Thirty Days.........

It's been thirty days since DTS ended. It feels like just yesterday the whole thing started and I arrived in Montana, nervous and excited to begin a new journey. I can hardly believe how time passes by so quickly and it just goes to show that we must take hold of every opportunity that comes our way. The past thirty days have been full of friends, family, work, and more emotions than I can list. I have pretty much adjusted back into daily life and my new "normal" but that didn't come without it's own struggles.

The last week of DTS was called "debrief" week and it was all about how to re-enter into your home after such a whirlwind experience. All week I kept thinking to myself that I would have no problems going home and that all the information they told us wouldn't really apply to me. I was coming home to a great family, a supportive group of friends, an awesome church, and not to mention my old job! Fast forward to my arrival home and boy, I quickly realized how wrong my thoughts had been.  It was not as easy as I had hoped it to be and I found myself frustrated with all the emotions I felt towards things. Don't get me wrong, I was beyond ready and happy to be home but I just didn't realize how different things were going to be.

Over the course of five months my worldview changed and my life was transformed by Jesus. I didn't realize that back at home peoples lives went on and changed as well. After coming off a time doing ministry all day for two months and really setting aside time to focus on my relationship with Christ, I found myself missing those things. I missed living in a community and having someone always readily available to talk to or hang out with. I missed the people I grew so close with and friendships I developed. I missed Africa and the culture I so dearly came to love. I missed YWAM Montana and the time spent there.

I started to feel guilty for missing all those things and I didn't want to make my family and friends feel like I wasn't happy to see them and be home. God quickly reminded me that I shouldn't beat myself up for experiencing all these emotions but rather embrace them and let Him guide me through them. I have finally come to a place where I have processed through a lot of things and I can see more clearly. I look back on my DTS with lots of fond memories and I see how much God worked in my heart but I also realize that He has new memories to be made in my future. He has given me such great opportunities to shine His light here in my own hometown and to let the transformation that took place in my heart during DTS, to show in my daily life.

A lot has happened in thirty days and I'm so glad that Jesus has walked through it all with me. What an awesome father He is! I look back with a lot of thankfulness in my heart but now I'm focusing forward, ready to embrace all that Christ has in store for me. During this time of adjustment I kept going back to Hebrews 12:1-3 which just so happened to be the DTS theme verse. It says this "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and since which clings closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the same, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." I am choosing to stay focused on Christ and run relentlessly after Him!

Outreach: Mossel Bay

                                                                  Hey Y'all!

I'm finally back from my globe trotting adventures armed with plenty of stories,moments, and photos to share. I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that DTS is over and I'm back home in good ole' NC. Time really does fly fast when you are having fun. It will be hard to fully express in words all that has taken place in my life these past five months but I will try my best to describe it all. I've spent the last two months on "outreach phase" in South Africa. I witnessed God show up in some mighty ways over our two months in Africa and it really was one of the most amazing trips of my life. 

(Just arrived in Cape Town)

I was on a team of fourteen people, twelve students and two leaders, and we arrived in South Africa on December 11th after two long days of traveling. It took us 23 hours of flying, 16 hours of layovers, and finally a four hour bus ride before we arrived safely in our final destination, Mossel Bay. Needless to say we were all beyond exhausted when we arrived. We spent the first two days settling in and adjusting to the time change. Mossel Bay is in the eastern part of South Africa and it is a vacation spot for locals during the holiday season. There was an abundance of people there from all different parts of SA so we had plenty of witnessing opportunities at all times. Mossel Bay is absolutely stunning and it was such a fun place to live during the holidays. 

(Mossel Bay) 

                                                                     

Our first week there we did spirit-led ministry which basically means we would divide up into groups of four and ask God where we should go and what we should do with our ministry time. We did a wide range of things for ministry but our main focus was evangelism. We would walk down main street and just befriend locals who were working or anyone who would stop and have a conversation with us. South Africans are extremely relationship oriented people so we would revisit the same people and really build a lasting friendship with them. When we built relationships with people they began opening up to us and letting us pour into their lives. A lot of people we talked to knew who Jesus was but had no clue what it meant to have a relationship with Him and they didn't grasp the concept of grace at all. As we shared with them, it was incredible to really see people grasp God's grace for the first time and to see an overwhelming transformation in their heart and soul. 

