Hi Everyone :)
I am in my second week of outreach, going into the third week.
My first weekend here we did a youth service for a nazarene church. It was amazing, we performed a couple dramas, gave a few testimonies and one of the girls preached. Then we had a time of prayer for anyone and God really moved in the young people as well as our DTS. I was completely overwhelmed at how God used us as a group and me personally in our Everything Drama and my testimony.
Last week we did a VBS and did street ministry. There were about 50 kids that ended up coming to the VBS. Our theme was about real heroes. We used Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, the good samaratian, peter escaping from jail and one other one that I do not remember right now. We played games with the kids, they love soccer and we did crafts. Alyssa and I were in charge of the crafts. It was a lot of fun to see the same kids each day. In our street ministry we did a lot of prayer walking around the festival for St. Sabastian and later in the week we handed out invitations to a program for this week as well as singing in the streets. Saturday a group of us went to Masaya to the market to look at trinkets and things. It was a great experience to ride the buses here. Overall, it was a good week.
This week we are doing VBS for an orphanage along with the neighborhood kids of the orphanage. On Monday night we did a program on the top of a flatbed truck down by the festival. I gave my testimony and was in two dramas. Again we did the everything drama where I play the main role. In it I get beaten up, this time I actually did get punched in the face and got a bloody nose :) it was funny...no worries I am okay. We got to ride motos which are small cars, it was a great experience.
Tomorrow is our last day of VBS and then we are heading near the coast to Chinendega (? unsure about the spelling). Currently we have been at the YWAM Base in Diriamba which is near Managua.
I am really liking it here and am suprised at how well I like the food. I was a little worried but it has been good so far. Today I did my laundry on the washboards, it was also an experience :) good times.
Right now most of our team has been sick, there are only three of us that have not been sick...myself included :) Yay!
Some prayer requests:
1) For those that are sick
2) That our time in Chinendega goes well and safe travel
3) That the rest of us will not get sick
4) For possitive attitudes for the team as well as continued unity
5) My eyes: I have been having a really hard time seeing clearly, my vision just seems to be getting worse. They are not bothering me like they did before where they were scratchy and red, but I have been getting headaches from not being able to see well.
6) For continued quiet time with God :) I have been doing well so far, but as our schedules change it gets difficult to make sure I get enough time in.
7) We come back to Diriamba on Feb. 4 and leave for Costa Rica on Feb. 6.
Thank you all for you prayers, I believe God is really using each of you to bless the people here through your prayers. And it is amazing that I did not get sick, Thank you Jesus!
I hope to update sometime in the next few weeks, we will just have to see if I can get back to the internet cafe here or if there will be one in Costa Rica.
Love, Grace, and Peace,
Kathy
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Nicaragua
Made is safely to Nicaragua! God is Awesome!!
This week we began VBS and it is going well. Last weekend we did a youth service which God really used our dramas, testimonies, and preaching to touch the lives of the young people.
Thanks for the many prayers :)
Love in Christ,
Kathy
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Last week of Lectures + Outreach Info
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great Holiday :)
Last week was a four day lecture week. We learned about spiritual warfare. We are constantly in a battle with the powers of darkness and every choice we make either aids or hinders the kingdom of God. This week was very powerful and it is amazing to realize what the devil does to try to take the glory away from God. It was also a good week to realize a few ways the devil attacks us. In our attitudes, with words we say, with what we think and so much more.
For New Years Eve some of the staff planned a photo scavenger hunt in Christiansted, it was fun. Also, on New Years day, Hannah Byrum’s sister paid for all the students to go to Fredericksted beach. We had a lot of fun and we went pier jumping :) On Saturday, I attempted snorkeling, but the waves were making the sand shift too much so I couldn’t see anything :(. Oh well, it was still a great day, ending with watching the Mask of Zorro, I liked it :)
This week is an awesome week of self discovery as well as group discovery. We are learning about Identity and Team Dynamics this week. I am enjoying it a lot. We’ve taken a couple tests to see what our love language is and our personality type. It was very interesting to see what everyone was. We also did a values exercise where we had a list of values and then we had to sort them by Top 8, Other Valuable, and Not so Valuable. Both for us as individuals and as a team. Then we were able to discover what areas different people may struggle in a group because the values clash. I’ve learned so much already and it is only Tuesday Night. Wow! I’m excited to see what God shows me the rest of the week :)
As many of you know, I am going to Nicaragua and Costa Rica for my larger outreach. We leave next week Wednesday, January 14. The time has just flown by me, I can hardly believe it is here already. Here is a little information about my outreach and a few things that you can be praying for. As for my last outreach I will answer a few questions.
