YWAM DP

Hola from Belize!!

I'm absolutely loving my time here. I have so much love for my new family members, and I find new reasons to love them every day. I know.. Cheesy.. But I'm already dreading the day I have to leave all of them!! Trips to visit have already been discussed! Haha.

(Photo Cred: someone sent it to me after stealing it from someone else?)

A little bit about what we do here:

Our week day mornings start at 6:45 for breakfast. We rotate between intercession and worship every morning at 8, then start class at 9. We attend class for four hours a day Monday through Friday, then have an event every afternoon or evening depending on the day of the week. Our days are full of learning in lectures, reading books for assignments, memorizing a map of the world, writing reports for oral presentations, and sand volleyball. Plus a few other things here and there. :) We also all have jobs we do on base, and we are assigned one night a week where we join a team to cook dinner for everyone. 

Even with so much going on here, I go to bed every night excited to wake up and do it all again. 

During the first week in lectures we re-learned the foundations of our faith. We studied truth, God, man, sin, and salvation. The topics seem broad, but even as a church-goer since birth, I was able to get a lot from the teachings. Much of what was said felt so personal to me and where I'm at with God. 

Last week we studied the seven spheres of society: family, religion, economics, education, media/communication, celebration, and government. We learned about cool ways to study the bible using these lenses and how our different passions and callings in regards to these spheres can be used to further the kingdom outside of just the church realm. It was such an inspiring week, and I can't wait to learn more about how God will use my talents and passions to fulfill some portion of the needs of the world in relation to missions whether it be local or international. 

The topic this week is freedom, and the leader of our base, Lynn Toney, is speaking. She is such a crazy/awesome lady, and we're all really enjoying what she has to say. 

Last week was a big week for all of us because on Monday we got to choose our outreach locations! The staff prayed about which countries they felt God calling us to, and on Monday they told us the three places they landed on: Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Japan. Then they gave us fifteen minutes to pray about it and see which location God placed on our hearts. After we wrote down our choices and handed the papers back, the staff went off to pray about the teams before coming back and revealing where we would be spending our two months after lecture phase is over. 

So God and I talked, and I felt like he kept bringing Costa Rica back to my mind. I don't know why yet, but I feel He is leading me there. So I'm going! Yet another step in the journey that God has planned out and I am clueless about! :)

Once again, I'm way excited for the next phase. Not at all ready to leave the other two teams yet, but happy to go where He wants me. Luckily, I still have two months with all these wonderful people. 

They don't have details on the trip yet, but I hope to have more information soon about where in Costa Rica our team will be going and what we'll be doing there. For now I'm totally cool with trusting that to God and spending my days learning and growing closer to my creator. 

Thank you guys for your continued support through prayers. You all are so valuable to me, and I wouldn't be on this amazing journey without you. I'm so excited to let you know that - thanks to all of my wonderful supporters - I am now fully funded!!! It is such a relief to be all paid up and ready to change some lives! :) Starting with mine. 

I miss you all at home!! Specifically my sweet family! Being a long way from them has been the hardest part of being here by far. 

Because how cute are they!! :)

I love you, friends!!! 

Don't Stop Belizin'

Hello, lovely readers!! 

Here is my first Belize update! Yay!!

I obviously made it here safely, but a little shaken after leaving the plane to find that my ears had popped so much I could hardly hear anything. I was in my own deaf world for the first night, but woke up with one working ear which was suuuuch great news!! They still pop when I swallow sometimes, but they feel very normal now. Makes me appreciate the gift of hearing even more. 

Belize was a little different than I expected, but I like it a lot. We have geckos and iguanas running around everywhere - including in our rooms. Mosquitos attempt to kill us every day. And we've seen scorpions, tarantulas, and snakes around base. We have no air conditioning where we sleep and no hot water for showers (which is really fine since we're so hot already when we shower. Most of us actually enjoy the cold showers). But it's such a beautiful place, and I really really love the people I'm getting to know here.

I feel so blessed to be able to spend three months in this place with these people learning about our God who absolutely blows my mind and rocks my world every time I ask him to. 

We had the opportunity to go on a snorkeling trip for free the other day, which was so so cool. We saw sharks (who don't eat people here!!), stingrays (who also don't kill us), and a cute little sea turtle. :) I also learned how to sail!! 

Mostly our days are made up of classroom time in the mornings, a group event at some point in the afternoon or evening, and chill time for the rest of the day - which often includes reading books for our book reports or preparing an oral presentation of some sort. 

I am enjoying this week as we're going back to the basics and learning about our faith again from the bottom up. As a group, we've experienced a lot of healing so far. 

I'll try to update more often, but our internet isn't consistent at all, so no promises.

