New Updates

Hey everyone!

I haven't updated this blog in the recent months. For those of you who are not aware, I have started sending my updates through mail chimp. 

If you have not been receiving the updates and would like to, please contact me. I would love to put you on my email list and share with you my stories.

If you know that you are signed up and have not been receiving the updates, don't forget to check your spam folders! If you still can't find the emails, contact me and I'll personally try to figure it out with you.

I've been sending out updates roughly every 10 days, and I really don't want you to miss the cool things that have been happening here in Honolulu. 

Kitchen Blessings

It is the beginning of a new quarter here at YWAM Honolulu, and the students arrived this week. We had Aloha Day this past Thursday, so the whole base came together as a family and was introduced to one another. It's hard to believe that we are already starting a new quarter. It feels like just yesterday I was headed back to Michigan for Christmas break. 

This quarter I am once again going to be serving in the kitchen. I often hear from people that I could be doing so much more if I was serving on a school staff since I would be directly influencing the students. However, I have found that it has been incredible opportunity for me to be on base staff. Not only do I get to bless the students each and every day by serving them various different delicious meals, but I am also able to partake in the small groups and Bible studies for the base staff. When I first came to staff here at YWAM, the only thing I wanted to do was DTS staff. I did not end up being DTS staff and I was instead in the kitchen. It was honestly the best place on base that I could have been placed. I learned so many different things (like how to cook cause oh man I'm not exactly the best), but also I was able to learn what it truly meant to love someone simply because God created them. I often have struggled with that area of life, but last quarter I was hit with a revelation. If God is able to love someone just as they are, who am I to judge where they have come from or what they are doing? It's completely unfair and each and everyone of us were called for better things.  It is such a freeing thing to be able to see someone truly grow in their relationship with the Lord and become the person He called them to be. 

A few things you can pray for

• We currently have 4 teams out in North India, South India, Nepal, and the Philippines.  Pray for the teams, that they will be renewed in Christ daily and that every person they come in contact with will meet the love of Christ through them.
• Pray for the beginning of the schools and that each and every one of the students will have an open heart to what the Lord has for them. Also that the staff and school leaders will lead them with wisdom.

Thank you deeply for all of your prayers, support, and simply reading this post. It sincerely means so much. 

Love and blessings to all of you,
Abby

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. 

Christmas Break

I have never been so excited for a break in my life. It has been an intense 3 months, but it has been a time of growth. I currently am in the city of Dallas on a four hour layover waiting for one more flight before I come home to the lovely Grand Rapids. I will be home for the duration of December 19 through January 7. When January 7 rolls around, I will be headed back out to Honolulu until I return home briefly for my brother’s wedding in mid June. 

From September 22 to December 17, I studied sixteen books. Those books were Jonah, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Psalms, Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Job. That is also the order in which we studied them. I have learned so many different things that I never would have thought of prior to doing SBS. 

Thank you again for all your support. Hopefully i will see all of you while I am home for these few weeks, but if I do not get the chance, Merry Christmas! Your prayers have meant the world to me and I know that I would not be able to get through this intense school without your prayers. 

Christmas break is on the horizon

My apologies on not updating lately! It's been a busy month. We have gone through Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 &2 Kings, and Psalms in the past five weeks. I have gained so much knowledge and truth in what is actually going on throughout the books. As of yesterday we started Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. 

I am so excited to be home in less than two weeks! A break is very much needed for me and I am thrilled to be able to see you all again, if even only for three weeks. Pray for me as these last two weeks are still filled with an ample amount of homework as well as a test. Thank you all again for all your support. I would not be here without you! 

Wherever You Are, Be All There

"Wherever you are, be all there." - Jim Elliot

Stay focused, trust in God, and keep learning to believe in yourself and the value you have.

Recently a friend messaged me this, telling me it had been on her heart the past few days to share with me.  Upon reading the message, I broke down into tears. It may not look like much, but it was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.

The past month of SBS has been tiring but also extremely beneficial. I have grown so much in knowledge with only the first five books of the Bible. Seeing how everything relates back to the Pentateuch is actually surprising. It is a lot more than I would have prior thought. So with my studies, I have been rather busy and I apologize if I have not responded to your messages or texts in the past little bit. It is not intentional. I have a deadline each weekend where I have to turn in that specific book that we are studying that week, and then usually the next day I have to do my first reading on the book we study the following week. My days off are generally filled with sleeping in my hammock, watching movies, and going to the beach. 