*Where exactly is our group going? We are going to the YWAM base in Managua, Nicaragua and to Heredia, Costa Rica.
*What are the needs of the people there? At this point we haven’t been told much information. We know that we will be working with poorer people in Nicaragua more than in Costa Rica. Other than this, I do not know any thing else.
*What are your needs as a group? For us students, we are preparing for our ministry times: testimonies, bible stories, crafts, dramas and worship. Also, we have to completely pack up all our stuff here, so we are all feeling a little stresses. Some more than others. I personally feel a little stresses because of the lack of information, but as I am learning this week, I need to be flexible :). As for the group as a whole we all have a lot of preparations before we leave next week.
*What type of ministry will you be partaking in? Right now we know we will be doing 1 week of Vacation Bible School for about 150 kids, other than this we could be doing work projects, evangelism, and anything else they decide to give us to do.
*What are you hoping to accomplish there? Anything specific? We want to share the Gospel with the people of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, at this point, not really knowing the type of ministry we will be doing, I can’t say there are any other specific goals we have. Just listening for what God wants us to do in these locations.
*What has God shown you all to be praying for so we can join with you...give us the specifics? We are all praying that we can be flexible and have good communication between the team. Otherwise, on Thursday we start taking turns fasting to really see the focus and what’s on God’s heart for these places. We know we are supposed to do the VBS so just praying that everything runs smoothly and that we are able to share what is on God’s heart with the children.
*What are the dates and times of your flights so we can cover you all in prayer? With all flights, we keep an open hand. Knowing that there can always be delays/cancellations. We pray that all will be ontime and go as scheduled, unlike on our way to Haiti.
1/14/09
6:50 AM St. Croix to Puerto Rico 7:32 AM
8:35 AM Puerto Rico to Miami 10:25 AM
1:00 PM Miami to Nicaragua 2:40 PM
2/5/09 (not sure on the exact date yet)
Bus from Nicaragua to Costa Rica
2/27/09
7:00 AM Costa Rica to Miami 10:45 AM
6:00 PM Miami to Puerto Rico 9:25 PM
11:00 PM Puerto Rico to St. Croix 11:34 PM
*Will you be joining another organization/ministry while there? Who are they - names, ministry, needs? We will be working with YWAM Nicaragua and in Costa Rica we will be working with another organization called Pura Vida Missions.
*How are the finances of your group...for the school, and for outreach? Right now, as far as I know we all have our money. The base as a whole is very tight on money and could always use any extra funds. Ligia, one of the DTS staff is not coming on outreach due to Visa/Passport issues and our DTS director, Lori, will only be coming to Nicaragua with us. We have not been told the reason for this. I’m sure that God has a plan for both of them here in St. Croix.
*Do/will you have an outreach itinerary/schedule that we can follow along with dates/activities so we know what to be praying for and when it's happening? We do not have any itinerary/schedule yet. As you can tell the details are not completely all there. I’ve been told it is part of ministry and that sometimes we just have to be flexible with whatever happens. We will most likely will not have access to the internet while we are gone, so I'm not sure if I will be able to let everyone know anything once I am there either. Sorry, I truly wish I had more information to give.
*How about you? How can we pray specifically for you!? I am a little stressed because of the lack of information, even things to pack. As I’ve mentioned before, I am learning to be flexible, but any prayers in this area would be most welcomed. I am a little nervous about speaking in front of people and preaching. Testimonies we will be doing often, but I’ve never given a longer speech before, so I am nervous about that. Also, I am the main character in one of our dramas. (The skit is: Everything by LifeHouse--check it out on You Tube, its the one with the most hits :) Otherwise, just pray for safety and that I will be able to decipher God’s voice clearly, to truly get out of this outreach what He wants me to learn/see.
Thank you all for your prayer support and encouraging notes! I hope to get a few more pictures up before I leave and get some more information so that you know what best to pray for :)
Thanks a ton!!!!
Love,
Kathy
Last week was a four day lecture week. We learned about spiritual warfare. We are constantly in a battle with the powers of darkness and every choice we make either aids or hinders the kingdom of God. This week was very powerful and it is amazing to realize what the devil does to try to take the glory away from God. It was also a good week to realize a few ways the devil attacks us. In our attitudes, with words we say, with what we think and so much more.
