Hello family & friends around the world!
Update on the DTS & YWAM Toowoomba
Life has been exciting here at YWAM Toowoomba, Australia with all that God has been doing. We are 1/2 way through out 5th Music & Worship Discipleship Training School (DTS) with a group of 34 students. It has been an incredible time of learning more of who God is and His Kingdom as we serve one another and the community.
This week we are concluding the Lecture Phase of the DTS and entering into Outreach Phase, where we will be sending 4 teams overseas to Thailand, Cambodia, East Timor, and Fiji for 1 month. This is a perfect opportunity for all of our students to learn to put into practice everything they've learned during lecture phase about the Kingdom of God and missions. I am happy to report that I have the opportunity of leading a team of 7 students to Fiji! Outreach Phase starts next week and my team will be in Fiji the from April 21 until May 23!
Once all of the outreach teams return to Australia in late May, there will be 3 more weeks of lectures and local outreach they graduate and are sent into the world!
Sabbatical to the USA
After this current DTS concludes, I will be returning to the States for the summer (roughly June 22 - Sept 6). That time is essentially for me to spend with my family, my church, and friends after having been in YWAM for most of these past 3 years. I also would love to give everyone an update in person of all that God has done and is still calling me to do.
Update on what's next
I have been serving with YWAM Toowoomba for 2 years; when I came on staff, I felt Him saying that would be the amount of time I will be on staff in Australia. However, I felt strongly that I was not to leave simply to go, but that the Lord was going to call me out of Australia and call me into something new. Several years ago, the Lord gave me His heart for Muslims and the desire to enter the mission field in Islamic communities to see them know and experience the love of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
This coming September, the Lord has paved the way for me to go to YWAM North Africa for a training course called the Foundations for Intercultural Study. This is a great opportunity to have hands on training in ministry on the field in a predominantly Muslim nation; being trained by staff from all over the world who have had decades of experience in ministering in Muslim Communities.
What is the Foundations for Intercultural Study?
It is a training course with YWAM North Africa and is an intensive, 3 month program designed to prepare people to serve in frontier locations throughout the Muslim world. It is training for missions in regions such as North Africa, Middle East, etc.
Training includes understanding the Islamic worldview, Biblical basis for reaching out with the Gospel, language skills, cultural adaptation and working cross culturally, project planning, and more. This program will provide a basic understanding of the complexity of the Muslim world and how the Kingdom of God can expand into those communities. Dates: Sept 9 - Dec 6, 2015
God is Good!!
As you can see, 2015 is looking like quite a year and I am excited to continue to go and serve wherever God sends me. Thank you to all of my friends and family who are in prayer for me and support me! Recently I have been overwhelmed by God's provision and His faithfulness. God is good all the time and as I continue to say "Yes" to His direction, He continues to be so faithful to provide for all of my needs! I just have to boast in what God has done because I am so grateful for His faithfulness in using His Body to provide. I have been trusting in God for the finances to book my flight home to NC in June as I didn't have enough after paying staff fees and fees for the outreach. Recently, I received the news that someone donated the FULL amount needed for my flight from Australia to the States! Praise the Lord!! God continues to amaze me! He is so worthy of praise!
Thank you to all who continue to pray and support me in the mission God has called me to!
