Binding the Broken

Land of the Free*

2012-02-07T10:59:00.001-08:00

This week, Creagon and I are leading a prayer time on Human Trafficking in the US. I've been browsing the web and looking for up-to-date cases, information, and statistics, and I found this compelling poster from the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking:

What we see at freedom, isn't freedom for all. Let's put an end to modern-day slavery.

Checking In

2012-02-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

It's a few days into February, and I thought I'd check back in with the progress on my January goals!

-As for Bible reading, Creagon and I have adopted a daily reading plan, but it's not always chronological. May go back to the one I originally started though!

-It's been much harder to start and keep to sustainable healthy eating. We got a new blender with the hopes of making some veggie & fruit filled smoothies...but then our freezer went out and ice & frozen fruits were not possible. Trying to eat more salads, and whatnot, but its a slow process, but I'm still committed too.

-Photo blogging. This I've done quite well with! I've managed to take a post a photo everyday on our new blog: Muldoon Photo Year. I enjoy looking for moments to capture each day, and fun ways to edit them. I can only hope to one day be her....

-I've definitely been reading more as well! I have finished 7 books already this year, and in the middle of 2 others. I love reading so much, and I love finding the time to keep up with it.

So that's how I've been doing with my 2012 goals! Life has been really good so far this year, enjoying my new home with my husband. We are decorating and "nesting" more and more. I love making this place look more like us.

Looking forward to the rest February, our first Valentine's Day together and much more to come!

Making Aware

2012-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Creagon and I took part in the 4th Annual National Human Trafficking Awareness Day at Lake Eola in Orlando. We set up a table for YWAM Orlando, and shared about our vision to prevent human trafficking through missions. It was exciting to join with other individuals and organizations with a common purpose…eliminating modern day slavery. We made some great connections with people who had never heard of YWAM that we were able to share with. Love opportunities like this, to engage with the community and come together with a shared vision! Big thanks to Florida Abolitionist and the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking for organizing the event! Pray for their efforts this coming weekend, as Super Bowl outreaches, Tackle the Traffickers, are in full swing!

A Glimpse of January

2012-01-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

This month has been flying by! Creagon and I got back from our Mexican vacation and jumped right back into work & life at YWAM. And things haven't slowed since! We put together this fun little video from our time in Mexico, if you are interested!

Since being back at YWAM, we've met the new students training this quarter in the Discipleship Training School, School of Ministry Development, and School of Missions. I will regularly be photographing and videoing these students and posting their stories on our website and Facebook to continue sharing what God is doing in their lives! Here's a recap video from the DTS first week of lecture at YWAM Orlando:

There's so much going on, and we're running at full force to keep up. It's exciting to be part of this organization, and to see God at work on a daily basis in our lives. I'm also working with the hospitality team, and putting my Pinterest + crafting skills to use for ministry, by creating welcoming environments for new students, parents, and traveling teachers. I'm blessed to be so involved in many different aspects of YWAM's operations.

Ways to be praying for Creagon and I this next month:

-God's continued healing for Creagon: it has been 7 months since car accident. Read his most recent health post here!

-Deeper connections with the students: we have such a limited amount of time [12 weeks!] to get to know them and the journey God has them on! Pray that we can be intentional about our time with them.

-Human trafficking prevention & awareness: we have many opportunities to raise awareness this quarter about preventing human trafficking, including a Orlando awareness day, a week of prayer at the base, and an educational movie night! Pray that these events are not just educational, but that God's freedom overwhelms individuals to the point of action.

Thanks for following our stories and being invested in our lives. More to come...

A New Day, A New Year

2012-01-01T12:36:00.001-08:00

First day of 2012 is bright and shiny here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! So happy to be sharing with my new husband and new family. As I sit here on my back porch and think about the year ahead, I can't help but make lists and goals. So I thought I'd share a few!

-Read the Bible chronologically. I've already started reading the Old Testament, but I'd love to carry it through into the New as well. Reading the events in the order they happened has really brought new light & life in the Scriptures for me. Should be a pretty attainable goal.

-Sustainable healthy eating. I have a love/hate relationship with food. I love the unhealthy stuff and hate the healthy. But as 30 looms ahead in 2012, it's time to eat like a grownup...and that means the green stuff too! Thankfully, I have a husband who is creative in the kitchen and supportive of healthy eating. We will conquer, together!

-Photo blogging. I love love love taking photos of anything and everything. And since I became smart phone savvy in 2011, it's even easier to share these photos with the world. So I decided to take up the "Photo A Day" challenge, post them on a new blog for all to enjoy! Follow my [our] visual photo journey here: http://muldoonphotoyear.tumblr.com/ Here's a taste with today's photo that I already posted!

-Read more. I adore reading. And I also just got a new Kindle touch [thank you wedding gifts!]. Which means the wide world of literature is at my fingertips. In 2012, I plan to not just read more...but read better. To read books that challenge my mind, heart and spirit. Not to read to pass the time, but to read for a purpose. First up are biographies on C.S. Lewis & George Muller, a travel narrative on child trafficking in Nepal, and a mind-bending geography tidbits from a Jeopardy champ. So far, so good!

I'm sure there is more I want to do, and there will be more I actually do, but for now, this enough. I hope in 2012 I can discover how to be a godly wife, a better friend, a dedicated servant, a just advocate, an inspiring communicator, and a creative encourager. Those are my resolutions.

Reflections and Evaluations

2011-12-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

At the end of each week of lecture in our YWAM schools, we have an activity called "Reflections & Evaluations". It's a chance to look back over the past week of teaching and reflect on what the teacher spoke about and evaluate what God spoke that past week. As one staff puts it, “it's a chance to soak up all those last bits of a really good meal, so nothing is left over." It's a good idea, so we thought I'd reflect and evaluate over 2011, as it has been a life changing year.

January 2011 - March 2011: Joy- I was a world away for my Discipleship Training School [DTS] outreach to Southern Africa! We spent 8 weeks in South Africa & Botswana, and it was an amazing experience. God used to me to bring someone to salvation and to heal another! I created deep & lasting relationships with some incredible people. I was processing voice of the Lord to no longer move to Cambodia long-term, but instead pursue staff at YWAM Orlando. And I had a crush on this boy that I just couldn't get over…

Creagon - Naomi said “I had so much self hatred but I became so free!” One of my favorite parts of my job is to ask discipleship students what God has done in the past week and produce a video for those who are praying for them. Their response reminds me why I believe this generation will change the nations. (Oh... and I read a blog by a girl visiting Africa with great interest!)

March 2011: Joy- I graduated from my DTS, and went home for 2 weeks. My family went on a great vacation to New York City and we had such a blast. I also began my second training school with YWAM Orlando, called the School of Ministry Development [SOMD], which would lead to my becoming staff. And I had my first date with Creagon.

Creagon- “Mom, I've invited a girl to join us.....but we are just friends.” This is how I told my parents that Joy would be joining us for a worship concert while they were in Florida. I had no clue that the next time they met her I would be proposing!

April 2011 - May 2011: I loved loved loved my SOMD lecture phase, and really refined my vision for staff at YWAM Orlando. I grew so close to my 2 other schoolmates, and created even deeper relationships with staff at the base. And my dates with Creagon became more and more frequent, until at the May, he asked me to be his OFFICIAL girlfriend. Oh, happy day!

Creagon- When I returned to Joy from teaching in Colorado (see video) I knew that I never wanted to be apart again. Her dad just grinned at me when asked his blessing to date his 28 year old daughter.

June 2011: Joy- My SOMD prayed and we decided to postpone our Nepal outreach, as God was evidently closing the doors on this opportunity. And Creagon was in a life-threatening car accident that forever changed our relationship. I was by his side essentially 24-7. His world became my world, and it was then I saw how much I truly loved him. We left for an extended vacation at his parents place in Michigan, where rest and healing was crucial. I loved our time in Michigan, getting to know his family better and falling more in love with Creagon.

Creagon- I was in a hospital bed and I didn’t know why. The past 2 ½ hours of my memory was black. My world was spinning and I told the ER Doctor “I WANT JOY!” It took a while for him to realize that “Joy” wasn’t just an emotion but the name of the person that meant the most to me.

July 2011: Joy- He proposed. My entire world changed in a moment when the man I had fallen madly in love with asked me to be his wife. And we set our wedding date for just 4 short months away.

Creagon - She had dedicated every waking moment to my healing and recovery. This kind of love just can’t be faked. Once the concussion had passed I asked God if I could marry her and popped the question.

August 2011 - September 2011: I was back home in Tampa, with Creagon too, building the sponsorship team I needed to be back on staff at YWAM Orlando. It was a great time for my friends and family to get to know Creagon, as my future husband, and for us to share our vision and passion for ministry. And Creagon continues to heal from car accident injuries.

Creagon- My old car was a pancake and we needed a vehicle to give tours to YWAM alumni, parents and potential sponsors. God provided generously an SUV that is perfect for our needs.

October 2011: Joy- Back at YWAM Orlando, and it's so great to be back for my first quarter on staff! I'm living in the 31-foot camper that Creagon and I purchased for our first "home" and its wonderful. I'm working as school staff with the Justice DTS, focused on human trafficking prevention. Loving the students, and their passion for worship and thirst for God. This quarter was an incredibly learning experience for me. Was also planning our wedding, which at time was more stressful than enjoyable.

November 2011: Joy - But on November 26, 2011…I married him. And it was perfect.

Creagon- I remember resting my head on hers during our first dance with all our friends and family watching. I was amazed that I got to marry my best friend and we could serve God in missions together...for ever!

