The Presence of the Lord... Homeless Shelter!

Last night was... too many things to put into words. 

I and a group of about 6 other missionaries went to a homeless shelter here in the city. This homeless shelter was amazing... people line up outside of this government funded shelter each afternoon. They receive a number... women and elders are accepted first. The shelter accepts 102 people each night. When the people enter, they shower, get clean pajamas, and are assigned to a room. In the rooms there are bunk beds, sheets, pillows... it is such a clean place. 

We went to help serve dinner and to minister to these people. (Starting next week, we are going to take all of the left over food from the base to donate to the shelter).

I know most people have horrible thoughts about the homeless, thinking that they are just lazy or bad people.... nothing is further from the truth. 

The others were serving dinner and I felt like God was leading me to go talk to the women who were waiting to eat (they eat by room number so that there are not too many people eating at the same time). I went into room number 15 which was occupied only by women. 

I walked into the room and the 6 women in there sat up in their beds. They were beautiful. They exchanged glances and then one finally asked, “Are you an angle”? (I assumed it was because I was blonde). They then began to tell me that I was gorgeous... but the reason they asked that was because they felt the presence of the Lord with me. They all had goose bumps. I was immediately awestruck with God’s awesome-ness.... He promises to go with us; but these women could feel it and smell it. Wow... God is good.

I began to talk with the women who immediately opened up to me. It was obvious that they were desperate to talk to someone. Two of them told me that they had been praying so hard lately and then God sent himself through me. I was just so amazed at how good God is even in the small things. We had prayed earlier this week about where to go to do ministry that night, and God had told us to go there. 

They all told me that they were struggling with ‘deep, profound’ sadness. My heart turned inside of me. 

Dayana, 33 years old, was absolutely gorgeous. We began to talk and she just poured everything out... she had been waiting for a moment such as this for 13 years she told me.... wow God. She left her house when she was 13 when her father tried to kill her (he was a violent alcoholic). She had nowhere to go and thus began her long journey. She lived with one family for a while but the man was very violent as well; she showed me her ear which had been split all the way in half from his abuse. She had four children who were living with her ex-husband. I’m not sure what happened with her ex-husband, but it was extremely traumatic. She was desperate now... living on the streets. When she first went onto the streets, it was because of alcohol. Alcohol had been her way to escape the pain, but had cost her everything. She has now been sober for 8 months... and just found out that she is pregnant. My mind was screaming, these are the people Jesus came to save!!!!  She was desperate... in need of a savior. She knew God and she knew Jesus, but just had wandered off. 

I began to intercede in prayer in my spirit, and then God took over. Things began to come out of my mouth that I didn’t even know, as tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t believe that I knew those things about her life, which I didn’t, but God sure did. We talked for hours. I spoke words of truth to her, encouraged her, and declared words of God over her life. Words of truth. And I truly do believe in Dayana. I could feel God’s heart for her.... He gave me an image of her sitting on the street alone and scared; and he had a string tied to her heart, tugging and pulling her closer. He obviously didn’t cause this situation, but was determined to use it to draw her close (even so determined that he sent us there to minister to her). He wanted her heart so desperately, just like he wants all of our hearts. 

I began to pray for her... but before I warned her that I couldn’t pray in Spanish very well because my spirit still talks to God in English. She said that was fine! Another girl, Laura, from my missionary team how now entered this room to see what was going on. I placed my hands on her and could literally feel how heavy the presence of the Lord was in this room. I open my mouth and out came this passionate prayer in perfect Spanish; a prayer that spoke right to her heart; a prayer that had Laura’s chin on the floor. When I finished after 15 minutes, Dayana looked up with tears streaming down her face. I knew that that was the Holy Spirit. 

When I experience something like that, there are no words to describe what I feel... complete amazement at God, fear from how HUGE and powerful He is, but absolutely in love with His goodness, very humble, very little, but filled!

She truly wants to get off of the streets and get her life back. She gave me a ring to remember her with and to pray for her. When I left last night, all of the women in the room had peace and hope... how precious is hope. Thank you God... where the presence of the Lord is there is Freedom! 

I am going back to visit and continue to minister at this place. I can’t wait to see what God does! These people just need someone to believe in them and speak truth of their value over them. 

