Sierra's Celebrationl

Well, going back a bit, I thought I'd put up some of what happened for Sierra's celebration back in November 2009. First of all, I just want to reiterate that it was AMAZING! Thank you to everyone for your time, energy, love and support of this incredible young woman!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain a bit. For a long time I've thought that it was tragic that as westerner's, we have no real "ceremony" or "rite of passage" where we welcome our young people into adulthood with lifelong mentoring, intentional blessing and rites of passage. Most cultures of the world have these ceremonies, and it is a time to mark the transition from childhood into adulthood. So many of our young people end up floating in adolescence for an extended period, trying to define their adulthood in really destructive ways such as drinking, drugs and sexual activity.

For years, I had wanted to have a rite of passage ceremony to mark this transition, and I began talking to people and reading up on what happened in other cultures. I thought about doing something like a Christian version of a Bat Mitzvah, etc. Finally, I took bits from different sources and made something that worked for us. A book that was a huge help to me was "Boy's Passage, Man's Journey" by Brian Moliter. I know it's focusing on a rite of passage for boys, but I was able to glean a ton of information from it.

So, to begin with, I had to prepare Sierra for it, really taking time to invest in what it means to be a godly woman, how to walk that out, etc. She rose up to it in such a beautiful way, it was really amazing. Then, I also had to teach people what it was we were doing, and trying to accomplish - this wasn't meant just be a birthday party or something (in fact, it wasn't even close to her birthday!).

The day itself was a dress-up affair and everyone looked stunning! This was a day meant for women to pass the baton on to another young woman, so it was just us girls. Sierra's grandpa made a guest appearance at the end to extend his blessing over her.

We all gathered together on a Saturday afternoon, starting our day off with some fellowship and h'orderves, followed by a bit of worship. After this, I shared some teaching on what we were embarking on and challenged the women with the gravity of what we were undertaking. A few ladies shared some relevant stories and we had a few skits that had a dual purpose of being a whole lot of fun, while also teaching valuable lessons about our choices in life, and also about the importance of asking for help. Finally, we all had an opportunity to share with Sierra.

When I was putting the celebration together, I prayed specifically for who it was God wanted to be there to extend blessing to her. As I said previously, this wasn't meant to be just a party, but really a rite of passage. I wanted people there who really understood that. I asked each of the ladies to write a letter to Sierra, imparting both knowledge and blessing. It was not meant to be a preachy time. I also asked them to bring a small, symbolic token for her, indicating something meaningful. Everyone was so creative and really invested themselves into the letters and gifts. It was priceless! Someday I think it would be awesome to put the letters into a book! All of the insight, wisdom and love shared that day will continue to unfold and gain significance and deeper revelation throughout Sierra's life.

Below I've put together the stories we read, as well as the two teachings I did on the Titus 2 charge and the significance of extending a blessing to our children. I hope you'll enjoy them - please let me know what you think!

Diamonds Are Formed Under Incredible Pressure - read by Doris Wilkison

I'm wondering where we ever got the idea that if we turned our lives over to the Lord things were going to be easy. I know there are times when it seems as if the world is crashing in around me and I look up at the Lord and say, "It's not supposed to be this way!" Really? If I take an honest look at the Scriptures, it seems to me that God's greatest leaders have always gone through times of intense trial. Look at Joseph - sold as a slave and thrown in prison through no fault of his own, Moses - ripped from the luxury of Egypt's palaces to tend sheep in the desert, David - hunted by Saul because of Saul's jealousy, Daniel - thrown into the lion's den because of his devotion to God. So, who am I to think that I should bypass the trials in life?God never promised that there wouldn't be trials. In fact, He says the exact opposite - "in this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33. And David says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." Ps 23:4 I think that means we will walk through valleys, because valleys are part of the journey. But as we are walking in them, we know that God is with us in the difficulty, using it to accomplish His purpose in our lives. In fact, we know more than that. We know that God uses our trying times to forge our character into what He intends. Trouble has a way of refining and defining us. It's in the heat of affliction that our true character shines through. What is our first thought when trouble comes? Do we turn to God, fall on our knees and recognize that He is our only source - our sole sufficiency, or do we complain, curse and whine? Really, what is your response to testing times? A diamond is only formed under intense heat and pressure. It's through extreme conditions that the molecular structure of the diamond melded into place. And it's the molecular structure, the bonds at the very core of the stone that make the diamond what it is. The bonds of a diamond have such integrity of purpose that it's the hardest substance known to man. A diamond can cut through every other substance. I think God longs to form an integrity of belief and faith in us like those that are formed in a diamond. And the only way He can accomplish that is to let us go through times of intense pressure. Because the hardships in our lives are the only way He can remake us in the most elemental part of our being. He longs to form such an integrity of conviction and faith that we will be impenetrable. As we are formed in this manner, I also believe that we become brilliant to behold ~ just like a diamond. So that we can "...shine as lights in the midst of a dark and perverse generation." Phil 2:15.I believe we are diamonds in the rough. Some just beginning to become diamonds in the midst of intense trials, some have an internal structure formed, but now must go through the mining process, and some are ready to be cut and reveal the brilliance of the lessons learned in the times of trial. It really doesn't matter where we are on the journey. What's important is to know that God is at work, even when we don't see how He could be in view of our situation. When we understand that God is at work in the trials of our lives, our troubles will take on a different meaning for us and we will be able to "give thanks in everything."So, don't be surprised at the great trials and pressures in your life. God is using them to create something wonderful in you. For a while it may seem unbearable, but the results will be beautiful to behold!Lord, help us to realize that in the midst of our trials, You are working. You are forging in us integrity of character that cannot be overcome by this world. You are causing us to become more than conquerors, because we choose to acknowledge you as Lord in every circumstance and situation. Take me as a diamond in the rough, and do whatever is necessary to create a brilliant reflection of Your glory in my life. I love You, Lord. Amen


Refining Fire – Malachi 3:3 (New King James Version) - read by Gloria Coburn

3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.

"There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three, which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part -- when I see my image reflected in it."

The Importance of Training

God gives us many instructions in His Word. Today I want to focus on a few scriptures that have to do with training.

Proverbs 22:6 (New International Version)
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Corinthians 9:24-26 (New International Version)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly...

I particularly want to focus on our next scripture:

Titus 2:3-5 (New International Version)
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Ladies, we have been given a mandate by the Word of God – that is, we are to “train the younger women…” Today’s celebration is a walking out of that mandate, although it does not end here.

One of the sacred duties and privileges we have as older women is to come alongside younger women, walk with them, and mentor them as they move through their lives. We have the honor of sharing with them our experiences and the things we’ve learned in life, with the hope of seeing them fulfilled in their high calling of being a woman who fears the Lord (Prov. 31:30 – “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised).

We may share with them practical advice – how to find a properly fitting bra, or how to walk in high heels, perhaps even how to make a pot roast.

We may counsel them in relationships – how to guard their heart, how to deal with difficulties in friendships, or maybe even how to relate to young men.

We certainly talk with them about emotions – the importance of forgiveness; having the freedom to cry when necessary, and how to handle anger in a positive and healthy way.

And let us not be hesitant to also share with them spiritual truth – the importance of a God-centered life, of the need for grace, or of God’s sufficiency in our lives.

The list could go on forever – and this is our charge. To continue to walk alongside our young women; lifting them up, encouraging them, admonishing them, loving them and training them.

I have asked you to be here today because of your commitment to God, to Sierra and to our family. It is no accident that you are here – this day and this moment has been ordained by God and blessed by His hand – we are a generation of Believer’s who are committed to God’s Word and all that it contains – committed to loving God first, and then others. This is not an easy task. It takes time; it takes commitment. It takes investing your self, heart and soul, into another person. However, that is exactly what God has asked us to do, and has modeled for us himself through the example of Jesus.

