The School is HERE!

Thank you all so much for your prayers. They really do change everything. Over and over again I have begun to see God be Himself. Because of my position as kitchen head, I get to see how God provides for this base through the simple thing of food. All of us worry about things, and now a days the price of food is creeping up on our list of things to worry about. Well, have I got a story for you.

I serve people food here at ywam maui on $2.00 a day, that is right, breakfast, lunch, and dinner; $2.00 dollars A DAY. With that requires an incredible acrobatic feat of budgeting and more faith in the Lord being our provider than I have ever needed before. With that said, here is what happened.

I was in Costco looking at my list of things to buy. Every week I make a menu and write out my list of things that I need for each day. Today I had $433 dollars left to spend here at Costco but I had that sinking feeling that it wouldn't be enough to get all that we need for the 90 people I serve here on base all the meals for an entire week. But I know that the Lord is who He says that He is, so I just go and start grabbing what I need. I keep a running total of how much I have spent to make sure that I don't go over budget. So, about half way through I realize I am not going to make my budget and I begin to skimp on things, I need 6 cases of eggs but I I cut it down to five to save an extra 12 dollars, and I continue shopping. Well, about 3/4 of the way now I KNOW I am not going to make it but I continue to shop anyways. And finally, here I am at the last item, 7 bags of tortillas, prie if 8 dollars a bag. As I do the math and begin to add it to my running total I fight back tears standing in the baking aisle at our local Costco. The total..... $421 and right at the moment God speaks so clearly to me and tears begin to fall, he says,"How many times must I tell you who I am." Still fighting back tears and slowly walk back to the cold section and grab the $12 dollar case of eggs that I had not boughten because I didn't think I had enough. Bringing the grand total of everything that I needed down to the very last thing to $433. God is who He says that He is.

Wow it has been an interesting few weeks. We have been getting prepared for the 28 new students coming to participate in our fall program. They all come from different walks of life, but each and every one has been brought here by God for a specific purpose. I am so excited to see what God has got in store for them during their time here with us.

So, in preparation for the this school, I have been doing everything from scrubbing my kitchen floor to doing tune-ups on all of our big green vans to making sure all my paper-work is filled out perfectly. In short I have been ridiculously busy.I have some pictures of my escpades as well as pictures with some of the new staff and students, that I will post today as well.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Quote of the week," There is just one problem with prayer, God ansers it."

Kitchen Times

Times are beginning to speed up around here. The 5 person summer school is about to leave on their outreach and the 45 person fall school is winding up. That's right.. 45 people just in the school which puts me at a grand total of right around 100 people to cook 3 square meals a day, 7 days a week, for three whole months. In case you were wondering that is 27,300 meals! And you thought it was hard for you to whip something up for dinner.

So many things are beginning to kick off now that we are settling in for the busiest time of the year. New staff have come in and I have begun training them for the task that is ahead of them. They are such an interesting group; God sure has some creativity. And I would like to introduce them to you.

Ashley Montgomery

She is a hilarious young women from Colorado that loves the Lord and, Lucky for me *wink* LOVES to bake!

Ray Latronica

This Young man is from Northern California, laughs at almost everything and is back here on staff to train others to seek after the Lord and hope in Jesus as He does.

Life moves on. We grow deeper with our friends and family. And for us out here on the Maui frontier we have set our eyes on Jesus and nothing will hold us back. Please be praying with me that these new staff will grow closer in intimacy with Christ, there savior and King. Thank you.

Awaiting

The waiting game seems like forever sometimes. We wait for people, meetings, work, sleep, food, breaks. We wait for life to some and tell us what is next or where to go from here. But I have given up all of that and now wait for something that people only realize they need when life has seemed to pass them by.

God works in mysterious ways. He will tell us something and then, right on the cusp of you forgetting it He will come and, through circumstance, remind you of what He has spoken. Today was one of those days where God took up his bullhorn and decided it was time to set some things straight.

We each have a reason to live. Some of us choose things or people or systems, but each of us has something that we live our lives for. As for the general Christian consensus we would say that we live for Jesus Christ. Please do not misunderstand, while this is completely correct this is not what I am trying to explain to you. I wish to go much deeper.

I am in search of my destiny, my mission, what I was placed on this earth at this specific time in history for. Each of you has a story, a progression of events leading to a defining moment. Some of us take years to find it, others whole lifetimes, and worse still some never even ask the question.

I have lost sight of the grand story that we live in today as mankind. I have been caught up in the hopelessness of this day and age. And today He has set me straight. He placed me here at YWAM to have the time, courage, and opportunity to pursue what He has for me; to run after it with all of my strength and heart.

I am looking for His great cause for my life and being. You have provided me with an oppurtunity of such great magnitude that so few get. And so I am await His reply.

Hello Everyone

Me with one of the DTS students

This past week has kind of been a weird one. I am facing quite a dilemma. I seem to have run out of things to give up to the Lord. Impossible you say... I know it sounds hard to believe and presumptuous to even think about but let me explain the situation a little bit more.

I have nothing left to give Him, not because there isn't anything bad left inside me to give up; it is really that I have given up so much that currently I am without ideas as to what is left of me. I think that the Lord has changed my life from, "what are you willing to give me," to a life of more creativity by now saying, "now let us see what I have given to you." As change usually is for me with the Lord, this switch has been very quick and, also as usual, not so timely.

The School Banner

I am always caught by God like a deer in the headlights. I will be headed one way and then BAMM! blindsided by His plans for me. This time though it is quite interesting to note that He hasn't given me anything new. I have no new project, no new mission; He stands in front of me and simply asks a question that I feel as though I should have the answer to. Who are you: what are you here for: and how have I built you for that purpose? While this should be 3 questions I believe that they are so interconnected that they must be asked all at once.

perhaps you can shed some light on the subject

Now you see my dilemma, it is something - I suppose - that all men must ask at sometime in their lives, this now is my time.

Care to help with what gifts you see in me, or anything that the Lord is speaking to you: please comment. I am pretty open to any suggestions. *chuckle*

It has been over a month since my last post. Life had gotten into a bit of a routine with us here on base and to write about routine is rather, well.. impossible. Turns out that nothing is very routine for us here at YWAM Maui.

Sue Fluger

During that time things relationally here on base started to get a little funky. It started out slightly, perhaps someone chose to go out by themselves to the beach that day, or maybe just decided to hide in their room for some rest. While none of these are bad in and of themselves, they slowly piled up into a mountain of little things that was breaking our family here apart. After all here at YWAM Maui we are a family. We live, work, eat, sleep, and pray within feet of each other every single day.

Kieva Daughtery and Nick Ryan

Turns out that satan had been doing some attacking on our relationships here as we have begun to really move forward in a new phase of the base. We really began to notice it in the past week as the oppression was really becoming just unbearable. Life began to really get hard and we all felt like we were going through it alone. We all got together finally after a lot of praying and asking the Lord for guidance as everyone now was more then just alone, they were hurting and very sensitive. We began to come together in small groups at first and then larger and larger groups randomly as the Lord led us to talk openly about how we were feeling and what should be done about life here on base. God really brought us to the heart of family. Family spends time with each other, they lean on one another as they get weary. We have really begun to turn back to communicating what are hearts are an remaining open to other to pour into us. The attack is certainly not over but we are beginning to push satan back.

Rachel Whaby

These pictures are photos of some of my family here at YWAM Maui. We are a family because we seek to love one another as Christ loves us. Family is there for one another. They comfort those who are hurting and those who feel they can't go on. I have chosen to love these men and women with all my heart. Yes it hurts sometimes, but everyday God reminds me how much they are worth it.

They may never know how much I love them but that doesn't mean that I will ever stop. Pray for us whenever the Lord puts us on your heart. We are out here training youth to love Christ with all their hearts and to live out what He has spoken in His Holy Scriptures. With that comes battles in life and in the heavenly places. This life of ours is for real and challenging but it is what God has asked of us, how then could we do any different?

Another Fine Couple Of Weeks In Paradise

Being in charge of the kitchen has definitely been an up hill battle of challenges. Who knew that some day I would be making food for almost 100 people in just a few weeks. Daniel Jenkins just recently arrived as well as some more 3 month volunteers. ( I will post some pictures of them at work as soon as I take them.)

Life here is moving right along and God is making me grow daily.

To be honest I have been doing a poor job of keeping in contact wit you all. I am not sure how to go about doing it better. So please leave a comment with the best way to get in contact with you over a long period of time. I need to get more on top of communicating all things that go on in this crazy life of mine.

I pray that you can forgive me and give me some ideas to really step up to task that could potentially go on for the rest of my life.

Hiya

As usual so much has been happening to me in the past two weeks that I am behind on updating you all.

Let me being with saying I had a wonderful birthday and thank you to everyone for all the cards and encouragements. It was a nice and quiet party, just the way I like them. It is so amazing to not only think that I am now 21 but that I have been in YWAM now for two years!

It has been 2 years of such intense growth. Jesus brought me from a pit of a selfish and empty life. I had almost everything and non of it fulfilled, it could only fill the void in my heart for a short time. i spent years of my life trying to numb myself to the emptiness that was slowly encroaching upon me. Around may 2006, god made himself evident and provide me with a choice - continue with the life that I had chosen that was empty and void of rest for my soul or finally step out to do what i created for. You know the choice that I have made and the rest is history in the making. I have traveled to over 6 countries now telling people about the man that set me free. And through me simply following where he leads me I have grown and stretched in ways that I couldn't have imagined. And with that the pace was set for my life and God has only increased the pace of growth in my life. So now here I am in staffing in the kitchen.

Being the kitchen head here at YWAM is an incredible responsibility and it is so stretching. I never knew that I could have such a depth of dependence on the Lord. I have been brought to my knees weeping God as he changes me into what he created me to be. I don't know where He is taking me this time, but it hurts and He is going deeper then I have ever been. I hope to keep you guys in the loop with whats going on.

Please be praying for Him to work out all that He has for me. I do not want to stand in His way any longer. For each of us as men and women created in His image He has created a life so full of life and love everlasting that the world can not contain it. Know that God exists that He is always next to you, we must start talking to Him and reading what he has already communicated to us. Life is not worth anything without a relationship with Jesus.