The owner was a man who lived on the streets for 15 years... he is now working at this government funded shelter. He has a wife and children, a house, a life... He KNOWS that it was God who took him off of the streets. However, he is looking for a relationship with God. Wow! Praise the Lord! 

TEAM Video! :) & 2 HUGE works of God!

Here is the link to my Limon team video! We will have another video soon! We made this one quickly so that we could inform our friends and family as soon as possible!  Hope you like it! 

Bible Distribution

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, And the Word was God."   John 1:1

 This past Saturday, we as a YWAM base handed out over 1,600 bibles in a town in Costa Rica. We are working with a project that has the objective of placing a bible in every one of the 1.3 million homes in Costa Rica.

We have seen amazing things as we go door to door ministering to people and offering them a free bible. 

This Saturday, our team saw some crazy things.... one of the most radical things was a life-saving encounter. After going to one house and meeting with a lady, she asked the 2 missionaries to go to her sister's house and give her a bible. They followed the woman to the sister's house where they found the girl in a dark room in bed.

Earlier that day, the girl had tried to hang herself and was found dangling by her older sister. The missionaries were able to speak words of truth into this girl, pray for her, and led her as she accepted Christ as her Lord. They then connected her with a local church to help her in this long journey ahead! Praise God! He saves!

It is amazingly powerful to see the word of God change lives. And by going to these people's houses, we are able to watch it happen quickly! 

*The team of women from a local church that went with my group! We try to always include the local churches to try and create unity in the faith!*

Freedom Street Church

'Freedom Street' is the prostitute ministry that I am working with (that I have written about a few times before). On Sunday, we help a church service for the prostitutes in the ministry coffee house. 

This Sunday, two male prostitutes gave their lives to Christ. When one of the male missionaries asked the man, "will we see you in your usual spot this week?", the man replied, "I will never go back there again. My life is forever changed."

It is only through the power and promises of Jesus that these two guys found the strength to get off of the streets. These two guys were victims of exploitation. This process has been a long process to even get to this point... but it's not over yet. These men are still in need of a miracle as they seek (fearing for their safety) to escape from this life of exploitation. 

Please be praying for a miracle. 

But, there are no words to describe the feeling to see two prostitutes who finally find their identity and 'worth' in Christ Jesus. To describe the state of my soul just in knowing that they have turned their lives around. 

These two men who have been abused, exploited, unloved, and lost in some of the world's darkest places; have encountered the life changing light and love of Christ. 

MISSION: Limon!

In April, I will be going to Limon, Costa Rica to help pioneer a new YWAM base and new ministries. God made it abundantly clear that I am to be part of the small team that is going to Limon. This part of the country is so “dark” spiritually. The spiritual pressure/heaviness and oppression in this area is SO heavy! This is just one of the reasons that many missionaries don’t want to work in this area. It is also the most dangerous place in Costa Rica. It is a port town where drugs and people are trafficked in; it's an international port so people from around the world are brought here and live here. God revealed to us that this port town would be the perfect place to reach the nations. 

The town we will be in is neglected and forgotten by Costa Rica, they are the rejects that Costa Rica does not want to claim as part of their country or as part of their people. But, they are not forgotten by God. There are a lot of people there who are still in bondage to pain and hurt from the oppression that their families faced when they were brought over from Africa as slaves; they hold onto idols, pain, anger, resentment, hate, and evil spirits. These things are blocking them from the love of God. 

So, I am so excited to be asked by Rasta (the leader) and God to help pioneer this base and the ministries there... from youth outreach through daily ministry, to human trafficking work, and community development! 

One of the cool things is their is a skate park on the base where hundreds of kids already come to skate each afternoon... it will now be used as not just a skate park, but a skate ministry. We will be bringing SUPER FAMOUS professional skaters to come and teach the kids and then share God with them! I can't wait to see God create a radical change in this area through breaking these chains that have been holding these people down and overwhelm them with the love of God. Whew! I can't wait to see which ministries are birthed there! My heart is overjoyed to think of what is in store there and I am so thrilled to serve there! I know a lot of lives will be radically changed as they encounter the truth and freedom of Jesus! 

The next month in addition to training classes, “survival school”, and the regular ministries that I am involved with; I will be preparing for this outreach and new ministry in Limon. The more I think and pray about this place, the more excited the holy spirit inside of me gets. 