Love, Alyssa :)

Merica

Hey everyone! Here is my last update from The States for awhile seeing as I'm ON the plane headed to Belize.

What a whirlwind this last week has been. Quick updates:

I spoke in Plevna Community Bible Church a week ago last Sunday and was INCREDIBLY blessed. I hadn't met many of the attenders, but they were so welcoming and encouraging, and many of them told me they would be praying for me on my journey.

I soaked up time with my family this past week. It seemed to flee so quickly, but I loved having quality time with them at the corn maze and at the football game. There were lots of extra hugs involved, and some of them squeezed tears right out of me!

My mom and Aunt Laraine drove me (along with two baby sisters) to Lawrence to meet my oldest younger brother. We ate dinner in Lawrence before they headed back home and I went to brother Brett's house for a few hours. He drove me to the airport at 3 o'clock this morning. Like a champ. He's such a sweet brother!!!

A prayer request right now would be for health for me. I developed a cold in the last 24 hours, and I'm struggling today. TERRIBLE timing!!!

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. I would not be on this plane right now if it weren't for your generosity. I know I will be blessed by your kindness, and I believe God will bless you as well.

I'll talk to you in Belize!!! Adios!

ALMOST THERE!!!

Hello again!

I received an email today from YWAM informing me of what to pack, what not to pack, that I need an entire new swimsuit wardrobe because mine all have strings, and... WE'RE ONLY FIFTEEN DAYS FROM DEPARTURE!!! Oh my lanta.

Time seems to be flying by. I seriously was telling people yesterday that I was 19 days from leaving because somewhere in the whirlwind of life, I lost four days. Ha!

Thank you all for your prayers for my speaking on Sunday. I shared my journey with Westside Baptist Church in Hutchinson - the church I grew up in - and was immensely blessed by the people there. It was so great to see familiar faces from my childhood, and they were all so supportive of my decision to do missions.

I won't lie to you and say that it was easy to get up and talk, but I don't want to downplay the work of the Holy Spirit either. He eased my nerves in such a supernatural way. I love walking through life with Jesus because I am able to do ANYTHING through HIM who gives me strength. And courage. And wisdom. He has been pushing me along through every step in the preparation process, and I am constantly amazed by the ways he speaks to me. I am already learning so much.

Prayers for these last weeks at home:

• I'm speaking at another church this weekend. I'm not nearly as nervous about this one since it's a little country church (smaller crowds, smaller nerves), but prayers for a smooth delivery and confidence in my message would be awesome!
  
• I became nervous today by the fifteen-day mark. I keep telling myself that God has walked with me in everything I've done so far, and he won't stop when it's time for me to board the plane. (Because did you know that God flies too?!) But anxiety has a way of creeping into my thoughts. So please pray the anxiety away in Jesus' name!!! :D
  
• My car still hasn't sold. It's come close, but I'm nearing the end of my stay in the U.S., and it's crunch time. Since God told me very clearly that I needed to sell my car, I know it'll be sold. It's hard to wait it out though. Pray for someone to come along who's looking for a new-ish car that goes really fast and has shiny black paint. :) She really is a beauty.

Talk to you again soon! Adios amigos!!!

Just Keep Swimming

Hello lovely people!

I've been bad about posting updates because my life is absolutely crazy right now. But all the running around will be worth it in ...

22 DAYS!!!

Time is absolutely flying by. I'm so excited about this journey. More than ever.

A few updates from the life of Alyssa:

Uriah, Kaycee, and I had our fundraiser at Gambino's Pizza last Thursday.
It was a long day, but so stinking cool to see how people came together in the community to support our cause. THANK YOU to all of you who showed up and bought food/left donations for us last week!!! We feel incredibly blessed to be part of such a generous community!

Over the weekend, I drove to Oklahoma to drop Uriah and Kaycee off so they could hang out with Uriah's family a little bit before flying out of OKC to spend nine months in South Africa. I was happy to spend time with them during this time, but I totally underestimated how God would use the weekend to refresh and encourage me on this part of my journey.

 

We spent all of Saturday with some friends of Uriah and Kaycee - the Caviness family. I wasn't even going to hang out with them, but last minute I figured I would tag along for a little bit. EVEN THOUGH being the fifth wheel isn't my favorite.

Let me tell you, these people didn't make me feel anything but loved the entire day. They encouraged me through example, conversation, and prayer/intercession. They confirmed things that the Holy Spirit had revealed to me previously and helped me release feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty. I felt submerged in Jesus all day long, and it was marvelous. Like fitting a week of camp into a single day. I've never met a couple who are so in tune with the Holy Spirit. I think Cam is a lot like what Jesus was like when he was walking the earth. There is so much love and compassion in him, and it shines through in everything he says and does. Mom pointed out that that's how Christians SHOULD be. They are awesome examples of what it looks like to have a heart like Christ.

