loving kids

I have been married for a little over two months now. My beautiful wife and I tied the knot on April 10th. Of course we have had the kid conversation. When? How many? etc. Of course being a guy I am a little nervous about all of that. But part of me is excited about it too.

Since I started working with kids and families in February, I have realized a few things. We have all these terms for disorders that kids have in Behavioral Health. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder), Bi-Polar Disorder, etc. I have gotten to deal with kids with some or all of these disorders. What I have discovered is a common theme. Usually, not always, but usually, their lives are very chaotic. Mom and Dad are divorced. Their family is struggling to make it financially. They have no structure in life. They don't feel loved. The hard part is, usually their parents came from the same circumstances. It's almost like a cycle.

So I come in, with no kids of my own, with limited life experience and what they would consider an easy life and I try and help them. It seems pretty twisted. How do I teach parents how to love their kids? It's really difficult, believe me. What's really scary is how much the kids act like their parents even at a really young age. They pick up everything, even facial expressions. Kids might grow up hating their parents and act exactly like their parents did. Of course we blame the disorders, but really it is a breakdown in relationship that might have started generations before.

I am so thankful to God that I get to experience this job before my beautiful wife and I ever decide to have kids. It has opened my eyes to the importance of the parent's role in the lives' of their kids. Three things I pray to offer my kids are unconditional love, structure, and consistency.

The magic dumpster...

These past few weeks, my eyes have been opened to the amazing amount of stuff that is thrown away. Brittany and I found the following in a dumpster at her apartment complex: a wooden table, plastic stool, unopened can of white paint, utility rack, an alarm clock, toaster, small animal carrier, a rolling storage rack, tupperware, a plastic bowl and serving tray, 2 brooms, a dust pan, a mop, comet cleaner, mr. clean & dishwashing soap, a water pitcher, a Hawaii coffee table book, & a car shade.

After thinking about it for a while, Britt and I came to the conclusion that someone in the apartment complex had been evicted. Apparently their belongings were just tossed out by the dumpster. I was hit by the uniqueness of this situation. Where else in the world can someone's belongings be tossed out like it was worthless?

I found myself reflecting on the situation some more and I was in a state of disbelief. In non-western countries, finding this kind of stuff by the trash just doesn't happen. The phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure" suddenly came to life for me. How is it that we can discard 'things' so easily here? It's probably because we have options. Throw it away. Get another one. Not that big of a deal. What if 'things' were harder to come by? Or what if we realized that because we have so many options, other people have less options?

If I learned anything about this situation, its that I want to practice "thanksliving." Seeing everything I have been given as a blessing, even if its not the nicest or newest. The day that I can throw perfectly good things in a dumpster is the day that I forgot about most people in the world who will never know what it's like to have so many options.

Haiti Disaster

So I have spent some time reading and looking at the pictures from the earthquake in Haiti. It is really hard to understand such an event taking place and so many people being affected at the same time in the same place. I was reading about how Haiti already has about 80% of its people living at or below the poverty level. As I sit here and write this I am amazed at how much different it is here where we have "building codes", "traffic laws", and other things that keep us safe. With all that our government does horribly, the one thing they do well is security or secure our high standard of living. I think about how secure people in Haiti must feel when buildings are falling down and people don't have a clue where to go for food or water. What would I do in a situation in which multiple family members have died and I don't know what to do next.

Which brings me to my next point. In times in our lives when everything has fallen apart, where do we go? It really makes you assess your current decisions in life. If I was a Haitian with no home, no family, and nothing to look forward to, what would I do? What would I think about God (especially when certain televangelists, who will go unnamed, say God is punishing you for making a deal with the devil hundreds of years ago)? I'd like to believe in Something or Someone good at that point. I'd like to believe that the Gospel was especially for a person like me in this situation. In times like these you'd want to be with someone who could relate to you. A person who felt the same thing and the same pain. I guess that's why I believe God had to become human. You have to be human to feel the pain of humanity. God came to connect with our pain, not to tell everyone they are going to be punished. God came exactly when we needed Him in the way we needed Him most. It is my hope and prayer that the people of Haiti feel and know that God is with them.

