Spiritual Warfare and Gods provision

This last few weeks have been unreal. Gods provision truly came in in a way I can't even explain, like I'm still processing.

We started last week with lectures on spiritual warfare. We had a pastor from a local church come talk who has started a ministry regularding spiritual warfare. It was super interesting hearing his stories of things he's encountered and how real evil spirits are. 

That Friday we did a really cool thing as a school. Written on a board in front of us was a list of peoples named and the $ amount due still for school fees and outreach. Over $37,000 dollars was needed, $3,300 of that was myself. What we did was for an hour we played worship music and just worshipped God as a school for an hour. During that time if God placed it on your heart to give to someone on the board you wrote down their name and amount on a piece of paper and put it in a pot. As the pot was filled a leader would go and change the numbers on the board of fees in front of us. In one hour we raised over $27,000!!!! 3 of my fellow classmates came forward and made me FULLY FUNDED!! I am fully funded!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!! I am so so so blessed by everyone supporting me financially and emotionally back home and here on this base. I can't even express to you how much I LOVE these people here.

This week we had an amazing musician from New Zealand come and speak with us about what it's like doing music as missions. Strahan Coleman (seriously look him up!) is not only a talented musicianary but also an amazing teacher.

Here are some of the things I learned:

- The parts that we don't love about ourselves, God made and He loves.

- Spiritual Gifts aren't for you they're for others

-Just like seeds need water to grow, we need the Holy Spirit to grow

- Emotional fragility is our best tool in writing songs

- Who you are is the greatest tool in music

So this week I forgot to take pictures... So here's these!!

This is where I love writing songs. 

This is my friend Austin! My YWAM family is the best ❤️

Evangelism, koalas, relationships oh my!

Guys, boy oh boy has it been a cool couple of weeks!

Last week our lecture topic was evangelism. Something that is so out of my comfort zone. It was cool to learn more about what evangelism means and how it is apart of our everyday life. 

On that Friday we went into town as a school to evangelize over the city and the place where Easterfest ( Australia's Biggest Christian Music Festival ) is going to be held. My friend Tyler and I headed out to a local park to spread joy and love, I would be lieing if I said I wasn't freakibg out a little. But it was fun! We played with some kids and prayed over the land and it was so fun. Then we met a really nice guy named Tom he was on his lunch break from work and we asked if we could pray for him. Turns out he is also a Christian and was going to go with his friends to evangelize over the city like we were over the weekend. We encouraged him and prayed with him and he gave me his contact information. When I got home I emailed him and encouraged him. He emailed me back and told me how he'd been asking God to pop up in his everyday life, and that we were an answer to his prayers. So cool!

Then we went to dreamworld and the beach as a school for a field trip! The beach was so warm and beautiful! At dreamworld I got to hold a koala, his name was Lincoln, AND I got to feed a kangaroo!! I almost cried. 

This week was on relationships. We started the week with family relationships, then friendships, spouces, and your relationship with God. Just bein honest it was a big week an I'm still processing a lot of it.

Last night we had family night and did a scavenger hunt and had a baby bonfire together as a community. So fun and I love all these people very much. 

I would like to ask for prayer for financing. I still have money I need to raise before outreach (45 days). Our God is faithful, and I know he will provide in His timing and not my own but it never hurts to have others covering it in prayer along with me.

http://www.youcaring.com/mission-trip-fundraiser/support-christa-s-ywam-adventure/196566

Or message me to learn how to donate through New Hope Church.

Holy Spirit Come

As we continue through the weeks of lecture each one continues to work in everyone's life. This week has really blown my mind, but I think I say that every week.

Monday we had the honor of having an amazing organization, Destiny Rescue, come and talk to us about the amazing things they are doing in Thailand and Cambodia. This organization is amazing. They go and they rescue children out if the sex trade and take them to a safe home where they gain counseling, education, and most important Jesus. We will be working with this organization for a chunk of our trip in Cambodia. Since 2011 they have rescued more than 1,000+ children and are looking to have rescued more than 100,000 children by 2020. I am so excited to be partnering with this organization to continue to fight for and with these children. As a team of 11, we are filled with people from 7 different nationalities! Woo!

  Here's a picture of team Cambodia:

The rest of the weeks lectures were focused on the Holy Spirit. It's not often you get someone so on fire about the Holy Spirit like our speaker Kristen is. He taught us so much about listening to the Holy Spirit but also into more depth on spiritual gifts. That was my favorite part of the week, being able to dive in and learn more about the spiritual gifts in detail. I feel much more confident now in my spiritual gifts now that I understand them, or know that this is not something just in my mind.

This weekend we're all taking it easy here on base as we wait for a storm to pass over. Its a good time to relax and recoup before we head into evangelism this coming week.

Outreach, Prayer, and Healings

This is the start of week 3 here in the beautiful land of Australia. 

