“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” Psalm 111:10

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” Psalm 119:9-10

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

PRAISE THE GOD

I am really thankful to God for all His provision and your financial support. Finance goal for DTS Outreach has been met the teams going to South East Asia and we are very thankful and blessed for all of your support. God is good!!!!

WEEK 12: LORDSHIP AND FEAR OF THE LORD

Mark Parker taught us so much more about what it means to submit to the Lord with CONSISTENCY, which is to die daily at the cross and place yourself on the altar to see what is truly your heart like. Mark focused much of his lecture on the story of Moses leading the people of Israel out of Egypt into the desert. Christian life is much like the life of the Israelite people in the book of Exodus. We were once captives of the world and freed by Jesus Christ. Now, many of us are  in the desert place that is taking us a tremendous amount of energy and time to get out of it when it shouldn’t. Likewise, the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years when it should have taken them only few weeks, if not, just months. Again, just like the Isralites, many times we complain when we are in the desert and can not get out of it because our bad attitudes, lack of motivations, and lack of faith (Lordship and fear of the Lord). This week, however, we had the opportunity to learn how to get out of that desert place into the promise land by giving up offerings, thanksgiving, worship, and following the cloud with faith. On Friday, we had a whole day of ministry bringing unconfessed sins or shames in order to gain freedom and walking in the light, offering our best, and giving thanks and worship so that God can meet us in the tent of meeting, us. Finally, we had time of anointing of the Holy Spirit, not for ourselves, but to bless and anoint others as we leave for the nations.

INTERCESSION AND COMMISSIONING

In addition to the amazing teaching of Mark and his generosity with his time, we had the opportunity to pray for each team that is going to South East Asia and encourage one another with Scriptures. It was a time that the Holy Spirit led with fellowship and at the same with blessings to one another.

It was a blessing to be commissioned by everyone and the leaders in YWAM Wollongong to bring a great impact in South East Asia.

THANK YOU AND LAST WORDS

First, again thank you all very very very very much for your great support through PRAYERS. I believe strongly that you prayers were of great impact in the heavenly and spiritual realms, as well as in the physical realms during my stay here in Wollongong, Australia and I truly appreciate your partnership with me in this walk and battle of this mission. THANK YOU.Thank you also for your financial support. I truly appreciate it.

Finally, I am sad to announce that I will not be able to update my blog during my outreach phase to SEA for several purposes. For those supporters who have followed me closely through this blog, I am truly sorry. However, I will be sending out Update News Letters. So, if you send me your email address to junk@ywamwollongong, you will be able to receive updates from the team as a whole and about our ministries.Please, let me know.

Again, thank you all and until next time when we come back.

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:8

LOVE = TIME

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? Romans 2:4

We don’t serve a God or people to deserve a pad on the back.

A lot of people hardly know the difference between being loved and being listened to.

EVANGELISM

Ross Tooley was our speaker for this week on the topic of Evangelism. He is from New Zealand and has been with Youth With A Mission for over 40 years and involved in taking the Gospel to remote places. “What is EVANGELISM?” or “What is SALVATION?” were the questions he asked us at the beginning of the lecture. Although going to heaven when someone dies, having a new life, forgiveness of sin, and not going to hell are true, there is a point missing here. Ross said SALVATION comes down to relationship or friendship with God, which means loving and knowing God. I believe this is true because the Scripture says in John 17:3: Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. One of the things he mentioned that really stuck to me was that witnessing is most effective when it is multi-dimensional. What this means is that, although the Scriptures, our words, and how we communicate are important, witnessing is most effective when we back our words with our actions and our lifestyle.

LIFE AT THE BASE

Baptism

This past week was the greatest one in the Kingdom of our Father because a big group of us had the chance to get baptized publicly and devote their lives to our God. I am extremely privileged and honored to be part of this as I, along with other bothers and sisters, witnessed an important time for all those who were baptized. Some of our leaders had also the chance to pray for these amazing people of Christ. Praise God and may God bless you all!