For New Years Eve some of the staff planned a photo scavenger hunt in Christiansted, it was fun. Also, on New Years day, Hannah Byrum’s sister paid for all the students to go to Fredericksted beach. We had a lot of fun and we went pier jumping :) On Saturday, I attempted snorkeling, but the waves were making the sand shift too much so I couldn’t see anything :(. Oh well, it was still a great day, ending with watching the Mask of Zorro, I liked it :)
This week is an awesome week of self discovery as well as group discovery. We are learning about Identity and Team Dynamics this week. I am enjoying it a lot. We’ve taken a couple tests to see what our love language is and our personality type. It was very interesting to see what everyone was. We also did a values exercise where we had a list of values and then we had to sort them by Top 8, Other Valuable, and Not so Valuable. Both for us as individuals and as a team. Then we were able to discover what areas different people may struggle in a group because the values clash. I’ve learned so much already and it is only Tuesday Night. Wow! I’m excited to see what God shows me the rest of the week :)
As many of you know, I am going to Nicaragua and Costa Rica for my larger outreach. We leave next week Wednesday, January 14. The time has just flown by me, I can hardly believe it is here already. Here is a little information about my outreach and a few things that you can be praying for. As for my last outreach I will answer a few questions.
*Where exactly is our group going? We are going to the YWAM base in Managua, Nicaragua and to Heredia, Costa Rica.
*What are the needs of the people there? At this point we haven’t been told much information. We know that we will be working with poorer people in Nicaragua more than in Costa Rica. Other than this, I do not know any thing else.
*What are your needs as a group? For us students, we are preparing for our ministry times: testimonies, bible stories, crafts, dramas and worship. Also, we have to completely pack up all our stuff here, so we are all feeling a little stresses. Some more than others. I personally feel a little stresses because of the lack of information, but as I am learning this week, I need to be flexible :). As for the group as a whole we all have a lot of preparations before we leave next week.
*What type of ministry will you be partaking in? Right now we know we will be doing 1 week of Vacation Bible School for about 150 kids, other than this we could be doing work projects, evangelism, and anything else they decide to give us to do.
*What are you hoping to accomplish there? Anything specific? We want to share the Gospel with the people of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, at this point, not really knowing the type of ministry we will be doing, I can’t say there are any other specific goals we have. Just listening for what God wants us to do in these locations.
*What has God shown you all to be praying for so we can join with you...give us the specifics? We are all praying that we can be flexible and have good communication between the team. Otherwise, on Thursday we start taking turns fasting to really see the focus and what’s on God’s heart for these places. We know we are supposed to do the VBS so just praying that everything runs smoothly and that we are able to share what is on God’s heart with the children.
*What are the dates and times of your flights so we can cover you all in prayer? With all flights, we keep an open hand. Knowing that there can always be delays/cancellations. We pray that all will be ontime and go as scheduled, unlike on our way to Haiti.
1/14/09
6:50 AM St. Croix to Puerto Rico 7:32 AM
8:35 AM Puerto Rico to Miami 10:25 AM
1:00 PM Miami to Nicaragua 2:40 PM
2/5/09 (not sure on the exact date yet)
Bus from Nicaragua to Costa Rica
2/27/09
7:00 AM Costa Rica to Miami 10:45 AM
6:00 PM Miami to Puerto Rico 9:25 PM
11:00 PM Puerto Rico to St. Croix 11:34 PM
*Will you be joining another organization/ministry while there? Who are they - names, ministry, needs? We will be working with YWAM Nicaragua and in Costa Rica we will be working with another organization called Pura Vida Missions.
*How are the finances of your group...for the school, and for outreach? Right now, as far as I know we all have our money. The base as a whole is very tight on money and could always use any extra funds. Ligia, one of the DTS staff is not coming on outreach due to Visa/Passport issues and our DTS director, Lori, will only be coming to Nicaragua with us. We have not been told the reason for this. I’m sure that God has a plan for both of them here in St. Croix.
*Do/will you have an outreach itinerary/schedule that we can follow along with dates/activities so we know what to be praying for and when it's happening? We do not have any itinerary/schedule yet. As you can tell the details are not completely all there. I’ve been told it is part of ministry and that sometimes we just have to be flexible with whatever happens. We will most likely will not have access to the internet while we are gone, so I'm not sure if I will be able to let everyone know anything once I am there either. Sorry, I truly wish I had more information to give.
