The weeks go on...

Another 2 weeks have passed and it feels like it’s been a month. Only 2 more months and I will be on my way into the nations, it will be here before I know it.
This week I got the amazing opportunity to share my heart on community outreach. I believe that there is more to this then just going to lectures and developing our relationships with Christ then in three months going and practicing what we got taught. Why don’t we put it into practice now? Why do we have to wait?
Acts 1:8>“But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses-in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.” When Jesus said this they were in Israel and He calls them to FIRST be witnesses in Jerusalem, right where they are. So i believe that we should first be witnesses where we are and here in Hawaii there are so many places where we can shine light and share love. Being the community outreach co-ordinator allows me to seek out opportunities in the community and become involved. Some of the different opportunities involve an after school program at the Salvation Army, Skate Night which involves kids and youth from the community coming to the University and having skate board jumps set up and just spending time skate boarding, building relationships and being in a healthy environment. Then there is going to Planned Parenthood and praying against abortions and talking to ladies that come to get them. My all time favourite is something called Meet ‘n’ Eat, a wonderful outreach to the Marshallese refugees. The Marshall Islands are located just southwest of Hawaii and some years back the U.S.A decided to test their nuclear weapons there creating somewhat of an issue for the Marshallese people. Since then they are allowed a free pass into America to live and most of them came to Hawaii. So even though they are living in America they are still living in poverty, in their little communities where most of them don’t speak English, go to school or have a job. So once a week they get a free meal that is donated by different places in the community and we get to be a part of it. Serve food, play games with kids, tell them about Jesus, and build relationships. It is a blessing to be a part of it and for sure something i look forward to!
Along with sharing on community outreach i also got to share my story, my journey of where God has taken me and how faithful he is. It is always a pleasure to share what God is doing and how He invites us to be a part of what He is doing on the earth.
Our speaker last week was Andy Byrd.
Wow.
Let’s just say he definitely stirs something up in your soul when he speaks. The passion he has and the excitement makes you want to go deeper with Jesus everyday. He spoke on Revival and Reformation. It all starts with the revival of our hearts, realization that Christ loves us and gaining a deeper understanding on what that love looks like. After we realize and receive that never ending love it causes a reformation of our life styles, a longing to change our lifestyles to get to know this love and this person of love.
It changes religion into relationship.
It makes us WANT to read our bibles, it makes us WANT to pray, it makes us WANT to go into the nations.
It is bringing the first commandment into the great commission.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength”
“Go and make disciples of all nations”
You can’t love your neighbour, or love anyone around you unless you have the love of God in you and filling you.
Basically we nee our eyes more open to love.
Greater knowledge of His love.
Then we can love others
Then we can transform nations
Then we can change the world.
Revival of the heart and reformation of the lifestyle can flow into revival of the church and reformation in the body, which can then in turn send a revival into the nations.....His Kingdom come!
So yes that was very powerful when he was speaking.
Our week this week was with two amazing brothers Tre & Trent Sheppard. They come from the east coast and Ireland and they spoke to all of the DTS’ together. Sometimes we have something called a “corporate week” where all the schools join together for a time of teaching together!
It was really fun and at the same time really challenging. They spoke a lot of the history of the Hebrews, the covenant and how that shows us our identity in this Kingdom. One of the major things they brought up was the story of Moses and how God used what was in his hand-a staff- to free all the Isrealites from captivity. A staff.....something so small that seems so useless yet God chose to use that. It was a great message that God can use whatever we have in our hands, no matter how small. Sometimes we seem to overlook the small yet significant things we can do because we are just looking for something BIG we can go for. If we are willing to give Him what we have in our hands then He can and WILL use that to set the captives free, cloth the homeless, feed the hungry, and give homes to the orphans.
Wow.
What is in your hand?
So that was a really great week of teaching that i know a lot of us will be thinking about for a while. Also something super cool that went on this week was announcing the outreach locations and the different teams.
The options are: London & South Africa, Mozambique & South Africa, Rwanda, Mal Dives & East India, Cambodia, and Colombia/Amazon
So what happened was the students came to class, we put the options on the board and then they had 20 minutes to go off on their own letting God speak to them and come back with two options. Then us as staff took them and prayer over them and put them into teams. It is so hard because sometimes the students don’t get their first choice or even any of their choices. But we know that God is good and that He has a plan for each student wherever they go.
I am taking a team of 9 students to Colombia/Amazon for 3 months. It will be very fun and for sure challenging at times. Going into the Amazon is no easy task, the heat alone will be something that we have to get used to, but we know this is where God is taking us, that He is the leader and because of our obedience it is going to be an amazing time.
I am so excited, i have wanted to go to the Amazon for a long time and it is amazing that Jesus is finally giving me this time there. Who knows....i might just stay there!!!
So with that said there are plane tickets to be bought, visas to be arranged along with some very expensive shots and some jungle supplies! We are planning on buying plane tickets within the next two weeks and the money has to be in next week.
If you want to be apart of this ministry and help out that would be amazing. Of course there is always a financial need, with missionaries there always is. But more importantly we need prayer, lots and lots of prayer. Prayer for safety is very important, let’s just say that the Amazon jungle is not the safest place you can go too, but we are under God’s hand so it IS the safest place we can be for this time. Also pray for health; disease and sickness are very prevalent in this area we are going to and I want to avoid that at all costs. But above all just pray for God’s heart to be imparted to us before we go, that we may be aware of the things of His heart and what He wants for the nation of Colombia and the people there.
Well that pretty much sums up the last two weeks minus some stories that are probably better untold. For instance we had a crazy manifestation of maggots in our kitchen last week.....yuck or the many people that have stepped on sea urchins and had to get peed on.
Good stuff!
Well i have a very fun job of feeding the pigs here on campus. There is about 14 of them and one little baby that i get the privilege of feeding the slops to each and every Sunday! It truly makes me have a better picture of the prodigal son; i can’t imagine eating that food!!
So i’m off to tend to the pigs.
Ta-ta for now!