(View of the stunning ocean/mountains) 

 Week two we ran a children's program every morning in the township that was within walking distance from the house we lived in. We had some great local contacts who facilitated some of the children's program but we were in charge of running games, doing skits, and giving a teaching every day. We decided to teach everyday on a different piece of the armour of God. The kids LOVED all we did with them and really connected with all we taught them. I personally love children's ministry and it was so fun just to give the kids something productive and positive to do for two hours out of their day. We saw a couple of the older kids give their hearts to Christ by the end of the week which was awesome. 

(Children's ministry in the township)

Our last week in Mossel Bay we did night ministry, an open air, more spirit-led ministry, and more evangelism. We also celebrated Christmas and New Years while there. It was weird being away from my family for the holidays and it didn't really even feel like Christmas simply because I was at the beach and wearing shorts. Due to the fact that it was the holiday season it was really easy to have a conversation with people about Jesus since that is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. There really are no words to describe seeing someone coming to the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus and seeing them basically walk from death into life. That is the reason why we went to South Africa and the reason why God commands us all throughout the Bible to go and preach the good news. It isn't always easy to evangelize and there were times I didn't feel like I was adequate enough or had the right words to speak. When these doubts would arise God always reminded me that His power is perfected in my weakness and that He would use my words no matter what they sounded like. I was challenged to not just evangelize on the mission field but that this can be done in everyday life. 

There is so much more I have to share with everyone about my time in Africa and this post is only scratching the surface of all we saw God do. Make sure you stay tuned for more posts about South Africa and how God moved in my personal life and in the lives of the people there!

SOUTH AFRICA Happenings.....

SOUTH AFRICA!!!!  

Since Shelby doesn't have access to a computer she has given me (her mama) info to pass along on her blog for an update so I will try my best to tell it as she has told it to me.

The team has been in SA for 41/2 weeks now.  The first 3 weeks they were in a tourist and farming area called Mosselbaai  which lies on the Indian Ocean side of SA.  While there they developed relationships with the locals, evangelized, ran children's programs, and ministered to the community.  They spent Christmas and New Year's here and had opportunity to celebrate it South African style with their YWAM Montana base director's and her family who lives in this community. They have seen many salvations, witnessed physical healings - specifically of a woman blind in one eye-and been able to minister to many.  One of her "fun" experiences was petting, feeding and posing for a picture with Sam the elephant.

They left Mosselbaai on January 2 and went to a small farming village for 5 days.  They spent time here mostly working with the children, doing open air worship service and evangelism.  The accommodations were "different" as they took up residence with many bugs and even saw a snake or two.

They continued on their way to Muizenberg, Capetown (Atlantic Ocean side) and stopped to do a safari.  Giraffes, zebras, antelopes, etc but no lions.....they were there but remained in hiding.  She loved every second of it!!  When they arrived to their destination they discovered their housing arrangements had fallen through to no fault of their own so they had the challenge of waiting patiently for God to work it all out and boy did He!  They were able to stay at the YWAM Muizenberg base for a night, a local hostel for a few nights and then moved to a surfing hostel for the rest of the week. YWAM Muizenberg has been taking great care of them by feeding them 3 times a day. Oh the excitement of having an actual bed to sleep in for a week has been over the top!  Meanwhile they found a house that they will be moving into Monday for their remaining 2 1/2 weeks and they will be sharing it with a YWAM team on outreach from Kentucky.  How cool is that?!   She was glad to be back in a big city. They continue to do home to home evangelism/visits, prayer & worship services, children's programs, and leading church services. They have seen people set free from addictions and struggle, salvation's, and have met some people in the culture that love Jesus. This area is very different from where they have been.   Shelby has seen the extremes of poverty and wealth all in this area within blocks from each other.  They are spending time in 2 townships that are extremely impoverished where 95% of the population are abusing drugs/alcohol, many without food, living in scrap metal and wood lean-to's with no running water. The smell of trash and fluids is so strong.  HIV is extremely prevalent in the area.  She has learned that SA has the most HIV people in all of Africa. She is heartbroken by what she has seen but is so very excited about people coming to know Christ, encouragement, and building up of the body.   The team is working well together without any major issues and she loves everyone of them so much!    

On the lighter side:  all the food rocks!, Seafood is unbelievable, they have pineapple flavored Fanta, she has had lamb and likes it, the weather is a little cooler on this side of SA, and she is thrilled to finally have access to wifi so she can connect with home a little!

She is beginning to get a little homesick and excited about her return. She asks that you all please continue to pray for her team these last few weeks -that they stay healthy, safe, that they finish well and that many continue to come to a saving knowledge and relationship with Christ.  She has written her journey and cannot wait to share her thoughts, feelings, and experiences with you when she returns.......and this mama is counting down the days!!!   Feb 9    

South Africa

                                                                   Hey Guys!

Today marks exactly eighteen days until I leave for my two month outreach to South Africa. It is really starting to hit me that we are leaving VERY soon and I'm starting to freak out in a good way! When I started DTS it seemed like we had all the time in the world before outreach arrived but time has flown by and here we are, two weeks out from leaving. I am beyond excited to go to AFRICA and share the gospel message with the people! I thought it also would be neat if I filled everyone in on a few facts about this beautiful country and all that we will be doing for two months.

South Africa is located at the most southern point of the continent of Africa. It is the richest country in the entire continent as well. It is a country full of diversity in skin color, language, and living conditions. There are nine provinces in South Africa and the main language is Afrikaans followed then by English. The population is just over 51 million people. The climate is very enjoyable and when my team is there it will be summertime. 

My team leaves the states on December 9 and we arrive in South Africa on December 11. Yes, it will take us two days, four flights, and an eight hour time difference before we arrive in Cape Town. Needless to say I'm not looking forward to the travel. We will be spending the first four weeks of ministry time in a beach town called Mossel Bay. A lot of local people travel there for the holiday season so we will being doing a lot of evangelism. We also will be running some kids camps and helping run kids programs in a local church on the weekends. This is where I will be spending Christmas and New Years with my team. The last four weeks we will be staying in Cape Town and we will be working with the YWAM base there doing all sorts of things. Most of our time will be spent doing open airs, street evangelism, and some community service types of projects. I cannot wait to see some sun shine and experience some warm weather! 

Please keep our team in your prayers for traveling mercies, good health, and safety while in Africa. God is going to do some awesome things while we are there and I am just so excited to bring the love of Jesus to these people. When I came into DTS the thought of going to Africa for outreach didn't even seem like a possibility. I was so shocked when this was an option for outreach and I know that God has called me here at this time for a specific purpose. Also please keep the four other teams going to Cambodia, Iceland, Thailand, and Taiwan/Philippines for outreach in your prayers as well. I have mixed emotions as lecture phase is winding down and soon our DTS will be heading out to different places across the world. I'm super excited for outreach but also sad to say "goodbye" to some of my closest friends for two months. Thank you in advance for the prayers! 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 

~Matthew 28:19-20~ 

A YWAM Thanksgiving

Happy day after Thanksgiving y'all!!!!! I hope everyone had an awesome holiday and enjoyed the time spent with family and friends. This was the first Thanksgiving that I spent away from my family and it was a little sad at times to be separated from them but I also had an equally amazing day with my YWAM family. My Thanksgiving break started Wednesday afternoon and will continue on until Sunday. It has been super nice to have a few days off from classes and schedules so that we can rest and start really preparing for outreach.

My morning started out with a whole group of us watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade on TV. I watch the parade almost yearly at home and it was nice to continue this tradition with new friends. The only weird thing about watching the parade was the fact that it wasn't live due to the time difference. We pretty much watched the whole thing and laughed over the bad lip syncing, cheesy floats, and the couple of total mess ups on national television! It also was cool because all my Canadian friends have never celebrated an American Thanksgiving and we got to explain all the ins and outs of this holiday to them. 

The base fed us a delicious brunch that consisted of casserole, sausage, fruit, and juice! We NEVER get breakfast food that nice so it was awesome to have a little taste of home in the morning. How Thanksgiving works at YWAM is that the permanent staff that live in houses on base invited all the students over for a meal and fellowship time. They want to make sure that we all have the "homey" experience on the holidays. One of my fellow DTS students, Millie is from Kalispell, so she invited ten of us to her house to spend the day with her family. It was so nice to spend the day off base and be in a home with a family to celebrate the holiday. 

We spent the afternoon playing games, singing worship music, going on a walk, and just spending quality fellowship time with each other. Her parents welcomed all of us with open arms and made us feel quite at home. Her mom cooked an amazing meal and I left so stuffed I could barely walk! We had turkey, ham, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potato's, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pie for dessert. I don't think I've eaten that much food in quite a long time! I also got to spend the day playing with her two HUGE dogs, Hudson and Bear. It made me miss my sweet puppy dogs but it was nice to have some loving from other dogs. 

Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with fun, food, and family but it is also so much more than that. I was reflecting on the past year and just remembering all that God has blessed me with.  He is such a faithful and loving God and as I reflected, I could just see the many times where I had lost hope and yet He still provided in ways that blew me away.  I am so thankful for my parents who have been there through the good and bad times and just continue to love me with their whole hearts and encourage me to chase after Jesus. I am thankful for my little brother who brings such laughter into my life. I am thankful for YWAM, new friendships, and this new season of my life. I am thankful for my job and the fact that I get to love on and care for two of the most precious boys ever.  I am thankful for an amazing church and the friendships that have come from that special place. I am the most thankful for Jesus and the price He paid for me on the cross and that I get to spend the rest of my life serving Him and walking in a relationship with Him! 

As the holiday has come and gone, I encourage you all to not just have a heart of thankfulness on Thanksgiving but daily give thanks to God for all He has done in your life. Personally, I have found that if I daily have an attitude of thankfulness the stresses and bad days of life become a lot less important and overwhelming. 

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." ~Psalm 100:4-5~

Portland: The city of hipsters and coffee

So sorry it's been such a long time since my last post on this ole' blog. Life has been crazy around here and I have so much I want to share with you all. We are currently on week eight of twelve and it is starting to hit me that my time in Montana is quickly drawing to a close. The last three weeks have passed in a blur and I hardly know where to begin with all that God has done. I am going to start by sharing with y'all about our mini-outreach to Portland, Oregon last week.

Last week my entire DTS, staff, and their kids all loaded up in six fifteen passenger vans and started on the LONG journey to Portland. There was right at 80 people total in this caravan and it was quite the adventure. 10 hours of driving, multiple potty breaks, and a few awesome dance parties later we finally arrived in the city of hipsters and coffee! We stayed at a local church and all the girls, 35+ of us, slept in one room on the floor for the week and the same went for all the guys. We were blessed with one, 10 minute shower for the week and we were lucky if we had the chance to shower more than once. I was slightly worried about the living arrangements but God is so awesome and there were absolutely no issues the entire time we were there. It was very stretching in many ways and I feel as if it was great preparation for my big outreach to South Africa. 

We did a lot of really cool things throughout the week and God showed up in major ways. Monday we learned about sex-trafficking in America and watched a documentary about stories of people who have come out of this in America. A major fact we learned is that Portland is the number one city in American for sex-trafficking. This was so socking but it made all of us super pumped to get out and go bring the light of Jesus to this city. That afternoon we went to the Lloyd-Center mall and participated in a flash mob to bring awareness to sex-trafficking in Portland. We also walked around the mall and just talked to people about Jesus. I found it very difficult to approach people in the mall and we got shut down very quickly in many conversations. I struggled a little with doubt and I had to give those thoughts over to God and just trust that we were going to see fruit throughout the week. 

Tuesday came and it brought plenty of rain and awesome ministry chances. We spent our morning in lecture time. That afternoon they split our group in half and some people went down to pioneer square, which is in the middle of downtown Portland, to walk around and talk to people. My half of the group went to an art museum to see an exhibit about sustainable architecture and how we can use that in ministry. After walking through the museum and grabbing a little snack from voodoo doughnuts, we hit the streets to share the love of Jesus with people and pray for them. We had a good conversation with this one man who was not a christian but we were able to pray with him and encourage him.  I was so surprised at how people were willing to actually listen to us and not shut us down immediately. 

Wednesday was Halloween and it was so awesome to see God glorified on a night that was meant for evil. All day we spent time in worship and intercession for that evening and we just really spoke truth and encouragement over the city of Portland. That evening we returned to pioneer square to do evangelism and an open air type of thing. We sent the worship team, prayer team, and dance team in ahead of the rest of us to draw a crowd in. The rest of us gathered and got ready for a skit we were doing. For this skit we had a coffin with one of our guys in it and the rest of us walked in a line behind the coffin in a mock funeral procession. We walked a couple blocks to the square and we drew some major attention. People were mocking us, throwing stones at us, and just being rude because they realized it wasn't an actual funeral. We walked around pioneer square twice then set the coffin down in the middle and that is when Daniel, the guy inside, popped out and started preaching the gospel at the top of his lungs. After he finished preaching we all split into groups and started talking to people about all that had happened.