Just as God had a specific way to bring us all into a loving relationship with Him, He has a very specific way of reaching these people in Limon. I believe that before we know the love and power of God, we were all living in some sort of bondage... pain, loneliness, slavery to sin, bitterness, insecurity, hopelessness. etc.  Although the people of Limon have been forgotten by everyone, God did not forget. And He is sending an answer. God is faithful and merciful. 

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.” Ezekiel 22:30-31

God called out to see if there was anyone to stand in the gap and take Him there.. take His love there... we ARE the body of Christ here... and we are answering the call. 

Please be praying in advance! 

We will obviously need financial provisions as missionaries; as well as finances to support the ministry.

We also need A LOT of guidance from God because this is HIS ministry and HIS dream from HIS heart! :) 

Prayers for safety and protection! 

Freedom Streets!

Hey y’all! 

I hope you are all doing well! 

I wanted to update you on a few things God is doing in me and through me. 

The past few weeks have been amazing.... God has revealed his power and His might and His faithfulness !!! It’s been wonderful!!!!

“Freedom Street Ministry”

Freedom Street Ministry is the human trafficking ministry that I have been working with while here in Costa Rica. As I talked about a bit before, prostitution is legal here. Therefore, there are thousands of children and adults sold into sex slavery through human trafficking. Some are sold by their parents to “pimps” that they truly believe are taking their children to the states to ‘get a job and have a chance for a better life’. Other people are enslaved because of “debt”. Others are enslaved through manipulation. The list goes on and on. None the less, “Freedom Street”’s heart is to reach out and offer hope to these victims. We go and visit the streets and night, with the goal to extend the love of Christ and build relationships. The hand of God is so evident in orchestrating every step we take in “unfolding his plan for us in the streets”. This is His ministry, and we are prayerfully following His lead.

One of the things we do is go out on the streets and take coffee and cookies to these people. We go in the opposite spirit, being the only people who have ever approached them (as one prostitute said) “wanting to give and not to take”. The ministry also has a coffee shop where the friendships we build with these people can be furthered. We talk to the prostitutes, discipling them, building into them, speaking words of life and truth into them. The ministry also offers English classes, which provide these people with a skill they can then use to make money if they do decide/or find a way to leave the streets. 

Another thing that we do is “prayer vigils” in front of the biggest brothel in San Jose. The bible clearly says in Ephesians 6:12 that “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This has been something that God has been teaching me in HUGE ways... the power of prayer... and the reality of the spiritual warfare. During our prayer vigils, we go in front of this house of darkness, and pray POWERFULLY in order that “God’s will can be done HERE as it is MEANT TO BE and IS BEING DONE in heaven”! This is one of my new passions... fighting in prayer. 

“Freedom Streets” also has a church service... how huge is this?!?! A church that welcomes people the way they are, and climbs into “their boat” instead of expecting them to climb into ours... isn’t that the way God intended it?! Isn’t that what Jesus did? I am expecting HUGE things out of this church... please keep this in your prayers! 

Of course, the streets are a dangerous place. There are pimps, drug lords, human trafficking is some people’s “business”....people who obviously have no respect for human life. The spiritual warfare is thick. But one thing that we HAVE found.... where evil is great.... God is FAR GREATER; and FAR STRONGER. The power of God has been displayed in HUGE and magnificent ways. God is faithful to His promises. 

A few miracles of God :)

We were able to watch God work in huge ways this week! We prayed over someone who had torn all of the ligaments in her arm and leg and she was IMMEDIATELY healed! WOW! 

This past week we were involved with a lot of “healing”. A ton of inner healing and a lot of liberations! The bible talks about how Jesus came to free the captives and to relieve the oppressed.... we were able to see people heal and break out of captivity from a wide arrange of things through the power of Jesus. From things such as bondage to sin, captivity in guilt or pain, enslaved to depression, anxiety, thoughts that held them captive.... and these people were set free! That’s what God is talking about when he talks about life ABUNDANT now! Jesus came to break every chain and free us from every type of captivity! 

I received a package last week from my aunt Tracy which was a HUGE blessing! It was filled with fun things! My entire room was excited for me! 