Engagement and Future

Hello Everyone,

There has been much happening in the past few weeks after outreach in India and have returned to the U.S. I had about a week and a half after the July school was over to take in Australia with my girlfriend Brittany. We rented a car and drove to Noosa Beach, Surfer's Paradise, and Byron Bay within the week and a half period. We also did some hiking and swimming. The rest of our time was spent with friends who I sorely miss already. I left Australia on December 3rd while Brittany left December 4th. Since returning home it has been a whirlwind. I have spent time with family and friends while planning a surprise engagement for Brittany.

The plan was to "fake her out" by taking a trip to the Grand Canyon for a couple days, however, due to weather we decided Sedona, Arizona would be just fine. After talking with her mom and some friends, we were able to organize a little surprise at her house on Saturday the 12th of December. We had a nice time in Sedona and did some hiking as well as sight seeing. Brittany was expecting the proposal the whole time but it would not come until later:) . After the 3 hour drive home, Britt seemed to be accepting the fact that the proposal would come later. She was so shocked and happy that it finally happened. As we entered the house she noticed all the faces in her living room. I got down on a knee and asked her to marry me and she said "YES"! It was a great surprise for her and I am so excited to start a new journey with her.

Thank you to everyone who has faithfully supported me through prayers and finances in YWAM. I would like to let everyone know that I will be having a night where Britt & I can share about this last DTS. I will be postponing that date until January because of the craziness of the holiday season. I look forward to re-connecting with many of you and telling you about what God is doing and has done. One thing I would like to tell everyone is to please stop sending any support to YWAM Tyler. God has provided for my needs so faithfully and I am so thankful to everyone who has been so gracious. Never was I in a position where I had to ask for more from anyone. As a matter of fact I was challenged many times to give more to others who had more needs than myself. Like I have said before, "God has blessed so that we may bless others."

To let everyone know I am currently trying to figure out a plan for this next year. On top of getting married, I also need to find a job and move out. As you can imagine I am nervous, excited, and overwhelmed. Please keep me in your prayers not that everything would work out like a plan, but that I will trust God. I feel like this next season will be a time in which God challenges me to live like I have been teaching students to live the past two years.

I will leave you with a verse that I shared with the July 2009 DTS at their graduation. It comes from Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Back again in Oz

We are officially done with outreach and are back in Australia enjoying a week of debriefing. I am so glad to be back here with the rest of the school and staff. It was a great reunion seeing everyone again. I think the reality that we have only a week left has not really set in for most of us yet.

The last few weeks of outreach were such a blur. One of the high lights of the last week was going to a leper community. We traveled a long ways outside of the city to visit a real community of people with leprosy and their families. Before we went, there was definitely some fear in the air. It's not every day you get the chance to see people suffering from a disease like leprosy. Most of us would avoid having to subject ourselves to that. It is difficult to see people suffering and not feel depressed. What I have learned is that our God is a God who embraces the suffering and the marginalized and He wants people to do the same. This goes against every fiber of our being. No one wants to suffer. But that is exactly what God did for us. It says in Isaiah that the Messiah would be "a man of sorrows acquainted with grief."

Once we were there it was actually not as bad as I thought. The people were very kind and happy to see us and there was actually another team from Washington state there with us which eased the tension. We performed some songs and a drama and presented them with some rice and other food for their community and stayed for a bit before leaving. It was an experience I won't soon forget. I think the team was thankful for the opportunity as well and trying to get past the natural fears.