I have learned a lot in the first five weeks of SBS, and most recently I learned that "wherever you are, be all there." That may not make much sense to some people, but for me it means so much. Though I have been here studying, my mind has recently been everywhere else. Every week it seems as if a new distraction makes its way into my mind. Things in my past, things happening here on base, and even friends from back home. So when I received that message, it meant the world to me. God came in clutch. The work in this class is tough and requires a lot of focus and studying. I have been worn out. But I need to stay focused and trust in God especially through this because He brought me to it for a reason. Do not get me wrong, I do actually love this school. I love everything I am learning and seeing how it ties together. I have discovered that I am actually a Bible nerd now. It is fairly enjoyable. 

I ask for your prayers for my distractions to disappear, and also that I will have an ample amount of energy. It is unbelievable how much harder it is to get work done after sleeping all night and still not feeling rested. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement! It means a lot!


Also I love receiving letters during this time, so if you would like to write letters, do not be afraid to do so! My address is

2707 Hipawai Place
Honolulu, HI 96822

CSBS

In case you have not heard, I made it safely to Hawaii on the 17th. I have been loving every second of being back in this beautiful place. The Lord has been confirming over and over that this is what I am supposed to do, and has been blessing me in little ways. The immeasurable joy that I cannot explain has me with this dorky grin on my face that I just can not wipe clean. Life is way too good.

I started class last Tuesday, September 22. By the end of the week, we had had thirty-four hours of class, and done about eight to ten hours of homework. It was a bit overwhelming to do all that in such a short amount of time, but it was good. From Tuesday to Saturday morning, the only thing I really did was sleep, go to class, do homework, and drink coffee. Such is life I suppose.

I have heard from my mother that many of you have been wondering what our study method is here in the Chronological School of Biblical studies. Well....it is a lot. 

We start with reading the book of the Bible that we are currently studying, and when we read it we have to either read it out loud or listen to an audio of it while reading along to it. Once read, we have to go back through and make a paragraph title to every single title in said book. The title cannot be longer than four words and the four words must be taken from the text of the paragraph. The title needs to give one a summary of the paragraph just by reading it. After doing those two things, we do horizontal charts. In this step, we have to separate the book into what we think the chapters should be. This is a step that takes a bit because we have to make sure that everything we put together fits well. Shortly after doing that step, we begin charts. Charts are split into three segments. On the left of the chart, we put observations into the list. In the middle of the chart, we insert in all the words we don't understand and what we have questions on. Which in some books happens to be a lot. On the right side, we put timeless truths and questions/answers. The timeless truths are things that could go as a proverb on a calendar. After we are done with that, we have to put a summary on the bottom of the chart explaining what it is we learned from the chart. We have several charts throughout each book, and it all depends on the size. Jonah had four charts. Every book is different.

So this is a little more knowledge on as to what I have been doing the past week of my life.
As you may have been able to see, my life is rather hectic lately with balancing school and friends, so I would greatly appreciate your prayers. Thank you so much for your support in all of this! 

Two Weeks.

One fortnight. Two weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred and thirty six hours. Am I really this close to returning to the beautiful island of Oahu? These past six months have flown by for me. I have spent my time working at Cherry Valley Greenhouse, Russ', and for my parents on our farm.

In case you have been unaware of what my plan is for the following year, I plan to fly back to Honolulu on September 17 and participate in a school called the Chronological School of Biblical Studies (CSBS). No, it will not be a vacation as some may think. I will have little time to go down to the beach. I will learn about the context, culture, and history of each book of the Bible. It will be a time consuming school and I will be spending the majority if not all my time studying. The school will be nine months long, and there is an optional two month outreach following the completion of the CSBS.

You may wonder what weaseled into my mind to make me want to do something as crazy as this is. Why would I want to go study in-depth for nine months in Hawaii? When I arrived at DTS last September and met the students who were currently in the CSBS, I vowed to never participate in that school since I hated studying and could not imagine why one would willingly decide to set apart nine months of time for that dedication. God seemed to have another plan for me though. When I was in India, I was doing an ample amount of praying about what I should do after my completion of DTS in March. He had just started to give me a desire to do the CSBS, which I was quite nervous about. One evening I was praying and asked God to just give me a dream about what I was supposed to do. That night, I had a dream about heading back to Hawaii for a school and somehow I knew that it was CSBS. I woke up the following morning with a peace and I knew that this September I would be returning to YWAM Honolulu to continue my studies.

