मैं भारत के लिए जा रहा हूँ

I'M GOING TO INDIA!!


I am so excited and it is a pure miracle that I am going. =] 


My dad, brother and I are going with our church for a week of outreach (I still have no idea what the details are and what we will be doing) and then my dad is going to teach on the SBS so that means that my Brother and I will be there for an extra week! 


We will be going to the west of India near Mumbai during the last two weeks of February :) 


... This is just a short post & I will write more when I know more of what's happening.

Peace & Love :)

-From Flickr.

THANKSGIVING!!!!

:D YAY 


  Yesterday was so much fun. 


I am sure that all of my English readers are extremely confused at all of the updates on Thanksgiving, therefore I will give a brief account before I continue: 


When the first immigrants went to the US in search of the new world, they had an extremely hard first year(s?) and many lives were taken by disease, etc. The few remaining people that survived the hard times celebrated when they harvested their food because they survived, with the help of the native americans. Hence turkey, pumpkin pie, potato overload. :D no complaints.


        Yeah. I definitely have more than my fair share of blessing..
                                        Especially from all of your support and contribution :) 


Now it is the 30 day count down until Christmas :) 

Life is exciting. 

Friends▪Family▪God▪Salvation▪Hawaii▪England▪Airplanes▪Cameras▪Inspiration▪Creativity▪Guitars▪Pencils▪Sketchbook▪Talent▪Jonathan▪Outreach▪Maturity▪Journals▪Trees▪Nature▪Flowers▪Sun▪Beach▪Kua Bay▪YOU▪Fashion▪Ebay▪Jamie Oliver▪Rain▪ Thunder-storms▪Bed▪Mulled Wine▪Jasmine Green Tea▪ Marmite▪Guitars again▪Starbucks ▪Travelling▪Life▪Black tea▪Music▪50mm f/1.8▪Brooke Fraser▪KLM▪ You again! :D

Adventure!!

So last night I had a flashback and inspiration for what my next blog should be, here we go:

A few weeks ago one of my friends was preaching at church and it was amazing and so inspirational.
His topic was dreaming big and to respond to our passions and hopes. That got me really excited because it was just what I needed to hear. My dreams and visions were getting crowded out with doubts of finance and expectations. -Of course that is important but it shouldn't be dominant.

      Back in the summer of 2008 I remember very distinctly a prayer I made. I had caught the travel bug of short term missions and I wanted to see more of the world. I prayed: "God, add some spice to this life you have given me"... Ohhh what a dangerous prayer to say! I remember after that I kept having a deep burning desire to go to America, my second mother land. (Or is it first?) .. Every other night I would go into my parents room and tell them that I think we should move to the USA. A few weeks later my dad took my family out to dinner and he told us that he had been hearing from God that we should move to America and there was an opportunity to go to Hawaii. Ok.. Hawaii.. That was not what I thought of when I prayed for 'America' but I was excited.

     To cut a long story short, a year later we were on a plane to be gone for 10 months. Wow.
     
         God answers prayers.
                                                            Dream big. 

I never thought that I, a girl from Higham Lane school, would jet off to live in Hawaii?! Epic.

I also thought I'd share some more thoughts about my future dreams..

As I'm sure most of you know, I am a YWAM kid. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) is an organization where it disciples people to be equipped to tell people about God, locally and internationally. My parents have been working there for a looooong time and I have grown up in it. Living in YWAM is all I have ever known and it's inspired me to think outside the box :)

When I've finished high school (only 2 more years!!) I plan to do a DTS in either California, Hawaii or New Zealand. After that I would love to do the PhotogenX Track which is a 2 year course of travelling to 30+ nations and using photography as means to publicize the injustice that is happening around the world and in our communities. Sending good news to the broken-hearted is especially what God has put on my heart and I want to live out these passions :)

These are just current thoughts. And dreams.

          I believe that they can happen because our God is greater
                                     and no dream, passion or finance is to big for him.

-My second home. Airport terminals.

-Dream camera & lenses *____*

happy days,

      people of facebook. twitter. internet. world.    

