The battle is real! Kona Week 6

This has been a crazy week of God undoing my heart and pulling me close to Him, and also of Him pushing me way out of my comfort zone and just breaking me and remoulding me.

At the beginning of the week we received the tragic news of a sudden death in the immediate family of our leaders, which meant the quick departure of 4 of the most incredible, godly people who I covet time with. It’s a really heart-breaking situation: four very young children have lost their dad, a sister and daughter has lost her husband. Please pray for them – Tim and Wanda, Kevin and Sarah, these four kids and their whole family. We have other amazing leaders in the school so we’re being covered and looked after well, but it’s just really sad. Here is a photo of some of our school gathered in prayer just after we heard the news.

Gord Whyte has been with us for the last week and over the weekend, speaking mostly on freedom and ekklesia (church functioning well with ALL its members being active in their calling and gifting rather than just the leadership). He ministers in the power of the Holy Spirit in a beautiful way and we saw all sorts of wild things happening. There was deliverance, the breaking of inner vows (e.g. I will never be vulnerable again, men will always hurt me, I can’t trust God with xyz, I will always be sick etc) and many healings. I saw two people’s arms grow out to be the same length before my eyes. One of them happened inches in front of my face! It was awesome!

I have really stepped out in worship leading this week and weekend which has been good but definitely out of my comfort zone! I led worship a few times for the weekend conference on freedom which was God having a bit of a laugh really as I felt so vulnerable and un-worship-leader-like and yet He totally carried me and used me when I just got out of the way and let Him do whatever He wanted! Sometimes I feel like He can use me more powerfully when I just allow Him to break me and admit that I’m weak, scared and powerless on my own. I have certainly felt the effects of the spiritual battle when doing this though – worship leaders go first and take the hits for sure. Over the weekend the enemy was messing with my mind, my relationships, my security, my emotions, my sleep and even my physical body (I got bruised during ministry time when someone tripped and fell on me!)

There were many cool stories from the Valentines Day outreach. Valentines Day gives you a good excuse to give people things and tell them that God loves them with a crazy everlasting love and wants to hang out with them! If I’m really honest, I didn’t enjoy it that much. I didn’t have a great attitude that day: stuff was buzzing around my mind, it was really hot, no one wanted their face painting, I was hungry and I was getting frustrated! My friends loved me and took me out for smoothies afterwards though to cheer me up! It was really cool to see how other people were engaging and to hear so many amazing and inspiring stories afterwards though.

One of the most awesome things I have realised this week is how loved and carried I am by the people around me as well as by Jesus. I am so in love with my school and the amazing people that I get to do life with. We were sat in small group the other day and as I looked around the group I saw 10 women from 8 nations (!!!) Canada, the US, the UK, Latvia, Jamaica, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia. Isn’t that incredible!

I also just love being in this place. I have also been super blessed by people this week as I have endeavoured to be more real and vulnerable (not inappropriately so, just more honest about where I’m at). I feel very seen, heard and loved here: I see my name on the board in the café because someone has prepaid for a drink for me; a family took a few of us out for a meal on Valentines; someone gave me a lift to my friend’s house; people often just come up to me to encourage me or hug me or call things out of me that they can see of God. I am still recording my kisses from Heaven daily! It’s not hard to see how God’s moving here or to call out the good, but the days are pretty busy so it’s easy for me to forget how faithful He is if I am not intentional about noting it!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Tim & Wanda, Kevin & Sarah and their beautiful family. Please uphold them as they walk through this devastating family situation together. We miss them!

Steve and Colleen – awesome leaders from our school who have stepped up to coordinate everything in Tim & Wanda’s place. Please uphold each of them and their families as they serve us so tirelessly and sacrificially here.

My heart – that God would continue to dig out anything in me that is not of Him and grow me into the Hannah He created me to be.

My room – that each of us would be covered and for unity, peace, grace and that we would continue to love and serve one another really well as we do this crazy journey together.

Thanks for reading! Thanks for doing the journey with me and wanting to keep up-to-date with all that’s going on. I really value you. Please keep praying and sending me messages. In truth, this blog barely scratches the surface of what's going on. It's getting harder and harder to write each week!! I can barely keep up with everything myself! This current week is on spiritual warfare so please keep interceding. I am slightly apprehensive but also excited for what’s to come!