Unpredictable

Current location: Siliguri | India

So once again Team India Nepal is on a crazy journey. The Lord has rerouted us and spoke crazy things and opened many doors. We left Nepal and got to India on the 30th of July after a week long trek in the Himalayas. We went into India knowing that Darjeeling was on a 2 day strike. Darjeeling is where we were supposed to go to do ministry for our stay in India but with the strike the leader of the YWAM base told us to wait until the strike was over. Darjeeling....you may know the name, the tea is wonderful and in high demand all over the world. Anyway, instead we met up with some YWAMer's in Siliguri, India to stay for the 2 days but were so ready to get up to Darjeeling. Some people that were on staff with me in Awaken put me in contact with some friends that live in Siliguri so we met up with them and had dinner and heard about their ministry. We made plans to hang out with them again after that but we got a call from the Darjeeling YWAM base leader that we were able to come up and we needed to act fast because Darjeeling was going to protest again. So we packed our bags and headed up the mountain. We got up to Darjeeling and it was very different than Siliguri. Darjeeling is in the Himalayas it borders Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan; it is a town that is very much like Nepal. The culture, the pace, the atmosphere, and everyone speaks Nepali. Myself and my co-leader Danny went to a cafe to see when our friend Dan was coming in for a visit and the email said he was getting in the 3rd which was 4 days before he was supposed to get here and also all the days he was here Darjeeling was supposed to be on strike. So we tell the team and pray about who is to go down with us and get him. We got myself, Danny and one of our students Ellie. So we all packed small bags (thinking that we would only be gone for a day or 2) and headed back down the mountain, after just spending the night there. We get back down to Siliguri pick up Dan and start talking to all the taxi drivers to see if we can get someone to take us to Darjeeling. Every person we talked to said it was IMPOSSIBLE. But we knew God was bigger so we kept trying. We met one man named Razu and he told us he could get us there but we would have to go back into Nepal and then head up through another border more north and then take horses into Darjeeling. So we decided to try. We got into Nepali Immigration and they said our plan would not work because there is no Nepali and Indian Immigration at the place we need to cross at. So we were back at square one. Dan looked at me and said let's go to Bhutan for a few days and see what happens with Darjeeling when we get back. Bhutan....was a dream that I had at the beginning in creating this outreach and it was originally supposed to be India/Bhutan and then turned into India/Nepal. Huge dream for me. The Lord is so faithful to give the desires of our heart. We talked to Razu and he said he could take us to the border the next day. We had $0 for Bhutan and is $240 a person per day this time a year. We also have a contact there that is in charge of a church movement so we wanted to get into communication with him as well but had no contact info. Within a couple of hours we have raised enough money for myself, Danny, Dan and Ellie to go in for 2 days and we got our friends contact info and set everything up with him. So the Lord. We woke up early the next morning and headed to Bhutan. Crazy time and a beautiful country it was a wonderful experience. While in Bhutan though we get the news that the peaceful protest has turned into a violent strike and that our team will be stuck and we have absolutely no way to get up there. It is not safe for any cars to go up because they are burning them. Police could not help because they were being violent to police and burning down government officials offices. We called the base leader to make sure that our team would be safe and she said that they are not leaving the house but there is absolutely no threat. Bummer for our team and super hard because we all want to be together and they had to miss all of Dan's visit. But we could not do anything and we tried everything to get them down. Myself, Danny and Ellie took Dan to the airport and called the family we became friends with in Siliguri. They set us up in guest house and started taking us in by feeding us, letting us hang out with their kids and setting up ministry for us. They are absolutely wonderful and such a blessing. They have become great friends. While in Siliguri Danny and I were praying and seeking the Lord about what to do and going to Thailand early came up. We were supposed to be going to Thailand on September 3rd to debrief with the Awaken Cambodia Team. But what if we went early. The next day we get a call from one our girls that is stuck in Darjeeling and said randomly she got the idea to go to Thailand early instead of staying in India. To me that was conformation. We move towards doing that as we were planning what it could look like we heard that Darjeeling is for sure opening up their roads on August 15th to let cars in and out. OUR TEAM IS FINALLY COMING DOWN. We bought the plane tickets and everything is all locked away to head to Thailand early. So next stop Bangkok, Thailand. Please please please pray that everything goes smoothly. We know this is the Lord and he is doing it. He is so faithful and taking on this wonderful journey.