                                                                                              hello :]

I thought I would write a blog this Monday evening, to simply lift spirits and tell people what's happenin'.

'Remember, remember the fifth of November'...

       wow. What a night :) basically 1/2 of the Lodge invaded the firework display on Higham on the Hill (a little village up the hill). It was epic. 'I think humans are drawn to sparkly things' - I agree.

but yeah. This last weekend was just really good. It consisted of; fireworks, v for vendetta, mcdonalds, unexpected encounters, encouragement, baking, good friends, lots of guitar playing, a sunday afternoon wander in a glorious forest, lots of sketching and an abundance of photo editing. amazing. =]

                                                                I have been refreshed with hope.

and I am excited to live life to the fullest!

     we only have one life here on earth, we might as well make it count
(cliche, I know)

                                     :)

   If I have learnt one thing from this life, it is that God is always good

and He is faithful to his children.

 He does not abandon. 

His love is extravagant and his grace has no bounds :) 

-sneak-peaks of my drawing

         Everyone listen to this song and fall in love :) by: Brooke Fraser
                              . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3hvHYF_Dp0


Ciao for now!

Half Term!!

Aloha Amigos!!

How's it going in your neck of the woods? Over in Inglaterra, it is pretty fantastic. =]

       This past week and a half has been crazy non-stop, full of joy, laughter, serving, sickness and tiredness. Yep. Sickness and Joy. Strange huh?

   In England there is a week at the end of October that students get off school. On the first weekend of the half term I took part in an event at my church, funnily enough called 'The Event'. =] 

It was a time where loads of local youth groups met together from Friday-Sunday, and chilled, worshiped, prayed together and encouraged each other. 

    It was such a good soaking time.. there is so much to write but I shall refrain =] Feel free to ask questions though. 

At the beginning of 'The Event', I started to come down with a cold, which got worse despite all the medication and health drinks I consumed -.- On the Sunday night after The Event had finished, my brother, some friends and I jumped in a mini-bus to drive down to Cambridge to join with a bigger event that involved WildFire, Soul Survivor, YFC and other organizations. 

     I honestly had no idea what to expect, I just went along with the flow :) It turned out to be a really great week where we held fun days, a talent show, a ceilidh(Scottish dancing), workshops and I got to chilled out with some elderly people. They were so precious :) 

  However I was(and still am!) completely shattered from all the constant activity. 

Apart from that:...

 Tomorrow I am going to go job searching.. I am really open to any thing. I am going to hand out some CV's

 [equivalent to a resume, my American readers :)] to some shops & cafe's in town, hopefully something will open up! I would really appreciate all of your prayers during this time :) 

And I am also travelling to California next January with my dad, so if anyone is in the area, lets meet up =]

Blessed

                                HEY GUYS  :D

I haven't written in a while.. I should get back into the habit. The delay is mostly because of the lack of diversity in my routine! It is pretty much the same old, which is good. =] 

.....So yeah. The DTS students have been here for about 2 weeks, and they are all really cool :) My day is 50% doing school, 50% hanging out with them. Happy times! I am also falling more in love with my youth group. Since we're all getting older, we're having deeper discussions, crazier times and exploring our God-given talents to the fullest. They're all really great! =]

Last night some of my friends and I went to see Brooke Fraser in concert. For those of you who don't know who she is, LOOK HER UP. Seriously. You won't regret it. She's one of the lead singers of Hillsong and she also does some of her own contemporary work :) It was one of the greatest nights of my life. 

On top of that, I have really been growing in my relationship with God. I've been thinking about the fruits of the spirit and different aspects of love. 

'Love is patient, love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 

It does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 

it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth.

 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things' 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 

..Woooowwww... I want to love like that. This is my analogy.. 

We can never experience the true meaning of love from humans, as we are selfish and sinful beings. Love like this is impossible for us to fully perfect, since it is flawless. I believe that God is love and that everything he does, he does in love. Therefore the only way that we can truly experience this wholesome love is by knowing and being in relationship with God. 

My conclusion is that in order to grow in love I must grow deeper roots into God

and into HIS love. He is the perfect example. =] 

This will be a long journey and take a lifetime to practice.. Let's go! 

