Last week we were learning about leadership. I really liked this week. Ty was our teacher this week which was nice because we all already know each other so we didn't need to do introductions or anything. The first thing we talked about was something called presuppositions. Basically that is an idea upon which you base your ideas. It is how our experiences, worldview, and theology affect our thoughts or views on a certain topic or situation. It is when you take reality and put your own spin on it. We learned how these can lead to wrong ideas about the truth. We then learned how to deal with our presuppositions. Basically what you have to do is ask God to look past them and ask Him to transform our mind, renew our minds and ourselves and then show us His perspective. That was a precursor to the leadership class. This is when we learned about leadership. Ty told us that when we come back, in one way or another, we are all going to be leaders. The information I learned this week I wish I had learned a while back. Looking back it could have helped me with leading in every situation I did. But at least now I have it for the future. One really encouraging thing is that we have a perfect leader to look up to, the only perfect leader, which is God. He is the perfect leader because He is wise, just, person with the people He is leading, intelligent, visionary, delegates power, merciful, creative, patient, all powerful, and that is just a start of His nature. God's nature and His character makes Him the perfect leader. One thing God tell us to do is be Holy. Some people have a hard time with this, thinking that we cannot be Holy. However God would not give us a commandment that we cannot keep. So what is holiness? It means to be set apart, which we definitely can do. Be in the world not of the world.
Another thing we were talking about is love. We defined love as desiring the best for everyone. We HAVE to choose the best for every no matter what. Sometimes the best thing for them is not the easiest to do, but we still have to do it, it is the most loving way. After that there were only two main points that we went over. It was two different styles of leadership. There is transactional and transformational. Transactional works more of a hierarchy. They work out of obligation and commands and if they don't follow it something may get taken away. Transformational is when the leader is holding everything up but everyone else is just as important as the leader is. This type of leadership works out of influence and modeling. Transformational leaders lead by example, they model what should be done and then they release the work to the people as they are ready. This leader is always aware of what happens as a whole. This type of leader is/needs to be present, open, and willing to help. Leaders should reproduce other leaders. Transactional =train train train and wait for perfection. Transformational=model then delegate then release. Releasing is an important part, it may be very hard to do but it is important. Transactional may be needed at times, but if you are leading transactionally you need to always have the intention of moving back to transformational. Transformational will build up other leaders and give them a purpose.
I think I said that was the last thing we talked about, if I did, I lied. : p We also talked about being a servant leader. This is something I am really working on and hope to one day be able to do it fully. Servant leadership means that you are willing to do whatever it takes. Doing whatever needs to be done. This type of leader will do whatever it takes to make sure that the people they are leading are able to live out their calling. Jesus is our perfect example of a servant leader. He hung on a cross so we could live out our calling to be in relationship with God. When you are a servant leader you go a step and beyond to make sure the people can live out their calling. It takes a lot of work, a lot of commitment, and a lot of time, but it is worth it!!!
Now this is the real last thing we talked about. We didn't have much time left but Ty wanted to give us a quick overview of this so we could think about it. We looked at the verse Romans 13:1 which talks about authority. The part we focused on was that the authorities that exist do because of God. A lot of people get confused by this because of all the people they think had authority who shouldn't have (like Hitler.) To understand this better we need to know the difference between power and authority. Power is the ability to act or produce in effect to get what you want, it's the possession of control. Power is something that you use. Authority is given to someone, they do not take it, they receive it. We can give people/things authority without it coming from God but all true authority comes from God. The main point to remember with this is that authority is given and power is taken.
Okay so all that is left to talk about is the weekend. This weekend was wonderful!!! I'm not sure why because we pretty much did the same things but it was wonderful. On Friday we went to El Paso and I finally got to get some stuff to big out on. We also went to Sonic and that was wonderful! Ty bought a movie there so we all watched it together (it was called The Dilemma.) It was really weird but fun to be all together. The next day we slept in, ate brunch, then watched another movie together. After that we read a lot and did thing that were productive. : p Also some of us took a nap that was nice. That night we watched two movies (I know it was movie weekend.) I'm not sure why but it was the best, most relaxing Saturday yet. On Sunday we had the option of resting or going to the church that is held in the chapel. I stayed home and watched the latest Worship Center video. That was wonderful and I loved it! The rest of the day we just hung around, did more productive things, and had a WONDERFUL Sunday, really I loved it and it was a great weekend. : D
31 August, 2011
29 August, 2011
This means war.
