Just want to say thank you to all of you who are keeping me in your prayers and giving me your encouragement. : )
It was a tough beginning this week, but I'm doing alot better now. I was just dealing with alot of stress, exhaustion, and homesickness. I took it all to God and just cried out to Him to help me get through this week. God ceases to amaze me by His unending faithfulness! Yes, I was still tired and yes, it was still hard, but somehow God renewed my energy and gave me a new motivation to keep going. And it actually ended up being a great week. God totally turned something that seemed dark and cloudy into something I will never forget: God hears me and He is faithful. : )
Today we had "Faith Day." It was SO cool! The leaders took us to downtown Salem and dropped us off and gave us an envelope with ten dollars and a list of things to do around the city. We weren't allowed any other money or cell phones; just our IDs. And the money the gave us couldn't be spent on ourselves or each other; it had to be someone else. It was such an awesome experience! We just walked around Salem, waiting for God to lead us around every corner and to show us what He wanted us to do. We and my partner (we were split into groups of twos) walked with an old lady around the park, gave some food to a little kid, talked to a homeless guy, went into a Catholic church and prayed for all the people, prayed over a tattoo shop (we don't know why! We just felt led!), talked to and prayed for a man who was involved with a transitional home for teens who are socially inept, and gave money to a man who was in line to buy a hot dog and a mom with a little kid on her hip. It was one of the coolest things ever! At first I was totally nervous, because it was all totally new to me. But then, just the feeling of talking to someone, or giving something to someone and having it totally change and brighten their day- it's like the best feeling ever! : )
Yeah, it was pretty awesome, and I totally view people differently now. Salem is such a diverse and beautiful city. I loved taking it all in.
Also, my friend Arielle came home today! Well, came back to Salem anyways. : ) We're gonna try and hang out tomorrow, if I can get most of my homework done.
Next week is Plumbline week, aka "Forgiveness & Repentance Week." I keep hearing how emotional and intense it's going to be- SO PLEASE PRAY FOR US ALL! It's emotionally draining but also one of the best weeks of DTS because it brings everyone together on a whole new level.
I'm continuing to receive financial support- THANK YOU!
Sorry for the sporatic updates. I wish I had time to write more and post pictures, but time is SO limited here with my schedule. Thanks for reading though.
: )
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
running on empty
Hey guys,
I need some prayer. The past few days I've just been really, really worn out. Physically, mentally, spiritually. It is so good that I am here, and I enjoy every minute of it! But we hardly get a spare second to just sit, breathe, think, and digest all that's spinning around in our little heads! I feel like my mind is going at one hundred miles an hour. I almost fell asleep during class, yesterday and today! I was doing fine at first, but it's beginning to take it's toll on my fragile little self.
Pray for refreshment, and new energy and motivation, in everything. I don't want to just go through the motions and "do" all I'm supposed to "do." I want to get everything I can out of this experience! But I feel like a sponge that can't soak up anymore water, and it's frustrating.
On a lighter and happier note, my Valentine's Day was awesome! All the girls got dressed up for a candlelight dinner that all the guys from our DTS made us. It was so sweet! : ) (I'll try and post pictures. If I have time, so probably not. Haha.)
And my best friend, Arielle, is coming here to Salem on Friday! For those who don't know, she actually attended the Fall DTS and her team went to China and Thailand, and her team will be returning to the base for debriefing. So I get to see her all week and I'm so stoked because I haven't seen her in months! : )
Thank you all for your prayers and love. And keep Arielle in your prayers as well as she returns from her outreach!
I need some prayer. The past few days I've just been really, really worn out. Physically, mentally, spiritually. It is so good that I am here, and I enjoy every minute of it! But we hardly get a spare second to just sit, breathe, think, and digest all that's spinning around in our little heads! I feel like my mind is going at one hundred miles an hour. I almost fell asleep during class, yesterday and today! I was doing fine at first, but it's beginning to take it's toll on my fragile little self.
Pray for refreshment, and new energy and motivation, in everything. I don't want to just go through the motions and "do" all I'm supposed to "do." I want to get everything I can out of this experience! But I feel like a sponge that can't soak up anymore water, and it's frustrating.
On a lighter and happier note, my Valentine's Day was awesome! All the girls got dressed up for a candlelight dinner that all the guys from our DTS made us. It was so sweet! : ) (I'll try and post pictures. If I have time, so probably not. Haha.)
