This was one of my favorite girls from the first week VBS, Jill!

We are on outreach!!!!  

It is such a blast, I can't tell you enough about how cool it is to finally be here working and seeing the students do what they have been training to do for the past 3 months.  Our days have been action packed with VBS and church programs.  We will be moving to a new location where it will become even more busy but that is ok.  It is outreach and that is what I expect.  It is hard to find time to really collect myself and regain my stamina but by the amazing power of God It's happening.  The team is really doing great, as long as we can stay healthy.  I have had a stuffed nose for a week and a half now.  I'm not sure what it is from but I would love it to leave my body.  I did fight a little stomach thing over the weekend but that is gone now and thank goodness I never threw up.

I don't really have any other updates to write since you all have been getting my few emails.  I am doing well personally, daily I'm challenged with making sure I have a good attitude and staying focused on the tasks at hand.  Of course it is different as a leader than it was as a student but not to much.  I just get to make decissions and hear our opportunities first!!!  It is fun to see how it all works like finances and all that good detail stuff!  I am enjoying my time and am actually looking forward to the upcoming trip to Chinindega.  With a busy schedule it will be really challenging but very exciting.  We will be there for 6 days and then back here for 2 and onto Costa Rica on the 6th.   I miss you all so much and can't wait to give you more updates.  Pray for our health and protection!!

 There is no place that the will of God will take you that the grace of God can’t protect you.

I LOVE THIS!!!!

This week has been a good week. Still doesn't feel like the holidays because of the lack of family. As I sit here in the early hours of the New Year I am just taken back by the amazing things God has done in my life this year. I never thought that I'd be back here in St. Croix celebrating the new year. I never thought I'd be a full time missionary in YWAM, let alone a DTS leader. The adventures I have been on this year have been nothing short of AMAZING. I am in awe when I look over the way God provided the funds for me to be here now. To see how faithful family and friends have been in supporting me blows my mind. The challenges that I have even faced from coming here have made me into a new person. Strengthened me in areas I never had any experience and given me great opportunity to minister to people here and abroad!!! I love the opportunity that I have to be here and workind daily with the students to help them grow but I am looking forward more for outreach!!!

We have had a great movie series of teaching this week on Spiritual Warfare. It is very interesting to talk about the unseen world around us. It is sometimes a subject people don't like to talk about mainly in my mind because they don't really understand it. We have taken a nice journey from the New Testament to the very beginning of the bible to Adam and Eve being temped. It is very interesting to hear talk about what led satan to rebel against God. To hear that for thousands of years he has been using the same tricks and same strategy in a sense is good to hear but disappointing also. To know that he uses the same things year after year gives me hope to know how to recognize his activity more in my life and in others. Knowing that he continues to have power and is able to rule freely over certain people groups of the world and influence people is very disheartening. We only have 1 more week of teaching before we go on outreach, exactly 2 weeks from today we will be leaving for Nicaragua!!!! I am so excited to go!!
I love outreach and I think that these students are gong to do a wonderful job. Another thing that I am looking forward to is the fact that for the 3 weeks we're in Costa Rica we will not have our director Lori with us. She needs to come home halfway through outreach to work on stuff so it wil be myself and 2 other leaders leading our first outreach together with out Lori!!! It will be a great time of growing for all of us and a fun experience I'm sure!! As the new year comes take time to reflect upon what God has done for you this year. Whether big or small we all have areas that God has moved. Reflect upon that and spend some time in prayer thanking God for his goodness and all the blessings he gave you this year.!!