This is darjeeling...They are striking to become their own state
Gorkahland

This adventure of ours...

the 29 days has come to an end. I sit on my bed in Siliguri, India and reflect on the past 29 days and how much the Lord moved I am amazed. Nepal has absolutely stolen my heart once again and is one step closer to revival. It's a matter of time before the entire nation declares Jesus as Lord and everyone greets each other with "jai messiah" (how Christians greet each other).

So here is some of the things that happened.... 

When we got to Nepal we walked into family, a family that is so hungry for Jesus and to see him move.  We realized that there was no time to waste so we hit the ground running. our first day in Nepal we went to Swinenboo (a Buddhist Monkey Temple) and on our way up the stairs to the Stupa we encounter a leper, we begin to share the gospel with him and he gets encountered by the love of God and starts to weep and accepts Jesus into  his heart. Then we walk a little further and encounter a deaf beggar and start to pray for him, within seconds of praying he hears after many years of being deaf and we share the love of Jesus with him and he begins to declare Jesus as His Savior. 

Then we go to the banquet house which is a place that Iris Ministries feeds the homeless and shows them the love of Jesus! The Lord brings 2 girls who are pregnant in and shortly find out that they want to get abortions, which is free and recommended in Nepal, and they are looking for help. So I got to sit down with them and tell them my mothers story about having me at such a young age and how afraid she was and didn't know how to do it and how the love of jesus encountered her and comforted her. That Jesus is the only reason that she got through that time and how she was so young and so scared but she did it and because she decided to turn to the Lord I got to sit and talk with them. Through the conversation and telling the gospel they decided that they want to know the Lord and not have abortions and get help from us. Since that day we have put them in contact with one of the long term missionaries and the girls have been going to the Iris Church every week.

Now another thing we did was hang out with some kids, who I can't call orphans because they know who their Daddy is, in the Iris Children's Home. They teach me so much about the heart of the Father and what selfless love in and how to walk in Thanksgiving at every moment. That was one of my favorite things to do was just to hang out and cook, hula hoop, sing weird songs, dance, do homework and milk cows. Life was never dull when we were there. These kids actually have a relationship with the Father and truly know who their dad is and how much he loves them and desires them. it is truly a beautiful thing.

This one was real wild and so God. Tibet. God spoke Tibet through a dream and made it happen so perfectly. So a crew of 5, 3 from my team, 1 Nepali, and one Iris friend. Now, Tibet is a closed nation so we knew we had to be careful with ministry so that we did not get kicked out or get our guide in trouble. Right when we got there though the Lord opened the door for ministry. The night before we left we prayed about what to bring in and we felt gospel tracts and thats what we packed, we felt the Lord said don't hide them, and I felt not to bring them. We get to the border they dont open to pockets to one of the backpacks that they were in, then the next backpack looks in but lifts a shirt and thats it, my bag they dig through and search pretty throughly, the last backpack pulls out the tracts...looks at them, and then puts them back in the bag! WILD! So we are through and ministry starts right away. We start to hand out tracts to everyone we feel led to and started having people running after our van to get tracts as we pass them secretly out the window of our van! Then get to tell our guide about Jesus and he tells us that he has been searching, and pray for him and he tells us that he feels something different with us and feels like he can really trust us. That is only some of the stuff...the trip was wild and so good!

The Crew

This is Tibet

I rode a Yak

To end our time we went on a week long trek to the Northeast and went to 4 different villages. The Lord did amazing things and we got to encourage local believers and drink tons of tea and there were many times that the enemy tries to take us out but it never worked the Lord moved and Jesus received the glory! We trekked to India and now we are in Siliguri hanging out for 2 days before we head to Darjeeling. It has been a wild journey and will be continue to be on this adventure of ours.

Off to the nations..

Well here we go again. Round two. Headed back to Nepal and adding a new adventure of India as well. Taking a team of 7. Leading with Danny White. We have 5 students from all over the world, from the ages of 18 to 26. So here is the team....

