More Onion Peels

This week was so great, although it was quite intense!! We went over several topics this week, including things like living in the Spirit, the giftings of the Holy Spirit, Forgiveness and Maturity. On Thursday we prayed and asked God to reveal any areas of unforgiveness in our hearts. Well, we've been working in this area for some time, so I figured I was all done and didn't have anything else to forgive. Guess God had some other ideas!! I started getting all sorts of the dumbest things from way back when...I was actually laughing because they seemed so lame, but I figured "hey - I want it all out! I don't want any obstacles to getting all that God has for me"...so, I went ahead and wrote them down.

Later that night we got together as a class and we spoke out forgiveness to the people we needed to, and then we spoke blessings out for them. After this we tore up the papers and proclaimed "it is finished!" and then we were each prayed for.

As Dick was praying for me, he said he felt the Lord was saying that I am suspicious and lacking in trust and that he wants to heal me of this. He also claimed the scripture over me and Sierra that God is a father to the fatherless and a husband to the husbandless and that His love be sufficient for us in this time. Another scripture he felt God was giving him was the God sets the lonely into families and also that he is making me to be a spring of living water, flowing from my innermost being and that many people will come to that for rest and refuge.

Well, that was all well and good, but I was having trouble getting over the first part of that prayer. I thought "Hey, I'm not suspicious. I trust. What is he talking about? He's obviously off base" (you know...we do that! Haha) I went home and was questioning God about it - what does that MEAN, God? Do YOU see me like that? Show me if you do, but it doesn't seem right to me." Later Sierra came home from Youth Group and I asked her - "do I seem like I don't trust people?" and she said "Oh no, momma, you trust" (which was the right answer, right?? hehe). I was really troubled by it and asked the Lord to show me if I was that way.

The next morning (Friday) we were in worship and I was worshipping and all of a sudden it hit me...I knew what it meant. God had been faithful and shown me. I don't trust that people actually like me or that I can be loved by God or others. I am suspicious of anyone's love for me and am constantly looking for (and finding) the evidence that they truly don't love me or even really like me. Earlier in the school I felt that God had revealed to me that I don't even know HOW to receive love, so this was a deeper revelation along those lines. I was devastated and crying out to God to show me HOW to receive love, to teach me to feel secure in the love others have for me. I spent a good, long time crying about it.

Later during a break I went up to our speaker Dick Schroeder, the man who had prayed over me. I told him how I had felt when he prayed that over me and the revelation I'd had about what it meant and asked him to pray with me for God to heal me in this area. He says "well, would you be willing to share this with the class?"

Oh man. I must have had a "deer in the headlights" look to me, but I remembered that God had told me that he would give me specific steps, and I would need to be obedient to them. I just didn't realize it would include public humiliation!!! Well, I wanted to be obedient - but more so, I wanted healing, so I agreed to share it with the class.

After break, Dick had me come up and share what was goin on for me - I had a hard time getting it out as I was crying and embarrassed and ashamed. "Hello, my name is Dayna and I feel unloveable"...it was hard!! Then Dick said he'd like to pray for me and asked if anyone would like to come up and lay hands on me and pray with him - well, the whole class just rushed up to the front! I was kind of embarrassed, but it was really neat. There is this man Paul who I just adore - he's a great big bear of a man and just as tender as can be. He made a beeline for me and just enveloped me in his arms while everyone else gathered around me and started praying. I was bawling, Paul was crying and I think others were, too. The whole time Paul was just whispering affirmations to me while everyone prayed. This went on for about 20 minutes. After, Dick said that this is an example of New Testament Christianity and living by the Spirit. It was really awesome and I so appreciated it - so I am trusting that God is healing me in this area and that the love of others and of God will begin to soak into my innermost being now. Amen!!

Yesterday afternoon I was in town and crossing the street and there was a car that was coming on pretty fast, so I started to jog across - all of a sudden there was a "SNAP POP" in my ankle and I thought I was going to go down - the oncoming car kept me motivated to continue forward, but boy did it hurt. I have no idea what I did to it, but it's all swollen and sore now. Please pray for me!

Another area I need continue prayer support is in the finances for our outreach - the cost is going to be approximately $1000 more than anticipated! Please pray for me in this area, too.

As promised, here are some pictures!! I know, I know...FINALLY, right? Haha. Well, here goes -


This is Sierra's class - they lead worship for our class sometimes. This was the first time they did it and they did so well!! Sierra is singing - she's the one with the Superman sweatshirt on.






This is me. Sierra and I hiked up to the crosses that are way (waaaaayyyy) up on the hill - it was a pretty steep hike. There are three crosses up there. There were some big rocks around the base of the crosses, so we scratched some things into them that we were laying down at the cross and left them there symbolically. I figure if I want to pick that stuff up again I'd have to hike way up there and carry that big old rock down with me, so it's a good motivation to leave it for God to deal with!


This is Reanna - she's 15 and is one of the kids of another family in my class. The teacher for the kids school was leaving, so they had a surprise going away party for her - this happened while we were getting the room ready - they had way too much fun with that silly string!!





Here are some of the kids on base - we went on a hike one day to Mushroom Rock, which is really cool. Just under the top there is this little keyhole opening you climb through, which is fun. The kids are (front left) Reanna, Jenna, Malina, JP and Sierra is in the back.









Well, it seems that the internet connection is getting fussy - the last three attempts to add more pictures have been unsuccessful - so I guess that's all for now, folks! Have a wonderful week! And THANK YOU for the wonderful comments and emails to encourage me - I appreciate it so much!