Thank you to everyone for reading the blogs and keeping up with us. Also thanks for the prayers. We were so blessed to have no major sicknesses or disasters:) For those of you sending financial support thank you. I would ask that you please stop as I am supplied and will be home in a few weeks. Thanks so much for your generosity. I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Painting & Proselytizing

These past few weeks have flown by. Last week was probably the most intense week we have had during outreach. We literally left by 9am each day and wouldn't return until after 8pm. During the mornings, we worked at a day care center which was actually the home of some Indian Christians. We were asked by our contact Josh to paint it so that it feels like a kindergarten. I was not expecting too much from myself in terms of artistic ability, but I was so happy with the result. We have so many talented painters on this team. Unfortunately not everyone was that great at cleaning brushes:) The paint was oil based and a nightmare to clean up. Nonetheless, I was amazed at the result as was our contact Josh.

At night, we would drive a long ways out to a farming village and share the gospel message using skits, songs, & testimonies. The area was known for having many drunk men. We had so many distractions during our time there including passing vehicles and motorcycles, screaming children, drunk men, and animals! Despite all the distractions, we saw people come forward to ask how they can have a life in relationship with this God we were describing. Many people described never having peace in their life and not knowing why.

This week, we have enjoyed some time off from ministry and have been spending time together reflecting on what has gone well on outreach and what has not. It has been a restful time. Monday we enjoyed going to the mall and eating at an American themed restaurant called "Sparky's". The food was great! On Tuesday, we took the team to a theme park and rode on some fun rides and not-so-fun rides. Wednesday, we are giving everyone a day to do whatever they want. We are looking forward to spending the rest of the week working at an adoption agency. We get to take care of some of the babies & children that are in need of a family. Most of them are girls as boys are preferred by families because of the way marriages are arranged. Parents literally have to start saving up for their daughter to get married off. They usually have to pay a dowry to the groom to take the woman as a wife. Sons are preferred because they receive money from the bride and her family. It's sad but here it is a reality that we Westerners have a hard time understanding.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support while I have been outreach. Please pray that the next few weeks go well for our team as we leave November 14th.

The Halfway Point

We have now been in Chennai for about a month of our two month outreach. I can't say it has been easy although we have had many blessings. This past week, we taught english twice a day. In the morning, we would meet up with about 10-15 college age students looking for help with conversational english. Some of them were good english speakers and others struggled. But it was still fun and exciting to interact with them and help them out. Most of them have never been out of India, so to get a chance to speak with people who use English as a first language is rare. In the evening, we went to a girl's hostel where there is an all girls school. Since there were about 60 or so girls, our team split up into pairs to teach different grades. I was fortunate to get the 10th year girls who spoke and understood english well. It was challenging to come up with new lessons each day that were fun and interesting for everyone. Some activities worked well and others did not, but the students gave a good effort. On the last day, we brought snacks for them to eat. I noticed as I handed them out that nearly all 60+ girls made eye contact and said "thank you" as they received the food. It was good to know they really appreciated the gesture.

We have endured much as a team this week. On Friday, we played soccer with the college age students in the morning group. Despite winning the game, we suffered two injuries: a black eye and a injured knee. Then all through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, a holiday called "Diwali", which is the Hindu festival of lights, is celebrated. To celebrate, firecrackers are set off all through the night and day. I'm not talking about little ones either. It literally sounds like we are in the middle of a war zone. It is annoying to say the least. Our team did not get much sleep, but we will be thankful for its conclusion. As we press on for towards the next half of outreach, please pray that our team will find the energy and motivation to keep going and to continue in unity.

In the thick of it...

I have now been in India for nearly 3 weeks. It had been so incredibly different than anything I have ever done. By now, we have visited numerous orphanages, churches, and participated in other ministries. There is literally so much going on here it is hard to comprehend. I'm amazed at how many people we have met and seen on a daily basis.

Currently, we are working all week at a place that takes in gypsy children during the day. Gypsies are people who live in communities of tents or shacks on the outskirts of villages. They don't actually belong to a caste and they make their living selling beads and jewelry. We literally go into the gypsy camp, pick the kids up, and take them to the house. There we teach them about english, give them baths, help feed them, and play with them. It has been in interesting experience especially since they don't even speak the native language here called "Tamil". They have their own gypsy language. Most of them have lice and don't ever get taught about hygiene. Once again I am reminded that I have no idea what it is like to grow up in their world, but I do know God loves these kids and these people.