Thanksgiving

We also could not forget about Thanksgiving even though we are on the other side of the world. It was interesting to have Thanksgiving dinner because many of the people at the base are not Americans. This is part of cross-cultural experience, one of YWAM’s crucial attributes, happening at the base. I was happy to hear what people were thankful for as everyone at the dinner shared their thoughts.

Ultimate Challenge

This past weekend, we had an awesome time volunteering to bring the name of Jesus to the youth and children to the nearby community. The Ultimate Challenge is a once-a-year event where teenagers and children come to have fun and fellowship with one another. This time is also crucial to spread the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus.

PRAYER REQUEST

1) In less than ten days we will be flying to our Outreach destinations. Please, pray for our safe trip.

2) Please, continue to join us in prayer that many people will come to Christ and that revival will happen in the area we will stay. As a result, that people will know and love our God on a deeper level.

3) I still need financial support. I am in need of AUD 1,265. Please, pray that this amount will come as soon as possible.

THANK YOU

Lecture Phase of DTS is slowly coming to an end. Only one more week to go. Again, I can’t fully express my thankfulness to everyone who supports me in prayer, financially, as well as following me closely through my updates. I am so thankful for ALL your support and love for me. I love you all and thank you all.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2Corinthians 10:3-4

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:19-20

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—” Hebrews 2:14

FINANCIAL SUPPORT – DTS OUTREACH FUNDRAISER

By the grace of God and thanks to you, I was able to get AUD 3,035!! out of AUD 4,300. This shows how great God is and that He truly provides. Praise the Lord that He has provided this much already. And thanks go out to you, supporters. However, the fundraising goal has not been reached yet. I still need AUD 1,265 for my missions (DTS Outreach phase) to South East Asia to reach out to those who need the love, hands, and feet of Jesus Christ. The deadline for this amount is November 23rd. Will you pray if God wants to use you by giving financially? If you are willing to give and invest in me financially for this missions I want to thank you in advance. You can support me financially by clicking on the “Donate” button on the right.

As a team, the total amount we need is about AUD 13,000 for outreach to South East Asia. Please, join us in prayer that this financial goal will be met by Monday.

WEEK 10: SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Peter Warren, director of YWAM Denver, came to Wollongong and joined us as the guest speaker of the week. He gave an intense and well-structured lecture about almost everything that needs to know about Spiritual Warfare.  Peter emphasized that Spiritual Warfare is not the most important subject for spiritual growth, however it is important to understand it when it comes to missions. He also said that God sends us out to the mission field, not defenseless, but with powerful weapons to fight against the enemies. I believe that the weapons of our warfare were the most important point of this week. God gave us about 11 weapons that we could use: personal holiness and integrity, power of Jesus’ name, obedience to the word of the Lord, gift of discernment, testimonies, unity, praise, intercessory prayer, fasting (not necessarily food), identification of sins, and casting out demons. Personally, I believe that the first three are the most essential and foundational ones because they lead to the rest of them. Firstly, in order for us to successfully defeat the enemy we must walk in integrity, which goes hand in hand with holiness, as 1 Peter 1:16 says: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Interestingly, Joshua 7:13 also says: “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.” Secondly, Jesus’ name is another great weapon we can use against the enemy just how Peter healed many in the name of Jesus in Acts 3:6. Finally, the word of the Lord is a sword we have just as it is mentioned in Ephesians 6:13-18.

PRAYER TIME

As many of you know and as I mentioned before, during DTS we spend a great amount of time interceding/praying for other people’s groups, nations, and whatever God leads us to pray for. This past Friday, God led one our staff leaders to pray for women around the world who face oppression, sexual abuse, exploitation, and other injustice. Personally, I was blessed during this time and encountered God’s heart and feeling for women, as well as how we, as men, should treat women in a Godly way. By the end of time we had a tremendous chance to pray for all the women in our base that insecurity and sense of worthlessness will be broken down to open room in their hearts for God’s power and true character to manifest through them.

LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH

This past Thursday, a bunch of us had the opportunity to go to Lighthouse Church to serve food and coffee to the people in need. We also take this time to build relationships with other people of different background and upbringings. Some of our staff members took charge of the grill and cooked some amazing Aussie sausage and chicken burgers. Personally, I caught up with my two new friends, whom I have been meeting up every time I go to Lighthouse Church. Evan (DTS staff) and I had heaps of fun with them by exchanging cultural information and breaking down stereotypes that we got from movies and media about each others’ cultures.

THANK YOU

I thank God for all of you who support me financially and with prayers, as well as keeping in touch with me through emails and blog updates. Your efforts and prayers are valuable in this missions to South East Asia. I believe that you are in this as much as I am, or anyone here with me, in the heavenly realms. If you have any questions or would like to get in contact with me for any reason, please, do not hesitate to contact me at junk@ywamwollongong.org. I would love to hear from you.

“Mercy detached from justice grows unmerciful.” C.S. Lewis

“Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere. ” Dr. Martin Luther King

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7

DTS Outreach Financial Support

DTS 2009 of YWAM Wollongong needs your help. On behalf of the teams going to Southeast Asia I would like to ask you if you could partner with us by supporting us financially to give a voice for the voiceless, help victims of injustice and exploitation, and orphaned children in need of love. We are still in need of about $28,000 for outreach ground fees and air fares by November 23rd. Personally, I am in need of about AUD1,760 by the same deadline. You can donate by clicking the Donate button on the right or if you would like to donate directly to YWAM Wollongong, please, contact me at junk@ywamwollongong.org or info@ywamwollongong.org.

JUSTICE & MERCY

“Missions is FUN!” These are the words that our speaker, RS, began the week of Justice & Mercy with and encouraged us to have a different perspective about missions than the world tells us. It was amazing hearing RS’s stories of how God is right THERE in Southeast Asia in the middle of chaos, poverty, and persecution to give hope and love to those people working for the Kingdom of God. I could see from his stories how God uses the lowest of the lowest and the humbled. RS broke it down into five foundational keys in his teaching regarding this topic. The first one is that Jesus is the FOUNDATION of justice and mercy. Secondly, the POOR must be part of the equation. Thirdly, God is JUST and MERCY. The fourth key is LOVE and MERCY as it is mentioned in Micah 6:8, which says: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Finally, the last one is EVANGELISM. The biggest lesson given to me about Evangelism is the challenge that I actually need to bring Jesus and the Gospel to the table, instead of beating around the bush. I realized that I found myself doing this because of fear of man.

MEGA PRAYER AND WORSHIP

Last Sunday, leaders, staff, and students along with guest speakers had the chance to have a great time at the Sydney Entertainment Center, where more than 10,000 people gathered to worship and pray to God. We also had so much fun having the Hillsong praise team leading us in worship. I have never experienced a mega worship like this before. I could see the massive body of Christ worshiping one God, our God.

LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH

This past Thursday, we went to a nursing home to assist with practical needs around the facility, as well as with elderly people. Like any other outreach, it was a blessing to take care of elderly people and to bring laughter and comfort. Particularly, this past Thursday the institution held a memorial service for those that have passed away. Family and friend gathered to grieve for the loss ones. It was a privilege and honor for us to be there with them.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1- Please, start praying for the outreach teams. That we will be led by the Holy Spirit and not our own strength or capacities. Also, pray for the unity of the team.

2- Finances. Please, pray that all the financial needs will be met before November 23rd, which is just AROUND THE CORNER.

GRATITUDE

I never get tired of thanking all of you for supporting me financially, with prayer, and just by following my blogs and updates. Thank you for getting in touch with me, as well. It’s always amazing to talk to people back at home, so keep contacting me for any reason at all.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Deut 6:4

“Lancelot, just a thought. A man who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing; and if you love nothing, what joy is there in your life? I may be wrong.” King Arthur.

