India the Beautiful

India. Oh boy, where do I begin?

Let’s start with the noise. Taxis, motorbikes, autos, and rickshaws honking and screeching. The dull roar of millions of people living.

India smells like dirt and sweat and car exhaust. Animal dung and urine from public bathrooms. Sweet, sticky incense and Engage cologne.

When you first arrive, it’s easy to be blinded by the poverty. The slum housing that lines the streets. The beggars that extend their hands as you walk by. The children that pull at your clothes as you try your best to avoid their eyes.

India reminds me of a woman. A woman who’s witnessed thousands of years of change and tradition. A woman who’s been abused and abandoned by history. A woman who, despite her scars and rough edges, is achingly beautiful. In the slums, the houses are painted pink and blue and yellow. Ropes of laundry crisscross the narrow pathways and makeshift bridges cross canals of dingy water.

India has mothered many children, and they, like their mother, are beautiful. They sing and dance and clap their hands. They smile and laugh and tell stories. They invite you into their homes and offer you cups of sweet chai. They ask and listen and lay a hand on your arm.

There were times when I hated India. Times when the reality of hunger and sickness and injustice made me sick. But, there were times when I realized that past the circumstances are people. People who are happy and people who are not. People who are slaves to greed, lust, and pride and people who’ve been freed. People who want a little more and people who have the only gift any of us need.

It sounds like a Christian cop-out, but India showed me that it’s true. The only thing people need is complete, redeeming grace—everything else is a bonus.

You can see two things when you look at India; two pictures of the same situation. You can see a socio-economic disaster that demands money, time, expertise—solutions to problems, and believe me, there are plenty of those. Or you can see people. People who need to be healed of the same lies that once blinded you. People who need to be saved from the same sins that once  controlled you. People who are enemies with the same God who now calls you friend.

We don’t need to fix India, we need to free India.

Glimpses of Everest

   I’m not sure if you noticed, but I haven’t posted in a while. About 3 months to be exact. Yeah, umm…sorry about that. Not that I didn’t have anything to write about—the past 3 months have been one big, crazy, amazing adventure—I’ve just had some difficulty getting my life into words. Anyways, I’m going to make it up to you. No, honest, I am.

   As I’ve mentioned before, the second half of DTS is a 3 month outreach that offers opportunities to apply the knowledge of lecture phase. My DTS was split into 2 outreach teams—one team traveled to South Africa and India and my team traveled to Nepal, India, and Thailand.

   In the beginning of October, my team flew from Perth, Australia to Bangkok, Thailand, spent 18 hours in the Bangkok airport—which, coincidentally, is not as big an airport as you would imagine—and then flew to Kathmandu, Nepal. We spent 2 nights at a backpacker’s hotel which boasted spectacular views of the Himalayas. Through the smog that always clouds the city, you could almost make out the staunch point of Everest, or so we were told.

  
   After a few days acclimating to Nepali culture, we boarded a teeny tiny plane at the teeny tiny airport bound for Biratnagar, Nepal. There were 20 seats on that plane, and I was painfully aware of the lack of space, until we reached a few thousand feet and the Himalayas started floating past my window. I’ve seen mountains before, heck, I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but I’ve never seen anything as spectacular as those snow capped peaks, jutting up from the clouds.  

   
   We landed in Biratnagar alive and with reasonably good circulation…phew! I snapped a picture with an airport official because I won a gift certificate for a spa while in transit—literally the second thing I’ve won in my life. We spent the night with a young missionary couple and their wide-eyed, German-English-speaking, son. In the morning, we caught a bus for Birtamode. I’d like you to close your eyes for a moment and imagine riding down pocked dirt roads, your knees pressing into the seat in front of you, your shoulder glued to the person next to you, sweat trickling down your back, the smell of body odor and incense swirling in the sticky air, Nepali pop music blaring in the background—it was glorious. If there’d been any doubt as to where I was before, after that 3 hour bus ride, I knew I was in Nepal.

   In Birtamode, we stayed with an amazing family who gave us beds to sleep on, cooked us 3 meals a day, did our laundry, and taught us Nepali dance moves in their spare time. For the next 10 days, we traveled all over the Nepali countryside doing open-airs. Open airs are public programs designed to catch and hold people’s attention. Our open-airs focused on human-trafficking prevention—we usually presented a drama about human trafficking, gave some general information about trafficking, presented a personal testimony, did a skit or two, and ended with a presentation of the gospel. The open-airs presented excellent opportunities to talk with people about trafficking, God, or politics and I was able to have some excellent conversations despite the language barrier.

   On the weekends, we taught at several church services and were given the opportunity to present a 2 day seminar on human trafficking at a local church. We drove to and from all our events in the same yellow taxi, 12-15 people crammed in the back, jamming out to Nepali pop. It was in these times that our hosts taught us such popular dance moves as the “screwing in the light bulb,” “macarena with a twist,” and the oh-so-hilarious “how-to-eat-a-fly-and-still-look-swag.”



   Our time with this loving, sacrificial family ended too quickly. At the end of our time in Nepal, we drove to the Indian border in our beloved yellow taxi, stayed the night in a terrifying hotel, and said goodbye to our friends before boarding a train bound for our next great adventure: Kolkata!

Lecture Phase Recap

   Lecture phase is over. I’m not entirely sure when that happened, but somehow I’m in Nepal, sweating in my makeshift Punjabi, drinking heaps of Nepalese tea, and reflecting on what God’s done in the past 3 months. I came to DTS for all the wrong reasons, but God’s power to change our lives isn’t limited by human motivation. I moved to Australia to get a tan, an Aussie boyfriend, and experience working in third world medicine. At the end of lecture phase, I’m pale, single, and no longer considering the Introduction to Primary Health Care School, but God has given me something greater: a calling.

    I used to think God was distant and uninterested in my life, that He was looking down from heaven, shaking His head at my failures. I used to think I had to spin around three times with my finger to my nose to get Him to speak to me, but God’s been showing up for me these past 3 months, and He’s a different God than the one I thought I knew. He created me uniquely and perfectly and He’s been guiding my life since day one. He loves me unconditionally, regardless of whether or not I make Him look good. He’s always been speaking to me, even when I was too stubborn to hear Him. I came to DTS with a broken view of God and myself, but if there’s one thing God’s been working to restore in my life these past few months, it’s dignity.

    Simply put, dignity is knowing your inherent value regardless of the opinions of others. Dignity is knowing what you’re made of, or made after, and that’s God’s image. Dignity is an easy thing to lose. When we swallow Satan’s lies about who we are, we sacrifice the image for a black and white photocopy. We wander around in a mess of dissatisfaction trying to find ourselves, when all we’ve really lost is the truth. The truth is God wasn’t messing around when He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He wasn’t messing around when He created the ins and outs of your soul. He wasn’t messing around when He gave you your family, your community, your country. God’s plan for you has never been anything but perfect, but the minute you begin messing with that perfection, you run into trouble. Like Eve, who traded intimacy with God for a bite of rebellion, we trade our divinely-inspired dignity for a forgery.

