Living a life dependent on the Lord is full of adventure! It is an exciting journey of seeing God's hand at work in every aspect of your daily life. I highly recommend it!
I mean, seriously...could I have ever guessed I'd end up living in Australia? No! However, the Lord led me to come and so here I am. He's led me to be here for a season, with the intention to build my "tool chest" and better prepare me for where we are going down the road.
We've been here 8 1/2 months already...and the Lord is teaching me so much. It just keeps going deeper and deeper. Revelation is an amazing thing. Sometimes it's the simplest truth, but it drops from your head to your heart and suddenly it's "yours"...you own it, it is cemented. God is so good that way. And as we move in obedience to His voice, He continues to pour out His Spirit over us and to bring further and deeper revelation of His character and His will (and the truth of who we are in Him). I love God's truth!
As I know now, my impression is that we will be here in Australia for about another 2 years...until October 2012. This is the sense I get from the Lord, but am continuing to pray into it for clarification, direction and timing.
So what happens after that? Well, one thing I know is that the Lord has put a very specific dream in my heart about reaching the unreached...going to the furthest reaches of the earth to share His love for His most precious creation - people. As I intimated in an earlier post, I think there will be an aspect of working with single moms as well. I trust God will work out the details as I continue to do His will and move the direction He leads.
This is the time to get really transparent with you...one big obstacle I know I face at this time with fulfilling this purpose in my life is my weight. Let's be honest...to get to the furthest reaches of the earth takes strength and endurance, which I am currently lacking in. This is an area where I could so use your prayer, support and encouragement, because I really want to find victory in this. Did you know I was a collegiate athlete? Yes, I was! So, I know it's in me to get back to that athletic, strong person.
So, yes, reaching the unreached. This is a dream I've had since I was a young girl, actually. When I was about 11 I had earned $25 for picking up one of my dad's work sites one weekend (hey - that was a lot of money back then in 1980!!). That night, on TV, there was a show about children starving in Ethiopia - it just broke my heart. I didn't know that kind of world existed outside of my comfortable life. I called the number on the screen and gave them my $25. I believe in that moment the Lord planted a vision in my heart to serve the poor and needy of the world. Even when I wasn't walking with the Lord, His purpose was still strong in my life and I pursued this dream in secular & humanistic ways. Isn't God amazing! He redeems His purposes!
The Perth base is doing a lot to reach the unreached, and there is wonderful training here to prepare people as they go out. I can see God's wisdom in bringing us here!
So, over the next 3-5 years, this is a bit of what I see happening...first of all, Sierra is graduating High School in about a year and a half. The word of the Lord to me at this time is to "finish the job well". My years as primary caregiver of my precious girl are quickly coming to an end and she will soon embark on her own journey, independent of mine. Wow, does that bring a quick tear to my eye or what!??! It's exhilarating and heartbreaking at the same time, as our babies spread their wings and fly! Oh, how I love my girl. I'm so thankful for how the Lord has made a way for us. So, I am staying focused on finishing my job well. Not that it *ever* finishes, I will always be her mom...but it's a new road on our adventure.
Second, I see that the Lord is continuing to prepare me for His good purposes...through the ministry I'm working with, through TESOL and also through a leadership course I will be part of over the next 2 years here in Perth.
That essentially will bring me to October 2012...and I am praying for God's wisdom. There is a ministry through YWAM, in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators and Campus Crusade for Christ (and a few other ministries) called One Story that I am really interested in being a part of. In a nutshell, we would go out in a small team to an unreached people group for 2 years and teach them the stories of the Bible in oral story form. Why? Many of the last people groups on earth that have not heard the gospel have no written language. They pass on their histories through oral story-telling. Over the 2 years, we would teach them 25-40 Bible stories as we live amongst them, coming out for further training every 4-6 months. Wycliffe is providing the on-going training and YWAM is providing the people to go. This just gets my blood pumping, because this is exactly the sort of thing I've always dreamed of doing!! Check it out at www.onestory.org.
That is the direction I am looking at right now, always continuing to lay it before the Lord and allowing Him to direct my path, and the timing of my steps. As I said, I am continuing to lay before the Lord the idea of working with single moms in a "village" sort of environment and seeing where that leads in the future and further down the road. I will not indulge these ideas here as I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but let me know if you're interested in hearing more! As I said, it is quite exciting to live for the Lord - never a dull moment! No, more like a lot of moments at the precipice of the roller coaster, about to go shuttling down at mock-10 speed into the unknown!
So, that is the third part of this little series, covering what I am doing in the next 3-5 years. Up next...perspectives on sharing my needs - outlining the big picture.
On another note, thought I'd share that I've completed 5 weeks of my TESOL course! It's been going really well and I'm enjoying it a lot. There has been a lot of homework, but I've actually liked that (how strange!). Next week is our final week of TESOL, and then I will be going into another 6 weeks of internship. There were 15 of us in the TESOL course, but only 3 of us will continue on to the internship.
Over the past 5 weeks we have learned so much! One of my favorite topics has been bringing the glory of the Lord into the classroom. Also, I feel like my heart for teaching has really been redeemed. I had been convinced that I was not a good teacher, but really just a good encourager. However, I can really see how I am a good teacher, too. God is good!
