Rose with a Mission

  Hello Friends.  This week has been a great one for me. For the first time in a long time I've been able to rest. Not just take a much needed break before I get to the a million and one things to do on my list or run to class. I've been able to take some deep breathes, enjoy Christmas lights, take some long walks, watch a couple of movies, have some good times with Jesus and family, and have long phone calls with Marisa and Joanna. It has been so good to be able to slow down a bit and just enjoy some things. This Tuesday we took our annual family trip down to San Antonio. It was so fun to see the missions and Riverwalk again. Plus I got to enjoy a lot of time with my awesome family.  It's hard to believe that Christmas is next week! I feel like this year it came so fast, maybe because I have been traveling so much. I haven't been here for a lot of the build up. But I am so thankful to be here and celebrating t...

  I'm back home and adjusting to life outside of YWAM. It's been good to be back with my family and settle into my room.  For the first time in my life, I have a room to myself. While I'm enjoying being able to decorate however I want and my own space, it's a little strange not having a roommate that I have to consult. In this season though, I'm so thankful for a place I can go and be exclusively with Jesus. A place of rest. A place that's all mine.  Last week was a rough one for me (hence the short update). I was dealing with tiredness, about a months worth of shelved emotions, and processing what God did in Panama. This is where I'm so thankful for the body of Christ. Staff members, friends, and family rallied around me. They gave me space to process and cry. They encouraged me to rest and go to Jesus with whatever I was feeling. They prayed for me. They loved and supported me. It made all the difference in the world. I was able to process through feelings...

  Last Saturday and Sunday God gave me so much perspective for what we have been doing here.  I confided to a staff member for YWAM Boquete that I felt like I hadn't really seen anything spectacular since being here. We had mainly done work projects and hung out with kids. Nothing huge or amazing as far as I could tell. "You don't know how much what you are doing helps." She told me. "Everything here is hard work. There's a lot of manual labor goes into everything. When you come in and clean, weed, or move rocks, it frees up a staff member to do ministry. Your team has been faithful to do the little things well. You don't know how much that means to us." It changed my perspective on the work we were doing.  Then on Sunday one of the girls who had been coming to the base to practice English came up to me at church. She gave me a barrette and thanked me for all of my help. I didn't feel like I had done that much, but the gesture was like God tappin...

  This week has been so good.  On Monday we had a day of rest. Our team leader encouraged us to take time to realign our hearts with God for the last part of outreach. Over the weekend I felt like I had a whole laundry list of things that were weighing on my mind. I was trying to bring them to God, but it seemed like I couldn't hardly figure out one problem before another would come in. I decided to go and ask God what to do. As I walked into a secluded spot with my list of problems, I heard His voice. "When did you start thinking that you had to be the one to find answers for all of these things?" It was a gentle reminder that all I had to do was come to Him. It has always been His job to figure out the answer and show me what to do. As I have let this truth penetrate my thinking, I've felt so much better. The confusion has cleared and I'm able to focus on the here and now. He will show me what to do, all I have to do is come to Him.  This week we helped out with...

  This week didn't go as I thought it would.  We left for El Comarca (the indigenous reservation) after breakfast on Monday morning. After a 3 hour bus ride we made it to the YWAM outpost in the mountains of the Ngabe people. We came with plans for a women's Bible study, kids program, and one of the guys prepared a sermon.  Once again I'm so thankful for my team. I got so sick on the car trip and they took such good care of me. Thankfully by time we were in the bus climbing up the mountains (the really pretty part of the trip) I was feeling fine again. The mountains are so beautiful. Being surrounded by them was so amazing. I loved it. Psalms 121 came alive in a whole new way.  Tuesday the guys and girls split up. The guys went to cut firewood and do some projects around the base. The girls got to go pick corn. We took an hour long hike, through the jungle, up the side of a mountain and picked corn. We picked our way along with these strong wo...

