Back in the States!!!

I'm Home!!!! I've been home in Arizona for almost a month and will be here for a couple of months. I am focusing on 3 major things while I am home, catching up with friends and family, applying for my next 2 year visa, and finding more monthly supporters for the next 2 years I am serving in Australia. God blessed me by providing a job while I am home to help raise a little extra money. I plan on returning to Australia for another 2 years to serve with YWAM in Townsville. That's it for now!!!! Love you all!!!

Thailand Week 4

Teaching drums to the boys at Baan Nana

Our 4th week in Thailand, we spent a lot of time at a ministry called the Baan Nana Center. It's a safe home for Burmese kids to grow up and have a more positive childhood. Like I said in previous entries, all these kids have different stories, all of them laced with the tragedies of war, some of their stories infiltrated by them. For example, one of the boys at the home lost his father and was abandoned by his mother. He went to live with his uncle who had an opium addiction and forced him to go out and beg to earn money to feed his habit. If he didn't come home with enough money, his uncle would beat him. His aunt heard about the Baan Nana center and sent him there to free him from his uncle's abuse.  It's located outside the city in the middle of nowhere and has a summer camp feel to it. We went there several times to play games with the kids and teach them skills like guitar and drums, bracelet making, and english. The kids there are all different ages ranging from 2-18 years old. One little girl, the youngest one there caught my heart so strongly that it hurt. She was breathtakingly beautiful and only about 2 years old. I am naturally drawn to people who are sad and hurting and I've never seen so much fear and sadness in a child's eyes. She'd seen things and been through things that no human should ever see let alone a 2 year old baby girl. I don't know her story, I don't know what she's seen or what she's been through, but I know by the look in her eyes that it must have been tragic. So young, so vulnerable, and so hurt yet she cannot even speak yet to talk about her pain. I only got to hold her once, and I immediately wanted to take her home with me. God has not forgotten her. He sees her and he knows her. He loves her and I have faith that He will use her in tremendous ways.

Precious faces of Baan Nana

This little girl was gorgeous. She wants to be a singer. 

I loved this girl. She was a soccer superstar. 

The chapel at the Baan Nana Center

My little baby girl who broke my heart 

Thailand Week 3

The kids made their own animal masks for our Noah skit

Learning Bible verses

Our location for weeks 3-5 in Thailand was Mae Sai. Mae Sai is the northernmost part of Thailand and houses a major border crossing into the country of Burma. Our first week we spent split up helping out with different children's ministries. I went with 2 of the students to a ministry called the Rainbow of Hope Children's Home. It is a home run by a Filipino family that houses 9 children (most of them from Burma) ages 7-12. The home is run more like one big family than an organization because that's essentially what it is. The kids live, eat, play, sleep, and are taught in this home. We went for a couple days to teach English and love on the kids. They all have different stories as to why they are there, some of them have parents but they can't take care of their kids for numerous reasons. Some don't have parents at all or it isn't safe for them to go home. These kids were some of the smartest kids I have ever met. They knew English better than any kids we had met so far, they would sing us worship songs in English with rounds, they would draw pictures they found in their story books perfectly. They excited something in my heart that there is huge hope and potential for these children's broken lives. One little girl attached herself to me the first day we were there. Her mom passed away when she was little and her dad got tuberculosis when she was about 3.  He died while they were trying to get him over the border into Thailand to go to the hospital and she disappeared. The couple who runs the home tried everything they could do to find her, and by the grace of God they did and she has been living with them ever since. She was quite the character: beautiful, stubborn, smart, independent, and quite the photographer. She loved taking pictures with my camera and would make me sit by the flowers so she could take pictures of me. I love that little girl and its stories like hers that give me hope when working in these seemingly hopeless and cruel situations.

Me my little photographer

Teaching the kids English

Acting out Daniel in the Lion's Den

Thailand Week 2

Cooking a western style lunch for the kids a.k.a. spaghetti

The second week in Thailand our team went to 2 hill tribe villages. We stayed at the first village for one day and one night. During the day we played some games with the kids while the rest of the village sat and watched, entertained by the big group of white people playing children's games. That evening we joined the village church for a worship and prayer time. The next morning we headed off to the next village where we would stay for the rest of the week.

