Dreams and Vision

To say that my experiences have been life-changing would be an enormous understatement. 
I would even go as far as to say that I am a completely different person because of the events of the past two years of my life.
And that's what a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus does.
For 3 months of the past two autumns, I lived in Florida, learning about Jesus and who he was and is and what that means for me and for the rest of the world. I learned what ministry really is and I have been given a passion for the things on the Lord's heart. The question is no longer how I can see my own dreams become reality, but how I can help to make God's dreams come true.
This adventure has taken me to 3 different countries to share the hope of Jesus Christ with people who don't know him.
In South Africa, my team was able to teach clean water technology - how to build a rain catchment tank - to local people there. It has since been replicated in the community.
In Mozambique, we loved the orphans. We visited and prayed for sick infants. We prayed for the church alive in the middle of a waste dump.
In Southeast Asia, we made friends and shared the gospel on university campuses and in cities. We were able to give medical supplies and audiobibles to people who were completely unreached with the gospel. People who did not even have a word for Jesus in their language. We prayed for, loved, and touched the lepers that had been cast out of society to a village far in the mountains.
I think the greatest revelation of God's love has come not when he has showed me something personally. But that he sent me. God's love is so extravagant that he sent me across oceans to reach his children. God has already paid the highest price but yet he goes to such lengths to encounter each one of us. He desires each and every one.

I am so grateful for the discipleship and the experiences that I have had with YWAM Orlando.
God has called me back again to be full-time staff for 2 years! I am so excited to be a part of what God is doing there.
YWAM Orlando is igniting, equipping and launching a movement of passionate, dedicated young people to the ends of the earth with the light of the gospel.
I myself have been sent. And now I am privileged to work in a community that is discipling young people and sending them out into the nations.
YWAM Orlando is committed to sending people to the hardest and darkest, least-reached and least-evangelized nations of the world.
Check out this video about the vision that God has given YWAM Orlando

It is not and has never been about me.

I so often forget that it's simply not about me.
It's about God
and his glory
and his redemption
and his purpose
and his will
and his power.
I look at what God has laid before me. His plan. Where he is leading me for the next season of my life.
I look at myself and I feel too small.
Too inexperienced, too young, too -not enough-
That's exactly what the enemy needs to keep his church, his people from walking out boldly in the call of God on their lives. And we, I, have given it to him without a thought.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:15-16

Jesus has called me a friend.
We have access to EVERYTHING he has learned from the Father.
We have access to all knowledge, all power, all strength.
Jesus chose me.
Jesus, from the very beginning - chose me and has been pursuing me.
He has never stopped pursuing me.

It is absolutely not in the character of God to send us out ill-equipped and unprepared.
We will not be perfect. But to step into the call of God is to have faith that he is capable of working through you.
I believe faith is a choice.
Faith is a conscious decision to look at what is before you, and to proclaim over your situation that God is who he says he is - that he will provide for you, watch over you, equip and help you.
Faith does not mean the absence of doubt or fear. Faith is a choice of something else. Something higher. The truth. Faith comes from a place of intimacy and relationship with Jesus.
Faith comes from remembering his faithfulness and being expectant that he will prove himself again.
And again.
And again.

God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong...'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord'  -1 Cor. 1:27

We are your church. We pray revive this earth.

We are part of the story.
I'm seriously just baffled by this right now.
We were not only saved but made with a purpose, a great destiny. To seek the lost and build the kingdom of God on earth.

I am so excited for this great big adventure on which I am about to embark. God has given me such a heart for this nation. People have asked me what I'm most excited about for the outreach and I told them - I really just want to meet the people. I want to talk to them and be best friends and give them hugs. And I think that's one really important thing - to love the one in front of you. Just love the one. So that's my game plan.

I am overwhelmed by the incredible opportunity I have to go to Asia for 2 months and be love to the people. I get to bring the gospel to people who have never before heard the name of Jesus. LIKE WHAT. My life is crazy right now. Following Jesus is a wild ride. But I like rollercoasters.


How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15

Wait. what?

It is the craziest thought that I have 2 weeks left of my SOMD. Wait, excuse me what? That's not real life.
But yeah. The past 3 weeks have been especially incredible.
I guess I'll just highlight some of my biggest points from these weeks but in reality there are so many things I could say and would love to tell you about.

Last week we learned about the elements, which are representative of different personality traits. We learned about ourselves and what we can bring to a team/group setting and also how to better love and relate to others.
It was really helpful to learn these things because I think we've all had at least one moment when someone has told us to tell them a few things we like about ourselves. I will admit that I have always struggled to come up with even the most surfacy, half-true compliments. But I really learned so much about who I am at the core, which helps me to even further walk in assurance of who God has made me to be.