And my best friend, Arielle, is coming here to Salem on Friday! For those who don't know, she actually attended the Fall DTS and her team went to China and Thailand, and her team will be returning to the base for debriefing. So I get to see her all week and I'm so stoked because I haven't seen her in months! : )
Thank you all for your prayers and love. And keep Arielle in your prayers as well as she returns from her outreach!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
intensity
Hello folks!
So it's been a while since I last posted a "real blog," so, since I have most of my homework done and I have some free time on my hands, I figured I'd write. : )
Alot has happened in two weeks! Last Friday, our team had the opportunity of "Experiencing Injustice." For those of you who haven't received my support letters, I'll give you a little run-down on human trafficking...
Millions of women and children are being kidnapped and sold into slavery throughout the world and even in the US. This is called human trafficking. People take these women and children and use them in horrible, inhumane ways. Over 27 million women, and even girls as young as eight years old, are used in the sex slave industry and being forced into prostitution. And over 300,000 children are taken from their homes and forced to take up arms and/or be sex slaves for soldiers in Africa. 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 work in sweatshops for up to 12 hours a day without pay and often being physically and sexually abused.
Yeah, it's pretty heart-breaking. During our "Experiencing Injustice" session, we were taken from room to room and shown a video or a skit (done by the staff) about the different types of human slaveries. But the last part of the session made the whole experience seem like a glimpse into reality...
(Everything I describe was done by staff members who were acting. No one was actually harmed) We were forced by men to get on our knees and put on blindfolds. Then they shoved us (about 7 of us girls) into a van. When the van parked, the men ordered us to get out, get on our knees in the cold mud and grass (it was about 8 at night and very cold & dark), and take off our blindfolds. Then we noticed there were several girls tied up screaming and crying. Some of the men grabbed another girl kneeling in the grass, forced a gun into her hand, and ordered her to shoot the girl who had been tied up. At this moment, for me, reality hit. As I said above, kids are taken from their homes, given a gun, and brain-washed into killing other people. It just breaks my heart to know that innocent children, as young as five, are forced into these kids of inhumane acts.
A few days after the session, we watched a movie, called "Human Trafficking." If any of you are interested in learning more about human trafficking, I encourage you to watch it. But I strongly recommend it for an older audience (15 and up) as it is very graphic and extremely real.
Then next morning after watching the movie, we had intercession for those affected by human trafficking. But before we started praying, we watched an NBC clip. It showed an American newsman going into a small village in the Philippines. As soon as he entered a young boy and his mother came up to him, offering him young girls at a cheap price. The newsman followed them into a room, where ten or so young girls were gathered. Then he was led to a room with just a bed in it. Then several girls entered the room and started naming off prices, as if it were completely normal; $30 a girl.
At this point of the clip, I was crying my eyes out, and continued to do so through the whole intercession. I think it was God's way of showing me how much it breaks His heart that little kids have to go through that.
This week we studied the countries of southern Africa, and had intercession for the issues plaguing Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, there is a severe cholera epidemic. The streets are flooded with human waste. And people dying from the disease are left in the hospitals to decompose, further breeding the disease.
Over 60,000 will contract cholera in the next month in Zimbabwe alone. Cholera is basically a disease contracted through the unintentional consumption of infected human waste that contaminate food and water. Its symptoms are severe vomiting, explosive diarrhea, and severe dehydration. Without immediate medical treatment, cholera may result in death within four to twelve hours after symptoms begin. Due to a large loss of body fluids, cholera is gruesome in the way that it leaves survivors in their physical appearance, as well as in the biological toll it takes on the body. And cholera is very contagious, but is easily treated with fluids and antibiotics.
All it takes is someone willing to do something. Someone to listen to God's voice, trust, and act in obediance. And change will come.
As I share this information with you, I realize not all of you can drop everything and go to Zimbabwe. But please be praying that God would lay it on people's hearts to act, and to bring hope to these hurting people.
Whew. So yeah, as you can see, it's been a couple of intense weeks.
And on top of everything, I'm sending out all of my support letters this weekend. Pray that people would be willing to give, and bring change into people's lives, through what I'm doing.
I really can't say it enough, but THANK YOU to all of you! For taking the time to read (sorry it was so long!) all that was on my heart. I love you all. : )
So it's been a while since I last posted a "real blog," so, since I have most of my homework done and I have some free time on my hands, I figured I'd write. : )
Alot has happened in two weeks! Last Friday, our team had the opportunity of "Experiencing Injustice." For those of you who haven't received my support letters, I'll give you a little run-down on human trafficking...