    I’m writing this not as a reprimand, but as a confession. I came to DTS with a smashed-up view of my own image, and it’s taken months of God’s gentle, persistent love for me to even recognize it. For years, I’ve relied on others to tell me who I was. I’ve run the rat-race of people-pleasing, and I’ve run it well. And dignity? I lost my dignity somewhere in my sea of self-doubt, and I’ve been struggling to keep my head above water ever since. When I reflect on what God’s saved me from, I’m reminded of Paul's words in Romans 7: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” God is both the granter and restorer of dignity and it’s His truth that sets you free.

    As I began to seek God for my identity, He began to speak dignity into my life. I came to DTS with a desire to be a doctor, but God quickly extinguished that desire and replaced it with a much deeper, life-long passion. The vision of the Priceless DTS is women, specifically victims of human-trafficking and prostitution. I chose Priceless because I’ve always had a passion for women’s issues, in fact, it might be the single greatest passion of my life. I heard somewhere that if you want to find your calling, figure out what makes you mad. Nothing makes me more furious than injustice against women. It’s funny, but when God told me He had called me to women, my first thought was, “that makes absolutely perfect sense. Why didn’t I come up with that?”

    The second week of DTS, I asked God a simple question: “who am I?” If you’ve never asked God that before, I’d suggest you give it a try because God has a surprisingly large amount to say on that subject. With those simple words, the floodgates were opened and God told me who I was, reminding me of things I’d always known about myself and revealing gifts and passions I never knew I had. Perhaps the greatest revelation I received that day was God’s call of communication on my life. I’ve always been a passionate communicator. Writing, speaking, reading—I love words and the power they have to spread truth, sway minds, and inspire hearts. As I prayed that day, God told me He had created me to speak to the nations, specifically Europe. Now, if I could just figure out what the heck that was supposed to look like, I’d be golden.  
   
    As lecture phase continued, God continued to refine His calling for me. Week 6 of DTS focused on communication and advocacy. Our guest lecturer was Amber Hawkes, the CEO of International Justice Mission Australia, an organization of lawyers, social workers, and other professionals who seek justice for the poor. That week, I asked God a question related to my physical identity and He spoke to me so clearly, I could almost hear His voice. He said, “If you’re going to advocate for women, you need to look like a woman.” Grace is a two-way street—God was restoring dignity in my life so I could restore it in the lives of others.  
   
    It was becoming increasingly obvious that it wasn’t God’s plan for me to complete the Introduction to Primary Health Care school, but what was the plan? For someone with absolutely zero patience and an unhealthy obsession with planning for the future, the silence was deafening. When I prayed about the future, God’s response was always, “Wait. The plan is coming.” I looked into several second-level YWAM schools, but nothing seemed to fit. It was strange, but Amsterdam kept coming up. Suddenly, everyone I met had a friend from Amsterdam or an amazing story about their trip to Amsterdam or a picture of the city’s canals and bike-ridden streets. I knew God was calling me to advocate for women and to Europe, so just for kicks, I decided to look up the YWAM base in Amsterdam. On the website, I read about a ministry of YWAM Amsterdam called the Lighthouse, which ministers to the prostitutes in the city’s notorious red-light district. The ministry visits the women in the windows, runs bible studies, and works to raise public awareness. The web page also happened to mention the Lighthouse’s desperate need for full-time staff. In the few spare minutes between dinner and Thursday Night Meeting, I sent off a hastily written inquiry.

    I received a reply to my letter a few days later. I continued to pray about God’s direction concerning Amsterdam, but the response was still to wait. For the next month, I complained to God about waiting at night and to everyone else during the day. On a Thursday almost 6 weeks after I found out about Amsterdam, I had a serious discussion with God. I asked God, in the interest of public health and safety, to give me permission to apply for a staff position in Amsterdam, preferably at Thursday Night Meeting. That night the message was on dignity. The speaker highlighted the story from Luke 13 about the woman with the disabling spirit. In a society where women were excluded from education, government, even worship, Jesus noticed a woman who’d only ever been ignored. Not only did He see and speak to her, He touched her, shattering cultural barriers with a simple act of acceptance. In a society that valued sons, Jesus called the woman a daughter of Abraham. For centuries, women have been pushed to the side, but dignity is being included. For centuries, women have been silenced, but dignity is speaking the truth. For centuries, women have been told who they were supposed to be, but dignity is knowing who you are.

    I have decided to apply for a two-year staff position with YWAM Amsterdam, working with the Lighthouse ministry to restore dignity in the lives of broken women. No, it’s not a year down under. It’s not medicine. For a while at least, it’s not college. It’s my call and my privilege and for the first time in my life, I know who I am. I’m a beloved daughter of God, endowed with dignity and purpose, and now it’s my turn to restore that dignity and purpose in the lives of others. 

Let's Talk About Love

   I’m not sure if this is normal, but for the past couple months of DTS I’ve felt like I was drowning in a sea of revelation. Each week was like a new wave of gut-punching, head-spinning truth, and by the time week 8 rolled around, I was ready for a break. The topic was relationships, and I was feeling optimistic that this would be the week I’d catch my breath. After all, I call my parents every Saturday, I was homeschooled so I don’t have any friends, and my boyfriend, who’s 6’4”, has a Scottish accent, and looks like Liam Hemsworth, doesn’t technically exist in the realm of reality—in other words, I’m surprised they didn’t ask me to teach.

     So Monday came around and I sat in my blue, plastic chair, smugly reveling in my relational ignorance. It was complete bliss for about 20 minutes, but then, things got personal.

    God is, at His very core, a relational being. Before the world was made, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed in perfect relationship—three separate beings made one by magnificent, unadulterated love. From the overflow of love that bound the trinity together, man was created. After God created the world in Genesis 1:31, the bible says, “and God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good,” but in Genesis 2:18, God says, “it is not good that the man should be alone.” God created us for relationship—relationship with the Godhead and relationship with each other.

    God created us so He could share His love with us, and we are commanded to show that same love in our human relationships. 1 John 4:7-11 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  

    So, relationships are about love. Now, where have I heard that one before? Oh yeah, in every song, book, and movie I’ve ever heard, read, or watched. If you’ve had any exposure to popular culture, you probably figured out that the world is a little obsessed with love and relationships. Love is what makes our world go round, but how does the world love? To answer this question, I’ve done a literary study of the popular book series “Twilight.” In a nutshell, the world’s definition of relationships is all about fulfilling your own emotional needs. So, your boyfriend’s a pale, sparkly vampire who abandons you without explanation and attempts to control your life for what he claims to be your own protection? That’s a little concerning, but more importantly, does he complete you?