As we've been teaching in the city at two churches, I've come to love my students. They are mostly backpackers from various Asian countries - China, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, etc. They are so sweet and eager to learn. We've seen 5 come to know the Lord, and a few more who are *right on the edge*! As we've taught, we've found ways to weave God's word into our lessons. For example, in teaching on holidays, we focused on Christmas and Easter. It was amazing how many didn't know anything about the true reason we celebrate these holidays, and how thankful they were to learn about Jesus. As we build relationship with them, they have opened up and shared about their lives, their hopes and fears and wounded places...and it has given us great ability to speak truth and love into their lives. I love it!
Okay, well, that's all for now. God bless you abundantly as you go this week. You are in my thoughts and prayers!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
Things that keep me up at night...
How pathetic is this? The other night I was trying to fall asleep, but all I could think of were witticisms about language. I really am a nerd. Truly.
Okay, so, here's what I was thinking about...
The difference between "then" and "than" - people confuse them all the time!
"Then" generally refers to time. What will we do THEN? I went to town, THEN I came home.
"Than" is all about comparison. She is taller THAN him.
Okay, so another little note - A Lot...two words.
And finally - thinking about our little ways of writing the various noises we make...lol - wow, that sounds wierd! But...
Awwww - like the sound we ladies make when something is cute - like a baby or a puppy!
Ahhh - a sigh (of relief, of relaxation)
Uhhh - hesitation, confusion.
Okay - well, it's official - I'm a total nerd and I clearly missed my calling as an editor. It's all out in the open now.
My mind is clearly preparing for my TESOL course starting on Monday...TESOL is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I hear it's mega intense and has tons and tons of homework! I am excited, though...although I was never a good student as a young person, I have come to love learning. I'm excited about the doors this certificate will open!
Okay, so, here's what I was thinking about...
The difference between "then" and "than" - people confuse them all the time!
"Then" generally refers to time. What will we do THEN? I went to town, THEN I came home.
"Than" is all about comparison. She is taller THAN him.
Okay, so another little note - A Lot...two words.
And finally - thinking about our little ways of writing the various noises we make...lol - wow, that sounds wierd! But...
Awwww - like the sound we ladies make when something is cute - like a baby or a puppy!
Ahhh - a sigh (of relief, of relaxation)
Uhhh - hesitation, confusion.
Okay - well, it's official - I'm a total nerd and I clearly missed my calling as an editor. It's all out in the open now.
My mind is clearly preparing for my TESOL course starting on Monday...TESOL is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I hear it's mega intense and has tons and tons of homework! I am excited, though...although I was never a good student as a young person, I have come to love learning. I'm excited about the doors this certificate will open!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Part II - What YWAM Perth *does*
Last week I gave some idea of what it is I am doing here in Australia, and I promised that I would also give a quick sketch of what the bigger picture is of YWAM, and specifically of YWAM Perth. So....without further ado, let's go!
First of all, I'll briefly explain what YWAM is - although I think most people are somewhat familiar with it, so I'll make it quick. Youth With A Mission (YWAM) was founded 50 years ago with the idea that years of theological training did not necessarily qualify people to serve the Lord effectively, and should not be a requirement before encouraging young people to pass on the love of Christ through missions. At the time, this was considered a revolutionary concept. Over the last 40 years, YWAM has grown to more that 16,000 people serving in over 1,000 bases on every continent and in over 160 nations around the world with the mission to "know God and make Him known".
YWAM Perth was started 25 years ago with 10 people and has grown to be about 300 staff, plus hundreds of students coming through the wide variety of training programs each year. There are dozens of ministries operating from the base, both in Perth and throughout the world. I will focus today on some of the training programs, as well as some of the ministries we have going on.
The *culture* of the base is one of working hard as a family. And we do work hard...there are no scheduled days off during the year except for Christmas day, and even this we spend together! We eat 2 meals together a day, and the singles are squeezed in 10-12 people per house! Despite this, everyone seems to get along really well. One thing I have really appreciated about the family atmosphere is how inclusive and inviting everyone is - there really is a sense of family here. Corporately we have many times together each week (in addition to 2 meals per day)...worship on Mondays, intercession on Tuesday and Fridays, staff meeting on Wednesdays, evangelism on Thursdays, and Friday night meetings. Everyone spends the first 1/2 hour of the day working together to get the base cleaned up and we also have a lot of family times doing things like going to the beach or park, BBQ's, game nights, movies, etc. It is definitely a bit different than the way we do things back home! It hasn't always been an easy transition for me, but I am learning and growing each day.
So, let's start with the training programs - the primary "school" being the DTS (Discipleship Training School). This is the entry level school for anyone wanting to be involved with YWAM, or for those just wanting to set aside 6 months to really focus on who God is and get His heart for them and for the world. This is what YWAM is best known for.
There are also a multitude of 2nd and 3rd level schools. These schools are generally 3-12 months in length and train people in more specialized areas. Did you know you can actually earn your AA, BA, MA and PhD through YWAM? Yup!