During the day the kids would gather in the church and we would split into about 5 different groups to teach them English. We had the opportunity one afternoon to go into the village with our translator to find someone to talk to and pray with. It was very quiet and empty (afternoon nap time according to our translator) but we kept walking and started to head up a muddy slope towards some more houses. We passed a house with 3 young women and their children sitting on their stilted porch. We said hello and asked if we could join them. They welcomed us in and so we climbed up the wooden ladder and made ourselves comfortable on their front porch. We started having casual conversation with them (well, as casual as you can when you are speaking through a translator) and then one of the woman asked us if we were Christians. When we told her we were, she said she was too. I was really surprised by this because Thailand is a significantly Buddhist nation with very few Christians, so to find a Christian in a random village was crazy. We talked to her more about what she believed and became confused quite quickly with some of the things she was saying. She brought out all the material she had about God and her Bible and it turns out that she was a Jehovah's Witness.

Teaching English to the kids in the Hill Tribes

 Some of the girls on my team asked her some more questions and explained more of what they believed about God. We had been talking for almost 2 hours and things were getting even more confusing with the language barrier. So we ended by praying for the woman and her children and went on our way. I was at a loss for what to do. In this type of situation, where communication is difficult and confused doctrines are being tossed to and fro, do you try to convince this woman that what she is already so confused about is all wrong or do you trust that the words you have shared with her about what you believe will touch her heart in a way that God can bring her closer to Him? I saw no point in trying to convince this woman to believe a certain way by arguing doctrine, in fact I believe that would have caused more division between us. It's not our job to convince people to know God or to believe a certain way. We're not salesmen trying to get the most buyers. Our job is to share how God changed our lives through what Jesus did on the cross and personally in our day to day lives. Our job is to share the love that God gives to us so freely so that we can give it away to the lost and broken. We can't save people, only God can do that. We can guide them, encourage them, love them, support them, and share with them. The rest is up to Him.

Our team with some families from the village

Thailand Week 1

Hey guys!
Sorry I haven't written in forever. So I just returned from about 6 and 1/2 weeks on outreach in Thailand. We spent our time in about 3 different locations but there is so much to tell that I am going to write an update for each week of ministry in Thailand, so this is week 1 but stay tuned for more.

Teaching English at Agape Home

Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles", a nickname that acts as a mask to cover the incredible pain and injustice ravishing this nation. We started off in a place called Mae Sot which is located in the North Western part of Thailand, bordering the war-stricken country of Burma. It is home to thousands of Burmese refugees and economic migrants fleeing the 60+ year civil war that has been devastating Burma. We had the opportunity of working with a ministry called the Agape Children's Home. It's located right outside the city and run by a man named Pastor Wanai. It serves as a home for Burmese and Karen (I will write more about the Karen people later, their story NEEDS to be heard) refugee children to live safely, eat daily, play, and get a small education. All the children have their own story,

Singing songs with the kids

 some have lost their parents, some simply can't live at home because it's just not safe, some have parents living in the refugee camps but their parents wanted to give them a more positive environment to live in. While we were there, we taught English, played with the kids, did programs teaching them about God, but most importantly we loved them. I've learned that the most powerful thing to combat evil, fear, rejection, poverty, broken hearts, lonliness, and everything in between is the love of Christ. Pure, selfless love with no alterior motives or ambitions can soften the hardest of hearts, pierce the toughest skin and conquer the darkest evil. I was challenged with the language barrier while in Thailand and frustrated that I couldn't have meaningful conversations with these kids, but God taught me a language that I could use to communicate with these precious children of His: love.

Adding a net to the basketball hoop at Agape Home

Thailand Outreach

Pray for Thailand!

Praise the Lord, he provided for all our funding this week and we leave for Thailand in 4 days!  Please pray for us and for the women and children we will be ministering to there.

Thailand Here I Come!