Thank you so much for your willingness to be here, and for your commitment to Jesus and to us. I believe with all of my heart that God will bless your efforts and your investment into this very special, very precious young woman of God.

I also did a teaching on blessing...

Genesis 27 – The Covenant of Blessing

Genesis 27 is the story of when Jacob (at his mother urging) dresses up like Esau and tricks his father Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing (read Gen. 27).

Genesis 48:8-16 is the story of when Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons.
Just then Jacob noticed Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these?"
Joseph told his father, "They are my sons whom God gave to me in this place."
"Bring them to me," he said, "so I can bless them." Israel's eyesight was poor from old age; he was nearly blind. So Joseph brought them up close. Old Israel kissed and embraced them and then said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has let me see your children as well!"

Joseph took them from Israel's knees and bowed respectfully, his face to the ground. Then Joseph took the two boys, Ephraim with his right hand setting him to Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand setting him to Israel's right, and stood them before him. But Israel crossed his arms and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim who was the younger and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn. Then he blessed them: The God before whom walked my fathers Abraham and Isaac, The God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this very day, The Angel who delivered me from every evil, Bless the boys. May my name be echoed in their lives, and the names of Abraham and Isaac, my fathers, And may they grow covering the Earth with their children.

There are a few things that are notable about this story – most importantly is the concept of one person blessing another. The Hebrews understood this blessing to be much more than the Gentiles comprehend.

The Hebrews believed the blessing to be equivalent to a vow (covenant, pledge, treaty, alliance) made in the name of God. In ancient times, the Hebrews did not use the name of God casually. They had such a reverence for God, that they only used His name in the most serious of circumstances. In fact, they would not even write His name out! They understood that God is a covenant God, that He is utterly true to His Word, and that this undertaking – giving a blessing, making a vow or covenant – was absolutely binding because God is absolutely faithful.

I express this because I want to emphasize the seriousness of what we are doing here today. We are giving a blessing over Sierra that is binding in the heavens. What we speak over her today through our blessings and prophetic utterances, I fully believe that God hears and holds fast to. This is not a casual time of wishing her well, but a time of calling her into spiritual maturity and Godly womanhood.

Unlike the story of Jacob and Esau, there will be no stealing of any blessing spoken over Sierra today! We know this is true, because Matt. 18:18-20 tells us "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

So, in that vein, I just want to pray over this time – Jesus, we thank you for the work you did for us on the cross. Lord, we honor your Holy Name and we surrender our lives to you. We thank you for being here with us today, and for taking part in this special ceremony. We just declare our faith in You and in Your Word – we know that you are a God of your word, and we thank you for that. Lord, we loose your Spirit to reign over this day, and we pray for you to guide us. Lord, we stand in agreement over the spiritual blessings you have poured out over Sierra today, Lord, and we thank you for all that You have done in her life already, and all that You have yet to accomplish in her and through her. We praise You that You want to partner with us. Father God, we pray that you would bind these blessings in heaven and on earth. We pray that the words that are spoken today are Your words, God, and that they would sink deep into Sierra’s spirit and take root. Father, we pray that the seeds planted today would take root in healthy soil, Lord, and that they would grow and bear much fruit. Father we pray for your Holy Fire to rain down on us, Lord! We bind the enemy and his tactics – we say he cannot snatch even one word that is spoken today, that his plans against Sierra will fail. Lord, we honor You, and we praise Your holy name. Thank you, Jesus! We pray all of this in the binding name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!

What's Up Down Under

Wow! Has it really been two months already? I can hardly believe it - in some ways it seems like it's been a lifetime that we've lived here, and in other ways it still all seems so new!

So much has happened, that I think I'll just make some comments on various areas....

Christmas

Well, we celebrated our first Christmas overseas...prior to the "big day" Sierra was struggling with not being home for it, but on Christmas day she woke up determined to have a good one and she blew me away with her positive and grateful attitude. That girl is so amazing! We got up and opened up presents at home and hung out and celebrated together before heading to the base for the big "Family Celebrations". It's a blast! First of all, they hang a stocking out for every single person about 10 days before Christmas, and people spend a lot of time filling them all up with all sorts of little goodies - chocolates, candles, notes, etc. Most people do this on Christmas Eve, so it looks a lot like Santa's workshop that night! We got to the base and opened up our stockings - it was really fun. We hung around a bit, and then there was a huge Christmas dinner with the works - turkey, ham, lobster, salads, desserts - just about anything you can think of. After dinner we had a White Elephant gift exchange that was pretty wild...mostly because it involved about 300 people, and also because if someone wanted to take your gift from you, you were allowed to run away to try and keep it so there were some really good games of chase in and around all 300 of us! Organized chaos, I guess you would call it....haha!!!

The next day was "boxing day" which is really big here - I guess it means you take all the stuff you didn't like back to the store and exchage it. Or maybe box up your Christmas decorations? At any rate, the whole base went to the beach for the day - with a few thousand other Aussies. It was a beautiful and hot day and perfect for the beach. It was a wonderful way to spend the day!

Overall, Christmas ended up being really pretty good. We were able to Skype with the fam the day after, which was their Christmas, and we were happy to be able to see them, but that also made us miss them!

Ministry

Well, as I intimated previously, I am working with the Pathway ministry. This ministry helps refugees and immigrants as they transition to Australia. It is still a new ministry, so we are "pioneering" it and still growing it. A lot of what we are doing right now is getting connected with the people, particularly in an area called Mirrabooka where many refugees go. We do a lot of door-knocking and community surveys and handing out fliers for free English classes. We also had a kids club that we started over the summer holiday and that was really successful. It was so neat to see kids from so many nations, all coming together. I just know that I've caught a glimpse of what it will be like in heaven when all the nations come together to praise God in every tongue!

We've connected with some people in Mirrabooka now and make frequent trips there to meet with them for English practice, driving lessons or just to visit. Many of the people come from the middle East and are Muslim, so I am learning much about the Muslim culture and religion and how to share Christ with them. I have found that I particularly love the Hazara people, who are Shi'a Muslims and come from Afghanistan - they are a kind, gentle and peaceful people. It is really good to get to know people apart from all you hear in the media.

Cambodia!!

Yes, Sierra did make it to Cambodia for 2 1/2 weeks! She absolutely LOVED it! She was in Batambang, a rural town. She helped to teach English at a youth center and really connected with the kids there. It was quite a miracle, actually, because she was almost not allowed on the plane to go!! Apparently her passport needed to be good for 6 months beyond her travel dates, and it was only good for 5 months beyond them...so they weren't going to let her go! However, God is good, and He made a way and she found favor at each port of entry to continue on - praise the Lord!

It was really exciting for me - okay, brag alert - but so many of the leaders from her team and from the training camp time sought me out to tell me what an amazing girl Sierra is - she was so helpful, had such a great attitude, a real leader, so on fire for God, etc, etc. I was so proud of her!! She had some amazing revelations from the Lord while she was there, and was simply beaming upon her return.

School & Miracles

Sierra is attending Mt. Lawley Senior High School. She just finished her 1st week, but I will give you all a little background info!

Well, first of all, we knew coming in that foreign students pay a fee to attend school. The fees for year 10 are $6,500 - year 11 it is $7,500 and year 12 is $7,500 - $21,500 altogether. I didn't know how I was going to pay for those fees, but followed the word of the Lord and came, trusting Him to figure it out. I was praying for someone to sponsor her through school, or something.