Thank you again to everyone who is supporting me and my team in prayer. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue on these next few weeks. Outreach seems long at the beginning but them flies by quickly.

Isaiah 55: 10-11 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Outreach so far...

By now, I have been in India nearly two weeks. The team got here last Sunday and we have begun to do some ministry this past week. Basically, our schedule is pretty erratic at the moment. We have Mondays off to recoup. So far, we have been able to speak at a cell group (a cell group is basically a small group of people who meet in a home and do Bible studies and fellowship) & spend some time with orphanage kids and do things like play games and sing songs. We also have helped our contact Joshua with some labor at his church. Yesterday, we were able to speak at some church services and minister to the people.

Joshua also took our team to a famous landmark here in Chennai known as St. Thomas Mount. It is believed that the Thomas of the Bible (as in "doubting Thomas") was martyred there. We also got a chance to help Joshua out with a local fundraiser on Friday night for a ministry that does a lot of work with the poor and sick here in Chennai.

It has begun to rain a lot here in Chennai and the season is known as the monsoon season. It has also been very hot during the days. Fortunately, we have air conditioning in our rooms which is a huge benefit. The food has been fantastic and we are so thankful to have Joshua's mother Maggie cooking for us with some of her friends. I am told by Joshua that some of the upcoming weeks we will get a chance to work with street kids, gypsies, and more churches & orphanages. Please pray our team stays healthy and grows in unity. Thank you for your continued prayer and support for our team. FYI: One of our students has been updating a daily blog that you can look at if you would like--> http://www.wix.com/scoastdts/IndiaOutreach09

In Chennai, India

I have safely arrived here in Chennai, India. My first realization of the country was coming into the airport where everyone's temperature is checked because if the swine flu epidemic. Afterwards, I was let outside where there are literally hundreds of people waiting. Some of them want you to take their taxi, some are waiting for loved ones, and some I think are just there. It is hot and humid here in India this time of year and I definitely felt it getting off the airplane. Luckily, my contact Josh found me and took me to his place. On the drive I noticed the amount of people in the streets. With a country of over a billion people, it's hard to put into perspective what that looks like. I am told by my contact Josh that there are roughly 8 or 9 million people in Chennai which is located in the state of Tamil Nadu. Here in Chennai, they speak a language known an Tamil. The country of India itself has thousands of different languages amongst which is the national language Hindi. Luckily for me, lots of people speak basic English as it is taught in some schools.

Life is so different in this place. Poverty is much more "in your face". It is heartbreaking to see so many people living on streets, sleeping on sidewalks, and living on the margins. The diversity of this city is astounding as well. The majority of people are Hindu followed by Christians and then Muslims. I have spent the last few days driving around with Josh and getting to observe this massive city which is the fourth largest in India. Because of the caste system, many people have no hope for getting out of poverty. Even amongst Christians, the caste system has influenced the way people marry.

We are fortunate to have an opportunity to spend time with some of the marginalized people of this city. We get to see what Jesus was talking about when He said, "the least of these". It is my prayer that this team and myself have a life changing trip here in Chennai. When you see the suffering of the poor and you help them, somehow they help you even more. The good news of the Kingdom of God is best received by the poor, because in the Kingdom of Heaven the least are the greatest. Please continue in your prayers for our team. The rest of the team gets here tonight.

Last Week Before Outreach

So it is now upon us....outreach is at the door. I will be leaving before my outreach team on the 16th of September because my visa in Australia is ending. Thankfully I will get a few days to get used to India and spend some time with God before the team shows up on September 20th. It has been a blur this past few weeks. Outreach preparations are such a stressful time. It is important to look at the big picture of why we go.

We are not going so that we can do a "good thing" and pat ourselves on the back. We are not going so that we can say, "I did my share." At the end of the day, it is about love. We want to show the world that God is love. We want people in India to see that Jesus is Lord and that it is good news. If Jesus came and said what He said and did what He did, this is the best news ever. And this is why we go. We believe that God's heart is that people know who He really is and He has shown the fullness of Himself in Jesus. So please remember to pray for us while we are in India. We have a lot of challenges ahead of us. Specifically for team unity, opportunities, and safety. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support.