*How about you? How can we pray specifically for you!? I am a little stressed because of the lack of information, even things to pack. As I’ve mentioned before, I am learning to be flexible, but any prayers in this area would be most welcomed. I am a little nervous about speaking in front of people and preaching. Testimonies we will be doing often, but I’ve never given a longer speech before, so I am nervous about that. Also, I am the main character in one of our dramas. (The skit is: Everything by LifeHouse--check it out on You Tube, its the one with the most hits :) Otherwise, just pray for safety and that I will be able to decipher God’s voice clearly, to truly get out of this outreach what He wants me to learn/see.
Thank you all for your prayer support and encouraging notes! I hope to get a few more pictures up before I leave and get some more information so that you know what best to pray for :)
Thanks a ton!!!!
Love,
Kathy
Monday, December 29, 2008
Pictures
Here are some photo's :) Yay! I finally got some to load! Hope you all enjoy. This goes from Oct 4-Nov. 16 (right before I went to Haiti).
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas in St. Croix
December 21-27
It has been different preparing for Christmas when there is no snow. The beginning of the week began with class. We watched a video series called “Pause” by Andy Stanley. In them I learned about temptation and when we make decisions/give into temptations there are things that are at stake. My future (or legacy), my family, and my faith. A couple questions that were brought to my attention during these sessions...What am I hungry for? (Good and Bad), Do I really trust God?, and Who’s am I really? Class concluded for the week on Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the girls had a sleepover at Lori’s house (our DTS director). We had a fun time playing dutch blitz and scattergories, painting our nails, having hot coco, and watching Runaway Bride. It was a lot of fun.
On Wednesday I spent the day reading by the pool and then we had a party in the evening. We had a gift exchange, ate dinner (bbq wings, spinach dip and chips, crab wantons, scotcharoos-I made them :D, and a few more goodies). We had a Wii tennis tournament, my team lost, but it was still fun. Then the girls slept by the Christmas tree.
Christmas Day a few of us opened our gifts from home, had awesome cinnamon rolls, watched Elf, and set up/decorated for our late afternoon dinner. The staff worked hard to make a nice Christmas dinner for us all; turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cream corn, cranberries, salad, rolls, and pumpkin and apple pie. It was all delicious, it made it feel like a real Christmas dinner. I played Ticket to Ride with a few others, I won with 145 pts :) It was a good game. Throughout the day I was able to talk to my family which was very nice. I missed home a little bit, but am so glad of where God has asked me to be.
Friday I slept in and in the evening the students all went out for dinner in Christiansted. It was good. Then I worked on some homework and watched Lord of the Rings 1.
Today, Saturday, was an interesting day. A group of us staff and students went to Carambola, a nice resort on the Island. Most of the group stayed back by the beach while four of us hiked to the tide pools. The waves were very large and the current strong. My classmates plus one of their brothers who was here for Christmas went out in the water and were soon pulled by the current. Everyone is safe, but they struggled to get back to shore. Bob and his brother were thrown towards rocks and Bob has some deep gashes. Please pray for them all as this was a very traumatic experience. I was at the tide pools where we had about 6 foot waves. There was a barrier between us and the waves, it was a lot of fun. Slightly dangerous, but I made it out with just one scratch from the coral. I am very thankful for God’s protection. He woke me up about 3 am to tell me, “You shouldn’t go to the beach” At the time I thought it was a silly statement but I thought okay. This morning I forgot about it, but still decided to go to the tide pools instead of the beach. I believe God was saving me from major harm. Isn’t God awesome! Things could have gone a lot worse today, but He showed us all here that He is in Control.
I want to thank you all for your prayers and the many cards I’ve received. I appreciate them all. God is doing so much in me here and it is great to know that I have so many people supporting me in prayer :)
A few prayer requests:
* For Bob, that his wounds from today would heal
* For my DTS, both students and staff, as we prepare to go to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We leave on January 14.