We signed up for school and she had to go in for an interview. I thought they would interview her and go over her records, etc - but no, they just started putting her in classes. At one point I asked "what grade will she be in?" and the lady says "what year do you want her to be in?" I about fell out of my chair!! I told her I wasn't sure - she had completed only part of grade 10 in the US. She looked over her records and called another counselor in, who did the same. Then he asked Sierra how old she was an declared she would be in year 11! So, that meant the fees for year 10 were no more!! A savings of $6,500.

She got her classes - that was a whole ordeal - the kids have to basically declare their college major at 15 years old! She didn't know, they told her to figure it out in 5 minutes and then ended up putting her in business, which she was really bummed about. More on how that was resolved later...

A few days later, we got a letter from the school confirming her classes, and informing us of her fees. All students here have to pay for the classes they take, plus buy their own books and of course, the uniform. So, we got a bill and it was for $536. I thought maybe I'd get another bill for the year 11 foreign student fees, but it never came. When I went to the school to pay for her fees, I asked the lady and she said "oh, it just says the $536 - we'll just leave it, I'm sure if you're volunteering here you are doing something good" and ta-da! Year 11 fees were taken care of! Not only that, but as I was looking through the 2nd hand uniforms to get some peices for Sierra, I started talking to the guy who was working there. He is the school chaplain...we chatted for 20 minutes or so and when I asked him how much I owed for what I had picked out, he gave them to me for free!!!

So - miraculously, God has sponsored Sierra Himself! How cool is that? It's a really, really good thing, because as it is, between her regular fees, her books and her uniform, it's already been over $1,500...but thankfully I've had that and have been able to get her the things she'll need.

Oh yeah - her classes! So, a few days before school started we went to buy the other peices of her uniform she would need and I went to the office to see if she could change her "pathway" (major of study). The head guy was there and he whisked us into his office and click-click-click it was all done and now she is studying Media Arts, which I think she will really love. She had a media class and a photography class this year, along with the usual English, Math, Science, PE, Social Studies. All in all, the only thing she'll be missing for college in America is a course in US History, which we'll do via homestudy.

25th/50th Celebration

This year is a banner year for YWAM - it marks our 5oth year! That is quite a feat, and so Loren Cunningham, the founder, is traveling all over the world to meet with YWAMmers and celebrate. It is also a big year for YWAM Perth - it's our 25th year! So, to celebrate, we had the 25th/50th Celebration that lasted for a week. A LOT of preparation for the big party! We had about 700 people here for the week, all to celebrate and come together.

The week itself was packed with a lot of activities and teaching sessions where Loren & Darlene Cunningham, Peter & Shirley Brownhill (founders of YWAM Perth) and other speakers told us stories about YWAM's history, vision for the future and challenged us in several areas of our walk with the Lord. I could never capture it here, so I will share a few bullet points of things that particularly touched me.

• We were reminded that everything we have now is because we are standing on the shoulders of those who said "yes" before us, and how the blessings of the righteous will go forth for 1,000 generations. This was particularly poignant for me as I thought of all the people who have said "yes" to supporting me and on whose shoulders I stand so that I can serve Christ with my whole being. I was also contemplating and giving thanks for my dad, who said "yes" to the Lord and put a stake in the ground to stop the generational curses from his parents of incest, abuse and addiction. I am really overwhelmed how he is first in line of that 1,000 generations - and I am second, and Sierra is 3rd. It is so humbling, and I am so thankful for him, my mom and for all you.
• Revelation comes after you've made the commitment - not before. This was especially for me as I have come to Perth not really *knowing* the full purpose of why God has called me here, but trusting in Him for my all!
• 100 years after Jesus died, 1 out of every 360 people in the world were born again believers. By the time of Martin Luther, that number was 1 out of 69. In 1950, the number had gone down to 1 in every 21 people (this is world-wide people!!) and now the number is 1 out of 10 people know Jesus as their personal savior. The great commission is being fulfilled!! There are so many nay-sayers out there, but God is accomplishing His great purposes. Cool, huh?
• A reminder to stay single-minded, whole-hearted and focused on God's call - to continue to say "yes" to God, to develop an "I won't quit" attitude, as well as an attitude of gratitude.
• Did you know it takes the average reader only 72 hours to read the Bible? Crazy!!
• A challenge to "put legs" to your prayers! Yes God!
• A problem for some missionaries (and I have struggled with this) is feeing "illegitimate" in what we are doing - as though it is not enough because it is so different from the world's standard and the church's standard - but a reminder to fight tenaciously for what God has called us to do - it is the legitimate call of God to "go into all the world..." We are to bring the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to disciple nations. This is an apostolic calling.

Well, that is some of the nuggets I got! This is getting really long, so I will move on now....

Future Plans

All of my plans have been moved up by a year since Sierra is now graduating High School a year early! Yikes!! I know that I am called into the frontier - to go where no man has gone before - okay, that was a bit campy, but seriously, I feel called to go to the unreached world. Did you know that over 80% of missionaries are in the most-evangelized parts of the world? I want to go to those places where we are not.

This July, I am going to take a TESOL course - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I will receive a TESOL certificate from the government of Australia that certifies me to teach in other countries - this is a great way to get in to "closed" countries, as well as a way to do some "tent making" if need be. It is a 6 week course, followed by a 6 week internship.

After that, I know at some point in the next year or so I want to take a course in Frontier Missions, through YWAM Perth, where I can better learn exactly how to bridge that cultural gap and go into the frontier. I am thinking of doing a 2-year internship in Nepal after Sierra graduates from High School - I am hoping she'll want to come with me for all or part of it, but she'll be a full-fledged adult and have to make some decisions of her own about the future. She is set up to be able to attend college back home when she is ready, and also is wanting to do a DTS of her own. My how time flies! The next two years will yield a lot new directions and I'm sure will be very exciting.

Well, I guess I should go for now - if you are still with me, give a big shout HURRAY! This was an epic post!! I want to again extend my gratitude to all who are supporting me through friendship, prayers and finances...I truly, truly couldn't do this alone and am so grateful to have a wonderful team of people supporting me! God bless each and every one of you!

With much love - Dayna

What I Did Today

Well, to give you an idea of how my days flow, I thought I'd give you the details of my day today....enjoy!

I woke up at 6 am and hopped in the shower. Normally I get to the base at 8:30 am, so I have some time to exercise (a new thing for me...please pray that I stick with it!) and some quiet time with the Lord. However, today I had to be at the base at 7 am in order to pray with the Pathway team, so I just got ready and we left, walking the 6-8 blocks to the base.

Once at the base, I joined with Megan and Sharon from Pathway to pray. Sala is out this week on holiday. We prayed over our ministry, specifically praying Psalm 115 and Psalm 108:13. We prayed until 8 am.

After prayer, Sierra and I joined in with morning chores and helped in the kitchen preparing food for the day. Sierra washed fruit and put it in bowls for the tables. I sliced up cabbage for coleslaw and then put together tuna for lunch.

At 8:30 the whole base met together for a few announcements, and then we broke up into small groups for intercession. I met with Joel, Ashla, Mark, Sven and Sierra. We prayed about the brothels that are in the area, discipling young men and women, preparing the groundwork for the groups going to Mexico and also for our Christmas celebrations, and finally for the nations of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. We prayed together until about 9:45.

There was a short break for about 20 minutes, and then Sharon, Sierra and I met together to pray about where God wanted us to go for outreach for the rest of the morning. We felt like we should just get on the bus and ride it. Sierra saw a picture of a girl with long, black, wavy hair and thought she was Mexican. I felt like we were supposed to talk with an Indian woman. Sierra stayed at the base and Sharon and I headed out to the bus - about 8 blocks away. We took separate seats and then just prayed and waited.

