Jesus Crucified... and Resurrected!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I updated you all on my time in Toowoomba, Australia!
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind, both emotionally and with the many things going on here.  But before I delve into what's been going on here, I'd like to take a step back and focus on the Lord.

As we go into Easter, I would like to share a song I wrote.

Jesus Crucified

I see the lashes and scars on Your back

Wounds and sores on Your hands and Your feet

Jesus You were crucified

Bloodied and broken You died to buy us back

Crown of thorns on Your head

Royal robes of burgundy red

Crying tears of blood eyes dark

As You smile for me, as You smile for me

As You smile for me

Jesus, You came to restore Your people

Your relationship with us

Your reign on earth as it is in heaven

You show me the holes on Your hands and Your feet

To show me Your glory and in You I'm complete

I remember first writing the words for this song. I was in church at home back in July, 2015. I was thinking about Jesus and all that He's done for me and more importantly, who He is and He gave me a picture which I wrote down and later turned into this song. When we simply sit at His feet and focus on Him, reading His word, praying, communing with others; He will reveal things to you and make clear things that we didn't understand as much before. And the revelation of Him is the rock on which Jesus built the church.

Since I last wrote, the students have had a week of Evangelism, then Spiritual Warfare followed by Lordship. They love to ask questions and it's been cool talking with them. We can learn so much from each other!

During Evangelism week, the female students decided to bless the men with an extravagant and tasty dinner. They even wrote heartfelt notes to all the guys. So sweet! 

Then on that Friday, March 4th, we had a first in the history of YWAM Toowoomba. We had a giving time where we saw everyone's needs met and people still wanted to keep giving. Thank you Lord! 

After giving time, we had evangelising time in the streets  and shops of Toowoomba. In the evening our very own Evelien and Sandra sang and played at our third Campfire Sessions.

Then on Saturday, staff and students headed to the beach where two students got baptised. We spent the rest of the day in the waves and at Dreamworld where we talked to many people in lines, on rides, and in the streets; evangelising and loving on them and making Him known. A personal testimony happened during my time at Dreamworld. I was scared of going on the roller coasters, but decided that I was going to go on them anyway. Normally I will close my eyes and my body will go very stiff when I'm on a ride and scared. This happened for the first ride. Then while I was waiting for the second ride, which was even scarier, I started praying. I gave Him my fears and relied on Him for strength. I went on the ride and my fears were gone! Instead of closing my eyes and being stiff, I opened my eyes and started laughing! God is amazing! He listens to our prayers. If He can take away my fear of roller coasters, He can do anything!

The next weekend, March 11-13, I helped out at a girls camp. I started being a leader there a few weeks ago. They have weekend camps four times a year as well as Wednesday night youth groups for age 11-17 girls and a monthly fun night.  They also have programs that they run in different schools in and around Toowoomba.  They learn about their identity in Christ, about forgiveness, that they are loved and a daughter of God, etc. I love getting to know the girls, loving on them, and praying for them.  One of my favourite sessions of that weekend was when we as leaders got to tell them individually how we and God sees them. That they are loved, precious, God has a plan and purpose for their life, that He will never leave them nor forsake them, that they are beautiful and cherished. Then the girls wrote down some of what we said to them on a piece of paper that had a picture of a mirror on it. This was to show them how God sees them, as opposed to the lies they might see and believe when they look into the mirror.

Last Thursday night, many students got baptised or rededicated their life to the Lord last week. We surrendered everything to God, saying goodbye to our sin of the past and hello to new life.
It was pretty hard for me as my Grandma had just died that afternoon for me, but I was hanging on to Christ and He was my comforter. As I focused on God, students got baptised and prayed for receiving words and encouragement from students and staff. It was cool how even in grief, God gives us peace and words of encouragement to us and to others around us.

