I love my life!

It has been a few weeks since I posted my last blog and basically it is because I have been crazy busy or incredibly exhausted. We just completed week 3 of DTS and it has been incredible. We have 22 students, 11 females and 11 males, and God has been doing some pretty amazing things in and through each and every one of us.

Our first week we focused on Worldview and studied pre-modern, modern, and post-modern thinking and how it has effected many of the minds in the world today. In our second week our speaker, Mark Anderson, challenged us to take hold of our new identity in Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit's filling to help us live from the inside out instead of being affected on the outside and letting that determine who we are on the inside. In our third week our speaker Philip Powell, YWAM's representative in the United Nations and director of the International Center for Justice and Reconciliation, challenged us to really seek to understand what Justice really is in the context of the Bible and what God says about it. All three weeks so far have really challenged all of us to go deeper in our relationship with God and let Him speak to us about how He really sees us.












Catherine Christina Michelle

Did I mention that I'm crazy busy and exhausted at the end of every day. Well it's true, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being here is so incredible because what I am doing here is exactly what I am created to do. My favorite times of the week are my one-on-ones with three of the students, Christina, Catherine, and Michelle. During these times I get to listen and ask questions about what God is doing in these three girls lives. It is so incredible how God has gifted me and works through me to help these women discover how much God loves them and has an incredible plan for their lives. I am so honored to have been entrusted with the students in our school and daily I am finding myself coming to God asking Him for more wisdom, love, and patience. He is the only reason why I am able to do what I am doing. I love it!!! I have never been so exhausted and yet filled with so much life than before this time.

My Weekly Schedule

Some big news that I'm sure many of you would like to hear is my outreach location. After much prayer individually and as staff we will be sending out 3 teams from our school. At the end of week 11 we will fly to Harpenton, England to finish our last week of lecture. After that two teams will head up to Belfast, Ireland to work with a reconciliation ministry between Protestants and Catholics. The other team will head strait to Bosnia. After about a month, the Bosnia team will go to Ireland and the other two teams will split and go to Nigeria and Cameroon. The team I will be leading is going to Ireland and Nigeria! We will have 4 female students, 2 male students, and a 6 year old boy who is the son of one of the women. The eight of us are very excited for what's ahead and we are just beginning to meet as team and prepare for outreach, only 9 weeks away!

Belfast, Ireland

Nigeria

As a side note, two friends of mine, Sharissa and Carolyn, came to Hawaii for vacation and visited me here. On the weekend we were able to go to the other side of the island and see many of the beautiful views and waterfalls that cover the north east side of the island. We also made it over to the volcano and visited many of the sites there. We had a great time and it was such a blessing to spend time with them here.

Volcano!Sea Turtle!Adventures Around the Island

That about sums up the last few weeks. If you could be praying for a couple things I would be so greatful. First, please pray for our students as they are growing and challenged in many ways while they are here. Pray that they would receive the peace and joy of the Lord even in their times of struggle and that God would speak to them right where they are at. Many have come here with a lot of wounds from their past and God is bringing healing and reconciliation into their lives. Second, please pray for my outreach team. As I am the only staff leader leading our team I am really seeking God as to how to unify our team and raise all of us up as leaders in our gifts and strengths that God has given each one. Lastly, pray for continued revelation and understanding for all of us in our identity in Christ.

Thank you all so much for all of your support. I love you and am so thankful for you and all of your prayers. God bless!

Love,
Janet