Brothers, Bring Us Back To Purity

[This is kind of a long post, but it is good stuff and I challenge you, Brothers, to step up to the call]

Today, after an amazingly encouraging day of work and celebration I sat in my car and read 2 Chronicles 29:1-36. I love it when the Old Testament comes alive when I read it.

This passage is about King Hezekiah and how he breaks the pattern of chronically evil kings. He becomes king at the age of 25 and he leads his people to wholeness and restoration. The part that jumped of the page and put a choke hold on my lungs starts in verse 15 where it says,

¹⁵ When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD. ¹⁶ The priests went into the sanctuary of the LORD to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

¹⁸ Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. ¹⁹ We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the LORD’s altar.”

King Hezekiah had gathered this band of brothers - the Levites, those chosen to serve and protect the Lord in the sanctuary - and led them in purity. But that's not even all of it. These priests had to first consecrate themselves. Webster's dictionary defines the action of consecration as this: to make or declare sacred; especially : to devote irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony.

Now it's one thing to dedicate and object or a place; to make holy a thing. But to consecrate yourself for the irrevocable worship of the living God is another thing entirely.

But these kings and priests of old did not even stop there. They took the next, most mind blowing step yet. The purified the temple.

Now we're not talking a little sprinkling or the rubbing on of some Purell. This was a sixteen day ceremony that rid the temple, the house of God on earth, from all the impurity, all the filth of the kings that came before. And there was a lot of filth. Earlier kings had literally prostituted themselves and their people in the holy house of God. They had sold the gold and the jewels for blood money, they took the spears and the shields and the weaponry to fight unholy wars, they worshiped the gods of their neighbors.

There was a lot of brokenness, bleeding, hurt, dirt and sorrow to be washed away. And these servants of God did it. They dedicated themselves to getting on there hands and knees and doing what the People could not do for themselves.

*

So this got me thinking. We no longer have the Temple in Jerusalem to worship in. But we do still have a temple. Paul tells us in his letters to the Corinthians that our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit and that, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God comes and dwells with us and uses us. our physical selves, as His dwelling place, as His place of operation. This is where it gets exciting...

Brothers, the calling has not dissipated and the temple has not gotten any less foul. How beautiful would it be if you consecrated yourself to the service of the Lord and dedicated yourself to the purifying and maintaining of the temples of your fellow brothers and sisters.

I got so excited about the idea that somewhere out there are men of God who take up their responsibility to maintain, guard and value the purity of their sisters in Christ. That there might be people out there who daily consecrate themselves to the work of the Lord and who live on purpose and with fire.

I want to be one of those people. One who lives with a passion and who understands the value and sacredness of purity -physical, emotional and spiritual purity. And I want to build relationships with people who will recognize this value as well and daily work with me to wash away the filth.

The best part is the last verse where it says, "³⁶ Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly." After all that Hezekiah did for his people and his nation he recognized that it was not he who did it at all. It was God who used him to do this amazing thing. How great is our God.

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” - Joshua 3:5

I actually do love you

I was thinking about relationships the other day and how easily our society goofs it up. We (I'm especially referring to young people) are so quick to fall in love or to tell someone we love them.

I am often tempted to do the same, but then I realized this - it is not romantic love that I am feeling for this person, but a deep respect and a grateful appreciation, even admiration. But in today's society, we are conditioned to interpret every affection, whether respect, thanks or admiration, into romantic love. This is a handicap that is crippling and confusing our young people, causing much heart ache and brokenness. It's times like this that I wish the English language was not so limited in our expression of affection.

So next time you are drawn to a person, ask yourself - "What do I appreciate about this person?" "Do they need encouragement?" "What is better, romantic love that is only fleeting or real love that impacts everyone around it?". Before you tell someone you love them (even in a friendship situation) consider questing for an expression more meaningful that a fleeting "I love you". I challenge you to determine those in your life whom you respect, admire, appreciate or learn from and tell them.

In the wise words of Zach Galifianakis, "You better check yourself before you wreck yourself".

Nutcracker Sweet

During the holiday season of the mid nineties, my Mother began to bring home something special from the grocery store. Nutcracker Sweet tea. I have always been one for tea and other warm drinks but this particular tea was special. It smelled of gentle spices, vanilla, carmel and fairie dust. The box was decorated with magical scenes from the endearing story. This was truly a special tea.

But I was not allowed to have any. You see, Nutcracker Sweet had caffeine as one of the ingredients. So as a young child I would take the box and dream about the day I would be able to taste the tea that so enchanted me.

A year or so later I captured the scent of this wonderful mystery by abducting a single bag and hiding it in a small tin I kept in my room. Now I could visit this holiday treat whenever I remembered to check the tin. The scent kept for years and brought a smile to my face until the year I was declared old enough to try the tea for myself.

I can still remember the anticipation and excitement of that first time I took a sip of that special tea. After years of memorizing the scent and waiting to discover the taste, it was now time. It was not like the taste of coffee, who's alluring smell opposes the strong taste. Tasting Nutcracker Sweet was different. The taste of the tea equaled the quality of the aroma. It was worth it. My parents, who had withheld the treat for years, came through on their promise and it was a joy.

