Last lecture week and local outreach

   The last two weeks have been fun. The week after we got back from outreach, we had our last week of lectures. We learned more about how to practically apply our time on DTS, about how to use the talents God has given us for His glory and to not settle for anything less than the best of what He has planned for us. My favourite part of the lectures was the day when we learned more about mercy ministry and practically being God's hands and feet, what it looks like to minister to nations with and without words. That is the heart of this base, so it was cool to hear more of the heart behind the staff here.

    Then, we had an open mike on Friday night where I performed my first original song. God had given me the song at the beginning of the week based on some pictures I got from Him during outreach of me dancing with God both as a daughter and as a lover in the future. I also loved hearing everyone elses songs because in them I could see how much they've changed since the beginning of DTS. God really transforms lives, not just at DTS, but everywhere.

    Then last week we had local outreach. We split off into groups and went around the city of Toowoomba blessing them and pouring out God's love. Some of the things I did was sing at a university ministry, help out in a soup kitchen, organize and play games with kids in a school, and plant in a garden.  I loved when we prayed for one of the ladies that worked in the soup kitchen and talking to patrons while eating lunch there.  It was so cool just hearing about people's lives and experiences.
    Another big thing that encompassed the whole of last week was recording songs for our base album. The day in the recording studio was so awesome. I was a bit nervous a few days before recording and had been praying about it. On the morning of I prayed and realized I was nervous mostly because I had some fear of man and was keeping control to myself, so I layed it down before the Lord and I didn't feel nervous anymore. It was so great going in to the studio happy and singing the song God had put on my heart about God's glorious light that shines through the darkness doing it all for Him. It's such an amazing experience to play with other musicians about songs that God has put on their heart to write and sing about. It's also seeing the song come to life, from me on my guitar singing in my room to the studio with guitar, base, piano, etc.
    Then, on Saturday we had a 24 hour worship and prayer room. We spent the day and night praying for the city of Toowoomba, for other nations and people, and anything else we felt called to pray for. We covered the city in prayer and worship, praying life into the city. It was so peaceful and I definitely want to do that more often.
    This week is my last week in Australia. We're having a debrief week with graduation night on Thursday and honoring night on Friday. I'll be back in Winnipeg next Monday. I'm having mixed emotions right now because I love this place and these people so much but I'll also love to be back to see all your lovely faces.
    Thank you for all your prayers. 