* For me, my jaw was locked for about 2 weeks and then last week went back to normal with a small amount of pain. On Christmas it began to hurt again and this evening it seems to be exceptionally bad when I open my mouth, even a little bit. A thanksgiving prayer would be that my eyes are doing exceptionally better :) I can’t wear my contacts yet, but I don’t have any gritty feeling to them anymore.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and stayed safe on the roads :)
Love, Grace, and Peace to all,
Kathy
It has been different preparing for Christmas when there is no snow. The beginning of the week began with class. We watched a video series called “Pause” by Andy Stanley. In them I learned about temptation and when we make decisions/give into temptations there are things that are at stake. My future (or legacy), my family, and my faith. A couple questions that were brought to my attention during these sessions...What am I hungry for? (Good and Bad), Do I really trust God?, and Who’s am I really? Class concluded for the week on Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the girls had a sleepover at Lori’s house (our DTS director). We had a fun time playing dutch blitz and scattergories, painting our nails, having hot coco, and watching Runaway Bride. It was a lot of fun.
On Wednesday I spent the day reading by the pool and then we had a party in the evening. We had a gift exchange, ate dinner (bbq wings, spinach dip and chips, crab wantons, scotcharoos-I made them :D, and a few more goodies). We had a Wii tennis tournament, my team lost, but it was still fun. Then the girls slept by the Christmas tree.
Christmas Day a few of us opened our gifts from home, had awesome cinnamon rolls, watched Elf, and set up/decorated for our late afternoon dinner. The staff worked hard to make a nice Christmas dinner for us all; turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cream corn, cranberries, salad, rolls, and pumpkin and apple pie. It was all delicious, it made it feel like a real Christmas dinner. I played Ticket to Ride with a few others, I won with 145 pts :) It was a good game. Throughout the day I was able to talk to my family which was very nice. I missed home a little bit, but am so glad of where God has asked me to be.
Friday I slept in and in the evening the students all went out for dinner in Christiansted. It was good. Then I worked on some homework and watched Lord of the Rings 1.
Today, Saturday, was an interesting day. A group of us staff and students went to Carambola, a nice resort on the Island. Most of the group stayed back by the beach while four of us hiked to the tide pools. The waves were very large and the current strong. My classmates plus one of their brothers who was here for Christmas went out in the water and were soon pulled by the current. Everyone is safe, but they struggled to get back to shore. Bob and his brother were thrown towards rocks and Bob has some deep gashes. Please pray for them all as this was a very traumatic experience. I was at the tide pools where we had about 6 foot waves. There was a barrier between us and the waves, it was a lot of fun. Slightly dangerous, but I made it out with just one scratch from the coral. I am very thankful for God’s protection. He woke me up about 3 am to tell me, “You shouldn’t go to the beach” At the time I thought it was a silly statement but I thought okay. This morning I forgot about it, but still decided to go to the tide pools instead of the beach. I believe God was saving me from major harm. Isn’t God awesome! Things could have gone a lot worse today, but He showed us all here that He is in Control.
I want to thank you all for your prayers and the many cards I’ve received. I appreciate them all. God is doing so much in me here and it is great to know that I have so many people supporting me in prayer :)
A few prayer requests:
* For Bob, that his wounds from today would heal
* For my DTS, both students and staff, as we prepare to go to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We leave on January 14.
* For me, my jaw was locked for about 2 weeks and then last week went back to normal with a small amount of pain. On Christmas it began to hurt again and this evening it seems to be exceptionally bad when I open my mouth, even a little bit. A thanksgiving prayer would be that my eyes are doing exceptionally better :) I can’t wear my contacts yet, but I don’t have any gritty feeling to them anymore.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and stayed safe on the roads :)
Love, Grace, and Peace to all,
Kathy
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A week before Christmas!
Well it is a week before Christmas, time flies when your having fun...and being busy :) I apologize for the delay in this post, I had a classic case of procrastination. Okay, so I’m guessing you all want to know what has been going on since I got back from Haiti.
November 30-December 6
This week was about a couple different things: the life of Jesus and relinquishing our rights. Our speaker was Chet Ingram. I learned so much this week. First, I want to share with you about an experience I had that week. When I returned back from Haiti I was dealing with some spiritual warfare. I wanted to be filled with joy and be happy, but I was continually dealing with feeling sad and just not being in a good mood. On Wednesday morning the group prayed over me and for my attitude. After that I felt very free and at peace, it was amazing to see the power of prayer in my own life. That next day I woke up in a very good mood and even talking and making jokes at breakfast. This is a big surprise to even me who is in no way a morning person :)
During class I was learning about who I was putting on the throne in my life, who has control; God or me. I learned about what it means to be a Talmid (Disciple) of Jesus, and the cost that is involved (Defined in Luke 14). I also realized the difference between being transformed by Christ (being Christ-like) and just looking like Christ. Where is my heart attitude. Then we learned about relinquishing our rights. This means that we allow God to be in control. Things such as my “right” to stay in the U.S. the rest of my life, possibly going into missions, any anger or bitterness I think I deserve to keep, marriage/family, nice clothes, dreams, being near my family. These are all things I had to give to God, and if He chooses to allow me to be by my family or get married or any other thing then that will be awesome, but if He asks me to go into missions, then I need to be willing and ready to serve him wholeheartedly.