My handsome helper

Brooke Fraser <3 

My youth group =]

elisa-joy's photostream

elisa-joy's photostream on Flickr.

Simple Love

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact

 you must give it to no one, not even an animal. 

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.

Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. 

But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. 

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

 To love is to be vulnerable.” 

-C.S.Lewis

Purple Stained Fingers...

Good evening, dear and wonderful readers :)


I thought I would complete my fortnightly update, so here I go!
  
...These past few weeks have been awesome. August is turning into Autumn, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are changing colour. Today I went on a wonderful frolick with two fantastic people, Madeline and Abbey. We went blackberry picking and though we got stung, pricked, stained and dirty from the spontaneous outing, it was so refreshing to go on an adventure, discuss life and become inspired. I like my friends :)       
               Other than that, this past weekend I went away to Wales with my fabulous youth group for an end-of-the-summer get away. It was brilliant; we did crazy challenges, went on long walks and had awesome worship times. Our focus of the weekend was our fears, and that lead onto the fear of God and what effect that had on our lives. I was really convicted by that, realizing that I wasn't respecting God the way I should. 


             -To know the supreme reality of God's sovereignty 
           without religiously separating myself from him 


Our God is a personal God. He desires relationship with us, because he is love to the very core of his being. I still cannot get over that concept. It really tugs on the strings of my heart.


Why would God, the creator of the universe and father of humanity, want to have a relationship with me? How can He know everything about me, yet love me unconditionally anyway? It just doesn't seem right.. yet that is the beauty of the wonderful love story that life is. God's grace is enough and sufficient for us.  


WOAHHHHH. 
Ok, those have been some of my current thoughts. I also have a few others that I would like to share.. a few fears that I have been carrying...


Fear of the future: Realistically, who doesn't have this doubt? It is a life long fear of 'What will tomorrow hold?' 'How can tomorrow be any different than the terrible day I had today?'
Each day seems as repetitive as the last; get up, eat, be with friends, watch t.v., sleep, repeat. 
I want more. I need inspiration. 
As some of you know I am carrying on homeschooling this year, and I didn't think about going to college, purely because I don't want to be dedicated to something here in England so that I can't be portable. I want to keep the door of travel open and operative. I will see how this plays out..


Fear of passing relationships: I love being in YWAM and travelling more than anything, mostly because of all the wonderful people I meet and friendships I build.. but this lifestyle has one very dark side: saying goodbye. I have had to say farewell to friends in England, Hawaii, Mexico, Romania.. and the people that have journeyed with me along the way. My biggest fear is losing those friendships but also becoming numb and hesitant to new opportunities to make new friends.
     It is a vicious circle, friends. A very vicious circle. 


But, Alas! I shall continue to look on the bright side =] 

     -Glory Berries. (I did not take this picture, But I love it so!)

<3 <3

Home bittersweet home.

Fini! Terminado! Listo!

...England. I have concluded that waking up at 2am to leave a country
     makes the departure that much more terrible. I miss the sweet nature
         of the YWAMer's in Medias, and their servant hearted love.
               Their generosity shall forever be in my heart. ♥

I think that my favorite memories were held within team time, where we got to know each other and    discuss issues that were happening in our hearts. My fondest memories happen to be the discussions on the trains, the sponteneous encouragement times and the star gazing from the third floor balcony of the beautiful house. These are the times when true feelings and deep thoughts surface, where the unity within the group strengthens and friendships seal. These are the memories that won't fade.

However, outreach-wise I think that my favorite ministry was hanging out with the local gypsy kids, giving them cuddles and dancing with them; accepting their generosity into their homes and taking photos of their beautiful faces. Their joy in the midst of the darkness was radiant and they have taught me more than I could have even known. =]

This morning we had to sadly depart the land of Dracula, and hop onto a plane back to Inglateraa. We safely landed at around 7am (deathworthy) and got picked up by my wonderful father who drove us back to the Lodge.

It will be sad not being around so many people, and not sharing a room with 8 other girls, but I will try to cherish this free time whilst I can :p.