  Last Saturday we had the best welcome you could ask for. After an early morning flight and a 40 minute drive, we arrived at the YWAM Boquete base. It was so fun to be welcomed by balloons, cheering staff, and kid hugs. #theperfectwelcome Saturday and Sunday were pretty chill. We got familiar with the base and had orientation.  I loved meeting the staff and the other YWAM teams that are here. It was so neat to hear how God called each person here. I met a girl from California who became a believer just before she came to DTS. Her name is Lauren and I love her excitement in her new faith. It reminds me of the joy we have in Christ. I've met Ana. She's a middle aged woman who has become the mother to so many of the kids here. She has so many stories of God's faithfulness and so much joy in the Lord. As I keep asking people, I keep hearing stories of God working to get people here. I loved it.  On Sunday I felt like God was challenging me to not be afraid. Hence why I had M...

  Sundays lesson went so well. I'm thankful that God led me to give a very simple message to the middle schoolers. After reading about the temptation of Jesus, I talked about how because Jesus knew who He was He knew what to do. I pray that God takes the seeds planted and uses them in these kids lives. I'm thankful I got the opportunity to teach and just hang out with them.  That night we had a time of worship/prayer on the beach. You couldn't have asked for a better night. It wasn't too cool and the setting sun and clouds did a color dance that was beautiful to behold. God is so good. It was good to praise the Lord and pray for each other.  Early Monday morning the Panama team woke up to get on the road to the Philadelphia Airport. It touched me that so many of my classmates woke up at 5:45 AM to hug us goodbye.  Saying goodbye was hard. We have become so close over the past few months. They have walked this journey with me and en...

  How can heartbreak and hope exist together? Let's find out how.  On Saturday we went and helped out with a ministry called If Not For Grace and the Salvation Army in Atlantic City to provide meals, showers, toiletries, and clothing for the homeless. We shared our testimonies and I sang some songs. It was a privilege to work alongside men and women who have so much of God's heart for the homeless. They treated everyone with such respect and cared for them with God's love. From there we headed to Ocean City, New Jersey. A Church there had asked us to give a message for their Sunday school group of middle school students. Joy (a classmate) and I were asked to lead this time. With only about an hour on Saturday afternoon to run through ideas, I was amazed by how God showed up. As we sat down together God brought identity as a theme to Joy's mind. We contrasted what people said about Jesus versus what God said about Jesus and how God is the ultimate authority on our identi...

  I was so excited when we started out from Tyler. Even at 2 AM, I was so excited to begin the outreach adventure! It was so fun sitting with Marisa on the bus being excited for the new sights. It was Marisa's first time to Dallas. While I've been there many times it was fun seeing the city through her eyes. Full of wonder and fun. We arrived early and made our way through security. It was then that I started to feel bad. I didn't drink enough water the day before and it made me sick. I'm so thankful for the team I was with. Even though I felt awful, they took such good care of me. Marisa was my seat buddy and helped me navigate through the day. The guys on my team carried my bags. Joy (a classmate) prayed for me. Emily (my school leader) gave me a hug and helped me to calm down. And so many asked me how I was doing and just loved me even when I was feeling tired. Thankfully that afternoon when I arrived at our host home I was able to get some rest, water, a...

  On Sunday my sister Sarah got married.  It was a fun full weekend. The wedding was lovely. My sister made a beautiful bride and the love that Scott showed Sarah was beautiful. I cried off and on throughout the ceremony. I'm so happy and excited for them as they begin their destiny together.  After the wedding it was back to YWAM for the last week of class/outreach prep. I was so thankful for hugs from Marisa and Kat when I got back after a full, happy, long day.  Marisa has been a huge support to me this week. She has listened to me and drawn out details of the wedding. She challenged and encouraged me. I'm so grateful for her loving presence and how she champions me.  This week we have only had three days of class. It's been full of a lot of encouragement and what the great commission is. I was encouraged to follow God in simple obedience and that God enjoys me.  The rest of the time has been taken up with packing, cleaning, and preparing to ...