    Thankfully, Jesus isn’t Edward Cullen, and His love looks a lot different than the world’s selfish, needy version of love. How did Christ show His love for us? “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).” Chist’s love looks like sacrifice. Jesus gave up everything—His position as God’s Son, His right to be accepted by His people, even His right to a natural death—so that we could have a relationship with the Father He loved more than His own life. In a world that’s obsessed with using others to fill our emptiness, Jesus is the only one who gives.

    Now here’s the part where I started squirming. John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” We are commanded to love each other like Christ loved us. If Christ’s love looks like the cross, what are our relationships supposed to look like? Jesus standard of love is laying down your life. It doesn’t mean playing nice, it doesn’t mean patting people on the back, it doesn’t mean getting along with people—it means dying every single day. Love isn’t a feeling that comes and goes, love is a choice we make to lay aside ourselves, to take our bad moods and snippy words, our needs and personal preferences, and nail them to the cross.

    As Christians, we need to stop talking and singing and writing about love and start doing love. Love is our commandment—the mark that shows the world we’ve been with Christ. It’s the active expression of the grace we’ve received—a sweet perfume that still smells a little like Golgotha. Without it, our prayers and songs and mission trips are useless. Turns out, love really is what makes the world go round. God is love and He so loved the world He gave His only Son so that we might know that love. And that’s the love my friends, not the self-seeking feelings of our lovestruck world, that will truly complete you.

Fear of the Lord

   What do you think when you hear the phrase, “fear of the Lord?” If you’re anything like me, and for your sake I hope you’re not, fear of the Lord conjures up images of a hellfire spitting, thunderbolt hurling God who uses intimidation to command respect. In my mind, I couldn’t justify the jealous God of the Old Testament and the all-loving God of the New Testament. I read the exploits of Joshua and the campaigns of David with a bad taste in my mouth, hastily skimming over what I believed to be an overzealous response to sinfulness. Sure, idolatry is bad, but is genocide really the best way to deal with a few golden cows?

    It was these hang-ups that caused me to go into week 7 of DTS with a kind of nervous anticipation. If there’s one thing DTS has taught me, it’s that God is nothing like I thought He was. His love is infinite and completely independent of my own actions. It’s a Sunday school topic, but one I’ve had an exceptionally difficult time grasping. The truth is, the world just doesn’t offer love like God’s and none of us, no matter how wonderful our relationships, have experienced love like that apart from Him. God’s love is made manifest in us, His willful, backsliding people, whom He loved so much He gave everything, even the violent death of His beloved son, to restore our relationship with Him. The basis of God’s love is relationship—He calls us into intimacy with Him through the work of the cross. God’s love is infinite and all-encompassing, but we can distance ourselves from God through our choices. When we choose to sin, we’re choosing to turn our backs on God.

    Now about that hellfire. The bible defines the fear of the Lord as hatred of sin. God hates sin because it affects you and me, destroying the very relationship He fought so hard to restore. You can’t experience intimacy with a righteous God without a ruthless, committed hatred of sin. Psalm 25:14 says, “the friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.” We should fear God because it’s the only right response to who He is. It’s living truth and reality—you can’t have a casual relationship with a holy God.

    Practically, the fear of the Lord looks like obedience. As we develop the fear of the Lord in our lives, we learn to hate sin. It’s easy to get comfortable with sin, to allow it to fester beneath the veneer of our Christian lives, but the reality of sin is death. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no such thing as a little sin—sin grows like cancer, destroying our relationship with God, others, and ourselves. God hates sin, not because He’s a legalist who enjoys saying no, but because sin kills us. God sacrificed everything to free us from sin—can you imagine how He must feel when we choose to embrace the very death He died to save us from?

    Fear of the Lord doesn’t mean being afraid of God. Fear of the Lord is having a deep reverence and respect for God based on His character. God’s character is amazing, and that’s not the Sunday school talking. To know God is to know a love that surpasses every fear and failure, an infinitely faithful God who’s been gently, patiently calling us to know Him even when we had our fingers stuffed in our ears. Knee-deep in our own muck, God’s love finds us, calling us to lay aside the death that clings to us like cobwebs and take the nail-pierced hand of the one who created us to know Him.
 
  In the reality of love like this, our only response is relationship. God offers us intimacy, but we can’t know a holy God when we’re living unholy lives. Sanctification isn’t about what obedience is going to cost us, how hard it’s going to be for us to align our lives with Christ’s, it’s remembering what it cost God to give us the ability to be holy. The only thing that can separate us from God is ourselves, our sinful choices which dull our love for Him until it ceases to exist. So I ask you, what’s dulling your love for God? What’s your closed door, the area of your life that you haven’t given God permission to enter? It could be something small, innocent perhaps, just a little habit that’s slowly, steadily killing you. Don’t let anything dull your love.

   The fear of the Lord is the hatred of sin. As God’s people, we must cultivate a ruthless, active hatred of sin. We need to learn to love God enough to obey Him. In it’s essence, the fear of the Lord is the call to trade death for life, destruction for wholeness, and separation for intimacy. So I ask you, do you love God enough to fear Him?   

Advocacy: Standing in the Gap

   "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one."

~Ezekial 22:30

    For week 6, the topic was advocacy. The Priceless DTS was privileged to have an expert on advocacy as our guest lecturer—Amber Hawkes, the CEO of International Justice Mission. IJM is an international Christian organization of lawyers, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals committed to achieving justice for the poor. In countries with broken justice systems, where corruption is rampant and the poor have no voice, IJM uses its influence and experience to achieve fair verdicts for victims of injustice. Every day, IJM is freeing slaves in brick factories in India, rescuing child prostitutes in Thailand, and providing healing for rape victims through aftercare programs in Guatemala.

    Part of what makes the work of the International Justice Mission so effective is the organization’s dedication to biblical justice. God is described as a God of justice, one who pleads the cause of the orphan and the widow and commands His people to do the same. In the Old Testament, God gave many laws that provided protection for the vulnerable members of Israelite society—the widow, the orphan, the slave, the poor, and the stranger. As God’s people, Christians are called to reflect God’s character on the earth by seeking justice for the oppressed. In this way, doing justice is an act of worship. Isaiah 58:6-7 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”  When we lay aside our own selfish ambitions and do for others, we bring great pleasure to God and cause His kingdom to come on the earth.

    In the spirit of Christ, Christians are called to be advocates, to “stand in the gap” on behalf of others. To do this, we look to Jesus, who modeled advocacy to us by bridging the gap through His death on the cross and interceding for us before the Father. As advocates, Christians are commanded to plead the cause of of those who can’t speak for themselves, supporting and defending the interests of the weak. There’s a huge gap in our world between the poor and justice, a gap that can only be breached by the dogged dedication of God’s people. In a world where brothels are run by police officers and the innocent rot in prison for years without charge or trial, Christians must be committed to fulfilling their biblical role as advocates for justice.