On Thursday Night, December 4, we had a night of giving. The purpose of the night was to ask God what he wanted us to give others on the base. This way we were able to bless people here and see first hand what it was like to receive things the God was putting on others hearts. I was asked to give away a pair of earrings which to some people would seem silly, but to me it was very difficult to remind myself that the things I have are not my own but Gods. Once I gave away the earrings I was able to go and give encouragement and just thank people for the encouragement they have given me and apologize for some words I had spoken to a few people. In return I was blessed with a couple of written notes of encouragement as well as verbal encouragement. Others in the group were asked to give away money, laptops, hugs, and more.
December 7-13
Our speaker cancelled this week and after much consideration the DTS staff decided we might get quite a lot out of a week on Relationships. So we watched videos created in the early 90’s with a speaker named Dean Sherman. He had a lot of good information that was still very relevant to today’s times. Crazy how something like this can not change much in about 15 years :) It was hilarious to see all the super awesome hair dos and choice in clothing. But seriously, the week was really good. I learned that almost every problem can be traced back to the root of relationships. I learned more about loving God as well as my neighbor (which includes everyone I come in contact will, everyone is my neighbor). The difference between being Prideful and being Humble. In this I learned about really being Honest and transparent with those that I am close to and that everyone, because they are made in the image of God has value.
Then Dean shared with us information about romantic relationships and the gift of attraction. He provided some terms from the bible that were immoral actions and that I had not really ever looked into; word like laciviousness, concupiscience, sensuality, defrauding, fornication, and adultery. These are words that most of us don’t go and try to define we just skim over and say, well it doesn’t sound like something I would do and then we just forget about it. We also spent part of one day learning about the relationships between parents and children and just families in general. All the information last week was good. It was difficult to watch videos but I survived it.
Outside of class we (the whole base) had a Christmas decorating night. We put up the Christmas tree, with my help the tree didn’t turn out too shabby :) We had hot coco and we decorated bags for our kids party on Saturday. On Saturday morning we had a Children’s Christmas festival. I was in charge of the Ping Pong Shoot Out. The kids had to try to get Ping Pong balls off of different bottles using a water gun. There were about four boys that kept coming back to play, trying to change the game up a little everytime :)
December 14-20
On Sunday we went to a Pentecostal type church called Speak the Word Ministries. They sang a song to welcome our group and we received a lot of hugs. They were very friendly. Definitely something different then the church we normally go to, St. Croix Christian Church. After church all but one of the students went into Christiansted to walk around the boardwalk and have lunch. It was a beautiful day, probably in the lower 80’s :) I hope all of you in the snow aren’t too jealous :) haha. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
This week we are learning about a Biblical Worldview. The week started off with our DTS director, Lori Rietema, teaching us about the Belief Tree. The roots are our belief system, the trunk is our values, the branches are our decisions (policies) and the fruit is our actions or behaviors. The rest of this week we have the base director, Mark Warner, teaching us on other religions/beliefs as well as the biblical worldview/beliefs. Next week we have just two days of class and then we have the rest of the week off, well except for base events. I’m excited though!
Many of you don’t know, but I have been having issues with my eyes since about the second week in Haiti. It has kind of been on and off, but for the most part, by eyes have felt like I have something consistently scrapping my eyeball or that there is something stuck in my eye lids. Well, today I finally allowed Lori to take me to the doctor to get it checked out. This meant going to the hospital to the ER. The doctor decided that I have Blepharitis, an infection of the eyelid. They prescribed some eye drops that are expensive and I’m not sure if my insurance will cover. So the pharmacist gave me some generic ones that only cost me $16 :) that in his opinion do the exact same thing. So hopefully, after I follow all the home care instructions my eyes should be healed in 2-4 weeks :) Until then, I can’t wear my contacts and I can’t wear makeup.
Wow, this is really long. Sorry, I just have a hard time summarizing :)
I hope everyone has an awesome Christmas and if you are traveling that you may stay safe.