Jewish Roots

We are getting down to the final countdown with fewer than two weeks to go until outreach to India. Please pray for safety for the team and for health as we go into India. Specifically for me, pray for wisdom and grace to lead the team.

This week, we were privileged to have Joel Baker, a pastor from Nambour, speak on our school. Joel has a passion to share Jewish Roots with people after having lived in Israel for 10 years. He also played some Jewish songs on his guitar and taught us to sing "Hava Nagila." He talked about the tragedy of the treatment of Jews by early Christians and how they justified it. He explained the split of the synagogue and the church. One things I thought was interesting was that he showed how Christianity was like the younger brother of Judaism. Even Jewish history shows similarities such as Isaac receiving the blessing over his older brother Ishmael and also Jacob received a blessings over his older brother Esau. In one of Paul's letters, he explains how Christians are "fellow" heirs of the promise (Eph 2:6). Unfortunately, many people believe that the "Church" is the "New Israel" and God is done with them (the Jews). They call this "Replacement theology." It was actually the grounds for a lot of hatred between Jews and Christians that resulted in death ...NOT things Jesus would put His name on. Paul even goes on to explain in Romans 11 how we have benefitted from Jews and their gifts and promises are irrevocable (v.29). God has not forgotten them and neither should we. There are our older brothers who we owe gratitude towards and need to continue to advocate and pray for.

Relationships & Covenants

These last two weeks have been a blur as we have just finished up "Covenants of the Bible" with one of our favorite speakers Neville Strachan from Byron Bay, Australia. Neville is a regular speaker on DTS's here at the Sunshine Coast base. We were blessed to have him come in a basically look at the entire Bible through the lens of covenants that God has made with man. If you go back a ways on my blog list, I wrote about covenants before during the last school that I staffed last year.

Last week, we looked at "Relationships" with Tricia Hensser & Catrina Pennington. Both of them are wives and base staff here at the base. It was a great week of really looking at the value of all human beings and also the utmost importance of forgiving people. As we go forward in this DTS into outreach, it will be important to remember these principles. Outreach is a time when our integrity is tested.

Speaking of integrity, I was amazed when I was reading the Bible the other day, at the integrity of Jesus. The way I have come to understand integrity, is the way people act when the pressures of life are really squeezing them. A lot of us can understand integrity and even claim to have a lot of it, but the only way it can be tested is through trial. Jesus, after all He said and did and claimed to be, had His integrity truly tested during His trials and crucifixion. Being beaten, mocked, spit on, whipped half to death, abandoned by His closest friends, and stressed to the point of bleeding sweat, He responds by asking God Hid Father to forgive the people who have done this to Him. To me, that is an amazing example of integrity. He had every right, being who He actually was, to judge everyone who had done this to Him. He chose instead to love them.

So as I reflect on this, I begin to understand that outreach will be a time when the whole team is tested. Through extremely hot temperatures, food borne illnesses, sickness, annoyance with team members, lack of rest, and everything else that comes with outreach, I need to remember the example of Jesus, who endured much worse. Please pray for our team to have unity and love for each other. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

Week of Prayer

Moving right along, this school is going so fast! After finishing up with Project Affwan last week, we jumped right into Prayer week. At our base particularly, we do something special during prayer week. From Monday to Thursday we put everyone in two hour prayer slots. Since this school is about half the size of a normal DTS, we go from 12 noon to 12 midnight and keep constant prayer going. It allows the students to have a chance to practice the discipline of prayer and waiting on God. Typically prayer week always sees many transformations for people. The students have been really going strong this week and pressing into prayer. God is faithful and has been blessing our prayer times. We have prayed for: family and friends, Outreaches in India and Indonesia, the Church and Islam, & Each other (especially for the future).

