Outreach, Determination, Family.

 Dear Family,

            At this point in our school, we are about 5 weeks away from leaving for our outreach. The majority of us are heading to South Africa, though some of us are headed to Guatemala as well.

As you may know, our funds were due on Friday, October 14^th. The cost for South Africa is $3,700 USD per person, while Guatemala $2,550 USD per person. By the deadline, less than half of us had our funds. At this point, there are still two of us who have about $800 each to raise.

Yesterday, we were given an ultimatum. This Friday, the 21^st, is the final deadline for our money to be in.

Throughout these past weeks, we have been learning about teamwork, and about having a group mentality. We decided that, as a team, if one of us is short on funds, all of us are short, so we went over our financial situation together.

As of tonight, we are short about $1,500 USD. We believe that God is sovereign, and that He can provide, but we decided that we needed a plan of action. We are not called to be stagnant Christians, and we are called to work for our money. We have been fasting and praying over our financial situation for weeks on end, and God is delivering the funds to us. He has been providing in incredible ways. While we are being diligent in our prayer, we felt that we also needed to be proactive in our communication to you, and to involve others in our situation.

Dear family, we are coming to you in desperate need of prayer and financial support. I realize that no one person can donate $1,500 USD, but I urge you to seek God in this situation and consider helping us out financially. We believe that God can work miracles, and we are continuing to pray and be diligent and faithful in prayer. We believe that if God called us to this, He will not withdraw His hand from us. As a team, we decided that we need your help, friends. We need your prayer support. We desperately need funds.

We ask that you would consider coming alongside us in this, and prayerfully seeking God about our situation. As a support group, you are so important to us, you are crucial. We appreciate you! Thank you so much for stepping out in prayer, faith, and support on our behalf. We are incredibly grateful!

            Again, thank you for reading and following us as we outline our experiences, trials, and triumphs. We are praying for you, as you pray for us! 

Outreach

Dear Family,

   I have about six more weeks until I leave for outreach! I am so incredibly excited for this new adventure that God is planning in my life. We're headed to South Africa (and a few from our team to Guatemala) with our outreach leaders, Noah and Tracy Applegate, whom we have yet to meet, but they are arriving in early/mid November.

   As of right now, there aren't many concrete details, but I have a few details below, taken from our support letter:

Some information about upcoming needs:

• The cost of Outreach is $2200 + approx. $1500 travel to outreach location = approx. $3700 US dollars  

• Deadline for funds to be submitted Friday October 14^th 2011.

If you are interested in supporting students financially you can send funds in these ways:

·         Check to YWAM Destination Paradise  PO Box 355, Freeland, WA, 98249 USA

·         Google Checkout or PayPal at www.ywamdp.org- ‘Get Involved’- ‘Give’ - ‘Student Fees’ –‘Outreach Fee’

Prayer support is also a huge part of outreach; if you could join with us in praying for the following we would appreciate that as well:

·         Wisdom and leading for the ministry opportunities

·         God to prepare the hearts of people we will connect with

·         Unity for the team as we prepare for outreach and while on outreach

Already during Lecture Phase our students have seen and experienced God’s goodness, different aspects of His character and found new freedom in His love for them. The team is tight and have really bonded through times of teaching, sharing and living in close community. In order to make preparations for the Outreach students will be pulling together the funds before October 14^th.

Thank you for being a support to the students throughout this first, important stage of training. We know great things will happen in our students and through our students in this Outreach. We hope that their continued journey and experience through Outreach will encourage you.

Best Regards,

Noah and Tracy Applegate


   This is an incredible opportunity! I ask that you would be willing to share it with me. As you can see, October 14th has come and gone. I am excited to say that I have $700 dollars for outreach so far! While this is not the full amount, I know that God can provide what I need, and that He knows what is going on, even if I do not. 


   Friends, I humbly yet boldly ask that you would consider supporting me financially. I realize that money is tight right now, and I thank you so much for supporting me in prayer if that is the case. Our God works through prayer like none other! However, I ask that you would also prayerfully consider financial support as well. The deadline for our money was here and gone, and I admit that I am a tad anxious about finances. Please consider this, bring it to our Father in prayer. If you are feeling prompted, there are a few ways to donate, outline above in the excerpt from our support letter. 


   Thank you so much for reading and following along with my blog, my life, my needs and frustrations. For sharing in my joys and my pain. I love you all dearly, and I am so excited to see what God has in store for all of us in the future. God bless you! :)

Family, Funds, and Freedom.

   These past few weeks have been crazy.  It's getting to the time where we need to pay our Outreach funds...this friday is the deadline. Our Team has been spending these past weeks praying, fasting, and praising Jesus for His unfailing love and His provision. Honestly, ore than half of us have the funds for this school, myself included, but I have constantly been blown away by the insight and the hope that continues to flourish in our group. Last night we had a prayer meeting for our Team, and we met out on the dock after dinner...our prayer meeting turned into an impromptu praise session! We broke out the songbooks, clapped, jumped, sang at the top of our lungs, laughed really hard, almopst fell in the water, danced, shouted. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen.
   One of my team members, Dawson, did a Devotion yesterday, and he talked about how we need to trust. He told a story about how, when we had been praying the previous week, we were all silent for a time, our group communally seeking God's direction. Dawson heard something from God in that time that he didn't share until this last Monday. As he was sitting and listening to the sound of God's voice, he heard Him say, "Dawson. Do you trust me? Will you trust me if I bring you home? Will you trust me if I bring you to Guatemala? Will you trust me if I bring you to South Africa?" This hit us hard. We had been seeking God's hands, not His face, and we realized that we need to trust Him no matter what or where He brings us in the future. Last night, on the dock, jumping and singing and shouting our praises to Him, we chose to take that step. To trust.

   Our outreach funds are due this week. They are due friday. $3,700 USD each...and no matter what happens, no matter where God brings me, brings my group, I choose to trust.


Family, I ask that you would pray for the state of our hearts. That we would choose to trust Him on a daily, hourly basis. That He would be our identity, and we would not claim our lives back from Him. I humbly ask that you would pray for our Team, for our mission. You are such a blessing to us. You are such a blessing to me. Thank you for your support! I will write a bit more later, this weekend. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and blessings and donations that you have been giving. God is good, is He not? Choose to trust. :)