November '13 Update

Hello to all of my friends and family back in America and around the world! Once again I apologize for my delay in posting about what's been going on over here in Australia. These past 2 months have been full on intense and incredible and the Lord has been so faithful in every step of this crazy journey He has me on. There's been so much happening, here is a brief summary...

DTS
Our students from the Music & Worship Discipleship Training School that began in late July of this year have grown so much in their faith and in who they are as men and women of God during their time here. One of the more intense weeks of the school was about 2 months ago during "Lordship" week. Our speaker for that week was Mark Parker--a kiwi (New Zealander) who is an intense, no-nonsense, passionate speaker who basically spent the whole week telling our students to get over themselves! Just kidding!..sort of.. No, but it was an incredibly impactful week for the students and for us as staff as Mark really challenged us to submit ALL of ourselves to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. The Lord was on the move like crazy that week and I definitely can see that it was a turning point for the better as a whole in the DTS. Since that week, the rest of lecture phase feels like it literally flew by. At this point all of our students have successfully completed the "Lecture Phase" of their schooling. Then comes outreach...

Pass It On Tour
The Pass It On Tour was the one week outreach in Tenterfield, New South Whales, Australia - which was coincidentally (God totally ordained it!) was the birthplace of their Federation. Our entire DTS and staff joined with YWAM Brisbane's GO TEAM to do a week long outreach doing anything and everything ministry related to bless and support the town.
What is the Pass It On Tour as a whole? This group of crazy young missionaries literally ran 17,000km from town to town to actively take the message of the Father Heart of God, the Value of Families & Biblical foundations across Queensland & on through the western world. Taking service, relationship & ministry to a new level. Ywam Toowoomba had the privilege of joining the GO TEAM for their final week of the tour. We had the opportunity to work with local churches, business owners, schools & residents to reach the citizens of the town - & through that to tangibly disciple an entire community and ultimately the nation. We did service projects, speaking engagements, youth ministry every night, worship nights, and one-on-one prayer and mentoring. It was an powerful week for the students and for the citizens of Tenterfield and I thank God for the priviledge of being apart of it!
After the week of outreach in Tenterfield, we sent our students split into 3 teams to Thailand for 6 weeks to continue putting into practice everything the Lord had taught them. They are still in Thailand right now and will be for another 2 weeks before they return from outreach to graduate the DTS.

Easterfest Acoustic Roadshow
This month the Lord gave me the opportunity to hit the road! For two weeks, me, my co-staff Madeleine Dobbie, and Joy Argow, Event Manager of Easterfest, went on the Easterfest Acoustic Music Tour up the coast of Queensland as far north as Townsville, stopping at 13 or 14 (I can't even remember how many lol) towns along the way and playing music gigs and promoting Easterfest. Easterfest is the largest Christian music festival in Australia and happens every year during all of Easter weekend.
 Our music tour was essentially to bring a piece of Easterfest every town we visited by doing gigs in churches, cafes, etc. 
Here are a few pics from the tour, also check out the Easterfest 2013 Highlights video to get a better idea for what it is! It's pretty sweet.

City Women Internship
I am also doing ministry with City Women which is an umbrella for about 21 different women and girls ministries here in Toowoomba. I'm involved in during these 4 weeks while the DTS is gone are...
SHINE - An 8 week course for teenage girls that originated from Hillsong. The purpose is to teach girls that they are valuable and someone of worth!
The GAP - A Christian based live-in transitional program for young women aged 16-19 years. It's goal is to support, equip, and enable young women in a safe, living community.
Bella Sistahs & Bella Chicks - Bella Sistahs being biweekly and Bella Chicks, monthly, offers mentorship and discipleship for girls keen to develop their own personal values and beliefs – to truly live out what they believe.

Needless to say, I've been kept busy during my time here at YWAM Toowoomba and I love the work the Lord allows me to do here! As multi-faceted and intense at times as it seems, the Lord continues to give me His peace which transcends all understanding through it all. As one of my students always says, I am blessed and highly favored! I am also so grateful for all of the support from my family and friends back home. I wouldn't be able to continue with the Lord's work here in Toowoomba without your prayers and generosity and I am extremely grateful and humbled. So thank you to everyone for all that you do, for allowing the Lord to use His body to be apart of His work! I love and miss you all dearly and pray God blesses you abundantly from the riches of His store-houses up in Heaven! 

With all my love,
Chelsea Ritter

September '13 - DTS & City Women

Hey guys! 

So I realize I'm way overdue in updating all of you back home on what's been happening here at YWAM Toowoomba... But here is the latest on what God's been doing. (I'm gonna give updates in all that God's let me be involved in using categories cause God's been on the move like crazy!)

What's happening with the Fall Music & Worship DTS that I'm staffing...

Wow, God has done so much in the students since they first got here! We just finished Week 6 of their Lecture Phase and there has been so much growth. They've been challenged in so many areas such as hearing the voice of God, Intercession, having Godly relationships in every area, having a Biblical worldview, compassion for the poor and needy, learning how to put others before themselves (living in community will do that hardcore!), and a whole lot more. God's teaching them how to truly forgive, how to fully surrender to God in every area of their lives; it's a privilege to be able to witness and be apart of the work God is doing in each one of our 31 students. The students have come to life with the joy of the Lord, falling in love with their Creator!  