This week we are all preparing for the Streets & Lanes festival that's going on this Easter weekend. We will be busking on the streets, performing in cafes and venues all over the city and praying for people and evangelising in the streets. 
Students are on local outreach week. They are performing in cafes, gardening for people in the local community, helping out in schools, soup kitchens, you name it. What a wonderful way to spread the love of Christ as we head into Easter weekend.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. If you need any prayer, please write a comment below or send me an email and I would love to pray for you!
An update on Freedom Project. We have all the time slots filled going to churches in April and one in May. I still need to book three times in May to speak about Destiny Rescue and what they do in rescuing and restoring children from sex slavery.  
From admissions; so far 7 students are accepted for the July school and more are working on their applications. We also have some working on applications for January and July 2017 schools, which is fantastic!
We are building a studio on base and are fundraising for it. So far we have $3,000 of our goal of $25,000 so it's coming along slowly but surely.  Part of our fundraising is selling compilation albums  filled with songs of students and staff in previous schools.
The students are going on outreach in less than 2 weeks. While they are gone, I will be doing local outreach, admissions, getting the rest of the bookings for Freedom Project, going to the Hub, Campfire Sessions, Bella, etc. I'm excited to see where the next 8 weeks takes us.

Please pray for:
-the Streets & Lanes Festival this weekend. That hearts would turn to God, this would be an awakening in the Church and local community, and people would be open to the love of Christ.
-churches to be on board with Freedom Project and the rest of the time slots to be booked
-for God to prepare the hearts of upcoming students for the July school
-more people to be on board with the studio project and see our heart for evangelising locally and fundraising for Destiny Rescue and other non-profit organisations through the studio
-for peace, focus on God, and relying on Him for the students going on outreach as well as the staff that are staying on base
-for all of us related to my Grandma Plett as we grieve that we would keep our eyes focused on the Creator and Lover of our soul, our Comforter, and Father to the fatherless.

Have an amazing day and know you are loved by your Daddy!

In remembrance of Grandma

Grandma died yesterday. She had a new birth in heaven with a new, fresh body. She's stepping out in confidence as a pure and spotless bride wearing a royal crown, blond curls framing her face, young and vivacious again. her voice is no longer warbly or off key because she can't hear, but is strong and clear. Most importantly, she's singing praises to You, an eternity of worship.

She dances; her legs no longer giving her problems or her being out of breath. Her lungs are full of Your breath, not fluid.

I remember the times I shared with her. Me and her reading side, reading different books in the same room. Her trying to teach me how to crochet and the countless hours I watched her crochet lap blankets for anyone who needed them.  Us suntanning in the sun, careful to keep our heads in the shade and our legs in the sun and Grandma wearing her floppy sunhat so used it had holes in the top of it.  Her feeding the birds and complaining about how the squirrels or big birds always ate the bird food.  She cared for the birds like God cares for the sparrows and how much more He cares and provides for us.  Her tending the garden and showing me all the plants she had and which ones were weeds.

Her making crepes (which she just called pancakes) and us eating them with fruit, honey, syrup, basically anything she had in the fridge. Her famous broccoli soup that was so cheesy and good and had green beans in it. I didn't even like green beans but I liked them when I ate her soup.  Her love for ice-cream and all things sweet.  All the things she made in that electric skillet, sometimes good and sometimes we would be having so much fun we would forget about the food and it got burnt.

When she got her "Grandmother Clock" and it kept chiming every hour. She loved that clock.

Her numerous calendars. They were all over the house and she would get me to change the months and write in permanent marker the numbers on them.

I remember her singing in the church choir when I was younger. I remember thinking that I want to still be able to sing when I'm old, no matter how warbly and off key my voice might get.

I remember New Years 2000 when Grandma, Mom, Auntie Gladys, and I prepared for Y2K and turned off all the lights and electronics in her house and got candles burning everywhere.  We just kept the microwave on so that we could see the time and step forward with our right foot when the clock said 12:00. We learned how to peel christmas oranges in the dark that night and laughed so much.

I remember going to church with her, talking with her for hours about God and the Bible, her telling me who was friends/sisters/parents etc. with whom. She had such a strong faith and a quiet strength and peace about her that only came from God.

I remember our conversation/debate on dreamt vs. dreamed. I remember staying at her house without my Mom for a week for the first time and bringing my keyboard. I practiced and Grandma listened and helped me with my music theory.  I remember all the letters she wrote to anyone, whether they lived far away or close by. She would write on both side of the paper in small, sometimes illegible writing about her day and the weather, but she put her whole heart into her letters. And she always wanted the stamps back to add to her collection.

I remember when she convinced me to try out her pogo stick. It was so funny. Her laugh was infectious. 

 I remember all of our hug and whispered "I love you's".

Thank You, God for sharing her with me for 23 years. I love you Grandma.