Thank You!!

I have to start this post off with a reminder from the book of Philippians: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (4:19). At the beginning of this season, I informed you about a new adventure God was calling me to embark on, and I asked you to be a part of it with me. Now, I’m on the other end of the journey, praising God for His abundant provision and celebrating His great faithfulness. Will you rejoice with me?!

I want to genuinely thank you for partnering with me financially and/or through prayer as I took a leap of faith to obey God and participate in a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I felt this was what the Lord had in mind for me, and He confirmed several times that I was right where He wanted me. I believe that receiving all of my funding was just one example of me being aligned with His will. But not only did I need the practical components fulfilled, I needed prayer to make it through this time. One of the many things I learned throughout this experience is that prayer is POWERFUL—God listens and responds. Because of your faithfulness, you get to participate in the joy of seeing answered prayer! I hope your faith is encouraged.

It is difficult to even attempt to put into words what I have learned and experienced during these last six months, but I want to try to articulate a few highlights for you. The lecture phase of the DTS was jam packed with teachings on different faith topics from speakers around the world. They say that during the lecture phase, you receive an equivalent of five years of teaching from church sermons! So, as you can imagine, my head was spinning those first 10 weeks. I enjoyed learning about everything from Discipleship, to the Nature and Character of God, to Forgiveness, to Freedom in Christ, to Biblical Worldview—and the list goes on! If I could sum up this phase of the experience, I would say that the Lord opened my eyes to see that I have a unique maker, and I am uniquely made. Learning more about God’s characteristics revealed more about who He originally designed me to be. Along with that, I worked through discovering what things in my life hold me back from living out God’s purposes, and how I can overcome those strongholds. My favorite aspect of the lecture phase was getting to know and live with 26 people from 14 different nations. This experience broadened my view of the world and exposed me to the wonderful diversity of God’s people. According to the feedback we received, our DTS got along unusually well and found it very easy to bond as a whole group. I was so blessed by the people I met, and I look forward to maintaining those relationships (not just because I now have travel contacts in several countries :) ).

The outreach phase provided a practical opportunity to live out my faith and apply everything I had been learning during lectures. Here are some statistics to sum up this time: 8 nations represented by 12 people, 8 flights, 50 hours overall on buses, 12 (baby) earthquakes, and 5 days camping in tents next to the Andes Mountains! As you can probably tell, this was an amazing time full of excitement, joy, challenges, growth, and adventure. Seeing the world, I experienced God through the beauty of His creation. Living closely with 11 others, I learned more about myself and developed my character. Trusting God, I stepped out of my comfort zone and saw Him move in mighty ways. I experienced “outreach” in a missions context and walked away feeling challenged to reach out in my everyday life.

Coming home has been bittersweet. It was hard to say goodbye to my friends and to close this chapter in my life. It was such a unique, intense experience that I will never be able to relive. However, I got to come home to eager friends and family who are so supportive and are eager to hear about my time—and I’ve been excited to catch up on the last six months that I’ve missed of their lives! As it says in the book of Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (3:1). Throughout my time with YWAM, I understood more and more that God’s ways are so much better than my own and His plan for my life is perfect. He had this season in mind for me, and now I look ahead with excitement to what God has up His sleeves for my future. I fully trust that He knows exactly where I need to go to do exactly what He has created me to do.

Again I want to THANK YOU for your support. I love that God has created us to be relational people, and without each other, we couldn’t do much of anything. You’ve inspired me to give in faith and obedience to God, and to witness the abundant blessings that come as a result of our giving. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).