WEEK 8: Worldview

JP, the speaker for this week’s topic, led us into studying WORLDVIEW, which encompasses basic questions such as: What is a worldview, why is it important, and how do we get it? JP also led us into more complex questions like: Is there such as thing as right or wrong? Are they all just opinions? Do we just need tolerance? What is the ultimate source of everything? And what is the nature of the world around us? Is it just all accidental? If so, why do we have orders, rules, regulation, and etc? If human beings were just accidentals, are we just robots?

First, we were able to answer these and many other questions from a Biblical worldview and what God has to say about these questions. To summarize all the answers in few words, I agree with JP that ultimately everything comes down to love and the kingdom of God. Furthermore, I believe 1 John 4 and the ministry Jesus are great representations of these. 1 John 4:16 says: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” In Matthew 6:33 it says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Secondly, we were able to learn about other worldviews, besides the Biblical worldview, and how they would respond to the questions mentioned above. For a moment, we tried to put on the glasses of atheistic and pantheistic worldview. It was very interesting to me to put on those glasses and have a small glimpse how the world around us is viewed. It was also interesting to me to go back to the truth of God and what He has to say about this understanding.

JP is a great teacher, friend, thinker, and follower of Jesus Christ. I pray that God continues to reveal to him about the Kingdom of God.

THURSDAY COMMUNITY OUTREACH

God is good, hey? I had the chance again to minister and get involved in community development by helping Lighthouse Church in serving food and coffee to the people in need. Every time I go, it is new and consistent. It is new because I get to meet new people and first comers. It is consistent because I had the chance to talk to friends that I have met there 3 weeks ago and build friendships.

I met a newcomer this past Thursday and it was very good to hear his stories. He came from a rough background and just got out of prison a little over a week ago. He told me he had nothing except for some clothes and a small place to live. He said he was starting from scratch again. At the end, I had the privilege to pray for him asking God for blessings and protection upon this man. It was such a blessing to just give him company and listening ears. I really hope to see him again.

PRAYER INTERCESSION

From the Land down unda, in Wollongong, God has called us to pray for the US and Israel. It was an awesome and blessing time of intercession to pray for our own country, US. I believe it is important to pray for our own country as it is one of the most powerful and influential country in the world and, thus, requiring much more responsibility and wisdom, specially as we are a Christian nation. It was also good and a blessing time to pray for the people that has so much history with God, Israel.

OUTREACH FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Praise God one more time!!! God is good. I was able to pay $1,000 for my outreach phase to South East Asia, where I will most likely work with orphaned children and victims of sex and human trafficking. Having said that, I am down to $2,000 that I still need to pay. I would like to ask you cordially if you would like to invest in me and partner with me in this mission to reach out to those children and youth who are lost, in need of love, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will not only do this, but we also plan to do some community development such as teaching English, as well as other subjects, and help with other practical needs including building. If you would like to give, you may click on the “Donate” button on the right. If you would like to know more information about the ministry or just want to hear personally from me, please, do not hesitate to contact me at junk@ywamwollongong.org

PRAYER REQUEST

1) Please pray for our outreach preparations to South East Asia. We have started our planning sessions of what we plan to do such as skits, teaching English, etc. Please, pray that God will lead us and that we won’t lead ourselves based on our wisdom and strength.

2) Financial support. Please, pray for me that the rest of the funds I need for this outreach will come. Also, for the people’s heart to give.

THANK YOU

Again, thank you all for your support and catching up with me through this blog. I am always delighted to hear back from you. Thank you.

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:13-15

Imagine if you have a huge box you carry on your shoulders and God puts many gifts and blessings in that box. What do you think it will happen when that box gets full? (Oh and it will get full because God gives). The box will start to get extremely heavy and it will be uncomfortable for you to move. But, when you have a funnel, where you bless others with the blessings God has given you it will be a lot easier for you to move around. And if you think about it, when you have a box that gets full, there will be no room for more blessings. But, when you have a funnel the blessings keep coming in. I believe that we (including me) should be like the person carrying the funnel instead of the box. I believe God also teaches us this through Genesis 12:2-3.