 

Another thing I loved about our time together were the worship sets that randomly broke out throughout the day. Cam and Christine are talented musicians who have hearts for worship, and it was so fun to love on Jesus with them.

This picture was taken during the final worship time of the day. Cameron's dad is also a musician, and he kept stopping the music in order to split us up into four part harmonies. We were laughing so hard, but it actually turned out to be really good! And so much fun!

 

I'm thanking God today for the refreshing weekend he gave me without me even asking for it. I got to spend time with Uriah, Kaycee, Cameron, and Christine, as well as my Sunday Night Supper friends in Edmond. I love the people God has so generously placed in my life!!!

 

 

If you want to pray for me, I have some requests!

• I was asked to speak about my trip and what God is doing in my heart at a couple of churches these next two weekends. As you may know, I am an introvert who absolutely HATES attention being put on me, so this is a big time of stretching in my life. God is putting me out of my comfort zone so I can grow. I'm excited about it, but also a little terrified. Pray for courage for me please!! And for God to give me the words to say.
• Pray for sanity during these last few weeks as I figure out what needs to happen in order for me to be ready to live outside of the United States. I've never done anything like this before, so it's completely new territory!

• Funding is coming in thanks to many of you, and I am patiently awaiting the selling of my car which will help tremendously. Pray for someone to come along who wants my beautiful Scion!
  
  
  Feel free to spread the word!!! Here's the link: 

 http://salina.craigslist.org/cto/5195816969.html

 

Thanks everyone! :)

 

Have a wonderful week!!!

 





Gushing of Emotions :)

Just over a month before I leave the country! I can't believe it!!!! It seems so far away because I'm so excited!! But also way too close because I feel like there's so much to do, and so little time to do it.

If I haven't given the impression that I am a little bit overwhelmed with the idea of leaving the country for five months to spend time with people I've never met before in a place I've never been to, I'll tell you now. I'm not as calm on the inside as I look on the outside. I haven't been outside of the country many times, and the times I have been, they were short periods of time with people I knew very well. This is completely out of my comfort zone. Which is also why I know that God wants me to go. Because I've been working on getting out of my bubble.

I don't believe God intended for us to be comfortable. The Bible tells us to go out and make disciples of the nations, and I've heard very few stories of disciple-makers who didn't undergo tough situations in order to get the desired end results. But these stories end with testimonies of how God stretched them beyond what they imagined. I can't wait to experience that on a new level.

Being in a situation I'm not comfortable with will push me to further rely on the Lord to provide for me in various ways that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to experience if I stayed home and lived my normal life. I have no doubt that God will provide everything I need - emotionally, financially, and otherwise. It's a huge step for me, but I'm not doing it alone.

While I'm anxious to get out there and start work, I'm resting in this time of provision. People are sending donations and telling me all the time that they are praying for me, and these acts of kindness are overwhelming (in the good way)!!! My heart is so full as I see God providing in such cool ways through all of you. He is also showing me things all the time through scripture and through sermons Jayme and I listen to at work every morning. :) I love trusting in Him because He loves me so well.

Blown Away!

Hello again, friends!

Only 42 days until I board the airplane and head to Belize, and I'm SO READY to go!!! (Aside from the little things like packing and paying. Ha!)

A few updates:

My plane tickets are officially bought, and I will be heading out of the country on October 6th as planned! EEEEEEE!!!!! (EXCITEMENT)

I got vaccines last week for yellow fever, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and tetanus. So that was [not even a little bit] fun. But they made sure I didn't pass out which was a WIN in my book! :)

A couple of days later, Kaycee (my sister) and I put on our second fundraising garage sale at our wonderful grandparents' house with the help of our already busy mom. (Thanks mama!!!) Grandma and Grandpa were such sweet hosts and provided lots of laughs, and the sale made a dent in the funds.

We are so thankful for God's provision!!!

I want to say a special 
THANK YOU!!!!!
to all who have given towards this trip so far. I have been completely blown away by the support I've received so far both by close friends and by people I don't even know very well. You all have been so encouraging, and while I hate asking people for money, I love seeing God's people come together to support those who have been called to missions. You may never fully know how appreciated you are. I can't thank you enough.

If you have been considering donating, follow the link below, and thank you in advance!!!

www.youcaring.com/alyssalovesjesus

If you are interested in checking out my sister and brother-in-law's website click here! They are heading back to South Africa in less than a month in order to study the Bible. This is their second trip to South Africa this year, and they are excited to be given the opportunity to return. Check out their story on their blog!

I can't wait to update you on more awesome things God is doing in this season of my life. 

Stay tuned!! :)