    As I learned more about advocacy, I got to thinking about all the opportunities I’ve had to be an advocate while on DTS. Here are a few examples of what the Priceless DTS has been doing to seek justice over the last few months:

    In the fight against injustice, our first response must always be one of prayer. Each week, our DTS prays for a different topic of injustice, crying out to God for justice to be done in these areas of darkness. Every Monday night, the Priceless DTS has an anti-trafficking workshop, where we learn about topics like prostitution, sexual abuse, pornography, and female genital mutilation and then have a time of intercession into these topics. Through these lectures, I’ve learned so much about often taboo topics that are causing so much pain in our world. As I walk the streets of Perth, I pray for every brothel and sex shop I pass, and I’ve been overjoyed to see several unwholesome businesses shut down throughout my 3 months here. In many ways, prayer is our most basic and most powerful weapon against injustice. Through the Holy Spirit, our prayers overcome the power of Satan and bring about real change on the earth. 

    Working alongside the Priceless Ministry of YWAM Perth, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a Thai massage parlor. I was so nervous as I walked up with a gift of cookies and knocked on the door. We were greeted by a friendly older Thai lady. We gave her the cookies and offered to pray for her. She was very grateful to see us, and got very excited when I told her I was going to Thailand in a few weeks. Although we couldn’t pray with her or her girls because they were busy with customers, she enthusiastically invited us to come back the next day. Through this positive first experience, I hope to have the opportunity to visit more brothels before I go on outreach.
    As I’ve worked with the Priceless Ministry more, I’ve come to value their simple, no nonsense approach to advocacy—speaking value into the lives of prostitutes by visiting them, listening to their struggles, praying with them, and performing simple acts of kindness like delivering a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Advocacy doesn’t have to be fancy—it just has to be done.

    A more dramatic example of advocacy is the time our DTS participated in a brothel watch. To collect information for the government, the Priceless Ministry watched a specific brothel for 18 hours, observing the comings and goings of the customers and recording any suspicious activity. Our DTS was broken into 9 2-hour shifts from 4 Friday evening until 10 the following morning. My shift was from 8-10 Friday evening, and I enjoyed munching popcorn in the dark car while recording things like: “8:42—caucasian male, mid 30’s, black jacket and jeans, license plate number 2DCX-487.” We recorded the exchange or several suspicious looking packages and through the pick-up and drop-off of the girls, ascertained that the brothel is probably run as an escort service. The watch was called off at around 2 AM Saturday morning because the people in the brothel were becoming suspicious, coming onto the porch to watch our car parked across the street. Nevertheless, we did discover some useful information that will hopefully be used by the government to shut down that brothel and strengthen laws against owning and running similar businesses.

    When I’m confronted with injustice, especially injustice against women, my first reaction is always anger. I hate being confronted with the reality of how women are treated in this world—as objects to be used for sex, burdens who’s only purpose is to birth sons, or second-class citizens without a right to education, health care, or even proper nutrition. But anger isn’t the answer to injustice—love is. Throughout my time on DTS, God has been dramatically growing my heart for women, teaching me that every woman, no matter her background, is indescribably valuable to God. Ultimately, the love of God is the only thing powerful enough to overcome the darkness of this world, powerful enough to restore dignity to the prostitute, peace to the trafficking victim, and hope to the man ensnared by pornography. I’ve been so privileged to be a part of bringing justice to women who’s lives have been destroyed by prostitution and human trafficking, and I’m eager to continue that work in Nepal, India, and Thailand. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my time on DTS, it’s that advocacy isn’t just something for the missionary. Every Christian is called to perpetuate the image of God on the earth, and God is justice. As Christ stood in the gap for us, so we must stand in the gap for others. Who will you stand for?              

Identity: Who Am I?

   In week 5 of lecture phase, 3 of the DTS's went camping on the beach in Busselton. The lecture topic of week 5 is the father-heart of God, taught by the brilliantly parental Pete Brownhill. On the second day of lectures, after a long day playing games on the beach, I was sitting in the back of a crowded room, trying my best to keep my eyes open. I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, I called God "father," but I had absolutely no concept of God's father-heart. Coming into DTS, I thought I knew a lot about God, but the truth is, I’ve been getting God all wrong for years. Growing up, my image of God was like a father who’d just gotten home from work, exhausted and holding me, His dirty, squirming child, at arms length so as not to muss His best suit. Jesus was the member of the trinity I related with, the one who might think I was okay, but I saw God the father as distant and uninterested, lurking somewhere on the fringes of my life.

   That night, Pete spoke on identity, and as I sat in the back of the room, alternating between slight dozing and violent fits of coughing, he said something interesting: “God’s definition of perfect is you.” That phrase, quite honestly, sounds like a Hallmark card, but it’s got everything to do with God’s father-heart.

   I’m a woman, and as such, I struggle with the concept of perfection. I’m a six foot tall blond who’s never been called anything but beautiful, but I’m still convinced deep down in my gut that I’m ugly, that my butt is too big and my eyes are too small, that I need a thigh gap and straight bottom teeth, that my worth is determined by how I look. I’ve always struggled to make myself better, convinced that if I was just a little bit prettier, people would like me, I wouldn’t feel overlooked, and maybe someday, a guy would decide I was worth loving. I’d heard the “God made you perfect” line before, but that didn’t keep me from feeling guilty when I ate a piece of cake.

   Identity is a concept I've always held loosely. Yeah, maybe I'm a bit of a hot mess today, but waiting somewhere in the golden future is this deluxe-model Bryanna who's worked through all her issues and floats about 3 inches off the ground. Who needs identity when you've got idealism? 

   God's truth, however, says something quite different. That whole "made in the image of God" thing? Um, well...God's image is kind of perfect. Are you short? Have brown hair and detached earlobes? Have an affinity for spicy food and sarcasm? Guess what, God did that for a reason. The truth is, God has a walking-talking plan for your life, a specific piece of this divine puzzle that only you can fit, and part of that has to do with who your mom is.

   And insecurity? Ultimately, insecurity is pride because it says that our idea of perfection is better than God's. Insecurity is calling God a liar. So every time you compare yourself to another person, every time you bash your appearance, every time you tear someone down, you're committing the same sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven. Let me say that again in case you didn't get it: insecurity is sin! I'm pretty sure I missed that sermon, or maybe I was too busy fixing my hair in the church bathroom. Before YWAM, I thought insecurity was a normal part of the human experience---you're insecure, I'm insecure, now let's bond over oreos and fat-talk.  But insecurity isn't a harmless by-product of humanness---insecurity breeds fear and inferiority, stripping us of our dignity until we've swallowed so many lies about who the world says we are we don't know who our Creator says we are.