Time has gone by really fast since I have been in Wollongong. We already started into our week 8. Last week, week seven, was about Missions, in which we touched on what the Bible says about it, what happened in the past, and what has been happening recently in the world. Bruce Skinner, our base leader and speaker for this week, taught us on Missions. I also got to admit that many things last week were very hard to hear. First, we looked at some basic questions. What is TRUE CONVERSION? Bruce simply answered the question by saying that it simply means to “lay down our crowns.” Do you have any crowns in your life that you have not laid down at the feet of Jesus? I believe this is true. Furthermore, this also leads us to faith in action when we lay down our crowns, which is also a big aspect of true conversion. We also had the chance to go through some statistics of what is happening in the world from missions point of view. Although, there has been a great progression in leading people to Christ around the world, there is still more work to do. Out of 24,000 people groups in the world, there are still about 10,000 people groups that do not have access to the good news. There are approximately 2 billion people in the world who can not hear the good news. Also, if you remember, as a school we had a short time to do some research of the reality of this world regarding poverty, sex and human trafficking, child abuse, etc (see week 5). So, now the question we should ask ourselves is: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Going back to the box and funnel analogy, I believe we, you and I who are blessed SO MUCH, have the responsibility to bless others with the blessings, skills, and talents we have been gifted from God. And by no means I think we or you are all super millionaires that you should give money away. My point is that all of us in the western world are very blessed to have three meals a day, education, love from people that we love, no forcing obligation to send our children to battle, and many other blessings that we take for granted that we could use them to bless those in serious need in the developing countries. Many things that seem so small and insignificant to us may be a wonderful blessing to another who is not from the western world. So, I want to challenge ourselves (I say “ourselves” because I am learning and growing, too) to ask the question again: What am I going TO DO about it?

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

For the third time in a row, I had the chance to go to Lighthouse Church to help in serving food and coffee to the people of the community. It looks like every week we have more chances to do ministry with the local people. Although, I missed the chance to pray for anyone, I was able to catch up with those I have met couple of weeks ago. My fellow DTS student and I were blessed to be able to comfort a man who did not have a place to stay. At first, I did not want to talk to him for several reasons, but God taught me to step in faith out of my comfort zone to talk to anyone I am led to no matter what the outer appearance is. The result in stepping out of my comfort zone was worth it and I can’t believe what I could have missed if I ended up doing according to my standards.

INTERCESSION
A good amount of time of DTS is spent on praying. Intercession time is when we pray for anything and anyone. When we sense that God is calling us to pray, we intercede/pray for those people that we know and/or do not know. One of the days of Intercession, we had the opportunity to hear one our staff’s experience on how Intercession affected her life and her family’s, specifically her daughter. We also were able to pray for Outreach team that God will just work in us through various ways of ministries when we are there. In another time of Intercession we had the chance to pray for a specific people’s groups in the Middle East. We prayed that God will use His people to reach out to this specific group of people who have no or very limited access to the gospel.

DTS OUTREACH FUNDRAISER
First, I would like to thank all those you have supported me so far. I have prayed that God will provide funds and that He will mobilize His people to give financial support. Praise the Lord! He is faithful because He has been answering my prayers. So far, I was able to raise about $700 of the $3,500. Isn’t God good? Secondly, as you see, I am still in need of $2800 for the DTS Outreach to South East Asia. I want to ask you if you can partner with me in this mission to South East Asia. If you would like to give some financial support, please, click on the DONATE button on your right. Also, if you would like to know more about what I will be doing in South East Asia, please, do not hesitate to contact me at junk@ywamwollongong.org

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Please, pray for the unity, love, and dynamics of the DTS Outreach teams. That we will be able to walk in the Spirit and not by our own pride, intelligence, and abilities.

2) Financial support, not only for me, but as a whole team. There are students and staff, other than me, who are in need of finances. That God will mobilize His people to give generously.