So back to Nepal for the whole month of July. While we are in Nepal we will be working with Iris Ministries, founded by Heidi and Roland Baker. We will be working with orphans in a children's home that Iris works with. Also, working in Leper Colonies showing them the love of Jesus and the cleansing power that He has for them, slum ministry by bringing food and clothes and showing them the love of Jesus. Another thing that we clearly feel The Lord saying is to go into the unreached places and spread the good news, so we are acting on that by going into the villages that have never heard the name of Jesus and sharing who he is and his goodness and after spreading that showing the village how to love God and love others while still being fully involved in their cultures, living life for the lord in the daily and how they can properly do that and maintain relationship with them even after we leave. My heart comes alive for this part of the world and what the Lord is doing and wants to do in the Himalayas. I can't wait to be back in Nepal and reconnect with all the relationships that I had made when I was there the last time. To really be able to live out the call that he has placed "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Matthew 28:19

Then we will be heading to India for the month of August and there we will be working with Tibetan and Nepali Refugees and helping restore their families and homes and setting them up for success. Also, we will be working in a backpackers ministry. We will be in Darjeeling, India which is at the Northeast Corner of India and is a very large backpacking tourist spot and a big reason we feel to work with that ministry is because if they understand the love and grace of God while they are on a backpacking trip then when they go home and show others in their hometowns the love of Christ. Also, we will be working in slums and in children's home. Leading bible studies and English classes. I am very excited to see what the Lord has in that part of the world for us and the inheritance that we will be getting in that place. I have never been there but that area of the world holds a very beautiful and big place in my heart. In Psalms 2:8 the Lord says, "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession". I have asked the Lord for this land and feel a large call to go and see the Himalaya's changed. I could not be more excited to leave.

I leave June 29 for 10 weeks to see the Lord move in these places and be the hands and feet of Jesus and see Jesus get the glory in all of it. My deepest desire for my life and this trip is for Jesus to get the reward for His suffering. I believe the Lord is moving and will do big things and I could not be more excited and ready to go.

"And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news". Romans 10:15

Movement or Mindset?

a question i have been going back in forth in my head is revival just a movement or is it something that has to come from our hearts? I think that it is something that starts in our hearts and leads to a movement. So often we are hindered from having the revival mindset and that is why it has been just talk. This is something i have been asking the Lord to reveal to me so i can operate out of this revival mentality. I have been on a 3 week long journey of weeding things out and asking the Lord to reveal what i need maturity in, healing in and to weed out the stuff that fog my vision. This is what i came up with. 

What hinders us from Revival?

what hinders us from revival is all the things that fog up the lens we look through. All our hurts, heartache, annoyances, distractions, not knowing our identity, and addictions. 

So how do we clear that? we change our mindset and operate out of the kingdom perspective and mindset. We take hold of what the Lord has spoken to us and take that as our identity. We fall more in love with Jesus everyday because we get a greater understanding of who he is. We recognize that he made us for bigger things than we could ever dream. 

We have to understand that is does not always come in the package that we think it will come in either. Our mindsets are locked into their own specific pattern that we do not recognize what the Lord is saying because it doesn't fit our mindset. The Pharisees and the Sadducees in their blindness did not recognize the Messiah when He was standing in front of them because the box that they out Him in did not line up with what they thought. It did not go against what the prophets said, it was just different than what they expected. 

So, we need to recognize that revival is not only a movement, it is a mindset. To understand the will of the Lord and the call and take it on. Once we have revival in our hearts then we can start to see the movement of revival. But, to see revival in our hearts we have to seek after intimacy with Jesus and understand His love to operate out of the simple gospel and the ecclesia mindset. To really work out of the concept of just jesus and being fully satisfied with him.  People ask all the time How I can do what I do? Being away from my family, having no money and ultimately no idea what i am doing with the future. and my response has to be i understand who jesus is and the call on my life and what he created me for and i trust him enough to work it out. through 2 years of learning what the Lord has to say about me and what he created me for i have learned that he is more committed to providing for me and my future than i ever could be. How would he not provide and give guidance for the future, to let me chase after the desires of my heart and see me succeed in what he has called me into. 