After a few stops, a girl got on and sat next to Sharon. She had long, black, wavy hair and was from Colombia - not Mexican, but certainly latin! Sharon started talking to her and they had a great conversation and Sharon was able to share the gospel with her. They exchanged phone numbers and we'll continue to pray.

We ended up talking with an Iranian family that just moved here last week, as well as an Australian couple and three Aboriginals. We were able to share the gospel and the love of Christ and it turned out really cool. It was funny because I had to really pray about not being afraid or intimidated about sharing Jesus in such a public place as a bus, but I did and it was fine!

We got back to the base just in time for lunch, and some soup and an orange. After lunch Megan, Sharon, Sierra and I headed to my house to have a time of worship. We visited for a bit, then spent time in prayer and worship. We were meditating on Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God". We did this until 3:15 pm, then Sharon had to leave to babysit and Megan and I headed to the base where we were supposed to meet with Sultan, a young Afghani who is a new Christian. He ended up having to cancel, and so I did some work on a book I'm making to help teach English to refugees.

Dinner was at 5:30 - we had lasagna, with cake for dessert. After dinner Sierra and I were asked over to watch a movie by one family, and over for tea at another. I passed on both invitations as we needed to go to the grocery store and also needed to get some rest. We've been invited over to people's houses already several times since we've gotten here, which is so cool!

Sierra and I headed the 10-12 blocks to the grocery store (and saw some wild parrots on the way) and picked up a few items, loaded up the backpack and still had a few bags, and then headed home the 8 or so blocks. Groceries are definitely hard without a car! I was exhausted by the time we made it up to the flat and, after putting the groceries away, sat down and relaxed while I wrote this little note!

As you can tell, I am getting in a LOT of walking! I sort of wish I had a pedometer to see how many steps I'm taking a day! It looks like the Lord has got me on an exercise program...please pray for my feet and ankles to be strong and flexible.

Well, there you have it - a day in the life! As I have said - this base majors on prayer!

Photo Tour

Here are some photos and videos to give you a little idea of our new life!

A few of the popular flavors of chips are "Honey Baked Ham" and "Chicken"...

not a taste we've acquired yet....

This is the view of the city from our 3rd floor flat...it's really pretty!

Sierra helped to make these "chandaliers" for Christmas decorations.
This is the main auditorium.


Sierra also helped to make and frost a few hundred cookies...aren't they pretty?

This is one of the beaches...it's really nice to have a grassy area to sit on and

have a picnic before you hit the sand.

This is a video tour of our flat...it's kind of lame, but you'll get the idea...haha!

Just a little video from our day at the beach with the whole base.

When it's someone's birthday, they have quite a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday!!

Before breaking into groups of 2, our evangelism team had a time of worship - it's a lot of fun!

Crikey! No worries, mate!

Well, we made it! We are in Perth, Western Australia. We got here about a week and a half ago, and have been settling in and getting familiar with the city and the base. I know everyone is anxious to hear how everything is going, so I thought I'd do a day-by-day breakdown of what has happened so far! Okay, here we go!

Monday, Nov. 23
We all piled into my dad's SUV and headed down to SFO. The verse the Lord had given me was Nehemiah 8:9-10, which is:

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.”

So, anytime we would get a little weepy or sad we would say "the joy of the Lord is our strength!" We all did pretty good until it was the final goodbye, and then a few tears started to roll, but I just kept meditating on that scripture, and also on that song by the same words..."the joy of the Lord is our strenght" - did you know you can replace the words with laughing? It's really fun.

We got on our first flight to LA, where we had a layover for a few hours, which wasn't too bad. Then, we boarded our flight to Sydney on V Australia. I am disappointed to say I never saw the star constellations on the ceiling which I was so looking forward to. Otherwise, it was a great flight - we each had our own row of 3 seats, so plenty of room to stretch out and rest. The flight went surprisingly quick for 15 hours! We landed in Sydney with an 11 hour layover and thought to go traipse around, but had underestimated how tired we would be. Instead, we found a youth hostel and rented a room for the day and slept a bit. That evening (Wed night, Nov. 25) we made our final flight into Perth, and were greeted by Quenton and Abby, two staff from the base. They took us to our flat to get settled.

I was thankful to find out that we would be staying in a place that is already furnished, so that will be helpful. We are on the 3rd floor with great views of the city.

Thursday, Nov. 26
We were told to take a day or so getting acclimated and rested, so we slept in and then went to the store to get a few essentials like shampoo and soap. I was still pretty out of it and tired. We found our way to town and to an internet cafe, so we were able to let the family know we had made it safely. Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, Nov. 27
We headed into the base to meet with different people and to check things out. Everyone is so nice! Several people introduced themselves to us and were really welcoming and inclusive - it was great.

That night we attended our first Friday Night Meeting. This is basically a church service for the base and anyone else who would like to join. It is pretty exciting! The worship was amazing and it is just so exciting to see hundreds of young people so passionate about God. A pastor from Nigeria spoke, and gave a first-hand account of all the amazing things that have been going on there. If you don't know - tell me and I will email you the news report! Let's just say revival is happening!

After we started walking home (it's about 8-10 blocks) and a young Samoan guy named Manny walked with us to make sure we made it alright. Like I said, people are so nice!

Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 28 & 29
It's time to start figuring out about our phone and whatnot, so we headed into downtown to get cell service and internet. Wow - now that's a process. You practically have to sign over your firstborn to get a phone! We needed more information on our visa status and so we left disappointed. We did, however, find the Target and were able to get Sierra a hair straightener.

We had found a great little Lebanese restaraunt a few days earlier and went there again...the owner is quickly becoming a friend and he gave us some baklava to see us on our way.

We were both still feeling pretty tired, so we decided to have church at home and that was nice. I also started making a list of things we need for the house to make it more homey and functional. Mostly, we relaxed and rested. That night, we were invited to watch movies with Richard and Isabelle. They are from Virginia and have been here about a year. Isabelle is 13. Her mom and brother and sister are on outreach right now, but will be returning in a few weeks. It was nice to make a connection and meet some friends!

Monday, Nov. 30
Started off the day with worship together as a base. It's really great worship, and again was impressed just with how engaged everyone is and excited for the Lord. In the midst of worship, they directed us to pray for one another and Sierra and I had an amazing time of praying together and prophesying over one another - it was breathtaking.

Afterward, I met with Colleen at the base - she is the Personnel person and has been at the base almost 25 years. We talked about different things and she suggested that she thought I might enjoy working with the ARMS or Pathway ministry. ARMS works with families in crisis and Pathway works with refugees. She was going to speak with them and let me know at dinner.

We helped in the kitchen a bit, then headed back into downtown to give a go with the phones again. What a hassle! Still needed more info for proof of residency and whatnot, so headed back to get that. I was feeling rather frustrated with the confusing phone requirements and programs, but continued to press on.

Tuesday, Dec. 1
Started off the day with intercession...as you can imagine, 300+ people is a lot of people, so we are broken down into groups of 8 or so. Had a great time of praying together and interceding on behalf of Mexico. I loved that we started off by searching our hearts and confession, then waiting on the Lord to direct us.

After that, I met with Sala, a lady from Fiji who I will be working with in Pathway. She is wonderful, and I think we will be good friends. I met Megan and Sharon, two other girls also working with Pathway. After that, Sala let us go to get a few things done. I went to the immigration office to get my passport stamped properly with my visa, then off to the department of infrastructure (like the DMV) and got a drivers license...!! Funny, huh? Yes, it's true - I haven't driven a car here yet, but I have my license! The Amercian license is accepted and they just give it to you (well, you have to pay for it). Then went AGAIN to try to do the phone thing...FINALLY got some phones and internet service, so we were feeling good about that.

