Ugandan Orphans Find Hope Through a Simple Gift

Check out this video from our time in Uganda. Brittany Vos, who was one of our leaders, is from Canada. She got all her friends and family to donate stuffed animals with notes from children in Canada to the orphans in Uganda. She then brought hundreds of them over with us to Uganda. We gave them out at the orphanages we went to. The kids were so excited to receive their very own stuffed animal (something children in America would take for granted) and a handwritten note from children just like them all the way in Canada! It was so amazing to watch the joy on their faces as the gift was placed in their hands. They would show their new animals off to all their friends and ask us to read the notes to them. I think this was a gift they will never forget! And our team will never forget this experience either!

Jinja, Uganda

We held a kids camp for the kids in villages on our second week in Uganda. 

We expected only about 150 and ended up with over 500 by the end of the week! It was very challenging and stretching, but God really showed up. He taught us a lot through teaching the kids about our Jesus.

Here is a story from my team mate Brittany from the kids camp:

Feeding the (Not Quite) 5000

"There were lines of children coming to get food. The surprise came the first day when we were expecting around 100 children and over 300 children showed up. We did not expect that many on the first day and throughout the week the number has grown! That changed our plans a bit with the lessons and games of course, but also with the food.  We ran out of food one of the days and the older kids did not get lunch.

Now as we were serving lunch, it was quite clear that we were not going to have enough food. The last group had arrived and we were nearing the end of the pots of food.  I know my God and he provides for His children. He brought each one of them to the camp this week to hear the messages of 'Redeeming Love'.  I am serving food, but I am also praying 'Lord Multiply this food'.

That multitude was fed. They weren't 5000, but Jesus fed them. Not only physically but also spiritually He fed them, and there’s a lot more than 5000 still waiting!"

Jinja Preschool:

In February we came back to help out at the preschool on campus. It was really cool to be able to see what a well-run preschool is like in Uganda.

Check out this video from the kids camp and the preschool:

Graduation

My Discipleship Training School is now over.


Last night was Graduation.

Before the ceremony

Flash Mob after the ceremony :) 

Officially a DTS graduate!

I never imagined this would be as good of an experience as it has been. I knew it would be awesome. I knew we would spend several months learning more about Jesus and several months overseas loving on beautiful children, and that would be awesome. But I didn't know it would be the most incredible experience of my life! DTS has been more than I could have ever imagined every moment of it! 

I also never imagined just how hard it would be when it ended. Spending 6 months with so many amazing Jesus loving, justice filled people and then having to part ways. 

Grace, Sam, Kenzie, Carly, Maya, Marlo, Katie, Courtney, Nicole

Me, Emily, Kayla, Corrie

Abi and I

Caleb, Corrie, Emily

Liis (my favorite Estonian!)

Jordan, Ranae, and I

Bailey and I

This morning I said goodbye to the most amazing friends ever... it was a really hard day, but thinking back on all God has done through this time makes me speechless  I don't even have the words for it yet! 

God thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this! I couldn't imagine being anywhere else the past 6 months! 

I will still be in Wisconsin for the next two weeks, processing what I've learned and what I've seen on outreach, attending a YWAM Fundraising Seminar, and visiting friends (the Stoiber family). Then on the 25th I will be traveling home to South Carolina!! I'm so excited to see everyone and begin to share everything that God has been teaching me and the experiences I've had the past 6 months! Please bare with me as I slowly begin to put my thoughts into words and write them here on my blog, put up pictures, put together slideshows, and make my newsletters for the past two months. I am thankful I have this week to start that process, and I can continue when I get home. 

Thank you friends and family for standing with me, encouraging me, sending donations and praying for me during this time. I love you all and thank God for you, because without you all I would not have been able to do this!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day!!! Today is our last day of outreach preparation and we load up the bus first thing in the morning (5 am) for the Chicago airport! I can't believe it's finally here! 

Please keep us in your prayers! A couple of people have been sick. A lot of people still need most of their finances. And packing and getting ready for 2 months overseas can be pretty stressful, so just pray for peace for us. Thanks! 

Financial Update: as of right now I still need $1,044 by tomorrow!  