So, there are a few dozen higher level schools here in Perth, covering topics like health care, counseling, biblical studies, education/youth & child ministries, media, frontier missions (unreached peoples), worship/music, community development, community transformation, etc. All in all, there are over 35 different schools offered each year with about 500 students coming in for training. Wow! That's a lot!
Moving on to the ministries here...I'll just focus on a few, but you can actually find out lots more (if you're just REALLY wanting to know all the details!!) at www.ywamperth.org.au - it's actually a great site!
So, basically, it is helpful to recognize that all YWAM ministries focus around 3 primary areas - evangelism (making God known), training and mercy ministries. Within these 3 areas, YWAM has identified 7 "spheres of influence" that they feel cover the various aspects of society - religion, government & law, arts & entertainment, education, busines, media, and family. Hopefully that helps give some perspective.
As you can imagine, much of what we do covers multiple "areas" and "spheres" - for example, my ministry - Pathway - would be both evangelistic and mercy ministry in scope, and covers different spheres such as religion, education, and family. Yeah? Yeah!
Okay, so here is a quick look at the ministries we have going on here in Perth, and a brief description of them...
100 Clinics - planting 100 mother-and-child health clinics in poor communities throughout the world where there is little to no health care. They train local people using *simple health care* teaching in areas like: how to deal with diarrhea, dehydration, nutrition, etc.
Ark International (Children at Risk) - we are "defending the rights of children at risk, restoring their dignity as children of God, and developing their God-given gifts" in this ministry. Who are children at risk? Kids who are impoverished, abused, neglected and worse.
Art Refuge - these ladies use art to connect with people and create a place for people to open up and talk. They work with abused women, homeless people, the elderly, and those in detention. Plus, they do a lot of teaching around the base and working with the different schools there.
Asia Impact - There are over 10,000 Asian-Buddhists in Perth, and we are very close to many Asian nations. These guys partner with Asian churches in the area and are reaching the Asian community for Christ.
Australian Relief and Mercy Services - Also knows as "ARMS", they work with families at risk for short periods helping in whatever way is needed - cleaning house, watching children, running errands, gardening, and just being there in tough times.
Backbone (Support Staff) - well, I guess this one speaks for itself, huh? These servant-hearted folks take care of those things like: property, vehicle maintenance, kitchen, accounts, hospitality, accommodation, etc.
Bible Education and Leadership Training - in partnership with Wycliffe, training church leaders in Nepal, the Congo and the Pacific leading toward community trasformation.
Boomerang Teams - this is the "short term" outreach opportunities for people to get a taste of missions - similar to what I did in Chico.
Children's Resource Centre - this ministry is based in Thailand and is a partnership with ARMS, ARK and Asia Impact offering counseling, education, and training for children at risk. They work in slums, with trafficked children and offer sports programs - the Nak Suu Tigers rugby academy.
Create International - they make movies and other media projects for cross cultural evangelism that are in the mother language and are culturally relevant to different people groups - similar to the "Jesus" films.
Faces 58 - their goal is to transform communities and to see the faces of the people change.
Island breeze - using dance, music and dramas from the Islands to share the gospel.
Justice for Women and Children - fairly self-explanatory, but focused primarily on women and children who have been trafficked into the sex trade.
Media - part of the "backbone" ministry, they put together all forms of media for the base; including print, internet and video - these guys are very talented!
Megacities - with a vision to transform large cities, they coordinate with churches in different cities and surrounding areas to pour into that city for a full year with hundreds of teams from our base, as well as other bases and ministries. The 2010 city focus is Mexico City. We will be focusing on London in 2012.
Mission Builders - these are short-termers who come and help out at the base for any amount of time from 1 week to 3 months. Looking to check out YWAM, or just want to come alongside and help in a variety of areas? This is a great place to do it!
Sports Ministry - using sports to connect with youth and communities in order to share the love of Christ.
Youth Ministries - working with youth in a variety of ways - through school presentations, discipleship, sports, camps, music, youth groups, etc.
Yeah, so this is just a snapshot of some of the things going on here! This past Friday night, we were given some statistics of what we have accomplished in the past 3 months...check it out!
- we have spent over 2,000 hours in prayer in JUST our prayer chain time...which, by the way, is a 24/7 prayer chain that has been going on for over 12 years now!
- over 100,000 hours of work and ministry have been completed - all of this being *volunteer* work, as no one is paid a salary.
- we have seen over 1,000 people come to the Lord!
Well, although there is so much more going on that I could talk about, I will end now. Some things just have to be experienced, don't you think?
First of all, I'll briefly explain what YWAM is - although I think most people are somewhat familiar with it, so I'll make it quick. Youth With A Mission (YWAM) was founded 50 years ago with the idea that years of theological training did not necessarily qualify people to serve the Lord effectively, and should not be a requirement before encouraging young people to pass on the love of Christ through missions. At the time, this was considered a revolutionary concept. Over the last 40 years, YWAM has grown to more that 16,000 people serving in over 1,000 bases on every continent and in over 160 nations around the world with the mission to "know God and make Him known".