THANK YOU
I am never getting tired of closing blogs with a word of thank you because I can truly and sincerely say that I am not alone in this mission. YOU are part of this mission by supporting me with prayers and financially. You are also getting involved in this mission just by reading this update and catching up with me through this blog. Thank you so much for supporting me and getting involved with me in this mission. I am truly thankful for you, my friend.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, but a thing to be achieved.”

Destiny by design

This past week, we were able to learn more about ourselves, what God’s purposes for our lives are, and how He intends to use our gifts, as well as unique traits we have individually inherited for His kingdom. Joylynn Landshut, along side with her husband, were able to spend time with us and teach us more about how to find out who we really are through our unique experiences and individual gifts we have inherited for the purpose of fulfilling God’s desires and big dreams.

Dreams, experiences, soulprint, identity, gifts, and networks were some of the areas we looked at as DTS. Although every single one of them are important to look at, some stuck to me more than others. Looking at my passion, desires, and dreams, I am able to get to know more about myself, what I intend to pursue in the near future, and what my calling is. This week’s lecture about destiny has helped to confirm more about what direction God wants me to take with my gifts, desires, passions, dreams, experiences, and callings.

Thursday outreach

This past Thursday I was again blessed by helping Lighthouse Church in Wollongong in serving food and coffee to the people of the community. I was able to meet new people, as well as people I have met last week. Once again, I was able to pray for the person with broken leg. He told me that he was on his way to the hospital to find out if he would need a surgery on his leg or take the cast off. If you are reading this now, please take a moment now to pray for Mark. Although there were few people who were not willing to talk and be open to discussion, one staff encouraged us by saying that even our presence can help and comfort them. At the end of the day it was heaps of blessings and I was privileged to be there to pray for people, talk with them, and contributing in the advancement of God’s kingdom.

DTS Outreach fundraisers

As many of you know and as I mentioned before, we will be going to Southeast Asia for our DTS outreach. The administration of YWAM Wollongong is trying to book air fares as soon as possible. However, many of us need the financial means to process this purchase. I also want to cordially and politely ask you if you could financially support me in this mission to Southeast Asia. I still need approx. $3100 You can click on the “Donate” button on the right. If you would like to know exactly where my team is going and what we will be doing, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at junk@ywamwollongong.org. I will be more than happy to share with you more about this mission as we build a relationship.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Financial need. Please, continue to pray that God will mobilize people to give, not only to me, but to many of us here.

2) Please, pray for the leaders of this base as they make decisions for our outreach.

3) Unity of our DTS. That the devil will not have any foothold to divide our school.

THANK YOU

I cannot thank you enough for all your support and investment in my life, as well as praying for me. I truly believe that your support contributes to the advancement of God’s purpose in this world.

RAISING FUNDS FOR DTS OUTREACH PHASE

This is an urgent matter . I would like to ask if you can help me go to Southeast Asia to help those in need and victims of injustice. I need prayer support for my finances and financial support.

First, please, pray for our entire DTS because we are in need of approximately 43,000 USD by the END OF THIS WEEK, SAT 24th.

So far personally, I have raised about 1,000 USD for my outreach expenses. I still have 3,500 USD to go. Please, pray for me that God will provide 3,500 USD by the END OF THIS WEEK, SAT 24th. The leaders are trying to secure flight tickets and other expenses as soon as possible.

As a school, we are all praying for one another that God will just rain down the funds. Although it might seem impossible, we believe that God will not abandon us and everything is possible through Him. So, let’s go! JOIN us in prayer in this mission.

I also want to personally ask you if you can partner with me in this mission to go to Southeast Asia and to reach out to the lost and victims of injustice by donating WHATEVER amount God has called you to give.

You can click on the “Donate” button on the right of the screen.

If you have any questions at all, please, do not hesitate to contact me. I will be more than happy to answer any of your questions. Please, email me at junk@ywamwollongong.org

MANY THANKS

Once again, thank you so so much for your support and in participating with me in this mission by following my updates. Please, continue to pray for me and do not hesitate to contact me for any questions.

Good day mate!

