Freedom

So I guess I didn't totally realize everything that I was getting myself into when I signed up to do YWAM. I am getting totally and completely wrecked for Jesus. I am at the end of the 3rd week and I am already feeling like a completely different person.  The first week we talked a lot about the basics, intercession, hearing God's voice, YWAM, and the basics of Christianity. I was reminded so much that God loves me. He loves me and wants to talk to me and talk to others through me. He wants to use me to change the world. We also shared our testimonies, and it got very real very fast.  It was amazing to see all the similarities so many of us had with each other. Our leaders keep talking about how it's amazing how open and vulnerable we have gotten with each other so quickly. There is just some hunger in us that makes us want more in this life, more on fire for God.

Two weeks ago we talked about the attributes and characteristics of God. I was reminded of how unworthy we are of God's love and affection but He calls us worthy. He deems us worthy, He sent His son to die on a cross for us. We also ended the last day of class forgiving people, in our past for things they had done to us and hurt us. I forgave people that made me lose trust in friends and have made me put up walls with people.

Last week. It's hard to put into words what has happened this past week. I have been so broken and so torn up BUT it has also brought so much freedom and so much life into me! Hurts and things that happened so long ago were brought up and I was able to finally release it all to Jesus. We talked about intimacy with Jesus and it's just incredibly beautiful. I don't even know how to describe what happened. It is such a beautiful thing. Thursday the guys did the Haka for us, their sisters in Christ. They were making a declaration that they are waging a war against the world and the standards of "beauty" that have been pushed into our society, into our being. They were standing up for us and saying that we are beautiful and we are worth fighting for. The Haka is what Maori warriors do before going into battle and it is used to intimidate the enemy. It is used to show power. Something happened as they circled around all of us girls and declared that  they were going to fight this battle for us and with us. That they are going to wage war against the war in so many girls mind about self-hatred and body image. A lot of us felt that there was something different and that something shifted in that room and that enemy fled from that place.

Spiritual Warfare is very real and I'm beginning to realize this more and more. We don't see it in the states/North America. We have become so complacent. We don't believe that demons are around or that people can be demon possessed but they can and will and do. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean it is not around. The devil does not want us to be here and really getting into the word and finding out who we are in Christ. The devil is scared of this group that I am with because we are so on fire for Jesus. We want to see the world changed and we want to see Jesus' name be spread throughout all of the world, and we want to see Justice spread throughout the whole world.

It's Just The Beginning

I'm here. I'm here in my new home in Oxford. After enjoying some great time on the North Island visiting Auckland area, and down to Tauranga, where I visited Hobbiton, Rotorua (Maori Village), and Bay of Islands. I set off on another plane ride down to Christchurch where I was picked up by 2 of my awesome team leaders and met some girls from my team! It was then an hour long drive to Oxford through sheep and cow filled fields.  There are mountains surrounding most of Oxford and it is just a beautiful town filled with wonderful people.

Weekends are pretty chill here on base and they will be the times that have off from classes and everything just to be and hang out together. Sunday night we had a BBQ where we met all of the base staff which was awesome. We got to spend just an evening together of getting to know them and the trustees of the base.  We are a family here. I am surrounded by brothers and sisters. and I LOVE IT!

I have loved my first 2 days of classes and what we have shared and gone on and what's going on. I'm still processing what we've talked about these 2 days and as soon as I have a better grasp (maybe this weekend) I'll share more of what's going on in me.

I absolutely LOVE my team and the people I am here with. They are all so amazing. I have the greatest roommates a girl could ask for and just wonderful housemates. So I am living in a house with about 15/16 other girls. We have a kitchen, living room, dining room area, 3 bathrooms and a washing machine. :) The bathrooms are a bit weird here, the toilet is in one room and then sink/bathtub/shower are in another. But we also have other ones where the toilet and sink are in the same room. We live about a half block from the base, which is where we eat lunch/dinner, have our classes, get mail, hang out, and then we have the field of dreams, which is where we had an awesome game of ultimate frisbee on Saturday afternoon.

The town of Oxford is small. It has a couple of coffee shops, a fish and chips place, 1 grocery store, a post office, and a library. There are 2 churches, a skate park and a playground. We are surrounded by mountains and I absolutely love it. We have a lookout point that is about a 20 minute walk from base and you basically walk up this hill and look out to see all of Oxford and this is what you see.

I will post more pictures once I have taken them and I will also be adding another page that you can access from the different buttons on top that will be of New Zealand. I have added a button with a page of how you can contact me while I am in New Zealand. :)

I am excited to see what God is going to do in me because He is already doing so much and it's only been 2 days of classes!!! Continue to pray that we grow as a family and that we continue to seek out God's voice.

Love.