YWAM Perth was started 25 years ago with 10 people and has grown to be about 300 staff, plus hundreds of students coming through the wide variety of training programs each year. There are dozens of ministries operating from the base, both in Perth and throughout the world. I will focus today on some of the training programs, as well as some of the ministries we have going on.
The *culture* of the base is one of working hard as a family. And we do work hard...there are no scheduled days off during the year except for Christmas day, and even this we spend together! We eat 2 meals together a day, and the singles are squeezed in 10-12 people per house! Despite this, everyone seems to get along really well. One thing I have really appreciated about the family atmosphere is how inclusive and inviting everyone is - there really is a sense of family here. Corporately we have many times together each week (in addition to 2 meals per day)...worship on Mondays, intercession on Tuesday and Fridays, staff meeting on Wednesdays, evangelism on Thursdays, and Friday night meetings. Everyone spends the first 1/2 hour of the day working together to get the base cleaned up and we also have a lot of family times doing things like going to the beach or park, BBQ's, game nights, movies, etc. It is definitely a bit different than the way we do things back home! It hasn't always been an easy transition for me, but I am learning and growing each day.
So, let's start with the training programs - the primary "school" being the DTS (Discipleship Training School). This is the entry level school for anyone wanting to be involved with YWAM, or for those just wanting to set aside 6 months to really focus on who God is and get His heart for them and for the world. This is what YWAM is best known for.
There are also a multitude of 2nd and 3rd level schools. These schools are generally 3-12 months in length and train people in more specialized areas. Did you know you can actually earn your AA, BA, MA and PhD through YWAM? Yup!
So, there are a few dozen higher level schools here in Perth, covering topics like health care, counseling, biblical studies, education/youth & child ministries, media, frontier missions (unreached peoples), worship/music, community development, community transformation, etc. All in all, there are over 35 different schools offered each year with about 500 students coming in for training. Wow! That's a lot!
Moving on to the ministries here...I'll just focus on a few, but you can actually find out lots more (if you're just REALLY wanting to know all the details!!) at www.ywamperth.org.au - it's actually a great site!
So, basically, it is helpful to recognize that all YWAM ministries focus around 3 primary areas - evangelism (making God known), training and mercy ministries. Within these 3 areas, YWAM has identified 7 "spheres of influence" that they feel cover the various aspects of society - religion, government & law, arts & entertainment, education, busines, media, and family. Hopefully that helps give some perspective.
As you can imagine, much of what we do covers multiple "areas" and "spheres" - for example, my ministry - Pathway - would be both evangelistic and mercy ministry in scope, and covers different spheres such as religion, education, and family. Yeah? Yeah!
Okay, so here is a quick look at the ministries we have going on here in Perth, and a brief description of them...
100 Clinics - planting 100 mother-and-child health clinics in poor communities throughout the world where there is little to no health care. They train local people using *simple health care* teaching in areas like: how to deal with diarrhea, dehydration, nutrition, etc.
Ark International (Children at Risk) - we are "defending the rights of children at risk, restoring their dignity as children of God, and developing their God-given gifts" in this ministry. Who are children at risk? Kids who are impoverished, abused, neglected and worse.
Art Refuge - these ladies use art to connect with people and create a place for people to open up and talk. They work with abused women, homeless people, the elderly, and those in detention. Plus, they do a lot of teaching around the base and working with the different schools there.
Asia Impact - There are over 10,000 Asian-Buddhists in Perth, and we are very close to many Asian nations. These guys partner with Asian churches in the area and are reaching the Asian community for Christ.
Australian Relief and Mercy Services - Also knows as "ARMS", they work with families at risk for short periods helping in whatever way is needed - cleaning house, watching children, running errands, gardening, and just being there in tough times.
Backbone (Support Staff) - well, I guess this one speaks for itself, huh? These servant-hearted folks take care of those things like: property, vehicle maintenance, kitchen, accounts, hospitality, accommodation, etc.
Bible Education and Leadership Training - in partnership with Wycliffe, training church leaders in Nepal, the Congo and the Pacific leading toward community trasformation.
Boomerang Teams - this is the "short term" outreach opportunities for people to get a taste of missions - similar to what I did in Chico.
Children's Resource Centre - this ministry is based in Thailand and is a partnership with ARMS, ARK and Asia Impact offering counseling, education, and training for children at risk. They work in slums, with trafficked children and offer sports programs - the Nak Suu Tigers rugby academy.
Create International - they make movies and other media projects for cross cultural evangelism that are in the mother language and are culturally relevant to different people groups - similar to the "Jesus" films.
Faces 58 - their goal is to transform communities and to see the faces of the people change.
Island breeze - using dance, music and dramas from the Islands to share the gospel.
Justice for Women and Children - fairly self-explanatory, but focused primarily on women and children who have been trafficked into the sex trade.
Media - part of the "backbone" ministry, they put together all forms of media for the base; including print, internet and video - these guys are very talented!
Megacities - with a vision to transform large cities, they coordinate with churches in different cities and surrounding areas to pour into that city for a full year with hundreds of teams from our base, as well as other bases and ministries. The 2010 city focus is Mexico City. We will be focusing on London in 2012.
