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!