But more importantly during these weeks I feel has just been the concept of pursuit. Sometimes I get lost. It's really easy for me to get lost in all of the things I have to do and all of the things that I'm learning and everything else that is tugging at my attention. I used to get lost in the 'work' mentality. But when I just stop and talk to Jesus like he's my best friend, it is seriously just the best thing. It's the times when I just press pause on my mind and listen. It's the peace that comes from just being and knowing that His love remains the same even in those times. It's the assurance that He is more concerned about me as his child than anything I can do for him. The same is true for you. Guys. I just really love Jesus.  And these things seem so simple. But I think sometimes the most obvious, simple truths are the ones we overlook. This is definitely true for me, anyway.

This week our school leader is speaking on Developing Your Calling...so that should be pretty good I guess. But seriously though I am really excited/interested/maybe a teeny little bit scared to pursue God for my next step and get to the heart of what God made me for. You know. No big deal.

So that's just a little blurb for you.
Love you byeeeeeeee.

It was a bit of a reality check arriving in Florida to an incredibly humid, rainy Saturday. Especially because I had spent the past week in the beautiful autumn of Talladega, Alabama where the air was crisp and cool. I was loving wearing my boots and scarves and hiking on the trails. Also, I enjoyed having a full bed to myself which was firmly planted on the ground, as opposed to the questionable stability of my top bunk, and its groanings whenever I moved.

We traveled about 8 hours by van to AL for the annual YWAM Southeast Conference, where many bases in the region come together for a week of teaching worship and fellowship.

Jim Stier spoke for the week and focused on the Kingdom of God. One thing he said that really struck me was "we often focus on getting from earth to heaven rather than bringing heaven down to earth." It is such a good reminder of the reality that we are called to bring and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. 

I've been struck over and over by the incredible revelation that God wants to use us. God wants to use me to bring the Kingdom, to heal the sick, to save the lost. God doesn't need us. Because of love, he desires relationship and uses us to bring people to Him. Aaah. Just gets me every time. 

Isn't it so incredible that God doesn't just love us to love us. He loves us to love others. He doesn't just heal us and make us whole so we can experience freedom, but so that we can have the authority and power to bring freedom to others and all the world. 

I am so amazed every time by the forgiveness and kindness of God. In my DTS, we had a week on strongholds. This was a whole week where we identified areas where the enemy has a "strong-hold" in our lives. These things manifest themselves in more ways that I ever could have imagined. Pride, fear, passivity, unforgiveness and unbelief are just a few.
 I had a time on the last day in Talladega where I just came before God in surrender and rebuked the lies of the enemy in my life. I cried. Then I shouted from the mountain-top (I mean, I was on the the top of the hiking trail so kind of literally) declaring the victory of God and the defeat of the enemy. It's incredible the power of God when we surrender and bring sin into the light. I am so thankful for a God who desire for his children to be clean and whole and close to him. I am so amazed every time by the goodness and faithfulness he relentlessly displays in my life. Life is better unhindered.
Sorry if my posts always seem a little preachy, but I do want you to feel a part of what God is doing in my life and what he's teaching me. I pray that you experience the fullness of God and pursue all that he has. It's incredible, let me tell you.

NEWS

I'm so excited to announce that I'll be going to East Asia in January for my outreach! I can't post the exact location for security reasons. We'll be spending about 2 months there doing ministry in the city, and we'll also be going to the mountains to some unreached people groups/people who have never before heard the gospel. I am so excited to experience more of God's heart for this nation! YAY TEAM

Learnings

Hey hey. 
I write to you sitting outdoors in my jeans, sweater, scarf and boots. This the first cold day we've had for..ever. This remains as the only downside I have encountered living in Florida; I miss my favorite season - fall. I was way too excited about putting on my warm things this morning like you don't even know. 
Anyway, I just thought I'd share with you some nuggets from last week's teaching. We watched Dean Sherman's video series on Ministry. It really wrecked me. There were so many revelations that came from his teaching and as I look over my notes I'm just wrecked all over again. 

He defined ministry as what God does through you by his Spirit. He said if you aren't serving, by definition you aren't ministering.

Isaiah 42:1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...

He talked about the culture in the church today that sometimes says "Holy Spirit fall in this room" and asks for the presence of the Holy Spirit just for us to feel it and see that as enough.

 Jesus was filled with the spirit to preach good news to the poor, to heal the sick, to free the captives. The Holy Spirit is not a  presence we should merely sit in and enjoy for ourselves, but use to enable the work of God to happen through us. 

He went on to talk about gifts and said "gifts are for serving. A gift isn’t a gift unless you’ve given it away. If you haven’t given it away, it’s a possession. May you never know what gifts you have and what you are unless you intend to utilize it." He talked about gifts and each gift as a part of the body of Christ. 

That week was such a great challenge to me and I'm still processing and taking in everything that was said. Ugh. So good. 

Sorry for the rambly feel of this post. I hope it can encourage you in some way or at least make a little sense. 

I hope you, reading this, are doing well. If you would like to contact me, you can do so via facebook or email at larakaystricks@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you and feel free to let me know if there is anything you would like prayer for, I would love to pray for you! 

Much love.