   When it comes to identity, God makes no mistakes. We can try, but it's impossible to change who we've been made to be without forfeiting God's plan for our lives. Don't underestimate the implications of this truth. Insecurity is sin and the nature of sin is to steal, kill, and destroy. Often, our view of ourselves is so twisted by insecurity, it's impossible for us to see ourselves the way God sees us, but in the battle against inferior pride, our greatest weapon is God's truth. If you don't know who you are, ask God. Consider everything about yourself, from your personality to your nationality, asking God to speak His truth into each aspect of your personal identity. Start with why. Why do I have curly hair? Why am I the oldest of 5? Ask Him and He'll answer you, often with answers you never expected. Once you know the truth, you must teach yourself to ruthlessly agree with that truth. When the old lies surface, and they will, remind yourself who you are in Christ. At first, it'll be empty words, but as you seek God for your identity, you will learn to align your self-image with His image. It truly is a battle, but we will never be able to live out God's purpose for our lives if we don't unshakably, undeniably know who we are.

I Am Warfare: Worship and Intercession

   Ah, noble intentions. You know how it goes--you start out with a brilliant plan to write a convicting, insightful blog post on a new DTS topic each week, and then suddenly it's week 9 and you haven't written anything since week 3. Not to name names, but well, let's just say I'm chock-full of noble intentions...

   Anyways, where to begin? We'll start with week 4, which was worship and intercession week here at YWAM Perth. All 4 DTS's crowded into an upstairs classroom for a week of teaching by the hilariously expressive Christine Weiner, and I'll just say it was a lot of fun. Christine has a real talent for interactive teaching, especially when it comes to prayer. It's one thing to tell an audience of sleepy teenagers to be active and engaged in intercession, it's quite another to tell your audience to be active and engaged as you chuck tennis balls at them.

   If you're like me, you might view prayer as kind of boring and ultimately unnecessary. It's easy to fall into a pattern of expecting God's will to come about automatically. If God is sovereign, His will will be done no matter what we pray, so why bother? Unfortunately, this fatalistic thinking undermines our spiritual authority and renders our broad, halfhearted prayers largely ineffective. To combat apathy in your own prayer life, here's Christine Weiner's 5 keys to effective prayer. Your welcome.

5 Keys to Effective Prayer:

1. God is who He says He is: Either God is completely true or He’s a liar. John 14:6 says God is the way, the truth, and the life. He is described as having no deceit in Him--He is completely trustworthy. We believe in God's power and we pray to tell God what we’re believing Him for. Do your prayers reflect your faith in God's ability to provide for you, or do you pray general, vague prayers for fear of being disappointed? If you're in doubt of how to pray, read the Psalms. Psalm 4:3 says, "the Lord hears when I call to Him." Psalm 5:3, "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." Come into prayer with faith that God hears you and have expectation that He will act. Don't be worried about asking to much of Him, of hurting His feelings with your pain. You have permission to pray specific, aggressive prayers. God is the truth, therefore, He can handle the truth. There's a lot that's wrong with our world, and God hates it. God hates injustice so much more than you do and He doesn’t ignore the cries of those who suffer. It comes down to a choice: if we choose to mistrust God, our prayers are ineffective and our relationship with Him rots. If we choose to believe God, we gain power in our prayers. The reason prayer becomes passive is because we don’t believe prayer makes a difference.

2. God does what He says He will do: If God is who He says He is, we can know that if He tells you to do something, He will give you everything you need to accomplish that task. God has promised to never leave or forsake us and He always keeps His promises. When you're feeling overwhelmed, you can cling to the promises of God. It's not presumptuous to remind God of His promises---Moses and God Himself often reminded Israel of His promises. Sometimes we need a reminder of God's faithfulness in our lives. Reminding ourselves of the capacity of God builds our faith, and it's impossible to pray without faith. Faith runs to get what hope sees. Faith runs to get the breakthrough. There’s a sense of urgency with faith---it doesn’t wait, it runs to get what God sees. Faith will by nature activate and produce on the earth what God sees.

3. I am who God says I am: As we pray, we must have the mind of Christ. We can believe God is who He says He is and have faith that He’ll do what He says He’ll do, but we can still have doubts about who we are. We get obsessed with "finding ourselves," but it's so simple---you are who God says you are. Who does God say you are? God has called you to be an intercessor on behalf of others. You have been given all the authority of heaven through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. You have power in prayer. Hold firmly to who God says you are.

4. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength: God works with people. Jesus could have fed the 5,000 himself, but instead He told His disciples to feed them. God blesses obedience. Take the little bits and pieces of your life and offer it to God, and He will anoint you.

5. God’s word is alive and active in me: Words have incredible power.  The entire universe came about by a simple pronouncement from God. Jesus Himself is described as the Word. When you speak out God’s word, it brings life. You can dispel fear by reading out scriptures that speak on the love of God, the power of God, the mightiness of God. God’s word is described as living and active-- it demands our response. We must respond to the truth of God's word by actively seeking His voice in our specific circumstances. It is in God's nature to communicate, but we have to be listening for His word. In the parable of the Good Shepherd, the sheep respond to the Shepherd because they recognize His voice. The more time we spend listening to God and obeying Him, the more we will learn to know our Shepherd’s voice. Sometimes we make hearing God’s voice too complicated, like it has to sound a certain way, but God speaks to us with the simplicity of a child. When God spoke in the past, He spoke in a way that people understood. God is determined to speak to you and He will speak to you. God speaks your heart language.

   Good stuff, huh? This is just a snapshot of everything we covered that week, but I hope it will encourage you to take up your spiritual authority and stand in the gap for those who can't stand for themselves. God has called you to be an intercessor---to pray for God's will to be done on the earth and stand against the schemes of the enemy. It's a high calling, but also an incredible privilege. So go out and be warfare for those who can't fight for themselves and watch the world change!     

Outreach!!!

   Well, it's getting to be about that time. In a month, the Priceless DTS will complete their lecture phase and begin the outreach portion of DTS. That means our team will be splitting in two, with one outreach team traveling to Cape Town, South Africa and Kolkata, India and the other to Katmandu, Nepal, Kolkata, India, and Bankgkok, Thailand.

   My team will be flying to Katmandu on September 28. We'll spend two weeks in Katmandu and a village on the Indian border before taking a train to Kolkata on October 12. We'll spend six weeks working in Kolkata through a ministry of YWAM Perth called Mega Cities. Each year, Mega Cities picks a city of several million to concentrate evangelistic efforts on, sending several waves of outreach teams into every part of the city to minister to practical and spiritual needs. Our team will be arriving on the heels of several other missionary waves, and I'm excited to continue the work that has been established there throughout the last several months. On November 26, our team will fly from Kolkata to Bangkok, spending three weeks in the city before returning to Perth on December 12.

   It's going to be a crazy busy time of ministering in some of the neediest parts of the world. The Priceless DTS will be focusing on combating sex-trafficking and ministering to exploited women as well as evangelism, building projects, supporting local missionaries, and lending a hand wherever we can help. I'm so excited to be a part of bringing God's justice to the nations, and I couldn't have picked a better group of people to do it with. I know I've already introduced you to my awesome Priceless team briefly, but I'd like you to get a better idea of who I'll be serving with for the next three months. Here's our team picture and a brief bio of each member of Team Awesome!