Mission Builders - these are short-termers who come and help out at the base for any amount of time from 1 week to 3 months. Looking to check out YWAM, or just want to come alongside and help in a variety of areas? This is a great place to do it!
Sports Ministry - using sports to connect with youth and communities in order to share the love of Christ.
Youth Ministries - working with youth in a variety of ways - through school presentations, discipleship, sports, camps, music, youth groups, etc.
Yeah, so this is just a snapshot of some of the things going on here! This past Friday night, we were given some statistics of what we have accomplished in the past 3 months...check it out!
- we have spent over 2,000 hours in prayer in JUST our prayer chain time...which, by the way, is a 24/7 prayer chain that has been going on for over 12 years now!
- over 100,000 hours of work and ministry have been completed - all of this being *volunteer* work, as no one is paid a salary.
- we have seen over 1,000 people come to the Lord!
Well, although there is so much more going on that I could talk about, I will end now. Some things just have to be experienced, don't you think?
Sunday, June 06, 2010
"What is it you *DO* exactly???"
I get this question a lot, and I have to admit - it's a hard one. Not because I'm not doing much, but because what I'm doing is vast and huge and has many implications. Not only that, but I'm only a part of the whole, which is doing even more and is even that much more intricate and vast. Where to start? How to put it into a short blurb so you don't see the ol' eyes glaze over, yet offers enough information to adequately cover the question? Ah yes, that is the trick!
Importantly, and legitimately, I need to clearly communicate what I'm doing. After all, I'm asking people to support me and the work the Lord has called me to! So, I have decided to do a multi-part series that covers this question, as well as the following...what YWAM Perth is doing, my vision and plans for the next 3-5 years (and beyond), perspectives on sharing my needs – outlining the big picture, scripture study on giving to missions and missionaries, a discussion on the standard of living for missionaries, and why I’m in it for the long haul (and what that means).
By they way...did you know that you can receive email notification when I update my blog? It's true! And it's easy! Take a look up at the top of this page - no, not that far up....yeah - there! See in the upper left hand area where the word "follow" is? Just click on it, and put in your email address. Yup - it's that easy.
Okay then - let's get to it. So what is it I *do* exactly?
You probably already know that the ministry I am working with is called "Pathway". The short of it is that we are working with refugees and immigrants as they come to Australia, helping them in a variety of ways as they integrate into this new society. What that means on a daily basis is that I go out and meet with families to help them with practical things like: English, cooking, parenting, driving, navigating the bus system, going to the doctor, explaining bills, budgeting, etc.
Just who are these refugees, you ask? For the most part, they come from "unreached" people groups - meaning people who come from nations where Christianity is restricted or illegal and there is no viable church and less than 2% of the population are Christian. They are brought to Australia because their own country is so unsafe for them - due to war, famine, political unrest, and dire personal threat (of imprisonment, torture and death). They have seen and endured things no human should ever know about. They come primarily from the Middle East, Northern Africa and Central & Southeast Asia. Most are Muslim, although some are Hindu, Buddhist and even a few are Christian.
Most of the time, I am invited to come in to their homes to help them learn English. Although refugees are eligible to receive English training, many young moms are unable to go since they don't drive and have no one to watch after their children. They remain completely isolated. We meet these ladies in many different ways - door knocking, in the mall, on the bus, through social service agencies, word-of-mouth, etc. We make our home visits in pairs, at least until we know a person well. Although we start off with English, it quickly develops into many other areas. Since these women tend to be young moms with small children, one of my favorite ways of working with them is to come alongside them as a mother would and help them in their parenting.
So, as I said, most every day we are heading out to meet with different ladies - two or three per day. Some we meet with weekly, others fortnightly and still others occasionally. This is in addition to the various things happening at the base, such as Monday morning worship, Tuesday & Friday morning intercession, Wednesday afternoon staff meetings, Thursday night evangelism and Friday night meetings!
We are going to be starting to work in the detention centers next month, as well as partnering with local social servce agencies to serve the refugee community. Right now we have two free English classes per week, and will be expanding on that - at the Migrant Resource Center and also at the detention center. When refugees first get here, they spend from several months to a few years in detention while their background is checked out, and so we will be working with the people there. We are also starting to work with the Immigration department, to be the "first contact" for people - picking them up at the airport, and working closely with them for the first 6 weeks they are in the country in finding housing, work, furnishings, getting settled in, etc. All of this with only 2 of us full-time in the department!! We also have another person who is with us 6 months of the year and one more who is with us about 1/2 time as well.
You may be wondering about the spiritual aspect of what we are doing with these ladies. Most of my English lessons are centered around what I would term "Kingdom principles", meaning we talk about unconditional love, guilt and shame, forgiveness, etc. All of this is intended to get the ladies thinking about the bigger picture and how they fit into it, and leading up to deeper discussions of who God is, who Jesus is and what the Bible says. Since almost all of them are Muslim, they already believe in one supreme God, and they respect Jesus as a prophet - but they have been given some gross misinterpretations of who He is. For example, they have been told that Jesus didn't actually die on the cross, that he was switched with Judas at the last minute, but no one realized it because they looked similar. In much of this, only the Lord can reveal the truth to their hearts, so a lot of our preparation is spent in prayer, prayer and more prayer, seeking the Lord for His help and strategies.
