Faith Theme

During the course of this Bible school I've noticed that there have been a couple of theme's running through every book. Whether it's Genesis, Philemon, or Kings their has been a red thread connecting them all. They have all been speaking to me specifically about faith, trust, waiting and seeking God. The Faith theme has really stood out though, more than the others. As I look back through the course the most impacting story has to be Abraham. Which is not surprising seeing as he is credited to be our father of faith.
I have really fallen in love with Abraham's story. The faith that he had is something that I want to have and strive for. I was challenged by Genesis 12:1. God didn't tell Abram where he was to go He just said move out of your fathers house to the land I'll show you. And Abram left, He moved. He didn't wait for confirmation, he didn't wait for God to say where, he just packed up his family and possessions and moved. People must have thought he was crazy! But that didn't matter. I think to often I get caught up in being sure of things. I realized I'm partially scared of the unknown. I want to be sure of my future. Where I'll be, what I'll be doing, when I'll be going and who with. I want to be positive that the next step is the right step. But I've realized that sometimes God doesn't give you all the answers. Sometimes He just wants us to walk in faith while He gives us one step at a time.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard this message but finally I get it. It's one thing to hear something preached but it's another to live through it.
I'm not positive what's next, and I'm not sure how I'll get there or when it will happen. But God has the master plan and I have faith that He will direct me on the path. All I have to do is to continue walking and seeking Him first, listening for His direction.
Thanks for your prayers and support!! They've been greatly appreciated, more than you know!! God Bless and I'll talk to you soon:)

Hungry!!

As we are nearing the half way mark in this Biblical Core Course I am realizing how much I don't know about the Bible and God but also how much I want to know. So far we have done the books Philemon, Ephesians, Mark, and now Acts. It is incredible to understand the historical background of the books. For example the book of Philemon is a personal letter to Philemon from Paul. Why is a personal letter in the bible? Well if you look into it and take time taking the letter apart and looking at history you will realize that Paul is calling Philemon to be a loving brother who shows no favoritism. Paul says to Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would him(Paul) which is amazing because Onesimus is supposed to be Philemon's slave. (Look it up in a Bible Dictionary) And Onesimus is inspiring in this book. He puts his life in God's hands and basically says ok God do with my life whatever you will. Pretty trusting I think.
This week is Acts and the golden nugget I've taken away so far from the teachings this week is the new and old wineskin's. A wineskin in those days were made of letter and when a new wineskin was filled with new wine it would expand because of the gas that formed inside. Then after time the leather would become hard and stiff. So once a old wineskin was emptied it wouldn't be useful for wine anymore because if it was filled again it would burst because the leather was already hard and stiff and it wouldn't stretch like a new wineskin would. So how are we living today? As new wineskin's, open and willing to be stretched or are we like an old wineskin that is stubborn and stiff necked unwilling to change or be stretched. Are we being stretched or do we need to burst to change. I hope its stretched because bursting sounds painful:) God Bless everyone! Thank you for all your prayers and support! Miss you all!

What did I get myself into!!!!

God has sure taken me for a ride the past couple weeks! I went from staffing the DTS in Tijuana to finding out there wasn't one 5 days before it was supposed to start. So what next God? But God always has a plan and its always better than the one I have. Thank you Jesus! So after I found out that I was no longer staffing the DTS I felt God leading me to do the Biblical Core Course that was starting in Ensenada on September 27. So after a very short but intense process I ended up packing my bags and headed to Ensenada in time for the school to start.
There are nine of us students taking the school and we all think that it is a challenge! We are now in the third week of the school and it has been a huge blessing and encouragement to me. Last week we studied the book of Philemon. Philemon is only 25 verses but there is a surprising amount of timeless truths in it. We are learning how to study the Bible by inductive study method. Which is observing the text thoroughly and researching the historical background as well as the culture before making an interpretation of how the original hearer or reader would have taken the text. Then we make an interpretation for us today. There is a lot of work but I am really liking it so far.
The biggest truth that I got out of Philemon was trusting in God. Onesimus ran away which can be punishable by death. So when he returned to his master Philemon he was trusting God with his life.
This week is the study of Ephesians. I'm looking forward to what will be revealed to me this week. Thanks for reading, praying and your support! God Bless.

Responsibility

This week I have been in training for Discipleship Training School staff. It’s amazing to think that 2 years ago I was attending a DTS and had no thought of ever staffing one. Go d has a funny way of leading you to places where you least expected to be.
The whole idea of discipling people makes me a little nervous but anything is possible with the strength of Jesus Christ. This week has been really good. Are speaker this week is Art Collins and he has been teaching us to really act what we say. The importance of integrity in discipleship is key. I am learning how much of a responsibility discipleship is and I’m not even in the process of discipling anyone yet. But I know that God will be with me every step of the way and if I walk with Him and obey Him then I can’t go wrong.
Are DTS starts in less than 2 weeks and so far we have 10 students. 3 are from Mexico, 1 from Canada and 6 are American. God has good things in store for this DTS and I am excited to see God move and work in the students’ lives. Even in the staff. It should be a great time of learning and stretching for me personally and probably for the rest of the staff and students. Please pray that I will be able to show Godly character to each and every student. God Bless.