I did not despise the years of waiting. Those years built a story, created a memory and developed a certain level of respect.

And now, fifteen years later, I get to enjoy this holiday treat, as one enjoys an old friend's company.

I recalled this memory tonight as the teapot sung and I dropped the bag of Nutcracker Sweet in my mug. It's funny how it is so easy to learn from one experience and so difficult to apply the same lesson to other areas of our lives. How many times do I pine away for something I cannot have? How many times do I resent God's direction or diversion from things that I think will satisfy me now? How many times do I choose to steal a taste of things meant to be savored at a later time? Why is it so hard to simply enjoy the moment and cherish the opportunities set before us, knowing a great story is lived moment by moment?

What is it that you are enchanted with? Is it a career? A relationship? A home? A degree? A family? Independence? Respect? Power? Money? Fame?

Are there areas of your life or your story that you are delighted to faithfully watch unfold? Do you wait with eager anticipation and an open heart or do you scheme a way to get it now?

What is something that you have built a story with? What is your Nutcracker Sweet?

Ardently,

Anna

Focus

In the chaos, in confusion

I know You're sovereign still

In the moment, of my weakness

You give me grace to do Your will

When things seem confusing and overwhelming it is because our focus has shifted away from the Maker of the universe and onto our own selves. It's when we get caught up in our pettiness and our trivial matters that we lose sight of the power and majesty of the Most High. When we once again seek the One who holds eternity in His hand we find the deepest peace.

So when You call I won't delay

This my song through all my days

There is no one else for me

None but Jesus

Crucified to set me free

Now I live to bring Him praise

All my delight is in You Lord

All of my hope, all of my strength

All my delight is in You Lord, forever more

Holding Beautiful

There's an old song by Third Day that always resonated with me. The song says -

And I want to love You

Love You more than life itself

And I want to hold You

Even though You can't be held

Because You're so much more

Than everything I've ever known

Anything, anything

I'd give anything

I would give anything to hold You

What is it about beauty that inclines us as humans to touch it, to hold it, to keep it? Why must we always posses the object of our attention?

This idea struck me the other day as I discovered a family of baby bunnies under a bush in our yard. With a shriek of glee, I ran over to try and catch one. I spent a good five minutes trying to chase and hold one of those poor baby bunnies. They were so beautiful and they looked so soft. However, as I crawled along the bush line trying to find them, I remembered something my Dad had told me years ago, "if you touch the baby rabbits or the baby birds that you find on the ground, your scent will scare away the mother and they will die of starvation". My desire to hold that which I admired might actually inflict harm on that which I loved.

Similarly, today I was outside when a beautiful butterfly flew past my head. Without thinking I followed it with my hands cupped, ready to catch it. When it was almost in reach I remembered that holding a butterfly would rub off the scales from it's wings and cripple it.

In contrast, I began to think about the beauty of God. Throughout the scriptures there are stories of zealous people who reached out to touch the Beauty of God. The beauty and glory of the Most High was so overwhelming that they died right then and there. How gracious of the Lord to present Himself to us as Invisible.

And then there are the times in the Bible when God gives us a glimpse of His Splendor. Exodus 33 gives the story of the boldness of Moses and the mercy of God -

¹⁸ Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

¹⁹ And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

²¹ Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²²When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

How fantastic is that? God showed Moses Himself but loved him enough not to show His face. Again in Isaiah 6 we read another encounter with the Beauty of the Lord -

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

The Lord is gracious enough to not show us His great and awesome beauty. For we would want to hold it, to reach out and capture the beauty. In the same way, God, in His extravagant grace, lets us live our lives here on earth without direct contact to Him. If He were to, He might crush us. We are too fragile on this earth.

This kind of tension thrills me. To see so much beauty all around me and not be able to grasp it. To sit and watch the stars but not reach them. To admire a brightly colored bird in flight but not be able to catch it. To enjoy great friends but not be able to hold on to them forever. I look forward to the day when I can hold on to Beauty forever.

Sincerely,

Anna Elizabeth

Lessons from the Window Washer - Mating Eagles

Every so often the Window Washer guy (we'll call him Mr. Washer) comes to the store and washes the windows. Today was window washing day.

When Mr. Washer is done he comes in the store to collect his money, and while he writes out the receipt, he tells me about the book he and his wife are writing. Mr. & Mrs. Washer have been married for about 9 years and are very active in their church. They have a heart to teach other young people about God's love and the ins and outs of marriage.

Today Mr. Washer was telling me more of how he and his wife would approach the topic of marriage in many different ways in their book, giving examples of how God created things to be, how animals raise families and where our society is struggling. Today's lesson came from the eagle.

Eagles are fascinating birds. When a female eagle is ready to pick her mate, she will fly to great heights carrying a stone. She drops the stone mid-air, and the first male eagle to catch the stone before it hits the ground is the one she will choose to mate with for life. She does this because, sometimes, a female eagle will drop an egg while she is flying. The male has to be attentive and responsive enough to catch the egg safely before it hits the ground. How amazing is that?