After 12 hour days of ministry and training, missionaries all sharing a room have to look for some sort of fun.... this week’s fun trick: “putting a squeaky dog toy under someone’s pillow and waiting to see them react”. Fun times! :)

Today is my birthday! The missionaries here pitched in a bought me ice cream! That brought a huge smile to my face!!!!

Today we also did some exercises in hearing God’s voice.... the activities we did were somewhat radical, but I learned so much! We have seen how essential it is to clearly and constantly hear God’s voice for things like spiritual warfare! So, we practiced some this morning.... it was wild how God would speak. Our group would have their eyes closed. The leader would lay a hand  on one group member. Then, without knowing the person that it was, we would begin to listen to God to receive words for that person... wow! We sure did hear them! The best part... the 5 of us praying would receive something that was either the exact same or on the same topic! Crazy Awesome! 

Metro Ministry Pictures 

and yes... I was a "puppet" in the puppet show! :) 

My Valentine! 

Crazy, CRAZY Love

Update from this week! 

-Dia de Dar- Thursday we had a “Day of Giving” with all of the students on the base. It was touching to see the young missionaries and students come and give out of a pure and joyful heart. The entire week we were asked to pray about what God wanted us to give. It was wild to watch how God spoke to people.... telling one guy to give away his bookbag to a specific student; he did so obediently but not knowing why he was giving that away of all things. When he handed him the backpack, the other boy burst into tears and and explained to everyone that he had been praying for a backpack for 6 months (and this is a requirement of our outreach). My missionary training group is mostly made up of people from 18-28ish. These are kids who raised support for this 6 months of their lives of mission work; or they are people like me who are now depending on donations as a means of life as a missionary. I was so touched to see these people who had so little giving everything they had.... One person who still has not raised all of her support was given a guitar by a boy in our class who she hardly knew; he loved his guitar but gladly gave it away. 

-Saturdays Skateboard Outreach-

The YWAM base has a huge call to reach the unaccepted youth here in Costa Rica. Costa Rican churches still see skateboarding as a really bad thing, that bad kids do, and these children are not accepted in the churches. One of the ministries here at the base is to reach these kids who are not being reached elsewhere... On Saturday, there was a HUGE event. A professional skateboarder came (he is number 5 in the world), the YWAM base provided skateboards and skate ramps, instructors to help teach new tricks, sounds systems.. and held a huge event at the park! HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of kids came to watch this AWESOME skateboard celebrity skate, and then later share God with them.  

• The Nature & Character of God- This past week we learned about the character and nature of God... and how this relates to missions. My mind was rocked, misconceptions ripped out, and filled with truths from the bible.  God continues to confirm my call to the Nations through various means. Through INTENSE days literally FILLED with bible classes, we learned about God’s character... how he DEEPLY desires to REASON with US, to answer our questions, to LISTEN TO US and then to  HONOR or change his plans because of our input in the relationship... his WIDE range of INTENSE emotions but that are all based on LOVE (and how strongly what we do impacts him, how he is affected in this relationship).  The things that grieve and burden his heart.... how badly it breaks his heart to see people hurting and suffering (physically, emotionally, spiritually) but how this is related to “free will” and our choice, that Jesus told us to pray for God’s will to be “done on Earth as in heaven” because what is being done now on Earth is obviously NOT his will, how God actually converses with people like a friend, and how our prayer can actually change God’s plans, how God called us to GO and heal the nations... “The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene.”-Isaiah 59:15 &16 ... and then we all know that God asks who will go for us and stand in the gap between these hurting people and God. 

My Heart:

• God has been doing huge things in my heart. Wow. What an awesome, wild relationship! It is so great that God is not only preparing me for my life as a missionary, but also investing so much into making sure his and my relationship is SO STRONG. It’s a dual process that is truly beautiful. It is such an honor to be here serving and learning about our awesome God. I fall more in love with him each day as our relationship grows more and more personal. The more God reveals himself to me, the deeper I go with him. God has been revealing so much of his heart to me this week. The more I know his character and see his emotions/ my effect on his heart; the more I desire to serve him. But, it totally shifts the focus of this desire from obedience to relationship. Like with any relationship (when you are madly in love), you want to do things to make the other person smile, to “bless their heart”. You know what things will bless that person’s heart only after you know that persons heart. My goal is to make God’s heart smile. 

