Rose with a Mission

All summer I had been praying and asking God for support so I could go back to YWAM. The only stipulation I put on this was that if YWAM wasn't where God wanted that He would make the support not come in.  He listened to me and had the support not come in. I was hurt and confused. I didn't know what I was doing wrong or why I wasn't getting the support as quickly as I had for everything else related to YWAM.  Then last weekend God brought an answer to a prayer that I have been praying for years.  This is Stewart, my boyfriend. He is very Godly, kind, and gentle. I have so enjoyed getting to know him and look forward to seeing what God does with this relationship in the days to come. This does mean that I'm not going to be returning to YWAM for the foreseeable future. I am going to stay at home and enjoy getting to know this great guy more.  I'm signing off for now and won't be posting weekly updates anymore.  Thank you for all the love an...

This week I was gumpy at work, I tried not to let it show, but it was there all the same. At first I didn't know why work was ticking me off.  As I prayed I realized what was going on. Unless God moves in a mighty way (which I've seen Him do before), I won't be able to go back to YWAM in mid August like I had hoped.  This week I was struggling with that disappointed hope. While I know that God is working all things for my good and He ultimately has control of where I go, it hit me that I wouldn't get back there as soon as I want to.  Something that has softened this realization is that I am in a good place. With God, at home, and in life. God and I have a great relationship, I have a great home to live in, and I'm thriving in relationships. God is good. Ultimately even if I don't get to go back to YWAM as a missionary, I can trust God's guiding hand. He has never failed me before and He will never fail me.  So I can slip my hand into His and walk...

  When I first went to YWAM, I didn't consider myself a missionary. I wanted the training and adventure, but in my mind it was those who served overseas and had devoted their whole life to the mission field got the title of missionary.  Over the last year, God has not only taken me on an amazing adventure that helped me to see what a missionary really is. It's not just a title I get to assume when I'm in a foreign country, it's a lifestyle I get to live all the time. The truth is we all are called to serve and love those around us and around the world. We are all called to share the gospel. We are all called to live holy lives for Christ. We are all called to be ambassadors for the True King regardless of where we live. Since this is the life God has called us to live, we all hold the title of missionary. We all have a part to play in fulfilling the great commission.  So I now gladly wear the title of missionary. Not because I'm in a foreign country, but because I...

  When they handed me my diploma and I was walking back to my chair, I started to cry. I was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness. I remembered all the times He had helped me overcome difficulties to get to this point. We made it! We (God, my team, and I) had made it to the end. I love this group so much. They have taught me so much and become so dear to my heart.  After a ton of pictures, goodbyes, and one victory shout, I went to bed happy at all that God had done.  The next day my dad came and picked me up and took me home. It was so good to see family and get hugs from them. There's nothing quite like family hugs. Plus I loved showing them pictures from Tanzania and stories of what God had done.  This week I've been doing a lot of resting and organizing of my room. I'm glad to have a place to stay for a few months while I fundraise. My plan is to work for the next two months while fundraising to become a full time missionary with YWAM. I've loved my tim...

  After leaving the Dhaiso, we headed out for a much needed rest day.  I can't thank my team enough for how they helped me after I sprained my ankle. They pushed me around in a wheelchair, included me in games, put a compression sock on my ankle, encouraged me to walk on it some, and encouraged me to lift my eyes to the one who was above it all. They are the best team a girl could ask for. From Tanga we took a bus to YWAM Arusha.  Here we rested and prepared for the last week of ministry.  On Sunday our team had the privilege of speaking/leading worship at a small church in Arusha. I'm so thankful that whether in a mega church with bright lights or a tiny church with a dirt floor, the same God fills them both. The next day we headed to a YWAM base called Enkicaret. It's within sight of Kilamongaro and the mountain views were spectacular. Ministry here consisted of sharing some stories and songs with the kids in school, visting/encouraging wido...

  And just like that another week is in the books. Whew, hang on. Where did the time go? This weeks topic was the 7 Spheres of Influence. In any society you have government, celebration (arts, sports, entertainment), economy, family, education, church, and media. They all interact with each other, but each has a profound impact. I appreciated how our teacher encouraged us to think about questions deeply and shared a lot of history. He encouraged us to enter whatever sphere we are called to and be salt and light.  It definitely encouraged me in my filmmaking. And that wasn’t the only time God brought up my filmmaking this week.   During a prayer time God gently showed me how I’d been letting fear get me down. I was afraid that the film I’m making would turn out bad and people wouldn’t like it. I was afraid that I would be labeled sub-par and canceled. I confessed this to my prayer group. They all encouraged me and prayed over me. It made me feel better and helped me s...

