So I thought I'd give a brief update for all of you who feel like I've fallen off the face of the planet in the past several weeks. I didn't really fall off the face of the planet, just to reassure you. This summer I've been involved with a summer discipleship school through my church, City Central. My days have been filled with amazing teaching, worship, outreach, and time with this new family God has put together.
Some challenging parts:
*The multiple treasure hunts we've done: No matter how many times you do it, fear is still going to come when you decide to take a chance and speak to a complete stranger about God.
*Sozo camp: The weekend before camp started, we were told we were going to Youth for Christ's summer camp for their urban outreach program. My comfort zone was someplace 100 miles away that week. I often felt like I had nothing to offer, and the entire week was exhausting and challenging.
*Busy weeks: Not a lot of free time= coffee is my friend.
*Restoration: God's been asking me to trust Him in new areas, to let go of things I've been holding onto, and to take a stand against the enemy's attacks. It's been hard.
*Money: Trusting God with money is something I thought I had down before this summer. haha Now I get to trust Him to provide for a mission trip AND to provide for my daily needs. Suddenly I'm not as perfect at trusting Him as I thought I was.
The awesome parts:
*The multiple treasure hunts we've done: God always comes through on these. Taking such bold steps has a way of building your faith so much. And it's so good to see God reach others through simple acts of faith and obedience.
*Sozo camp: We saw gang members turn their lives around! We all got to form prayer teams and minister to each kid! We saw kids set free! It was incredible. And in the middle of it all, God decided to break me free from a lot of bondage, showing me that it's not about the forms and formulas, but it's about seeking the Person of Jesus Christ.
*Busy weeks: I'm doing so much this summer! I've had the opportunity to hear incredible speakers like Adam Narciso, Darrin Miller, Pete Mahoney, Mark Anderson, Danny Lehman, and Joel Sorge, among others. I've had family dinners with all the other students. I've gone to a Mariners game. I've had amazing times in prayer, feeling released in that area like I never have before. I've been able to spend time with four beautiful children whom I've had the pleasure of living with, along with their awesome mom and dad. I've played soccer, ultimate, and wiffle ball. It's been great.
*Restoration: God has brought me incredible amounts of freedom the past few weeks. He's dealt with shame, injustices, religion, and fear, to name a few areas. I've been able to dance, lead a song of prophetic worship, and pray in new amounts of authority and zeal, all things I simply wasn't able to do before the summer started. It's been so good.
*Money: One day I found $200 lying in my Bible, with "In God We Trust" circled several times, and 1 Peter 5:7 underlined: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." On the 4th of July, late that night, I and a couple other people decided to throw a bake sale at church the next day. In less than 24 hours we pulled it together, and ended up raising $2,316. You don't raise that much money in bake sales! It was COMPLETELY God! He has pulled through so much lately, I'm so blessed.
So, on July 29th our team is leaving for Capetown, South Africa. We'll be teaming up with YWAM Perth for three weeks, helping in whatever areas of ministry we can. We'll probably end up playing soccer, performing skits, and doing other forms of street evangelism. While God has provided so much, our team still needs several thousand dollars. I'd love for each one of you to:
1.) Pray that God continues to provide for us, work out the details, and prepare us for whatever He wants us to do in South Africa.
2.) Pray about whether God would want you to donate to our team. If you feel led to do so, contact me via facebook or phone and I will let you know how to make a tax-deductible donation.
3.) Pray for us some more! I still need to raise $775 personally, and I also need to buy a few random items for outreach, and borrow/buy a hiking backpack or duffel bag (something I can easily carry all my stuff in for up to 2 miles every day). If you have any advice or if you have a bag I can borrow, I would love to know!
Thank you all so much for all your support. I love each one of you, and I can't wait to update you more on my life and all the exciting things God is doing!