December 2011: Joy- We split our honeymooned in two parts and finished up two weeks of work. I write this blog from honeymoon part two in Mexico, with so much anticipation for 2012. What will my first full year of Mrs. Muldoon bring? What does God have in store for our marriage, our ministry, and our future. 2011 was full of twists and turns, so many unexpected moments. It was a GREAT year. And I have high hopes for 2012 as well.

Creagon- We celebrated Christmas a few days early with some of the Mexico’s children who needed it the most. One of my sponsors gave some extra money so we could bless each of the families with the gift they wanted most.... a chicken!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
--Joy & Creagon
http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com
http://www.creagonsjoy.com

Feliz Navidad!

2011-12-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today is Christmas Eve, and I'm sitting in a quiet condo, eating queso flavored potato chips and drinking a Mexican Coca Cola. There's no white snow on the ground, and I can't hear a single Christmas carol being played. To say that mine and Creagon's first Christmas together is a different one is merely an understatement. While this is a "normal" holiday experience for him, mine is usually quite the opposite.

My mom decorates the house right after Thanksgiving, and we have a huge tree. We have ornaments that we've been collecting since, well birth, and they all have their place. We light fires in the fireplace [while turning the AC down to 60!] and watch "White Christmas", "Elf", or "Charlie Brown's Christmas Movie". There is so much anticipation leading up to the holidays, and preparation that goes with the anticipation. From shopping to baking to decorating to wrapping, Christmas can become quite the chore. But no one minds, as we smile and hum "Jingle Bells" all the way home. Christmas Eve is usually a church service, an inspirational [seeker friendly] message on the birth of our Savior. Dinner follows at my parent's house, where all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents join to celebrate. We open gifts from the family, and count the hours to Christmas morning when "Santa" arrives. Christmas morning begins with the smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee. My sister, 10 years younger, has already been awake waiting for me to join her to open our gifts. As I got older, the process of getting "Christmas morning ready" took longer and longer. But, at last, we have our bulging stocking and piles of gifts to begin tearing into. It's the DVD I wanted, the gift cards I asked for, the lotions that I can't live without, the book I saw in the store, and the newest electronic gadget I've been dying for. It's over in an hour, and all that remains are piles of gifts and shreds of wrapping paper. We each lay out our gifts in our room, proudly displaying this year's acquisitions. But not for long, because it's off the relatives house for Christmas brunch, where grandpa makes his famous biscuits and gravy. We eat till we're stuffed [again], exchange a few final gifts, then head home to sleep off all the Christmas excitement. Christmas night brings another meal and another gathering of loved ones. As the night ends, we pop in a new DVD or a Christmas favorite, and watch as the final hours of Christmas fade away. All the while, I'm wondering how did it go by so fast?

Christmas is marketed as such a magical holiday, where dreams and wishes come true and miracles can happen! It's the season where everyone [almost] is in the giving mood, and everyone's budgets are stretched thin or overdrawn. It's the most wonderful time of the year…

But what will Christmas in Mexico be like? Different, sure, but will the magic still be here? Did I finally get my Christmas wish, to escape the materialism and consumerism of the holiday and celebrate it for what it's really about? I do not miss the materialism of the holiday, but I do miss spending it with my family back home…because to me, that's an important part of the holiday. Christmas in Mexico has been [will be] great, but I'm looking forward to seeing all the people that make the holidays feel warm and fuzzy.

Wedding Day Photo Blast!

2011-12-22T21:33:00.002-08:00

Home is Where the Heart is

2011-12-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

So, home is a little cozier these days, with my husband all moved in now. It's pretty great actually. True, he came with more stuff, but everything has pretty much found a place, even some leftover wedding stuff, and our camper is feeling more and more like home. Here's a few new pictures of our latest "additions"!

IKEA does such a great job with essential items for small places! Our little kitchen nook is complete!

A bookshelf, a mail basket, hooks for keys & flashlights, and artwork displayed. What an entrance. Now only if that rug would come in that I ordered...

Our mini fridge, for the extra space & is leak-free, doubles as an end table to our couch, and shelving unit for our wooden display boxes!

Why yes, those are new throw pillows for the couch! Look so great on our black slipcover too!

Our first Christmas tree, all of 3 feet, but is all ours! And so is our new blue tooth compatible stereo system. Yay for streaming music!

Refrigerator art! Pictures from photobooths, wedding invites & cards, love notes and more adorn our cute little wood panel fridge. You'd think we were in love or something! ;)

Most recent addition...a new 32" flat screen TV! A great wedding gift from my parents that allows for all streaming of Netflix, The Daily Show, and Colbert Report to be seen on a screen almost as large as our wall.

'Tis the Season for Sweater Festiveness

2011-12-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my YWAM Orlando family had their annual Sweater Party. This visually stimulating event is 6 years running, and is much anticipated by YWAM staff and family. Last year was my first Sweater Party experience, and I was not prepared for the amount of sweaters, gaudiness, and mustaches. But it was an amazing time. Karl & the Sweater Party Planning Committee, spend countless hours preparing the house for this event, and I'm sure the lights can be seen from miles away. We hand out awards for the best mustache, the most gaudy, the best "out of the box" costume, and the coveted best sweater. But why? Why go through all the effort, the shopping, the time and planning? Because it's our community. YWAM Orlando is like a family. And many don't get to see their family during the holidays, so our staff & students become like a family. So it's our chance to have the biggest, most wonderful, most festive Christmas celebration anyone could ask for. I mean, what's more fun than that?

Land of Smiles

2011-12-08T16:34:00.001-08:00

Thailand. A country known for its beautiful beaches, and exotic animals. But unfortunately, Thailand is also known for its human trafficking, sex tourism, and excessive prostitution as well. This is the country that Creagon and I lead a base-wide prayer time for this week, in which over 60 of our staff and students engaged in spiritual warfare for this country. Every week, our base has a time of worship and warfare for a specific country or people group. This quarter alone we've prayed for London, Libya, Turkey, Dominican Republic, human trafficking within in the US, India, and more. I chose to lead a week on Thailand, because I'm staffing the school that is going there on their outreach and Southeast Asia is very near and dear to my heart. All week at meal times, Creagon and I have been sharing prayer points, and spending 30 seconds or more lifting these requests to God. This morning, we spent an hour and half worshipping and warring on the behalf of the Thai people. I specifically felt that as we prayed for Thailand, we were to pray against certain strongholds that oppress the people and the country. The 6 I felt that God gave us to pray for this morning were: Buddhism, Human Trafficking, Lust, Worthlessness, Escapism, and Fear. We spent time praying that God would break down these strongholds and they would no longer have a place among the people of Thailand. Then we spent time praying blessings, Scriptures and words of life over Thailand in each of these areas. As a visual representation, I had a poster board for each stronghold. As we moved from station to station and began to pray blessings & life, we wrote those words on Post-It notes and put it over the stronghold. By the end of our prayer time, the entire poster board was covered. It was a beautiful picture of what God wants to do in Thailand.

And we also spent some time praying for the team going there in just a few short weeks. They will be ministering in the red light district and the slums of Chang Mai. Their goal will be to build relationships and share the light and freedom of Jesus. They could literally be the physical answers to the prayers we prayed today. It was a beautiful and freeing time of worship and warfare. I just love making an eternal difference in the world.

Sounds of the Season

2011-12-07T03:05:00.000-08:00

As with most music, I'm pretty picky about my Christmas music. But this year I have been captivated by the Sleeping at Last Christmas Collection. It's festive, without being poppy or annoying. Even aside from this Christmas EP, Sleeping at Last is a quality band getting a lot of recognition. They have been featured in TV shows such as Gray's Anatomy, and can even be found on the latest Twilight saga soundtrack. They've come so far since I discovered them 6 years ago. I love when a quality Christian band gets recognition not for a controversy, but for making good music.

The Art of Life

2011-12-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

Found a new artist to obsess over. Her name is Jessica Rose and I found her on Etsy [my favorite shopping place for all things handmade]. I don't know what I love most about her stuff...the great typography/handwriting she uses, the quotes & sayings she finds, the hand drawn/watercolor feel of each piece, or her obsessive use of campers. Whatever it is, call me hooked. I love her stuff, and hope to have a few pieces in my own camper someday soon!

Circle of Friends

2011-12-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

Every day it seems like someone else has posted some new photos from my wedding. And I love it! I love seeing my incredibly amazing special day through everyone else's eyes. The details that they captured, the friends they made, and the good times they had. A few photos have really stood out to me, because they capture my many circles of friends.

This is a photo of some of my oldest [not old!] and dearest friends. I've known each of them over 10 years, have stood in their weddings and held their children. We've had so many great memories, and some really bad ones too. I can call any one of these girls no matter when or for what, and they will answer. I may not see them or talk to them everyday, but our friendship runs deep. I love these girls with my whole heart.

This is a photo of my incredible church friends. My life has changed so much since attending Watermark Church almost 4 years ago, and some of these relationships are what have changed me for the better. My faith is deeper and my thirst for God is stronger than ever before. There's just something special about growing in your faith with a group of people that connects you to them.

And these are my DTS-mates. Those who trained with me in Orlando just over a year ago, during my initial school with YWAM Orlando. I lived with some, and traveled across the world with them too. Every day for 6 months, these amazing people were my nearest and dearest friends. And they were the ones who saw the beginning of my relationship with Creagon unfold. The guys that lived with him "called us" early on. And the girls that lived with me stayed up late listening to me analyze his latest comment. A DTS is a life-changing experience no matter where you do it, and forever will these friends be part of my life, either big or small.

And now that I'm married, I get a new circle of friends! Those that my husband that has built over the years. What a privilege.