   David Dex Delgado is the taller half of our leadership team, as well as the only male Priceless DTS staff member. He hails from Los Angeles, California, which explains his tendency to use the word "epic" to describe everything from childhood memories to potato salad. The fact that he chooses to spend his Friday nights watching a "Cinderella Story" with a gaggle of angst-ridden teenage girls makes him one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. He's always ready to encourage you with a well-thought word, has a voice that could literally melt butter, and puts Sriracha sauce on everything.    

   Samantha (not Sam) McQueen is our other team leader, as well as my ever-gracious housemate, one-on-one, and small group leader. From Alberta, Canada, she's a lone Canadian in a sea of smack-talking Americans. She is incredibly wise, always speaking the truth with love. She's so patient with our non-stop ridiculousness, is a queen of organization, and leads with authority and grace. Hilarious without even trying, she delivers perfect dead-pan jokes and then acts surprised when we all burst out laughing. Hey Samantha, "where'd the cheese go?"

   Tessa Noble is one of two kiwis in our group, and possibly the most hilarious person to ever walk the planet. She's the queen of pop-culture references, quoting entire Hilary Duff movies with a perfect American accent. She's amazingly loyal, a true friend who's always eager to make you a cup of tea and have "a wee chat." She cares about people, is an amazing listener, a giver of wise advice, and one of the only people who ever laughs at my jokes. Oh, and her eyes are the color of the sea after a storm ;).

   Jennifer Wamsley claims to be from Pekin, Illinois, but we all know she's just Jenny from the block. A down-to-earth diva, there's so much more to her than meets the eye. She shifts from hilarious alter-ego "LaShonka" to philosophical soul-searcher with an ease that always impresses me. She loves people, and has an amazing ability to make you laugh and think at the same time. She's a taker of many selfies, has great taste in music, is always immaculately dressed, and has a knack for making any situation, including cleaning toilets, into a dance party.

   Ariane Jean Pascal Paviani comes from Detroit, Michigan by way of Paris, France. My bunkmate for life, Ari is a master of all things technology. She's extremely observant, noticing both bad camera angles and the feelings of those around her. She's always ready to give you a hug, ask a penetrating question, and offer thoughtful advice. She can start a conversation with anyone, gets things done with amazing speed and efficiency, and wears snap pants better than Zac Efron. 

   Tabitha Mabus hails from my hometown of Galax, Virginia and has been my friend for many years. A talented musician, thoughtful writer, and gifted artist, Tabitha is one of the most dedicated people I know, approaching everything with a single-minded intensity that always inspires me. She's a joy to talk to, delivering both godly insight and well-timed sarcasm with equal precision. Always dignified, patient, and kind, she knows how to value people, and I can't think of a better person to travel halfway around the world with.

   To complete our team is the oldest, but not necessarily most mature, member of Team Awesome, Mark Jackson of somewhere in New Zealand. A true theologian, Mark listens to sermons for fun, enjoys discussing the differences between holiness and sanctification, and draws timelines of 2 Kings  in his free time. He's incredibly thoughtful, whether he's lending you his jacket or planning your birthday scavenger hunt, he's constantly serving people in practical ways.

   Well that's Team Awesome for you! I've already grown so close to each member of our team and I can't wait to spend the next three months getting even closer. Please pray for us as departure time gets closer and throughout our time on outreach. In addition, our DTS is in need of about $23,000 in outreach fees. If you feel led to support us, you can make a credit card donation to ‘Priceless DTS Asia Outreach Team’ on the YWAM Perth website, ywamperth.org.au. Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us!

Camping in Busselton

   The Priceless, Sports, and Music DTS's went camping in Busselton a couple weeks ago. The bus ride was interesting, not to mention really, really loud. Jen, aka the selfie queen took this picture, which properly demonstrates the madness.

 

  

   We stayed at a retreat center literally 30 feet from the Indian Ocean. We arrived just in time to snap some pictures of the sunset. 

 

   

   After breakfast each morning, we attended lectures by Pete Brownhill on the father-heart of God. After lunch, we played games on the beach, including a couple crazy rounds of what can only be described as human tug-of-war. Thankfully, no participants were injured, just a little sore.  

 

    We took a trip into the little town of Busselton. Some insane folks payed for the opportunity to jump off a jetty into shark-infested waters, while other, tamer souls bought ice cream. Afterwards, a few of us explored the downtown, popping into a Salvo to buy a sweater that cost less than the ice cream. 

  
  
   On our last day, a few students were baptized, including two members of the Priceless DTS! I've watched Hannah and Maddie grow so much over the past few weeks, and I was so excited to witness this public testament to the work God's been doing in their lives. I can't wait to see what the future holds for them all!

  








   Busselton was the perfect environment to learn about God's father-heart---it's impossible wake up to the sun rising out of a clear, blue sea and not know God is good. It was great to have a break from the daily routine of YWAM Perth, and I can now say I've put my feet in all the oceans (not including the Arctic, but who cares about that one anyway?)!

A Tour of the Base

   Watch this video for an insider's tour of YWAM Perth, hosted by Daniel, Tessa, and myself, and filmed by Ari the film guru. Enjoy!

King's Park

   Last Sunday, a few members of the Priceless DTS and I explored King's Park, which is famous for being one of the largest inter-city parks in the world. We started out at Jacob's Ladder, which is a set of just under 300 steps that climbs 43 meters from Mounts Bay Road to Cliff Street. Although you're sweaty and winded by the time you reach the top, the views of Perth's business district and the Swan River make the climb worth it.

 Afterwards, we trekked across the park to Synergy Parkland, which is one of two children's park's within King's park. Seeing the kids playing on the island and climbing on the life-sized dinosaurs made us all wish we were 5 again.

   Dinner was calling our name, so we walked back across the park, stopping to climb the DNA tower, a 101 step spiral staircase that looks just like, you guessed it, the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule. The tower is 15 meters high, which was just enough to make me feel a little shaky standing at the top. The shakiness hit me again when we crossed a bridge that overlooked the river, but I did brace myself long enough to snap a picture.

   All in all, I would suggest a trip to King's Park as a beautiful way to find a little bit of greenery in the midst of an urban jungle.  But don't forget to watch out for snakes!

Holiness: To Be or Not to Be?

  “There is no sin that doesn’t start with us buying into a lie about God‘s character.” This past week, the Priceless DTS learned about repentance and forgiveness. For 4 days, we attended lectures by Caleb Brownhill, who serves as the director of YWAM in the Asia-Pacific region. Day 5 was application day, and our class spent roughly 8 hours repenting of our sins and committing to forgive those who’ve wronged us before God and each other.