Children Sex Brothels- 

As I sit in class and listen to stories about God’s heart; I hear stories about the thousands of young girls (some as young as 5) sitting in sex brothels around the world. I listen to these stories of these little babies who have numbers hung around their neck, sitting in rows on benches. Men file into these places and choose a number. These children’s whose eyes look so empty and hopeless. One missionary went to one of these brothels... he had recently asked God to let him feel God’s heart. I can only imagine the anger and pain he felt looking at these innocent victims, small children, litle girls like his own. As he was standing in line at the brothel, God said to him “Look in all of their eyes.... it hurts you to see them, but I NEVER get to leave them. I have to stay here ALL of the time and SUFFER constantly for these girls. You get to go back home, but I have to stay.” The missionary looked around and saw one little girl who still had some glimpse of life in her eyes. He went to the man who was running the brothel and asked if he could buy the little girl. The manager told him it was $1.60. The missionary clarified, informing the man that he wanted to buy her to own her. The manager thought for a few minutes, then came back and told the man a price. The missionary called his church and asked if he could buy the little girl and bring her back to the States. The church’s response: “Buy the entire brothel and the one next door. Buy all of the little girls and the building as well.” The missionaries bought the 2 brothers, filled with hundreds of girls. The brothels were transformed into therapy centers. The girls stayed there, found Christ, have been healed emotionally and spiritually... and these girls are now ministering to other girls in prostitution. Wow. 

The huge missionary man who had purchased the brothel then felt a huge voice from God saying, “now I want you to go and reach those men who were running those brothels”. The missionary thought for a week.... and then went and began ministering to these ‘men’ who were 15 years old. These men changed their lives, committed their lives to God, and had a change of heart. 

Someone asked why God doesn’t just stop evil.... but if God had stopped this brothel, it wouldn’t have fixed the problem, the heart issue of evil. These men would have been stopped from this one intense of evil with a little slap on the hand, but would quickly do more evil. God doesn’t fix heart issues with a bandaid. It requires a heart change. 

One of the things we have been focusing on is the huge problems in the world; how Christ must have wept over the 100,000 people who die everyday without having heard His name, how God knows the name of every 2.5 billion people who are waiting to hear the gospel, God is not deaf to the cries of 750 million who go to sleep starving of hunger, the 20 million children who will sleep on the pavements of central american cities tonight... God was grieved over the 40,000 children who died of hunger yesterday,  the 900 million around the world who will sleep in shanties of cardboard or scrap tin tonight. WHY DOESN’T GOD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE NEEDS?!?!?!? I believe that he already has. He has given us enough to preach the gospel and meet physical needs as well.... the funds are already there-waiting to be multiplied and given out to feed a hungry world. 

-“God has placed enough resources in the hand of Christians to fully evangelize the billions in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus. Christians annual incomes total approximately two-thirds of the earth’s resources. 

-For the cost of caring for a pet dog or cat for a year, a child in a third world country could be given a christian education. 

-There are 16 million refugees in the world, according to most sources. To feed every one of those refugees, it would only cost the 1.6 billion who call themselves Christians one penny a day. 

*(Loren Cunningham) 

**God has also been making it clear what my role is in his goal to make “his will be done here on earth as it is in heaven” and to go for us... to take God to the hurting world. That’s what they need.... a heart transformation from God alone. Only a heart transformation can stop evil...

A few funny/interesting things:

-We literally eat rice twice a day, every day... SO tired of rice! Tonight, our dinner consisted of rice and lettuce. The entire base claps when we see that there is meat for a meal!

-I am called the mom here amongst my fellow classmates. (A teacher did tell me that it was because I have a loving mother’s heart or service). 

-Since there aren’t televisions and internet is VERY limited, when we are waiting in line for dinner we have to think of someway to entertain ourselves (there were almost 100 people to wait in line with at one point). So, we play “television” and act out different shows that people shout out... the germans here who can’t pronounce “v” call it “telewision”. 

-There are 10 of us living in a room smaller than my bedroom at home... we live in bunkbeds.... which break frequently throughout the night... nothing like a good adrenaline rush

-One of the students that is in my school is a refugee from Samalia... his story is AWESOME! 