  Surprisingly this has been one of my favorite weeks of the School of Evangelism so far. This week we explored the topic of finances. I struggled at first to stay focused. I thought I knew pretty much what was going to be taught and didn't need this teaching, but I was wrong. I was reminded that it all belongs to God. We are merely stewards of His resources. We cannot choose what God will give us, but we can choose how we will steward what we've been given. I was convicted that I need to more diligently steward what has been given to me. I want to make a budget for what has been given to me and stick to it.   I love how our teacher this week kept emphasizing obedience to God over every plan, creative strategy, and clever speech. "It's not about what you can get out of it. It's about obeying God in whatever He tells you to do." She reminded us often. Ultimately we have to realize that it's not about us. It's all about Jesus and His kingdom. Money is ju...

  This week God reminded me of the reason that I am here. On Sunday I listened through a sermon series from my church back home. They were preaching on Revelation 20 and the final judgement. I was struck by the fact that one day the option for eternal comfort will be gone. One day we will either live eternally with Christ or be sent the the sent to the place of eternal torment. In both cases they are options that we chose. God doesn't force either option on us, each of us choses to reject or receive Christ. There is no middle ground.  This is the reason I am in the school of evangelism. I want to share the hope of Christ with as many as I can. I want to bring as many people with me into Gods presence as possible. We live in a dying and hurting world. We must share His love and grace before it's too late. How do I plan to do that? Continue being the light wherever I go. As often as I have opportunity, share the hope that I have. And do things like go to Tanzania and share the g...

​ Wow! I’m back at YWAM! It has been a full and great week.  For starters, I have loved being back at the beautiful YWAM campus. I felt at home instantly and was so thankful I got to come back. Even though it’s cold, I love being here.  I’m so grateful that I get to have Emily and Anthony for my leaders for the school of evangelism. They were amazing leaders during my DTS and I’m so excited that we get to walk together in this next season.  I also love that I get to walk with several of my DTS classmates as well as some new friends. It’s exciting.  Since I got back God has really been speaking to me about focus. Focusing on Him and being present in the moment. Please pray that I would continue to do both in this season.  In addition to orientation classes, they told us where we are going on our missions trip. We are heading to Tanzania! God has opened a door for us to work with an unreached people group there. Please be in prayer that God would be preparing the ...

  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...

  How could a place become home in just   three weeks? I thought as I got in the car today to visit my family. This adventure has definitely had its challenges, but YWAM has become home. A lot of the pieces of my heart are there and I know it's exactly where I'm supposed to be. I'm growing so much in God and learning so much about Him. It's made YWAM my home.  This week we were learning about the character and nature of God. We looked at Exodus 34:6 And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."   As we unpacked this verse I was amazed by the depth of these Hebrew words and what it reveals about God. He is truly amazing. Our teacher was also very patient with us. He answered all of our questions and took time to probe deeper. It was a fantastic week. This week I was encouraged by a YWAM staff member to take a spiritual gifts test. I hadn't taken one ...

  Today my YWAM adventure begins! After 3 months of preparation I'm starting my adventure with Jesus. This last week was bittersweet. On Sunday my home church prayed for me and my time at YWAM. I am grateful for the love and support they have poured into me. It made their prayer for me all the sweeter. Then when we got home, we had a sibling birthday bash. Everyone voted they would rather celebrate early than to miss doing it with me. I have the best family. We had lots of presents, two cakes, and a lot of laughter. It was great and a time I will treasure.  Monday through Thursday I was busy running errands, packing, cleaning up my room, and hugging family. It's been an emotional and exciting time. Saying goodbye is tough, but the excitement of this new adventure carries me forward.  I spent Friday driving up to Lindale and spending time with my mom. She has been such a great support on this journey. I'm so thankful that we got to have some special time together before I ...

This week has been really good. Now that I'm in full time preparation for YWAM, I'm starting to tackle the things that need to get done before I leave. Things like cleaning out the closet (a scary task, but I wanted to leave it clean), sew a special quilt, continuing to gather items needed, write letters, and normal things like cleaning and Bible time. Despite all these projects, I didn't want to neglect the what's most important: relationships. This week the Lord has graciously given me a lot of time to pour into family and friends. I was able to enjoy the zoo with my family, take some long walks with my sister, have some good talks with Jesus, write a long letter to a friend whose on a mission of her own, have a good long phone call with a friend in Cali, text and voice message several good friends, as well as touch base with some old coworkers and share my new adventure with them. I love all the amazing people that God has put into my life and how they encourage and ...

  This week I have seen so much progress. For starters, Thank you to everyone who prayed for me last week. I am healed and feeling back to normal. Praise God! Then I've received a lot of donations this week. They have blessed and humbled me. I'm now up to 34% of my goal! Because of them and taking a good chunk out of savings, I was able to send off a check for my lecture phase. This was so big and I couldn't have done it without you. Now I can focus on saving for the missions trip and expenses for my time at YWAM.  I am smiling so big right now. When I think of all that God has been doing and all that is being accomplished, I'm so excited to be a part of this adventure.  Now I only have 4 days of work left. I love my kids and the time that I have been able to spend at Solid Foundation Preschool. I've learned so much about how God sees me and how to love on little ones well. I'm stocking up on kid hugs.  I've also been working to be faithful in prayer, in fri...