I was fortunate enough to be able to teach some this week about prayer. I used the Lord's Prayer among other topics. I had help from some other staff people also who really set the tone for this week and challenged the students. I am really fortunate to have such a solid group of people around this base. Next week, we are talking about relationships so keep us in your prayers. I am so glad to have more time now to focus on other things like outreach which is coming up next month. Thank you all for your constant prayers and support. I look forward to talking to you soon.

Project Affwan

This week, the entire DTS drove down a few hours south to the Gold Coast of Australia for an outreach organized by the YWAM base called, "Project Affwan." The word "Affwan" is Arabic and means, "you're welcome." It is used in the context where someone would say "Shokran" (Thank you) and you would respond, "Affwan" (You're Welcome).

The entire week is centered on meeting Muslim Arabs who come here for a holiday before they return to their home countries for Ramadan. Once we meet them, we try and establish a relationship so that we have an opportunity to evangelize to them. Muslims have a lots of similarities in their beliefs to Christians, but there are some major and important differences between the Koran and the Bible. The very foundation of a biblical worldview is that Jesus was the Son of God and came to earth where He died for all people and was resurrected and ascended back to heaven. Muslims do not believe Jesus was God's Son. Actually, many times in the Koran they say that "Allah" or God cannot be a human being. Their understanding of Jesus being God's son is that Mary was "impregnated" by God in the human sense. They detest this idea as we do. We believe Mary conceived through the "Holy Spirit", which actually raises many other issues with Muslims. They do not believe that God or "Allah" is a triune God. They say, "Allah is one." They do not understand the concept of the trinity. So there are these gaps that we must fill among many others.

I have come to understand that it will do no good to get into a logical argument with any Muslims simply because what they have been taught, they fully believe. The only way for them to understand is to experience God's love through us. That's it. One thing I do admire about Muslims is that they are very devout and have a deep understanding of reverence. We can actually learn from each other, but we can never waver when it comes to our beliefs in who Jesus is. Thank you everyone for reading the blogs. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Please continue in prayer for the DTS.

Law vs. Grace

This week the July DTS is getting a taste of the "Fear of the LORD." It is always interesting to see the different reactions to this week. We have already gone through Father heart of God week and Hearing God's voice week. So the students have a grasp on God's passionate love for them and the ways He communicates it to us. Now we are getting into the love of God that sometimes doesn't feel like love to our western minds. Being disciplined and chastened has never been the most enjoyable part of following God, but it is fully necessary. To get an accurate picture of God we cannot just say He is a God of grace without the law. "The law drives us to His grace" I have heard.

It is a pivotal time in the DTS and these next 3 weeks are going to stretch, challenge, and exhaust all of us including the staff. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we tackle some of the tough issues about ourselves and God.

Next week, we have the opportunity to go to the Gold Coast of Australia about 2.5 hours south of here and stay with the YWAM Gold Coast base. During that week which is called "Project Affwan" we have the opportunity to minister to the Muslims who are there on holiday. Many muslims come for holiday right before Ramadan. Pray that the students and staff are well equipped and prepared for this week as we share the Gospel with these people who have no idea what it is. It's a great opportunity and we are very excited to be a part of that.

India here we come!

The July DTS has been going for almost 3 weeks now and we have revealed the outreach locations to the students. One team will be going to Indonesia and the other will be going to India. I have the privilege of going to India with 9 students and another staff in September. It has been a place on my heart as of late for a few reasons. First, I sat by a man from India on my flight back from the last outreach I went on to Thailand and Cambodia. He was so kind and I really felt like there are millions of people like him back in India who need to be told about the Truth. Also, I went and saw "Slumdog Millionaire" with my girlfriend Brittany when we were both home and we loved it. It had some great imagery of what India is like. So I am very excited to be able to actually go there.

The July DTS finished "Fatherheart of God" last week and we are moving into "Hearing God's Voice." This week, we have a guy from Perth, Australia named Danny Taylor who is speaking. He is married with two kids and has a huge heart from evangelism. As we continue on in this DTS please pray for the students and staff as we live together. It is so important to have unity in the school as we prepare for these outreaches. I look forward to hearing from you.

