God's Plan is the ONLY Plan!

I can't believe this journey of my life is coming to an end. My team just arrived back to the base here in Aussie Saturday night along with our fellow DTS members. It is so great to be reunited with them once again and share stories of how God showed up in big ways!!! I am so blessed to have gone to the Philippines & Fiji and God blessed me with an incredible team and leaders!

Our last couple weeks in Fiji were extremely challenging and I wish I could share everything with you. As I wrote in my previous post, my team had planned on going to Kadavu Island for our last week of outreach, but after much deliberation we felt like God was calling us elsewhere. The day before we left for the island, our leader Pia was diagnosed with a staph infection and that same night received two powerful dreams warning our team to not go to the island. We took these as clear signs from God, because that night we had asked for someone on our team to receive vivid dreams. It was a really difficult time for many of us and I'm thankful I had you guys at home praying for me. I had really been looking forward to this island and being the first team there building relationships and a firm foundation for future YWAM teams seemed amazing to me. But instead we left Suva, Fiji and headed back to the YWAM base in Lautoka, Fiji to work with our contacts there. The next few days our team did different hospital, jail and teen ministries and received heaps of confirmations from God. It was awesome to see that God's plan was greater no matter how difficult it was to go against such promising plans in Kadavu. During our last 5 days, we had got news from a pastor in Nacula in the Yasawa Islands that he would really appreciate it if our group came and brought our missions to his village.  Just like that God blessed us with another opportunity to head to an island and it was the such an jaw dropping adventure!

Nacula was like nothing I've ever done before and yet I didn't really feel out of place. It was such a wonderful learning experience being apart of the village culture and becoming welcomed into the exclusive community. We were there for 3 full days and spent most afternoons going around door to door sharing our testimonies and telling them about Jesus, as well as spending time with the kids at the local primary school.  Each night we'd put on a mini "concert" which consisted of 2 skits, 2 testimonies, some songs & a final message giving the locals opportunities for prayer. You could just sense how spiritually dead the village was and all we wanted to do was bring a spark and allow the Holy Spirit to set their hearts on fire.

It has been so sweet to see God work in so many different parts of the world and in such a variety of ways. In the end, there was no better plan then the plan God showed our team. His ways were best and it was our teams decision to live by faith that he would make a way and not by our sight, which didn't look promising.

Our final week here of DTS is debrief week and gearing up for the toughest times that have yet to come. Hopefully I'll be able to comeprehend just a fraction of everything God has shown me. Hope you all have a great week and are enjoying the summer. Thanks for readying :) later mates!

Island Time

Bula Vinaka!  I hope you are all doing great and enjoying the wonderful weather back home!  I'm currently in Suva, Fiji which is the largest city from what I know of here.  It has been an awesome adventure here in Fiji as last week we were staying at a YWAM base in Latoka doing different types of ministry around town.  A few days we went and prayed in the hospitals and saw God perform incredible miracles.  We also worked with kids in after school programs, church services, and college groups.  Often we have gone around door to door sharing the Good News and our purpose for being here in Fiji.  Many of the Fijians are born into Christian homes so we are here to encourage and enhance their faith.  As far as the Indians, most of them are Hindu and Muslim so we are counting on God to perform different types of miracles which is often the only avenue to tell them about the God we serve.

This past week in Suva we went to the prisons and spoke as well as went to Hindu villages and watched God come through again with more healings.  The spiritual world is so amazing here and very difficult at the same time.  If you could pray for the Khan family and more specifically their daughers Mona & Joyce who just yesterday were delievered from demonic possession.  However it is a reoccuring thing and we are praying that this was the final departure.  I can't thank you enough for all of your prayers and support.  God is so crazy and I can't believe we only have a few weeks left.  My God is such a powerful God and nothing can stand in his way.

This Wednesday our team is heading to some more remote islands to build relationships and preach God's word when we get a chance.  It's a really cool experience because no YWAM team has done these things before here in Fiji and we are trying to establish a good foundation for future teams.  Thanks again and Go God! See you all soon!