I just got back last weekend from camping 2 weeks in a place called Hidden Valley (no they don't make ranch dressing there, actually ranch dressing is uncommon in Australia) with my DTS students. Wow, it was such an exhilerating experience! There is something about Hidden Valley that it seems easier to meet with God, probably because of the beautiful nature scenery and getting away from all technology. The first week of lectures for the students was on Lordship, laying things down at the foot of Christ and in turn picking up things that he has called you to and trusting him completely. It was an extremely intense and amazing week with God that resulted in 15 students getting baptized in a swimming hole down the road. The second week we were in Hidden valley, we learned about godly relationships for part of the week, and the staff got the opportunity to share with the students as well. I shared different stories and testimonies from my life and what God has been teaching me for a little over an hour. It went really well and I am excited to continue growing in my public speaking skills.
This past week, I have been preparing to take my team that I am co-leading with my friend Steph to Thailand. We will be there for about 6 and 1/2 weeks, 2 weeks will be spent at a place called Agape Children's home, 2 weeks with an organization called the Tamar Center, and 2 weeks in the hill tribes. The Agape Children's home houses over 100 children who are mostly Karen children from Burma. "The purpose of Agape Home is to provide each child the opportunity to learn in a healthy, supportive, Christian environment."  (http://www.ywamthai.org/outreach/locations/) We will be working with the kids, doing programs, teaching English, playing with them and simply loving them. 
The Tamar Center is a ministry that provides help, care, and jobs for woman looking for hope beyond the sex industry that is rampant in Thailand. We will be going out to the bars, talking to the woman stuck in this industry, loving them and encouraging them that there is hope for their lives. We will also be teaching english amongst many other things.
In the hill tribes which are the more rural village parts of Thailand, we will be doing programs about everything from the hope that we have in Christ to health awareness and awareness of human trafficking. These village people are the most vulnerable and targeted people to human trafficking because they are poor and seemingly hopeless to a positive future. 
As we prepare to leave, I am so excited to get to do the very work that Jesus did, reaching out to the poor, the orphans, the prostitutes. I never thought I would be leading a team of 10 DTS students on outreach to Thailand for almost 7 weeks to be doing this kind of work. God continues to prove to me how much greater his plans are for my life and his dreams are so much more amazing than I could ever imagine! I would appreciate your prayers this week as we still need to purchase plane tickets and take care of some last minute logistics. Please pray for our team, for health, unity, perseverance, and protection. Also pray for a positive attitude for all team members as a 6 and 1/2 week outreach can be extremely challenging and draining spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Lastly, me and my friend Steph who I am co-leading the team with still are in desperate need of finances for this trip. We really don't want to have to send our team to Thailand without the 2 leaders so we would greatly appreciate your prayers for breakthrough in finances! 
Thank you all for your prayers and support! You are greatly appreciated and I am so thankful for your love! I couldn't do this without you all!!!

I survived Cyclone Yasi!!

So this past week I got the opportunity to experience my first ever cyclone! Category 5 and apparently the size of Texas, cyclone Yasi hit the Queensland coast on Wednesday night of this week. I must be honest, I was quite nervous but unsure of what to expect as we had a cyclone warning (Cyclone Anthony) a few days before and hardly got any rain. Some people were scared and some were not too concerned so I had no idea what to expect. On Wednesday, we began preparing for the storm, bringing loose objects from outside (like lawn chairs) indoors, taping windows to keep help stop the wind from shattering them, and stocking up on water in big jugs. We moved out of our house and spent the night in the mission base because we didn't trust the stability of the house (it's kinda old and the walls are paper thin). So we all gathered indoors for the night at about 3 p.m. on wednesday as the storm approached. It started out with rain and strong wind and stayed that way for several hours. We lost power at about 9 p.m. and as the night progressed the winds got intensely strong. It's hard to explain the sound of the wind but it was almost like a deep, far away thunder. I went to bed at midnight curious as to what I would wake up to the next morning. That morning we were allowed outside by about 10 a.m. It was still windy and rainy but nothing compared to the night before. As we explored around town to see the extent of the damage, it looked like what you see on t.v. on a news report, almost surreal. The building across the street lost a wall, trees were down everywhere, signs blown off, trees that hadn't been blown over were still tilting in the direction of the wind as if they were frozen in time. Sand had blown off the beach covering the streets. Huge trees blocked off roads and power lines were strewn across lawns and streets. Yet in the midst of this, there was minimal structural damage to the buildings and houses around town, and for all of the trees that blew over it had to be a miracle that they didn't blow into houses and smash cars. God truly protected us during this massive storm, when the worst was expected. There has been worse damage up north, so please continue to pray for the families that have been more greatly affected by this cyclone. Also pray that as we help others clean up their yards in the community that it would be an opportunity to share God's love and salvation with them.
A quick update on the Discipleship Training School I am staffing, we are entering week 4 of lectures, and preparing to go on outreach in 6 weeks. The lecture topics so far have been Hearing God's Voice, Clear Conscience, and Identity in Christ. God has been moving amongst the students hearts, bringing freedom and healing in incredible ways. We have split up the 17 students into 2 outreach teams, one will be going to Papua New Guinea and one will be going to Thailand. I am co-leading the team to Thailand with my friend Stephanie. We have a team of 12 awesome people who I am so excited to be go to Thailand with. Please pray for me and Steph as we begin to plan what the outreach will look like. We have many opportunities offered to us and want to make the most out of the 7 weeks we are in Thailand. We are going to be planning the budget this week for our stay and ministry in Thailand. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we do this and also for a release of funds specifically for myself and Steph as we are leading the team. We both need approximately 3-4 thousand dollars for this outreach to cover travel expenses, food, transportation, accomodation, and whatever else comes along the journey. Thank you all so much for your prayers!!!