So what can we learn from the eagle?

Girls, surround yourself with good, strong men who will protect you. Test those men and make sure you only commit yourself to someone who will be with you in the long run, in thick and thin and who is prepared for the future.

Guys, be ready to catch the stone when she drops it. Don't be afraid to step up. Give her room to fly but be near enough to catch her if she falls.

[Lessons from the Window Washer]

[Recorded & expanded by Anna Jefferis]

Half

I am my favorite subject.

The other day I was thinking about me. And I thought about who I am and why I'm here. I was thinking of all the ways I've failed and all the things I should have done.

And then I remembered Where Half of Me Ends.

And I realized that I have been living as a Half.

I have not been waiting where half of me ends. I have been trying to live with only my left side.

And that's when I looked and found God waiting for me where half of me ends.

And he said he loves me.

W[here]H[alf]O[f] M[e]E[nds]?

[1 corinthians 15:10] By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain.

New Year

I'm not one for predictable holiday posts. However, last year I posted my resolutions for the year on my blog and one of my co-workers actually read it and kept me accountable for at least part of the year in some regards. This is my attempt to hold myself accountable to take the initiative and make some changes.

In no particular order -

Continue to learn to play piano

Read the rest of the Bible

Grow my hair out [done]

Lead Masquerade well [done]

Join a co-ed small group [done]

Save for down payment on a new car [done]

Graduate college in March 2011

Learn to cook more

And above all I hope to live out Philippians 1:20 -

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Here goes! Welcome, 2010!

Hide and Seek

When I was a little kid I ruled at the game of hide and seek.

Whenever I played I was always the winner. Most times I would have to come out and find the people who were looking for me. Whether playing inside or outside I had my secret places.

Outside there was a little hill on the side of the driveway where my Dad parked his station wagon. I could fit easily on the side of the hill, almost under the car. No one ever found me there.

Inside the house, closets were my favorite. Our bathroom closet has a little crawl-space in it that housed my little 10 year old self well.

I think I was good at hide and seek for 2 reasons. 1- I liked hiding. I was aware of where things could not be seen. I liked surprises. And I was very competitive. 2- I like being alone. Hiding provided the perfect solution.

I realized the other day that I have been hiding again.

I've been hiding from God. I've been hiding from the people around me. I've been hiding from myself. In my desperation to be alone, by myself, I had shut myself in a closet again.

But the funny thing is that I may be a decent hider, but God is the best seeker. He sees me in the back of the closet, next to the towels. He sees me on the side of the hill, under the car. He sees me under the pile of life, right next to my insecurities. He sees me.

Where are you hiding? What are you covering? Are you seen?

We are the seed and will soon be the flower

Today on my break at work I was reading from 1 Corinthians 15 and came across this marvelous passage -

35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" ³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same: Human beings have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: "The first Adam became a living being" ^{f]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[f]}; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we ^{g]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[g]} bear the image of the heavenly man.

How cool is that? I love the poetry of the Bible. It is beautiful.

I was mulling over this concept of the comparison of earthly and heavenly bodies with fascination. I love the analogy that the scripture gives, that our bodies are like seeds that are planted.

So if we are like seeds, that means that we have yet to bloom, and our heavenly bodies will be like flowers compared to seeds. Flowers are the inmost part of the seed, the beauty that comes from maturity. So what would the truest, most beautiful part of ourselves? I think it would be our soul, our spirit.

I picture the soul, as magnified by the flower of a heavenly body, to be glorious and beautiful, like light shinning through a million diamonds. And isn't that fitting? Light is always a characteristic of ultimate beauty. Why? I think it is because God *is* light.

"¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^{a]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} it. - John 1:1-5"

Anyway, yeah that was a really fun and exciting thought process for me. *smile*

What do you think Heaven will be like? What does a soul look like to you? How do you feel about being a seed?

Have you ever noticed?

Have you ever noticed that the best things happen when you least expect them?

Update from England and South Africa

Dear Friends and Family,

This is my account of my time with YWAM. I cannot even begin to describe how much Jesus did in my life over these 4 1/2 months. I am not who I was when I left. I struggled, thrived, rejoiced, learned, led, followed, grew, loved, met, left, and arrived at new freedom.

I cannot begin to thank those of you who supported me in both financial support and in prayer. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. You forever have my gratitude.

I have a selection of photos of the highlights of my trip in an album here –

http://s750.photobucket.com/albums/xx147/aejefferis/Highlights%20April-August%202009/

It has taken me much longer than I expected to get all of this on paper. My first attempt was in much greater detail - as I would like to tell it. Maybe one day I will recount my journey in greater detail (maybe even in book form?), but for now, I hope you enjoy this outline of my time overseas. J

Before I begin with my time away, let me share with you this journal entry that I wrote right before I left –

A bigger love than me

April 16, 2009

I need to preface what I am about to say with this-

Tuesday I took an 11pm bus to Chicago. I got there at 6am, got fingerprinted (again) and applied for my visa, was told it would take a while, made friends with a cab driver and was on another bus back to Columbus by 11am. That whole day was ridiculously amazing and one miracle after another.