We also regularly pray with the ladies, and they are very open to this. We are handing out Bibles in peoples' native languages and doing all we can to introduce them to the God who loves them personally and profoundly. Additionally, we have some videos we watch & discuss with them such as the Jesus film, More Than Dreams (this is a major way God is reaching Muslims right now...we Christians aren't going to them, so He is sending His Spirit in their dreams!!), and others like it - they are in the native languages of the people we work with (a lot of them are made by a YWAM Perth ministry called CREATE International).
The Muslim community is considered "resistant" to the gospel, and the reasons for this are deep and complicated. However, we have seen some good fruit in our ministry. One family of siblings are very interested in accepting Jesus as Lord. One of the brothers already has, and the other two meet with us regularly with lots of questions. This is not a quick process, and you have to be willing to walk alongside people throughout it. There are two young men who recently were saved and baptized and are so excited about the Lord. Many others are hungry and eager to learn more. We've seen several who have received instant healing after we've prayed for them - from migraines, back pain, for work. It all works together!
Well, this is a snapshot of what I'm doing here...I feel like I could go on, because there is so much more, but I'll end here! In July I'll be taking a course to earn a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which will take 3 months. This will not only help in what I'm doing currently, but will also help as I move forward into other countries to minister, as ESL is always in high demand.
As I mentioned before, I'm going to be putting out a little multi-part series to address several topics...I expect to get one out per week or so - I'd love your feedback! Thanks and God bless you!
Importantly, and legitimately, I need to clearly communicate what I'm doing. After all, I'm asking people to support me and the work the Lord has called me to! So, I have decided to do a multi-part series that covers this question, as well as the following...what YWAM Perth is doing, my vision and plans for the next 3-5 years (and beyond), perspectives on sharing my needs – outlining the big picture, scripture study on giving to missions and missionaries, a discussion on the standard of living for missionaries, and why I’m in it for the long haul (and what that means).
By they way...did you know that you can receive email notification when I update my blog? It's true! And it's easy! Take a look up at the top of this page - no, not that far up....yeah - there! See in the upper left hand area where the word "follow" is? Just click on it, and put in your email address. Yup - it's that easy.
Okay then - let's get to it. So what is it I *do* exactly?
You probably already know that the ministry I am working with is called "Pathway". The short of it is that we are working with refugees and immigrants as they come to Australia, helping them in a variety of ways as they integrate into this new society. What that means on a daily basis is that I go out and meet with families to help them with practical things like: English, cooking, parenting, driving, navigating the bus system, going to the doctor, explaining bills, budgeting, etc.
Just who are these refugees, you ask? For the most part, they come from "unreached" people groups - meaning people who come from nations where Christianity is restricted or illegal and there is no viable church and less than 2% of the population are Christian. They are brought to Australia because their own country is so unsafe for them - due to war, famine, political unrest, and dire personal threat (of imprisonment, torture and death). They have seen and endured things no human should ever know about. They come primarily from the Middle East, Northern Africa and Central & Southeast Asia. Most are Muslim, although some are Hindu, Buddhist and even a few are Christian.
Most of the time, I am invited to come in to their homes to help them learn English. Although refugees are eligible to receive English training, many young moms are unable to go since they don't drive and have no one to watch after their children. They remain completely isolated. We meet these ladies in many different ways - door knocking, in the mall, on the bus, through social service agencies, word-of-mouth, etc. We make our home visits in pairs, at least until we know a person well. Although we start off with English, it quickly develops into many other areas. Since these women tend to be young moms with small children, one of my favorite ways of working with them is to come alongside them as a mother would and help them in their parenting.
So, as I said, most every day we are heading out to meet with different ladies - two or three per day. Some we meet with weekly, others fortnightly and still others occasionally. This is in addition to the various things happening at the base, such as Monday morning worship, Tuesday & Friday morning intercession, Wednesday afternoon staff meetings, Thursday night evangelism and Friday night meetings!
We are going to be starting to work in the detention centers next month, as well as partnering with local social servce agencies to serve the refugee community. Right now we have two free English classes per week, and will be expanding on that - at the Migrant Resource Center and also at the detention center. When refugees first get here, they spend from several months to a few years in detention while their background is checked out, and so we will be working with the people there. We are also starting to work with the Immigration department, to be the "first contact" for people - picking them up at the airport, and working closely with them for the first 6 weeks they are in the country in finding housing, work, furnishings, getting settled in, etc. All of this with only 2 of us full-time in the department!! We also have another person who is with us 6 months of the year and one more who is with us about 1/2 time as well.
