Halfway Through First Quarter

As some of you know, I recently sent out emails about what is going on in my life. If you would like to be apart of those emails, please message me with your email. If not, I will continue to update my blog so you can always come back here for updates. If for some reason you were apart of the emails and did not want to be, please let me know so I can remove your email from the list. 

It's hard to believe, but I have been on staff here for almost 2 months already and it honestly blows my mind how fast time has flown by. You may have been wondering what I have been up to since I arrived here. Well, for the first quarter I've been assigned to work as base staff. I am working in the kitchen helping with meal preparation and serving the missionaries that are living here on base. My schedule each week looks like this:

Monday: 8:30-10:20 - Morning Worship and Intercession

10:30-1:00 - Making and serving lunch

2:30-5:30 - Making and serving Dinner

Tuesday: 8:30-9:45 - Staff Meeting (We usually have the DTS speaker teach us a short lesson, and then we meet in service groups. My service group is event planning and there are 4 events of the quarter (Aloha Day: the students are welcomed to the base; Ohana Night: a fun game night where the whole base gets together in community; Thanksgiving; as well as Commissioning Night: we pray over the students right before they go on outreach

10-12: 3 of the 4 of us on kitchen staff go off to Costco to buy the necessities needed to cook meals for the entire week.

12-1: We cook and serve the lunch

5:45-8:30: Evangelism night: I usually end up going to the University to evangelize to the University students

Wednesday: 10:30-1: Make and serve Lunch

2:30-5:30 - Make and serve Dinner

6:30-8:30 Worship night with the students of the schools on base

Thursday: 10-1 Making lunch and serving it

2:30-5:30 Making and serving dinner

6:30-8 Community Meeting (It's essentially a church service that YWAM puts on each week. We have worship and then a guest speaker. Everyone from the community is invited)

Friday: 10:30-1:30 - Making and serving lunch, and then also clean up

3-5:30 - Making and serving dinner

I then have Saturday and Sundays off, except for Saturday from 4:45-8 where i go to a church called C4. I also do clean up for breakfast every other day during the week.

Since I work in the kitchen and prepare meals for the missionaries here on base, I am unable to volunteer at the different outreaches we do throughout the week. However, one thing that is awesome about being here on staff is I often have several opportunities a month to volunteer during the weekend around the valley and in Honolulu.  Here are a few of the opportunities I have had recently and will be having soon!

A couple Fridays ago, (October 21st), I was able to volunteer at this event called Explicit Movement which was held at University of Hawaii. Explicit is an movement that heals and empowers youth and young adults to live out healthy sexuality and relationships as they discover their God-given identity. It was a really cool experience to be apart of. We got to hear a world known porn star give her testimony on how she came to the Lord and left the industry. We also were able to partake in a workshop. The people would put their hands in a bucket of sand and think about how that is representing the grit and dirt of our lives. Once they were ready and got a good amount, they would move their hands over another bucket and I would pour water over their hands representing how Christ cleanses us from our sins. Honestly it was so awesome to see all these college students truly experiencing the Lord and repenting of their sins.

I also had the opportunity to volunteer at a Halloween event on Friday, October 28. I ran a booth where kids threw balls of newspaper into cups to win pet fish and candy. Throughout the entire event, I was able to hang out with the middle school kids from a local school. I don’t have opportunities to volunteer that often, but when I do I really enjoy being able to do something for the community.

We just recently had our Ohana night on base. This is an event that happens once a quarter and the entire base gets together and plays games and just hangs out. This past one we did an event similar to wheel of fortune, except it was with brackets. It was a lot of fun and each of the teams had different themes to dress up as such as fruits, animals, awkward family photo, vegetables, marvel, D.C., bible characters, boy band, cowboy and cowgirls, the 50s, disney, and tourists. 

On Sunday, November 13th, I will be volunteering at a church in the morning from 9-12:30. Myself and five others will be leading children in Bible lessons. There are three age groups: kindergarten, 3rd-4th graders, and 5th - 6th graders. The six staff will split into three groups, and myself and another girl will be leading the 3rd and 4th graders in a Bible lesson. It is still to be determined what we will teach. In doing this, we are able to help out the parents of the church as they are going to a meeting that they otherwise would not be able to attend. 

Overall my time here has been a hoot. I love being able to serve everyone on base, and I only get annoyed every now and then. God keeps showing me how much I really need Him and I can't lean on others or myself. I cannot do this on my own strength. Thank you so much for both prayer support and financial support, I could not do this without your support back home. Please feel free to email me with questions or prayer and praise requests you might have back home.  I would love to add you to my prayer list! My prayer requests would be for good health, no homesickness, and continual joy and patience.