I would like to say a massive THANKYOU! To everyone who has supported me, financially, spiritually, emotionally.... you are all so wonderful and I thank God for you often :) I couldn't have done it without you guys -literally.

Elize..

-My wonderful new found best friend- Love this chica :)

Ori distracţie în Transilvania

HI WORLD :)

As most of you know, I am currently in Romania, the land of Dracula & amazing authentic culture. We have been here for 10 days now and the only word that can describe my time so far is: superfantabulous.

The type of ministry we have been doing is mainly working with gypsy kids and doing practical work around the base. After coming back from Mexico I was preparing myself for a fast paced non-stop outreach but this one has been way more chill and flexible. I have been able to spend more quality time with the team and pour all of my energy into that one ministry.

One of the main things that I have learnt from this outreach is how most of the time our mindset is that we as individuals visit another country in order to help the people because we are 'westeners' and almost superior.. when I actually am starting to believe that it is quite positively the other way around. I think that God sends us to these places so we can learn from them, their culture and their love. They have so little to give yet they want to give it all just to bless us. That realisation has been like a slap across the face and it has inspired me for when i leave to go home.

Another thing I have grown in alot is the art of encouragement. I've learnt alot about my self and how I see other people. I have realised that constantly affirming each other is an essential for building unity. We should all do it more :)


This blogpost was short but sweet, I shall write more once I have arrived back into the great land that is home. ;)


mulţumesc.

Elize

Dia de locos

TODAY IS THE DAY!


Anticipation has built up to this day, when the summer camp starts and the preperation for outreach begins..


And although miracles have happened and I am covered financially [and oh-so grateful:) ], I have realised that that is the only area I am prepared in. I am not emotionally, spiritually or physically(still have to pack!) ready and I'm sure that it will hit me in a few days like a slap. Standard.


This will be a new different kind of outreach for me, as I haven't met most of the Romania team yet. (On the team there is 11(?) girls, 1 guy :p) So this shall be an interesting experience.


I'm excited for this adventure that God will take me on in the next few weeks, I'm trying to mentally prepare my self to be blown away, shocked, energized and broken. =]


Thank you all for your support :D 


I will try to do updates but I'm not sure how easy it will be on the road ;) 


mucho amor mis amigos <3

Captivated Love

It has been about 2 weeks since I have posted one of these! Oh how my world has changed!

The Euro Mobile DTS returned to the Lodge for a week for the YWAM England conferences over the weekend of the 1st-3rd of July. The base was buzzing and I loved having all of the people around! On the Monday everyone had packed up and left, and then BAM, silence. The April DTS left at the beginning of the week, jetting off to the Philippines. The calmness of the base is like a slap across the face. I miss the crazy spirits of my YWAM family but I'm using this as a time to slow my head from spinning so fast.

On Wednesday I decided to expedition down to Brighton with my father to see some of my family and visit my granny who has just come out of hospital (Praise the Lord!) =]
It has been a brilliant time down here, just being alone and able to get away from routine of life and same view  outside the window. As quick as the car ride down Jesus has spoken so deeply into my heart and pointed out things that I need to change there. I guess I really did need to get away and just be still....
I've started to read the book 'Captivating' and I highly recommend it to females but males also! ;)
I have learnt so much about women-kind that I didn't even think about but now it makes so much more sense :) I feel that the labyrinth in my mind is turning into a normal 2-way street. I am falling deeper into romance with my maker and revelations are popping into my mind like general thoughts.. He is so good!

Today it is the 8th of July and Romania is coming soon! I have booked my flight so my place is secure.. now to just come up with another £300($500)... hmmm. :) I have met some of my team mates and I am genuinely so excited about this outreach!

If anything else comes to mind that is a necessity to be added in, then I will be sure to do that. =]

Have a blessed morning/day/night, my lovelies! 

Semana de mi Cumpleanos!

Aloha fellow humans :) How's it goin?