30 red shirts

Smiling faces, the sound of laughter and a museum! When I was in school, I found museums so boring. I could focus for a little bit but it did not take long to feel bored and want to leave.
Circulo Andante (the children’s ministry here in Tijuana), decided to bless the children that attend with the opportunity to go to a museum, with their parent’s permission of course. Around 10 staff from the YWAM base and about 20 kids ranging from the age of 4 to 12 from Circulo Andante, left in 3 vans to go to the Tijuana Science Museum. Only one student had ever been to a museum before, so everyone was excited and it was extremely hard to keep the students from running in the museum.
The kids took part in almost every display. There were displays showing how to make energy, bubbles, human anatomy exhibits, music, mechanics, sea life and many others. There were smiles on every child’s face, none of them could contain their happiness. To end the museum experience, everyone got to see a 3D movie about dinosaurs. We all loved it! After that we had a quick bite to eat and headed back to drop the children off. Many of the smaller ones fell asleep on the drive back and one little girl, Nancy; I had to carry back to her house. Hopefully the museum accomplished more than just bringing happiness to children. I hope it planted ideas in their minds that expanded the possibilities of what they can do with their futures. Lord willing, this experience helped break the chains of poverty. Thank you to all who helped and prayed! You made a difference!

Hands and Feet

The sky was clear and the sun was incredibly hot. Overlooking a valley sits a new house, painted white with blue trim. I looked around at the faces in the circle as we recalled on what we had just accomplished for Sochi, a single mother with two young boys.
The fact that a team from Korean Emmanuel Presbyterian in Seattle came to Tijuana in itself is God. Also the fact that they built a house is amazing because we did not even know that they were building until two days before we started building the house. It truly is amazing how God works, how God can use us to be his hands and feet. I can honestly say that I don’t think I could be any happier anywhere else! I am blessed to be serving God.
These thoughts pass through my mind as we dedicate this beautiful home to a deserving family. To a family who has been through so much hardship in the past year, this gift is probably overwhelming. Sochi with her husband had applied to get a home from YWAM a year ago. Their hopes were high and their futures bright. Sochi and her husband were told that they were to receive a house so they tore down there little room that they had on their property to make room for the new house. Filled with excitement they waited for the house but no team came. For reasons I don’t know, weather finances, fear or whatever the team cancelled and Sochi and her husband were left without a house. This happened two more times to this wonderful family. Then eight months ago hardship struck. Sochi’s husband was shot down at work for reasons unknown. After such a horrible thing I’m sure Sochi thought that things couldn’t get worse. Winter came and with winter comes rain in Mexico. And the rain washed away some of Sochi’s land which meant that her plot of land did not have a flat space big enough for a house anymore. So Sochi did not qualify for a house anymore until she could level a place out for a house. I can’t imagine what Sochi went through, but somehow she managed to level a space out for a house, still clinging to a hope that she would receive a house. That took a lot of courage to still cling to that hope for a house when she had been let down three times before.
I watch Sochi with tears in her eyes; receive the keys to her new house. She tells us to take care of our hands, because our hands are precious. Now she will not get wet when the rains come and her boys have a brighter future again.
I am blessed to be here, to be used by God. For God to have worked in such a way through so many people to bless a family who has been through so much hardship, who thought hope was lost is truly amazing. God is reliable, He is trustworthy, and He does have mercy and grace. God is Love.

Zona Norte

The evening air was pleasant as our group walked down the streets in the red light district of Tijuana. As we walked around downtown Tijuana we were praying for the city and the people we met. Occasionally we would hand out tracks printed in Spanish to prostitutes and homeless, and invite them to come get free hot chocolate and cookies.
Two things happened that struck me. The first was as we came to an intersection. A man, who looked homeless, was pushing a shopping cart full of wooden and plastic crates. He started to cross the street and as he did so his cart leaned over to one side and three crates fell off the top of his pile. I stepped up and picked up two of the crates that fell. “What the f**k did you do that for?” was not the response that I was expecting but was what I received! The man continued to say something but I couldn’t understand if it was English or Spanish that he was speaking. My friend gave him a tract and invited him for hot chocolate and cookies. I didn’t see him again but what struck me was the way he reacted to a simple act of kindness. Either he was drunk or he was not used to kindness or it could have been both. The fact that it could be he was not used to being treated with kindness filled me with sadness and a wish to be able to reach out to him and people like him more.
The second thing that happened reminded me how unfair this world is. Our group stopped to talk to a young woman and her daughter who were begging on the street. The mother looked worried; you could see it written on her face and in her eyes. You could see the daily struggle to support her family in the thin smile she gave you to be polite, and the slump of her shoulders as people walked by without noticing. Her beautiful little daughter was full of life when we visited with her. Guadalupe was her name and she had a beautiful smile that reached up into her eyes! She seemed so happy as she showed me her shawl that covered her shoulders and as she played peek-a-boo around her mother. She was so excited about hot chocolate that my friend Amy could not understand her because her words turned into gibberish. Seeing such an innocent sweet child light up with an act of kindness made my day. Knowing that we can affect adults and children with simple acts of kindness is an encouragement to us all. Anyone can encourage someone by a simple act of kindness. It may make their day you never know!