Blessings,

Abby

Aloha Week

I have been on staff for two weeks and I am already experiencing how much of a blessing it is to be able to do the work that I do. I have the privilege to be able to serve the people on base by making their meals throughout the week. I was a bit nervous at first about how I would feel and if I would have a good heart about all that I was doing. However, in just the first two weeks I have discovered how much I truly enjoy being able to serve everyone and be able to bless them through something as simple as cooking. I have been placed in such a good place this quarter.

These past two weeks have been filled with staff training as well as learning how to make various different meals. This past Saturday (September 17) a few of the people on base had the opportunity to go and serve at a senior luncheon held by a local church in Manoa Valley. We cheered them on as they entered into the celebration, and we served them a collection of food. It was awesome to be able to see them and talk with them about their lives and be able to celebrate with them and bless each one. 

This week is week that the students are starting to arrive and the schools will begin. We are gaining around 50 students, so it's going to be quite the busy base. I am excited to see Jesus radically change these student's lives as He reveals Himself and His character to each and every one of them.


Prayer Requests: 
 - That the students settle in well and there is no trouble adjusting to life here, as well as safe travels for them all
- Energy. It is surprisingly exhausting working in the kitchen for three meals a day. Also that I would get proper rest when given the opportunity to rest.
- Health. Somehow people always get sick when they first arrive and are adjusting to a new location. It would be cool if that didn't happen this time because when living in community, sickness travels quickly.

Fresh Start

For those who have been wondering, I did indeed make it safely to Hawaii. I had a five day stay in Washington because I was standing up in a wedding for a friend I made while in YWAM. I arrived into Honolulu around 9pm on Sunday night, and have been adjusting well.

I will be on kitchen staff for the first four months of my two year commitment. I have a solid crew that I am working with so that is quite nice. After having a few staff meetings and time in prayer, I'm even more excited to see what will become of these two years here in YWAM. I cannot wait to grow and learn even more as well as grow closer to the Lord. The first two weeks are going to be filled with an ample amount of staff training and worship. This week we are spending the time studying and reading the book of 1 Corinthians together.

Currently, my prayer request is that I get more adjusted and used to living back in Hawaii as well as getting used to my schedule.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. I would not be here without you and would not be able to be doing this.

Graduation

In case you were unaware, I graduated from the CSBS on Thursday, June 30. I did not completely finish though until July 1 considering I still had homework due. That being said, as of four hours ago,  I am a free for the summer. 

These past nine months have been some of the most challenging as well as rewarding months of my life. I am so thankful for being able to experience and learn what I did. I have to admit though, there were an ample amount of tears that were made on the path to graduation. As much as I would love to go into a deep detail of everything I have learned over the course of this school, it would take far too long to explain it all. If you would like to hear more about what I have learned, I am coming home to Michigan for the summer! I would love to get together with you and share about my experiences. I will be home July 4 through August 30th. 

I'm sure a fair amount of you are wondering what I am going to be doing in my future now that I have completed this school. As of June 17, I have been accepted to come back and staff for two years! This September I will be flying back to YWAM Honolulu to start my commitment. I am not entirely sure as to what it is that I will be staffing. I might be in the DTS staffing which would most likely result in me support staffing in September and learning all the basics of what it takes to lead a team, and then leading my own team in January. I also could be on base staffing which is a multitude of things. Base staffing has several different positions such as hospitality (housekeeping), kitchen, yard, accounting, and maintenance. I really have no idea what I will be doing for YWAM Honolulu this coming fall, but no matter what it is I am positive it will be pretty awesome. Once I officially know, I will update you all on what that specifically is. 

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support in my journey. I honestly could not have done this without you! 

Here are some photos of graduation!

May

No worries to all of you! I am still here! 

It's been quite some time since I have posted an update and I apologize about that. Life has been hectic lately.  I have six weeks left of this school, which blows my mind. It's hard to believe I've already done eight months so far. I have twelve books left to study after this week. 

Last week we studied the book of Romans. By the way, in case you were not aware, the book of Romans is filled with a lot of theology that does not make sense.  I entered with some questions about things like predestination, but instead of answers I have only discovered more questions. There's so many new things I want to research about, but currently I lack the time. 

This week we are studying the books of Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Timothy. It is pretty packed, but I am fairly excited for all that these books hold. 

One thing I have discovered is that Paul is one of the most hardcore men I have ever read about. He was beaten, put into prison countless times, and was practically stoned to death. Yet that did not stop him from getting right back up and out there and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. I have found him to be inspiring. If we would be like Paul and live out the faith that God calls us to, can you even imagine what kind of impact we would be making on this world? So why don't we stop with our needless worries of what people will think of us and let go of whatever is holding us back, and simply just say yes. Let God use you for a bigger purpose, cause He's not going to let you down.