Birthday- This Thursday I became one year older and I turned 16 :)
Being 15 was awesome, I did such amazing things. I traveled to the ends of the Earth and I had no idea I would the year before. I've experienced so many cultures and been with so many wonderful people, my mind has been opened up and I have learnt so much. God has been so gracious to me and he has blessed me with unexpected experiences. My heart has been changed and I feel like such a different person than what I was this time last year. :) quick summary.

Romania- I have sent in my application and been accepted into the team for Romania.. I have been blessed with £200($300) towards my trip which will cover my flight, however I still need the remaining £350($550?) for the camp and living expenses. I appreciate all of your prayers and support in this area :) My deadline for my camp fee's are due in Friday 1st July.

2011/2012- I am so excited to see what will happen in these two years!!!! AHHH. I have desires, hopes and dreams of what I would like to happen, and If this year could amount to last year then that would just be amazing. I will wait expectant and ready, but not wish  the days away. It's kinda hard to explain my thoughts through a blog post...


:) Gracias Obrigado Merci Thankyou Cheers Mahalo

Have a wonderful day!!

..Elisa<3

       
          -This picture has been recycled from another blog-post, however it couldn't be more accurate.

Postcards from.. Romania?

Hello all you wonderful people:)

I have heard that my last blog post sounded as if I wasn't glad to be back in England which is very far from the truth! I have settled in now, and I am very content; catching up, restoring friendships and meeting new people. :) One week left of school, Joy!!

Last weekend I went down to Cornwall which is in the South of England, with Kings Kids (Wildfire). I had no idea what we would be doing down there, I honestly just went down to see some friends! However I had the most amazing time there, God met me in such a real, down-to-earth way and my spirit was re-newed:)

This summer I have felt like I should go to Romania on outreach. At first I was questioning visiting the Philippines on missions but I wasn't at peace about my choice. I heard about Romania and I got really excited, I think that this may be right! The trip is 23rd July- 10th August, starting off with a few days camp here at the Kings Lodge to prepare us for ministry. The over-all cost of the trip is around £600 and so far I have £0!! But I know that our God is faithful and He will bring in every last penny, for whatever He wants me to do this summer!

I ask that you could pray about this with me? Also, If you have a desire to contribute towards my travels in anyway then I would be so grateful!!

Have the loveliest day ever!

Now what?

England.

I definitely have bittersweet feelings right now. Therefore I am going to write a blog-post. 
The honest truth: Half of my heart is still in Hawaii.
A quarter of my heart is still in TJ, Mexico and the last quarter is in England, tugging at the 3/4 to come join me at this sphere of the world. This has been a intense transitioning time, and I haven't quite yet adjusted. From the day I arrived back I have been pouring all of my energy and time into school, leaving a short time aside to see friends and rest. I have currently completed 2 subjects forever.. I'm now working on the last 4, praying that I'll finish in time. 


'What has the culture shock been like?' I hear you asking. Well, I'll tell you, It hasn't been easy. Leaving a laid back, free living culture like Hawaii to arrive to the very 'proper' culture of the British.. has been quite the shock. I am trying to teach my self to live in the moment, however, and to enjoy the environment and friendships I have now. I have some pretty irreplaceable friends here:) 

One of the main questions on my mind now is: 'What next?' These past few months have been moving so fast and to come to a sudden halt has been something that will take getting used to. 
                But then again, the unknown is exhilarating. Adventure is near- 
     I just need the courage to let go of my expectations and live in the moment :)

     'All who wander are not lost' -J.R.R. Tolkien

:) thanks for taking the time to read my heart. <3

                         loveloveloveloveloveyou.

End of Outreach

Transitioning period..

It is currently Saturday the 14th of May and I am located in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. I have left outreach 4 days ago and I am having a holiday/transitioning time/ catch up with my friends time here. I am here for 2 more days and then I start my journey back to England.

I need to confess that I haven't been the best in keeping up to date with my blog.
I haven't updated about my last weeks of outreach so here is a rough outline about what we had been doing.
Our remaining days in Ensenada consisted of helping out in the community and the base, but my highlight was definately when we were able to build a house for a family. There were 6 people in the family, and the house we built for them was probably 4x6 meters. It was such a great experience, and really humbling, to know that with $5000 and 2 days of labour, a whole house could be built and a family's life could be changed.