Wed, Dec 2
Sierra stayed at the base to help with Christmas decorations and I headed out with Megan and the Community Development school to a neighborhood called Mirabooka. They are trying to get a better picture of the community and see how they can help in that community, so we were going door to door with surveys. I saw a woman walking with about 6 grocery bags and suggested we go help her, which we did (Megan and I). She then invited us in and we were able to visit with her for about an hour and 20 minutes. Her names is Aswaq and she is from Iraq. She needs help with her English and also with driving. We made an appointment to come back next Tuesday to help her.

As we continued on, we also met Rose from Sudan and Toi from China. The nations are here!

We returned to the base for lunch and I learned a very valuable lesson. Get to lunch on time! I had called my parents to check in and came in a little late and there was no more food left...well, lesson learned! Haha..

After lunch we had an all-staff meeting and went over details about Christmas and different things. After that, the entire staff and all the students headed out to the beach for the afternoon. It was really fun, but freezing! The wind was blowing and cold, but it was nice to be outside and to watch the waves and visit with people. I got to talk with Ben, Joelle and Amy and to know them a bit better. We made plans to make dinner together one night next week.

We had a BBQ dinner out at the beach and Sierra swam with Isabelle and enjoyed our first outing to the beach!

Thurs, Dec 3
Sharon took me to see another community they work in and we ended up visiting with Tseda, from Eritrea. She blessed us with tea and bread and showed us a video of her wedding with traditional dances. She goes to a church with many Africans, and invited me to go with her one day. I think that will be amazing!

After we all met together (me, Sharon, Megan, Sala) and took lunch to a YWAM lady who just had a baby a few days ago. She lives across from me, so I got to meet another neighbor.

Dinner is early on Thursdays because we all go out for evangelism in the evening. We went with the downtown team and it was awesome. We first had a time of worship and then broke up into groups of 2. Tonight they had a twist for us - a "scavenger hunt" to do...things like - find someone with a cross necklace and ask what it means to them; ask someone what it is about Christmas that they love; share your testimony. It was fun and gave us focus. We spoke with many people and also got to pray for a few. That night there were also 2 people who were saved - hallelujah!

After evangelism, Danny drove us home - he is the leader for the School of Evangelism. He's really cool. His mom is also here on staff, and she is a grandma to all the kids. He invited Sierra to join his group when they go out on evangelism on Tues & Fri afternoons and said he'd heard amazing things about how boldly she'd prayed out, and he figures she'll take over his school someday. I thought it was great! Sierra said she couldn't go out tomorrow as she'd already committed to help with making Christmas cookies and decorating, but maybe next week.

Fri, Dec 4
Started our day with intercession again - this time as a whole base. The intercession was more like worship and intercession interlaced. We'd sing and worship, then break out into prayer. We were specifically praying for Africa. At the end everyone spontaneously broke out into various forms of African dance, which was really cool.

After, we met as a Pathway group and prayed together. Then I did some office work - apparently I'm the only one in the ministry with any type of administrative skills, so that is something they are all excited about!

Friday night is Fri Night Meeting, and I was sooo tired. I definitely knew if I walked home, I wouldn't want to walk back an hour later! So I went to Sala's house to relax and Sierra stayed at the base to play volleyball. The meeting was good, but I was really tired and had a hard time staying focused.

Sat, Dec 5
Well, here we are - almost up to date! We did some really exciting things for Sat...we deep cleaned the apartment and did laundry! Haha...yeah, but it was 98 degrees outside, and our little 3rd floor apartment was probably over 100. I was melting!

Sat evening my friend Simon picked me up to go to church with him and his roommate Steve. Simon had come to Mexico with us a few times, so it is cool to have a friend here already. We went to Riverview Church and then out for Vietnamese. The church is a big church, and seems really solid. I met a lady named Linda and her friend Deane and they seemed keen on getting to know me better - they were really nice.

Sierra stayed home because her stomach was hurting, and while home she heard some people fighting outside - it was pretty scary for her and she ended up calling the police and then me, so we came home. Simon told us that it is extremely difficult for people to get guns or even knives here, so they are almost unheard of, which I hope calmed her a bit.

Sun, Dec 6
Well, here we are on Sunday morning...it is a bit cooler today (thank you Jesus!) and we are just hanging out a bit, trying to decide what to do for the day. Beach? Maybe...

So, overall our experiences here have been really positive - people are truly welcoming and friendly, the worship and intercession is amazing, you can really sense God's spirit amongst the people and everyone is really focused on the Lord.

Some of the little cultural things we've come across....

• 'no worries, mate' is the most used phrase of Australian english
• groceries are twice as expensive as they are in the US...eg - chicken legs are $14 per kilo ($7 per pound)
• 'no standing' means 'no parking'
• they are both much more strict and much more licentious than we are in the US...it's an interesting paradox.
• flavored milk is all the rage - we like mocha
• if someone wants to 'knock you up' - no worries - it just means they will come by the house.
• when someone asked if I was 'knackered" I was worried they thought I'd been drinking...but they were just asking if I was tired.

More to come! Love you all!! I have some pictures and videos on my phone, but don't have the chord to download them! When I get it, I will post them.

Oh yea - my cell phone is (from the US)...001-61-04-331-4-8-16-4

Sierra's cell is 001-61-04-30-44-32-44

Also, you can get us on Skype - mine is dayna_murphy and Sierra's is sierra.vota - we'd love to hear from you!!

A Great Big "Thank You!"

I have the best supporters ever! They are a wonderful group of people who really, truly love us and are committed to praying for us and supporting us financially, spiritually and emotionally. I have so many wonderful testimonies of how they have given to us sacrificially and have been so faithful. God has truly brought a wonderful team of people around us, and I am so grateful! Thank you, Jesus!!

I wish I could take everyone to Mexico with us to take part in what is happening there. It has been my extreme pleasure to be able to take a few friends and loved ones with me, and to see how God has transformed their lives as a result! I know I often post pictures and stories, but I thought I would also post just a little peek into what has been happening over the past 9 months...I hope it blesses you and helps to see where your support is going!

Short Term Outreach Department
“Mexico Adventures”

2009 in review

- 21 outreaches trips completed to, Baja California, Mexico.
4 more trips scheduled before the end of the year – including one to Morelia – for a total of 25 outreaches in 2009.

- 549 participants – some serving at Foundation For His Ministry (“Orphanage”) and some building houses for needy families – working in conjunction with International Disciple Training (“IDT”) a local ministry.

- Participants represented 29 different churches; and came from 6 states, two Canadian provinces and 4 countries.

- 8 weeks of ministry were cancelled by church groups because of worry and concern over the “swine flu” and drug cartel related violence. 5 weeks of ministry carried on despite a significantly reduced number of participants.

What we did:

- built 22 houses and provided much needed help at the Orphanage.

- served over 6,700 meals to the Oaxacan farm laborers

- distributed over 500 bags of staple food items to needy families

- gave out hundreds of pairs of shoes, clothing, baby items, diapers, etc.

Personal ministry:
- sick or injured taken to clinic or hospital
- financial assistance given for housing or legal needs
- prayer for healing
- preaching at a local church
- evangelism (7 people received Christ)
- helping families with legal needs: birth certificates, land title


Isn't it amazing how God can increase our vision?! I will miss our Mexico ministry very much, but I know that God has wonderful plans for us in Australia...just read Jeremiah 29:11! Isn't He incredible?

Together We've Accomplished A Lot!

