YWAM July DTS 2011: First 2 Weeks of Outreach!

Hello! It has been awhile. I’ve been keeping busy these past couple of weeks of outreach! Last week we took the 36 crew (kids) from YouthStreet up to the Gold Coast in Australia for 5 Day Escape! It was so much fun, but also very exhausting. As staff, we were on the go from about 6:30am until about 10:30pm for those five days. We did different things with the crew each day such as shopping, BBQ at the beach, team games, tubing & wakeboarding, bowling, Lion King in 3D, and went to an amusement park called Dream World. The crew had so much fun. Each night we had a night program that consisted of different team challengers, skits, a talent show, and other sorts of fun. On the last night one of our staff shared a message about Jesus being the only One we can always count on during the difficult times and how even though we may feel helpless at times, God is the One who will always come through for us. Several crew made decisions to follow Christ that night and even more crew talked with us about questions they had. It was truly a wonderful night to be a part of. I got to pray with a couple of girls in my cabin and then share with them some more and encourage them. A lot of the crew said they never knew that they could have a personal relationship with God, or that God wanted a relationship with them! A couple told me how they had never felt such power in prayer before that night. It was an honor to be used by God in such a moving way.

This past week we spent at the Island Breeze Sydney YWAM base in Sydney Australia. They had a Nations 2 Nations conference that we were able to attend and help at the base. We did some evangelism, scrubbed the kitchen floor, and helped in the kitchen a few times. The conference focused on God’s love for all the nations and how one day we will be one nation in Heaven! Revelation 7:9 “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands”. Speakers taught a lot about identity in Christ and destiny and how this related to people from every nation. It was amazing because there were people there from Australia, America, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, England, Cook Island, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, Africa, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a couple of nations! It was amazing to talk to people from all over the world. We got a glimpse of different cultures through dress, watching dances, tribal dances/calls, and worshipping God in different languages. I’ve come to the discovery that I love islanders!! They are seriously so much fun! Definitely got me even more excited for Fiji! We all had such an amazing time. I definitely gained a whole new love and appreciation for all of the people in different nations!

As I write this we are on our way back to Newcastle for the weekend before flying to New Zealand on Tuesday! Ali actually had to fly to New Zealand last weekend because of visa issues so we are missing her and excited to see her!

Please continue praying for breakthrough in finances for our group. There are still a couple people who need their money by next week to be able to come to Fiji. If they end up not being able to come it will reduce our team to 5 and I reckon if 2 are better than 1, then 7 is better than 5! Amen? So please keep the prayers flowing!

Our first 2 weeks of outreach have been really wonderful and I’m so excited to see what God has in store for the next 8 weeks! Thanks for praying for me and my team. God bless!