Today at about 5 or 6 pm (everything's kinda a blur right now...) I got a call from the visa agency. My visa went though and is done! They are overnighting it and I will have it by tomorrow!

Can you believe it?!? I'm not sure I can. Ha! Wow.

Ok so, let me just recap.

About a month ago the most exciting thing in my life was that I taught in my women's group for the first time. I taught on John chapter 20 and it was sweet. That week I signed up for leadership training and was pumped to be more of a leader in the group. That rocked my world and God got so much bigger. His plan for me started to unfold and I felt a peace I never had. I also got a sense that the future was going to be big and I might have to make some sacrifices to do what God had for me.

A week later I found out Tracy wanted to start another women's group. The Lord spoke to both of us and we decided to lead the group together. You have no idea how much this blew my mind. I was so totally excited and honored and thrilled. God became bold to me. He was teaching me to be bold, but he was doing it by example. I began to realize that this was so much bigger than I imagined. This was not something I was going to do, this was something I was going to have to run to stay in step with. I was terrified and I loved it.

One week after that (about 2 1/2 weeks ago) I got a message from Rachel asking me if I could go in her place to England to nanny for a Dutch family she knew. My initial reaction (as was my reaction to every event leading up to this) was, "oh no way. That is WAY too awesome. There is no way God wants that for ME." That same day (or was it the next) I had talked to Edward and Jet via international phone and had made plans for me to come to England to nanny! That week things fell into place so fast it was surreal.

Ok, come back to the now.

Let me see if I can verbalize this... God's love is so much bigger than just me. And I mean that in every sense. God loves more that I ever could. God loves me more that I understand. And most of all, God's love SURPASSES me in a majestic way.

God has been planning all this for literally ever. Every bit of my life has been preparation for this moment, for the now. And he loves me so much. So much.

I was just told by a friend that I do not have to worry about my family or myself because "you are in the palm of God's hand, and that is the safest place you can be". Let that sink in for a moment. How big is God? How wide is his love? How deep? What are his limits? Can he sleep? Does he have to wait? Does he obey bureaucracy?

And see, this is where it sinks in even deeper. God's love is so much bigger than me. God's love is overflowing for Edward and Jet and baby Daan. This little glimpse of eternity, this moment in time, God cares enough to move mountains to get me to England. Why? I don't know completely yet, but I do know that God cares so much about Daan that He wants me to help take care of him. God cares so much for Edward and Jet that he wants them to be able to focus these next three months and soak up knowledge of Himself. God cares so much for my sister that he has been preparing and growing her in these past few months to really thrive and express herself. God cares so much for my Mom that he is providing for her daughters and bestowing a new peace.

God's love is so much bigger.

I found this Psalm last week and it felt like a personal blessing.

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;

before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple 


and will praise your name 


for your love and your faithfulness, 


for you have exalted above all things 


your name and your word.

3 When I called, you answered me; 


you made me bold and stouthearted.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, 


when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, 


for the glory of the LORD is great.

6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, 


but the proud he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 


you preserve my life; 


you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, 


with your right hand you save me.

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; 


your love, O LORD, endures forever— 


do not abandon the works of your hands.

***

I arrived in England on April 21, midday, after 2 ½ weeks of preparation. I managed to get my Visa in 48 hours, which was nothing less than a miracle. Edward and Jet, the Dutch couple who’s son, Daan, I watched, met me at the bus station. Everyone at The Kings Lodge, the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base, had been praying for me that I would make it over safe and in good time.

Many, many people from many nations greeted me at the base. While Edward and Jet gave me a tour of the base we ran into Maggie, a Welsh woman, who took me by the shoulders and said, “Wow! Let me look at you! You are an answer to prayer! I am looking at a miracle!” What a way to begin a journey. I was truly humbled and amazed.

My days at the YWAM base in England looked like this –

• 6am – Wake up
• 7am – Breakfast in the dining hall
• 8am – Depending on the day I would either start my day with Daan or participate in the class devotional/worship time and then watch the baby
• 9am – Mondays and Tuesdays were Base Worship and Base Intercession, respectively. This was the time when the whole YWAM base (about 150 people) gathered to worship and pray. I lead worship for the base three times. It was a great experience.
• 11am – Base coffee/tea break. Everyday there was a midday break for coffee, tea and on Thursdays they celebrated the birthdays that happened that week with homemade cake. J
• 1pm – Lunch in the dining hall. Typically I would be done watching Daan after Lunch.
• 2pm – A few days a week I watched Daan from 2-3
• 4pm – Almost every day I took a walk to town. My favorite place was the post office, a 20-minute walk from the base.
• 6pm – Dinner in the dining hall. A great opportunity for fellowship.
• 7:30 - Some days there were evening lectures. Since Daan was asleep at this time, I was able to join in on the lectures. Other nights there were movies or games in the evenings. (Rob from the DTS showed the movie “Walking Across Egypt” which was filmed at his church. He is in the choir next to actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas. J )
• 11pm – With the 5 hour time difference between The Kings Lodge and home, this was the best time to Skype with friends and family back home.

