So, I am going to try to catch up little by little on the last few weeks....I don't want anyone to fall asleep reading 18 paragraphs. :) So, that story I said I would share about our community outreach...here it is! We gathered all the people here on our YWAM base and dispersed around the Flathead Valley (a few towns around where we live.) Between all our staff and students, we had over 200 people go out to pray and share our faith with people on the National Day of Prayer! There were a lot of great stories about "divine appointments" and things God did that day, but here is a personal one.
Jason and I were in a small group of five. We drove into Kalispell, not really knowing where we should go. One guy got a picture of an elevator, and felt we needed to go somewhere that had one. As Kalispell is a very small town, we couldn't even think of a building big enough to have an elevator! We drove by the county courthouse, and Jason thought we should stop and pray for the government in a few city buildings. As we wandered around, we found a courthouse building with an elevator, so of course we went up! On the top floor, we spent some time praying for a list of people who were about to be sentenced. Then, as we were about to leave, Ben, a student in our group, felt like he was supposed to stand up and ask if anyone in the room wanted prayer. However, this was a large, open room with 40+ people, full of lawyers, judges, and people waiting for their court hearings. Ben felt intimidated, but went for it anyway as a few people were cursing at us under their breath. Only one woman was brave enough to raise her hand, but it turned out to be such an awesome opportunity from God! She took us around the corner to her weeping daughter, whom we assumed was waiting to be sentenced. We got to pray for her, bless her, and share God's love and truth with "Mandy." God's peace really came on the whole group, and Mandy seemed comforted. We left amazed at the way God directed us to pray for her, and thankful that we hadn't been too scared or embarrassed- we would have missed a great opportunity if we had! This was one of many stories that stirred our faith, and we realized that sharing God's love is not a difficult as we make it out to be. Really, we all just need to make ourselves available, and God will direct us. There are hurting people everywhere who need encouragement, and all of us have opportunities each day to bless them with God's love.
For those of you who follow our blog, you may have noticed that the format has changed a little bit. The new background was chosen to convey the season in which we are working right now. Before, there were books....because we studied all the time! And now, we are actively spending each day building people up, and helping them to grow in their identity in Christ. Hence, the ladder and "construction" look! We also feel that we are personally in a new season of God building us up as leaders. We will be leading the Winter 2013 DTS, which is both exciting and scary for us! We are already beginning to plan for the school, and to select and invite guest speakers for it. Sometimes, we feel too young to do something like this, but then, as we reflect on all God has taught us and poured into us, we know that he has given us what we need for that to which he has called us. We are also really thankful to have such wise and seasoned leaders here to give us advice and mentorship.
If you haven't ever explored our blog, please do! The tabs at the top have more info about YWAM, as well as our needs, and even a little about who we are.
More stories will follow.......
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
So.....this weekend was too short, and I did not finish the longer update I was working on. But, I wanted to quickly let you all know that we will be in Spokane this week with the DTS, doing a mini-outreach. Most of what we will be doing is homeless ministry, and leading worship and sharing testimonies with people off the streets. Please be praying for us as we reach out this week! Pray for lives to be changed by God's spirit as we share his love with people we don't know. Also, please pray that this time will really excite the students and empower them to share the gospel. We had a small taste of that last week as we went out into the community around us, and it reminded us all that it isn't so difficult - we just need to be available to God, and he will show us how to love and encourage the people that we meet.
We love you all....thanks for standing with us in prayer and support!
We love you all....thanks for standing with us in prayer and support!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Pictures from Thailand!
One of the contacts we were able to work with in the North!
A man who just received eyeglasses we gave out as a team at a New Year's Party for a variety of locals.
European women being blessed by a monk in a temple.
One of the biggest Buddha's in South Thailand.
Our team with all the awesome people we met and worked with in Chiang Rai!
This is inside a temple in Bangkok
Hello from smiley Thailand!
Some of the team doing a worship set in a very remote village around Christmas time :)
Erika sharing her Testimony with Jaime, one of our contacts in Phang Nga, South Thailand.
More of the temple gods we came across
Cute kids are everywhere!
A mother holding her beautiful baby
Us on the beach :)
Our team on the beach!
Gold tape patch up job.. kind of funny.
Christmas in Thailand!
We have so many pictures to share, but we hope you enjoy some of the glimpses into things we did in North and South Thailand as well as what the culture is like. We love you guys! Have a good weekend!Jason and Erika
Thursday, March 29, 2012
There is no place like home
We are sorry that it has been awhile since the last post. I know there are many of you that are waiting to hear how we are since we have been home. Our time has just been a bit filled with recovering from outreach and catching up on the things that go on hold for two months.