Wedding Day Joy!

2011-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Married. It still feels like a dream. But on Saturday, November 26, 2011, I married the love of my life. All the hours spent planning for and dreaming of this day, came true at a beach on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Surrounded by family and friends, Creagon and I exchanged vows and became husband and wife. Now the rest of our journey begins, as a family and as a married couple. A journey I couldn't be more excited about.

I didn't just marry my best friend, but I married my partner in ministry. Mine and Creagon's vision for the way we do ministry is so similar, and we complement each other well. Together we will be teaching and discipling the next generation, and sending them into the nations to be a voice for the voiceless and help for the helpless. We will inspire and lead teams focused on human trafficking prevention, both locally and internationally, and we will see God's freedom brought to the enslaved. Our marriage will be one of reliance on God's provision, His leading, and His timing. It will be the completion of what He called us to do individually. How exciting is that.

Pretty as a princess!

Prayer launches our marriage

Beautiful at beach sunsets

Classically elegant

So in love.

Perfect, down to our toes!

Photobooth fun!

Power of a praying family

Heart broken for the nations

2011-11-17T11:26:00.001-08:00

Spent some time in prayer today for the nations and the people around the world. We prayed for the locations we currently have teams going and the places we long to reach. Once again, God overwhelmed me with prayers for Cambodia and Nepal. I'm so excited to see how God will use me in these nations in the years to come. He is so faithful!

November Wedding Bells & Worship Gatherings

2011-11-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

It’s 10 days before my wedding and I’m in Alabama with 300+ crazy, passionate, radical fellow YWAMers. Something tells me I should be stressed, but somehow I’m just not. The flowers will arrive, friends will bring food, the decorations will get hung, and at the end of November 26, I will be married to the love of my life. Nothing can change that. So, I choose to not be distracted by all the details that could pull my focus, and engage with what’s happening today. YWAM Orlando traveled by bus, vans, and many many cars to Talladega, Alabama for our annual southeast conference with YWAM. Bases from all over Florida, Georgia to Virginia and Kentucky are gathered here to refresh, renew, and recharge for the coming year. We are calling this gathering ACTS ONE, based on Acts chapter 1, when Jesus was talking to His disciples before His ascension into heaven: “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

We are gathered here as separate YWAM bases, but united to eagerly wait for His Spirit to fall upon us in a fresh way. And has it ever. Something I’ve been particularly challenged/inspired by is breaking off unbelief in my life. To no longer doubt God’s provision for my finances, for the finances for this campus, or for my vision to be made clear. I choose to believe wholeheartedly in these. We had a powerful time of prayer, repentance, and praise.

This whole quarter at YWAM Orlando has had hints of revival. You can see it in our worship, in our teaching, in our conversations, and in our students. It’s pretty exciting what God is doing in our community. I’ve had the privilege of working with the Justice Discipleship Training School with their focus of human trafficking prevention. It’s been incredible. These 12 newly charged abolitionists will soon be taking Asia by force to wage war against this injustice. And I’ve been able to help prepare to send them out. It’s been such a honor to work with these students and I’ll be praying for every step of their outreach.

The wedding is quickly approaching, and we’ve had an overwhelming response of positive RSVP’s! Over 275 of our friends & families will be joining us on a beach in the very near future. I couldn’t be more excited to be Creagon’s wife. I can’t wait to begin our life together. Thank you for all your prayers, support & encouragement as we’ve been walking through this journey. So many of you are making our special day possible, and we are blessed to call you friends.

Can’t wait to share pictures and stories from the big day! Until next time…when I write to you as Joy Muldoon!!

Love & Prayers,

Joy

Who I Am

2011-10-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

This week in small group, we had our students cut up magazines and cover their journals with words, phrases and images of who God has made them to be. It's a real fun activity, and it allows students to put the positive things they like about themselves or see in themselves in front of them everyday! I decided to cover my class notebook as well, and wanted to share with you who I am...

I have been called to GO and make disciples of all nations and I have been made for going places. So many decisions in my life have led to where I am today, and I know its exactly where God has called me to be. Discipling, mentoring, leading, serving, educating and equipping the next generation as we bring the gospel to the nations, and maybe prevent human trafficking along the way, because my God is a God of justice. I see the world with a sense of wonder. Each new place holds a mystery, and the familiar places can feel like new again. Each new person I met, student I encounter, or coworker I serve alongside of, brings an element of God into my life. And that is wonderful. And finally, "flawless has many faces". I'm captivated by this verse in Song of Solomon: "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you." It reminds me how my Savior sees me...beautiful and flawless. These are the images and words I've chosen to remind myself of daily this quarter. It sums up who I am and where I'm going. Who are you?

Happy Camper

2011-10-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from the soon-to-be Muldoon camper in the RV community of YWAM Orlando!

More to come!

Across the Pond

2011-10-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

London has captured my heart recently...

London is the biggest city in Britain and in Europe.
About 12 per cent of Britain’s overall population live in London
Over 250 languages are spoken in the city, making the capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world
Baishaki Mela – the Bengali New Year – is celebrated in Brick Lane and is the biggest Bengali celebration outside Bangladesh and West Bengal.
There were 14,350 film “shooting days” in London in 2007, making it the third most filmed city in the world.
The London Underground, was built in 1863, which is known as the ‘Tube’, and was the first metro of the world.
The Queen’s official residence, Buckingham Palace, was built in 1702… on the site of a notorious brothel

A Glimpse into My Heart

2011-10-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, I shared with my church community, Watermark Church in Tampa, a glimpse of my heart. I shared with them my journey through fighting against modern-day slavery and what is next for me. I meant to post this weeks ago, so you too could be part of my journey. So forgive my delay and watch my story now. The video in the beginning is a trailer for the Sex + Money documentary that is now touring the nation. I speak after the video plays. Enjoy.

Things I Hate

2011-10-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

"Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked." - Psalm 97:10

This is a verse I read recently, and it instantly jumped off the page. "Let those who love the Lord hate evil..." I was silenced. I thought about all the things I hate in this world...human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, hunger, poverty, child soldiers, abortion, domestic violence, materialism...the list goes on. I've devoted my life and my ministry to fighting against injustice, hating the symptoms of our fallen world. Not because I'm a superhero and not because I'm a saint. Not because I think I have all the answers and not because I think I'm capable. But because I love the Lord. It's that easy. Because of this unending, unquenchable love for my Savior, I've grown to hate the things He hates, and love the things He loves.

I just thought this was a cool reminder as we have been launching our very first human trafficking prevention focused Discipleship Training School this quarter, and where we have these students start in their quest to end injustice. It's starts with falling in love with Jesus. And we all can do that.

Abolitionists in Training

2011-09-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I feel like I’m living in a flashback. Just one year ago, I arrived at YWAM Orlando for my Fall Compassion & Justice Discipleship Training School [DTS]…and now here I am, staffing one! 40+ students from all over the world [Russia, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and Norway!] have just invaded our campus to experience God in a new & fresh way for 12 weeks as they prepare to travel to Thailand, India and Dominican Republic. This is an especially exciting school for me to work with, not just because it’s my first, but also because the Justice school is focused on human trafficking awareness & prevention. Twelve abolitionists-in-training are going above & beyond their regular DTS workload, to learn about the injustice of modern-day slavery. Our job is to educate them and inspire them towards prayer & action. Throughout the next 12 weeks, we will be going on prayer drives through the red-light district of Orlando, watching documentaries, engaging in community awareness, and warring on our knees for these victims. It’s an exciting time here at YWAM Orlando!

In personal news, my wedding is just weeks away! As I get caught up in the YWAM whirlwind, I have to remind myself to keep up with all my wedding details as well. Creagon and I have a few opportunities each week to work together, which is such a blessing for our relationship. I love being able to support him in the work he does, and help out where I can. I’ve also moved into my new place. Our 31-foot camper is looking more and more like home! It’s quiet little place, amidst the chaos of the campus that in just 50+ days will be our own.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support. I appreciate it so much! The students have only been here one week, and already there is revival on campus. Students are praying like never before and we as staff so excited for what God has in store. Please pray for the continued growth, transparency & depth of these students. I’d love your prayers for my time management as well. Between the workday [much more than a 9-5!] & wedding plans, it’s a lot to keep up with, and I just want to give as much as possible to both. Thanks again for your prayers.

Love & Prayers,

Joy

Fall Plans & Wedding Dreams

2011-09-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

This coming Saturday, September 17, I'll be joining the No More Foundation for an event called No More Slavery. We will be raising awareness to the greater Tampa Bay area about the injustice of human trafficking, and how to get involved in the fight. I will be sharing about my ministry with YWAM as well. If you are in the Tampa area, consider joining us at the Underground Church [doors open at 5:45pm] for this free event.

This summer has flown by and the fall is quickly approaching! In the midst of wedding planning & dreaming, spending time with the fiancé & introducing him to family and friends, I've also had great success in building my sponsorship team. It's because of my [now our] incredible supporters that I'm able to return back to YWAM Orlando this fall to work with students training to prevent human trafficking both locally and internationally. A great opportunity I had this summer was to partner with the No More Foundation for two events, a Girl's Night Out and the No More Launch Party, to connect with many new friends and share the vision that Creagon and I are able to live out at YWAM Orlando.

I'm moving back to the YWAM property in Clermont, FL, this coming weekend as well into mine & Creagon's new-to-us 31ft camper! It will be my home until the wedding, which gives me the chance to turn it into our "home" by decorating the tiny spaces and creatively organizing. The fall students arrive next week, and I'm so looking forward to being part of the school staff. Through small groups, one on ones, meal times and even free time, I'll get the opportunity to invest in their lives as they gain more of an awareness and understanding of modern-day slavery, discover their own freedom in Christ and prepare for a life-changing 8week outreach to Asia this winter. I'm expecting God to do huge things this fall and can't wait to share it all with you!