We will have our last trip to Mexico in October, and it is already feeling bittersweet. Emotion comes on suddenly and unexpectedly when I think about it, but I continue to trust in the Lord and His plans for us! We are fortunate that we will be able to drive down a big truckload of medical supplies, so we will be able to stop and visit with some friends along the way – what a blessing!

Over the summer we continued with trips down to Mexico and every trip proved itself to be amazing and fruitful. Every team we take invigorates me with enthusiasm for the work God is doing. On our last trip, I was so privileged to see Sierra walking out her gifting and passion as she worked with the special needs kids in the day home at the Orphanage. There is one little boy, Martin, who has been coming to the day home program for about 2 years. Martin has autism is doesn’t interact with anyone there. Sierra had been working with him all week, and on our last day there as she left, she waved goodbye to him. Suddenly, he blew her a kiss and said “bye-bye Sara!!” The staff couldn’t believe it! They called her back to do it again, and sure enough, he blew another kiss and spoke to her. They said he had not responded or interacted with anyone previously, and this was a huge, momentous event! Sierra was so excited, and I was so proud. What a blessing to watch your children grow in the Lord!


Our time at YWAM Chico is coming to a close quickly! We will leave Chico on Oct. 31 and head to Santa Rosa in order to spend time with friends and family there before leaving for Australia. I’ve been painting the walls (returning them to beige) and packing and trying to get rid of stuff. It’s amazing how much *stuff* accumulates so quickly! I have felt overwhelmed off and on, just with the sheer volume of all that needs to be done to make an international move, in addition to trying to keep Sierra’s world as stable as possible and trying to determine the best way to get things done, logistics, finances, keeping relationships current – there are moments when I just want someone who will shoulder the burden with me, who will process through the decisions with me, and will be a partner in everything that needs to get done. In these times I remember that it is God who is my husband, and Sierra’s heavenly father, and the head of this household, and it is in Him that I can trust and on Him that I can lean. What a blessed assurance that is!

With all of our travels to Mexico, we have earned a free flight on Southwest Airlines to anywhere in the USA, but it has to be used before January 2010. We have made some wonderful friends through our Mexico trips, so we will be going to visit them on the East Coast at the end of September for a week. I am really excited to get a chance to catch up with our dear friends before we leave! When we return from that trip, we will be in Chico a few days before leaving for our last trip to Mexico. Then, after we return from Mexico, we will have just 11 days before leaving to go home to Santa Rosa. What a whirlwind it is turning into!

What's Happening About Australia?

Well, it’s been a few months since we first *officially* announced our move to Perth, Australia. So much has happened since then, I thought I’d send out an update of what is going on now!

First of all, the exciting news is that we have our flights and an official date! We will leave from San Francisco on November 23, 2009. This will allow us to celebrate an early holiday with our family before embarking upon our next big adventure. We found a great deal for our flights on Virgin Australia, which promises that we will “travel like rock stars”. Now, I don’t know what THAT means, but it sure sounds fun! I hope rock stars sleep on overnight flights…

Since our last newsletter, we’ve been so happy to hear from many friends and family who are praying for us and excited to see what God is doing! We’ve been blessed to have raised over $3,000 so far. I think that after selling everything, we will hopefully be able to bring in another $3,000 or so. That leaves about $4,000 that we are still trusting the Lord for. However, He is faithful to His promises and we continue to live by faith that He will supply our needs!

Awesome!

One thing I know about myself is that I am a person who loves to laugh. I see the irony in life all around me , and it never ceases to give me great joy. It is a blessing to be joyful and full of laughter and life. However, God has been speaking to ma about another aspect of my personality that is not as well developed – that being the state of meditating on the greatness of God and who He is. I realize that I’ve been too casual in my relationship with God. It is true that God is our friend and that He gives us joy through His Holy Spirit – joy is, in fact, a fruit of the Spirit. It is also true that God is awesome, awe inspiring, breathtaking, monumental and incredible. How easily we can use these words in everyday speech and belittle the immensity of their meaning. God is taking me on a journey of learning to hold both these truths in my hands – the truth of His Spirit taking great delight in the childlike joy and frivolity of pleasure while also stepping back to consider His magnitude and to fall to my knees with reverence and awe, fear and respect for His wonderful essence. I am learning that it is in these two truths that we recognize the depths of God’s character and His tremendous love for us. As I consider this and learn to walk it out, I also recognize the power of our own words. This is another area in which God has been teaching me and which I have been immersed.

Our words have the power of life and death in them…listen to that – the power of life and death – and this truth is one God really focuses on in scripture – there are literally hundreds of verses and teachings about our words, our mouths, our tongues. God used His words to bring for the heavens and the earth. Jesus used His words to curse the fig tree and cause it to wither. Likewise, He has given His Sprit unto us, and has given our words that same power. Thus, when I consider how I talk about God, or even to Him, I must confess that my speech does not capture who He is, nor can it. My words can be too casual, too familiar, and incapable of capturing the facets of Him. Likewise, this is true of other relationship and even how I speak of myself. God is fanning a flame within me that wants to bring back the understanding, the respect, the awe of who God is and share it with a generation that has forgotten what “awesome” really is, to understand the depths of God’s character, and the power of our own words. What a wonderful journey with God this continues to be! I fall short every day, but thankfully His mercies are new every morning!

The other day I remembered something that gave me a bit of a chuckle. I was thinking about this big move we’re looking at and all the ups and downs emotionally I’ve gone through to get to this point, when suddenly God reminded me of something I’d said to Him a few years back.

It was during my Crossroads DTS. I was on a spiritual high with God, and I told Him that I would give Him my “eternal yes”. I didn’t just make this assertion once. Or even twice. I said it over and over and over again – “God! I give you my eternal YES! I will go wherever and do whatever it is You call me to! You have called me, oh Lord, and to you I respond Yes! Yes! – take all of me and make it Yours.”

Of course, in my mind I was thinking I’d go to China or Africa and save starving children—the picture I’d had in my mind since I was 11. And then He told me to go to Chico. Chico? California? Uh, that’s weird. Okay, God, I’ll do it...if that’s what You want.

And now He’s saying to me, “Go to Australia.” Australia? God, are You sure? That’s a long way away, you know (I wanted to be sure he understood this)! And it’s expensive to get there (in case He wasn’t aware)! And just what will I be doing there? Why Australia? I’d like the 12-point plan, please.

I haven’t received a 12-point plan, much to my chagrin. Instead, I kicked and bucked and dug my heels in, demanding “why, why, why?” In truth, it was pretty ugly – so right now I’d like to dispel any myths you might have that people in ministry are somehow super-spiritual! All the while I was fighting Him, God remained silent. Finally, gently and graciously, He led me to Acts 8:26-40. In this story, God (through the Holy Spirit) tells Philip to “go south”. Philip does so, meeting the Ethiopian eunuch and getting the opportunity to explain the book of Isaiah to him, at the end of which the Ethiopian determines to be baptized into faith in Jesus Christ.

What struck me about this story was Philip’s obedience. He didn’t ask God “why?” or “how?” or even “what for?” Philip simply obeyed and went, and as a result the name of Christ was introduced to the country of Ethiopia. Then I thought of 1 Samuel 15:22, which tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice. Suddenly I found myself stopped cold in my tracks, and then God quietly reminded me of my own promise, made 3 years previous. What good is a declaration made in the height of excitement if there is no follow through when the high wears off? Is it any different than the boy who declares his love for a girl in the midst of passion, only to leave her when he’s gotten what he wanted? I do not want to be that person.