    I learned a lot about myself in those 5 days. I’ve always been keenly aware of my struggles, and I’ve spent the better part of my Christian life trying to free myself of them. For years, I’ve clenched my fists whenever a bad thought popped into my head, I’ve tried to convince myself that other people’s opinions of me don’t matter, and I’ve confessed my pride to God more times than I can count, but honestly, it didn’t do much good. It was exhausting, and as years passed, I found myself getting frustrated with God for not fixing my problems. I tried many tactics and made lots of promises, but I always found myself backsliding, and I ultimately came to the conclusion that some things can’t be changed: I’ll always struggle with my thoughts, I’ll always be insecure, I’ll always want my way more than God’s, in other words, holiness is just a bonus for the super-Christian, something for the Peter’s and Paul’s of this world but not something for an Achaicus like me.    

    In some ways, thinking this way was a welcome relief. It took the pressure off me to perform at what I believed to be a super-human level. Slowly however, so subtly I never even knew it was happening, I began to develop a tolerance of sin. Having a bad day? Go, ahead, take it out on your brother, after all, you can’t be expected to be in control all the time. Watch that movie? Hey, why not? You deserve a break and it’s probably not that bad anyway. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” God hates sin, He can’t tolerate it in any expression or form, even if it's attached itself to the heart of someone He loves. God created me to be in a relationship with Him, but through my tolerance of sin, I built up a wall between me and God that prevented me from knowing Him on more than a superficial level.

    Somewhere around week 2 of my time at YWAM, I realized something: I don’t trust God. I’ve bought into this lie about God’s character that says He’s not who He says He is, that I can’t trust Him to keep His word. Sin grieves the heart of God because it stifles my relationship with Him. I know that. I’ve heard it in sermons, I’ve read it in the Bible, I’ve studied it in apologetics courses, but do I believe it? Do I believe God’s serious when He says “don’t sin because it’s going to ruin your life, and I’ve got something better for you. Don’t sin because it stops up your ears so you can’t hear me, it hardens your heart so you can’t feel me, it blinds your eyes so you can’t see me. Don’t sin because no one’s ever going to love you as much as I do. You can trust me?”

 You can’t hate sin unless you believe God is who He says He is. You can’t hate sin unless you’ve caught a glimpse of just how loving, how holy, how infinitely worthy God is of our wholehearted obedience. Holiness isn’t a medal reserved for the Olympians of Christendom, holiness is the only fitting response for Him who for our sakes was made to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
 
  So did spending a week learning about the devastating affects of sin give me a hatred of sin? Did I wake up on Saturday morning free and clear of any desire to taste its fleeting pleasures? Do I no longer feel tempted to think a bad thought, compare myself to others, or walk in disobedience? No. But I am beginning to understand that repentance is a lot less about my problems and a lot more about my relationship with God. The more I learn about God's character, the more I realize sin isn't worth separation from a God who truly loves me. That's why holiness is important, not because we're afraid of the consequences or we're looking for brownie points, but because our relationship with an all-holy God is too important a thing to risk on a few gossip sessions. Holiness isn't a question of, "to be or not to be," it's the tangible expression of a life touched by Christ. Holiness isn't an option, it's the only fitting answer to the words, "follow me."

Meet the Team!

   Here's a short video introducing you to all the amazing students on the Priceless DTS. I eat, sleep, explore, learn, and talk with these guys constantly and it's been so much fun! The more I get to know them, the more I adore them and I wanted to give you a chance to see their faces. Now just take what you see here, multiply it by ten, and put it on a 24/7 loop, and you'll have an idea of what my life is like!

Human Trafficking: The Modern Day Slave-Trade

    William Wilberforce said, “We are too young to realize that certain things are impossible... So we will do them anyway.” On March 25, 1807, William Wilberforce accomplished what many believed to be impossible when the British Parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, effectively ending the slave trade in the British Empire. Today, over 200 years later, there are more people in bondage than at any other time in human history: 27 million men, women, and children across the globe. Human trafficking is defined as: “the practice of involuntarily moving people into locations and jobs at the profit of another. It consists of: violence, deception, coercion, deprivation of freedom of movement, abuse of authority, debt bondage, forced labor and slavery-like practices, and other forms of exploitation or use of force.” 
   
   Human trafficking has become the largest slave trade in history. In 2008, the United Nations estimated nearly 2.5 million people from 127 countries were trafficked into 137 different countries around the world; 250,000 victims trafficked from Asia, 100,000 from the former Soviet Union, 175,000 from Central and Eastern Europe, 100,000 from Latin America and Caribbean, and 50,000 from Africa. Victims are trafficked for many reasons, including slave-like labor, forced marriage, organ harvesting, and forced pregnancy, but the majority of victims are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.
  
    Traffickers target the vulnerable. Of all victims, 80% are women and girls and up to 50% are minors. 1.2 million children are trafficked every year and the average age of a trafficking victim is 12. Traffickers often trick job-seekers with an offer of a career in a wealthy nation or promise to purchase a child from an impoverished family in exchange for money or food. Although trafficking victims come from a variety of backgrounds, those most at risk are the poor, the uneducated, children, young women, refugees, and job-seekers.
   
   Human-trafficking is quickly overtaking drug-smuggling as the world’s most profitable illicit business. In 2005, Patrick Belser of the International Labor Organization estimated a global annual profit of $31.6 billion. In 2004, the trafficking of persons produced an estimated revenue of $5 billion to $9 billion, and business is booming. Trafficking is fueled by a thriving demand for  commercial sex acts and cheap, forced labor. Many people become involved in trafficking because it offers a low risk and high reward. While a kilo of cocaine can be sold only once, a human being can be sold again and again. As trafficking increases, public awareness remains low and government, law enforcement, and other institutions lack the funding and training to effectively respond. Globalization provides complication as complex business supply chains makes it difficult to track instances of trafficking.
   
   When confronted with the horrors of human-trafficking, it’s easy to believe there is no solution. The injustice is so great and the pain so real, how can we respond? Like William Wilberforce, we must refuse to believe in the impossible. One of the foundational values of YWAM is championing young people. YWAM capitalizes on the hope of the young, training them to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. In my time at YWAM, I’ve learned that when doing something seems impossible, you do it anyway, because we serve an all-possible God. God’s desire is to see wrongs righted, captives set free, and pain stripped away, and we as Christians are mandated to champion His desires on the earth. You can see God’s will carried out in this area by taking steps in your everyday life to combat human-trafficking. Firstly, pray for those who are trapped in human-trafficking, that they would be freed from this trauma both physically and psychologically. Become an advocate for the voiceless, both as a prayer intercessor and by spreading the word in your circles of influence. Take a stand by researching company business practices on sites like free2work.org and refusing to buy from companies that use exploited labor. Lastly, fight back financially by supporting organizations like the Priceless Ministry of YWAM Perth, which is making a tangible difference in the lives of trafficking victims. You and I have been given a burden of truth, and it is our responsibility to respond. As William Wilberforce said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

Sources

Belsar, Patrick (1 March 2005). "Forced Labor and Human Trafficking: Estimating the Profits." Cornell University ILR School. Retrieved 30 July 2014. 