It has really felt like a whirlwind. There always is a lot of change that comes with this job whether it is relationships, countries, friends, things we're doing and what not. What has been really amazing about coming home is the support we have received for our time in Thailand with 14 students. Thank you so much for all of your cards, gifts, and words of encouragement. We were SO blessed to arrive home to reminders of how much we are loved. It has been high and low to process everything that happened overseas, but definitely needed. Our group functioned pretty well as a whole, but as leaders it is easy to think about how we could have done things better. Well-roundedness has kind of been a buzz word/idea since we have been back. One thing that we know for sure is that our weaknesses and inability to see what may come of some decisions does not limit what God can and will do with anyone who is just open to trying out life with Him. He certainly has been teaching us along the way through people and situations alike. I'm writing about this because these are some of the things that we have been processing and trying to grasp of the lessons that God had for our team members, the people of Thailand that we came in contact with, and ourselves. Hindsight is 20/20 and it has definitely been good to return to what we just embarked on with some proper perspective. We learned so many things on outreach, and we are very thankful that God let us be a part of what he is doing in Thailand. There are so many open hearts there, and we ask you to join us in continued prayer that the seeds that were planted would be watered.
Lately, we've just been thinking about what it means to be faithful to God and his call. Sometimes, it is easy to put all these expectations on ourselves that God doesn't place on us. He simply asks us to be obedient and faithful to him. Take some time to think about this today. Jesus is the one who bears our burdens - he didn't come to place burdens on us. (Matthew 11:28-30) If you are carrying something that is difficult, give it to him. He wants to help you. He simply asks for you to give him your heart and your attention.
We are in a place of transition, which is a difficult place to be, but it has really been very good. We are staffing the Spring DTS, but we will not be going on outreach for this term. Our new DTS students arrive this weekend, which is unbelievable! We are excited for another opportunity to invest in people, and we are so grateful that God is right here with us. He is the one who changes hearts and lives; we simply have to be available and willing to be used by him.
In all of this, Erika and I have been doing well as a couple. We continue to grow and learn about each other, and our dating life hasn't suffered even going on outreach; it was nice to be able to get away together even for a couple hours to continue to solidify the gift that marriage is. Thank you so much for all of you who give up your time to pray for us and your hard earned work hours to send us overseas. We promise, as we sit in our house and say, "there is no place like home," it comes out of thankfulness for people that are right beside us.
P.S. I realized our USB connector that we have for my camera to upload pictures to our computer is broken, so I'll get one soon and upload some pictures of outreach and us! :)
We love you all dearly!
Jason and Erika
It has really felt like a whirlwind. There always is a lot of change that comes with this job whether it is relationships, countries, friends, things we're doing and what not. What has been really amazing about coming home is the support we have received for our time in Thailand with 14 students. Thank you so much for all of your cards, gifts, and words of encouragement. We were SO blessed to arrive home to reminders of how much we are loved. It has been high and low to process everything that happened overseas, but definitely needed. Our group functioned pretty well as a whole, but as leaders it is easy to think about how we could have done things better. Well-roundedness has kind of been a buzz word/idea since we have been back. One thing that we know for sure is that our weaknesses and inability to see what may come of some decisions does not limit what God can and will do with anyone who is just open to trying out life with Him. He certainly has been teaching us along the way through people and situations alike. I'm writing about this because these are some of the things that we have been processing and trying to grasp of the lessons that God had for our team members, the people of Thailand that we came in contact with, and ourselves. Hindsight is 20/20 and it has definitely been good to return to what we just embarked on with some proper perspective. We learned so many things on outreach, and we are very thankful that God let us be a part of what he is doing in Thailand. There are so many open hearts there, and we ask you to join us in continued prayer that the seeds that were planted would be watered.
Lately, we've just been thinking about what it means to be faithful to God and his call. Sometimes, it is easy to put all these expectations on ourselves that God doesn't place on us. He simply asks us to be obedient and faithful to him. Take some time to think about this today. Jesus is the one who bears our burdens - he didn't come to place burdens on us. (Matthew 11:28-30) If you are carrying something that is difficult, give it to him. He wants to help you. He simply asks for you to give him your heart and your attention.
We are in a place of transition, which is a difficult place to be, but it has really been very good. We are staffing the Spring DTS, but we will not be going on outreach for this term. Our new DTS students arrive this weekend, which is unbelievable! We are excited for another opportunity to invest in people, and we are so grateful that God is right here with us. He is the one who changes hearts and lives; we simply have to be available and willing to be used by him.
In all of this, Erika and I have been doing well as a couple. We continue to grow and learn about each other, and our dating life hasn't suffered even going on outreach; it was nice to be able to get away together even for a couple hours to continue to solidify the gift that marriage is. Thank you so much for all of you who give up your time to pray for us and your hard earned work hours to send us overseas. We promise, as we sit in our house and say, "there is no place like home," it comes out of thankfulness for people that are right beside us.
P.S. I realized our USB connector that we have for my camera to upload pictures to our computer is broken, so I'll get one soon and upload some pictures of outreach and us! :)
We love you all dearly!
Jason and Erika
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