My 10 weeks at the Kings Lodge were incredible. Daan was the most wonderful baby to watch. We played hide and seek, took walks, played in the toy room, had snacks, read stories, played with blocks and toy cars, looked out the windows, took pictures and danced to music. For the 4 ½ months that I knew baby Daan, he got over 6 teeth, learned to walk and learned a few new words. What a joy to experience. J

When I wasn’t watching Daan, I was exploring the town, making international friends, writing letters, or playing guitar. Daan’s parents, Edward and Jet, were students at the YWAM base in the DTS class – Discipleship Training School. There were many others in the class. Rob from Kentucky, USA, John from South Korea, Britta from Germany, Cindy from Belgium, Ligia from Brazil, Jennifer from the USA, Suzanne from the South of England and Joanna from Sherwood Forest in England. The leaders of the class were Justin from England, Siew Yuen from Malaysia, Okja from South Korea and Anna from Washington State in the USA. I so enjoyed being part of this group.

Most of the students in the DTS were in their thirties, except for Joanna. Joanna is a bubbly 20 year old. We spent many evenings taking moonlight walks through the field whilst giggling and drinking tea. Joanna was also with me when I got my nose pierced. It was such a blessing to have a friend my age to talk with during this time. J

There were a few other schools going on at the base as well. The School of Biblical Studies (SBS) had about 20 students who read through the entire bible inductively 3 times in 9 months. The students were mostly in their early 20s so I found great fellowship with this group. The other school, the Bible Core Course (BCC) had about 10 students. They studied only the major books of the bible in the same way that the SBS studied the whole bible.

One of the things that I was able to do on the weekends was dance. I started a swing dance club at the Kings Lodge with some of the students and staff. We had up to 15 people dance with us for a few weeks. J

I had the opportunity to travel to London with the DTS on one of their long weekends. We stayed at a Korean Hostel in the city and explored the entire city in 3 days. We walked all over for over 10 hours a day and visited such sites as London Tower, the Eye, Tate Modern, the Tube, Buckingham Palace, among other places. We visited Hillsong Church London on Sunday and had an authentic Korean meal prepared for us by our hosts.

On the other long weekend, Ligia and I took a train to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We spent the day there and had a grand time touring Shakespeare’s town. One day I would like to go back to London and see a play at the Globe. J

Spiritually, I grew tremendously in England. Here is a journal entry from when I arrived.

One Month

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

On April 20 I got on a plane headed for the UK. One month later I am amazed at what God has done. One month later, this is home.

When I came here my world was turned upside down. I realized that I did not know who I was or what I existed for. I questioned everything. I questioned who God was and even if this was all a big joke. After many weeks of struggling, I am new.

Change. Desperation. Struggle. Loss. Fear. Honesty. These things are the foundations of growth. I truly believe that you cannot experience change worth keeping if you do not experience these things. They are necessary to invoke the questions that form us.

The moment I admit my weakness, the instant that I am honest about my fears is exactly when maturity comes. I don't know exactly when it happened, but I have found my place of weakness. A place where I can come before God and say "I can't do this on my own! I am afraid, I know I will fail. Help me."

So often we push our fears away. We think that if we keep them an arms length away we will spare ourselves the pain. But, in truth, the closer our fears are, the more we admit we have them, the faster they dissolve. Now that doesn't mean my fears will disappear - on the contrary, I may experience them more now that I am aware - but it does mean that I have found the resource to extinguish them.

I give you peace; the kind of peace that I can only give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid. Jesus in John 14:27

The other day in Base worship (everyone at The Kings Lodge) the leader had everyone write a psalm.

A Psalm

of Anna

May 18, 2009

I have not love, I have not peace

God IS love, God is peace

Fear surrounds me, accusations on all sides

My heart is eaten away by the enemy of my soul

Temptation comes and I am devoured

But the Lord comes to my rescue

Like a mighty warrior He shuts the mouths of my attackers

I have not the power, nor righteousness, nor the strength of will

But my God reigns!

The Lord God Almighty has rescued and redeemed!

I am covered by His right arm. He is my shield

Where I end, He begins

I have nothing but my God

Praise the Lord!

He has forgiven, the Lord has redeemed

Sing a new song to the Mighty Savior

His love endures forever

Amen

God did much in my heart that month and I found new freedom from my fears. Now I was functioning with all that I was. I was walking in my gifting in a greater way and was thriving.

***

On June 24^th, after 10 weeks in England, the team and I left for South Africa. The second part of my journey began.

The flight was amazing. I have never flown on a bigger, more beautiful plane. There were little lights on the ceiling that made it look like night. J

We arrived in South Africa at about 7pm at night on a Thursday after over 20 hours of travel. It was already dark and felt like midnight. We had been told that it would be winter in South Africa but that it wouldn’t be too cold. What we weren’t told was that after the sun went down it was freezing.

The van pulled into the YWAM base and over many potholes and our luggage was dropped off at the base of a very steep staircase. We were told our rooms were at the top of the steps and that we would have the use of a little meeting room in another building.