-On Friday we had a “deep cleaning day” which involved us cleaning for 5 hours in the afternoon instead of having our usual class. 

-For someone who is extremely active (me), I can actually sit in a classroom the entire day and the professors still like me at the end of the week. I do however have to jump and pounce around during break times! 

-When everyone has their clothes hanging on the clothesline to dry, and the closeline somehow falls... it is so awkward picking up your undies from around the base! 

Loving God, Loving People

This past week has been fabulous and challenging! 

Each day has been PACKED with teaching that has both enlightened, broken, emptied, and then refilled us with truth; and enriched our relationship as well as dependence on God. 

On Sunday, I went with some of the staff here to hand out bread & spend time with the homeless people in a dangerous part of the city. There were men, women, and children lining the side streets... packed down the road like toothpicks in a box. We drove up to one street where the people were all sleeping in their boxes (it was FREEZING outside). We asked one man who was ragged and beat down if he would like some bread and he immediately sprang up from his pallet and ran to the car to receive. As I looked into his eyes, the windows to his soul; I could not even imagine the story that was hidden deep within. This man who has laid all pride away to accept something as cheap and as simple as a piece of bread... what a reality check to me who always worries about accepting donations as a missionary; this man was running to receive something so small... humility. 

At the “old people’s home”, we were able to just love on people. I firmly believe in the dual aspects of the gospel: loving God and loving people. I met the most adorable little man at the nursing home. He told the nurses that he loved me and then took it upon himself to inform everyone at the nursing home that us youth were there , “as missionaries to tell help them, etc. etc.”. They were so very thankful that we were there and we were blessed as well.

Metro Ministries is one of the ministries at the base here in Costa Rica. The group invited me to go with to participate in this ministry last week. It was FABULOUS! The purpose is to raise up children, to instill values and morals in them, to help the most at-rick intercity children chose the right path. These are the neighborhoods where children can easily fall into the drug cartel, gangs, etc. The bible promises that if we raise up a child in the way he should go, he will not stray from that. It is worth it to invest in children. The best way to change a community is to start with the children. (This same ministry is in inner city New York, and ghettos in large/dangerous cities around the world). The children were so receptive and open. They immediately jumped into my arms, thankful to have any kind of attention. These children listened so attentively... they are “the least of these” and they know it. 

Last week a team from Colorado came to teach the DTS. The days begin at 6 with wake up call. We then have breakfast, followed by worship time, then intercessory prayer; then classes until 9 most nights. God did some huge and amazing things in my heart this week. He rocked my world by identifying un-truths that I had guarded in my heart about who God is and who I am in him. He then ripped those out (while I willing gave them away to Him), and replaced them with new, biblical, and WONDERFUL truths. The teachers also prayed over us during the week and gave us words that God had laid on their hearts for each of us. The words that they gave me were very affirming. One of the things that God had spoken to me earlier in the training has been confirmed by multiple people; which is my calling to “The Nations”. 

There is a group of missionaries here at this base who had the opportunity to go to Mexico for training for their ministry called “Casas de Esperanza”, or Home of Hope. This is obviously not a cheap thing to do when you are living off of donations and support; but this training is HUGE for their ministry (one of the ministries that we are able to participate in). After working with home building ministries in Guatemala, I know how important and influential ministries such as this are. As a base, we prayed for them and then took the day to see what God was laying on our hearts. With a base consisting of mostly young people, we were truely hoping in God to provide these funds. Each person gave whatever they felt they should give... and at the end of our prayer time, we calculated home much was donated. (One boy who had no money to donate auctioned his ANCIENT Ipod). The total amount that we raised as a team was exactly $60 over what was needed for their training.... it is so touching to watch God provide through obedience and generosity of His body. 

On Thursday morning, our leaders asked us to meet them outside in the courtyard after breakfast. They had stations set up around the soccer court. They played worship music, and washed each one of our feet. As they washed, they prayed over us. I was so moved by this... I have experienced this before but it has never impacted me in such a huge way. The two leaders that prayed over me cried as they washed my feet, holding them in their hands, and thanking God OVER and OVER for my life. They continued to tell me how they knew that I felt blessed to be here in this training, but that I was actually a blessing for the base. The lady told me that my heart was life Jesus’, willing to go anywhere to serve God... not focusing on the suffering but on the outcome. Immediately after she said this, I burst into tears. I thought of Jesus, washing my feet right before he went to be crucified. How he had thanked God for me and then did the greatest act of humility and service imaginable. How he suffered and died for me, not seeing the pain but the outcome.... 