You may be wondering about the spiritual aspect of what we are doing with these ladies. Most of my English lessons are centered around what I would term "Kingdom principles", meaning we talk about unconditional love, guilt and shame, forgiveness, etc. All of this is intended to get the ladies thinking about the bigger picture and how they fit into it, and leading up to deeper discussions of who God is, who Jesus is and what the Bible says. Since almost all of them are Muslim, they already believe in one supreme God, and they respect Jesus as a prophet - but they have been given some gross misinterpretations of who He is. For example, they have been told that Jesus didn't actually die on the cross, that he was switched with Judas at the last minute, but no one realized it because they looked similar. In much of this, only the Lord can reveal the truth to their hearts, so a lot of our preparation is spent in prayer, prayer and more prayer, seeking the Lord for His help and strategies.
We also regularly pray with the ladies, and they are very open to this. We are handing out Bibles in peoples' native languages and doing all we can to introduce them to the God who loves them personally and profoundly. Additionally, we have some videos we watch & discuss with them such as the Jesus film, More Than Dreams (this is a major way God is reaching Muslims right now...we Christians aren't going to them, so He is sending His Spirit in their dreams!!), and others like it - they are in the native languages of the people we work with (a lot of them are made by a YWAM Perth ministry called CREATE International).
The Muslim community is considered "resistant" to the gospel, and the reasons for this are deep and complicated. However, we have seen some good fruit in our ministry. One family of siblings are very interested in accepting Jesus as Lord. One of the brothers already has, and the other two meet with us regularly with lots of questions. This is not a quick process, and you have to be willing to walk alongside people throughout it. There are two young men who recently were saved and baptized and are so excited about the Lord. Many others are hungry and eager to learn more. We've seen several who have received instant healing after we've prayed for them - from migraines, back pain, for work. It all works together!
Well, this is a snapshot of what I'm doing here...I feel like I could go on, because there is so much more, but I'll end here! In July I'll be taking a course to earn a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which will take 3 months. This will not only help in what I'm doing currently, but will also help as I move forward into other countries to minister, as ESL is always in high demand.
As I mentioned before, I'm going to be putting out a little multi-part series to address several topics...I expect to get one out per week or so - I'd love your feedback! Thanks and God bless you!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Mild Meanderings of the Mind
I'm thinking maybe I should write a book about my life...it's been pretty interesting, really. Shocking at times. I don't know that people would believe some of the things that I've been through. Hmmm...maybe it would be a way to earn some additional support.
Speaking of support, I've realized I'm at approximately 50% of what I need to be at. That is not good. I have sufficient funds for my monthly expenses if I'm careful, but not enough to plan for the future. Currently, the future includes: Sierra's senior year in school, going home to visit in June 2011, renewing our visas (and Sierra's passport), medical insurance renewal, etc. So, I'm open to creative and clever ideas to increase my support base! Any ideas?
So I've started getting back to my hippie days a bit...okay, not really, but in a way! I was always fascinated by all-natural things and by home remedies, organic foods, gardening, etc. For the past year or so I've been making a point to eat more "whole" foods - sometimes called "clean" foods - basically, things as close to their natural state as possible. And, lately I've also been making things from scratch a lot more and not having much processed food. I'm really enjoying it and it's igniting a desire in me to learn about gardening! There is a store here called Kakula's in which they sell tons of bulk whole foods...ie - several different types of flour, or herbs, or whatever - and you can buy as much or as little as you like. It's basically like a natural foods store from back home. I really like it.
It makes me think of what I used to dream of when I was a little girl...I had visions of living on a farm, with lots of children, and animals. It eventually grew to be orphaned and foster children that were on that farm. Now I'd like to see moms, too...learning about parenting, nutrition, work skills, being discipled in their faith. I've picked up and laid down this idea a hundred times in the past. Recently, a friend and I were talking and found out that we have the same exact dream, down to every detail. Hmmm...where are you taking this, Lord?
I simply cannot believe Sierra will be 16 this month. Is it even possible that I am old enough to have a 16 year old daughter? And not only that, but a daughter who graduates High School in a year and a half? Impossible, I say! I'm absolutely in mourning about her growing up and over the fact that I don't have more children. I feel like I still have so much more "mothering" in me. I definitely want more children...is that weird?
Well, I s'pose that's all for now...maybe I'll meander on a bit more another time....night y'all!
Speaking of support, I've realized I'm at approximately 50% of what I need to be at. That is not good. I have sufficient funds for my monthly expenses if I'm careful, but not enough to plan for the future. Currently, the future includes: Sierra's senior year in school, going home to visit in June 2011, renewing our visas (and Sierra's passport), medical insurance renewal, etc. So, I'm open to creative and clever ideas to increase my support base! Any ideas?
So I've started getting back to my hippie days a bit...okay, not really, but in a way! I was always fascinated by all-natural things and by home remedies, organic foods, gardening, etc. For the past year or so I've been making a point to eat more "whole" foods - sometimes called "clean" foods - basically, things as close to their natural state as possible. And, lately I've also been making things from scratch a lot more and not having much processed food. I'm really enjoying it and it's igniting a desire in me to learn about gardening! There is a store here called Kakula's in which they sell tons of bulk whole foods...ie - several different types of flour, or herbs, or whatever - and you can buy as much or as little as you like. It's basically like a natural foods store from back home. I really like it.
