I love you. No matter how you feel or what you've done or what's happened to you, I see you as shiny and new. I died at the chance of knowing you. You are precious and loved and Mine, never alone. I am your rear guard, I will fill your spirit to overflowing and we will change countless lives. You will be My mouthpiece for the nations, for the one; the lost and broken, hurting and ashamed. My desire is to lift them out of the ash heap and turn them into precious treasures, even more beautiful than before.
There's been a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of months, but it's also been a joy and a privilege to be working here at YWAM Toowoomba and getting to meet new people and pour myself into the people I meet. Since my last blog, staff orientation finished and a new group of students arrived. There are 21 students from Canada, USA, Germany, Switzerland (the french and the german part), England, and Australia. They are so loving and open and love to ask many questions. For example, in their first week here, one of the students went around and asked all of us staff our life stories. The DTS staff and students will share their testimonies after the first week of DTS, but the rest of us staff like me aren't part of the testimonies time. So, it was really special for me that a student outright asked me what my life story was.
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| playing a water game "Drip, drip, drop" during Family Saturday with the DTS |
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| Me and my friend Rikki after the last Campfire Sessions night |
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| a group of students playing at Campfire Sessions |
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| Tim Tam Slam night with the students |
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| Going on a walk with some students (I took the picture) |
One time, a few weeks ago on a weekend afternoon, I was working on a song I was writing. I was sitting on one of the benches outside when all the sudden I saw a goanna walking across the lawn of our property. Two students saw it as well and said to each other that they wished other people would see what they just saw. I called out, "I saw it too!" and they walked towards me and started talking with me. I ended up talking with one of the girls until dinner time. I didn't work on my song any more that afternoon, but I got to do something even better.
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| spot the goanna on the tree |
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| where I spotted the goanna |
At the beginning of this month, I went to a Bella leaders retreat for the weekend. We spent the weekend in prayer, worship & fellowship, learned more about our vision to speak truth, identity & value into young girls, and got prayed and prophesied over. Over the weekend, I read Ephesians and one verse in particular stuck out to me.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
We are special, His masterpiece, the work of His hands. We were created not to be by ourself, alone, lonely, unloved, but in Christ Jesus with Him, in unity, fully loved and cherished.
We are created for good works, not out of ourself, out of striving, forcing, needing to do them, but good works that God has already prepared for us to do. Beforehand, not during or after the fact, but before we had the thought to do the good works, God already had that thought and put it into fruition.
We need to walk out into those good works that God prepared for us to go. We need to go out in obedience, not hesitant but fully, willingly, in anticipation, excited to see God work through us.
It's like He's prepared a surprise party for us and is waiting in anticipation for us to come to our surprise party. Sometimes, we need to wait because it isn't time for the surprise party yet, but that just makes the surprise even better.
Tomorrow night I will be sharing my testimony and on loving others and forgiveness at Bella sisters. I would love your prayer that the girls would be able to forgive and accept God's love, joy, and peace in their lives. For them to fully give their lives over to God and to receive healing that only comes from Him.
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| worship at the last Bella sisters. Some students played! |
I would also love prayer as I am in the process of finding from God where He wants me next after my time at YWAM Toowoomba is over. I have booked a flight home for the end of July and am wanting to travel from the middle of June until I go back to Canada. I would love clarity on where to go as I am wanting to do some outreach during that time, perhaps in Indonesia, Cambodia or the Philippines and for doors to be opened that are from God.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support and I would love to hear from you.
The Lord is lifting you out of the ash heap and turning you into precious treasures, even more beautiful that before.
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