Slowly, a peace began to grow in my heart that this was, indeed, the plan God has for me at this time. God has continued to bring confirmation about this decision through many different sources (I’d love to share more stories if you are interested!), and has calmed (is calming?) my fear and trepidations one by one.

As it stands right now, we will be leaving in September for Perth, Australia. I will work with the YWAM base there and Sierra will be returning to public school. Until that time I will continue in my current role at YWAM Chico leading groups into Mexico to build homes for the poor and work with an orphanage there.

I’d love it if you would pray about partnering with us as we go! And please… contact me—I love hearing from you! Be abundantly blessed in Him!

As we move to Australia to live out this next phase of our adventure in following God, we would love your support and partnership. We need people dedicated to lifting us up in prayer as well as people who are able to help us financially.

Please send all donations to:
YWAM Chico c/o Dayna Murphy
15850 Richardson Springs Rd.
Chico, CA 95973
USA

Revelations

Last night I went to see an 80's cover band with some friends. We laughed about the 80's styles...side pony tails, ultra bright clothes, pink blush...we figured it would be a fun evening walking down memory lane.

The band was really good and played a lot of old favorites...has it really been more than 20 years since I graduated from High School?? I don't feel old enough for that much time to have passed!

I've been thinking lately how I'll be 40 this year, and in some ways it seems like my 30's escaped me. Most of the past decade (wow! that's a long time!) was spent enduring some really painful times, and then coming through them and finding out who I really am, finally finding victory that comes only through Christ Jesus. I am excited to be turning 40 - it seems like a time of maturity and wisdom, having learned from the follies of my youth. I feel very content with life right now, and incredibly blessed. I think this is a part of what comes with age, and I'm grateful for it. Now, lets not get all crazy and start thinking I'm all happy and excited about these wrinkles I see gathering around my eyes and on my forehead!! Aack...I thought I'd handle that much more gracefully, but I find myself scouring lotion labels for some great cure to my lines! Haha...but, I digress...

Back at the concert, my friends and I were having fun re-telling old High School stories and laughing about how it seemed like we were re-living our "glory days" when in fact, they didn't seem all that glorious at the time! We were definitely feeling middle-aged, but in a good way.

Part of the fun of these kinds of events, of course, is the people watching. Several people came all decked out in their 80's gear...headbands, bright pink shirts, stripes, leggings, those awesome side pony tails (ok - I admit it, I almost wore mine in a side pony tail...) - and don't forget the Rayban Wayfarers! Oh yeah - and big bangs - really, really big bangs! The styles of that era were such a tragedy.

While we were watching people, I began to sense a hopelessness in those around me. Middle-aged men and women were drinking themselves into oblivion, acting like absolute fools. As I watched them, my heart began to break. How many of these people stumbling around had children at home? What did they think they were doing? So many were bowing down to the god of this world - to the god of drunkenness and lust. I found myself interceding for them and crying out for them in my heart. What must God think of this? I know His heart was broken.

A part of me wanted to flee from there - but then I felt like God was using this as an opportunity for me to see what is happening in the world around me - a world that is crying out for the grace, love and freedom that God is offering. I feel that in some ways, I've been so sheltered - praise God! - but that He also is saying that we need to be IN the world, for our hearts to be broken like His is broken by the sin of the very people He created to be in relationship with Him. There is such deception all around us, and how can we bring the love of Jesus if we don't go?

I love the verse that talks about "how will they know if they do not hear, and how will they hear if no one goes?"...it just reaffirms to me this place God has me in...I want to go, and to be His hands and feet and heart. I am so grateful that I am able to do this, and I feel so blessed and humbled that I get to! I think I am the luckiest girl on earth!

Normally when I find myself in a situation where there is wanton sin happening (that sounds as though I am often in these situations - but I'm not!! Thank you Jesus!), I am riddled by guilt and shame - but not this time. I feel a passion to pray for my generation like never before. There was a woman next to me that I feel particularly burdened to pray for - a woman who has found her identity in the sum of her parts. I wanted to say to her "You are so valuable! You are worth so much more than the parts of your body - you have been created with value and worth!" After the concert, I waited around awhile, trying to find her so I could give her this message. I was sad when I didn't catch her, and the opportunity passed by. I find myself thinking of her, and praying that God would reach her.

It can be very easy to stay in our little Christian world - it's safe and comfortable and we can keep ourselves worried about whether or not tongues is for today's church, or spend lots of time discussing the merits of tithing on net versus gross - and all the while an entire world of people, precious and valuable people, are dying right outside of our doors. How will they hear if no one tells them? Who will tell them if no one goes?

God help us all.

Just Another Day at HGCH

I'm sitting here at the coffee house, preparing to return home next week. Many of our regulars are leaving in the next day or two in order to be home for Thanksgiving. It feels peaceful here right now.

At the table next to me, Diana is working on her paperwork for her mission. She has been here a year and a half and comes in often for a medium latte and to chat and catch up on her work.

Next to her is Scott - he is checking his email and missing his grandchildren. He and his wife Linda have been here with their daughter Tracey and her boyfriend Matt for about a month now. They come in most mornings and order waffles, pancakes and an egg sandwich. Scott and Linda are coming back in 6-9 months to do missions work permanently and have been looking at the different possibilities available - of which there are many! This family has become very dear to us. A few weeks ago, Matt proposed to Tracey, and it has been so much fun to be a part of all the wedding plans and ideas!

Another table over Linda is teaching Sierra how to knit. This will be a great thing for Sierra as she needs something to do with her hands to keep herself out of trouble! I wish I had a camera because it would be so cute. Edilma is sitting at the table with them, watching carefully.

Over in the corner Elizabeth is reading "Blue Like Jazz" - you might remember that I wrote about that book a while back and have been raving about how awesome it is. She decided she would read it and I can hear giggles erupting from the corner occasionally, and then she scoots over to share with me a particularly funny part. We started out having a women's group to go over the book, but several of the ladies weren't able to follow through for one reason or another, so Elizabeth and I discuss it informally.

In the other room (the one I affectionately call the Garden Room...such that I would like it to BE a garden room...) Pablo is napping on the couch. Yes - Pablo is out of the hospital! He is walking around - rather slowly - with the help of some arm-brace canes. Luis was here with him for awhile, and had his shoe shine chair and kit in the corner while he sat with Pablo. However, the sun is shining and there might be some work at the park, so he left a few minutes ago.

The lady from the restaraunt across the street - Cherisimos - is coming through the door with our lunch. They have a lunch special every day for 20 Quetzales (20 Q), which is about $2.75. For this you get meat, rice, salad, tortillas and fresh juice. The special is different every day - today it is orange chicken and looks very good! We get lunch here several days a week, and now many of our customers do, too! They bring it over to us and I joke that this is their second restaraunt now.

Florecita is cooking in the back - she is one of my dear friends here. Edilma is her daughter. We laugh and talk and work together every day and I will miss her so much. Right now she is cooking lemon pound cake, and after that gets out I will need to put in a turkey to start getting ready for Thursday, when we will have about 50 people for Thanksgiving.

Last week a guy named Alex asked if he could hang some art on our walls and sell them on consignment. The art is very "Catholic" in nature, particularly what is called "mystical Catholic" and has caused some bit of controversy, but it does add some color! It waits to be seen what will come of it. Alex is an interesting guy in that he has loads of weapons that he offers to sell - mace, pepper spray, a tazer and one of those police batons. I don't know if he's just really paranoid or well prepared. Some of the ladies have been interested in these things after all of the violence that has been happening.

Crazy Dave is hanging around, looking to see where he can jump into a conversation and begin telling us how every version of the Bible is incorrect and has been translated wrong and that we are only (sick, tired, diseased, in pain, etc) because we believe it and if we simply didn't believe we had (illness, disease, etc), we wouldn't have it anymore. He always adds some life to the party.

