Going to California

I want to share a bit about Los Angeles and why I'm so excited to be moving to the city of Angels.  

But first, a little retrospect.

I have worked with Youth With A Mission for nearly 10 years.  I have lived in cities and I have lived in villages.  I have lived with electricity and without.  I have lived in houses without walls (Fale in Samoa) and I have lived in dorms without kitchens.  I have traveled to and lived in 16 different nations with no salary.  I rely on the Lord to provide my financial needs, and most often he does this through my awesome friends and family - people who see what I do as valuable and worth supporting.  There have been years where this has meant trusting God for enough money to buy toothpaste and there have been years where I've had abundance and have been able take friends out for dinner.  

But what keeps me going?  Why am I still in YWAM after all these years?  

It comes down to me truly believing that what I do makes a difference in this world.  I admit I'm not perfect (surprise!) and neither is YWAM.  But as I serve in my area of YWAM (Staffing in the SBS - School of Biblical Studies) I believe I am making a difference in my students' lives and I'm also playing a part of a much bigger production that is making a difference in the lives of many.  YWAM is a big movement.  Over 1000 operating locations in over 180 countries, with a (all volunteer) staff of over 18,000?  It's a little crazy.  But I am part of this crazy big movement.  I have former students that I have mentored (we call it discipleship) who are now serving in Papua New Guinea in the area of primary health care.  I have friends in Kona who are working to advance the Gospel through marine biology!  We do everything from straight up Bible teaching and evangelism to meeting practical needs like sustainable clean water projects.  I am still with YWAM because I have seen lives changed by this movement, my own life included.  

So... why Los Angeles and why SBS?

It's my part to play.  I believe the Bible has the power to transform individuals and societies.  I believe Christians need to know what the Bible says in order to communicate the Gospel message to the world.  And the School of Biblical Studies equips Christians to know the Bible.  And while the SBS is run all over the world, I am excited to move back to Los Angeles and work with the Chronological SBS there because of relationships I have there.  Let's face it.  Working relationships can make or break a job, right?  It's no different in Christian ministry.  Even in the Bible there were a couple guys who didn't work well together and parted ways because of a disagreement over another colleague's involvement in their ministry.  I'm not going to LA because I think it superior in beauty to Hawaii!  I am going because I believe God is calling me to serve at YWAM LA... and because I believe the working relationships there will be more fitting for me, and therefore, I will be able to serve in a greater capacity.  That's why I'm excited to be moving to Los Angeles!  It's the people!  And the order... I love studying and teaching the Bible in Chronological order.  It just makes the story come alive!  Oh, and LA is such a mix of cultures!  And it is closer to home than Hawai'i!  And... the list goes on... but the main thing is, God is totally behind this move.  I feel such peace and excitement in going to LA.  Even the thought of smog doesn't deter me!  

There is a lot happening with YWAM Los Angeles, and I encourage you to check it out and see how you can get involved.  

www.ywamla.org 

  

PS.  Washingtonians:  Come to Hockinson Community Church this Sunday, August 26th!  It's my last Sunday before I leave for LA and I'll be there with my ukulele!  :)

Whirlwind

 whirl·wind n

1.            a column of air rotating rapidly around a core of low pressure

2.            something that happens very quickly, or a rapid succession of events (often used before a noun)

That is how I feel these last few weeks have been.  I have embarked on three different trips in less than 3 weeks:

            From Oahu back to Big Island

                        From Big Island Back to Washington

                                    And I’m currently en route from Washington to Montana!

OAHU

            I left Oahu at the end of the New Testament portion of the Honolulu SBS (School of Biblical Studies).  Our students are already deep into the Old Testament having finished Genesis and gearing up for more.  Though I am not going to be staffing their Old Testament term, I will continue to pray for them and would ask you to join me!  Studying the Bible is not a minor task… not only is it a lot of work academically, but spiritually as well!  Pray that they might not be discouraged, but would endure to the end!