If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation you can do so here: 

http://www.ywammadison.org/donate/

(Please put my name in after clicking on "I want to direct my donation to" after you have submitted the amount). If you don't see that just message me the amount you sent so I can let them know it's for me. 

Thanks so much! 

Intercession India/Nepal Outreach

The India and Nepal team is made up of 8 staff members and 11 students.

Some of the team. The two babies are not going (and neither is the guy with the Santa hat in the back). Also two of the students are not in the picture. This was taken last night at our Christmas Love Feast (ugly sweater theme), just in case you are wondering. 

Jan. 1st-21st:

• To Nepal- Ministry to women in brothels

Jan. 22nd-28th:

• Some will go to Kolkata, India to work with street kids.

Jan. 29th-Feb. 21st:

• To Pune, India- Hope of Glory Children's Home to work with rescued street kids. Work at Santvana, which is an AIDS home. Red light district to work in a preschool and do brothel ministry. 

*Pictures from Google Images

Intercession Mexico Outreach

(Google Images)

This year's Mexico outreach team is made up of 5 students and the Stenson family of 5 (with 3 young children). 

(Rieneke, Sam, Emily, Katie, Maria, Becca, Leif, Elliot, John, and Annie)

Please keep them in your prayers as they travel to Mexico. 


Here is an overview of what they will be doing there: 

• To Juarez to work at a children's home run by YWAM called Rancho Los Amigos .

Juarez (Google Images)

Children of Rancho Los Amigos (Goggle Images)

• To Creel to work with local churches. 

Beauty of Creel (Google Images)

Children of Creel (Google Images)

Creel (Google Images)

• To Mazatlan to minister to party goers who attend the annual Carnaval De Mazatlan .

Google Images

• To D.F. (Mexico City) to work with the new YWAM base there who reaches out to street kids.

Google Images

Google Images

Street Children in Mexico City (Google Images)

Days Until Outreach...

(Google Images)

Open for Questions

Do you have any questions? 


What are some things you would like to know about me, 
my work with YWAM, 
our trip to Uganda, 
what I'm doing after this... etc.? 


Ask me anything...


Or even if you have a question about how to stay in contact with me through newsletters and updates, or how you can participate in my fundraisers, let me know. 


Just comment below, and I will get back to you. 


Thanks for following my blog! I hope you've enjoyed the updates and pictures so far. 

Finish The Task Conference, October 28th- November 2nd (Cincinnati, Ohio)

"Where is the safest place for you to be in the world? Right where God wants you." 


Stats on the unreached people of today:
3 million people are without the scriptures
2 billion people are unreached by the Gospel
There are 6,912 languages in the world
Only 455 have the complete bible in their language

From: http://www.finishthetaskconference.com/

The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, it's a command to be followed!


"Whatever you do make disciples..."
Ask yourself this in everything you do. Are you making disciples?


5 Reasons We Should Go to the Unreached:

1. Motivation: The love of God should be enough motivation for us. 
2. The Lordship of Jesus: It's not "The Great Suggestion".
3. The lostness of the lost.
4. We are in the last days. 
5. Do you really believe in eternal life for the saved? Why aren't we going out and making sure no one goes to Hell? 

"The unreached people are like a burning house and we have the living water of Jesus Christ to put out the fire, but every time we don't go and use the excuse of: 'I'm not called there', they suffer."

From: http://www.finishthetaskconference.com/

You won't be any earthly good until you get heavenly minded. 

A disciple doesn't sit around and complain about how expensive it is to go. He just goes!

John 15:1-5

How does a branch have fruit? The vine. 

If you want to be fruitful don't worry about the fruit just focus on the vine (Jesus) and fruit will automatically grow. 

If we give 100% of our lives to God when we are saved, why do we not let God into everything we do? 

We need to live with God at the center of everything we do. 

The Tale of Four Cities: 

             Jerusalem           

Revelation 21:1-5

Acts 1:1-8, 2:1-5

Zachariah 9:10

Great Commission: 

Go make disciples

Go proclaim the Gospel

Go clarify the content

Go like Jesus did

Go everywhere

           Antioch                

1. Growing Church (Acts 11:19-21)

2. Grounded Church (God didn't say go make decisions, He said go make disciples.)

3. Giving Church

4. Glowing Church

5. Going Church (Acts 13:2) 

2/3 of God's name is GO!