Thank you for your prayers, your support and your encouragement. If you or your family would be interested in joining mine & Creagon's monthly sponsorship team, check out our donation page here or send us an email at joy2theworld82@gmail.com.

Team Effort

2011-07-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's true, I'm in the wedding planning zone. I've got a dress, shoes, venue, jewelery, and more all figured out. It's great. But wedding planning isn't my entire focus this summer. As many of my faithful blog readers know, I've been training with Youth With A Mission Orlando for the past 9 months. Well, now I can now officially announce that I am full-time staff with YWAM Orlando! I'm so excited to be at this point, and can't wait to see the amazing journey God has for me with this organization. It's the place where I've truly discovered my calling & how to best live it out, it's where I've met my husband, and it's where I see us serving God long-term.

With that, my first official "job" with YWAM Orlando is building my sponsorship team! It's a chance for me to reach out to my community [friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers] and invite them to be part of the vision & ministry that God has called me to. One of the most encouraging/exciting/humbling parts of this job is knowing that I can't do it alone. I must find people to come alongside of me and support me. But it's so encouraging to have 20 - 100 people lifting me up in prayer as I daily fight for the kingdom of heaven. It's humbling to accept their hard-earned dollars to pay for my ministry expenses. And it's exciting to realize that when I'm in southern Africa...China...Thailand...Cambodia...India...Nepal...that I'm not there alone, they are with me. It's because of my sponsorship team that Donaro now has an eternal hope in Christ. And it's because of my sponsorship team that 12 former Cambodian prostituted women made their newfound faith public one warm day on a beach. It's because of my sponsorship that I get to do what I do, and eternity is effected.

This summer I'm increasing this team. I believe that God has even more people He wants to come alongside of me [and my fiance Creagon!]. I know He isn't done yet, and there are others that need to be involved. I love to tell my stories of how God is using me on the mission field. I am excited to share my vision for bringing freedom to those in captivity through YWAM Orlando. Will you give me the chance to share with you?

Becoming Mrs. Muldoon

2011-07-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in the midst of wedding plans! From dress shopping, to location hunting, flower sampling, and vendor calling...it's all becoming a blur! But a fun and exciting and romantic blur! I decided to start a separate wedding blog, to post as wedding plans progress to share with my friends out there. It's a tumblr, so bookmark this page if you would like to stay up on all things wedding, check this out: http://becomingmrsmuldoon.tumblr.com

Saying Yes

2011-07-09T17:29:00.001-07:00

The answer was YES. Undeniably YES.

Creagon and I just celebrated our one-month anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend. True, we had been going on dates for a couple months before that, and had been friends for even more months before. But we had only been official for just a month. In even that short amount of time, I knew that Creagon was the one. And Creagon knew it too.

In early June, Creagon was involved in a serious car accident [read about that experience here!], and I was able to be by his side the entire time he was recovering. From driving him to doctor’s appointments to making sure he napped enough, I was his chauffeur, nurse, cook, and girlfriend extraordinaire. Through this, our relationship grew so deep so fast. It became clear to both of us how perfect of a fit we truly are.

Creagon had a trip already planned to his hometown of Benton Harbor, Michigan for the end of June, and as a result of some of my own schedule changes, I was able to join him on this trip to meet his family, friends, and more. It was a perfect chance to getaway, and for him to show me off to those that matter most to him. His parents have a beautiful home right on Lake Michigan, where we could just relax, hang out and rest for 12 days.

Sunsets have always been pretty special for us. We’ve had several sunset dates back in Florida, and with Lake Michigan right down the driveway; we’ve seen several there as well. Well, Saturday, July 2nd, Creagon was very insistent about getting home in time for the sunset. So we took snacks, drinks, and a blanket down to the shore and sat and watched a beautiful sunset. As the sun goes down and the sky lights up, Creagon begins telling me all the wonderful things he likes about me. He then takes my hand as we walk to the water to put our feet. I’m shrieking at the freezing temperatures of Lake Michigan [OK, 50 degrees] and he just laughs. Then he puts his arm around me, and begins writing in the sand.

I…L…O…V…E...U is what Creagon writes out for me to see. He turns to me and then tells me that he loves me. This is a big deal in our relationship, because it’s the first time he’s ever told me this. Not because he didn’t want to, but because I had asked him not to tell me this until it was followed with a ring and a proposal. I knew what was next and my heart beat wildly as Creagon gets on one knee. He takes me hand, reaches in his pocket, and pulls out a stunning ring and asks, “Joy, will you marry me?” My heart is pounding and I can barely catch my breath, but manage to say, “Yes!” He kisses me and slides the ring on my finger…and it fit perfectly.

The rest of the night is a blur, from telling his parents, and to calling mine. And then every once in awhile, it hits me all over again and I realize that I’m engaged and I’m going to be Mrs. Joy Muldoon!

High Five!

2011-06-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm flying away...to Michigan, that is. My boyfriend, Creagon, is from Benton Harbor, MI and tomorrow we are heading to his home to spend 10 days with his family and friends. I've never been to Michigan and I'm rather excited to visit it now...especially with such a great reason! So my next 10 days involve sunsets on Lake Michigan, getting to know the people most important to my man, discovering a new state, taking part in what sounds like an elaborate Fourth of July celebration, meeting a ton of new people, and making some great memories with the boyfriend & family. And maybe a day trip to Chicago [haven't been there yet either!!]. So here's to hittin' the road, and look for updates & photos to follow!

Changes, Redirects and New Steps

2011-06-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about this missionary lifestyle is the fast paced, ever changing day to day. One day can look radically different than the day before. The spontaneity, the go-with-the-flow, all of it is part of the reason why I love this life. With that said, sometimes these changes can look like disappointments, yet prove to be the best plans all along.

After discussing it with my other team members and school staff, I’ve decided to postpone my trip to Asia until after the new year. This will allow me to be part of the leadership of the training school team in the fall, and help lead their outreach to Asia to fight human trafficking from January to March. Working alongside this team will help me to learn how to staff training schools and how to take leadership roles on outreaches. I will not only be an active part of the anti-human trafficking ministry we will do daily, but I also get to invest in the lives of my teammates, discipling & encouraging them in this process. I get to help walk students through the exact same training school experience that I had almost a year ago, which was 12 weeks in Orlando and 8 weeks overseas.

I believe that by postponing this outreach opportunity, I will have the chance to be the most effective in fighting against human trafficking in Asia. The students I lead will be multiplied exponentially, and many of them could be awakened to this injustice for the very first time. Thank you for all your prayers, your support and your encouragement. I could not be doing this ministry without you.

A Wreck of a Week

2011-06-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

So, here's a rather long post recapping my past week...both from my perspective and my boyfriend, Creagon's. If its over the top with sappy sweetness...it's, well, because we've had an emotional week.

Creagon: Last fall I was trying to remember the names of the 50+ students that showed up for the Discipleship Training School at YWAM Orlando. One day at dinner I saw a smile that was very inviting so I sat next to her. I quickly realized she was something special. After introductions she said "So, you are Creagon! You have got to tell me more about this mobilization & communications thing you do for YWAM." Now this is not a typical pickup line, even in YWAM, but it worked for me! Interested, I found out that she has a degree in communications and has worked as a graphic artist for multiple ministries. Perfect right- cute girl, common interests, same place for the next three months - how simple could this get? But there was a problem .... YWAM Orlando asks all new students to hold off on starting new "romantic" relationships for six months. This avoids many headaches as many of our students are teens. Joy (I remember her name by now) was not a teen but willing to follow the rules during her initial training. On my part, lets just say that I followed the rules completely... but found lots of "work related excuses" to be near her. After spending twelve weeks in Orlando, Joy spent the first two months of 2011 in South Africa with her YWAM -DTS outreach. I was very curious to hear what her plans were when she got back.

"So I'll see you in a few weeks!" those were the words that put a smile on my face. Joy would be retuning for a program that when completed could lead to a long term staff position with YWAM Orlando. It also meant that there were no rules preventing our relationship from progressing. On her way back to Orlando I asked her if she would want to go to a church service with me....and meet my parents who were about to leave town. Looking back I will call that the first of our sixteen non-official dates. It was two months later when I officially asked her to be my girlfriend. Since then we don’t keep count of the dates, we just try to spend as much time together as possible. Last week this was easy as I was teaching about finding a financial sponsorship team in a course for future full time ministers - she was one of the students. (Insert your own teachers pet joke or song here).

Once the teaching was over, I took her out for a lazy Saturday at a book store and shopping. We finished the evening with sunset near a local lake. I dropped her off at her house and then started driving home. This is the last thing I remember before waking up in a hospital over two hours later.

Joy: 12:02am, Sunday, June 12, I received the scariest call of my life. My boyfriend, Creagon, had been involved in a serious car accident and was being rushed to the hospital. My heart stopped.