To all who have donated money-THANK YOU SO MUCH. I would not have this opportunity to go and learn without all of you. I am so incredibly appreciative of it. If you would still like to support me, I am still in need of at least $3000 for this school. Prayers are another big thing I will be needing for the duration of this school, seeing as it will be extremely challenging for me. Pray for the continued desire to learn more and for motivation to not get discouraged when it becomes hard and I am tired of studying. Also that I would have a great support system to encourage me and to press on as it talks about in Philippians 3:14. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

I am immensely excited to be able to return back to the YWAM Honolulu base to continue my studies. To be able to truly know what the Bible is saying and not just what I take from it will be a gift and I cannot wait to increase in knowledge. Once again, thank you!

The Next Step

Since returning back home to Michigan, I have constantly been asked the classic question, "What is next?" Will you be going off to college in the fall, will you get a job and work, or will you be doing something else? I have been answering that question with a tentative answer up until recently. I found out officially on March 25 that I have been accepted to the Chronological School of Biblical Studies (CSBS).  This is a secondary school in YWAM. The CSBS is a nine month intensive course where students read and study every book of the Bible, starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation.

This September I will be returning to the place I call my second home: the lovely island of Oahu. I will be in Honolulu intensively studying the Bible for nine months. After the nine months is up, there is an optional outreach for students that I plan on attending. This is my next step before hopefully being able to staff the coming year. It brings me so much joy to finally be able to confidently announce this to everyone and share what my future plans are.

Here is a little more of an explanation as to what the school is all about. The CSBS (based on the inductive study method) teaches students about the context, culture, and history of each book of the Bible. After gaining an understanding of the historical context, students start to make observations and interpretations of the text based on the authors' original intent and the original reader's (and hearers') understanding. Students have around ten hours of lecture a week, which cover the historical and cultural background of the book being studied, as well as tackling difficult passages. These lectures are taught by a wide variety of Bible teachers, including Bible scholars, Old Testament archaeologists, New Testament historians, and leaders within YWAM - all of whom are passionate for seeing God's Word brought to the nations. The majority of this course is self study. Students typically spend forty (or more) hours per week individually studying the Scripture. Students also have the opportunity for field trips, community outreach, intercession, and worship as a way to enhance their nine months of study. The goal of the CSBS is to equip our students to study God's Word for  themselves and then help equip others to do the same. After the students complete nine months of intense study they have the opportunity to share with others the riches of God's Word. An optional eight to twelve week outreach is offered to all CSBS students who want to practice what they have learned. Most of our CSBS outreaches go to Asia or the South Pacific and focus on teaching the Bible and inductive Bible study skills to new believers, churches, pastors, and anyone else wanting to grow in their knowledge of the word. (Taken from ywamhonolulu.com)

There and Back Again

I am so thankful that God brought me to this time in my life. First things first. Austin and I arrived safely in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 23rd. Thankfully, the time adjustment was not a problem for either one of us. It was so nice to be able to finally join our team. The first full day in New Delhi was spent preparing for a Christmas party for that night. Our team helped cut up fruit and nuts for a salad and decorate the place. About half cut up fruits and half decorated the place. I helped cut up the all the different kinds of fruit; pomegranates, cashews, raisins, strawberries, papayas, and melon. The Christmas party was an ample amount of fun later that night. There was lots of singing and dancing and games involved, as well as a short message. Christmas in India is fairly different than Christmas back in the USA. Our leaders surprised us each with a box of presents from our parents. Mine was filled with some various gifts, but also about forty letters from people back home. Just saying, you guys are some of the most kind and caring people out there. Thank you so much. You all make me feel so incredibly loved. One thing that is big here in India is chai Tea. I myself am not a fan of tea, but this chai tea is some of the best out there. After opening presents we each had a cup of chai. We went to a Christmas party at church later that day. While in Delhi, we had a few days where we went and saw the historic sites. History is so interesting. We were also able to see the Taj Mahal! It really is amazing. The tiny detail that went into something so massive is stunning. No wonder it is one of the seven wonders of the world. My New Years Eve was spent on a thirty four hour train ride from New Delhi to Vijayawada. So basically from the Northern part of India to the Southern part. Seeing the country of India via train ride was definitely an interesting way to spend the New Year. I have been in India for a little over a week and I simply love it here. 

