Monday, June 29, 2009

YWAM Update

Dear Friends & Family,

Hello there! I hope this newsletter finds you well and the grace and favor of God rests on you. It has been a while since I last sent out an update and I wanted to share with you what has been going on in my life the last 6 months and what's ahead. The Lord has been moving a ton here in Kona, so get ready to hear how your prayers and support have been making an impact in this community and beyond!

Discipleship Training Schools (DTS)
Starting in January, I took on the position as a Quarter Point Person for all of our DTS's going on during January Quarter and April Quarter. My position includes liasing between campus departments and the DTS's, administrative and financial tracking with the schools, and also pastoral care and training with our DTS Staff.

In January, we saw over 150 students go through our DTS with 5 focuses; Justice, Fire and Fragrance, Extreme Places, All Nations All Generations, and French World. We ended up sending teams to 18 different locations around the world, from Kauaii, to Afghanistan, to China. In the last month all of these teams arrived back to Kona safely with radical testimonies of God moving in their lives and the people they were ministering to on the field. It is amazing to hear how much God is on the move around the world.

In April we saw over 110 students go through our DTS with 3 focuses; PhotogenX, Performing Arts, and Go Asia. Within the last week we have sent teams to 10 different locations around the world, from Panama, to Jordan, to South Africa, to China. Already we have been able to see these students amazing gifts in creativity as PhotogenX presented a photography expo in downtown Kona of pictures of people in the community, and as Performing Arts students presented their production to the campus on our Thursday Night Ohana Gathering of the story of the Prodigal Son called Coming Home.
Yo Quiero Taco Bell
In January of last year, I felt a nudge from the Lord to get a job in the community in order to stay connected to the needs of people here in Kona and also to supplement my income a little. Having come and gone and come back again multiple times for when I lead teams overseas, I am again working at Taco Bell. I have to say that it is actually an awesome opportunity for me.

Living in the YWAM community, it can be easy to lose sight of what a lot of people are struggling with in the community. I work alongside single moms, drug addicts and alcoholics, people with health problems, and people ultimately searching for love that only the Lord can provide. I am in constant need of God's love for my co-workers and so aware of how He is the only one great enough to help them overcome. He is our hope.

Also, working at Taco Bell, I am challenged in different ways that expose my character and I can see how much I need the Lord to give me His heart for people and to walk in His ways. I am constantly challenged to be patient and be sensitive to the Lord and how He wants to show His love to people. It is funny how many times on a shift people will comment on how great a job I do in taking orders in drive-thru, when on the inside I might be getting frustrated with how long it is taking for orders to be made. I've had YWAMers come through not knowing it was me and comment to one another that the person taking the orders must know the Lord, then they find out it's me. It is my hope that through my actions and words that my co-workers and customers would see that God loves them infinitely, lavishly, and completely. It is only by Him that anything good can come from me.

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM)
So you may be asking at this point, what's next for you Janet? I have recently completed my 2 year commitment to YWAM Kona and have been seeking the Lord for what is next since last October.

Since before I can remember I have had an appetite to do the impossible. I think we all do, that is why society has an infatuation with superheroes. In the Bible, Jesus performed miracles as a testimony He came from the Father. The testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish - the very works that I do - testify about me that the Father has sent me (John 5:36). One of the major functions of miracles and supernatural living is to offer immediate, irrefutable proof of what God wants to happen on earth. It demonstrates who God is by showing what His reality looks like. The apostle Paul put it this way, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2). With this in mind, I feel like the Lord is leading me to take a 9 month 'School of Supernatural Ministry' in Redding, CA at a church called Bethel starting September 15th, 2009.

Here is a description of the school from their website:

BSSM is a Holy Spirit driven ministry school where students of all ages come to learn how to live in the Kingdom of God and extend it's borders through a supernatural lifestyle. It is important to note that although many young people come to BSSM, the school is multi-generational with participants ranging from the ages of 18 to 80. One of Bethel's core values is honor, which manifests through joining the generations and teaching every age group to value and serve one another.

The school emphasizes hands on training and experience along with academic understanding. This creates a do and teach culture where all of the students are expected to take risks to stretch their faith and grow in their understanding of God. BSSM believes that each verse of the Bible is an invitation into an experience with the Lord, therefore the students are challenged to live the Bible. This produces a class environment that often feels very much like a laboratory where disciples practice the things they are being taught while instructors coach the process and all this takes places in a setting of passionate worship.

As the year progresses and the students begin to gain confidence and experience within the safety of the classroom, they are sent on outreaches into the community. These exploits include ministry to neighborhoods, after-school programs, and street & service evangelism. When the students take their supernatural ministry into the community, it gets pretty wild and exciting! They return to class to share testimonies, give thanks and debrief, always cheering each other on as they share.

Boldness, passion and risk are center stage in Bethel's school. These values define our atmosphere and are manifest in worship, ministry and in relationships with each other.

This has been a glimpse of what has been going on in my life the last 6 months and a picture of what's ahead. In addition to what I've shared I've also been working on my Masters in International Relations with a focus on Conflict Resolution, attended a Conflict Mediation Seminar in Fresno, went to a Youth Revival Conference in Redding, and getting amazing revelation of humility, leadership, and best of all, God's love. This summer I will continue to work at Taco Bell and also be working on DTS applications for the September Quarter (we already have 500 applications started online!). I appreciate so much all of your continued prayers and support. I am so thankful for you and pray that God would bless you as you continue through your day.

Please let me know if you have any prayer requests, and I would also love to hear from you what has been going on in your life.

Sincerely,

Janet Mulvey
University of the Nations
Youth With A Mission
Kona, Hawaii