It makes me think of what I used to dream of when I was a little girl...I had visions of living on a farm, with lots of children, and animals. It eventually grew to be orphaned and foster children that were on that farm. Now I'd like to see moms, too...learning about parenting, nutrition, work skills, being discipled in their faith. I've picked up and laid down this idea a hundred times in the past. Recently, a friend and I were talking and found out that we have the same exact dream, down to every detail. Hmmm...where are you taking this, Lord?
I simply cannot believe Sierra will be 16 this month. Is it even possible that I am old enough to have a 16 year old daughter? And not only that, but a daughter who graduates High School in a year and a half? Impossible, I say! I'm absolutely in mourning about her growing up and over the fact that I don't have more children. I feel like I still have so much more "mothering" in me. I definitely want more children...is that weird?
Well, I s'pose that's all for now...maybe I'll meander on a bit more another time....night y'all!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Open Heart Surgery
The past few Mondays I've had outpatient heart surgery. No, no - please don't panic! This is a good thing! My surgeon is the best - some call Him Yahweh, others Jehovah - I mostly call Him "Father".
It's amazing how God knows those little things that have been left behind, little wounds that have mostly healed, but still need a bit of attention. Things that might be easy to overlook, justify away, ignore...until they become infected and spread their cancerous growth of bitterness, fear, pride, envy. But God is a faithful and skilled surgeon..."For the wordof God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
What I am about to share is very difficult, and quite graphic...it may be hard to read, but I felt that by sharing it, I can share God's faithfulness with you.
The first Monday I had surgery, we were together as a base, worshipping the Lord as we do every Monday morning. It was a wonderful time of worship and intercession, and we were fighting together for the breakthrough in finances needed by many of our students and staff. The air was electric and the energy was high. Suddenly, without warning or any discernible reason, I was transported in my mind to another time and place. Six weeks into my second marriage, and my face, neck and chest were scalded from the hot coffee that had just been thrown on me. My husband was on top of me, choking me with one hand and the other cocked back in a fist aimed for my face. I had already ducked out of the way of the first punch, which ended with a broken hand for him. As I lay there, helpless, I did the only thing that came to my mind to do...I gave up. I played dead. I completely surrendered. Literally, I let every muscle in my body go limp and waited to see what came next.
As this scene went through my mind, I began weeping. "This is all in the past - I've dealt with this and moved on! God, why are You bringing this up again?"
Gently, with the grace and love only God can have, He showed me how this one incident had robbed me of my will to fight, to stand up for myself, to look the enemy in the face and say "enough!" Instead, I had become complacent in the face of difficulty and conflict - passive. God wanted to restore that, to restore me to wholeness. Tough when I need to be tough, gentle when I need to be gentle...able to stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13).
"Forgive me, Lord, forgive my passivity and complacency. Teach me and restore me! And God, I forgive him...again." How faithful is He who is more concerned about our hearts than our works, for we know that, "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
It's amazing how God knows those little things that have been left behind, little wounds that have mostly healed, but still need a bit of attention. Things that might be easy to overlook, justify away, ignore...until they become infected and spread their cancerous growth of bitterness, fear, pride, envy. But God is a faithful and skilled surgeon..."For the wordof God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
What I am about to share is very difficult, and quite graphic...it may be hard to read, but I felt that by sharing it, I can share God's faithfulness with you.
The first Monday I had surgery, we were together as a base, worshipping the Lord as we do every Monday morning. It was a wonderful time of worship and intercession, and we were fighting together for the breakthrough in finances needed by many of our students and staff. The air was electric and the energy was high. Suddenly, without warning or any discernible reason, I was transported in my mind to another time and place. Six weeks into my second marriage, and my face, neck and chest were scalded from the hot coffee that had just been thrown on me. My husband was on top of me, choking me with one hand and the other cocked back in a fist aimed for my face. I had already ducked out of the way of the first punch, which ended with a broken hand for him. As I lay there, helpless, I did the only thing that came to my mind to do...I gave up. I played dead. I completely surrendered. Literally, I let every muscle in my body go limp and waited to see what came next.
As this scene went through my mind, I began weeping. "This is all in the past - I've dealt with this and moved on! God, why are You bringing this up again?"
Gently, with the grace and love only God can have, He showed me how this one incident had robbed me of my will to fight, to stand up for myself, to look the enemy in the face and say "enough!" Instead, I had become complacent in the face of difficulty and conflict - passive. God wanted to restore that, to restore me to wholeness. Tough when I need to be tough, gentle when I need to be gentle...able to stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13).
"Forgive me, Lord, forgive my passivity and complacency. Teach me and restore me! And God, I forgive him...again." How faithful is He who is more concerned about our hearts than our works, for we know that, "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Thursday, February 18, 2010
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!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
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
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
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....
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This is the view of the city from our 3rd floor flat...it's really pretty!.jpg)
Sierra helped to make these "chandaliers" for Christmas decorations.This is the main auditorium.
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Sierra also helped to make and frost a few hundred cookies...aren't they pretty?.jpg)
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.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
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....
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!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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?
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!
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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 +of+DSC_0108.jpg)
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 sp
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end 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!+of+DSC_0075.jpg)
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!
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!
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