January 1-14 was spent in Vijayawada, India. While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit a few slums. It really spoke to me how much we actually had and how little everyone else had. And to see their joy just amazed me. A big thing that we did while we were in that location was that we went and visited a local temple. Along the way, we found a house that had bags and bags of hair on the roof. This was all the hair of the people who had shaved their heads for their "gods". There were people who were crawling up the mountain on their knees out of respect for their god. Keep in mind, it was quite a hike. To see everything that these people did for their gods is crazy in comparison to how little we do for Jesus. I keep thinking about how blessed I am to have been born into a Christian family. Being here also makes me really how lazy Christians really are. And everything they are doing is pointless! Their god doesn't even exist! Think how much Christians could do for Jesus is they had the same mindset-if they worshiped Jesus as much as the people here worship their god. If they gave up everything for Jesus. We could change the world and do so much in the name of Jesus. On one day, we were able to go to two different churches and worship. At both churches we performed a dance, a skit, sang some songs, and shared a testimony and sermon. I had the privilege to share some of my testimony during the second service. I shared about the loss of Luke/my car accident and how it affected me. God has moved so much in my life since then and I am so grateful for it. We were also able to take communion, which was interesting because I was able to see the differences between here and in Moline.

From January 15-28 our team was in Dharmapuri, India. A lot of crazy things happened while being there. One of the first days there, we went to a Hindu man's house. This man had a brain tumor that was removed, but he could not talk, walk, or hardly move. After a couple of hours of praying and worshiping, he started speaking and was able to walk around the room with the help of others. When he spoke, he said "Jesus, Jesus". It was incredible to see what God is able to do in just a few short hours! Besides just that, we went to a house to pray over a man. While we were there, a crowd gathered and we started to pray for various people in the crowd. One of which was an elderly lady. This lady came forward asking for prayer, and as soon as we started to pray over her, she started to manifest. The demon inside her was cast out and she collapsed on the ground. After our contact anointed her with the Holy Spirit, it was crazy to see how big of a change there was in her. The elderly lady looked so gentle and sweet. We truly serve an awesome God! Our team also went to a house where a man was in a coma for a month due to witchcraft. We spent at least four hours praying over this man. He did not have a radical change, but he did open his eyes and slightly move his arms. Even in little things, God is moving. Besides all that, we also briefly went to an Indian wedding in which we wore saris. We also did a lot a house visits in our time there. Our team also had the privilege to bless three different leprosy colonies by giving them rice, hard boiled eggs, and chicken. We were able to visit one of those colonies prior to that, and it was heartbreaking to see the condition some of the people were in. Being able to bless them with food was definitely something I will never forget. 

On the 28th, we left Dharmapuri and traveled to Chennai to sleep overnight before our flight the next morning. On the 29th, our team left India and headed to Sri Lanka. From January 30-February 6 we spent our time in Pussellawa. Even though we were only there for a week, we had an eventful time. When we stepped off the plane and walked to pick up our backpacks in the airport, there were some guests from YWAM Honolulu waiting for us. It was so nice to see people we knew that were not from our team. Our first day we had off due to all our traveling the day prior. At night we went to a restaurant and ate hamburgers. I cannot explain to you how good it was to finally have beef again. In India the cow is holy, so hamburgers are not common. When we started ministry we discovered that a lot of the places we would be going to involved a bit of a hike. Our first couple days we did a lot of house visits and a few open airs. One of the days we traveled to a church that was two hours away. One of my team members preached and we performed a skit and sang some songs. Afterwards, we prayed for people and one of my team members prayed for a woman who could not see very well out of one of her eyes. After praying, the woman was able to see! Praise God! We also did a house visit where one of my team members felt pain in her arm and asked if someone in the house had pain in their arm. As it turns out, one of the people did and we prayed for her, and she received healing in her arm. It was so cool! We traveled six hours in a van across the country of Sri Lanka headed to our second location, Trincomalee. While we were in Trincomalee, we did a lot of kids ministry. There were several days where our team would split in half and we would go to different preschools and work with the kids. We were in Trincomalee February 6-12. The morning of the 12th, we packed up and rode in the back of a truck for 2 and a half hours to our third location, Vavuniya. We were there from February 12-20. Our third location has involved manual work. Our team is working on a learning center. We sanded benches and tables and varnished them, painted, and did flooring. It was a nice change. On the days we did not do manual work, we would do ministry. This involved a lot of kids ministry, which was an ample amount of fun. On Sunday, our team split in half and went to two different churches. At the church service I went to, I was able to give my testimony. It is such a blessing to see people react to what we say. 

In my time on outreach, I read through the entire Bible and God has been speaking to me through it. One of the biggest things I have learned is that sometimes suffering is not bad. We should feel honored that the devil finds us worthy enough to attack. Suffering for God is an honor and something I used to complain about. Paul and the disciples would endure whipping and stoning, and would then praise God and thank Him that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. It is been such an amazing past two months and I thank you all so much for your prayers! I am once again back in Hawaii, and we have graduation tonight! These past six months have flown by and I have grown so much. I cannot believe that I will be headed back to the mitten in two days, but I am very excited to see all of you.