"Economic Roots of Trafficking in the UNECE Region." (15 December 2004). United Nations Economic Commission of Europe. Retrieved 30 July 2014.

"Human-trafficking seminar." Priceless Ministry. Perth. 14 July 2014. Lecture.

Photogen X International. Broken: A Call to Restore the House of Humanity. Photogen X International. Kona: Youth With a Mission, 2012.

Photogen X International. A Voice for the Voiceless. Photogen X International. Kona: Youth With a Mission, 2006.

"UN-backed Container Exhibit Spotlights Plight of Sex Trafficking Victims." (6 February 2008). United Nations News Centre. Retrieved 30 July 2014.

Welcome to Our Crib

 

  Watch this hilarious video to get a better idea of what goes on behind closed doors at 124 Wright Street. Props to Jennifer, aka J-Wham, for her fabulous hosting skills, and Ari, for being an absolute editing genius. I love our house so much and I love everyone who lives there even more!

Home Sweet Home

   Here are a few pictures of the house I'll be calling home for the next 3 months. I live with 11 other Priceless DTS students and staff, and needless to say, it's been a blast. We recently had the water heater replaced, so this morning I enjoyed the first hot shower I've had in 3 weeks. Talk about learning to appreciate the little things...

Welcome to our home. Isn't it pretty?

The kitchen is the setting of many late-night noshes and heart-to-hearts.

The lounge is the center of our house, home to all the jokes and laughter 12 girls can muster, and we joke and laugh a lot!

   It's amazing how 4 walls and a roof can become your home in 3 weeks, but I'm beginning to understand the meaning of "home is where the heart is." I'm so blessed to live in a community that has a heart for God, and I can't wait to see how we will grow closer in the next few months. I hope to be able to introduce you to some of the wonderful people I live with sometime in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

A Tour of YWAM Perth

   Here are a few pictures of the main YWAM Perth base. This is the place where I do my chores, eat my meals, worship with my fellow students, and attend my lectures. Allow me to show you around: 

  

Our classroom is where the Priceless DTS has lectures, Monday night trafficking workshops, and school worship. It's also a great place to take a nap!

9 Robertson coffee shop: home to the best chai latte you ever tasted!

The dining room: arguably the most delicious place at YWAM Perth!

The auditorium is where the base gathers for worship and Thursday night meeting. During the day, it's a quiet place to do homework, surf the web, or Skype.

Me, eHarmony Jesus, and the Reality of God's Sovereignty

   I’m a Christian. I was raised a Christian, a homeschooled Christian in a small southern town to be exact. Forget preacher’s kid, I’m a marriage and family therapist’s kid, which means I’m never allowed to have a mental breakdown. Try living with that kind of pressure and see if you don't develop an anxiety disorder...but wait, I can't have one of those either.

   I know a lot about God. I’ve been reading the Bible and going to church most of my life, and I’m pretty well-versed on the ins and outs of what Christians believe, what Christians talk like, who Christians vote for, etc. I listen to The Newsboys. I sing in the praise band. I teach Sunday school. I’ve been on two mission trips. But none of those things make me a Christian. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes me a Christian, and it took traveling halfway around the world to make me realize just how personal that relationship can, or cannot, be.  

   I was raised a homeschooled, church-going, Bible-toting Christian, but my grasp of God as an all-powerful, infinite creator is no greater than any other white, middle-class, bubble-abiding American. Growing up, my mom made me dinner every night, corrected my essays, and drove me to basketball games. My dad sent me to Europe and Guatemala and community college. My siblings and I did our school together, we played games together, and we slept in the same room together even though we had our own bedrooms.

   I’ve always been loved and accepted and safe, and floating high over my wonderful, loving home was a God that I read and sang about but didn’t really know. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been born again, but it was like Jesus and I were in an online dating relationship. I looked at pictures of Him, read about His likes and dislikes, and sometimes He sent me little messages, but I’d never actually seen Him face-to-face. He told me He’d always love me, that He’d never leave me or forsake me, and I believed Him because it was easy. I was knee-deep in love. I’d never been hungry or lonely and certainly never forsaken---my biggest life’s tragedy was not being accepted to Duke---why should I doubt God’s love when love was all I’d ever known?

   But things are different now. I've left my home and my family for a world that cares nothing for me. I was raised in a cocoon of love, acceptance, and safety, but I might never find a home like that again. That's what makes growing up so terrifying: there are no guarantees.

   Except one. God commanded me to be strong and courageous, to never fear because He would be with me wherever I went. It used to be easy to believe that promise, but it’s not anymore. These past two weeks, I've learned a lot about the character of God, and He doesn't look like the God I thought I knew. I used to believe in a God of limited power, a God who manifested Himself as a fuzzy feeling I sometimes got in church, but I've since met a God who's sustained me across continents, who's held His hand over me and said, "Don't be afraid, I will never leave you or forsake you." It’s hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my old life is a distant memory, but I can believe in a God of infinite power who has filled my heart with the greatest peace I've ever known, even as all my inclinations of security were stripped away. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my prayers never seemed to get past the bedroom ceiling, but I can believe in a God who longs for a relationship with me, who answers my questions with truth, and longs to speak to me and be heard. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus who grows and fades like a spiritual mood ring, but I can believe in a God who never changes, who keeps His promises, and never stops loving me. I was raised a Christian, but that doesn't make me a Christian. It's my personal relationship with a real God---not a distant Sunday-morning feeling---that makes me a Christian, and today, even though I'm more uncomfortable and challenged than I've ever been before, I can say I've tasted and seen that that Lord is good and I'm so blessed to find my refuge in Him.

Heirisson Island

   A few members of the Priceless DTS and I took a stroll down to Heirisson Island the other day. The other YWAMers call it kangaroo island because it is home to several lazy, tame kangaroos. Two miles from the main YWAM base along the Swan River, we came to a gate with a tantalizing sign advising us not to feed a certain species of marsupial.

  
Once inside, we walked across a field to where the kangaroos were, sleeping under some bushes. They lay there munching grass as I pet them and squealed about how soft they were. They barely even looked up when I snapped my cliche kangaroo selfie, but hey, when in Australia...

   There were only three kangaroos, which seemed like a pathetic number for a place called "kangaroo island," so I set out to find more. Surely they were behind those bushes or past that stand of trees, but I trekked around the whole island, which is a lot less impressive than it sounds, and didn't see any more kangaroos. I felt slightly cheated, but then again, how often do you get to pet a kangaroo? All in all, it was a ton of fun and I got to cross something of my embarrassingly touristy bucket list. If you're ever in Perth, I suggest you stop by and take your own selfaroo (and yes, I just made that word up).