Two weeks ago the Compassion Discipleship training School including myself were welcomed by the Island Breeze YWAM staff, in Makapala. The island Breeze staff honored all of us with leis and a wonderful feast of traditional Hawaiian food. Every since the first day God has rocked our group (literally) and is continuing to bond all of us as one o’ hana (family).
The property we are staying on is called Makapala, it is also owned by the Island Breeze staff that minister to the Hawaiian people through cultural dance and story telling. My team leaders are an older couple, John and Jill Bills. God specifically spoke to them about this Compassion DTS to be set apart and be open to moving to a different location apart from Kona, where the main YWAM base is located. Through confirmation of pray God has lead all of us 90 persons to Makapala base and be “set apart”. Over the last two weeks in Makalpala I am now 100% confident that this is exactly where God wants me and our team to be.
After the welcome ceremony on the lawn the girls ran up to the rooms where we would be staying. There is one large building where the cafeteria is on the bottom while the two girl’s dorms and worship hall is on the top floor. The white boards and swaying bunk beds reminded me of camp life and I soon picked a top bunk by the huge windows. With twenty girls to one room I figured it would be best to have a breeze and a window to look out of. Across from my bed is this awesome girl named Katie who is from Oregon. She totally reminds me of a Cali chick but she is very down to earth and has an extreme relationship with the Lord.
Other than the girl’s dorms, there is a sweet field in front of the property, where we have played numerous ultimate Frisbee games, capture the flag, and have had personal times with God. My favorite spot is back in the lush trees where a really old chapel sits. It’s white but it provided the perfect spot to sit and be comforted by the trees around it.
The Lord keeps stretching my mind and heart as our speakers challenge me and also how God speaks to me through my quiet time. Being “set apart” is starting to hit me and how God has orchestrated all the details so I can be inn this place and be still. Although I am in the middle of nowhere, I am amazing by the excitement God is putting in my heart through his character and the people around me.
Last week was our first week of lectures. Monday through Friday for four hours our group has lectures. It sounds awful but I am realizing so much about who God is and who I am. The awesome part is, I have a chance to test out what I hear in lectures. We had an awesome speaker named Dan Shannon 24, who spoke on the character and nature of God. Dan’s passion and genuine heart motivated me to move to a different level with God. He challenged us to know truth from God’s word. I need to know truth for me and that comes from reading and seeking God out for me. It may sound like a common sense revelation but I need to make my faith my own. That night I went out to the old chapel and asked for God to become real and help me understand. In the small chapel I didn’t heat a booming voice but I did feel his presence. Even when God seems absent or these lectures become overwhelming god wants me to seek him. For the first two weeks I felt so emotionally and spiritually dead. I didn’t understand why and I became frustrated. Through my devos and talking with the Lord he revealed to me that He is faithful and he wants me to be faithful even when I don’t “feel” his presence.
Man, I am learning so much about God’s character and how to hear his voice. God is so exciting if we are willing to listen and obey. This week we have a new speaker and Im so excited for what else god has to reveal.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment