from Kona, Hawaii... a lesson from a stranger

Today was another amazing day here in Kona!  Had a great morning shower, yummy breakfast, and wonderful worship... but the best part of my day was how God blew me away and opened up my heart in a new way... because of a stranger.

Our lessons this morning were filled with great stories and words of wisdom.  As we wrapped the morning session up, our leader asked us to pull out a piece of paper and write down what we were thankful for... "you have 7 minutes... GO!" he shouted.  I wrote and wrote... amazingly coming up with a number of things I hadn't thought of in awhile, including my dad's miraculous recovery from cancer over 20 years ago!  Then our leader had us break them into categories and build mini testimony stories of God's great provision!  As soon as we thought we were done, it was time to get out of our chairs and share!  That's right, on the spot "practice for outreach" he said... share with someone you don't know!  And we were going to do this 3 times.  Gazing at my list, I was in awe of how God really had provided in some amazing ways.  It made me feel a lot better with things I'm asking for now. :)  The first 2 times of sharing were good, but I want to tell you about the third one... a young man came up to me, dark skinned and with a big smile.  He said "Hi, want to share?" and I said "Sure, go ahead"... I wish I could remember his name, but what he shared I will never forget...

I'm thankful to be here he said and for God's taking care of me.  A couple weeks ago I had to go and get my visa to come to the US.  I'm from the Ivory Coast, my family and I moved away because of the radical war going on, but I had to go back in for the visa.  God was so great!  I arrived safely, found an empty home to stay in during the process and stayed there for 10 days.  God provided some food to eat and safety.  I was alone all day and night.  God showed me what resting in Him looks like and I was not found by the fighters, and no stray bullets hit the house.  I was able to get the visa and make it out safely, and I didn't spend one dollar the time.  Now I'm here!  God is good!  Time up...

WOW.  This guy risked EVERYTHING more than I could imagine to follow a calling to come to YWAM, and here I am sharing a story about a laptop.  God have mercy on me and thank you for this man you brought here from the Ivory Coast.  I want my heart to be as open as his.

Where's Rayelle: 4th Entry from Kona, Hawaii including my OUTREACH!

I've wanted to write more this last week, but I'm struggling with where to even start!  This last week we had a speaker named Mark Anderson, who fed us great biblical truth... with so much information it was like drinking water from a firehose!  It was great, but this last week was tougher for me... as truthfully, God is showing me some things in my life that He wants me to be aware of and to help me fix.  And the fact is, that at times it is painful going through the process of dealing with past issues, facing the current issues, but so great realizing the future will be brighter because of God's great love for me.  The main issue I'm dealing with is "numbness".  I've felt it the last year in multiple areas of my life on how I care for people, other nations, my daily schedule... but mostly I was numb towards myself.  I felt that other people deserved things, but behind the scenes I felt I didn't.  Praise the Lord, He is lifting this veil for me to understand and is showing me why and how!  There are many steps to go, but the hardest part is over now... may the healing begin :)  I'll write more on some of the cool lessons last week!  But...

Now, the BIG NEWS!  We received our final outreach locations and at the end of June I'll be heading to Tagum, Philippines!  I'm so excited!!!  There are 9 students and 2 leaders going and we'll be there for 3 months helping grow some church plants with people in their teens, working with battered women shelters, and growing relationships in the muslim areas to God willing share about Jesus.  Did I mention I'm excited!!! :)  God is already doing amazing things around me and in me and it's only the third week. :)  If you are interested in joining in this journey, in prayer or financially please check out the PARTNERSHIP page on my blog, as I'll be working to raise about $5000 for the 3 months in the Philippines.  Thanks for believing in what God is doing!

Our group's favorite game :)

I thought you all might enjoy this... to get to know each other and for some fun we love to play the SIGNS game.  Do you know it?  Each person has a sign for them (you'll see some here) and the person in the middle has to tag the person who has the sign.  You pass it around by the person who has the sign giving another person's sign. :)  FUN in Kona! :)  Plus you can see some of my classmates.

Where's Rayelle: 3rd Entry from Kona, Hawaii

WOW... It is Saturday and I'm in my room alone reflecting on the first week of class.  I wish I could show you the inside of my heart and mind as there is so much refreshment that has come in me and I'm already changed in a really good way.  I am so glad to be here, to have this opportunity, and to learn more about the great God we serve and the love of Jesus.

My verse today I've been enjoying is from Psalms 89:1-2.  Check it out! :)

This week we are starting to get into the schedule of things that will go on for the next 3 months.  We have class each day, some wonderful prayer times, and work duty!  Our classes each week are led my different leaders here on campus and those who come in from around the world to share with us.  I am so honored to be a part of an amazing group and family (ohana).  And my work duty is putting up in the morning, and taking down at night with 3 other people the 70 flags representing those here as students, teachers, and more.  It is a lot of flags, but an amazing time for prayer and to learn the flag designs of many countries I didn't know! :)

Our classes this week have been penetrating my heart to a depth I've never felt.  We have taken on the topic of God's love in a new way and we've discussed and practiced intercessory prayer.  If you've not heard of Joy Dawson she is an amazing woman of God who has written on practical ways to dig deep into intercessory prayer that have helped me a ton this week!  I've known a lot of things (by the way, intercessory prayer is praying on behalf of others) about this kind of prayer but with the classes help, there has been a new freedom in my prayers and some biblical definition given to things I've not totally understood before.  And the prayers people have prayed for me... it is radical the God we serve and the way He speaks through others to answer questions we were just asking Him ourselves.  PLEASE check out the link below if you want to hear our talks, they record them.  They will be amazing food for your souls.

http://www.manningsinmissions.com/Mannings_In_Missions/Podcast/Podcast.html

I'm so thankful to be here, I may say that a lot, but I really am!  My roommates are just terrific!  They have amazing hearts of servants.  And we talk about such life giving things, even through cultural differences and we laugh... a lot!  And my class is so wonderful.  It is amazing to see how God is working in a group from 9 nations... 36 or so students, over 10 teachers and bringing us together in unity as we learn, care for each other, and grow.  My heart just beams as I reflect on it!  If you can't tell I just have JOY oozing out of me :).

Oh yeah, and Hawaii is beautiful!  The palm trees, rainbows :), oceans, wildlife (by the way there are no snakes here!  yeah!), and the air... so great. 

If you could be praying for me here are a couple items that I'd like you to intercede for...
1. We were given 4 choices to pray about to go on for outreach at the end of June... the choices are... 1. LA/NY, 2. Brazil, 3. Phillipines, 4. Kenya.  Please ask God to speak to me clearly this weekend on this topic
2. Guidance on my house as it is still for sale in Pella
3. That my heart would stay open to his teaching and growing
4. I went swimming in the ocean last night and kicked a rock and broke my left foot middle toe.  So praying for quick healing and that it won't hinder things here.

Thanks to all of you for your words of encouragement!  And if you have skype... about 8-10pm Central time is a good time for me if it works for you. :)  Please send me your prayer requests also and know that God loves you so much He is willing to sacrifice anything for you, in fact He did with His Son just so that He could share LOVE with you. :)

Where's Rayelle: 2nd Entry from Kona, Hawaii

Hello everyone!  I'm very tired, it has been a day full of many activities :) but I wanted to share before I went to bed.  I enjoy reflecting on the days here so much, and every day seems to be more exciting and glorious than the last!  Today was our first day of class.  We have breakfast from 6:30-7:15am (each day includes fresh Hawaiian fruit... today was pineapple... yum!).  On Monday's we have group worship in the Ohana Court (ohana=family in Hawaiian) to start the day.  Then off to class, backpacks and all!  Our classroom is open air, which who wouldn't want that here! 

Today one of our main leaders, Aaron, shared some of his story and we talked about God's love for us.  We talked about how since birth we are compared to each other through height and weight percentiles, and later on in life we are compared to others by how we look and based on our performance in school, sports, and work.  We are trained in such a way that when God wants to tell us He loves us, we tend to think we need to perform a certain way for Him.  Compare this to the analogy of a man asking a woman to marry him.  The man plans out the whole event, is down on one knee and shares those word "I love you.  Will you marry me?"  The woman looks at him and says "I'll do your laundry for you, make dinner, change our babies diapers and clean the house."  What kind of a let down answer that would be!  When God tells us He loves us, He doesn't want to hear all the things we are going to do for Him.  He wants us to love Him, to say YES to the groom.  It was a great check for me today... and there is freedom that bursts forth through this.  We had an amazing prayer time too.  I had been asking God some specific questions about a "wall" up around me and His plans for me while I'm here and a leader prayed for me and to the very detail God spoke through her the answers I was seeking.  Praise Jesus! :)  And this is a time of infilling for me and a more intimate relationship with my Savior.

This is the class I'm doing and the detail with it :)

The remainder of the day was filled with great conversation over meals with people from my Call2All class and other classes, as well as some terrific games we played as a group.  Our leaders are doing a wonderful job having time for us to create "ohana".  We played the signs game (see the picture) and the "have you ever game".  I'm truly enjoying learning about my YWAM family with new surprises each day!  Our stories are so different, yet God's loved is woven in each of us, and brings us together as a beautiful tapestry. :)


Playing the Signs game



To finish off the day a group walked about a mile to the pier in Kona and we had a late night swim.  We actually jumped off the pier and swam to shore through the crystal clear water.  It was a refreshing way to end a day filled with joy and laughter.  I'm excited for a great night's rest and to see what tomorrow brings. :)

Aloha!

Where's Rayelle: Kona, Hawaii

Friends, what an amazing day it has been.  I arrived in Kona last night after a long day of traveling, but it has been well worth the trip.  I wish you were all here with me to experience this.  The land here is beautiful... the birds of the air, the flowers growing everywhere.  But even more amazing than that is the group of people here.  We have come from far away... but I've never been in such an amazing array of God's people.  Just like Revelation 5:9 talks about "and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation"; tonight as we had a ceremony that reminded me of the Olympics with flag bearers, dancing, and cheering it was announced that 39 nations are represented within our groups.  Thirty nine countries!  Together in the same place!  To help you understand the depth of this, slightly more... I currently have 3 roommates, 2 are from South Korea and 1 is from Switzerland.  They all speak english as a second language so our discussions have been good, but tend to use quite a few added hand gestures.  Tonight at worship, to my right was a couple from Norway and to my left a young woman from Africa and next to her a woman from New Zealand... and we all worshiped and praised our great God together!  Then a woman from Hawaii prayed for me!  What a beautiful world we live in.  I'm honored to be a part of this here and to learn about God's love in new ways.  I must admit, I'm addicted... I'm addicted to the love of Jesus.  It is sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels. :)