       Thessalonica        

Acts 17:1-4

Paul's Evangelism style: 

1. Reasoning (dialogue)

2. Explaining

3. Proving (giving evidence)

4. Proclaiming

5. Persuading

6. Joining

            Berea             

Acts 17

Paul's heart for the unreached:

1. What he saw

2. What he felt

3. What he did

4. What he said

"He that is wise wins souls."

Passion:

Passion leads to action. 

In every missionary biography you will find people with great passion. 

How to get it? 

-From God

-Get around people who are passionate

Things that keep us from having passion: 

-Too much awareness of sin and shame 

(The best way to get rid of that is to look to God for healing)

From: http://www.finishthetaskconference.com/

5 Things that really help in missions:

1. Allow the worlds of knowing God and making Him known come together. (All the time, even at home). 

2. Ask God for His heart.

3. Always be sharing your faith (even when you are not on the "mission field"). 

4. Continue to ask God to increase your faith. 

5. Have fun! (The Good News needs to really be good news! Let joy be a reality in your heart as you go).

Outreach!!

So...... I'm going back to Uganda, Africa for my outreach with YWAM! Our team will be made up of 7 people and we will be there for all of January and February!! We will be working with kids, but we don't know where yet. Pray that God will give clarity to the leaders that will be planning our time there. I am already close to my team members but I'm so excited to get to know them better before we go on this amazing adventure together! Also, please pray that the finances come in for not only me but the other team members too. We have a little less than 3 months to raise the money (about $4,000). I am not worried about it! God has proven time and time again that He is my Provider, and I know He loves to show His greatness by providing through others. But of course, we still doubt sometimes, because we are human.

As a school we also do local outreaches here in Madison. I chose to work with international children at an after-school program called Eagle Heights. All of the children are Asian, and they are between the ages of 5 and 12. If you know me well, you know that I love Asians! So this is an awesome reality for me to be able to interact with them every other Tuesday! We just went for the first time today! We played games, did crafts, and had a snack together. It was great to get to know them, and I can't wait to see them next time! Most of them are from China and they speak both Mandarin and English! I was so excited to discover that, since I have a huge heart for China! I am so very privileged to get to work with them right here in Madison! 

God is really spoiling me! I get to work with Chinese children and Ugandan children in the next 6 months!

Pictures are Online

If you want to see some pictures of my new life here I've uploaded them to Picasa Web Albums. Check them out here: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/115416775726947989421/YWAMMadison02

I'll be adding more there in the future too. It's much easier to upload them there then it would be to put them all on this blog. (Of course, I do upload them to FB, as well). 

Enjoy! 

Survivor Camping Trip

   The whole point of this Survivor Camping was to get a glimpse of how many people all around the world live in similar conditions on a daily basis. Of course, many people are treated much worse; they are beaten by the corrupt governments in their own countries, and denied from any food or shelter. We were doing this so we could relate, in a small way, to them with some of the feelings and experiences they were dealing with. Also, another point of this is to see what kind of conditions we could be in if we go into foreign missions, or even to prepare us for outreach. It was hard for a lot of us to not focus on how we were feeling and how hard it was to do  the extreme camping and deal with the corrupt government. We noticed a lot of us had the same feelings of: anger, bitterness, tiredness, and injustice. Once we shared our feelings and our struggles we realized these are some of the same things that people all over the world are going through on a daily basis. We only were going through a small sliver of what they go though for 4 days (originally). We then watched some videos about the child soldiers and LRA in Gulu, Uganda and how the children had to leave their villages every night to walk to the city in order to sleep safely. If they didn't go they would be risking there lives by being taken by the LRA during a “night raid” on their villages. The young boys would be forced to join the LRA, which would involve killing others, even their own family members. And the young girls would be forced to become sex slaves for the LRA. These videos really broke our hearts and helped us to not focus so much on our current feelings/circumstances, but on theirs. Since we now had a tiny glimpse into what they may be feeling it was beginning to stir our hearts to how we could help. We then had Quiet Time and worship while we asked God what he was teaching us during this time, and what rights we needed to surrender to Him (such as: the right to shelter, the right to 3 meals a day, the right to sleep, etc.) This has really been an awakening experience for me once I got past the feelings of anger, jealousy, and tiredness. This must be what others around the world are feeling who go through similar injustices.