Here's a summary of week 2:  

We had the privilege of another wonderful speaker, Gwendi, talking about Biblical World View. She showed us all of the different ways that the bible is supported through ancient artifacts, how to ask questions and find answers in the bible, and overall how to fall more in love with the bible. On the last day of lectures we were able to pray for Gwendi as a class, turns out she also has chronic pain. We were able to talk after class and say what things help us with our pain. It's always such a nice feeling to be able to talk with someone who just gets it. What it feels like, the frustrations, and the limitations. Since coming to Australia my pain has been expenentially worse than at home and that has been really hard for me to adapt too. Also, I'm going to CAMBODIA FOR OUTREACH!! #cambrodia

Okay so today is Wednesday here in Australia and God is so good! Monday I got a chance to sit down with this weeks new speaker and asks her a bunch of questions. She is a huge believer in healings and that is something I have never experienced or seen and is not really talked about that often. Yesterday (Tuesday), we had a time of worship. We are worshipping when one of our head leaders (Landon) comes on the mic and says he really feels like there needs to be healing in this place and for those in pain to raise their hands. Probably a handful of us raised our hands and the leaders and students came around us and started praying for us. What I didn't realize is that healings were happening all around me. One kid dislocated his shoulder the night before and as they prayed he took off the sling and raised his arms above his head.  While they're praying for me my body feels like a thermometer, the pain going down through my spine to my hips and feet. When it reached my hips everything below it started to feel like cement. It was a pain like I'd never felt before. After this I went outside with my outreach leader and just cried because the pain was so unbearably high and she told me Jesus really did want to heal my fibromyalgia but he also wanted to heal my heart. 

After that we went into our first lecture of the day. As I sat there trying to focus, all I could think about was my pain and how high it was getting, like my body was being filled back up with pain. When we broke for Morning Tea (yes that's a thing) Landon came outside with me and we prayed again. This time we prayed over my feet in particular and just like that the pain was full force an it felt like it was trying to burst out of my feet. Landon and I are both telling the pain to leave and just like that NO PAIN. Shock and tears rolled in and we just hugged and thanked God over and over. After I was able to go in front of the school and proclaim HEALING! What?! Yes. Not a dry eye in the place we rejoiced and praised God for this gift. Guys, I HAVE NO FIBROMYALGIA!!! God is good.

Last night I went for a full blown run with no pain. I am in such awe of god and his glory. This is a picture!

I am still raising support if you feel called to helping with my schooling and my mission to Cambodia!!

https://www.youcaring.com/mission-trip-fundraiser/support-christa-s-ywam-adventure/196566

He is calling

Monday was a holiday here in Australia, Australia Day! It was so cool to see everyone's country pride, and get to try some kangaroo! Fun fact: kangaroos are like the deers of America. You can hunt them and eat them because there are so many and they are looked at as pests. Who knew right?! 

Anyway, This has been a really cool week. We've spent a lot of time this week in lectures talking about listening for gods voice. This is something so simple yet so forgotten. 

When I first got to Australia the story of Hannah was really placed on my heart, so I decided that this is where I would start my devotionals everyday by working through 1 Samuel. It's been amazing having god speak to me through my devotional time but also through the lectures. One thing that's really stuck with me all week through lectures is that when God calls you listen and obey. It seems like it should be the easiest thing in the world, yet most of us including myself run the opposite direction and go "that was cool" and move on. God wants action! He's not talking to you so you can say "neat", he's calling you as his missionary here on earth. We need have the same reaction as Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:10, "Speak, for your servant is listening." It is in that moment of listening that god lights that spark that will lead to a fire and a blaze. You need only be still. 

So that's what I have done this week is taking a lot of time for myself to really swell in the presence of god. 

I would like to ask for prayer over understanding for what god is saying to me in my quiet time.

Much love!

So this is Day 1

The last 2 days of travel have felt like a complete dream. I said goodbye to my family, I traveled to 3 different countries, I learned how to travel alone. It was a very eventful 2 days, and the entire time God had his hand in all of it. 

It's been so cool having not even arrived in Australia yet and feeling gods hand bless my trip. On my first flight I got sat next to a kind old man who chatted my ear off about the TRAIL BLAZERS (Marry me Rolo)! God knew I needed a friend. On my second flight I was sat next too a very rough around the edges girl, who turned out had been to Australia before. She explained to me that she was on her way to her 4th rehab facility and was not excited. It was at that time that I got to encourage this girl and make her laugh. We parted ways wishing eachother luck and parting ways as we went on two seperate adventures. 

This all still feel so unreal even as I type this looking out on this beautiful horizon.

Jesus Calling

It's hard to believe that in less than 30 days Australia will be new home for the next season in my life. It feels absolutely surreal that I get to go to these amazing new countries and grow in my relationship with Christ while simultaneously learning about myself and Gods plan for the rest of my life.

As some of you know, I bought a one way ticket to Australia. In the last year I've really felt called to Australia with no idea of what God wanted me to do their. But as I've been preparing for my YWAM adventure over the last few months God has made it abundantly clear that he wants me in Australia with no time limit. So I bought a one way ticket. It's a weird thing not having a date of when I will return home to family and friends but at the same time it is the most exhilarating thing I've ever done.

Last week was my last week of nannying for one of my most favorite families. While the girls were napping I got out my Jesus Calling book and began to do my devotions for the day. "I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey. My living presence is your companion every step of the way." It's amazing how God gives you exactly what you need to hear at the perfect moment. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is where God has called me to serve. I know that God is going before me on this trip, that he will strip me of all anxieties and insecurities and that things will fall into place with his perfect will.

Right now I would appreciate prayers as I prepare to leave for Australia. I would love prayers for safety, finances, health and strength.

Right now I am about a 1/3 of the way funded. GOD IS GOOD! If you feel called to help me financially in this journey there are many ways. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!

https://www.youcaring.com/mission-trip-fundraiser/support-christa-s-ywam-adventure/196566