Thank you all for your love and support!
Merry Christmas,
Kathy Beth Miersma
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Haiti 2008
I’m back from Haiti! Wow, what an experience I had there. I can hardly believe I was only there for about 9 days. We started off our trip with plane delays giving us one overnight stay in Miami, then onto Haiti. We arrived in the evening on Tuesday, November 17. Outside the airpot there was a mob of people trying to take our luggage for us, but we were told not to because they would expect a tip. Once we were on the bus we had a two hour trip from Port au Prince to St. Marc where the YWAM base was. We had some training on our disaster relief work and then we were off to sleep.
Wednesday the fun began. We set out to the 5th section of St. Marc in a little town called La Grange. We went through a lot of spiritual warfare that day. We all stood/sat in the back of the work truck while Terry Snow (the director of the YWAM base) attempted to get us through all the mud to the town. It was only by God’s protection and help that we were able to make it all the way there. The people were so excited to see us. We set up the equipment and began our process. A few people from our group went out and did investigating of the homes. They had to figure out, with the help of our Haitian translators, the names of the families, how many people lived in the house, telephone numbers (who would have thought they would have phones when they can hardly find food to eat), and then they had to evaluate the condition of the home and the families needs. Then the rest of us, myself included, entered this data into the computer and took pictures of the people to make ID cards. Amazingly the rain held off while we were there (it appeared the clouds separated and was raining in the mountains and the ocean but not in the section we were in. Isn’t our God Great!)
The next day we went to another town, Desfouneau, and did the same process while Terry went and handed out the Blue Cards to La Grange so that they could get food boxes. On Friday we went back to La Grange to hand out the food boxes. The drive is about 1-1.5 hours and we had to take about 4 trips to get all the food boxes to the town. We started with a group leaving at 6 am and the last group arriving at 3 pm. During this time we taught the school kids our names, played hop scotch, did some dramas, took photos, and just had fun with the kids. Then Alyssa and I gave our testimonies, Luke gave a little sermon, and then we started handing out the food boxes. There was some chaos, but everyone ended up getting their food box and we were able to head back to the base. It was an amazing day!
Over the weekend we went to the local market, ate out at a local restaurant, relaxed and performed our dramas, gave testimonies/sermons and worshiped at the bases Church service. Then another week began.
Monday we had some issues with Gervie (another town) lying to us, so we ended up packing up and leaving early. The town was filled with Greed, so we had a time of prayer for them that evening. Tuesday we headed back to Desfouneau, we performed our dramas, gave testimonies and a sermon and then handed out food boxes. The town was very appreciative and very cooperative about waiting in line. Some people even stopped in our prayer line to be prayed for longer. It was so awesome to see. Then we went to a small town called Ba-Lalle who were so excited to see us and hear what we had to say. We performed our dramas again along with testimonies and a sermon. Many people accepted Christ and we were able to have a time of prayer for the people there. Then after lunch we went to a town called Luben, which Terry had just recently gone to for the 1st time in his almost 20 years of ministry there. We handed out food cards. I had a following of kids the whole time I was there :)
Wednesday a group went back to Luben to hand out food, while the rest of us helped out with the Children’s Academy that they had on the base. We did some dramas, told a bible story and then headed to the different classrooms. I helped out the kindergardeners. They were so cute, we attempted to make 3D pumpkins and then we had snack break and watched part of WALL-E. In the afternoon we had a lesson from Terry Snow. In the evening the base was celebrating everyones birthdays for the month of November, we played TrainReck, threw the birthday people in the pool, and had cupcakes. It was a fun evening.
Thursday we made our way home to St. Croix. We had issues getting back though. Our flight out of Haiti was delayed so half of our group ended up staying in Miami because Immigration took so long and the other half of us barely made our flight to San Juan, PR. But we made it and we are all trying to rest up this weekend.
The outreach overall was life brought a lot of light towards missions for me. The people in these towns had such an amazing joy for how little they have. There was one man that was helping us control the lines, showing people where to go. He was so happy and he had lost his house in the Hurricanes (Hanna and Ike) and probably had hardly any food or possessions. He was such an example for all of us. God really helped me through my fear of public speaking and He helped me see that my words could bring someone to Christ. I am so excited to learn even more about God and about going to Nicaragua in January. I think I will truly come home a changed person. OUR GOD IS AMAZING, HIS LOVE IS STEADY AND UNCHANGING!