I have also learned lately that God is just. He is not always fair. And that  was a hard thing for me to wrap my mind around. How could God not be fair? Then I had to think about all those times something happened that I was not a fan and I said "That's not fair" and then someone would say "Well, life is not fair". God is pretty cool. I love Him and I wouldn't trust anyone else with my future. That does not mean that He is fair though. Jesus dying on the cross wasn't fair because we should have died. Our father is a good good father. And He is a just one as well. He's not going to let people get away with things so that it's fair. It's something to wrestle with, that is for sure.

So in these next six weeks we are studying these books in this order: Philemon, Titus, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, Hebrews, John, 2 Peter, Jude, 1, 2, 3 John, and then ending with Revelation. There's still a lot of work that I have, but the end is near. And I cannot even explain how excited I am to come home to the beautiful city of Grand Rapids six weeks from today! 

Prayer Requests:

• Lately,  I have been hitting my wall. I have been in this school for eight months already, and the level of motivation and energy to keep pursuing that I have had is starting to dissipate. 

• Secondly, I come home for my brother's wedding on the 15th of June and am home until the 19th. Safe travels for that would be amazing. Also ya'll should shoot up a prayer for my brother and his fiancée cause they are precious and I am sure they are stressed out. Nate has a super important test that decides where he is placed for residency, and if you know my brother, he's studying his life away right now. He takes this test June 14, which is four short days before he gets married. So you can bet that he's probably stressed out about it. Also, my brother Zach flies in on the 14th and he's pretty cool too. Shoot up prayers for him and his ministry in Guatemala as well as for safe travels for him to return home for the wedding. 

• Third, I recently have discovered that my heart has been breaking for all these people around me. I cannot do anything to make their situations better, and as a result my heart breaks and I am filled up with all this emotion that I do not know how to handle. To top that off, I found out today that a person that I went to high school with for a year, passed away in a car accident. I did not know him very well, but I am hurting so much right now from everyone's hurt and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Spring Break - January quarter

Today is my second day of spring break. Let me tell you, it feels pretty good to have completed 6 months of this school, and to only have 3 months left. This past quarter has been one for the books. I had a little more free time this quarter compared to the first quarter, and because of that I was able to get to know the DTS students. They are a whole bunch of crazy people whom I love dearly. They leave tomorrow and Monday to head out to the Philippines and Cambodia/Japan on outreach. I am so excited to see how they grow and learn from stepping out in faith with the Lord. Here are some photos from this past quarter and the adventures I have been a part of.

This is from a hike on the island called Crouching Lion.

A group of us went out and celebrated Valentines Day.

This is a few of us after the Easter dinner celebration our base had.

One morning I decided to get up at 4am and go hike Koko head which happened to be 1,000 steps up a side of a mountain.

This are my close friends Alex (left) and Ashley (middle) when we hiked Lanikai Pillboxes Trail.

Our base went and volunteered at a prayer rally for Franklin Graham a month ago and it was such a cool experience.

Every quarter our base has an Ohana night which is filled with competition of some sort. This quarter they did four different teams competing with games such as balancing a pop can on it's edge, putting Oreos on our foreheads and trying to get them into our mouths without the use of our hands, and taking an empty pop can across the room and back while balancing it on a spaghetti noodle that was held by two people's mouths. It was so much fun. This here is a photo of the winning team which also happens to be my team.

Here is my classmate Ashley and I sitting in hammocks. Sometimes we get sick of studying in the classroom all the time so every so often we take our studies outside and hang out in hammocks.

Hillsong United came to Oahu so a group of us decided to go and see them. It was incredible.

Often when I study this is what my desk looks like.

Squad coming at you hard. 

This was during the week of studying Daniel. 

When we want to study outside but not in hammocks, this is often another location of ours.

Every Wednesday night we have a worship night. This was my outreach leader Tanner's last night leading worship. 

These past three months have been incredible. We have studied so many books (22 to be exact). We've just recently gotten into the New Testament and have studied Mark and Matthew. The third quarter will be entirely New Testament, so I am fairly excited about that. Spring Break will last until April 10 which is wonderful because I have been in need of a break. I am continually thankful for all your letters, donations, prayers, etc. It is so encouraging to hear that you are praying for me because it reminds me that there are people back home supporting me. I cannot thank you enough for that. 

Currently my prayer requests would be that my sickness would go away. It is just a cough so it isn't much, but it is still a bit annoying to have. Also, finances are always a good thing to pray for and I would greatly appreciate that. I still have to pay for most of the third quarter and I am trusting God that it will come in. Blessings to all of you! Thank you once again.