 They have been put in 3 teams for their Thailand Outreach, Teams A, B, and C. They will be doing all sorts of ministry there from working and evangelizing in the slums of Thailand, to the Red Light District, to ministering to women in the sex trade, to the people in the villages who don't know the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this radical group of Jesus-lovers will be able to make a difference in the lives of so many people in Thailand during the 6 weeks they'll be there! God is so good!! 

What's going on with City Women's Bella Sistah/Bella Chicks... 

As some of you know, in addition to being DTS Staff at the YWAM base, I've also been working with a ministry here in Toowoomba called City Women--mostly working with the 12-13 yr old girls who attend Bella Sistah's & Bella Chicks every fortnight. These are girls who are almost all unchurched, they come from rough, broken homes where some even face abuse and other tragic circumstances. Bella Sistah's is a night where all the girls get together for fun & games, tons of hugs, worship, small groups, and prayer. At these meetings they are taught important truths about God's love for each of them, His plans for their future, and how He created them beautiful and wonderful!

A few weeks ago we had a Bella Sistah Camp for the weekend where the girls learned of the importance of thinking positively and walking in the love of God. On Saturday night, they got to hear from a father about the Fatherheart of God, what a father is supposed to look like and who our Heavenly Father is. Half the girls were in tears and afterwards we had an awesome time of worship where Father God showed His love to them! 

Here are a couple pictures from the Bella Sistah Camp :)

A few of our YWAMers at the camp ^^

What God has been doing in me these past 3 months... 

God has been working in me constantly these past few months... It's been a struggle at times, an incredible victory always, I feel the Lord rising up in me, teaching me, speaking to me, convicting me, and using me to minister and show love to those around me. God is the only explanation for the joy, hope, and peace inside me. 

I turned 21 since my last post, and I come to the conclusion that although I'm technically an adult and all, I doubt my child-likeness will ever go away. Thank God for that! I see the Lord working in me, preparing me for the journey ahead of me, wherever and whatever that may be.

What's next?

The students will leave for their outreach in late October. While they are gone, the Lord has put together ministry for me to do here. The first week of the student's outreach will be spent in rural Australia, I will be going with my co-staff, Zach's team, as support during that first week of outreach! After that, they will go to Thailand and I will return to the base for about a week and a half. Then, the Lord is allowing me and another of my co-staff Madeleine to go on a 15 day music tour with Easterfest! We will play 15 shows in 15 days, all at different locations in order to promote the Christian Music Festival, Easterfest!

After that is done, I will most likely return to the base for an Internship with City Women, helping them in their office until the students return from their outreach.

Like I said--the Lord is at work like crazy here and so much is happening! It's been an incredible privilege to be apart and I can't wait to undergo what the Lord has ahead for me and the team here at YWAM Toowoomba! 

I want to thank all of you for all of your prayers and support! I wouldn't be here without the Lord providing me with such an incredible family of God supporting me. May God bless all of you!

With Love,

-Chelsea

July '13 - First Update from Oz

Today is the Saturday before the students get here! The past month has been quite an adjustment period of integrating into Australia and the YWAM Toowoomba base. My fellow staff members are awesome, we are starting to really become a family. God is really at work with creating unity amongst us as we prepare for the arrival of the students!

This month has been a time of preparation and training for when the Discipleship Training School starts this coming week, July 25th! We have 31 students coming to Toowoomba, Queensland from all over the world to dedicate 6 months to growing in the Lord and doing mission work. They will have 12 weeks of "lecture phase" which is when they will receive teachings from pastors and speakers from all over, they will be living in community, learning and participating in worship, intercession, and evangelism in the local community. During this time they will grow in the Lord, press into hearing His voice and experience His love. 
After the Lecture Phase, they will be sent in 3 separate groups to Thailand on outreach for 2 months. This will allow the students to put into practice what they learned during lecture phase. They will be traveling to different locations in Thailand working with various ministries, depending on the needs of each location. Some will work in orphanages, schools, brothels, in the Red Light District, on the streets, in churches, anywhere the Lord leads all to show the love of Jesus and share His message. This is a life-changing time for these students and I know God will grab hold of their hearts and will work in and through them immensely!

Now that you have an idea of what the next 5 months will look like, all I can say is I am so honored and excited to be here on staff to serve in any way I can. The Lord has been so faithful in confirming over and over that I am where I'm supposed to be and that He has a purpose for me being here. He has revealed to me and to my leaders (Kerri & Warren Overbeeke and Jake, the DTS school leader), that this season of me being here is a time for me to serve and pour out into the students and the community of Toowoomba, but also to receive more growth and healing in my own life. I don't want to give any of you back home the wrong impression, it is not easy here, it is not a picnic. If I wanted to stay in my comfort zone and take the easy road I would book the next flight home. But God has called me here for such a time as this and for a purpose. Therefore I will serve and press on in this call on my life for this season. We are pioneering a YWAM base and are responsible for 31 students spiritually, physically, and emotionally. But God is so good and so faithful, He will continue to give us strength as we are obedient to His call.

I want to thank all of you for your support in this venture God has called me to, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. I would like to ask you to keep myself and the base in your prayers. God is at work here, which means the enemy will try to thwart His plans. We know the enemy is powerless here, however he will still give it his best to bring down us as a staff, and the students. If you would be in prayer with me for God's protection and blessing over us as a community, I would be so grateful. God is faithful and He is in control! Thank you so much for your support and I will do my best to keep all of you updated during the next 5 months with what God is doing and the updates from the base. May God bless you! 

-Chelsea Ritter