Okay! I am going to attempt to blog about last week but his week is almost over so it may be semi difficult to remember it all. Let's see. Last week's topic was hearing the voice of God and intercession. One thing we focused on a lot was that God desires to speak to us. It is important, as Christians, to desire to speak to Him too. We focused on the importance of knowing God's voice. We need to be able to recognize the voice of God so when someone comes to impersonate it we can recognize the difference. We were also learning about many different ways that God speaks to you. There were eleven ways and it was really helpful! One really awesome thing we go to do after we learned the eleven ways was we chose a name out of a hat and went and asked God what He has for that person. This was really awesome and very encouraging. We also learned that prayer is our most powerful weapon. Honestly we learned a WHOLE bunch this week and it is still processing in my mind. We have started writing in journals and I wrote all about it. I'll have to reread it a couple of times and then write about it. One thing that stuck out to me a lot during the week, though, was when we talked about spiritual warfare. We first talked about the armor of God and how important it is which was awesome. One of the most important things I got out of the armor of God is that all of our armor goes on our front. If we stand and fight the enemy we have a bunch of armor to protect us and a sword to fight with. If we try to turn and run, there is no armor there. That was one thing that impacted me a lot.
So after that teaching we went out "to war" as they said. It was really amazing. The one woman who taught the day before we went out kept saying "we're going to war tomorrow." She kept telling us to make sure we were ready, and stressed that it was a war. What we did was we went around to different places and prayed for the strongholds that took over that place. First we went to a municipal type building. We prayed for people's love of money there and that God would overtake that place. One thing that was really stressed what that we prayed in the name of Jesus. We also used two scriptures to pray which were Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth." and 1 John 3:8b "The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." We would say it is written before each one and declare in Jesus' name. Next we prayed for a radio station. Then we went to the catholic chapel, where there is a lot of idol worship. We prayed for the strongholds over that place. One thing I asked God to do was to move in that place. I wasn't sure if He would or not, but then I thought we were there, so He could move in us. There was this one idol there, it was the idol of loneliness. This made me very sad because they go to an idol and pray for there loneliness to be broken when the only thing that is going to break their loneliness desires their hearts more than anything else in the whole world. It made my heart hurt for God, so I prayed over that too. At one point a woman brought her son up and brought him through the motions, making him touch the idols and bow. I began to cry for this boy. He didn't know any better, he couldn't have been more than six. I prayed for his soul, and I claimed his soul for the Lord. I told God that that boy was His. One thing God showed me when I was writing this in my journal was that I had to continue to pray for that boy. One other thing that happened while I was there was, when I was praying, I looked up for a second at one of the idols who was right next to where I was sitting. It appeared as though this idol was starring me down. I looked at it and had fear for about a second and then I said no, you can't look at me and you cannot do anything to me and I began to pray against it. Later, in the van, one of the other students said he felt as though they were staring at him, almost as though they were moving. The woman who was leading said that behind every idol there is a demon. I am still investigating where it says that in the Bible but it doesn't seem like a crazy thought. After that we went to a statue of one of the past presidents who had some demonic symbols on it. We prayed for that and the city while we were there, and we walked around the statue. The last place we stopped was the idola de muerte (idol of death.) They worship "her" a lot for a lot of different reasons. Actually one of the leaders told me that they actually ask permission from God if it is okay to worship it. I asked what their confirmation was and he said pretty much asking was their confirmation. I thought that was super crazy. We didn't actually go into this place, but we parked outside of it and prayed over it. It was nice because there we prayed out loud as a group. The spiritual strongholds there were insane. I think I felt them the strongest there and at the chapel. We returned just about in time for lunch and we were all very tired.