I went out that night in a group of four and we had a really cool experience. We talked to this one guy and come to find out he was a christian but was really discouraged in his walk with the Lord. He told us his whole life story and we discovered that he was originally from Ethiopia and he had moved his whole family to America so his kids could attend university. He was struggling to find a job and just seemed a little hopeless. We were able to pray for him and encourage him. The best part of the story is that he told us that he had a dream that four people would come up to him on Halloween and be an encouragement. We were so amazed that God allowed for our group to fulfill that dream and bring a little light into this mans life!

Thursday we had another day full of evangelism and worked with an awesome ministry that night in the city. We walked around Portland that evening in groups. Some groups did prayer walks and other groups were the literal hands and feet of Jesus and just served homeless people and blessed them. God is doing some crazy things in Portland and it was so awesome to witness all sorts of healings, lives being changed forever, and just seeing the light of Jesus brought into such a dark place. We saw prostitutes get saved, people on the street get healed, and all sorts of people touched throughout the week. God was moving in mighty and powerful ways and I loved every second of it!

Throughout the week I realized that America needs the gospel message just as much as other countries do. Sometimes I find it hard to evangelize in America because of a fear of rejection or people judging me but this week God totally delivered me from those chains that were keeping me from being bold. After DTS is over I am going to continue to go out in my hometown of Charlotte and just take every chance to preach the gospel message to anyone I come in contact with.  In Mark 16:15 the Bible says "go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." This verse doesn't mean all the world except your own country, but literally ALL the world, including America! God is SO GOOD and He did above and beyond all I could have expected in Portland. The week was awesome and it only made me even more excited for my upcoming trip to South Africa! 

The Journey

Today marks exactly one month of being in Montana. This afternoon I was walking and chatting with one of my dear friends Jo about how we got to Montana and all that God has done to get us here at this very time. When I think back over the process of how I came to Montana, I am just overwhelmed with the goodness of God and how He knows exactly the right direction for our lives. 

I remember the exact time in my life where I started to feel a call to explore YWAM and the possibility of doing a DTS. I had just returned from a week long missions trip to Costa Rica where we happen to stay at a YWAM base for the week. After we arrived home I remember googling YWAM and learning more about their mission and all the options they presented. I knew I wanted missions to be apart of my life in some way but I just wasn't sure to what capacity it would look like. After doing some research and praying I felt as if DTS would be the best option for me after I graduated high school. 

As I started my senior year of school I remember starting the process of praying and looking into which base I should do DTS at. YWAM has bases all across the world and it was slightly overwhelming trying to narrow my options down. I remember looking into bases all within the south eastern part of the USA. I figured it would be nice to stay relatively close to home and it would be something sort of in my comfort zone. I eventually decided to do my DTS in Jacksonville, Florida. I thought it would be the perfect location. It was on the beach and only six hours from home. Little did I know God had other plans for my life! 

January rolled around and I remember feeling very neutral about my choice to head to Jacksonville. I remember asking God to give me real confirmation about Jacksonville. During the holidays my aunt told me about this guy from her church who had done his DTS and two other schools at a base in Montana. She asked me if she could give him my phone number so he could call me and answer any questions for me. Around the end of January he called my mom and they talked for a really long time about me, YWAM, and DTS. My mom encouraged me to give him a call and chat with him for myself. I did end up calling him and we had a really encouraging conversation. He told me all about the base in Montana and encouraged me to look into it. I wasn't really interested at first but I finally googled it and fell in LOVE! I knew that Montana was the place where I would do my DTS. 

Fast forward nearly nine months and here I am. I just love that fact the God took me COMPLETELY out of what was comfortable to me and placed me far from home. I faced many emotions along the journey and there were many days I doubted wether or not I would make it to Montana. Now that I'm here I look back and see God's hand in the whole situation. He knew what the best base would be for me and I am so glad I listened and followed His direction for my life. 

I feel so at home here in Montana and have fallen in love with so many people. I have said this before but I have made so many friendships that I can see lasting the rest of my life. These past weeks haven't been easy by any stretch of the imagination but they have been good and I've been experiencing so much growth in my relationship with God. This is such a cool journey I'm on and I am overwhelmed by what an amazing God I serve and how much He loves me. I can hardly wait to see what He has in store for the rest of my time here in Montana and then all that will happen in South Africa! 

GOD IS SO GOOD!