When we moved back to Tijuana, we had mainly resting days, doing work duties on the campus and getting ready to leave Mexico. It didn't really hit me that this would be my last week in Mexico, and I am still kind of in denial. Either denial or I am becoming numb to saying goodbye, as I have to so often. YWAM. When we left Mexico we had to wake up at 3am to cross the Mexican border and that took us 3 hours. The rest of the team left to go to the Dominican Republic that morning and they ended up missing some of their connections but they got there eventually.

As I said before, I am currently in Hawaii, transitioning from Outreach to going back to normal life. When I am back in England I will be catching up and finishing school and I have no idea what I will be doing in the summer but I hope I can go on outreach again (ahee).

Thankyou for all making this possible for me to go, It has been a life changing experience and I appreciate you all so much!!

Mucho Amor, Elisa :) <3

p.s. 360 I miss you guys! </3

Si Senor!

Hola Mundo!
(Hey World!)

It is currently week three of ministry and I am loving it so mucho grande. Last sunday our team moved down south an hour to a city called Ensenada. We are staying here for 10 days (It's been 4 days already) and we will be engaging in the community, serving the people and building homes! On Monday & Tuesday, we went to a migrant camp, which is an area where people stay at when they travel across Mexico to cross the border but then change their minds. The houses were probably 4x4 meters in total area, with a dirt floor and no electricity. We painted the whole interior of one house for a family and it totally lit up the room, since these houses have no windows. Our prayer is that the light in the house will be more than just painted walls, but hope and faith for the future. On wednesday we ran a kids programme, doing dramas and games with the kids. It was cool, It seems that every time we go somewhere and do a similar programme, it is always different in some way, and something different stands out to me. =] In the past week I have been blessed beyond measure and I am praying that each day will hold a new challenge, giving me a chance to grow in different areas of my life. It's hard at the time, but the end result will be a happy one :) Our teams plans for the next few days is to be helping out with the national Mexican holiday 'Dia de el nino' -Day of the child. This day is set apart to honour kids and thei existence. Our team has been invited to take part in abit of this celebration in the city we are staying at. Over sunday and monday, we will be building a house with homes of hope. the $5000 has been provided to build he house, which is a miracle :) I am so grateful for all of your prayers, love and support, physically and emotionally.

Buenas Dias!

-A brother and Sister I saw sitting together

-Orphanage

Hanging out in a poor community, with a newly made bathroom in the background

Dios te bendiga!

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18

Semana Dos

Week two of ministry has passed! This last week has been very challenging and testing for all of us. This is a run down of what we have been up to:

Monday; On this day we went to a street kids programme where there were about 15 children aged around 6-12. They spent most of their time on the streets because there was no-one to look after them at their homes. We played with them, did crafts, games and showed them a drama. On our team we have a 4 year old boy called Eli, and he felt like he should give away his shoes to one of the street kids. They were his most favorite trainers, but he decided to give them away to a boy who had no shoes. The little boy's face just lit up as he recieved these new trainers, and he was finally able to safely run around. He did this proudly, and it was so precious!

Tuesday: This was a free day! This was also the day that my computer decided to hate me! On this day we just wandered around a near-by town called Rosarito. We looked through the markets and their mexican Wal-mart!

Wednesday: This was probably my best day so far. We woke up at 5.30 to go to the orphanage again, and we made quesadillas. It was precious. I just want to steal all the babies away! In the afternoon we went to a poor community and looked around and prayed. We would be working there, building bathrooms in the next few days so we wanted to check out the area. All the houses were made up of cardboard.. random wood.. random bricks.. nothing the same. The guys on our team spent the rest of the week digging a hole to provide a bathroom for a family. In the evening I went with the team to the feeding the homeless ministry. It was so intense, I was praying the whole way through. There was around 50 homeless guys who had lined up for food, and we served them until there was none left over. Many of them were doing drugs but the sad thing was that many of them were under the age of 30. Meh. I pray for them often.