That weekend we didn't do too much. Just read and watched movies, the usual. On Sunday we went to a church that meets in the chapel. I think we got there a little early so it felt super long, but there were a lot of children so that was awesome. : )
All together it was a really great week! : D
So after that teaching we went out "to war" as they said. It was really amazing. The one woman who taught the day before we went out kept saying "we're going to war tomorrow." She kept telling us to make sure we were ready, and stressed that it was a war. What we did was we went around to different places and prayed for the strongholds that took over that place. First we went to a municipal type building. We prayed for people's love of money there and that God would overtake that place. One thing that was really stressed what that we prayed in the name of Jesus. We also used two scriptures to pray which were Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth." and 1 John 3:8b "The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." We would say it is written before each one and declare in Jesus' name. Next we prayed for a radio station. Then we went to the catholic chapel, where there is a lot of idol worship. We prayed for the strongholds over that place. One thing I asked God to do was to move in that place. I wasn't sure if He would or not, but then I thought we were there, so He could move in us. There was this one idol there, it was the idol of loneliness. This made me very sad because they go to an idol and pray for there loneliness to be broken when the only thing that is going to break their loneliness desires their hearts more than anything else in the whole world. It made my heart hurt for God, so I prayed over that too. At one point a woman brought her son up and brought him through the motions, making him touch the idols and bow. I began to cry for this boy. He didn't know any better, he couldn't have been more than six. I prayed for his soul, and I claimed his soul for the Lord. I told God that that boy was His. One thing God showed me when I was writing this in my journal was that I had to continue to pray for that boy. One other thing that happened while I was there was, when I was praying, I looked up for a second at one of the idols who was right next to where I was sitting. It appeared as though this idol was starring me down. I looked at it and had fear for about a second and then I said no, you can't look at me and you cannot do anything to me and I began to pray against it. Later, in the van, one of the other students said he felt as though they were staring at him, almost as though they were moving. The woman who was leading said that behind every idol there is a demon. I am still investigating where it says that in the Bible but it doesn't seem like a crazy thought. After that we went to a statue of one of the past presidents who had some demonic symbols on it. We prayed for that and the city while we were there, and we walked around the statue. The last place we stopped was the idola de muerte (idol of death.) They worship "her" a lot for a lot of different reasons. Actually one of the leaders told me that they actually ask permission from God if it is okay to worship it. I asked what their confirmation was and he said pretty much asking was their confirmation. I thought that was super crazy. We didn't actually go into this place, but we parked outside of it and prayed over it. It was nice because there we prayed out loud as a group. The spiritual strongholds there were insane. I think I felt them the strongest there and at the chapel. We returned just about in time for lunch and we were all very tired.
That weekend we didn't do too much. Just read and watched movies, the usual. On Sunday we went to a church that meets in the chapel. I think we got there a little early so it felt super long, but there were a lot of children so that was awesome. : )
All together it was a really great week! : D
15 August, 2011
We're getting there.
Ah week two.
This week was pretty crazy. We had our first official week of class, which means a lot of us were pretty tired because we aren't fully in the hang of things. It wasn't too bad though. We had a pretty great teacher so that probably helped too. This week we were learning about the nature and character of God. One thing we did with this was dissect parts of the Bible. We would take it verse by verse and see what God was like according to those parts of the Bible. We did a lot in the old testament to show us that God has always been the same loving, caring, compassionate, feeling, God who wants our best. We also learned that we were created to love and be in a relationship with Him.We were also talking about roots. We learned about being deeply rooted in the love of God, that way nothing can shake us. We also learned that, if we are deeply rooted in His love, we can help be support systems for other people. It was a really cool thing to look at and discover. A couple of verses we were looking at are Jeremiah 17:5-8, Ephesians 3:14-19, and Psalms 27:4. I'm sure we looked at a lot of others but those are just a few of the main ones. The person who came to speak to us was named Jason and he was really great. He really had a wonderful heart for God and helped us grow a lot. A lot of people say this is the foundational week of your DTS because everything else builds on it. I would say it was a really good foundational week!