Recommended Links

This link gives a summary and some pictures from the Stable on the Strand Ministry I volunteered at.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2010/12/23/3100559.htm?site=northqld

This is the website for the organization called Not For Sale whom we are partnering with to do a themed Discipleship Training School starting January 16.
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/


This link will open your eyes to the child sex trafficking happening at home in Phoenix, Arizona.
http://streetlightphx.com/news/my-fox-phoenix-news-10-arizonas-child-sex-trade-nightmare/

A New Season

Wow, what a year. So I ended the year by staffing a week long summer camp called Impact Summer for kids ages 12-17. The camp consisted of lectures on the book of Ephesians, practicing praying for eachother, fun games, free time, worship, and outreach at Stable on the Strand, a Christian Christmas Festival. The kids volunteered in different areas like acting in the Christmas story play, painting children's faces, picking up trash and more. The Stable on the Strand reaches out to thousands of people with the story of Jesus' birth. The youth were really challenged in their faith and putting it into action.
So now I am beginning staff training for the January Not For Sale Discipleship Training School (DTS). A DTS is a six month training course for young people aged 18-30. It consists of 11 weeks of lectures on topics like identity in Christ, missions, lordship, spiritual warfare and 9 weeks of outreach doing things like speaking at churches in Papua New Guinea and doing school programs in New Zealand. This DTS is themed after the organization called Not For Sale that fights against modern day slavery, including everything from forced labor to sex trafficking. Injustice issues like this are very heavy on my heart and I am passionate to see them eradicated from todays society. We have about 17 students attending the 6 month school from all around the world. The school starts on January 16 and goes until June. I did my DTS in July 2009 and am so excited to get to staff a school. Please pray for the students as they begin arriving soon as well as for my personal finances. I need to raise about $3500 for our 9 weeks of outreach during this school, to cover travel, food, and accomodation. Thank you for reading!!! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and would love to hear your plans for the new year!

It's the Holiday Season....

Hey everyone,
Sorry I haven't updated you all in a while. Things have been pretty crazy around here. I have had everything from Aus Life Training to First Aid training in the last month. Aus Life is a christian seminar that we can bring into public schools around Australia with things like games, teaching, and application. I also got the opportunity to speak at Youth Street Live on Saturday night to about 70 youth ages 12-17. Public speaking is a fear of mine, and I get butterflies and all shaky whenever I have to do it. I tried to get out of it but my friends wouldn't let me so I took the challenge and spoke on God as a defender, warrior, and lover. I surrendered my nerves and trusted that God would speak through me and what do ya know?? He did! I wasn't nearly as nervous as I usually am, and though I could definitely use some more practice, God gave me the strength to conquer my fear. Several youth came up to me afterward and told me that my talk really blessed them which was a lovely confirmation from God that I had done ok. I am learning to trust God in my insecurities and He is blessing me with more and more opportunities to practice my strengths.
This week I am staffing a summer camp for 35 youth called Impact Summer. I am excited as I love camps!!! and I love working with youth. We will have games and fun activities like a food fight as well as a study on the book of Ephesians and outreach opportunity at Stable on the Strand. Stable on the Strand is a live Christmas stable run every Christmas at a field along the beach in Townsville. We are expecting around 50,000 people to attend this huge event. There will be all kinds of activities and programs the whole week before Christmas and the presenting of the Christmas story in a public setting. We are taking our youth to help out at this event in any way they need assistance. I am excited to see these kids lives changed and will update on how the camp goes soon!!!! Thank you all for your prayers and support this year!!! I couldn't have done any of this without you all back home!!! Have a Merry Christmas!!!