The word is Ekballo. Lou Engle spoke on the call of God and it has turn into a movement amongst missionaries to recognize the call that they have on their lives and understanding what they are doing in the kingdom and on earth. What is Ekballo?

Ekballo

ek-bal'-lo

Greek origin

1. to cast out, drive out, to send out with great force

2. to cause a thing to move straight to it's intended goal

3. so employed in rapid motion of the one going is transferred to the one sending forth

Ekballo is a violent sending out to revive the saved and save the lost. So, how will this happen if this is not the lens i look through. Something i learned was, We are responsible for the revelation that we receive, so how could i ever go back to the normalcy of life. Jesus is king and there is lots to be done before his return. I have to operate out of the mindset of revival and seek the kingdom perspective first. We have to understand that revival starts in our hearts and once we understand it there then we will operate out of it in our daily lives. We will have this Ekballo perspective and have a focus that will be moving towards the end goal; which is Jesus receiving all the glory from every tribe, tongue and nation.

This will be the new mindset and we will see revival break out on the earth. 

THE TIME IS NOW. 

it was....

The common question after coming home from being gone on this exciting journey is "how was it..."

so here it is.

...it was. incredible, stretching, and glorious. I was stretched and grown. i had a few common themes of things that i learned. 

Lecture Phase: the first week of lecture phase us, as staff, had to share our testimonies and talk about who we were and how the Lord so gripped us and completely transformed us. So i shared on the father's heart and how i came to the understanding i was actually a daughter of the king and that i sit at his right hand and get to rule with him forever and ever. and i thought i got this revelation during my DTS but, i got the bigger picture during my DTS. Now the Lord has started to reveal more detail to me during lecture phase this time. He showed me what it looks like to pick up this identity and own it, to no longer put the role of father on other people and put crazy expectations on them that they will never fulfill. I realized that my father's here on earth are here to disciple me and model christ's love for me to the best of their ability. So, i really picked up that identity and wore it as my own and stopped putting all my crap on the fact that i had issues and started laying those issues at the cross and watching the lord so heal those open wounds and bring in people in my life to help me do that. Biggest realization in that.. I am a princess and delighted in and i have a father that is more proud than anyone else could be and loves me more that anything every could. 

i learned how to disciple. I learned that it is not always by what you say but it is what you do behind close doors when your students are watching you that really starts to mold them and refine them. i got the privilege to walk closely with 3 girls and watch their lives get totally wrecked for the Lord and watch them decide that they are all in and they do not want to settle for what society says is "normal" or "correct" but to chase after jesus and his will. I got to watch how my revelations got to get transferred and formed into their own personal revelations and how my ceiling was their floor. The amount of prayer and waring i did was what they got to stand upon. I recognized the power of prayer and worship and adoring who jesus is. At the end of lecture phase i found myself asking "did i learn anything during DTS". i feel like i learned so much more this time around.

Outreach: couple themes of outreach. thanksgiving. humility. prioritizing the presence. life of ministry.

THANKSGIVING. i have understood the importances of thanksgiving and adoration. I came to this realization that literally everything i have is a gift from the lord. That my reality without his grace is hell. What is deserve is death but his goodness and faithfulness is enough to sustain me and keep me going. i don't deserve tomorrow or even my next meal but the lord is good and is who he says he is therefore he provides and gives grace in abundance. i saw the mornings that i woke up and wrote the 10 things i was thankful for, my attitude was crazy different from the days when i woke and did not and complained because it was hot and i smelt and the roommate snored all night. instead i would choose to wake up and say who the lord is and thank him for what he has done for me and watch that simple act completely change my attitude and outlook on the day. 

HUMILITY: i am learning how to separate the confidence and cockiness. also how to be okay with the normal story and not always having to have the most radical sounding story. If it's a jesus story then its radical. Not having to exaggerate stories of outreach or of my life. but to know that the lord is working and all of my stories are glory stories. 

LIFE OF MINISTRY: here in Cambodia we are looked at more because of our skin color and we are thought of as a higher cast. and watching how we don't have to preach the gospel on the street corner to show our faith but to just live life and watch how that open doors. we were very limited with the ministry we were aloud to do because of the long term goal here but, watching how that did not stop our ministry opportunities. Most foreigners that come to Cambodia come here to party so to come and not be in that scene at all. it raised lots of questions and opportunities to share. Also, not conforming to a different attitude or put on a fake face in different environments. yes we were sensitive to the different environments but still stayed who i am and spoke what i believe to be truth. 

that is a broad overview of the things i learned and how i applied them to my time in Cambodia.