This week I also made up a plan for reading my Bible. At the moment I'm reading Jeremiah and Psalms. If I read two of each a day then I will be able to get from Jeremiah to the end of the old testament, and Psalms to Jeremiah by the time I finish. While we were talking this week I also realized that I haven't really ever read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and I'm also reading one of those a day.
We also got a new book this week. It's called Relationships: The Key to Love, Sex, and Everything Else. We got this book on Tuesday. Admittingly I didn't start until Saturday, but I will finish in time so it is okay. It's not a bad book, and I would recommend reading it. The only thing that I've found wrong with it is it seems to be talking to a general population who have certain ideas about sex and relationships and I do not have these same ideas so those parts are annoying. I've also fallen in love with taking walks with my music. There is a spot where they are going to build a new children home so I'll walk, run, and jump around there. I look like a fool but I do what I feel like I should so I don't care. For some reason it's a great way for me to really see God's face. Him and I go for a walk together, that's what makes it wonderful. (That's also why I emphasized that whole music part. I do not enjoy walking, only with the Lord.: )
We didn't do much else this week, just a lot of class and food. One day we had this amazing meal called enfrijoladas. This usually has cream and cheese but they made mine without. That was SUPER amazing! This weekend was pretty fun too! We like to have a movie night on Friday so we watched She's the Man (in Spanish.) Setting it up was such a hassle, but we all enjoyed it once it was on. We ate a bunch of food and watched the movie. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep. On Saturday we went to a couples house named David and Ale. I felt a bit awkward because I had already eaten. I thought it would be rude not to go, but it's also a little rude not to eat there. They had two kids though who were adorable. We played many games and by the end we were being super silly. (I'm sure the parents appreciated that.) All in all it was a really fun time. When we got home I read and slept for a little before I helped cook dinner. Alex and I cooked hot dogs. I've never seen someone put so much stuff on their hot dog in my life, it was awesome. We made this salsa stuff that was SOOO good. I've been eating it on toast. Sunday we did the usual, go to church, then the mall for lunch, then the grocery store then home. That night we had "sweet bread" for dinner which is pretty much donuts and stuff like that. All in all it was a great week! : D
Today we were suppose to be going to El Paso to help unload a food shipment. Them we were going to go to Wal*Mart. I was SUPER excited because I need to get a few things from Wal*Mart and also need to get some money because I cannot (or at least should not) use my card in Mexico (or maybe I just don't like to either way I don't use it. Plus I like to save my money.) I was also excited because I would be able to use my phone and I wanted to hear some people talking. We got up early and got all ready to go and we were in the car and Ty got a phone call saying that the guy who was going to bring the shipment didn't tell anyone that he was coming, so it didn't come, and we didn't go. It was a bit disappointing but we cleaned the chapel and multipurpose room and now we have some free time until lunch. We are also waiting for our new teacher, Lori (a GIRL!!! : p) to come so we are excited about that.
It was a good week and we've got a good week to come! :D
This week was pretty crazy. We had our first official week of class, which means a lot of us were pretty tired because we aren't fully in the hang of things. It wasn't too bad though. We had a pretty great teacher so that probably helped too. This week we were learning about the nature and character of God. One thing we did with this was dissect parts of the Bible. We would take it verse by verse and see what God was like according to those parts of the Bible. We did a lot in the old testament to show us that God has always been the same loving, caring, compassionate, feeling, God who wants our best. We also learned that we were created to love and be in a relationship with Him.We were also talking about roots. We learned about being deeply rooted in the love of God, that way nothing can shake us. We also learned that, if we are deeply rooted in His love, we can help be support systems for other people. It was a really cool thing to look at and discover. A couple of verses we were looking at are Jeremiah 17:5-8, Ephesians 3:14-19, and Psalms 27:4. I'm sure we looked at a lot of others but those are just a few of the main ones. The person who came to speak to us was named Jason and he was really great. He really had a wonderful heart for God and helped us grow a lot. A lot of people say this is the foundational week of your DTS because everything else builds on it. I would say it was a really good foundational week!