I am here in training with some of the most wonderful people... it is so beautiful for me to look around the room and see all of these young people ON FIRE for God and PASSIONATE about knowing God and making God known. It is truly breathtaking.... one of the boys in my group is a refugee from Somalia, there are local Costa Ricans, people from Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, 3rd world countries, people who come from countries that have had the gospel for years and others who come from churches scarcely populated with Christians, some of them have parents who paid for their training while others are struggling to even raise a portion of their support. Faith, passion, and devotion are HUGE here. Most of the students in my school call me “Mom”, and for me it is an honor to be serving them and pouring out into them as God continually pours into me. 

Who is God for you?

The past few days have already been amazing here with YWAM San Jose. 

I have already learned so much about God, about his calling for me, about human trafficking, about missions.... wow! The group I am with is wonderful... we do have to take some freezing showers, laugh at ourselves as we attempt to communicate about difficult subjects in a foreign language, learn to live in community, eat beans.... AGAIN.... and AGAIN... (after standing in line for 20 minutes to get these beans) haha.... after only 4 days together, we already have some hilarious stories!  

I am living in a little room (smaller than my college dorm room) with 10 girls in bunk beds. The other students in my Discipleship Training School are from countries from all over the world... Ireland, Africa, Romania, Ireland, Canada, Australia, etc. It is beautiful to see God bringing together the nations to adore Him and to serve Him; and then to send us out to reach the nations.... It is nothing short of beautiful.

Our schedules during training will be packed full... beginning each day at 6 and not finishing until 9 at night. We have 30 minute breaks for meals. We are spending the days learning about God and deepening our relationship with him... how can we reach these people who have never heard of this great God we serve and this hope that we have, unless we know him on a really deep and personal level, and have had time to nurture our relationship with him. We learn about Intimacy with God, a Biblical Worldview, Missions, Evangelism, Spiritual Warfare, the life of a disciple... and a few more topics; with one central focus each week. We also have times of intercessory prayer for the Nations, times of worship, and of course times of service. How humbled and thankful I am that I get this opportunity to devote time to God and God ALONE, being with Him and learning about him... before I “Go out to make him Known.” This time is  already such a huge blessing for my life, for my walk, and for my ministry. 

We are reading a wonderful book called “Is that You God” about hearing the voice of God. The author writes about something that is so dear to my heart after serving in Guatemala as a missionary... He recalls looking into the eyes of a ragged little girl, who has another child strapped to her back. The little girl who is filthy and living in abject poverty. This little girl reaches out to him, begging for some money. The author speaks about her eyes. I too know those piercing eyes. The look and the ‘call’ that these eyes give to us that change your life from that point forward. I remember the first eyes like these that I looked into in Guatemala.... eyes that pierce your soul. As the child reaches out her hand, those pleading eyes that say she is begging for more than just a coin, but for something far deeper. A child reaching out for comfort, encouragement, for love, hope for the future, The Gospel. 

Here are some eyes that changed my life:

I personally am so thrilled to have this precious time to talk to and listen to God. I am also so thankful to watch the other young people here with me who are here to know God. Sometimes when I sit with people my age in the States, I feel like they seem to be “enclosed in a giant isolations bubble- laughing, having a good time while the world outside is filled with those crowds with outstretched beggars’ hands.”  (Loren Cunningham). 

Today and a few more times this week, we have the opportunity to have a silent retreat to focus on listening to God speak to us directly. I am so excited about this time I have to hear his voice and for the things he is going to speak into me. I would appreciate your prayers for me, that God would speak loudly and clearly to me; that I would have a yielding spirit; for discernment. Please also pray for the other students here as the DTS. I am one of the oldest girls (most of them are here to find their purpose before they head to college). Lastly, for the children here in San Jose who are victims of human and sex trafficking as I talked a little bit about in my last post. 

Grace and Peace!!! 

Who is God for you?