So, it's just another day here at the coffee house. It's quiet for now, because most students are in class. I'm going to miss this place.

A day in the life at HGCH

HGCH is Higher Grounds Coffee House, the coffee shop I'm working at in Antigua, Guatemala. Most days it is pretty mellow around here, but today we had some happenings! Haha...


Well, first of all, we had a customer come in who was concerned about a dog that was sitting outside the door. The dog had a deep gash in it's front leg and was obviously not doing well. She is a dog lover, and wanted to help. We weren't quite sure what to do as there are a lot of stray dogs running all over the place. We found a vet, but no one could really take responsibility for the dog long term, to care for the stitches and whatnot. Someone thought to call the tourist police, so one of the guys took off to find them. Then we found a number for an animal shelter and called them to see if they could help.


The poor dog was terrified and shaking. Someone had hacked at her with a machete, and that is how she got cut up. About the time the vet, the tourist police and a good crowd had gathered around, she figured she'd had enough and took off running down the street. So much for everyone trying to help!





Later a few of the guys who hang out here, Alex and Jhonatan, decided they'd have some fun making music videos in the back. Abner is the one videotaping. I love it when these guys come into the coffee shop and play guitar - it's my favorite part of the day! I would put up the video, but for some reason it is not uploading (wahhh).

Barriletes

On All Saints Day, many people in Latin America flock out to the cemetaries to visit the graves of their loved ones. They spend the day there, thinking of those who have passed on, having a picnic with the family. They decorate the grave sites with marigolds, candles and pine needles. I had learned in Mexico that the marigolds are thought to have some sort of mystical power that attracts the soul of the deceased.

Another thing they do here in Guatemala is celebrate the day with barriletes, which are kites. They believe that as they fly the kite high overhead, the spirit of the dead person is reached and comes down the string to visit the family. If you go out to the graveyard, you will see hundreds of kites flying overhead.

We figured this was a good opportunity to pray for people and to try to get some conversations going, so we headed out to Santiago, one of the biggest places where this goes on.

There were thousands and thousands of people! We took the bus into Santiago, and had to walk a little over a mile to the cemetary. The streets were packed with people making their way, with all sorts of stalls selling everything you can imagine to people. It was like a street fair. I had expected a sense of spirituality or solemnity, but there was none of this. Instead, it was more like going to the fair to see what was happening. I learned that while some people do still believe the things about the spirits, most go out to honor their loved ones and to celebrate a memorial day.

The kites were fantastic!! They were every size you can imagine, from tiny little ones only a few inches wide up to some that were over 60 feet across!! They are handmade with bamboo supports and tissue paper. I looked up close and saw that each peice of tissue paper is painstakingly cut out and glued together by hand - hundreds of hours of work! The designs are breathtaking and so very intricate.

As they would fly (or try to fly) them, kids would run through the crowds, trying to get up enough momentum to get the kite up into the air. It seemed strange to see people running and walking over grave sites! We eventually got over it and sat on some raised concrete sites ourselves, but it did feel very strange!

Sometimes the kites would go up, up, up and then just as quickly come down, down, down - right into the crowd! Then people would scream and run and babies would cry and everyone would laugh and whoop and holler. It was crazy!

In the end, we weren't able to get any conversations going with anyone, but we were able to have some good ones amongst ourselves about all of these traditions and how tradition can sometimes blind us to the lies that we are embracing. It was a good opportunity to pray for people and for this culture, where so many are decieved by their traditions.

Lava??

When I was younger, I definitely was one of those people who thought they were invincible. I always figured I was strong enough to save myself from just about any scrap I got into. Because of this mindset, I did a whole lot of things that were pretty stupid! I do not suffer from that delusion any longer.

Age has a way of humbling you and helping you to realize that, in fact, you can and will die. So, despite these misgivings, I agreed to take 3 teenage girls up a live volcano to look at hot lava and roast some marshmallows. That's right - we roasted marshmallows in the lava!

We thought this was Pacaya, but it wasn't....

What was I thinking?? Wow - it was hard! And we took horses most of the way! I remember horseback riding as something fun and comfortable - I remember wrong. My rear end and thighs were hurting! We climbed up most of the way, but had to walk once we got to the lava rock. It was really steep and unsteady and I stumbled and bumbled my way up, thinking the whole time "why am I doing this??"

Sierra, Alicia, Destiny and Dayna on our horses

Me wondering why on EARTH did I agree to this madness?

The view was incredible, and while we were up there, another volcano (Fuego) erupted and we were able to see it. The lava rock is fascinating - it is so light and yet very strong. As the lava flows down and cools, it breaks into smaller pieces, so the walking is extremely unstable. This was hard for me because I have a lot of problems with my ankles anyway, so I was holding on a lot. The rock is really, really sharp. As you get closer, the rocks get warmer and warmer and even get hot enough to melt your shoes.

We finally made it up and got up close the the lava, which was burning hot. We roasted some marshmallows and reveled in the beautiful day and the awesome view. Sierra stuck her stick into the lava and pulled a chunk of burning lava out, then poured water on it to cool it so she could bring it home. She was surprised that she had to actually push her stick into it pretty hard and that it wasn't smooshy, like she figured it would be.

Roasting marshmallows and relaxing

hot lava - don't touch!

We climbed back down, and got our horses for the ride down the volcano. The girls' were way ahead of me and were racing their horses when Destiny's horse bucked her off and dragged her a bit, stepping on her leg. She was a litle shook up, but none the worse for the wear. See what I mean about thinking you're invincible? Ah!!

We had a great time, although I don't know that I'll be doing it again any time soon!! I might have to practice a little more first! =D

Halloween

The Coffee Shop set up for the Halloween outreach

On Halloween night, we had a pretty cool outreach. We invited people to come to their own funeral. We began handing out flyers and invitations a few weeks before the big event, and then on Halloween night we "ran the devils" - you might wonder (as I did) what this means!!

Bailey, Sierra, Destiny and Alicia dressed up and ready to "run the devils"

Well, Sierra and the other kids dressed up as devils and demons and went out around the community to invite people to their own funeral. Sierra did so great - she pranced and jumped and snuck up on people, putting the invitation into their hands with a snear. Many people screamed and several ran away! One girl burst out crying at Bailey dressed as a demon.

Sierra handing out invitations to people

Bailey handing out invites

The idea behind the funeral was that people would hear the gospel message and die to their sin and be born again into new life.

At the coffee shop we had a fog machine making everything thick and smoky, with creepy music playing. All the lights were off and there were just a few candles sitting around. At the front we had an open coffin and candelabras on each side. If people looked into the coffin, they would look into a mirror and see themselves. Once the devils came back from handing out invites, we locked them into a cage, where they grabbed at people - symbolic of the enemy wanting to pull us down with him.

The devils in their cage

We started off by me giving my testimony. I spoke about how I had struggled with fear for so many years and how God rescued me from that. After, Mark shared with the people there about being dead in our sins, but the opportunity for new life. He did such a great job! He really comes alive when he shares God's truth.

Me sharing my testimony

We had about 30 people show up, and of those 14 people raised their hand at the end to receive salvation. It was awesome!! After, we prayed with people and got them information on how to connect into a church and then we had worship for the rest of the night.

It was definitely a different way to do things! However, the glory goes to God because people were drawn in to hear about Him and as a result, people were saved. The kids had fun, but more importantly they understood the gravity of what they were doing, and did it for God's glory and not their own excitement. Overall, I'd say it was pretty successful!

Worship