Hello all,
I hope you are staying safe and encouraged through this crazy time. Due to the magnitude of coronavirus, YWAM leadership decided it was important to send students home instead of going on outreach to the nations. We are not going home to just return to normal life, we are returning home to do outreach in our own communities… homereach. They are commissioning us to press even deeper into the Lord and turn to a heart of worship and prayer like Paul did when he was put into “quarantine” in the jail cell. That jailer where Paul and Silas were being kept, found his freedom through Paul and Silas’ imprisonment/ “quarantine”. This is such a crazy time for all of us but I have faith that the Lord is going to bring freedom to so many “jailers” in our generation. So please pray for whoever those “jailers” may be in your life. Acts 16:16-40
It is so cool to look back and realize how God has been preparing my heart along with a lot of my classmates’ hearts for this time of “homereach”. As I was preparing lessons and teachings for outreach, it was hard for me to envision myself actually teaching these things in Peru. I was always thinking of places and ways that I could be sharing these things back at home. Or when I pictured myself having a quiet time, I always pictured myself in my living room just worshipping and praying. At the time, I just thought that he was preparing me for a time of being at home and doing ministry there right after outreach. Looking back, I truly believe that He was so graciously and gently preparing me for this season of homereach. I am so grateful to be serving a God that not only knows what will happen but is so gracious in preparing us in advance for the good works he calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10). He did not just throw me into this season and expect me to be okay with it. He prepared my heart for it and I am at home waiting with an expectant heart to see how the Lord will use me in this season. With that being said, I have shed many tears over this due to abruptly having to leave those that I have grown so close to in the past 3 months. I had one week of lecture phase left and was anticipating the excitement of going to Peru and within a span of 2 days, I was home.
I plan to connect with the pastors at my church and partner with organizations to do ministry. YWAM just released the guidelines for what we will need to do and complete in order to graduate our DTS in May. We’ll be expected to complete 30-40 hrs of ministry, about 5 hrs of intercession, 5 hrs of bible study, along with a few other cooperate meetings and assignments each week. With that being said, I am planning to just focus on those things right now and not go back to work and jump back into regular life. I’m so grateful that God has positioned me to be able to serve full time during this crisis in our world.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me financially in this season. I will continue to use those funds during this two-month homereach to help focus on where the Lord has called me. Most importantly, thank you to those that have come along side me in prayed during this time. Would you continue to pray for direction and that I would continue to press in to Jesus even harder during this time. This will not be easy and I know that if this season is blanketed with prayer, it will bring fruit! Here are a few things that I need prayer for right now:
- That I would just rely on God more than I ever have before.
- That I would not fall into any temptations that were strongholds in my past.
- That ministry opportunities would open up and I would be able to use the things that I learned to help other people
I love you all so much and am so so grateful for your support. I will continue to post updates. I can’t wait to see how the Lord will use this situation for His good.
God bless you all. I am praying a blanket of protection and peace over you during this time of uncertainty and craziness!