The Story of Big Tree

There was once a tree whose name was Big Tree. Now Big Tree was the biggest tree in the whole forest. His braches were wide and strong they did not drop like other trees. His trunk was wide and hard and the home to many different types of creatures. The top of Big Tree was so high that you would get a crick in your neck from the straining to see the top.
One day a family moved into the forest because they could not afford a place in the cities or the towns. Big Tree saw this family. He saw how the mother and father were clothed in rags and would try to scrounge food for their two small children. Big Tree saw how the meagre food that they found the parents would give to their children and eat the scrapes themselves. Even with giving their children the larger portions of food the children were still sick and weak from malnutrition.
Big Tree felt the cold north wind come one day and new that winter was coming. He felt fear for the first time in a long time. Big Tree hadn’t felt fear since he was a little sprout of a tree, when he was just coming into the world. Big Tree did not fear for himself but for the family who lived under his broad branches.
Big Tree gave up all of his leaves to give the family warm beds for the coming winter. He stood naked in the forest his beautiful branches bare. He stood open and vulnerable. The cold wind grew harsher and brought more cold with it all the time. Big Tree realized that the leaves were not enough. The family had run out of wood already. They could not find any more wood to burn to cook and to keep warm at night. Big Tree knew what he had to do.
One night with the north wind howling he let go of the ground with his mighty roots. He let himself fall to the ground with a crash! The creatures who lived in his trunk went scurrying in all directions. His once mighty form would now be burned for firewood by the family. The other trees of the forest watched as his once grand height now was being chopped up and burned in the fire. Some did not understand why Big Tree would do such a thing, some thought it was an inspiring sacrifice and others were mad that the family would do such a thing to their friend. But Big Tree knew what he was doing; he knew he did the right thing.
All winter long the fire burned to keep the family warm and fed. Big Tree’s mighty size helped the family make it through the winter. His ashes rose into the sky and were carried throughout the world until all the trees in all the forests new of Big Tree’s sacrifice. When spring came and the family moved on the forest was surprised by what rose out of the ashes. Fed by the nutrients of the ash from Big Tree a little sprout came up after the spring rains. The forest was happy that there friend came back to be with them!

Full Circle!

I can honestly say that I never saw myself being a missionary in Mexico. As a young teenager I used to say that I wanted to be a missionary but as I grew older it never crossed my mind. It’s interesting the places God takes a person when they are willing to be open and to submit to God and how it can come full circle.

My first time in Mexico was the spring break of ’05. I was in grade 11 and came down with my youth group for a mission’s trip with Mission Adventures in Tijuana. We were down here at the same time as a group from Lacombe Alberta and the speaker we had that week was a guy named Matt from BC. When that week ended my desire and passion for God increased dramatically and I always wanted to go back to Mexico. So after 4 years I made it back to Tijuana in January of ’09. I came down to just volunteer for 3 months but God had something else in mind. His plans are always better. The last week of my 3 month stay there was a Mission Adventure team down from Lacombe Alberta and the speaker was Matt who was the same Matt who spoke the spring break that I was down in Mexico for Mission Adventures. It was that week that God told me to stay. So things came full circle! There was a reunion with Lacombe and myself and the speaker. And those times as a youth when I said I’d like to be a carpenter and a missionary came to be true. It is awesome how God works and grants us our desires even when we forget that we had them at one time.

So I am now in Mexico after committing to work with YWAM Tijuana for 2 years. I am now a missionary! The Swine flu or the violence in Tijuana are not going to stop me from serving God. The enemy is not going to make me believe in the fear that he is trying to spread across the globe. Because I know that God is bigger. He is our fortress in times of need, he is our protection!

The journey that God has for me is a mystery but the path is exciting!

The teachings can be difficult but the relationship is alive!

Surrender is a challenge, service is needed!

Thank you for your support and prayers and please continue to do so.