Passports!

As some of you may know,  I was unable to leave this past Sunday for India. My passport did not show up in time. Nor did two of my teammates, so thankfully I was not the only DTS student left on base. Usually there is about 70-100 people on base, but throughout this week it has emptied out and currently it is myself and about seven other people. It has been a quiet week.

Today I returned after a lunch off base to find out that my passport had arrived. It has been a joyous day. I was also able to go see the new Hobbit movie. Let me tell you. It is pretty good. Go see it. This coming Sunday I will be leaving for India with one of my teammates. We will be departing from Hawaii at 12:30 am Monday. It has been a crazy ride up until this point. God is so good through everything. 

Unfortunately, one of my teammates will be headed home this weekend and will not be joining us on outreach. She had a lot of complications with her passport/visa because Fed Ex lost her original passport/visa. We are all very sad to see her return home to Canada. In all things, God is still good. Even through crappy things such as this.

I would very much appreciate prayers this week, as well as the following nine weeks. I ask that you pray for safety as the three of us travel to various parts of the world. I also ask that the adjustment for all of us will go smoothly. It will be a difficult transition for Austin and I as we join our team a week late. Our team will have already had time to adjust to the time difference and their surroundings, whereas we will have to just jump right in. Unity is also a prayer request. It is hard to do things with twelve people if there is no unity involved. God is going to stretch us all and move us in incredible ways and I cannot wait to experience it.

 

As you can see above, I was thrilled to see my passport. 

Blessings on all of you! I will try to update in the following months, but I cannot make any promises!

Project Exploration

Departure for India is in three days. Today was a packing day and I can happily say that all of my stuff is packed away. It was pretty nice because my parents took a whole suitcase home for me and made this a lot less stressful. For those of you who do not know, my parents flew in and spent a week with me in Hawaii. It was a wonderful time to be able to see them before I leave for India/Sri Lanka. I was able to see Pearl Harbor the day before the 73rd anniversary. I also went on a tour to Kualoa Ranch. Kualoa Ranch was a beautiful place in Hawaii where many different movies and TV shows have been filmed. Such as Hawaii Five-0, Lost, Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Fifty First Dates, Soul Surfer, and Karate Kid. Here are some photos of the tour.

The photo above is of the dead tree from Jurassic Park that the kids and Dr. Grant hid behind in the dinosaur stampede. It was a dream come true to be able to see this. The photo below is of a real life dinosaur attacking me. Terrifying.

I was also able to go to the zoo and see elephants, giraffes, and zebras for the first time. It was quite the experience. While I was there, I found out that there is in fact a zoo in New Delhi. I am still in the works of trying to convince my team to let us go to the zoo in India on one of our days off. What an adventure that would be.

 

It is crazy to think of how fast two and a half months flew by. There are so many things that have happened since I landed in Honolulu, Hawaii. One of the biggest things that has happened was when I rededicated my life to Jesus and was baptized yesterday. It was such an incredible experience. I have been baptized before when I was around a month old. I also made profession of faith the summer after my 9th grade year. When I made profession of faith I definitely was not ready and rushed into that choice. Yesterday, I was completely and 100% ready to follow Jesus. It really was one of the coolest things in my life.

These last few weeks in Hawaii have simply been incredible. I cannot wait for God to stretch me and use me when I go on outreach to India and Sri Lanka. It is going to be the best time. Myself and twelve others are about to head off for an unforgettable time period of our lives.

Here are a few recent photos of the group. The top photo has all of us in it. I would really appreciate it if you all would pray for my team over the next two and a half months. Back row: Margrete, myself, Mariesa, Bree, Cambree, Cassidy, Ashley, and Saara. Front row: Tony, Jed, Link (white), Joz, Tanner, and Brice. Brice is not coming on outreach with us since he is support staff; he is actually part of the January school and he will be getting ready to co-lead his own team to on outreach shortly after we return from our outreach in February. 

I found out recently that while on outreach I will only be able to be able to update my blog three times, if that. I also will not have my computer, so I am not sure if I will even be able to blog. If I cannot, I will be updating via Facebook since that will be the easiest way for me. My flight leaves Sunday night/Monday morning at 1am Hawaii time, 6am Michigan time. It has been a great adventure so far and I thank all of you for supporting me to be able to get here. Thank you so very much for everything, and I would love love love for you to keep praying for me while my team and I go off on outreach.