This week I also made up a plan for reading my Bible. At the moment I'm reading Jeremiah and Psalms. If I read two of each a day then I will be able to get from Jeremiah to the end of the old testament, and Psalms to Jeremiah by the time I finish. While we were talking this week I also realized that I haven't really ever read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and I'm also reading one of those a day.
We also got a new book this week. It's called Relationships: The Key to Love, Sex, and Everything Else. We got this book on Tuesday. Admittingly I didn't start until Saturday, but I will finish in time so it is okay. It's not a bad book, and I would recommend reading it. The only thing that I've found wrong with it is it seems to be talking to a general population who have certain ideas about sex and relationships and I do not have these same ideas so those parts are annoying. I've also fallen in love with taking walks with my music. There is a spot where they are going to build a new children home so I'll walk, run, and jump around there. I look like a fool but I do what I feel like I should so I don't care. For some reason it's a great way for me to really see God's face. Him and I go for a walk together, that's what makes it wonderful. (That's also why I emphasized that whole music part. I do not enjoy walking, only with the Lord.: )
We didn't do much else this week, just a lot of class and food. One day we had this amazing meal called enfrijoladas. This usually has cream and cheese but they made mine without. That was SUPER amazing! This weekend was pretty fun too! We like to have a movie night on Friday so we watched She's the Man (in Spanish.) Setting it up was such a hassle, but we all enjoyed it once it was on. We ate a bunch of food and watched the movie. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep. On Saturday we went to a couples house named David and Ale. I felt a bit awkward because I had already eaten. I thought it would be rude not to go, but it's also a little rude not to eat there. They had two kids though who were adorable. We played many games and by the end we were being super silly. (I'm sure the parents appreciated that.) All in all it was a really fun time. When we got home I read and slept for a little before I helped cook dinner. Alex and I cooked hot dogs. I've never seen someone put so much stuff on their hot dog in my life, it was awesome. We made this salsa stuff that was SOOO good. I've been eating it on toast. Sunday we did the usual, go to church, then the mall for lunch, then the grocery store then home. That night we had "sweet bread" for dinner which is pretty much donuts and stuff like that. All in all it was a great week! : D
Today we were suppose to be going to El Paso to help unload a food shipment. Them we were going to go to Wal*Mart. I was SUPER excited because I need to get a few things from Wal*Mart and also need to get some money because I cannot (or at least should not) use my card in Mexico (or maybe I just don't like to either way I don't use it. Plus I like to save my money.) I was also excited because I would be able to use my phone and I wanted to hear some people talking. We got up early and got all ready to go and we were in the car and Ty got a phone call saying that the guy who was going to bring the shipment didn't tell anyone that he was coming, so it didn't come, and we didn't go. It was a bit disappointing but we cleaned the chapel and multipurpose room and now we have some free time until lunch. We are also waiting for our new teacher, Lori (a GIRL!!! : p) to come so we are excited about that.
It was a good week and we've got a good week to come! :D
06 August, 2011
Our First Week
So I'm here!!! I'm finally in Juarez, Mexico and it's wonderful. It is so much better than even expected. Everyone here is so wonderful! The best part is how much time we get to, and are suppose to spend with God.
