(For those who may have not seen this blog while I, Rachael, have been away, I have just come home from a 6 month program with Youth With A Mission where I did a DTS (discipleship training school) where there was 3 months of a lecture phase on various topics like the kingdom of God, Destiny by design, and missions, and a 3 month outreach phase where what we have learnt gets put into practice. I went to Chile, Colombia, and Peru.) More information on what a DTS is you can see here - http://www.uofnkona.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=783&lang=en
I have been home for about 3 weeks now and I felt like I wanted to blog and fill everyone in with what's going on. The debrief week in Kona was great, but sad at the same time.. It was good to go over all that we had been through in the 3 months on outreach and was really fun hearing about everyone else's experience, but at the same time it was hard saying goodbye to everyone who had become my family for the last while.
Since being home it's been going really well... The hardest part is trying to explain everything I have been through in the last 6 months through dts, and then trying to figure out how I can keep moving forward in what I have learnt. Now being home for 3 weeks I am beginning to see bits each day on how much I have really learnt while being gone, and how I want it to affect my life now. Through dts, one of the biggest things I have learnt is really just how much God loves each one of us. Not only did I begin to learn that in my mind, but each day I begin to feel it so much more. I think it began to start when during dts I would begin to get emotional during a lecture, or during worship, and I didn't really completely know why I was beginning to cry... One of my favorite weeks was the first week of lecture, which was on the kingdom of God. I really liked it because the speaker spoke a lot on God's glory and how it can be seen in so many things... some being sunsets (their incredible beauty), music, children's laughter... it really made me begin to look at things and really begin to see just how amazing God is in how he has created everything, and just how much his beauty can shine through things. Not only just being amazed at how beautiful this world is and the things that are in it, but the fact that he has created it this way for us to enjoy it! God loves us so much that He created these things for us to enjoy. This feeling of realizing God's love for me has also led me to really seek after Him and try and get to know him more and what he wants for me. Understanding His love for me, is creating me to become more in love with him each day that I seek after him. Just as it says in 1 John, we love because he first loved us... that scripture is really beginning to make sense to me, once we begin to realize God's amazing and unconditional love for us, we can't help but love him back. Once we begin to truly love God and search after him with all our heart, we can't help but want to walk in his will for our lives. This is the direction I want my life to go. It is not always easy to just say that you give up your life and the plans that you think are best for you life, but I know that is exactly what I want to do - give up my life to him, so that he can direct me to what He wants me to do for Him, as this is where life is most fulfilling. Of course the creator would know what is best for the created. Ultimately I know that his will for my life is to "always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18). What that may look like, and where that might be, I don't know. I am just taking one day at a time continually trying to remember to trust that God has it under control, and that I don't have to know exactly what's next.
The direction that I feel God is pointing me in as for right now, is to work and spend time with people here at home that I have missed so much over the last 6 months. As well, Jocelyn and I have begun planning again for our year long missions trip that we are hoping to start in the fall. I was a bit hesitant in starting the planning again as I had just got home and wasn't too sure about thinking about another trip right away, but as I began to think and pray about it more, I got peace about beginning the planning and seeing what direction God took us in. I know that God is more than capable of closing doors if the direction we are heading is not right, so both me and Jocelyn are excited about planning the trip and at the same time completely aware that if God has other plans, we are flexible. So far we have contacted people about visiting Guatemala, India, Africa, and Cambodia. The responses we have gotten back have been really good. We still have to talk with our pastor at our church to try and get them involved, and we still are waiting to hear back from the travel agency on whether the route we have roughly planned out will work or not. We have tons of things to plan still, and lots of fundraising to do, but we have no doubt that if God wants us to do this missions trip, that no planning or money/lack there of, will stop it from happening. My thought is, although this is a huge goal that many people may see as impossible, doors can be opened or closed, and no matter what, this is a learning experience of obedience and definite faith building. I would never want to look back and wish I would of had more faith to go ahead with the trip, even if it was just to plan it.
Ultimately, God is control of this trip and I would not want to be a part of it if it were any other way - too many things could go wrong if it was just me and Jocelyn doing it.
Right now we are in the process of getting an information letter out on what our exact plans are, and how others can get involved if they would like to, and trying to get word out about our trip and fundraising activities - the first big one being a golf tournament at Cultus Lake Golf Course... more details soon! (If you would like to get regular updates on our planning before the trip and then updates during our trip, please email jocelynandrachael@hotmail.ca, or facebook, and give your email and home address.) We will also both be continuing to write blogs here too!
Thank you all so much for continuing to read the blog and support us through this huge adventure ahead of us.
Rachael and Jocelyn
