefore has been in major need of  repairs. Over the last 6 weeks our base men have been working tirelessly to fix up this space for our upcoming students. Here are a few progress pics, finished project pics to follow. 

1 New to us car We are so thankful to be in a bigger safer car for Noah, not to mention the fabulous A.C., very important in humid Hawaii (not complaining, just sayin). We received a special gift and were able to acquire the car debt free, praise God for his continued provision!

Prayer Requests 

VISAS for upcoming students It is becoming increasingly difficult for foreigners to obtain visas for YWAM training schools in America. Please pray for favor for our foreign students applying for DTS and CSBS with American immigration. 

Finances Finances continue to be a very challenging aspect of full time ministry for us. God has shown his faithfulness and we are determined to stay the course, however we would LOVE breakthrough in the area of fund raising! Due to a rent and cost of living expense increase, we need to raise $700 in additional personal monthly support. Pray that God puts in on people's hearts to partner with us in ministry through giving!

Wisdom for Leading Chris and I are young and in need of constant growth. We feel a great responsibility to lead the ministry of YWAM Honolulu in the fear of the LORD. Pray that God anoints us with wisdom and discernment beyond our years, and we have open ears and obedient hearts to hear his voice. 

Upcoming YWAM Honolulu Staff Conference Sept 18th-22 A week of vision casting, re-alignment and unifying us as a ministry team. Pray that God's unites us as a team and that His plans and purposes are fulfilled for that week. 

Indo Outreach

Indo Outreach

DTS'ers planting a garden in Indonesia

DTS'ers lovin on kiddos in Indo

Shekinah House Makeover

June Post

Cambodia & The Philippines
Chris recently went on a whirlwind trip to Asia, visiting our outreach teams and connecting with the contacts who host our staff and students. DTS students are making a difference in the nations! Some of the works our teams have been doing include evangelism, street kids ministry, teaching English, and serving at orphanages. Chris felt refreshed and rejuvenated from getting to see how God is moving in these 2 beautiful nations. We feel so honored and privileged to be in the roles that we are in. God loves using young people to do his work. It's amazing how he is always multi-tasking. He transforms the students hearts while they serve and love in the nations. The teams come home this week. It will be a busy week for us filled with debriefing, hearing their awesome stories and preparing them to go back home. Below are a few pics from his trip along with a couple of pics from the teams. 

Street Kids Ministry in Cambodia

Tanner (DTS student) & kids in Philippines

Philippines Team

Cambodia Team

A Season of Grief
As a YWAM Honolulu family we are grieving together. We have lost some of our best in the last few days. Kim Darrough who has been a part of our base since the early days went to be with the Lord on Sunday May 25th after a 4 year battle with cancer. Her life was a beautiful testimony to a life lived with grace no matter the circumstances. The impact she left behind has literally been felt all over the world through the spiritual children she left behind. Such a beautiful woman filled with incredible love for the Lord and for people!

On the day of Kim's funeral we woke up to the tragic news of the Roggenback family. All three, Jeff, Jiin and their precious daughter Jasmine died in a car accident near Chiang Mai, Thailand. I didn't know them very well but my heart is broken for those who did. They were champions of the faith, willing to give their whole lives for the Kingdom Come. This morning as we worshiped the Lord I imagined them walking around as a family exploring heaven together. It seems their time here on earth was cut too short but with an eternal perspective we can rejoice. This coming Saturday will be their memorial service here in Honolulu. Please join me in praying for their families, I can't imagine the pain they are going through yet I know the Lord meets people in times of such unthinkable grief. We are so thankful for these heroes lives and that they lived them full out for Christ!

 

4 Months Old

Noah is our little joy! What a difference almost 4 months can make. He is turning into quite the little charmer, stealing hearts right and left. We are amazed at this little miracle in our life. Though he is actually not so little anymore and seems to be getting bigger everyday. He is pushing the tops of the growth charts. 

A Few Days Old

Prayer Points

*Growth in our Leadership 

There are MAJOR challenges ahead for us a mission. Chris and I are spending time seeking the Lord and seeking wise council. We are working on articulating and communicating the vision that the Lord has given us for this ministry well. Please pray for us in this process as we see a new learning curve up ahead.

*We are trusting God for a new ride!

At the end of this month we are planning on purchasing a 99' Ford Explorer from a friend who is moving off the island. It is in a great condition with only 78 thousand miles. I'm mostly excited about the tented windows and good A.C. We feel it will be a safer car for Noah and should run well for a long time. The cost is $3,500. We are trusting God in faith for this provision. If you would like contribute, gifts can be given through paypal or tax deductible donations made out to YWAM can be mailed to the address to the right. 

*Community Impact

Over the last few years God has spoken to our team about Community Impact. Oahu is our Jerusalem and God has called us to not only reach the nations for Christ but to reach our own back door. We have increased our efforts to impact our community in a variety of ways, mostly partnering with other ministries in what they were already doing. We now see the need to be more strategic in our efforts for community impact. Pray for direction and doors to open up as we seek the Lord for strategic ways to reach our community for Him. 

Thank you to those of you who read this and stay connected with us. We feel so blessed to have a community to share the joys and hardships of life with.