The Fruits of Our Labor

So I have been thinking about the past 5 months I have spent in Australia, working with youth, discipling them, encouraging them, planning activities for them, praying for them, listening to them, believing in them, loving them, hanging out with them, the list goes on. I have been going over in my head the results and fruit I have seen since I've been here. Though it is not guaranteed that you will always see the fruit of your labor in the body of Christ in this lifetime, God has definitely been giving me glimpses into the changes that are happening because I am here.
There is a young girl who comes to Youth Street who I look forward to seeing every Saturday. She is a beautiful, talented, fun, outgoing, bubbly, and pleasant young girl, but she doesn't see herself as any of that, but rather the complete opposite. I've been able to relate to her in a really personal way as I myself have battled and continue to battle identity issues. She is searching for God, and desires a relationship with Him, but is still not sure what that looks like for her. She has told me several times, that the support and love she gets from myself and Youth Street in general has pretty realistically saved her life. She has been coming to the Biblestudy I co-lead pretty regularly and is remaining pretty faithful at the challenge I gave her to read a Psalm a day from her new Bible she received on 5 Day Escape. Because she doesn't quite open up a lot about her view on God and spiritual things, it has been challenging to know where she is at and how I can help her understand what a relationship with God looks like, but I know that God is working in her heart, and I hope that the way I live and love her is an example to what a true relationship with God is like. Like so many young people these days, this beautiful young girl doesn't recognize the potential for greatness that God has placed upon her life, but is falling victim to the lies and  cruelty of this earth yet God is holding on to her dearly. Satan will not have this girl's life, it belongs to God, I am completely sure of this, and I have been privileged to see the lover of her soul grasp her heart. Please pray for her to begin to understand this love and feel it every day and pray for wisdom for myself as to how to best help her understand what a relationship with God is.
I miss you all. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

More thoughts....

Father you are the reason for my waking each morn,

You are the hope in which my heart will rest,

I hang my head, reflecting on my past with scorn,

But you lift my chin up off my chest,

Erasing all stains from my slate,

Making it brand new,

You changed the outcome of my fate,

I owe all my thanks to You.

I have a lover who is always there,

Listening with open arms,

He is always just and always fair,

He protects me from all harm,

He will never leave me and never lie,

He is ever faithful and true,

I am the apple of his eye,

His bride and princess too.

He will never cheat or hold a grudge,

No secrets He keeps from me,

Slow to anger and merciful judge,

My lover has set me free.  

My Jesus

My prince I thank thee for thy love,

I don't deserve thy favor,

Yet every moment I spend with you,

I will forever savor,

I thank thee for thy attention,

its worth more than gold,

The greatest feeling in the world,

is to have your hand to hold,

My charming prince I love thee

You are my one desire,

In my heart there burns a love,

Thriving on love's fire,

I cannot live without you,

My dear beloved friend,

My heart longs to be with you

Always to the end.

Come, meet me here tonite,

Take me by my hand,

You are my guiding light,

By you I will always stand.

I am your lovely daughter,

Take me in your embrace,

I dance for you day and night,

in the light of your sweet grace

My Father, I sit down at your feet,

and give you all of me,

With you alone I wish to meet,

Your beauty I wish to see,

Your kind eyes give me hope

Your peace fills my soul,

Without your love I could not cope,

Only you can make me whole,

Father I sit upon your knee,

Hold me close to you

In your presence its clear to me,

Truths I never knew,

I am beautiful and precious in your sight,

A princess of the King,

In my soul dwells the power of your might,

Power to change any thing.