I suppose I'll start at the beginning, in the airport. When I left my family and went back to the airport I was super overwhelmed. I was coming to a new place, to meet new people, and do new things. I was stepping into the unknown, and I did not like it very much. Not to mention it was my first time on a plane. I must have looked so funny to everyone around me. It was really strange, but it wasn't bad. When I finished flying (two flights with about a two hour layover) I went to retrieve my bags and meet up with Ty. After I found him we waited for all the girls to get there and then made our way to Juarez. When we arrived in Juarez we got to our rooms and unpacked and settled in. There are six girls here. We all share an apartment style house thing.When I was done unpacking and everything finally settled down I was so overwhelmed. I was being bombarded with the thought that I should just catch the next flight home and forget about all this. How much easier would that have been anyway? I wouldn't have to be on my own, I wouldn't be so far, and I wouldn't be dealing with all the difficult things that I didn't much want to deal with. I knew, however, that this is where God wanted me, and that was the only thing stopping me from not actually leaving. I simply tried to calm down and continuously reminded myself that this was where God wanted me to be. One thing that was asked before we went to bed was why God wanted you here. So when we got back to our room I began to pray about it even though God had already given me an idea almost immediately. I realized that God wanted me to be here so I could learn to fully depend on Him. It wasn't until the next day when we were sharing with the group what God told us that I fully realized what God meant by that. He knows just how dependent on my family I am. How I would ask my sister before everything I ate if it was okay, or, if I was going through a problem, I would need to go tell her right away what was wrong and talk it through with her, and or a couple of my closest friends. I realized even more that I am also very dependent on my dad. How often I would call him at work to tell him what I was doing, ask him a question, or ask him to do something for me. I often wondered what I would do when I was older without my dad, but then realized that I could just depend on my husband. God showed me that He didn't want me to depend on any human like that, He wanted me to depend on Him. He wants to be the first one I go to when I'm having a problem or going through something. He wants to be my first and foremost, my life. It was a bit difficult for me to realize this because I fooled myself into thinking that He was.Now I continually remind myself that I am here for Him. Not only here at YWAM but here on earth, for Him to use me as He pleases. I know He is going to do amazing things with my life while I am here, He has already started.
So what else are we doing with our time besides learning and listening? A LOT! This week we had a book to read. They gave it to us on Sunday and we had to have it read by Friday, and then have a book report for it as well.. The book we read was Is That Really You, God by Loren Cunningham. It's really showing me how to hear God's voice and to follow and obey Him. Other things we are doing are hanging out with and getting to know each other. As I mentioned earlier there are six of us girls. We have Marissa, Elizabeth, Lehydi, Estrella, Kelsey, and me. The boys are Erick and Alex. We have spent some of our nights playing games together. We had the most intense game of JENGA that lasted for the longest time. One night we played Uno Flash which was crazy. It was a lot of fun laughing and playing together. On Tuesday night all the women at the base went to do Zumba. It was crazy. Many of us rediscovered that dancing is not our forte, but we had a lot of fun doing it. We also have a newsletter to write and get out. All of that, plus diving into God's word and listening to His voice adds up to no(or at least not much) boredom . We all also have "duties" that we need to do once a day (they are suppose to take two hours) me and two other girls (Estrella and Marissa) have dinner clean up. Although sometimes it may seem like a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun! We laugh a lot while doing it.
One concern people had with me being here and being a vegan was if I would/was eating anything. There is no need to worry about that, at all. Ty and is (lovely) wife Leah are being very accommodating. I have something to eat for every meal and if it's not part of what everyone else is having I'll have some leftovers. I'm eating very healthily too, with a lot of vegetables. Also one of the boys, Alex, has the duty to cook the dinner. He is really good at cooking my things, and he knows what I can and cannot have. It amazes me how understanding he is with it, especially because veganism and Mexico don't really mix. It just goes to show just how WONDERFUL our God is! My lip ring does need to stay out (or at least I think, I never actually asked, I just took it out, it's easier.) My lip retainer, however, is working very well and is a wonderful substitute. Even if I had to take it out, I would, because this is where God wants me, and what He wants me to do.
I guess that is it for now. OH! Except safety! We are VERY safe here. We are behind a fence with a lock and a guard that comes overnight. It is more safe than you can even imagine. I'll be posting pictures soon. :) This entry is a little bit long, they shouldn't all be this long. One thing to remember, God is wonderful, and he is working in me wonderfully!
