The past few months have gone by so quickly and have been filled with new opportunities and challenges. DTS was an awesome experience and time of preparation and growth! It was truly life changing, and has strengthened my desire to continue serving in missions. After graduation in July, I was invited to join the staff at the Oxford base to serve full-time as the Hospitality Coordinator, and made a commitment to stay on to serve here in New Zealand for another 6 months - 2yrs. Check out our website @ ywamoxford.org to see my testimonial and base staff profile.
I am so blessed to have this awesome opportunity to use the gifts and talents the Lord has given me to serve Him and bless this base and the students, guests, and missionaries from all over the world that come through! I am enjoying my new role here and being part of an amazing family, serving and supporting each other and those we are training and sending out from this base to the nations with the gospel of Christ.
In September we sent out DTS teams to Jordan, India, Turkey and Malaysia. I also moved into the staff apartments on base and am living with five young women. They are such a blessing to me and God gives me opportunities to speak into their lives as we share life together here. I'm also leading and discipling a team of five women from our base staff. We meet at the apartment weekly for morning tea and to share & pray for one another.
Our base hosted the New Zealand YWAM National Family Gathering in early October. This was a great initiation into my Hospitality role as I had the privilege of coordinating the welcoming of over 40 guests to our base, and planning & preparing all their accommodation for the event! We had a great weekend together worshiping, praying, and sharing vision for the ministry of YWAM New Zealand.
Prayers were answered, and I was granted my Missionary Work visa at the end of October, which allows me to stay and do voluntary work in New Zealand through February 2013! This visa allows multiple entry into the country, which will allow me to travel on outreach overseas from here. This is my desire in the coming year as God has been stirring up a passion in my heart to work with the orphans in Africa. I may have an opportunity to join a team to Uganda in June-July next year, which will be the first of hopefully many more opportunities to go from here to serve abroad in the mission field.
In November I celebrated my birthday for the first time in another country, and in the springtime. My friends here made it a special day for me! My American & Canadian friends on base and I also celebrated Thanksgiving together with an awesome feast and shared thanks for God's many blessings!
God has been SO faithful every step of this journey, and I am trusting Him to continue guiding my path, to open doors AND provide the way!
Isaiah 41:9-10 "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, you are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you!"
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