Aloha :)
Hmm.. lots of stuff to catch up on! Lets see, since last I wrote, I have signed a petition online against human trafficking (you can too at http://www.polarisproject.org/take-action/sign-on), baptised someone, gone on a mini outreach, finished the book "Heaven is For Real" (which I really enjoyed), and have gotten more tan ;) It's been a pretty exciting last few weeks.
Two weeks ago, we had a man named Brian Brennt and his team come and speak to our class about spiritual warfare and our original design. During the week the couple that was with him took each student out individually and prophesied over them about what their original design was meant to be. They said some really cool things over me. One of my favorite things that they said though was that they thought that I was going to travel all over the world. That would be pretty cool! :D Last week was what we call "corporate week." That's when all of the DTS schools have lectures together. Our speakers taught us about how to start simple churches in places where people haven't heard the gospel before, and also how to disciple people. One of the exercises we did was to have simple church ourselves. We got into groups of 5-10 people, and had word, worship, and fellowship together. For the word we chose any passage from the Bible and then discussed what it said about God, what it said about people, and how we could be obedient. For worship we had the freedom to do whatever we wanted, whether it be singing, dancing, giving thanks, praying... we were free to get creative. :P And for fellowship we usually talked about how we were doing and prayed for each other. One of the days we took communion together as a small church, bread and grape juice/wine weren't provided for us. We had to use whatever we could find. Our group ended up using dry ramen and blueberry-pomegranate vitamin water. lol! It sounds silly but the simpleness of it was very refreshing and very spiritual. We all agreed that it made us happy. :P haha. On the last day, Friday, anyone who wanted was given the opportunity to be baptised, and since our speakers teach that young people can baptise each other, the students could choose anyone they wanted to baptise them. So, all 150-200 of us walked down to the beach in front of the school, and on the way my friend Kerry, who's in my DTS, asked me to baptise her! I was extremely shocked and honored. The experience of baptising someone was so amazing.
The weekend before last was our mini outreach to the other side of the island. We left Friday evening, drove about 2 1/2 hours to a small Korean church in Hilo where we were staying, and spent the rest of that night playing games and eating yummy Korean food. On Saturday, our leaders and staff washed all of the students feet, like Jesus did for his disciples, and we all took communion together. Who knew that getting your feet washed could be such an emotional experience! The rest of the day we spent hanging out together, eating more yummy Korean food, and rehearsing. On Sunday morning we performed for the church. It was a lot of fun! That evening we also performed for a 2nd church before heading back to campus. It was a fun experience, and we all feel a little more prepared for outreach now.
We perform our entire show for the first time next Friday! And also quite a few people, including myself, still need money for outreach by the 29th of this month or we won't be able to go. So please continue to pray for us! I love and miss you all!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Finally another update :)
I'm sorry! I was planning on posting an update once a week but obviously that hasn't been happening :P
I've been pretty busy since the last time I posted. I'm now in 5 dances (tahitian, hula, modern/ballet, couple dance, and hansom) they're all a lot of fun. Our first small performance is in just a few weeks! We'll be doing part of our show for a church here on the island. Everything has been going so fast. Next week I'll be halfway through with my time in Kona and then we're off to Japan!
I've been learning lots of good stuff the past few weeks. The week before last a man named Joseph Avakian came and spoke to my class about the 6 things that keep us in a box. It was really good so I'm going to share it with you :P The first 6 things are what keep us in a box and the next 6 are the opposite things that take us out of our boxes:
Things that box us Things that take us out of the box
1. Fear--------------------------------- 1. Agape love/ perfect love
2. Comparison----------------------- 2. Identity- we know who we are
3. Criticism--------------------------- 3. Exhortation- correction with love
4. Egoism----------------------------- 4. Generosity
5. Arrogance------------------------- 5. Humility- everything you have is not your own
6. Control----------------------------- 6. Freedom
That doesn't do the message justice, just gives you a little taste. :)
It has rained a lot here in the past few weeks, which is really abnormal for Kona. And it's not just a little sprinkling either. I'm talking about the kind of rain where if you step outside it will take a total of about 30 seconds for you to be soaked all the way through. Last weekend about 15 of my fellow PA classmates and I walked to an Indian restaurant downtown to celebrate my friend Yuna's birthday. All of us girls got fancied up just for fun. On our way back to the school, it started to rain.... And it rained really really hard. We were close to the campus so we all ran the rest of the way, but by the time we got under shelter we were all drenched! Lol. Dresses and all. It was quite an adventure.
Have I mentioned my small group yet? I don't think I have... Everyone in PA DTS has their own small group. Girls with girls, guys with guys. Each group has a staff member as it's leader. My small group is the best, of course ;) We are the 6 youngest girls in PA and our leader is only 1 year older than me. We meet at least once a week to talk about whatever we feel like we need to talk about and then we also pray for each other and things like that. Yesterday we wrote down things that we had put before God in our lives on pieces of paper and then we made a little rock alter on the ground and burned our pieces of paper with a lighter. Then we asked God to put something good in place of what we had just let go of. It was a very spiritual and funny experience.