Check this out!

This is a link to a Youth Street video that I love because its all crew and their parents talking. Have a Look!!! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9G2cbLk1bA&feature=player_embedded

I love Youth Street!!!

 Wow, So I got back from 5 Day Escape about a week ago. For those of you who are new to reading my blog, 5DE is a youth camp that we just did, where we took 106 youth ages 12-17 down to the Gold Coast for a week of fun, friendship, and God stuff. We did everything from laser tag, to messy games, to canoeing, to Dream World (theme park), to surfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and tubing, to shopping, to dance parties, and late night movies. It was chaotic yet amazing, exhausting yet fulfilling. When our last night rolled around, we dove straight in to God stuff as we call it here in youth ministry. We'd been building up for it all week by having conversations with the youth on the bus rides or in our camp cabins about God and what they believed and what we believe. My friend Luke shared his testimony and about  living life to the fullest in Christ and the Holy Spirit was touching these guys hearts like wildfire. Our altar call was a bit different then normal, we had the crew split up into 3 different group, group 1-I want to go deeper with God, 2-I want to give my life to the Lord, and group 3- I have some questions.
We had 20 crew give their lives to the Lord and 60 recommitted their lives to going deeper with God. There were young people crying, worshipping God with all their hearts, praying for eachother and for staff leaders. It is so exciting to see God touch this generation of young people amidst the trash and chaos they have to endure from day to day. God is truly the only hope we have in this world, and these young people are finally starting to realize this truth!

5 Day Escape

Hey guys!
So I leave for 5 Day Escape, our youth camp, on Sunday and am super excited. I really have faith that God is going to do some incredible things in this time and am excited to see what He's gonna do! I would appreciate your prayers this week as we are on this camp. We have about 53 youth coming and about 18 staff and another 53 youth from Newcastle Australia along with all their staff. In total we will have about 160 people at this camp! Here are some prayer points you could be thinking of as you pray for this week.
-health for all the staff and youth
-Safety
-that the youth behave :)
-that God would touch the hearts of each youth attending and draw them closer to Him
-For the bus to make it safely and all activities to work out
-supernatural energy and joy for all the staff
-deep relationships to be built with our youth
-lots of God conversations with our youth
-our speaker-Luke Waterhouse
Thanks guys!!! I hope you have a fantastic week!!

Reflections on my Savior

My Lord Jesus you make me bold beyond my human strengths,

Just to bless me Lord my God you go to such great lengths,

I run to you when I am weak and you make me strong,

You always hold me when I cry no matter for how long,

You're like the rain after a drought, refreshing my soul

Like food to a starving child, only you make me whole,

I try to make it on my own, blinded by the night,

And you run in to lead me with your blinding light,

You hold my hand even when I tell you to let it go,

My deepest hurts and strongest passions only you can know,

My God, I don't deserve you, your love or your grace,

I bow my head in shame while your hand touches my face,

You lift my chin to look into my sad and crying eyes,

And whisper in my ear, My daughter you are my precious prize,

You are gem on this dark earth, you sparkle and you shine,

My princess, I am so proud to call you forever mine,

You will fall and make mistakes but hold on to my hand,

Through these struggles and hard times I will help you stand,

I will carry you through the deep and murky waters of this life,

I will lift you up above all the world's evil and strife,

I will burn the lies that hold you back from all I made you to be,

All you have to do my child is put your trust in me.

September

Wow, it's september already! We are preparing for a youth camp called 5 Day Escape coming up in about 2 weeks. We are taking our youth to the Gold Coast for a week of surfing, water skiing, theme parks, superhero dance parties, live bands and hiphop dance crews, and much more. On the Thursday night of the camp, we present them with a message about God. This message is an extremely pivotal point during this camp and in these kids lives with kids giving their lives to the Lord and rededicating themselves to him as well. Currently, we need to see at least 9 more kids sign up to meet our budget or we will have to cut down on activities. Please pray that we get lots more kids to sign up asap!!!!
Hope all is well back home. I am still in need of more monthly supporters so please feel free to visit https://ywamrto.com/payment/WebForm.php
 and choose "staff" and put Lexi Dyksterhouse in the recipient box. Thanks all!!!