Thursday & Friday: These days were just prep for the weekend. We did shopping for prizesand also helped some Mexican children with their homework.. interesting days!

Saturday: On this day we went to help a church clean up and serve their community. We painted a wall that had graffiti on it, all white and then our talented aritist, Flow, Did a design on it that preached the gospel. It was magnificent! Later on, we went around to random homes and planted trees for them, and offered to pray. 

Sunday: Best church I have ever been too.. It is hard to explain.. let's just leave it at that. In the afternoon we did a kids programme with games, prizes, cake, drama's, dances, etc. This weekend had been so tiring! But so productive. :) This is the run down of last week! Now to get personal... This has been a more emotionally exhausting week for me, there is alot of stuff going on that is affecting the team which must mean we are doing something right? If this week has been stressful then I am just thinking about the 5th week of ministry.. God help us! Anyways I am shattered so this is all for now folks! Thanks for taking the time to read this :)

'Though a mighty army surrounds me
My heart will not be afraid,
Even if I am attacked
I will remain confident' -Psalm 27:3

week numero uno

SEMANA UNO en mejico J

It is Sunday night and it is close to being our first complete week here in Mexico, Tijuana. Seeing as it has only been around 5 days of ministry so far, I have had my heart so moved & changed already and I am so excited for everything else that will come! What has happened so far:

Wednesday: 5.30am wake up, to get ready to go to an orphanage to serve breakfast to some children there. We arrived a little late so we couldn’t actually make breakfast but we ended up just hanging out with the babies. There were 19 small babies/toddlers and 18 older children. When I saw the babies I just wanted to steal them all away. The children there were the most joyful, smiley babies I have ever seen in my life, and this is not an exaggeration. They would all beg to be hugged, cuddled, tickled, fed... It made me realise how much we take for granted... and also how blessed I am to have parents. I also just wanted to praise the orphanage workers who are giving up their lives to invest in these young people. J How great their reward will be.

Thursday: On this day, all of the girls in the team went to a girls prison inside the city. There were about 6 girls there and as a group we just sang Spanish worship songs, and then two DTSers and two of the Mexican girls shared their testimonies. However, the saddest thing was that the two girls weren’t even in prison for justified reasons. The rules had been tilted and unfair, which makes me realise how much justice affects the world... and the lack of it.

Friday: On this morning I went to the Orphanage again to serve breakfast. I helped Emily, Michael & Eli with school work, and then we went to the town of Rosarito to hand out flyers. We later had wonderful authentic Mexican tacos and burritos... MUY delicioso!

Saturday: This day was a crazy busy day but so much fun! A local church had been planning to do a skating event in the town of Rosarito and our team got invited to be a part of this. This was wonderful because it meant we got to share some dramas and dances with the estimated 500 teens & families there! It was wonderful, everything went smoothly. Praise the Jesus.

Sunday: Today we went to a church to be a part of the kids programme, do a drama and share a little bit. This was a 4 hour long time! However I enjoyed every second of it, the children were so precious, the Spanish worship was wonderful and even though the music failed in the drama, the team picked it back up very professionally =]

I am so blessed to be on this outreach and with all the wonderful people here! On our team there is people from all over the world! Literally... America, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China/Russia, France, England (YES) , Sweden, Korea.. (: Its so great to bring all of our talents together and make something out of it.

Anyways, this is the first weekly update about what is happening!

Love you all!

<333 

This is the day!

Today is the day!

For this is the day that the Lord has made

We will rejoice and be glad in Him!

Today I begin the great adventure to Mexico! Right now I am in Oahu and in a few hours I will fly back to Kona to join the team and then go from there. I have been with my family in Oahu on a holiday for the weekend but it has been the most intense, stressful holiday ever! Our flights have got cancelled, booked, cancelled, re-booked and this was all in the first hour! Jonny and I went to a water park on Saturday, as a late birthday present. On Sunday we then did an Island trip and I have never realised how beautiful Hawaii is! Just on a few tiny Islands there is nearly every single climate group all within a few miles of each other. I think that when God created the Earth, he decided to go crazy and just create everything in one small place. I have been blessed to call this place my home for a few months and I sure hope to come back and live here once again. Mahalo!