Thank you to everyone for your prayers while we were gone. God’s power was definitely proven while I was in Haiti. I know that it is through prayer that we were able to do the work we did there.
I hope to get pictures uploaded soon, but it takes a long time because our internet is so slow. Thanks again for your patience in this area :)
Love in Christ,
Kathy Beth Miersma
Wednesday the fun began. We set out to the 5th section of St. Marc in a little town called La Grange. We went through a lot of spiritual warfare that day. We all stood/sat in the back of the work truck while Terry Snow (the director of the YWAM base) attempted to get us through all the mud to the town. It was only by God’s protection and help that we were able to make it all the way there. The people were so excited to see us. We set up the equipment and began our process. A few people from our group went out and did investigating of the homes. They had to figure out, with the help of our Haitian translators, the names of the families, how many people lived in the house, telephone numbers (who would have thought they would have phones when they can hardly find food to eat), and then they had to evaluate the condition of the home and the families needs. Then the rest of us, myself included, entered this data into the computer and took pictures of the people to make ID cards. Amazingly the rain held off while we were there (it appeared the clouds separated and was raining in the mountains and the ocean but not in the section we were in. Isn’t our God Great!)
The next day we went to another town, Desfouneau, and did the same process while Terry went and handed out the Blue Cards to La Grange so that they could get food boxes. On Friday we went back to La Grange to hand out the food boxes. The drive is about 1-1.5 hours and we had to take about 4 trips to get all the food boxes to the town. We started with a group leaving at 6 am and the last group arriving at 3 pm. During this time we taught the school kids our names, played hop scotch, did some dramas, took photos, and just had fun with the kids. Then Alyssa and I gave our testimonies, Luke gave a little sermon, and then we started handing out the food boxes. There was some chaos, but everyone ended up getting their food box and we were able to head back to the base. It was an amazing day!
Over the weekend we went to the local market, ate out at a local restaurant, relaxed and performed our dramas, gave testimonies/sermons and worshiped at the bases Church service. Then another week began.
Monday we had some issues with Gervie (another town) lying to us, so we ended up packing up and leaving early. The town was filled with Greed, so we had a time of prayer for them that evening. Tuesday we headed back to Desfouneau, we performed our dramas, gave testimonies and a sermon and then handed out food boxes. The town was very appreciative and very cooperative about waiting in line. Some people even stopped in our prayer line to be prayed for longer. It was so awesome to see. Then we went to a small town called Ba-Lalle who were so excited to see us and hear what we had to say. We performed our dramas again along with testimonies and a sermon. Many people accepted Christ and we were able to have a time of prayer for the people there. Then after lunch we went to a town called Luben, which Terry had just recently gone to for the 1st time in his almost 20 years of ministry there. We handed out food cards. I had a following of kids the whole time I was there :)
Wednesday a group went back to Luben to hand out food, while the rest of us helped out with the Children’s Academy that they had on the base. We did some dramas, told a bible story and then headed to the different classrooms. I helped out the kindergardeners. They were so cute, we attempted to make 3D pumpkins and then we had snack break and watched part of WALL-E. In the afternoon we had a lesson from Terry Snow. In the evening the base was celebrating everyones birthdays for the month of November, we played TrainReck, threw the birthday people in the pool, and had cupcakes. It was a fun evening.
Thursday we made our way home to St. Croix. We had issues getting back though. Our flight out of Haiti was delayed so half of our group ended up staying in Miami because Immigration took so long and the other half of us barely made our flight to San Juan, PR. But we made it and we are all trying to rest up this weekend.
The outreach overall was life brought a lot of light towards missions for me. The people in these towns had such an amazing joy for how little they have. There was one man that was helping us control the lines, showing people where to go. He was so happy and he had lost his house in the Hurricanes (Hanna and Ike) and probably had hardly any food or possessions. He was such an example for all of us. God really helped me through my fear of public speaking and He helped me see that my words could bring someone to Christ. I am so excited to learn even more about God and about going to Nicaragua in January. I think I will truly come home a changed person. OUR GOD IS AMAZING, HIS LOVE IS STEADY AND UNCHANGING!
Thank you to everyone for your prayers while we were gone. God’s power was definitely proven while I was in Haiti. I know that it is through prayer that we were able to do the work we did there.
I hope to get pictures uploaded soon, but it takes a long time because our internet is so slow. Thanks again for your patience in this area :)
Love in Christ,
Kathy Beth Miersma
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