Hey y'all! If you didn't know before, I'm back from outreach! I'm now back home, frolicking in the snow, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, and defrosting my windshield. Let's be honest, I'm not doing any of those things- I live in Florida. But I am back with so so many stories, experiences, and much more faith. I just want to throw out a HUGE, gigantic, massive thank you to all of you who made this trip possible. My life was completely changed and it would not have happened without you! So if you contributed to my trip in any way, whether prayer or financial support, thank you! I feel so blessed!
Tahiti was absolutely amazing! Had I been blind the whole trip, I would still be saying the same thing. Don't get me wrong, the land was absolutely beautiful! We were doing ministry on the residential side of the island, so we didn't get to see many "white people", or tourists. Because the island has mountains in the middle, everyone lives on the coast. It isn't uncommon to have the ocean as your backyard in Tahiti. There is one road that goes around the whole island. So if there's an accident, it can really put a damper on your weekend plans. The land was so lush; however, the culture is what I fell in love with. It was amazing to go to another country that actually has (and celebrates) their culture proudly! We were greeted with floral leis everywhere we went. We were constantly being taught a new Tahitian dance or song. They were all so quick to invite us in and share everything they had. Which is really what Christianity should look like.
Since there was no YWAM base in Tahiti at the time, (there's a team working on pioneering a base there as I speak) a lot of our ministry was prayer walking. We would walk around neighborhoods, stopping to pray for people we met. We would also walk up to houses and ask the tenants if we could pray for them and their families. One day we were prayer walking and ended up talking to a man who was walking down the street. We stood on his driveway and talked, with the help of a translator of course, and he ended up inviting us into his home. He started showing us all these skin ointments that he made from the trees and crushed nuts from the trees in his yard. He was a 70-something year old man who was married, but had never had any children. He loved young people, and he wished he could pass on his trade to other people. He was explaining the whole process to us and was so passionate about what he did. At the time I was so bored. I mean, how long do you need to talk about skin oils? And then the man whipped out his guitar and started picking. He was a little rusty, but I was so impressed by how he wanted to share everything about himself with us. And in the moment, God totally changed my attitude. This guy never had any kids to share all this with. I would gladly sit there and listen to him talk about oils and play his out-of-tune guitar. I had this crazy revelation. This is what being a Christian is all about, and I'm learning more and more. It's not necessarily about rules or being perfect. It's about relationship. Relationship with our Savior, and relationship with other people. Being a Christian is listening to an old guy go on and on about his band he used to play in. Being a Christian is learning Tahitian dances even when you don't have one rhythmic bone in your body. Relationship with God, first and foremost. That relationship will overflow to relationship with others. It's what we are called to do.
After leaving Tahiti and returning to Newcastle, I was presented with an opportunity to staff a DTS and I felt God telling me to do it. It would be the same thing I just did, except this time I would be the one helping the students, discipling them, leading them, etc. As much as I wanted to come home and live in Sarasota, I knew God was calling me to go back to Newcastle and lead other people. This is something that God has said and I need to obey. I am so excited to see everything that will happen in the next six months! The school starts in January and ends in June. Because I am staffing, I will be paying monthly fees. I need close to $550 per month for 6 months. At first, I started freaking out because I don't have that kind of money to spend, I'm a poor missionary now! But God reminded me how he provided for me in the past season, and he would not leave me hanging out to dry. If you, or anyone you know would like to be a monthly supporter, please let me know! And if you can't give monthly, a one time donation would be amazing as well! You can give through the YWAM Newcastle website, or PayPal. You can contact me via facebook, email, or shoot me a text too! (941.266.8640).
Finally, and most importantly, I ask you to partner with me in prayer. I don't necessarily consider myself a leader, but I know that what I've experienced these past 6 months can't just stay with me. I need to share it with others, and help them along in their journey as well. I would love prayer for grace to lead other people. I want to be an encouragement to my students and everyone else I work with. Pray that the students would really grab onto what God is trying to teach them. Thank you so much again for supporting me in prayer and finances this past 6 months! Keep me in your prayers for my next 6 months please! I love you all!
Oh! And if you would like to hear more about my experiences, PLEASE feel free to contact me and I would love to share!
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