July 2009 DTS is here and rolling...

So it has finally come and has been here for over a week now.  The July 2009 DTS has commenced and is in full swing.  In total we have 15 students.  11 are girls and 4 are guys.  We have 11 Americans, 2 Europeans, and 2 Canadians.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people become friends on the DTS.  At our house, the 4 guy students immediately found common ground and were laughing together from the start.  

The 1st week of DTS was orientation.  We get the students familiar with the base and our culture here.  We talk about how the weeks will go and what to expect.  Nothing can really prepare anyone for what will happen though.  There are few experiences like a DTS where students can set aside 5 months of their lives and spend time focused fully on God.  People's lives are changed and the DTS is seen as the starting point of the rest of their lives.  

This week, we are studying the Fatherheart of God.  Our focus is to get the students to understand the character of God.  So many of us come in with views that God is an angry old man shaking His fist.  Jesus describes God as a Father who has deep compassion and love for His children.  If we can start to comprehend that, it changes us.  I am always very encouraged by this week.  Our speakers are a married couple from Florida who are missionaries in Thailand.  They have a heart for counseling people and especially couples.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support as we continue on with this week.  Please pray for God to reveal His unconditional love to the students and allow it to change them.  

Staff Training

Staff training has begun and since last Monday the 22nd, we have been talking about everything having to do with a Discipleship Training School.  I have been emphasizing that the job of the staff is to create an environment in which the students can experience God.  Everything we do has an effect on the DTS environment and it is important to know that we have one of the largest influences on someone's life for 5 months.  Also, we have talked about how to assess students during the course using a specific criteria made up by YWAM.  Since we are not a school in the typical sense, we do not use these to grade but rather to see where the students are at in their DTS experience.  I can say that it is really amazing to watch as the students change over the course of 5 months because they are knowing God.

We have come to Byron Bay for the weekend which is a few hours south of the Sunshine Coast.  It is known in Australia for being a hippie surf town.  I must say that is an accurate description because we went through town yesterday and spent some time eating snags (hotdogs to us Americans) at the local park.  We are spending the weekend getting to know each other better.  We have brought with us a board with all of the students pictures and names so that we can learn their names and faces before we actually meet them.  We also have a pastor and a the base director from here in Byron Bay talking to us about leadership.  It is an exciting time and we are all thrilled to be here.  If you would like to pray for the students as they start arriving later next week and for the staff that we will be well prepared.  

The countdown begins

These past few weeks have been flying by as I have been looking forward to the DTS starting here in a little over two weeks.  Currently, I am spending time at the YWAM offices trying to keep up on emails, scheduling people to come in, and organizing the first several weeks of staff training and the DTS.  It seems like a lot of work and it has been, but I definitely feel that things have fallen together so nicely for this next season.  

I have also gotten to spend some time with a few of my fellow staff members.  I get to work daily with my friend Ashlee who did a DTS with me in Jan 2007 here on the Sunshine Coast.  Her boyfriend Jeremy just left recently to go to Indonesia for six months where he wants to plant a YWAM base in the future and is living in the culture and learning the language to work towards his goal.  I have also gotten to know a guy named David who flew in to Australia from Nigeria only a few days ago.  His English is better than mine and I have learned so much about Africa from him also.  He plans on working here in the 10/20 ministry which works in the public schools with the chaplains to minister to kids between the ages of 10 and 20 on the Sunshine Coast.  One of the things I love about YWAM is that I have gotten to meet and become friends with people from all over the world.  Never would I have thought I would be getting to know such people.  

Keep me in your prayers as I am responsible for a lot that happens here at the base over the next few weeks and am working towards staff training starting on June 22nd.  Also, my girlfriend Brittany will be arriving very soon from the states and I am wanting her first few weeks to be a smooth transition into Australia.  I appreciate all of you and look forward to hearing from you.