BIG ISLAND

            I spent two weeks in Kona visiting with my roommates, friends, and neighbors… And packing up all of my belongings to move back to the mainland.  Scuba gear, guitar, ukulele, clothes… my bags were not light! 

            In this time I had the opportunity to serve with Deep & Beyond on one of their Snorkel Days for people with disabilities and one of their Adventure Camps for disadvantaged youth from the Kona community.  This Three-day biology “day camp” is designed to teach youth Biblical life principles alongside lessons on Marine Biology.  For example, on Day Two we took the youth on a hike to Kiholo Bay where there are several brackish caves.  They learned that life couldn’t grow when there is complete darkness.  Plants need sunlight for photosynthesis and animals need plants for food.  So we swam as a group to the back of a cave and turned off all of our dive lights and Annamari, my friend who founded Deep & Beyond, shared that we need the Light of Jesus to have Life. 

            I also had to let go of my car after I discovered it had a blown head gasket and starter.  I was able to sell it for $100 on Craigslist, but it discouraged me for several days.  When I prayed about it, I felt God kept reminding me that He’s got me.  He’s got this – my lack of a car or finances to buy one on the mainland.  And I felt challenged to write down some of the blessings and ways God has provided for me over the last 10 years.  I wrote down only a few things for each year since 2002 and I could have kept writing for much longer!  Why should I be discouraged, why should I doubt?  He has always provided for my needs, and I can trust that he will continue to do just that.  He’s faithful even when I’m not… when I worry or stress out about minor things, He’s still faithful. 

            Last thing I want to share about my time in Kona… I was able to go diving one last time with my friends, Annamari and Stephanie and Annamari’s husband, Jeff.  We went to Puako, one of my favorite dive sites, and swam through arches and caves.  We saw moray eels, snowflake eels, a crown of thorns starfish, a titan’s trumpet sea snail, honu (green sea turtles), and all sorts of beautiful marine life.  But the best part was finding two perfect reticulated cowry shells next to each other at the mouth of a cave. The problem was one was kind of behind a pencil urchin and hard to grasp with my dive gloves.  So I just grabbed the one that was easier to grasp and swam off, afraid I was making my dive buddies wait for me too long.  But as I swam off I thought, “Wait a minute, I want both of those cowries!”  So I went back and took off one of my gloves and grabbed the left-behind cowry and put it safely with the first in my zippered BCD pocket.  As I put it in my pocket I felt like God spoke a promise into my heart, as clear as I’ve ever heard.  He said, “I will not leave you alone.”  Isn’t that an amazing promise?  Thank you, Jesus, for that reminder!  With you we are never alone!

WASHINGTON

            I had 1.5 days with Mom & Dad in between Kona and Montana, so Dad decided to make the most of it… we went wakeboarding both days!  Then I repacked a quick carry on bag and Mom & Dad made me a packed lunch for the train and Dad dropped me off at the Amtrak station. 

MONTANA

            I will be attending the SBS North American Hub Boost – a Conference for (just as it sounds) giving SBSs in North America a “boost.”  SBS Leaders and Staff are gathering to discuss and learn what works and what doesn’t, why we do what we do, how to improve grading and tests so they teach and not just assess, etc, etc.  I’m so excited to get to spend one week connecting with other SBS staff and leaders who have been doing this longer than myself as well as other newbies like myself.  I love that we are gathering and seeking ways to constantly be growing and improving!  I think all ministries and individuals need these sorts of times… at least I know I do. 

AND BEYOND!

            After this conference in Montana, I head back to Washington for two weeks!  If you’re in the area, I would love to see you at that time! 

            After Washington I head south to LOS ANGELES to staff the Chronological SBS.  I am not sure how I’m getting there yet, but it will be sometime during Labor Day Weekend that I make my way South. 

            Thus ends my rather long and tedious update.  Bless you all… and if there’s one take-away I’d like to share with you is this:  God is your provider (always was and always will be!)  So…

            “Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings see what God has done.”