Worship service

Two Thursday's ago our DTS took part in an amazing worship service...we worshipped by giving. We prayed and asked God if he wanted us to give anything away...then we asked Him who the gift was to be given to. We gathered together in our classroom to present what the Lord had asked us to give...this giving was to be done in a group setting so we took turns calling the one we felt led to bless up and presented them with their gift. Many items exchanged hands...some gave jewelry..diamond and gold earrings, rings, necklaces..others gave clothing, a portable DVD player...many gave money to help those who still need funds for outreach...and one gave her new Volkswagen car to a family in the class! After presenting the gift each person said a prayer of blessing over the other. The children in our class participated as well...I was so blessed by their willingness to part with their things. It was amazing!
It was a night of tears and celebration as we worshipped through giving.....beautiful evening of sharing and worship.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Remember this-a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And the Scriptures say, "They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever."
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving-the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words.

Visit to the Peak District

Several of us spent Saturday hiking in the Peak District. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the area is...so green and natural, sheep everywhere...it just looks old!! :) We visited Ilam, Dovedale and Milldale. Our travels to these areas took us through Buxton, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and a few other villages. Most of these areas lie within northern Derbyshire...the whole of the Peak District lies in central and northern England. Lyme Pard, which doubled as Pemberley in the 1995 BBC television version of Pride and Prejudice is also located in this area. If you haven't seen this version of Pride and Prejudice...YOU MUST!!! Be ready for a marathon as it is approx 6 hours of viewing...but I promise you won't be disappointed!!!
Dovedale is a limestone valley that is full of rocks, caves, sheep and the river dove which runs through the middle. The pictures I am posting were taken as we walked through the Dovedale valley. The three mile hike through Dovedale leads to the village of Milldale. Milldale is a quiet village today but used to be a busy place with a calamine mill, a corn mill, sheep washing and many pack horses travelled through daily. The bridge in the pictures is where we entered into the village of Milldale.
There is so much history and beauty in the English countryside. I could get lost forever in one of these lovely little villages. :)

Blessed to bless others

Thank you all for your prayers. We have unanimously decided that we will go to the Philippines for the outreach phase. It has been amazing to see everyone pray through this and to know that God will meet us on this journey. Please continue to pray for our journey..for God to prepare the hearts of the people we will meet..for our hearts to be open to the Holy Spirit and the work he will do as we encounter the Philippino people. I am excited to see what God will do as we travel.
It is so incredible to serve a God who LOVES us, who wants to heal our broken hearts, our broken bodies..he wants to feed the poor and clothe the naked and so much more. More and more I realize that he blesses us so that we may bless others...he blesses us so that we may have his heart for the poor, the lost, the broken and the hungry. He blesses us so that we may bless others. I pray for a heart that is willing to reach out to those who need Jesus.
I was introduced today to The Micah Challenge. http://www.micahchallenge.us/ In the year 2000, world leaders made a promise to halve poverty by 2015 through Millennium Development Goals. This summer marks the half way point to halve poverty, and many of the goals are in danger of not being met. We watched a short video and it is just mind blowing how human beings in this world live...I struggle to call it living. There are 5 main areas that the Micah Challenge is addressing: HIV and AIDS, Water and Sanitation, Stop Climate Chaos, Trade Justice, Inclusive Education. The website is easy to maneuver through..check it out and "sign the Micah call" if you feel led. I have included the link for those who are interested in looking at this further. Just something that is on my heart. He blesses us so that we may bless others.
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Outreach

Yesterday our class was presented with two additional choices for outreach in July/August. The Philippines is still an option but South Africa and Egypt were presented as alternatives in light of the unrest in areas of Mindanao. We were all asked to pray and individually decide on the place we feel God has given us peace to visit. My heart is to go where God wants us to go.
Please pray that we will hear him in this decision...that we will not allow the enemy to put fear or doubt in our hearts as we go.

Time...