Now i will be dripping with the oils of the love. so blessed.

JUST Jesus

i was dreaming with one of my best friends Sarah on one of our weekly skype dates. we were dreaming about future and what we want to do and ideas we have and how we will be together in this crazy thing we do called life. we were talking about desires and watching jesus start to really give us strategy for it all. She sent me a status that Levi Miller put up that was really challenging her. As i read it i began to get rocked and Jesus started to speak something to me. AM I ENOUGH? IS JUST ME ENOUGH?

Here is the quote.......

"A word for thought to my friends in ministry: If the "religious structure" you are involved in, the relationships that center around it or its spiritual mandate, and all of your opportunities for "effectiveness" ceased to exist...like it all suddenly NEVER existed...would you have any frame of reference for this life? If not, I beg of you...reevaluate your priorities. Be certain that YOU are living...not simply living how you've been told is best. Freedom is not the structure that facilitates it...freedom is the essence that breathes life into those things that truly matter."

Here are my thoughts...

Strip away the ministry and the status and the names and the roles and the countries.. is JUST JESUS enough? as i thought about it i decided that if i answered it honestly, i would have to answer NO. I have been so concerned with what the world has to say about me; and the things that i have done; and the status that my name has; and the countries that i have been to; and the people i know. If it all was stripped away and all people had to say about me, if they ever talked about me, was "sarah, yeah she loves jesus" and then move on. I wouldn't be okay with that. i have realized that it has become about ministry and status and not about jesus. 

So what i am i doing about it? well here it is, i am changing my perspective. as i am changing my perspective i am watching my priorities fall into place. i am not conforming to the mold anymore and the form that the world says i should be in. I will be marked by true obedience and the word of the Lord; not the ministry that i am apart of. i so often look around and see what others are doing and try to do whats popular and what makes a name for myself. I have realized I DON'T NEED A NAME. I NEED JESUS. i have realized that if jesus tells me to do something that is outside of the box that i know or want i try to form it into something he isn't speaking or try to pass it off as the infamous "that's me, not the Lord". I try to form what he says into a structure that i know and am comfortable with and will make me look good. Jesus really blew this up for me in the book of Mark. so let't take it to the word.... In Mark 8:31-33 Jesus is telling His disciples that He is going to die and be raised again in 3 days. As He tells them this, Peter pulls Him aside and rebukes Him. Jesus replies by saying "Get behind me Satan, for you are not setting your eyes on things of God, but things of man." Peter did not think that the Messiah would die, so when Jesus said this it was outside of the box and the mold that Peter put the Messiah in so when jesus spoke, Peter tried to make it into what he knew. Jesus so kindly tells him you are looking at what the world has to say and not what god has to say. That is when i realized, how often do i hear something from God that doesn't excite me or sounds crazy and radical or that i don't completely understand how it will happen or how i will get there. So i create this false things that God didn't speak. and create a longer route for myself and make it a mess. Now Jesus is faithful and sovereign so he always meets me where i am at, but when i try to act out of what makes sense to me i make it a lot harder on myself. I have realized that most radical place to be in right where God wants you, whatever that looks like. Whether it's something crazy like joining "The Dead Raising Team" or something like moving away and being married. Those are both radical if thats where Jesus wants you to be. To trust the lord and that He is orchestrating it perfectly for His plan for you. I am done with the performance and the appearance of it all. 

I WANT JESUS.