Creagon and I have only been officially dating for 2 weeks at the time of the crash, but I’ve been his for much longer than that. I met Creagon nearly 9 months ago, at the very beginning of my first training school with YWAM Orlando. He was on staff, and I was one of the many new students that invades the campus every 3 months. While sharing about my life, my passions, and plans for my future with my small group leader, she suggested that I talk to Creagon, as many of our interests were quite similar. Then one night at dinner, I find him conveniently beside me. I began talking to him about what he did at YWAM Orlando, involving marketing, communication, recruiting and fundraising. I’m caught up in his passion for mobilizing the next generation into missions and can’t stop staring at his gorgeous blue eyes. I knew I was in trouble. See, YWAM Orlando has a policy for all new students to not start any new romantic relationships while in their first school. And, I already had my life all planned out. It didn’t include staying in Orlando and finding a boyfriend. After sharing with Creagon my plans for the future, he says to me “OK, I know I have a deep voice and all, but I’m not God, so check with Him first, but you should really consider doing a secondary school and coming on staff here.” I laughed it off. Little did I know then those were in fact God’s plans for me.

I found myself wanting to be around Creagon more and more during this first school, but knowing that nothing could or should happen. Heck, I didn’t even know if he was interested in me! Most days, I thought I was crazy because I’d read into the way he looked at me, how often he touched my arm, and the time he spent with me. It wasn’t until after I got back from my 2 month outreach to South Africa, and was about to begin my second school at YWAM Orlando when I discovered that, in fact, I was not crazy. Creagon calls me and invites me to hang out with him and his parents, and immediately i knew this was different. From that point on, we began hanging out intentionally and consistently, until just a few short weeks ago, he asked me to be his girlfriend. My heart soared.

I was trying to wrap my brain around the details of the crash that Creagon’s parents were giving me on the phone while frantically trying to find my keys, shoes, and directions to the hospital. All I knew was that he had been hit, found unconscious in his car, and was now being rushed to the hospital downtown in seemingly stable condition. My roommate drove me [quickly] to be my his side, and on the way I passed his car...and I lost it. The damage was so severe I found myself wondering how he could ever walk away from it. We get to the ER and another phone call from his parents confirm that he is awake, alert and stable and I begin to breathe sighs of relief. It was still almost an hour before I could see him. I finally get to see him and I was relieved to see his handsome face looking up at me. He was pretty out of it, blanking on details, and repeating himself and I suspected he had a concussion.

From more phone calls with his parents and Creagon’s fragmented memory, we began to piece together what happened that night. Creagon dropped me off at 11:15pm and began his drive home. Not even 10 minutes later, he was stopped at a red-light behind two other cars when another vehicle ran right into the back of him, and left the scene. The driver of the first vehicle saw what had happened, and immediately called 911. He went to Creagon’s car and found him unconscious. Unsuccessful in opening the driver’s side door, he went around to the passenger side to help Creagon out of the car, who had now woken up. Creagon was able to remember and recite his parent’s Michigan phone number, which the “guardian angel” was able to contact. Creagon’s parents began calling people at YWAM Orlando once they learned how serious the accident was. I was woken up from my sleep with this terrifying news. Creagon was taken away in an ambulance, still in and out of consciousness, then transferred to a helicopter and rushed downtown.
After talking to doctors and nurses, we discovered that he did have a severe concussion as well as seatbelt bruising. As scary as that sounded, what “could have been” was much scarier. He was released at 6:00am, and I was able to finally take him home. The next few days were a blur. I became something of a nurse/girlfriend. In between making sure he slept, he ate, took medicine when he hurt, went to the doctor’s appointments, I was helping him filter emails, find his car and get his belongings out of it, answer work texts & calls, and track down his missing driver’s license. Hence the blur.

The fog has finally lifted, and his recovery is becoming more and more manageable. His symptoms, while still present, are not as severe and we’re just preparing for however long this process will take. I’m just so grateful that he’s still with me. My heart rests.

Are You A Trader?

2011-06-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of missionary I will be.

Me and Demi Moore

2011-06-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd ever have something in common with Demi Moore. I mean, there's always my secret desire to be a movie superstar and marry a much younger man and rock a shaved head. But that's not what I mean.

A few years ago, her and Ashton Kutcher launched the DNA Foundation, an organization crying out against modern-day slavery in our world. I love when celebrities grab a hold of a justice issue and really stir up the general public [think Bono, AIDS, and Africa]. That's what Demi and Ashton have been doing for some time now with this issue that gets my own heart racing. Recently, CNN has joined the fight too, with their Freedom Project initiative. In fact, later this month, CNN will be airing a 60-minute documentary featuring Demi Moore and her recent trip to Nepal to bring awareness to the slavery happening there. You can understand my excitement, as I too will be traveling to Nepal later this month. Demi and CNN recognized the tragedy that is happening everyday in this beautiful country nestled deep in the Himalayas. And just like they are standing up and saying "No more!", so am I.

Help me and my team get to Nepal by donating $300 or some other today right here on my blog through PayPal. Your donation will secure my airline ticket and the funds needed to spend 7 weeks living with and loving the people of Nepal, and bringing the freedom of Jesus Christ to them. Will you join my support team today?

The Calling

2011-06-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

This blog is not a tribute to the great band of the 2000's, The Calling, whose classic alt rock hit "Wherever You Will Go" spawned sappy romantic montages in movies for years to come. Although, that is a possible blog topic for the future. But I digress...

Nope, this blog is about the previous week of teaching in my School of Ministry Development [SOMD] here at YWAM Orlando. Dean Sangrey, my school leader and training director here at the base, spoke in my school about our personal calling and how it effects our future ministry. Plenty of people can do ministry without a calling, and still accomplish much for the Kingdom. But the sharper we can make our calling, the more effective our lives will be. If we know what we are aiming for, we are more likely to hit it.

So we spent past week in class discussing why a calling is important and how to discover that calling. Asking yourself questions such as what is your personal history, your talents, your spiritual gifts, your acquired skills, your desires and your values can really help give you a clear picture of where you are called. For me, there's a lot of overlap between my personal childhood and interests I had in childhood to what I am burdened for today to what I value. I saw the common thread. And I knew I was getting close to a calling.

Dean also challenged us to write a mission statement for our lives. A mission statement is a written down reason for living. It's what we want to be remembered by. It's not our job, our role or our to-do list. Here's mine...

My mission is value, defend & restore freedom and truth to those in captivity.

As we moved from mission statement to vision, I was able to dream about what it would look like if my mission statement is lived out. And I began to see more of what I'd be doing here at YWAM Orlando. My most obvious passion and what is driving me into missions is the desire to see an end to human trafficking. Freedom. But freedom isn't merely physical. It's spiritual, emotional, and mental as well. I desire to bring freedom to others in all aspects. Whether they are enslaved in a brothel in Asia or studying as a middle-class college student here in the States. When Jesus preached his first sermon beginning His public ministry, this was His message:

"God's Spirit is on me;
he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, "This is God's year to act!" - Luke 4:18-19

Freedom is the key. It's what is taking me to Nepal this summer. It's what is bringing back to Orlando in the fall. It's my calling.

Up, Up, and Away!

2011-06-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here it is, June already and later this month I'll be flying off to Nepal for 8 weeks! This summer, I will be traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal, where I will be fighting against human trafficking and modern slavery in one of the darkest countries on the planet. Nepal's children are being sold by the thousands to the sex trade in India every year. I will have a chance to change that this summer. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity, and even more excited to be purchasing our PLANE TICKETS next week! But, I still need the money to make that happen! Using the PayPal link located on the left of my blog, you can donate directly to my support fund. Partner with me by donating $300 or some other amount today.

God in Hollywood

2011-06-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Every week here at YWAM Orlando, we as a base do something called "Worship & Warfare". It's a chance for us corporately to get together and worship and pray for a nation, an issue or an injustice. I look forward to these days each week, because its when we get to pray what is on God's heart for these places and people. And also I just love learning about countries and how to pray for them! This quarter we've focused on Libya, Ukraine, China, West Bank/Palestine, and more. But today was my favorite Worship & Warfare. We didn't focus on a country, but a sphere of influence that is heavy on my heart...Arts & Entertainment, specifically Hollywood. Almost any conversation with me will reveal my love of movies, music, TV and entertainment. I even keep up with my own entertainment-focused blog just for fun! So when I heard we were praying for this city and this industry, my heart was immediately captivated. Here's some things I learned today...

-Back in the 1920's, when Hollywood was putting together the MPAA [the people who rate our movies], church leaders and pastors were invited to be part of the board. Hollywood looked to the church for input on content and morality. It was the church leaders who backed away from this commitment, seeing it as 'secular'. What a lost opportunity...

-There are Christian talent agencies in Hollywood! Believers who are committed to the arts and having an impact on Hollywood are helping upcoming actors, models and talent find work and get their start in the industry. AMTC is well-respected in Hollywood for locating quality talent.

-Los Angeles, translates to "The Angels" or"Message Bearers". Sadly, the message they bear today is one of immorality, pride, promiscuity, and idolatry. But wouldn't it be amazing if the message they could bring instead was one of truth, humility, glory & reverence to God. That's what we prayed for today.

We also prayed for celebrities in Hollywood right now that are believers. There are actually some there!

Tony Hale, best known for his role as Buster Bluth on Arrested Development [one of my FAVORITE shows] is a believer in the entertainment industry. He is an extremely skilled actor and is open about his Christian beliefs. Here's a quote he said in an interview: "...The majority of my conversations are about breaking down stereotypes. Unfortunately there’s been a lot of abuse of Christianity. But I’m excited to help break down those stereotypes. Even if it’s just to say, “I understand. Most of the Christians with the microphones are the wrong people to have the microphones. But if we’re going to talk about Christianity, let’s talk about Jesus: who he was and what he taught. Because that’s who I follow.”