February

This past month has been a crazy eventful time. For those of you who do not know, my school is now at two students rather than four. My classmate Dave found out in the second week of February that his mother was having some health issues. Things started to take a turn for the worst and he flew home to Canada on February 11. His mother passed away the following day on February 12. Another one of our classmates, who also happens to be his girlfriend, flew home Sunday February 14 to be with him in this difficult time. Dave made the decision to stay home and not complete the SBS due to all that has happened. Cambree also decided to stay home. Thus leaves Ashley and myself to finish the school.

That being said, with all that has happened recently I have decided not to go on outreach but rather come home to Michigan for the months of July and August. I am so excited to be home for a good amount of time this summer. 

Despite these crazy events, we have continued studying and now only have this week and next week left of the Old Testament. Words cannot describe how happy I am to move onto the New Testament. The OT has been a great time for me. I have learned about God's character and been able to relate so well with the people. I used to hate the OT but lately I have grown a love for it - one I never knew was possible.

Prayer Requests:
Lately I have been missing my family more so than usual and have been having to work through that. I would appreciate prayer for that. I also am a bit short on my funds for the completion of this school. If you feel led to give I would very much appreciate it, otherwise I also appreciate prayers for perseverance  Nine months is a long time to continue to have motivation to study and it has become a bit wearing. 

Nonetheless, thank you all for your continued prayers, letters, and phone calls/text messages of encouragement. It is so appreciative.

If you feel inclined to help me out with my funds, send a check written out to YWAM to me.

My address is 
Abby Ellens
2707 Hipawai Place
Honolulu HI 96822

The Prophets

It is the start of the third week in this quarter, and my time the past twenty-four days have been absolutely incredible. This current DTS is incredible and I am learning more about the character of God and my purpose in where I am in this moment. I am continually remembering exactly why God called me into the SBS and it has been a very comforting time.

This quarter we are studying the prophets. Thus far we have studied Amos, Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah. This coming week we are studying Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Obadiah.  In the books that we have studied this quarter, Hosea was my absolute favorite. For those of you who do not know the background of that book, the Lord commands Hosea to find a wife from whoredom. His wife cheats on him and at one point completely  It is a parallel to the Israelites and how they are repeatedly cheating on the Lord with other gods. While I was studying the book of Hosea I kept thinking about this.

"I would have told Hosea to leave her. No one should have to hold on, I’d say, to a heart that doesn’t want them back. No one deserves a straying soul, a fleeting kiss, someone who devotes themselves more to the dirt than ever to him. There are better woman with less stains on their clothes, I’d convince him, they will love you like you deserve. You shouldn’t have to crucify your sainthood for the sake of her. I would have told Hosea to leave her. But I’m glad he wouldn’t have listened. Because, how many times have I deserved to be forsaken? How long have I fought off my destiny of being loved unconditionally?  Since my first breath, born with clenched fists, I’ve lived half in the shadows, half in my idols, half in the worth I find by giving myself away to temporary places. How many times have I been an imperfect bride? I’m a goner, I’m Gomer, and I would have left me a long time ago. But instead of moving on, God never did, for His grace covers me more than my mistakes ever could."

Our God is a forgiving God who never stops chasing after us. No matter what we do He will always run after us and chase us down. He is relentless. It overwhelms me and gives me an unexplainable joy.

I am excited to see what else I will be learning in the coming months and how I can apply it to my life. The SBS is certainly not something I thought I would ever see myself doing but now that I am in it, I am incredibly thankful. Thank you once again for all your prayers! As of right now, I do not have any specific prayer requests. I would suggest maybe just to pray for good health and endurance to keep pressing on. 

January Quarter

Today was the first day of class in the New Year! As some of you may know, I was originally scheduled to start class on Monday, January 11, but due to some issues we started on the 16th. I have a classmate from Canada and he happened to have some troubles with crossing over the border, but thankfully he was able to cross yesterday and flew in last night. 

Since we started later, I was able to have a few days to myself. I was quite thankful for it especially because a few of my friends from my DTS flew over and surprised everyone on base. I was able to hang out with them for a couple days whereas I would not have had time to had school started up again right away.

We started studying Amos today, and I must admit it is a little difficult to get back into the swing of class and the homework load. After having almost an entire month of not having to do any mental work, almost everything sounds better than having only one day off per week. I am sure though that I will have a better attitude about it as time goes along. This coming Tuesday we will be starting the book of Isaiah, and I must say I'm rather excited for that.

I would appreciate your prayers for me that I may be able to get back into the swing of things quickly and that I will get used to my schedule and my amount of free time. Thank you once again for all your support in this.