Khnach Romease Village

              october 15, 2012 - october 18, 2012

 the start of a week that changed my view on the world. on the nation of cambodia. and the commission to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, take care of the widows and orphans. 

october 15, 2012  the morning of my birthday i woke up and was surprised with an amazing breakfast made by my team. banana pancakes and scrambled eggs. after breakfast we packed up and loaded into the van to take our long trip to the village. (this was my second birthday in a row in a foreign nation in a village). the trip was a lot shorter than we were thinking it was going to be. when we arrive we are greeted by the pastor, vanny. we walk into dirt and grim and heat and the most beautiful smiling children. all so happy to see us, they run straight into our arms. we spent some time playing with the children, a good game of volleyball. after volleyball we all go into the small church that they have and they tell us that some of the kids are so sick that they cannot come outside and that they want us to pray for them. they bring out this little girl her name is Men. she is so sick, she has scabs all over here and a dripping nose. We pray with about 30 orphans and she is completely healed. we got to run around with her the rest of the night. after we pray for men, we start worship with the kids and the second we start the children have their hands in the air screaming to jesus with the craziest wildest cries to God that i have ever seen. that is the night that srey art came to me and became glued to my hip. always being with me. her heart for jesus challenged me. My heart began to move to see these children so desperate for god and the understanding that they have of the father that they will scream out to adore him. 

Lesson Learned: desperate times call for desperate measures, make yourself desperate for jesus and he will come and show you who he is. 

Srey Art. Age 8. such a beauty.

october 16, 2012  after sleeping in an insanely hot bedroom in the back of a tin house, sleeping on the ground with my team. we are awoken at 6:30am to the sound of screaming children in the church, starting their day with worship. when we are awoken the team rolls out of their sleeping area and get into the word, some start with crazy prayers, some still lay and some still sleep and some begin to say what they are thankful for. we get out of bed to start our day with the beautiful children. for 2 hours we give a lame attempt to act out the book of Daniel. With the children laughing at our horrible attempts of acting. having a day of laughter and fun bible songs and crazy games. watching them tie the biggest bugs i have ever seen onto strings and spinning them around until the bug starts to fly as if its on a leash. then after it all the neighbors were gambling and the children with out being told grouped together and began to intercede for them to stop and to see the wrong in gambling. right after their prayers that lasted for a solid 3 minutes stop, the men stop in the middle of their game and stop and put it all away. finishing the nights with prayers for good dreams and worship and another skit of the Jonah and the big fish for them. we decide it is time for bed. since the children wake up at 5:30 every morning to be with the lord. 

Lesson Learned: jesus is faithful and will always answer prayer, it's in his nature.

Men. Age 3. She got healed.

october 17, 2012  same morning routine. but we know that today is the last full days with these children so we need to make it count. we run outside at 9 and start our bible time with the kids doing the creation story. and then playing with the kids and seeing my team fall in love with these kids and start to make really deep bonds and not let the language barrier stop them. i spend the afternoon with srey art doing her hair and her playing games. getting to spend quality time. then the team starts a massive game of duck duck goose which is a huge hit. then the night comes and it is time for bible. instead we have testimony and worship and pray with the kids. now this is the most impactful time we have had. so it starts by each of us cuddling up with a kid as matt scaperotti leads worship for us. then each of us get up and tell our testimonies and how we came to understand the father heart of god and how being with each of the kids remind us of that. then we all stand up and scap starts worship again and we begin to go around the room to pray for each of them. as we pray we begin to have tears stream down our faces and the children begin to cry and the love of god and his weighty presence hits the room and all we can do is look at jesus and see him move in each of these children's hearts as we watch them each encounter the love of god. it was one of the most moving times and a time where we literally all stopped praying and huddled together and sat in his presence together.

Lesson Learned: God shows up and he loves us so much more than we can ever love us. that a language barrier isn't to big for him to move and show his love through us and the holy spirit. 

people always say what a good thing it is that i do, that it must be such a sacrifice. yes, it is a sacrifice but jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice and this is a small price to pay for what he has done. and the greatest injustice this world will ever see is the lamb not receiving the reward of his suffering. i saw this week how much the lord has blessed me by getting to learn lessons from each of the children and see his love. that they blessed me more by their smiling faces, huge hugs and pursuit of jesus than any amount of food, clothes or money could ever bless someone. to get to go back to childlike faith for even just a week and see simple obedience and love and seeing jesus fully through these children. 

to the one who sits upon the throne be blessing, and honor, and glory, and power forever.

Kandbul. Age 7. never seen a child smile so much.

Boren, this boy can play guitar like no other. he is 6.

This is Neat. Age 5. The most joyful child i have ever met.