That first night was hard and very desolate. Cold, dark, tired, sore, alone. That is how we entered South Africa. After dumping our stuff in our rooms we were ushered into that small meeting room in the other building for some pizza and to meet two of our Afrikaans partners.

The room was only slightly warmer that the outdoors, but it was light in there and there was warm food and tea. We gathered, prayed, and met Redgy and Gerard, the first of the African volunteers we would work with for our time here. We were invited to watch the Football game that was on tv in the other room but most of us just went to bed. That was the first day.

The next day was much brighter and full of promise. We awoke for breakfast at 7 in out meeting room, had the morning to unpack and explore the base, and after lunch we met the rest of our African counterparts. What a joy to meet these friends! I had been so worried about how it would go to work with these Africans, but we all just clicked right away! I spent the rest of the afternoon, that day, talking with Rachel. Rachel completed the worship team that included Britta from Germany and myself.

The first week we stayed at the YWAM base. All the girls were in one room and all the boys were in another. We had much fun in the girl’s rooms and only had one of the bunk beds collapse. Thank goodness no one was under it at the time of the collapse. J

Our team included all of the DTS students plus the “Mega Outreach” volunteers, which included myself, Rhian, Jem, Chris and Beki, all from the UK. Then there was the African team. They were – Erena, Redgy, Gerard, Michelle, Charlie, Vivian, William, Geraldo, Atlan, Clinton and Pastor Success. We also teamed with another local DTS who focused on the performing arts. They were – Felix, Fenny, Lieze, and Yolanda. Rhian, Jem, Chris, Beki, William, Geraldo, Atlan, Clinton and Fenny were all around the age of 20 and we had many fun times together. One of our favorite pastimes, when we had any free time, was to read the Bible out loud and walk to the mall.

We spent 7 weeks in South Africa. Our time looked like this –

Week One – Stayed at YWAM base in Worcester. Helped with the local Methodist Church Holiday Club (the equivalent of a Vacation Bible School for kids ages 5-14). The church originally expected 150 kids. They had about 10 volunteers and we were about 30 ourselves. 260 kids turned up and our team ended up all but running the event. We had one of our English volunteers and one of our Afrikaans volunteers in each group with about 20 kids. It was an amazing time to learn, be challenged and grow. The kids understood English but only a few of them spoke it. I felt helpless the first day. The Holiday club ended up being one of the best experiences ever.

Week Two – We moved to a place called Esslen Park. Esslen Park is a neighborhood and we stayed in the Hostel that some of the students of the high school stayed in. We had our own block, but all of the furnishings had been stolen so we had no beds, no shelves and not much else. There was one sink for kitchen use that never drained and one large bathroom. We made a schedule for the bathroom. The upstairs had no plumbing as that had been stolen as well so we had to squeeze all 30-some of us into the downstairs section. It was quite a challenge but God was gracious and we made it work. We had about 6 bedrooms, a ‘dinning’ room and a ‘kitchen’ room.

For the first two weeks, however, we did have use of the school kitchen/dinning room and another dorm. After cleaning the ENTIRE place, the students arrived for our first week of high school youth camp.

Week Two and Three – We had two consecutive weeks of high school youth camps. These were kids from the community and from various backgrounds. The first week was so much fun. I jumped right in as a counselor, grateful for multiple years of experience from church youth camps. The theme of the days went something like this:

Sunday – Arrival and introduction.

Monday – The Father Heart of God.

Tuesday - Outreach. We took the kids into the poor shanty towns across the street from where we stayed and prayed with people and played with the children.

Wednesday – Holy Spirit. We ended the day with an amazing time of practical prayer. Many kids were set free from past hurts and evils.

Thursday – Prayer/Intercession.

Friday – Closing and Praise Party.

It was amazing to see the transformation in the lives of the kids from the beginning of the week to the end.

At the end of the week we took a day trip to the town of Hermanus. Hermanus is one of the whale watching capitals of the world. Even though it was off-season, we saw a whale in the harbor. I have never seen a more beautiful place.

The second week of camp was much like the first, except in that most of our team got very sick. I was in bed for 3 days and missed connecting with the kids in my group. But God did just as much in those kids, if not more.

Week Four – This week Rhian and Jem left for England. They only had come for 3 weeks of outreach. It was hard to see them go as I had grown very close to them. We were done with the core of our youth ministry and now focused on the area known as Avian Park. This was where the outcasts of Worcester lived. The spirit in that area was one of hopelessness and despair.

We worked on a house belonging to a couple named Emily and Meshek. Emily started a day care for the children of Avian park when she found out that many of the parents would lock their children in the houses while they went to work or to drink. So she took the children into her home from 8am to 5pm. She taught them, bathed them, clothed them, fed them, played with them and loved them.

The guys on our team built a roof to cover the play area between the house and the out building. I led a painting project. It was so much fun to be in charge of something like that! I got to pick out the paint and work with Emily on picking out a design for each side of the house. It took us about 2 weeks to paint the whole thing.

We also did a lot of prayer ministry in Avian Park. We walked around the area with the locals on our team and talked to lots of people, made friends with many, visited many homes and had a hand in reviving the community there.