   Another part of the game was to go out and minister to the other tribes and the government to get to know them and tell them about Jesus, trying to convert them to Christianity, by asking the right questions. All the while, the corrupt government was out patrolling the roads, trying to stop us from spreading the gospel. They did a really good job, we had to try 3 different times before we actually reached another tribe. They kept sending us back to our base, when they caught us, but finally we went off the road and just found our way through the woods.

   When we finally arrived at the location, which turned out to be YWAM North Woods in Northern Wisconsin, we were all dropped off by the bus driver. He told us to stay there until a leader came. It was pitch dark, except the light from the moon and starts. We were all amazed, though, by the amount of stars we saw in the sky. It was a really clear night and we were in the middle of nowhere. I had never seen so many stars in my life! After a few minutes a leader came and told us to go find “baggage claim” to get our bags. We had to follow the instructions given to each tribe. We had to walk a long time on the road until we came across the government riding over to us on a gator. They shined the lights on our bags and we all quickly grabbed our bags, mats, and sleeping bags. Once we got them we followed the government to “Customs”. They had the building set up very similar to an airport customs area. It was interesting to walk in an see the staff members all serious and with army clothing on, it was hard not to laugh. We were told to get in a line. They kept saying “wrong line” once we got up to the desk. There was only one right line, so we all had to find out the right one and get in that one. When it was our turn they made us show our passport, take off our coats, shoes, belts, empty all our pockets, and give them our bags to search.  They searched everything and took random things from us, but we didn't argue because we weren't sure what they would do. Once we all got through customs we were given a team supply bag that had some supplies for cooking, eating, and making a fire pit. Next it was time to get our rations. They rudely asked us random questions about our passports (we had to have the information memorized). We got a tiny dot of toothpaste to put on our toothbrushes, a small amount of toilet paper, and a tiny bowl of uncooked mixed beans and rice. We were told this was for breakfast and lunch the next day. I didn't think they were really serious, I thought for sure they would give us something else in addition, but they didn't  Once we got our rations we were each escorted by tribe to our different bases (campsites). They were roped off with tape and very small.   We had 11 people on our tribe, so we had to figure out how to fit everyone under a shelter we made out of a tarp and some yarn they had given us. We put everyone’s mat on the ground and sleeping bags on top. Next, we dug a fire pit and got some twigs for a fire later. Then we heard the air hone blow. That meant it was time to play capture the flag. Each team had a team flag and some smaller colored ribbons we had to put around our waist. Each team was to send several people out to capture the other team’s flag’s and try to also get people out by grabbing their ribbon off of them. If they got out they had to be taken to the government and held hostage until the game was over. Each team also had to have a few members back at their base to protect the team flag. I was one of those for our team. It was quite hard because we kept hearing noises in the woods, that turned out to be leaves falling, or animals, but we kept thinking someone was coming. No one actually found our base, since it was nestled at the bottom of a hill and off of the trail. We did well, but none of the teams ended up getting any team flags. When the game was over it was time for bed.  We had to sleep close together to keep warm. We didn't end up going to bed until midnight. I slept pretty well despite being on the hard lumpy ground. We were rudely awoken 4 hours later by a “night raid”. Some of the government had snuck up on our base and lit some fire crackers and set off some smoke bombs. Then they screamed “Get up! Get up!” So we all jumped up out of our sleeping bags and we very startled. But then they left so we were all confused as to what we were supposed to do. We didn't know if this was the wake-up call for the day or not. So some of us started to get our shoes on and get our things together. Before long they came back to intimidate us more. They asked us why some of us were getting ready. Then they lied and said it was only 2 in the morning we should go back to sleep. Then as they were leaving they asked us why we don’t have a fire, and that we should make one. It really confused us, but we decided to just go back to sleep. So we all slept until about 7:30. Then we got ready and started a fire for our breakfast of rice and beans. We boiled them in water for a little while, but not long enough because they were still crunchy. We weren't sure how much time we’d have to eat, so we went ahead and tried our best to eat some. It was really gross, but we were all really hungry. Soon after we heard the air horn blowing, which meant it was time to meet at the “government territory”. Our team ended up being the first one to arrive, which they liked, but we still had to do some random things for them. They made us do jumping jacks, star jumps, pretended to be lions, and made a 10 person pyramid. Finally, some other teams arrived. So they told us to just sit down and watch them do the random things. Since we were first to arrive we were able to pick 3 people from our tribe to get a ride in the back of the gator. I was one of them, thankfully. Everyone else had to run after the gator and try keep up, (except our team was allowed to walk). Once we got to the building we all transitioned into it being “DTS Safe Zone”. It was funny to see all the staff members turn back into being our staff instead of the corrupt government. It was really relieving knowing that we were safe there, though. Then Paul (the school leader) spoke to us on the goals of survivor. It was great to finally get some insight on why we were really doing this. 