Back in Australia safe and sound

I'm back in australia. The last month of outreach in Cambodia has been a blast. We got to travel all over the nation spreading the good news of the kingdom, blessing the people and being blessed in return. The country has less than 2% Christians, but the Christians that we met were on fire for the Lord. Their churches were unified and the people welcomed us with open arms.
We worked with destiny rescue, which rescues girls from the sex trade and gives them a home and education. We toured their homes for a week in 2 different cities and also visited a denim factory where the girls rescued work and make quality jeans for a christian brand called JC denim. It sparked my interest in working in a non profit organization while using my business degree. I also loved just playing with the girls and the day we went to the market with them to buy food for lunch and then made it together. The kids taught us a song in Khmer (pronounced kumai) that I can show you if you ask. Trust me, it's worth it.
Part of that first week was also going to 2 temples, the monkey temple and angkor wat. We did a prayer walk through the monkey temple and it was spiritually heavy there. We prayed for eyes to be opened and people to turn towards god and away from buddhism. God also gave us revelations of us as God's temple and how much greater God is than any statue.
We also went to the killing fields where thousands of people were killed in the 1970's for reasons like wearing glasses, having soft hands, or were educated. It was good to see what the country has been through and to see how much hope the nation already has for a better future because of the church readying the land for the harvest of new christians.
The next week and a half was spent at Crossings Cambodia, which is a ministry in Battam Bang that works with street kids. we picked them up at 6 am from a dilapidated train station, under the covers of street markets, and in the slum areas of the city. They got fed, cleaned, and the older ones went to school whIle the preschoolers had their lessons and play time at the facility. The kids were so loving and wanted piggy back rides and to play games like rock paper scissors with us all the time. The staff were so patient and loving with the children, and I fell in love with the kids right from the start. While we were there, we also got to go to a crocodile farm and hold a baby crocodile as well as eat fried rat. (The rat tasted exactly like chicken.)
The next week and a half we went to a village near Phnom Penh. Our days looked a bit like this.  We stared our days with an hour of quiet time with the Lord praying and reading the Bible. Then after breakfast, we spent our time plowing the land in the mornings and leveling the ground near the village school. Then we'd bathe in the pond close by and have some lunch that our contacts wife had prepared lovingly for us. After lunch we taught English classes in their school to children age 6-16. Then from 3-5 pm we had one on one's with teenagers from surrounding villages who wanted to practice their english. I loved learning more about the people individually and building them up and encouraging them in their faith. Some were christians and some weren't, so it was also a good time to evangilise. Theyes are all such beautiful people and so open to learning new things about us and about God. Then, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we had bible studies in the evenings. We prepared skits, shared our testimonies and devotions.
One of my favourite times was when we had a fun night with the village. We had a bonfire, Cambodian music, and spicy papya salad. We played a game called freeze dance with the people where we had to dance when the music played and stop when the music stopped. Then, they could move us and do anything to make us move to get us out. I had so much fun dancing so outrageously around the fire and ended up winning the game. Their joy was contagious.
The last night in the village, I was looking up at the stars in awe, praying and thinking about when God showed Abraham the stars and promised him many descendents. I was thinking about how many promises He's already fulfilled in my life. During outreach I would pray for Him to give me His strength, and learned so much more about how God does everything for His glory and to give Him praise. I then asked God why He made the stars and He told me it was His glory manifested. It gave Him glory to make the stars and it gives him glory every time we look at the stars and praise Him. It gives Him glory when we look at beautiful things and people and proclaim that they are beautiful because God made them beautiful.
So right now, I want to proclaim to all you readers that you are beautiful because God made you beautiful. And when you believe that for yourself and proclaim it to others as well, you are bringing God glory and praise.

on to Cambodia! 3 days and counting

 Hello friends, family, other random people reading my blog.
Meet my outreach team. We are going to Cambodia in 3 days and will be gone for a month. I can't wait to do life with them, helping out other ministries like Destiny Rescue and ministering to Jesus.

This last week and a half, we had a pastor come teach us about how we need to seek first the kingdom of god, what the kingdom is, and how we can apply that to our lives. For me, this week has been a constant laying down of my rights, my self and giving it to God.  We were taught that in order to gain understanding and wisdom, we need to fear the Lord, and in order to do that we need to be poor in spirit. This week, I truly understood what it meant to be pour in spirit. I've lived my whole life of fire for God, loving Him, reading my Bible, praying, but not completely giving it all to Him. I wanted to, but just wasn't there yet. Last week I got off His throne and said that I would sit at His feet and have Him be the king instead of me. It was freeing and scary ll t once. Then later, I felt discouraged and tried to get over myself. I then realized, I can not do it. Only God can. And He does. He changes hearts, minds, and defeated life itself so He can change me. But first I need to want to be changed and realize I can not because I am not, and He says who I am. I am a daughter of the King, a princess, friend of God, and holy. No longer am I a slave to sin, but choose to be a slave to Christ.

I've been writing a song here that comes out of revelations of God that He's given me. Our DTS gets to record our songs in an electronic album and so if you want, you can hear it when it comes out. I can write more about that and about outreach in my next blog.

If all who are reading this could pray for our outreach team over the next month, for us to continue to be unified, that we would be constantly seeking the kingdom first and laying down ourselves for the One, and for protection against forces that my bring us down. I know we can not do it out of our own strength, but of God's strength. Let us not be discouraged but keep up the faith.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I love you all and be reminded today and every day of His love for you.