Zachary Levi, star of NBC's Chuck, is also a Christian in the industry. Here's some of this thoughts on living out his faith in Hollywood. "The atmosphere in Hollywood in general is very anti-conservative, very anti-Christian. The liberal segment of Hollywood, which is 80 percent of it if not more, they look at Christians as hypocrites that are false and fake. The tough part is that in many cases I can’t argue with them. My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, “What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents? And I can turn to them and say without blinking, “Jesus Christ.” You can’t just come out there and say “Hey, I’m a Christian, and I’m gonna beat you into thinking the way that I do.” You can’t do that. It’s not about manipulation so much as it’s about getting in on someone’s life on the ground floor. So more than anything, that’s what I’m trying to do now. Just build relationships with everyone that I work with."

There's obviously more Christians in Hollywood, many we don't even know that are doing what God has called them to do in this city of darkness. If you'd like to join with me to continue to pray for Hollywood, check out the Hollywood Prayer Network for directed prayer topics, people, and issues straight from Hollywood. And let's watch God do miracles in this city!

Prices and Costs

2011-06-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

"A revivalist will disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed." Glenn Sheppard, a modern-day revivalist, shared this with us this past week as he taught about the price and cost of revival. When most religious people hear the word "revival", they immediately think of a super long prayer meeting that starts on Sunday and ends Wednesday night, with engaging worship and long-winded teaching. But that's not what a real revival is. A real revival is the sovereign work of God among His people bringing them from cold, carnal complacency to true Biblical Christianity. It's a difference between knowing the Word of God and the God of the Word. It's not being religious in our world, but being Jesus in our world. Glenn talked about the price of revival, what you "pay" to obtain it, such as desperate praying and humility. He then discussed the cost of revival, what you "pay" to maintain it, such as instant, joyful obedience, the willingness to be identified with all of God's children...no matter who they are, choosing the place of no reputation, and taking the time to seek God's face to discern the things from Him and the things not from Him. Often the cost of something is greater than the price.

I was really challenged this week by how much passion I live for God with. Glenn, or Papa G as many lovingly call him, has been passionately serving the Lord for several decades. And his passion is contagious. He told us this story from the book "One Divine Moment" by Robert Coleman that recounts the revival at Asbury College in the 1970's, about a businessman in New York City in a moment of selflessness was mistaken for Jesus. And that image has stuck with me all week. I desperately want to live a life where I could be mistaken for Jesus. This week's teaching pushed me into a place of greater intimacy with Christ, and I don't want to stop here. I want more.

Why Would Anyone Want to Go to Nepal?

2011-05-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Seema had left the poverty of her home village to work in Kathmandu, Nepal. She was barely twelve when a smooth-talking flesh trader lured her to Mumbai, India, with talk of a better job. She hoped to become a film star. Instead she was sold into a brothel. At first she resisted, screaming, crying and fighting off prospective customers, but the madam who ran the brothel would have none of it. Seema was beaten. But Seema’s spirit was not broken. Nine months later she escaped from the brothel and boarded a train, hoping to eventually get back home. A soft-spoken lady promised help. She lured the young girl to Calcutta and sold her. Seema had only escaped from one brothel into another. And Seema’s story is just one of thousands from the brothels of Nepal and India.

I tell you Seema’s story because this summer I’ll be doing an 8-week outreach to the capital city of Kathmandu, Nepal, with my two schoolmates, Corey and Rebekah. As we have studied & learned together through our lecture phase at YWAM Orlando, we discovered that God had given us all a similar burden for preventing human trafficking. Each of us feels that fighting the injustice of modern-day slavery is part of the ministry God is calling us to. So as we began to pray and plan our outreach, the theme of human trafficking became evident and God began to provide ministry contacts.

Nepal is a source country for human trafficking to India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with thousands of victims trafficked out of Nepal every year. But Nepal also has a growing demand for forced labor and sex trafficking itself. Author Tim McGirk estimates that more than 200,000 Nepalese girls are involved in the Indian sex trade. The girls are bought for as little as $20 and later on sold or re-sold to Indian sex market agents for up to US $600. Our team will bring hope to in the heart of this problem, in the capital city of Kathmandu.

While helping the local YWAM team in Kathmandu, we will bring the hope of Christ to those seeking a way out of prostitution and slavery. Through mapping & documentation, our team will work to provide accurate statistics to those who will end slavery in Nepal.

Please pray for my team and I as we finalize plans, purchase plane tickets, and prepare for this spiritual/physical challenge. Please join us in prayer that each person we meet will become an ordained appointment in their spiritual journey and provide a solution to the deepest needs in their world. I’m excited to invite you to journey with me through abolishing Nepal’s growing injustice of human trafficking and releasing the freedom God wants to bring. Follow my stories at: http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com

God Bless,

Joy Engdahl
http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com

Good News

2011-05-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

This week, my SOMD and staff went to the beautiful Miami, Florida for a time of teaching and ministry with YWAMer, Bob Felder. Bob also taught in my DTS, so I knew we were in for a great time. Bob and his team do campus evangelism at a couple Miami-Dade Community College campuses. They are on the front lines, sharing the gospel with anyone who will listen. I thought I'd be pretty intimidated, but it ended up being a great few days of ministry.

We drove down Sunday afternoon, and it was only a 4 drive, so we got there in time to have dinner with Bob and his family. We were staying at his house, which is huge and has a pool and hot tub, and the most beautiful tropical trees. Monday, we had class all day on the back porch, sunbathing and swimming during a break, and eventually finishing classtime while in the hot tub. Refreshing and relaxing don't even begin to cover it!!

Best class time ever? I think so!

Me and Corey on a class break

Dean & Theresa's baby, Elias, totally loved Miami life as well

Tuesday, we went out to the Miami-Dade North Campus. We split up into pairs and began to evangelism the campus by storm. Well, Storm Joy & Dean [my school leader] lasted about 30 seconds. While talking to our very first person, we were stopped by security and told to stop what we were doing, because we didn't have proper identification. While we knew that the club we were had permission to be active on campus, we didn't want to defy authority, so we stopped sharing for the day. I sat at the campus ministry table and talked to people as they walked by, while my other schoolmates and staff were out sharing. It was really encouraging to hear their stories from the day and it inspired to get out there and try again on Wednesday [on a different campus].

Dean, after getting shut down by security.

Corey, deep in though about evangelizing, and the WAVES Campus Ministry table behind him!

Wednesday went really well at the Miami-Dade Kendall campus, as Corey and I teamed up and began approaching people at the campus coffeeshop. I was still pretty nervous though. Evangelism to strangers has never felt natural to me, and all too often it's the crazies that are the ones doing it. I'm not a crazy person, nor did I want to come off as one. I think I was more fearful of coming off as crazy than I was of actually talking to people. But once we walked up and started the conversation, it felt way more natural. We talked to a few believers, and were able to connect them to the campus ministry. But we also talked to a few nonbelievers, and we were able to clearly lay out the gospel and the plan of salvation to them. We prayed with some, encouraged some and hopefully moved them closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ. I guess some people would say we "failed" because no one actually prayed to receive Christ with us, but I think any spiritual conversation you have with someone that shares the truth about the gospel is a success. And that's exactly what we had. A lot of successful conversations.

We left Miami on Wednesday afternoon encouraged, refreshed, energized and much closer as a school. I jokingly compared our trip to a family vacation instead of a ministry trip. We laughed a lot and just had a great time being together. It made me excited for our outreach this summer and all the amazing times we will get to share together! More on that in my next post....

It's All Elemental

2011-05-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

Last week, we had Steve Sizemore teaching in our school on the Elements of Personality. I must say, this was one of my favorite weeks of teaching. I love any type of assessment quiz or personal inventory questionnaire. I'm such a nerd that way. I was definitely excited to take this specific personality assessment, and see which element I am most like.

The basic premise of the profile is you are either a Fire, Wind, Water or Earth personality type. Everyone has all four to varying degrees of intensity. And a few people are a fusion, with an equal balance of all four. The results of this test are usually easy to remember, as the elements are intuitive. The way you would describe the wind is the same way you'd usually describe a person who is a Wind, which would be fast-paced, swift, refreshing, uplifting, unlimited, untamed, supportive, energizes, and productive. Someone who is an Earth could be described as sold, life-giving, secure, deep, strength, ordered, perfectly poised, scheduled, detailed, works silently, and preserves. A Fire could be characterized with words like hot, passionate, intense, dazzling, warms, visionary, attractive, ignites, consuming, and captivating. And a Water would be described as flexible, reflective, healing, deep, vital, accommodating, refreshing, adaptable, and irresistible.

Along with discussing our elemental personality profile, we looked at our spiritual gifts, our strengths and our talents. We discussed how to function in a team, as a leader, and what each element brings to a team, and how to best communicate. It was very practical and simple to grasp. At the end of the week, we wrote our Personal Portfolio, which is something like a summary of who we are and what we offer. Here's mine...

I am Wind. I love for things to be fun and exciting. I am optimistic and extremely flexible. As my Fire comes out, I am constantly motivating and exciting people to do something, to know something, or to be part of something. This is also expressed through my spiritual gift of Teaching. Whether it's one on one, or in front of a large group of people, I enjoy communicating and sharing information with others for their benefit. My Earth keeps me grounded in reality and inspires me towards study and facts, which makes me a better teacher. Sometimes through teaching, the spiritual gift of prophecy will emerge, as I am able to edify, encourage, or comfort someone else. I don't like heavy/somber moods, even if I'm discussing heavy/somber things - it's my natural tendency to keep the atmosphere light and airy. I recognize the power of words and am consistently wanting to wield it well in the world, to inspire change, promote growth, challenge adversity, and bring healing.