On a second note, today is my last day I will be spending with my family until the end of May but hopefully I will grow a lot in this time, and learn so much. I am still unsure of what to expect so I’m just going to dive into the deep end and get ready to be surprised! This is all for now. There shall be a new post within the first week of being Mexican-afied.

Mucho amor, to you all <3

'If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.' Jeremiah 29:13

Let's Go On An Adventure..

      9,8,7,6....

                  Hello friends (:

Enter: Week countdown. Next Monday I will be departing Kona to begin the journey to Tijuana, Mexico. God has so faithfully provided every penny that I need, so all of my outreach fees are paid for! I am excited, nervous, perplexed and expectant. There is so much I don’t know and I am ready to be surprised. These are two videos that really capture what I will be doing in Mexico... Here are the links:

 http://grassrootsnews.tv/?p=63 (Part 1)

http://grassrootsnews.tv/?p=71 (Part 2)

I want you all to watch these videos... (If the links don’t work, my mum has posted the same videos on my Facebook profile.) When I watched these video’s I was astounded and left speechless. One small act of obedience affected this family’s lifestyle so greatly, giving them hope. I am excited to be a part of someone else’s story and expectant at different opportunities God has laid out for me.

These past few weeks have been stressful, draining and tiring; nevertheless I have stormed through, resulting in productivity. When I am not ploughing ahead in school work, I’ve been spending my time babysitting, meeting up with the Mexico team, going to the beach or hanging out with my friends over sushi. ^_^ Each and every day I count my blessings and I’m learning how to not take things for granted, whatever my situation. I am learning that it is not by my power that I am saved, but by God's love and my repentance that I can be saved. It’s so simple but we try to make it so complex. It’s like someone handing us a silver platter and telling us to open it and all the treasures inside are ours but then we stop and think about every other possible way we could open it. This is just something that has been on my heart and I am challenged by it every day...

"Nothing you have not given away will ever really be yours." –C.S.Lewis

‘..Let us show truth by our actions’- 1 John 3:18

 I love you all so dearly, thankyou for all your prayers, love and support :)

                            <345..

3 week countdown

Followup

So now as time has gone on, I know some more concrete details about Mexico. =] These weeks are going by so fast my head is spinning and I am trying to get my feet on the ground let alone write another blog post. So this is a summary of what has happened:

My flight is booked to Mexico and back to England! I will leave for Mexico on the 4^th of April and return to Hawaii on the 11^th of May. I will then stay in Hawaii for a few days and then leave on the 16^th of May, arriving in England on the 18^th (in the morning). This means it is only 3 weeks until outreach! I have had amazing provision for finances, and I need around $500 more.

. Tsunami: first hand, fresh off the press news. Last year there was a Tsunami scare but nothing actually happened... so this time I was a bit sceptical about if anything would actually happen. The sirens were going off into the early hours of the morning whilst the building manager came knocking on the door advising us to move to higher ground. It was all very surreal and exciting but nerve-wracking. We stayed at some friend’s house and watched CNN news making much ado about nothing for a few hours. Eventually we packed up to go home as we thought it was just another scare and nothing would happen. When we woke up the next morning we saw video’s online showing downtown Kona and what had been affected. Apparently the Tsunami did hit. A few restaurants and a hotel had been flooded. A whole wall and pavement had been destroyed and smashed up, with pipes sticking out everywhere. The tide was super high on the beach and all of roads were covered in sand. When we went down in the evening, the store owners were still sweeping out water from the shops and clearing out the damaged stuff. Even though we have had some loss, it reminds me of how tiny it is compared to Japans trauma. Thousands have died and many more are missing. They had no time to prepare for this disaster and times like this make me realise how much we take safety for granted. Japan had the 3^rd highest economy in the world. Money can only help their loss to an extent. What I am really praying for is that people will understand this and turn their hope to the greater power that will restore and bring prosperity to this land.

This is all that is on my mind recently(past few days). (: I appreciate all your prayers and I love you all

xxxxxxxxx

'Where ever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be' Matt 6:21