Rose with a Mission

Today I'm cleaning my room, decorating for Christmas, and packing in preparation for my flight tomorrow! It's hard to believe that I'm flying out for a two week film school in a matter of hours. I've got my bags mostly packed and my boarding pass ready to go!  The last few days I've been getting more excited about this. When I first heard about this filmmaking course I thought that there was no way I could go. It was during holiday break. I don't have the money for the plane ticket. I'll only have been back from DTS for two weeks. And so my logic went on. And then God encouraged me to keep the option on the table. I had someone donate enough for me to buy a plane ticket. God provided me with a host home and transportation. Everything came together and I'm grateful God gave me the opportunity to get back into filmmaking.  I've been able to decorate a little bit more using things that I got during DTS. They are such an encouragement to me. ...

  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 I graduated!  I will be posting much more of an update later, but I wanted ya'll to know that we made it!  Marisa and I about to accept our diplomas

  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...