As we learned, through self-awareness, we are brought into a place of stewardship. The more we discover about ourselves, the more responsibility God puts on us, just as Jesus taught in the parable of the workers and the talents [Matthew 25:14-30]. I pray that as God continues to show me things about my character, my personality, my strengths and my giftings that I am constantly putting them under His stewardship so I can be a tool used for His kingdom. What more can a girl ask for in life, right?

The Wonder of Wandering

2011-05-18T19:29:00.001-07:00

Nothing profound to add here...just a great quote from a great author. For all those who love to wander!

i Know What I Know

2011-05-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a few extra days to get a blog posted recapping last week's lecture. Maybe its because I had a weekend full of other things, or maybe because I'm still processing all that Al McBryan had to teach us. Al is one of the smartest people I have ever met, and sometimes sitting in his class is like doing mental gymnastics. He asks questions that I never thought of asking and discussing topics that have never crossed my mind. But I knew this going into the week, so I'll say I was somewhat prepared.

Al McBrayn, getting comfortable for class time!

Our topic was "Essentials of the Gospel". Basically, we talked about the gospel, and what were the essentials someone has to know to be saved. Basically, we started with how do we know God exists, and if He exists is there a reason to believe His is there to be known. We had some great discussion on proving the existence of God. We then moved into who is God, and what is He like, and a discussion on the nature and character of God. From there we talked about about How and why must everyone come to know God, and it was here that we really delved into the process of salvation. Finally, we discussed why is Jesus the only way back to God. There were so many big theological ideas thrown about. Some I wholeheartedly agreed with and some I'd never considered before, and it challenged me to go back to Scripture and gain perspective. I've also been reading Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins, which has itself become quite controversial among many Christian circles. So last week I was really feeling challenged to KNOW that i KNOW where I stand on these issues. I mean, think there's always going to be the mystery of faith, and some things will ever be able to be explained with human logic. And that's OK. Faith is essential to the gospel. In Hebrews 11:6 it says "It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." This current week's teaching is completely different than last week's, and I'm grateful for the change of pace, but I'm definitely still wrestling with some of these points and questions we discussed. But I guess that all just part of this Christian journey....the believing, the doubting, the grasping, the revelations, the understanding, the experiencing and the sharing. What a beautiful process.

A Developing Ministry

2011-04-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

This week in my School of Ministry Development, we spent a week with Dean Sherman learning how to develop our personal ministry. Pretty important week for this school, I'd say! And it was truly great! I learned so much about true ministry and how to minister that are definitely shaping how I view things. One of the most foundational truths I took away from this week is that ministry needs to come out of my lifestyle more than my training. Ministry isn't a bunch of classes and applications, but a lifestyle that changes other people's lives. It's being able to show people how an experience with God revolutionizes someone's life. The greatest aspect about Christianity is the fact that it's not a list of rules and good ideas with a prize at the end, but its a shift in our entire mindset that brings peace, contentment, fulfillment in this life today through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Heaven is just the completion of that...an eternity in relationship with Him. So it's not how much I know that's going to give me an effective ministry, but how I live my life. We looked at the Biblical example of a developing personal ministry through the life of Paul. Other than Jesus, no one else's ministry shaped the early church more. Paul exemplified ministry as lifestyle in every way. Paul also recognized who was the center of his ministry....Jesus. "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." - Acts 20:24. If we are selfish in our ministry, or only serving for ourselves, we will burn out! Jesus himself said "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27. Jesus wasn't trying to make it rough on His followers, but telling us it would be impossible. We won't burn out if we are doing what God calls to do the way He calls us to do it. "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" Isaiah 40:31. Ministry and serving [which is the same thing, by the way!] should be a joy, not a chore!

Once we had the right perspective on what ministry IS, we discussed what it is NOT, the different focuses of ministry, different ways to minister, the categories or functions of ministry, the foundations of the church [or ministry], the different giftings given to believers by the Holy Spirit, and how to launch our ministry. It was a week packed full of information that I'm still processing and praying through, but its information that will transform any future ministry I'm part of, and the ministry I get to do daily. The best part of the week was the discussion about how if you are a believer, you are part of the Body of Christ and therefore have a function in the body...which is your ministry. Every Christian has a ministry and is called to serve! Isn't that just so freeing?! So minister this week in your job, in your family, in your neighborhood, and in your community. Use your life to point others to Christ, and watch what the Spirit will do. You'll be in for a great week!

Debt Free

2011-04-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Easter weekend. Unless you live under a rock, you probably knew that already. Sometimes I like to state the obvious. But I also like to state the less obvious. Easter is my favorite holiday. Not for the candy, or the eggs, the bunnies, or the terrible pastels, but because its a celebration of the day I became debt free.

In my adult life, I've acquired some debt. Thankfully, not a huge amount, but enough to know what it feels like to owe someone something I can't pay back. And I've felt the freedom of making the final car payment and no longer having that debt weighing me down. Easter isn't the celebration of when I paid off my car, but when Jesus paid off my sin...the ultimate debt. Since sin and death entered the world back in the days of Adam and Eve, humans have carried this debt...one they are unable to pay. And in God's infinite love, He did not chose to eradicate the world of sin and death, which would have resulted in our eradication. Instead, He sent His only Son to bear the payment. A payment of death, that only blood spilled could cover. His resurrection 3 days later conquered death forever, allowing us to enter into an eternal relationship with God, the Creator of the universe. Which is exactly what He wanted all along.

This is why I love Easter.

"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:5-6

Fractured Souls

2011-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

This week in SOMD we had the great Steve Shamblin as our speaker. He also taught in my DTS, so I knew I was in for a week of great Biblical teaching and Spirit-filled times of prayer and ministry. Our topic this week was Identity, and more specifically, Healing of the Fractured Soul [Steve's book on the topic is also available on Amazon!]. Steve walked us through the Proverbs and what the Bible says about what can wound our spirit, and the pain and sin that can result. We even looked at Jesus' life and how His spirit was wounded, yet it never effected His character. Why is this? How can Jesus experience the same painful circumstances we experience, but it never caused Him to retreat into sorrow, rejection, mistrust or abuse? Because Jesus walked out in forgiveness and confidently knew His identity was in the love of the Father. And that's where we as humans fall short. We look to everyone but God the Father for our identity. From the culture around us to our friends or family or ministries, everything shapes who we are. And because those are all broken or imperfect sources, it's no wonder we find ourselves lacking in self-worth and self-value. In Psalm 139, the psalmist talks about God knitting together our "inmost parts"...which are fearfully and wonderfully made! It wasn't our bodies that God was praising, but our souls. The part of us that gives us life and character and personality and identity. The part of us that can live in eternity with Him forever. The bodies, or shells, will turn to dust and fade, but souls live on. Yet we spend so much time focusing on keeping these shells looking a certain way, and judging our shells to other people's shells. We should take care of our body as best as we can, but not put all of our stock there. We also talked through two cycles people live their lives in...Rejection and Performance, and the woundedness that can result.

So as you can see, it's been another great week here in the YWAM Orlando SOMD. I'm learning not only awesome principles that are bringing me closer to God, but are also skills that I can use to encourage others in their journey with Him. It's a great place to be.

Leviticus Reading Party

2011-04-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight, me and some of my friends decided to read the book of Leviticus out loud to one another. Now, reading the Old Testament is required for my current school, SOMD, and I thought what better way to get through a seemingly dull book than to make a party out of it! I invited my two other SOMDers, Rebekah and Corey, and Lori, one of my roommates who just recently moved back to YWAM Orlando after 9 months studying at YWAM Taiwan's School of Biblical Studies. She provided alot of background and great contextual information on Leviticus. We made brownies and coffee and dove into a book all about the Law.

I've never actually read Leviticus all the way through before, and I must say I judged it poorly. While God is extremely detailed in His instructions for the Israelites, it's not without purpose. This generation was coming out of slavery in Egypt, where they had lived for 430 years. All they've known is oppression and Egyptian customs. They never lived as their own people. God gave them these specific and detailed laws to set them apart from the Egyptians from which they came, and the surrounding peoples. Over and over again throughout Leviticus, God tells the Israelites they are to "distinguish between the holy and the common" [Lev. 10:10], He separated them from the peoples because they are His [Lev. 20:26], and He is the one who sanctifies [Lev. 22:31-33]. His laws were a beautiful picture of the distinction between the sacred and the ordinary, and the standard to which God calls us to. There is incredible foreshadowing of Jesus' role through both the Azazel scapegoat [Lev. 16] and how only life-giving blood can be accepted a sacrifice for sin [Lev 17:11]. Pretty much I was blown away with how much truth I walked away from this book. I love how alive and active His Word truly is, and every book and every verse is written for a reason. Plus, it was a good reason for a party!

Property Pics!

2011-04-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

FINALLY got around to taking some pictures of the awesome property we have here at YWAM Orlando, and all the hard work that's been going on around here...so you can have a better idea of what its like out here!

The entrance to our property

The inside of the "tree house" [because there's literally a tree in it] that we've been using for meals, meal prep, worship, prayer times, and staff meetings. So functional! I love it though...the tree and the HUGE window make it uniquely beautiful to me

The gorgeous lake on our property. Already set up with chairs ideal for sunset viewing!

Corey and Rebekah in our "classroom", which is the living room of my house!

Sex + Money

2011-04-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible video I ran across a few months ago highlighting some of the all-too-true statistics of the global sex trade. I still watch it and it brings tears to my eyes. I watched it again this week as my SOMD team is praying about our options for the 8-week outreach we have this summer. All 3 of us feel a specific burden for this injustice, and perhaps our outreach will be in this area. Watch the video and say a prayer for the victims of human trafficking in your own country, and what you can do to stop modern day slavery.