Philippines to Fiji

Well our time here in the Philippines is complete!  We take off for Fiji tomorrow & have a few hour layover in Brisbane, AU before taking off to the Island.  It has been an AMAZING experience here in the Philippines & God is making himself known!  We have been doing a wide variety of ministry here & it has been a great learning experience.  Our YWAM team partnered with a youth group called the Upright Generation from Naga Philippines & they were an incredible help.  Whenever we'd go out for different types of ministry, member of the Upright Generation would help us with translating & sharing God's love through their gifts & talents.  Some of the ministries we did included concerts at city plazas, going to prisons, feeding programs for street kids, basketball/soccer games :), home for the blind, street evangelism, door 2 door, & many other ways.  We went to the Island of Catan Duanes for a week & shared the gospel to those there.  We were greeted with such happy faces & just open hearts.  God is doing awesome things there & hopefully Upright Generation can continue to impact the areas we helped plant seeds.  I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed my time here!  It is undoubtedly one of the best months of my life & God did things that I can't simply explain with words.  The Philippines definitely has a place in my heart & I have a huge family of strong believers in the Upright Generation.  They are so passionate & so joyful for the plans God has!


For this next month in Fiji it will probably be quite a bit different.  Supposedly it is really heavy spiritually & our team can use a ton prayer.  We have been able to maintain great unity but we will need to remain extra strong.  Please continue to pray for boldness.  I miss you all & can't wait to tell you more in person!

"Kingdom Builders 4"

What a week!  We just completed our kids camp & it was an incredible experience!  This is the fourth year that Grace Covenant Church has put on this Kingdom Builders camp & I felt so honored to be apart of it.  Each of us had a group of 10+ kids that we mentored throughout the week & led through a variety of events.  Over 30 kids accept God as their Lord & Savior & most of them went on to getting baptized!  Our speaker was a guy named David Victory who spoke on bringing the kingdom here to earth.  David is from Nigeria & is living out his faith by traveling the world & sharing the gospel with young believers.  He's only 25 & has been to over 22 different nations since giving up everything for God's plan at 19.

This next week we're leaving to an island & preaching the gospel to the natives.  We don't have any big plans & we're just going to be led by the Holy Spirit.  I still have so much to process from this past week, but I'm excited to see a transition & to serve in a different way.  My foot is much better & I'm finally able to put a shoe on.  I hope to play basketball again with the locals soon & I am trying to raise some support to purchase a basketball backboard for the local church we are staying at.  I've checked out some supplies & it only comes out to around 800 pesos, which translates to about $20.  If you would like to help support this church they would be so appreciative!  Just let me know & please continue to pray for safety for our group & travels.  I hope Tulip Time is fantastic!!  Miss you all & can't wait to share more on my time here in the Philippines!

I MADE IT!!!! Right now I am in the city of Naga in the Philippines at an internet cafe.  This has been an incredible week here so far and God is making himself visable.  We have been laying cement & getting ready for a week long kids camp next week.  We have also done a wide variety of events outside of where we are staying, from street evengelizing to prostitutes to visiting the elderly in nursing homes.  Eveyone here is so loving & inviting!  We are working with a youth group organization called the Upright Generation & they help us with translating & communicating with different contacts.  Today is our day off so we are traveling around & sight seeing.  God has been so cool & sparking my intersts as far as playing basketball with the kids here & giving me opportunities to be bold.  The food has really been awesome even though it involves some sort of rice just about every meal.  Our team is really starting to bond & that makes everything else so much easier.  You can sense our unity & God is answering many other prayers.  Please continue to pray for our camp for next week & those we evangelise to this weekend.  It can be very difficult with the language barrior, so just pray for boldness & understanding.  Also could you pray for rest & energy as the kids camp with go from 6am - 10pm everyday!!  We have also experienced some health issues on the team so just pray that everyone's digestive systems get with the program & we can funtion properly :)  Thanks again for all your support & prayers & I will try & post again when I get a chance!! Love from the Philippines!

Also... I found out right away when D-Rose got injured... I was devastated to say the least.  You can see more of what I'm doing on our team blog at http://www.ywamteam2012.blogspot.com.au/