Millions of women and children are being kidnapped and sold into slavery throughout the world and even in the US. This is called human trafficking. People take these women and children and use them in horrible, inhumane ways. Over 27 million women, and even girls as young as eight years old, are used in the sex slave industry and being forced into prostitution. And over 300,000 children are taken from their homes and forced to take up arms and/or be sex slaves for soldiers in Africa. 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 work in sweatshops for up to 12 hours a day without pay and often being physically and sexually abused.
Yeah, it's pretty heart-breaking. During our "Experiencing Injustice" session, we were taken from room to room and shown a video or a skit (done by the staff) about the different types of human slaveries. But the last part of the session made the whole experience seem like a glimpse into reality...
(Everything I describe was done by staff members who were acting. No one was actually harmed) We were forced by men to get on our knees and put on blindfolds. Then they shoved us (about 7 of us girls) into a van. When the van parked, the men ordered us to get out, get on our knees in the cold mud and grass (it was about 8 at night and very cold & dark), and take off our blindfolds. Then we noticed there were several girls tied up screaming and crying. Some of the men grabbed another girl kneeling in the grass, forced a gun into her hand, and ordered her to shoot the girl who had been tied up. At this moment, for me, reality hit. As I said above, kids are taken from their homes, given a gun, and brain-washed into killing other people. It just breaks my heart to know that innocent children, as young as five, are forced into these kids of inhumane acts.
A few days after the session, we watched a movie, called "Human Trafficking." If any of you are interested in learning more about human trafficking, I encourage you to watch it. But I strongly recommend it for an older audience (15 and up) as it is very graphic and extremely real.
Then next morning after watching the movie, we had intercession for those affected by human trafficking. But before we started praying, we watched an NBC clip. It showed an American newsman going into a small village in the Philippines. As soon as he entered a young boy and his mother came up to him, offering him young girls at a cheap price. The newsman followed them into a room, where ten or so young girls were gathered. Then he was led to a room with just a bed in it. Then several girls entered the room and started naming off prices, as if it were completely normal; $30 a girl.
At this point of the clip, I was crying my eyes out, and continued to do so through the whole intercession. I think it was God's way of showing me how much it breaks His heart that little kids have to go through that.
This week we studied the countries of southern Africa, and had intercession for the issues plaguing Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, there is a severe cholera epidemic. The streets are flooded with human waste. And people dying from the disease are left in the hospitals to decompose, further breeding the disease.
Over 60,000 will contract cholera in the next month in Zimbabwe alone. Cholera is basically a disease contracted through the unintentional consumption of infected human waste that contaminate food and water. Its symptoms are severe vomiting, explosive diarrhea, and severe dehydration. Without immediate medical treatment, cholera may result in death within four to twelve hours after symptoms begin. Due to a large loss of body fluids, cholera is gruesome in the way that it leaves survivors in their physical appearance, as well as in the biological toll it takes on the body. And cholera is very contagious, but is easily treated with fluids and antibiotics.
All it takes is someone willing to do something. Someone to listen to God's voice, trust, and act in obediance. And change will come.
As I share this information with you, I realize not all of you can drop everything and go to Zimbabwe. But please be praying that God would lay it on people's hearts to act, and to bring hope to these hurting people.
Whew. So yeah, as you can see, it's been a couple of intense weeks.
And on top of everything, I'm sending out all of my support letters this weekend. Pray that people would be willing to give, and bring change into people's lives, through what I'm doing.
I really can't say it enough, but THANK YOU to all of you! For taking the time to read (sorry it was so long!) all that was on my heart. I love you all. : )
Friday, February 6, 2009
some frustrations...
Hey you guys!
The internet here hasn't been working. ALOT has been happening here and it's been crazy and I can't wait to tell you all. Hopefully, tomorrow the internet will be working and I can post more. But I have class pretty soon. Thanks for checking in!
Also, I have alot of work to do in sending out support letters. Please pray that I won't get stressed with that. God is good and I've been able to get alot of homework done during the week, so I won't have too too much for tomorrow, giving me more time to write the letters. Yes, each one will be hand-written because printing here cost money. I thank you all sincerely and love you all. : )
The internet here hasn't been working. ALOT has been happening here and it's been crazy and I can't wait to tell you all. Hopefully, tomorrow the internet will be working and I can post more. But I have class pretty soon. Thanks for checking in!
Also, I have alot of work to do in sending out support letters. Please pray that I won't get stressed with that. God is good and I've been able to get alot of homework done during the week, so I won't have too too much for tomorrow, giving me more time to write the letters. Yes, each one will be hand-written because printing here cost money. I thank you all sincerely and love you all. : )
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