I've been reading 2 amazing books recently. The first one is called "Is That Really You God?" by Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. In his book, Loren tells the story of how God led him to start YWAM. It is amazing to see how God performs miracles and speaks to people when they are being obedient to him. I encourage you all to read it! The 2nd book is called "Heaven is For Real" and it's a true story about a 4 year old boy who went to heaven and visited Jesus while he was unconscious on an operating table. It's also very good so far.
I am really beginning to miss everyone. Especially because I will be missing out on some major family events this month: the birth of my nephew, my sister's graduation, and my dad's 50th birthday. It's hard not to be there with them, but at the same time I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be right now.
Please keep my PA group in your prayers if you think about it. We are constantly battling physical illness and injuries, and spiritual things. Also, quite a few of us still need finances for outreach and we would all really appreciate your prayers for that too!
I hope you all are doing well. I miss you guys!
I've been pretty busy since the last time I posted. I'm now in 5 dances (tahitian, hula, modern/ballet, couple dance, and hansom) they're all a lot of fun. Our first small performance is in just a few weeks! We'll be doing part of our show for a church here on the island. Everything has been going so fast. Next week I'll be halfway through with my time in Kona and then we're off to Japan!
I've been learning lots of good stuff the past few weeks. The week before last a man named Joseph Avakian came and spoke to my class about the 6 things that keep us in a box. It was really good so I'm going to share it with you :P The first 6 things are what keep us in a box and the next 6 are the opposite things that take us out of our boxes:
Things that box us Things that take us out of the box
1. Fear--------------------------------- 1. Agape love/ perfect love
2. Comparison----------------------- 2. Identity- we know who we are
3. Criticism--------------------------- 3. Exhortation- correction with love
4. Egoism----------------------------- 4. Generosity
5. Arrogance------------------------- 5. Humility- everything you have is not your own
6. Control----------------------------- 6. Freedom
That doesn't do the message justice, just gives you a little taste. :)
It has rained a lot here in the past few weeks, which is really abnormal for Kona. And it's not just a little sprinkling either. I'm talking about the kind of rain where if you step outside it will take a total of about 30 seconds for you to be soaked all the way through. Last weekend about 15 of my fellow PA classmates and I walked to an Indian restaurant downtown to celebrate my friend Yuna's birthday. All of us girls got fancied up just for fun. On our way back to the school, it started to rain.... And it rained really really hard. We were close to the campus so we all ran the rest of the way, but by the time we got under shelter we were all drenched! Lol. Dresses and all. It was quite an adventure.
Have I mentioned my small group yet? I don't think I have... Everyone in PA DTS has their own small group. Girls with girls, guys with guys. Each group has a staff member as it's leader. My small group is the best, of course ;) We are the 6 youngest girls in PA and our leader is only 1 year older than me. We meet at least once a week to talk about whatever we feel like we need to talk about and then we also pray for each other and things like that. Yesterday we wrote down things that we had put before God in our lives on pieces of paper and then we made a little rock alter on the ground and burned our pieces of paper with a lighter. Then we asked God to put something good in place of what we had just let go of. It was a very spiritual and funny experience.
I've been reading 2 amazing books recently. The first one is called "Is That Really You God?" by Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. In his book, Loren tells the story of how God led him to start YWAM. It is amazing to see how God performs miracles and speaks to people when they are being obedient to him. I encourage you all to read it! The 2nd book is called "Heaven is For Real" and it's a true story about a 4 year old boy who went to heaven and visited Jesus while he was unconscious on an operating table. It's also very good so far.
I am really beginning to miss everyone. Especially because I will be missing out on some major family events this month: the birth of my nephew, my sister's graduation, and my dad's 50th birthday. It's hard not to be there with them, but at the same time I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be right now.
Please keep my PA group in your prayers if you think about it. We are constantly battling physical illness and injuries, and spiritual things. Also, quite a few of us still need finances for outreach and we would all really appreciate your prayers for that too!
I hope you all are doing well. I miss you guys!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Meet my friend Victoria
Hey guys!
I want to introduce you to one of my fellow classmates and friends, Victoria Gurr. She is from South Dakota, is 19 years old, and is also doing the Performing Arts DTS. She is such a fun sweet girl who loves the Lord and wants to be obedient to him. During these past few weeks we have become good friends and I love spending time with her! As you already know, we are all going to Japan and South Korea for our outreach which is not a cheap trip. Victoria still needs to raise $2,500 to be able to go on outreach. I want her to be able to go! She is an important part of our team and we need her with us. If you would like to donate to Victoria you can visit her blog, argylemonkeys.blogspot.com she has a pay-pal account set up there. Thank you so much! I love you all! :)
I want to introduce you to one of my fellow classmates and friends, Victoria Gurr. She is from South Dakota, is 19 years old, and is also doing the Performing Arts DTS. She is such a fun sweet girl who loves the Lord and wants to be obedient to him. During these past few weeks we have become good friends and I love spending time with her! As you already know, we are all going to Japan and South Korea for our outreach which is not a cheap trip. Victoria still needs to raise $2,500 to be able to go on outreach. I want her to be able to go! She is an important part of our team and we need her with us. If you would like to donate to Victoria you can visit her blog, argylemonkeys.blogspot.com she has a pay-pal account set up there. Thank you so much! I love you all! :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Update from Kona!