While part of our team worked on the roof and the painting, the other part of our team helped a family who’s house had burnt down. A few of our team cleaned the whole house (that was completely covered in soot) and really ministered to that family who had lost everything.

The other thing that happened this week was that Mr. Mouser, the man in charge of the Hostel we were staying in and a Muslim, asked us if his family could cook our team an authentic curry meal. It was an amazing 5-course meal. Around that time, Mr. Mouser asked us if we would put on a program for the kids who live in the Hostel. He knew we were a Christian group and even agreed to let us talk to the kids about the teachings of Jesus. J

Week Five – We hosted a church service for the children in the hostels. It was incredible. We had a room full of kids from the schools and kids from the camps who had brought their siblings. It went so well that some of the kids decided to take it over and continue to hold a church service there every week!

Chris left for England, as he also had only committed to 3 weeks of outreach with us. Beki joined our team at the same time that Chris left along with Myra, a leader from the Kings Lodge. We continued with the projects in Avian Park along with visiting some of the local schools. We had so much fun doing the school visits. We would put together a program with a drama, some testimonies and a short teaching about God. The best part about the school visits was seeing kids from the first weeks of camp and meeting their friends.

Week Six – Avian Park was still a thriving ministry area and the relationships we built there were growing. It was so much fun to see the positive transformation in the people’s lives. We continued to hand out food to those who needed it most. We visited more schools and had the opportunity to visit two special needs schools.

Rob, one of the DTS students and a pastor (who had been a pastor for 30 years) had done some years of work on the radio. Rob and some of the other DTS students had the opportunity to be on the local radio for about 4 weeks in a row! They were on the radio with some of the kids from the youth camps (who gave testimonies from the camps). It was so much fun to turn on the radio and hear our friends. J

Week Seven – This week we had the opportunity to interact with the King’s Kids (the youth from The King’s Lodge) who were in South Africa for 3 weeks. We attended an open-air service that the King’s Kids hosted in the Riverview Flats area. After the open-air, our team had the chance to walk around the area and pray with people. My team of 4 people was invited into one of the flats. I was able to pray for a lady who was having pains in her neck. She was healed! J

The last day we were scheduled to do ministry was a Sunday. Edward had met a pastor who invited him to preach in his church. We showed up at the church for the 5 o’clock service only to find that the pastor had forgotten and there was no service. But that did not stop us! We had our sound system and our instruments and our people, so we headed over to the cricket field in the middle of the area called Hex Park. We held our very own open-air church service! It was so much fun! At first we just had about 10 kids who joined us as we sang some songs, then some more as Edward began to speak on Discipleship. Then their parents came out and at the end of the service there were about 40 or 50 people gathered in the cold night (the sun had set).

Edward asked me to give a short testimony. I spoke for about 5 minutes about how God had gotten bigger for me while I was in Africa. Worcester is in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. I talked about how God is like the mountains. He is always there, protecting us, giving beauty to our lives and never changing yet always different. I said how sometimes, with God so close to us, we can become blind to Him. If you live with the mountains all around you, you forget they are there; you disregard their beauty. But if you come at your surroundings with fresh eyes, like someone seeing mountains for the first time, you see the magnificent splendor as you behold them. That is how God is. God is like the mountains. We mustn’t forget that He is there.

It was a fantastic ending to an amazing outreach. I couldn’t have asked for a better close. At the very end, after everyone’s gifts had been strengthened, tried and proved, they were brought together in perfection. I had the opportunity, that night, to pray with a lady named Wilma who had come out to join the service. I asked her what she would like prayer for. She replied, “I smoke, I drink, and I would like to give my life to Jesus”. So I prayed with her and she accepted Jesus into her life. It was wonderful because she embraced the challenges that come with full surrender. I was so honored to be able to pray with her. Praise Jesus. J

Over the whole 7 weeks in South Africa we had the opportunity to join with YWAM Worcester for their Base Worship and Intercession, every Monday and Wednesday. It was a much-needed time of community and refocusing. We made many friends at the YWAM base there. J

That open-air service was on a Sunday, on Monday our English team left for Goudini Spa. Erena (who led the African team and who had facilitated our trip) blessed us with 2 days to relax before we headed home. We had a few rooms, 3 to a room, and use of the Spa (you had to pay for everything but the mineral pool). It was a good time to sleep. The only thing I endeavored to try was the renowned mineral water pool heated by the hot springs. It was amazing. J

On Wednesday afternoon, our African team members came to say goodbye. We hugged, cried, ate ‘sandwiches’ with jelly and cheese, took pictures and left. In the 7 weeks I was in South Africa, I had been to the Cape Town airport 4 times - once on arrival, once to drop off Rhian and Jem, once to drop off Chris and departure. This was the strangest van ride ever to the airport. We were leaving. Leaving Africa.

The plane ride was as long as the first one and England was ridiculously sunny. (It had been raining in South Africa when we left and the days were substantially shorter as it was their winter). The first thing I noticed about England was the lack of trash on the ground and the delicious quality of the air. We were greeted at the Kings Lodge by all the staff that was still there (many had left for the summer). It was all so surreal.