What is it that God desires most from us? His heart aches for us to know him, for us to seek him, for us to spend time with him. I have prayed and prayed for a closer relationship with my God...for a heart that burns to know him more!!! I found myself lost in this thought over the past two days. To know him more will cost me something....time. Am I willing to give him more of my time? Will I rise early, stay up late or skip a meal so that I can meet with Him for just a little longer today??? I want to...I pray for a heart like Mary had. She didn't get lost in the "weeds" of the day rather she savored the moments by sitting at the Lord's feet. She knew the moments were precious. The moments are precious.
Help me Lord...help me to put my agenda down..help me to sit at your feet every moment that I can. Nothing pleases you more.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

My friends

This is my class plus the staff. Just a wonderful, wonderful group of friends. Countries represented are Holland, Germany, South Korea, England, Egypt and America. Please continue to pray as we get closer to our outreach. Blessings!!

Study Girl???

Take a good look cause you won't see this very often. :) My "hide away" Friday, Saturday and Sunday..complete with laptop, lamp, snacks, mug of cappuccino and...oh, the book I'm reading!! It's now Sunday night and I have about an hours work left to do on my book report. I think I mentioned previously that we are to do three reports...for those of us who are 20 years removed from College, it took a little getting back in the groove. :) Once I buckled down it was actually a bit fun.
I chose the book Is That Really You, God? by Loren Cunningham...great book!! Loren tells the story of how YWAM came to be. As he tells the story he shares great points, through personal experience, on hearing the voice of God. Pick it up..I promise you won't be disappointed!
It was a cold weekend here in Nuneaton so being all cuddled up in my hide away was just the ticket!! I got plenty of rest and the book report would get done, finally. I was sleeping so well this morning when I heard something strange....like... a marching band. Certain I must be dreaming, I rolled over and closed my eyes for a few more winks. There is was again!! You know that sound...a really off key trumpet mixed with a little tuba and the drummer pounding away...get the picture? :) So I get up, look out the window and...you guessed it...A MARCHING BAND ON THE FOOTBALL PITCH! (field for all the Americans) Complete with flags, the twirling guns and director!!! The community uses the pitch a good bit. There have been some pretty good youth soccer matches lately...fun to watch!! The marching band definitely caught me off guard. :)
So that was my weekend. Throw in two loads of laundry, a trip to ASDA (walmart family) and a skype session with Hope and there you have it. :) Oh, I also got to talk to my dad for a few minutes. He played in a golf tournament that he and I have played together many times. I hope he won....he and I have won our flight every year we've played. :) Love you, dad.
Blessings!

Busy week!

Really busy week!!! Rosanna and Jose Liste, from Argentina, have lectured this week on blessing and curses. They have been with YWAM for over 15 years and run a base in London. This has been another great week of learning and growing as a group! Tonight is ministry time with Jose and Rosanna...can't wait!!
Tuesday was missions night for our class. We spent the evening with the leader of Kings Kids..he and his wife taught us many songs and dances that we can use as we work with the children in the Philippines. It was actually fun to dance, sing and be a free to have some fun. It was awesome to watch the children in our group have such a big time!! We have been told that a key to ministry over there is through the children...many times if you can reach the children the parents will follow. It is so exciting to think about what God can do through us if we allow Him the opportunity.
Let's see....oh, Wednesday is baking in the kitchen. Part of my weekly work duty is to bake goodies for our Monday night celebrations. My partners in the kitchen are Christie and Solveig. They are lovely!! Christie is from the Chicago area and Solveig is from Norway. I love Wednesdays....they remind me of the days Sara and I spend baking at Christmas...those are precious to me Loula!!! :)
No work duty this weekend!!! I'm looking forward to walking into Nuneaton for a cappuccino. I'm also to finish my first book report. We do two during the lecture phase and another on the outreach. I'm reading Is That Really You, God by Loren Cunningham. It's a really good book and so encouraging to see how the Lord spoke to him about the YWAM vision...even more encouraging to know that he responded to the Lords voice!
Thank you all for your prayers and I just ask that you continue to lift our group up as we prepare to serve in the Philippines. I will post a picture of our class and staff soon so you can put a face with your prayers.
I'll leave you with the memory verse for the week: For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:17-18 Blessings!!