I suppose I'll start at the beginning, in the airport. When I left my family and went back to the airport I was super overwhelmed. I was coming to a new place, to meet new people, and do new things. I was stepping into the unknown, and I did not like it very much. Not to mention it was my first time on a plane. I must have looked so funny to everyone around me. It was really strange, but it wasn't bad. When I finished flying (two flights with about a two hour layover) I went to retrieve my bags and meet up with Ty. After I found him we waited for all the girls to get there and then made our way to Juarez. When we arrived in Juarez we got to our rooms and unpacked and settled in. There are six girls here. We all share an apartment style house thing.When I was done unpacking and everything finally settled down I was so overwhelmed. I was being bombarded with the thought that I should just catch the next flight home and forget about all this. How much easier would that have been anyway? I wouldn't have to be on my own, I wouldn't be so far, and I wouldn't be dealing with all the difficult things that I didn't much want to deal with. I knew, however, that this is where God wanted me, and that was the only thing stopping me from not actually leaving. I simply tried to calm down and continuously reminded myself that this was where God wanted me to be. One thing that was asked before we went to bed was why God wanted you here. So when we got back to our room I began to pray about it even though God had already given me an idea almost immediately. I realized that God wanted me to be here so I could learn to fully depend on Him. It wasn't until the next day when we were sharing with the group what God told us that I fully realized what God meant by that. He knows just how dependent on my family I am. How I would ask my sister before everything I ate if it was okay, or, if I was going through a problem, I would need to go tell her right away what was wrong and talk it through with her, and or a couple of my closest friends. I realized even more that I am also very dependent on my dad. How often I would call him at work to tell him what I was doing, ask him a question, or ask him to do something for me. I often wondered what I would do when I was older without my dad, but then realized that I could just depend on my husband. God showed me that He didn't want me to depend on any human like that, He wanted me to depend on Him. He wants to be the first one I go to when I'm having a problem or going through something. He wants to be my first and foremost, my life. It was a bit difficult for me to realize this because I fooled myself into thinking that He was.Now I continually remind myself that I am here for Him. Not only here at YWAM but here on earth, for Him to use me as He pleases. I know He is going to do amazing things with my life while I am here, He has already started.
So what else are we doing with our time besides learning and listening? A LOT! This week we had a book to read. They gave it to us on Sunday and we had to have it read by Friday, and then have a book report for it as well.. The book we read was Is That Really You, God by Loren Cunningham. It's really showing me how to hear God's voice and to follow and obey Him. Other things we are doing are hanging out with and getting to know each other. As I mentioned earlier there are six of us girls. We have Marissa, Elizabeth, Lehydi, Estrella, Kelsey, and me. The boys are Erick and Alex. We have spent some of our nights playing games together. We had the most intense game of JENGA that lasted for the longest time. One night we played Uno Flash which was crazy. It was a lot of fun laughing and playing together. On Tuesday night all the women at the base went to do Zumba. It was crazy. Many of us rediscovered that dancing is not our forte, but we had a lot of fun doing it. We also have a newsletter to write and get out. All of that, plus diving into God's word and listening to His voice adds up to no(or at least not much) boredom . We all also have "duties" that we need to do once a day (they are suppose to take two hours) me and two other girls (Estrella and Marissa) have dinner clean up. Although sometimes it may seem like a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun! We laugh a lot while doing it.
One concern people had with me being here and being a vegan was if I would/was eating anything. There is no need to worry about that, at all. Ty and is (lovely) wife Leah are being very accommodating. I have something to eat for every meal and if it's not part of what everyone else is having I'll have some leftovers. I'm eating very healthily too, with a lot of vegetables. Also one of the boys, Alex, has the duty to cook the dinner. He is really good at cooking my things, and he knows what I can and cannot have. It amazes me how understanding he is with it, especially because veganism and Mexico don't really mix. It just goes to show just how WONDERFUL our God is! My lip ring does need to stay out (or at least I think, I never actually asked, I just took it out, it's easier.) My lip retainer, however, is working very well and is a wonderful substitute. Even if I had to take it out, I would, because this is where God wants me, and what He wants me to do.
I guess that is it for now. OH! Except safety! We are VERY safe here. We are behind a fence with a lock and a guard that comes overnight. It is more safe than you can even imagine. I'll be posting pictures soon. :) This entry is a little bit long, they shouldn't all be this long. One thing to remember, God is wonderful, and he is working in me wonderfully!
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