There was one week of debrief for the DTS students, of which I was able to be a part of, and the week ended with the DTS graduation. What a night! Rhian and Jem were able to come up to join us for the evening! I had so much fun participating in the graduation, even though I was not a graduate myself. J At the end, I read part of an email I had received from Erena earlier that day –

“Wow! do we miss you guys!? BUT! the work is going on! Raylene (One of the students from our youth camps) is meeting with the hostelites (the kids living in the school hostel where we stayed) every Wednesday evening - I just heard about it last night, so I really would like to take a few of our team members to attend their meeting next week. You're so welcome to send messages then I can pass it on to them.

Yesterday Redgy and I went out to the farm where Patricia (one of the girls from our youth camps) lives - it is very far from town - way past Goudini Spa! It was an amazing time of ministry. We sat down with Patricia and her mom. It was as if their hearts were prepared, as if scales fell from their eyes (amazing what prayer does, don't you think?), and they immediately recognized the loopholes in their family relationships. It was as if the enemy was exposed without a fight. They both saw how their heart-attitudes must change to come in line with God's standard.

Tomorrow night is a big night for us. We're having our Youth Concert in the Dutch Reform Church on Church Square. We're excited about this! Been praying with the YWAM intercession group yesterday morning - Redgy, Michelle and Vivian joined me. It was awesome! Jennifer, you'll be glad to know that you sowed a seed in my heart when you suggested about the drama! The YWAM DTS have taken on the challenge. I spoke to their leadership Monday, and they're going to do a drama tomorrow night to show the youth of our town what happened at the Pardon Cafè 150 years ago! (150 years ago in the center of Worcester there was a revival led by Andrew Murray and a local girl. It was a very profound thing and is world renown.) I can't wait to see it. We also have a school boy of Montana who will be singing a song God put in his heart for the youth - and accompanying himself by piano. Don't you just wish you were here? Our radio friend, Simon, will also be performing.”

I left the Kings Lodge at 6:45am on Saturday for my flight at 8:45am. As I sat in the airport waiting for my first flight, a flight attendant approached me. “Are you flying alone?” she asked me, “Yes, I am”, I replied. I thought she was going to ask to search my bag, but instead she said, “We would like to randomly select you for a free upgrade to first class”. I was stunned. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. I gladly took the seat for the 8-hour flight. The seat was amazing and the blanket was thick. After we took off I took that blanket, put it over my head, and had a good cry. What a sight I must have been.

I knew that God had done nothing short of a miracle in this journey I was on. I could never thank Him for what He had done and what He was doing. And I knew that He had GREAT plans for me back home, I was sure of that. I knew I was covered in His blessing just as much as I was covered in that blanket, just as much as those beautiful mountains in Worcester had surrounded me and just as surely as the fields of Ohio would welcome me home. I missed my dear friends that I left behind in various countries, my dear friends whom I did not know if I would ever see again. But that’s what memories and Heaven are for, right? J

As the plane descended over Columbus, well, I don’t know if I can begin to describe the feeling of seeing familiar fields, downtown, landmarks… home. I could feel the tears building up again. I made my way to the gate where Mom and Susan were waiting for me. I didn’t know what life would be like now that I was back. I had changed and grown, as did Mom and Susan. But as I rounded that corner and saw them I burst into tears. We melted into a blob, the three of us, and just cried together. I was home.

What an incredible journey. What an amazing life this is. I wish I could do it justice by describing it to you. J Even though this has been very long (thank you for reading it!!!) I left out many stories that I could tell, as I’m sure you know. I am more than grateful to that Lord, to my family, and to all who prayed for me and supported my financially. Thank you!!!! And I know that the journey is not over! Praise the Lord, oh my soul.

Update Coming Soon!

Hello!

I finally got together the cream of the crop of my pictures from my time abroad - 130 from 1,300 pictures. I will post it as soon as I am done writing about the whole trip.

Should be done soon!!!

Sincerely,

Anna

Faceless

I was reading through my journal and found this entry from this time last year. I love growth.

9/2/08

Faceless.

As I live today, breathing, stretching, striving, I feel faceless. I am faceless. I have no desire to promote myself. Perhaps it has at its root a desire to hide in order to be found. Or perhaps it -this facelessness- is the amalgamation of my body, my soul, into that of Christ and the Church. I love the quote by the unnamed gospel preacher that says “We’ve got to unite ourselves as one body. Because Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming for a Bride, not a harem.”

In the words of Jesus, I must lose my life in order to truly find it. That seems to be the case today.

"We must release our grip on people and cling to Jesus. We must be enraptured by the Holy One so that we can love people in a holy way."

To be faceless is the best way to be a servant. To be faceless is the only way to love. For when we allow ourselves to dip into the pure well if life that is the Love of Christ and the Church we will slowly see our reflection fade away. At first it is comforting to lean over the side of the pool and see your reflection in the water, an assurance that you are part of that body. However, it is only when you jump into the pool that you truly enter in, and when you do, the ripples will blur any reflection of singularity and ones former self.

I rejoice in facelessness! What peace, what joy it brings! To live this life as a faceless one, and serve a faceless King.