And this is it..! Kona Week 11
My dear friends,
THANK YOU for the way for you have journeyed with me and carried me over this time. I can't believe that lecture phase is over. All my friends left for outreach today! It's very surreal - it all seems to have ended quickly. I am still here for another few days as I had already booked flights back to the UK in order to enter the US on my visa. Although this means I am missing the first week of outreach, I am grateful for the time and space to be with God, to pray and process everything and just to see some other friends I've made on base and to hang out by the ocean. I arrive in the Middle East to begin my first portion of outreach next weekend.
I'm glad I've been blogging each week because I don't know how on earth I could have summarised the last 3 months in a single post!
My life has been irrecoverably changed - that's for sure!
- I have experienced a new freedom to love God, to love people, to worship, to pray and to dance in an unhindered way. Cultural norms which often translate into boundaries or restrictions for me just don't apply in the same way here! For those of you familiar with David's Tent or Soul Survivor - THAT'S the level of freedom here! It's like being at David's Tent for 3 months rather than just 3 days!! There is such a thin line between Heaven and Earth here - I could stay forever! The nearness of God is tangible, I can physically feel the weight of His presence.
- This is THE most encouraging community I have ever been a part of - people are always praying for each other, speaking words of wisdom and truth over each other.. it is just a normal part of the way we function. And I LOVE it. When I say always, I mean - in the dining hall, in the line waiting for the bathroom, in the cafe, walking down town. Words of affirmation are one of my top love languages! (Along with physical touch and quality time, in case you were wondering!) Verbal affirmation is not something that comes naturally to Brits on the whole, whereas Americans are much better at it! And I've just come to feel so at ease and free in this beautiful environment where we are all holding each other up and pointing each other to Jesus. There is a precious unity among us - particularly as we come from all ages, cultures and backgrounds - yet we are of one heart and one spirit.
- Youthfulness - when I was early 20s I was genuinely quite concerned about having to grow up and be adult and responsible as there are a lot of boring, sensible, lifeless, critical adults around and I desperately didn't want that to happen to me! (I'm not saying that any of you are - don't be offended!!) And coming here gives me such joy and hope as I have met many wild, passionate, Jesus-pursuing people of all ages here and I see that getting older physically does not have to equate with getting old/weary/disillusioned spiritually. In fact, one of our speakers this week challenged us to always approach God as a child, not as an adult. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the children after all! (Matthew 19:14)
- Revelation: Joining the dots! I have been amazed at how God has revealed to me how He has orchestrated and connected different areas of my life together. For example, I discern in the spirit and I lead worship. I study/love/memorise the Bible and I teach and I love acting/being silly and I love kids and kids ministry! It all fits! I'm adventurous and I love to travel and I speak different languages. It's almost as though God knew what He was doing when He designed me!! I have also been amazed at the way dots join together with demonic stuff as well - it all makes sense when you understand that there's a stronghold (eg fear) and then other spirits that can make their way in that are connected to it (eg isolation, rejection, anxiety etc..) I feel like a layer has been ripped off my spiritual eyes and I can just see, discern, understand more clearly than I could before.
- A hope and a future. I am just amazed at the way He weaves hearts and lives together - the amount of "co-incidences/God-incidences" that happen here is insane. I have met significant people here whom God has knitted me together with. I'm excited and intrigued by His purposes!! God's hand is in the detail and orchestrating so many things. It's beautiful to see! I've walked around my own life, blind to His hand at work for a long time. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.." (Jeremiah 1:5) Yes - you were not just thought of but known and set apart before you were even born!
There's a snapshot for you of some things that are currently on my mind and heart. I'm already on my 4th journal here!! Those of you who know me well know that I loved to journal before - let me tell you - EVERYONE journals here! All the time! I'm with my tribe!! It's like - I talk to God, He talks to me, I tell other people what He's said to me, they talk to God, He talks to them, they tell me what He's said to them, I talk to God... in a never-ending cycle of gloriousness!!
Here are some photos to help you picture what's going on:
We had our end of year celebration at the beach. It was a stunning, precious time of laughing, eating, singing, dancing, playing games, worshipping, and honouring all that God has done among us.
Crossroads Discipleship Training School January-March 2018. My spiritual family!
All the schools were commissioned together in Ohana Court on Wednesday night. It was magnificent! I could physically feel the weight of the presence of God on my chest.
Close up commissioning! Spot me on the left :-)
Dinner with the girls from the single girls dorm rooms. It was a really beautiful evening of celebration.
Sharing my testimony of what God's done in me.
He is FAITHFUL. He keeps His promises. Gazing in wonder at the Designer of this beauty
PRAYER
- That I would be really wise with my time over the next few days. That God would be my strength and my song in the stillness and that He would be preparing my heart for what He has in store.
- For my journey. I leave on Thursday early afternoon. I fly to LA and stay there overnight. I then fly to London Friday evening, arriving Saturday lunchtime. I leave late Saturday afternoon to fly to Berlin. Then I arrive in the Middle East early Sunday morning. Please pray protection over EVERY PART of the journey. Pray for me, pray for my luggage. It's pretty epic! And I'm slightly amused/bewildered that I'm travelling alone right over the most precious weekend of the year for me! I'm sure God's got a plan....!
- Please pray for the outreach teams that are making their way to Fiji and the Middle East as I write. Pray for UNITY and that they/we would be joy-bringers and hope-bearers as we go and hang out with Jesus in the nations.
- Pray for our leaders - the leaders that are on outreach teams and the leaders that have served us so selflessly here in this season and are now heading home. Please pray for Tim and Wanda as they have coordinated so much and led our school so diligently. Please also lift up and thank God particularly for my mentor Colleen - she's ministered to us and loved us so extravagantly. I am eternally grateful and humbled that God would weave our lives together.
As some of you may have figured, this will be my last blog for a couple of months as I'm soon to head on outreach to exciting locations. PLEASE don't forget to pray for me! I covet and rely on your prayers! I will be back in England at the end of May so will be sure to update you then - by blog and hopefully in person too!
THANK YOU again for being my partners in adventure. I hope and pray that you have been filled and blessed as you've been reading about what God's doing in me and even trying some of the things we've been learning. Anyone got into 2-way journaling? Dream interpretation? Making 20 nature observations and asking God to speak through it?
You're wonderful! Thank you my dream team.
So much love
Hannah xxx