Hi everyone,
I know that I have been really bad about keeping in contact with you all and I'm sorry! Hopefully this blog will help me to keep you updated on what I'm up to here in Kona. :)
First of all, it is so beautiful here! Warm, lots of beautiful flowers, and the beaches.. Whoa. Crystal clear water and white sand. It's amazing. You can get a glimpse on my facebook. Being here is still kind of surreal. I can't believe I'm in such an awesome place. I love Hawaii! :P
So, now that you're all jealous ;) I'll tell you that YWAM is not easy. The first week I had to get used to being in a totally new place and living with strangers. I also am having to learn to totally step out of my comfort zone. I have 5 roommates from all over the place (Norway, Korea, Australia, Arkansas, Chicago). They're pretty cool. I like them :) 2 of them are in PA (Performing Arts) with me. During week 2 we had auditions for singing, dancing, and acting. I tried them all. If you're surprised right now then you can join the club. I was surprised myself! lol. I don't usually sing and act voluntarily in front of people. It was fun but lets just say that I will be dancing, and only dancing during the show ;) haha. So far I'm in a hula dance and a modern/ballet dance. Today we had auditions for a dance called Saroch (spelling?). It's a partner dance that's kind of a mix between salsa and swing I guess..? Anyways, it's lots of fun! There are also other dance auditions coming up. This last week has been extremely busy! We started practices and I don't have much free time. This week an average day for me consists of worship and lecture from 8:00-12:00, practice from 1:30-3:00, and sometimes another practice from 3:00-4:00 or from 6:30-8:00, I also eat and all that good stuff in between :P YWAM is not easy but it really is amazing here. Everyone, especially my fellow PA students and staff, is starting to feel like family. People are so open, encouraging, and supportive here. It's a great atmosphere. And, most importantly, I am learning so much about myself and the ways of God. I am hoping to share some of what I've learned with you in later blogs. I wish you could all experience life here though! It is such a life changing experience and I feel so blessed to be here. God has been so faithful and by his grace my lecture fee has been completely paid off! :) Next up is outreach fee. I have no worries that God is not going to provide.
That's all for now! Thank you for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for us here. We leave for Japan in 9 weeks! I miss and love you all.
I know that I have been really bad about keeping in contact with you all and I'm sorry! Hopefully this blog will help me to keep you updated on what I'm up to here in Kona. :)
First of all, it is so beautiful here! Warm, lots of beautiful flowers, and the beaches.. Whoa. Crystal clear water and white sand. It's amazing. You can get a glimpse on my facebook. Being here is still kind of surreal. I can't believe I'm in such an awesome place. I love Hawaii! :P
So, now that you're all jealous ;) I'll tell you that YWAM is not easy. The first week I had to get used to being in a totally new place and living with strangers. I also am having to learn to totally step out of my comfort zone. I have 5 roommates from all over the place (Norway, Korea, Australia, Arkansas, Chicago). They're pretty cool. I like them :) 2 of them are in PA (Performing Arts) with me. During week 2 we had auditions for singing, dancing, and acting. I tried them all. If you're surprised right now then you can join the club. I was surprised myself! lol. I don't usually sing and act voluntarily in front of people. It was fun but lets just say that I will be dancing, and only dancing during the show ;) haha. So far I'm in a hula dance and a modern/ballet dance. Today we had auditions for a dance called Saroch (spelling?). It's a partner dance that's kind of a mix between salsa and swing I guess..? Anyways, it's lots of fun! There are also other dance auditions coming up. This last week has been extremely busy! We started practices and I don't have much free time. This week an average day for me consists of worship and lecture from 8:00-12:00, practice from 1:30-3:00, and sometimes another practice from 3:00-4:00 or from 6:30-8:00, I also eat and all that good stuff in between :P YWAM is not easy but it really is amazing here. Everyone, especially my fellow PA students and staff, is starting to feel like family. People are so open, encouraging, and supportive here. It's a great atmosphere. And, most importantly, I am learning so much about myself and the ways of God. I am hoping to share some of what I've learned with you in later blogs. I wish you could all experience life here though! It is such a life changing experience and I feel so blessed to be here. God has been so faithful and by his grace my lecture fee has been completely paid off! :) Next up is outreach fee. I have no worries that God is not going to provide.
That's all for now! Thank you for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for us here. We leave for Japan in 9 weeks! I miss and love you all.
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