THE ROCK UP

Every Thursday we have “Rock up” time, an outreach opportunity to connect with people of Wollongong and contribute to the community along with other local organizations. We have three different set destinations for our school. This past Thursday I, along with team members, had the opportunity to help Lighthouse Church in serving food and coffee to anyone that came to this BBQ.  It was very interesting to see all sorts of people that came from different background such as addiction to alcohol and drugs, broken families, out of jail, and more. At the same time, it was intimidating to start a conversation with people because I did not know what to ask and how to ask the right questions without offending them. However, I pressed on to talk to people or anyone that God led me to talk. I was able to talk and pray for a person who had a broken leg for fast healing. I also had the opportunity to talk to two Chinese guys who have been in the country for only two months and were college students at the University of Wollongong. I was very blessed to get to know them and pray that their faith will be strengthened by God and that they will get to know God more because they were newborn Christians.

IMAGINATION TIME

This past week we had the opportunity to pray for the world and the reality that happens in it. The pictures and some info below are only a small part of what we got from the media.

The truth on poverty

• One billion people live in slums
• One woman dies every minute in childbirth
• 2.5 billion people have no acceess to adequate sanitation services
• At least 963 millon people go to bed hungry every night
• 20,000 children die a day from hunger. (Amnesty International)

After we were finished laying all the reality of the world, we spent some time praying for these topics and sought the TRUE character and nature of God in the midst of it all. And these are small parts of what we have come up with.

As I was walking around the “globe”, the table, and just reading what my fellow DTS students put, I happened to just open the Bible randomly to the book of Isaiah 55. The first few verses say:

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

² Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

³ Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.

⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

CHARACTER AND NATURE OF GOD

Ari Sloots from YWAM Perth, originally from Holland, came to speak on the CHARACTER AND NATURE OF GOD. Although there were some intensity, frictions, and stirring in my heart from what he was teaching about God, I found him genuine and strong in what he believed. He did not make us believe what he believes, but constantly he encouraged us to find more about the NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD for ourselves by seeking Him daily. There are four ways that Ari mentioned on how to know God. And they are: daily appointments/meetings, getting understanding, anticipating, and trusting God. I struggle the most in the third one. Many times I do not expect God to answer me. I guess that is linked with the fourth one, trusting in God. Overall, what I walked away with this week is that we all should LOOK AT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, WHETHER THEY ARE BAD OR GOOD, THROUGH THE LENSES OF JESUS. We should not view God through the lenses of CIRCUMSTANCES.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Thank you all for praying for this DTS. Your prayers have been surely answered. So far, the leaders have decided that we should go to Southeast Asia. So, there will be two teams. Please, continue to pray for the leaders. Also, pray for me that I will be able to go where God leads me to.

2) Please, pray for provision. I still need funds.

Thank you for praying for this DTS and for me. I can definitely see that you guys are being part of this mission. Until next week.

“Faithfulness simply means: Full of Faith towards me.”

“Holiness simply means that God wants as to be whole be in wholeness with God”

“The image of God is both male and female”

“The understanding of your master will determine how you use your talents.”

“The reason why God put the tree of Good and Evil in the garden was because God wanted to show man everything He knew and wanted to hold nothing from them.”

“The Fatherheart of God” was the topic of the week last week. Ross Latto from New Zealand was the speaker. I believe that each one of us got to know more about the heart of God as a Father who is always trying to give and teach us the best. This time I will make it more free for you to let the Heavenly Father speak to you through this letter (and video) about who He really is and what He wants for you.

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don’t know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I’ll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Prayer Request:

1) I still need about 3,000 USD for my outreach funds. Please, pray that I will get them on time. The plan is that we might leave in December instead of November.

2) I find sometime hard to connect with God. I don’t know why. Please, pray that I will stay in tune with God and the Holy Spirit.

Thank you

Thank you once again for being faithful in keeping up with my blog and supporting me with prayer and finances. I truly appreciate it. Feel free to contact me for any reason. I will love to hear from you guys.