   We played some team building games, and finished the day. We ate rice and beans for lunch and dinner as well.  Then after dinner we had to stop Survivor games because of some injuries and health concerns. Also, it was really cold and the wind was really blowing hard, so it was too dangerous to continue. We all slept inside the building that night and returned home early the next morning. Even though we weren't able to finish, I think it was a positive experience for everyone and we really learned a lot. I don’t think we will ever forget Survivor Camping! 

Back from Survivor!

We arrived back from our Survivor Camping Trip this morning around 11. We came back early due to a couple of minor injuries/health problems and because of the freezing temperatures (literally)! It was pretty miserable in the woods (when we were out of our sleeping bags) and the wind was very strong! We slept inside last night and returned back to the base early this morning. Everyone is safe and healthy (for the most part) now. Looking back it really was a great trip overall! I'm glad we got to experience it, but also glad to be back home! We sure do appreciate everything we have here so much more (not that we didn't before, but it's just a lot more now). We have so much here! We are all so glad to be back together as a family too!

I'm going to try my best to post all about our Survivor Camping Trip this weekend! We have the whole weekend free!

Also, I'm going to be uploading some pictures to an online photo album soon. (I didn't take pictures on our camping trip, because we weren't allowed to bring cameras, but one of the leaders took some, so I'll try to get them uploaded too).

Tomorrow

Tomorrow we leave the base to go on our Surviver Games Camping Trip! We are all excited, but nervous as well! We are only allowed to bring the necessities and it's going to get pretty cold at night! We don't have much information on how it will be, but we know it will be something we remember for the rest of our lives. We just packed (our one backpack worth of stuff) and we leave tomorrow after lunch and don't come back until Sat. night. I'll try to update next week sometime to let you know how it went.

Sorry I haven't updated the blog a lot, we don't get much time on the internet, plus we are busy all day! But I did write a newsletter last week, so check it out (by signing up).

YWAM Tomorrow!!

This weekend has been so great! I am so blessed to be staying with an amazing family and I am so thankful I have had this time to transition into my life in Wisconsin!

Today was filled with Fall activities. We went to a Fall Festival/Farmers Market this morning, then we carved pumpkins, then we played outside in the gorgeous weather (it's actually a bit warm for Wisconsin), then we had a party for Megan's birthday with a bonfire and hot apple cider, to end the day!

I've been checking FB and email for updates on classmates who are coming in from all over the world to attend DTS. Some got to the training center today and the rest (including me) will arrive tomorrow!

It is still unreal to me that I am doing this! I have to keep reminding myself this is not just a short visit to Wisconsin, this is a 6 month adventure. I'm not going back home in a couple days, like I did last time I visited here. I'm actually living here! Wow!

It's been on my mind all day (well, especially today), but I still can't believe it, tomorrow is the day that I start DTS! I've waited 9 months for this event to happen and tomorrow it will actually begin. I am nervous, and excited, but very hopeful that God is going to do amazing things! Although, I don't really know a lot of details about the school, our schedule, or what it will be like, I feel like that is OK. After all this is missionary training, so I suppose it's better for us not to know all the small details, because in reality we really never know what's going to happen, but we trust God anyway. We will follow Him anywhere He wants us to go, so who cares if we don't know everything or even everyone. We know without a doubt He will use this time to bring us closer to Him and to show us how to work together to bring justice to the precious children around the world.

So I am so excited for this new journey to start!

I'm Here!!

No more words needed! 

Plus I am super tired, so I'm gonna get some sleep!