Sex+Money from crown media on Vimeo.

Getting the DNA

2011-04-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

This week in my SOMD classes, we watched videos from the YWAM DNA Conference from 2006. Co-founders, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, and international leader David Hamilton taught a week-long conference on who we are as YWAM, what are our values, how does that influence our character, and where is God taking us. Now normally videos are not my favorite way to learn in the classroom, doesn't leave much for interaction. But these videos were great! I felt so much more connected to the YWAM family after this week. I was able to hear big success stories of God's provision and humbling failure stories of man's pride. The successes encouraged me to press on and the failures reminded me of my journey...and the fact that God is still faithful. Some of the highlights from the teachings:

Discernment is knowing what's right and what's almost right. For me, I can usually identify the "wrong" choice, but its those choices that seem right or pretty close that I get stuck on. That's where discernment kicks in.
"I gave you the gifts you have and the gifts you don't have are part of my design." - God. I'm pretty confident in my giftings and knowing my strengths, but I can also think of so many times I've longed or wished for other, seemingly better, talents. But God didn't give me those for a reason! He didn't create me, then realize whoops! she was supposed to be musical. The gifts I have AND don't have are all part of His grand design.
We must have enormous respect for the gifts of God AND the variety gifts in every person. Learn to celebrate their uniqueness and differences, instead of emphasizing their flaws. It's beautiful.
Our goal in this "race" [Heb. 12:1-2] is not a "what", but a "who". And that's Jesus. Our goal in this Christian life isn't eternity in heaven. It's about a intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Heaven is just where we get to spend eternity with Him.

There was so much more that I walked away with from this series. I really enjoyed this week of teaching and discussion with my school. Each week brings us closer and closer to each other. What a great experience!

Wise Counsel

2011-04-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

This was my first official week of classes here in my School of Ministry Development. We’ve already hit the ground running with some awesome topics and discussion.

This week in my SOMD, we had John Bills teaching us on how to include God in our decision making, conflict resolution, and trauma counseling/debrief. I absolutely loved this week’s teaching, it was so practical and I know that I will be able to incorporate all of these new skills almost immediately into ministry.

We first looked at what each person brings to the table in a decision making process, such as personality, background, character, understand of God, and the ability to hear His voice. Each person is different in this area, and when making corporate decisions, one or more of these could be affecting their ability to make a decision. So we spent some time identifying these things in ourselves, so we can know what we are bringing to the table. We discussed the different elements we bring into decisions, like our spirit, conscience, mind, will, emotions, and flesh and the role each of those can play in our decision making. Then John gave us this great list of questions we can ask ourselves and pray over to determine if we are including God in the decision making process.

We also spent some time discussing conflict and how to resolve it. Because ministry always involve people, there is no doubt that at some point in my ministry experience, I will have to resolve some conflict. So this week I learned some great practical strategies on how to handle that, as well as the Biblical model of conflict resolution and how Jesus handled conflict.

Finally, we spent some time focusing on trauma and grief counseling. An inevitable part of ministry and life is dealing with grief, and if we can be more equipped on how to walk people through it, we can experience healthier ministries and teammates.

So this whole week was just full of great knowledge from a man who has seen a lot in his 37 years in YWAM. John Bills taught in my DTS last fall on hearing the voice of God, and that teaching was just as foundational. I’m so excited for what other great things I’ll be learning in this school and turning around to put into practice.

My Life as a Pioneer

2011-04-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Remember reading in history books about the pioneers? They worked hard for everything they had, which wasn’t much, and lived off the land. They made this country what it was as they set off for new land, not yet explored. Images like wagon trains, Daniel Boone and Little House on the Prairie usually come to mind. Well, these days I feel like I can relate to these early American pioneers.

YWAM Orlando has been in the process of restoring its new 198-acre property that was purchased last fall. During my DTS, we worked this property regularly striving to make it inhabitable. With their previous being rented facilities, and 15 homes spread out through several neighborhoods, YWAM Orlando has been steadily outgrowing its space. With this new property, which happens to be an abandoned church camp, all staff, students and schools can be in one place! It’s such a blessing! Last quarter, two schools were living and training out at the property, and this quarter all five schools moved out to the property. While that in and of itself is super exciting, here’s a few other things about the property I’ve left out. There’s still no electricity out here, as the process with the power companies has just taken an extremely long time. We’ve been running our buildings and kitchen off of generators. That works great, until you factor in water and sewage. Two things we also don’t have on the property. So its refillable water tanks and porta-potties! There’s one double wide trailer that has been set up with running water, which makes it a hotspot on campus. The majority of the staff out here are living in campers and RV’s as well. I’ve been lucky to be in a house [with 15 other people], that’s about 15 minutes away from the property, as there’s still just not enough finished space for all of us students. So that’s been the status thus far. It’s been challenging, and a learning experience, but we’ve been dominating each struggle.

Then yesterday we get this curveball. The city decides to tell us that we cannot “inhabit” any of the buildings without power. So all the students, staff, kitchen, offices, and classrooms now have to be moved to….where. But nothing can keep YWAM Orlando down for long! We made a pantry out of a trailer, and moved our “kitchen” into an outdoor picnic area. All male students are now in the double-wide, and classrooms have moved to homes. My new classroom is my living room. Should make getting to class on time a breeze!

And this is week two. Pioneering a new base is an adventure I didn’t realize I was signing up for. But what an incredible opportunity to see God provide in amazing ways. Also on yesterday, we found out we’ve finally been invoiced for the electricity, which means power lines can go in! We’ve been praying for this for 7 months. So God is definitely on the move here at YWAM Orlando and you can literally see it on the campus. I just hope I can keep up.

*Photo fail. These are all from the fall 2010 quarter. More current pictures to come on future blogs!

Romans 12:2

2011-04-06T16:51:00.001-07:00

Every week during my SOMD lecture phase, I'll be memorizing and meditating on a different Scripture verse. I thought it would be fun to share these verses as I am learning them. Enjoy!

Start of Something New

2011-03-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've finally moved and settled back into my [new] life at YWAM Orlando this week. I arrived on Sunday evening, fully expecting to be living out at our new non-powered, non-watered property. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that YWAM had rented a house about 10 minutes away with plenty of space for us incoming students. Here's a few pictures of my new place! [None of the outside yet, because it hasn't stopped raining since I've been here!]

I live here with 16 other people, and thankfully because the house is so large, it never feels crowded! Well, maybe just the bathroom, as 12 of us girls are sharing it. But I'm so thankful for having indoor plumbing, I can't even complain. And we have wifi here at the house too! God knows how to keep me comfortable! I am living with 2 girls from my DTS back in September, Morgan and Sydney. Morgan was on my South Africa outreach and Sydney went to Jordan. My other roomies are Rebekah from New Jersey [also in my SOMD!], Iris from California, and Emily from France. Rebekah share a bunk, and I got the top this time around. We have the best bunk though, because they were custom built with those awesome drawers! So handy! Pretty much everyone else in the house is single female staff, as well as a family of four from Puerto Rico in the DTS. First week and things seem to be going smoothly, so let's hope that trend continues.

We've also begun our classes as well. I'm in the School of Ministry Development [SOMD] with 2 other students, Corey and Rebekah. It's a very small school, but I'm kinda excited that we'll be getting such personal attention from the teachers and the staff working our school. Sometimes I felt a little lost in the crowd of 50 during my DTS, but that's not going to happen in this school. Corey was one of the guys in my DTS and on my Africa outreach, and so we were already pretty close starting the school, but I know this experience will only bring us closer. And Rebekah is such a sweetheart, and I can't wait to get to know her more!

We have a great course schedule planned for this school. The whole purpose of the SOMD is to equip people who believe God is calling them to serve Him in full-time ministry. It will impart truth to us and teach us how to pass it on to others so God's kingdom will expand. It's also required for me to continue to pursue staff here at YWAM Orlando. Some topics/teachers I'm really looking forward to hearing are: Steve Shamblin on Identity and Healing the Fractured Heart, Dean Sherman on Effective Personal Ministry, and Al McBryan on the Essentials of the Gospel, which will really break down the gospel, and what it means to us today and how to share it effectively. We will also be traveling down to the YWAM Miami campus to train with Bob Felder and do some campus evangelism. Also, Dean and Creagon from our YWAM Orlando staff will be teaching us, which should be pretty great too! So it looks like these next 12 weeks of lecture phase will be just as impacting as my 12 weeks of DTS lecture phase, and maybe even more! I'm so excited to hear what God has for me during this time and grow in my understanding and knowledge of Him. Still not sure what my outreach for this school will be, but there's a real good chance I will be joining the current DTS to Turkey & Cyprus. It'd be a great opportunity to grow in leadership and experience Muslim missions for the first time. But I'm remaining opening to the leading of the Lord and my school leadership.

So as the end of the first week draws to an end, I am both excited and overwhelmed to be back here again. But most of all I'm just content, knowing I'm exactly where God wants me to be.

Letters, Love & Prayers Vol. 10

2011-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends!

Just a few days ago, I graduated from my Discipleship Training School with all of my many teammates. It’s crazy to think that this 5 month journey has finally come to an end. Through the past 5 months, I learned how to clearly hear the voice of God, what is the true character and nature of God, how to identify both the root and fruit of pride and how to eliminate it, and what living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ looks like. I’ve traveled across the globe to share God’s love and compassion with the hurting and the broken. I’ve learned more about myself and my relationship with Christ in these 5 months than ever before. And what’s even more exciting is the shape my future is taking.

For those of you that have been following my blog, I’ve been posting weekly stories from Southern Africa and have finally added some photos and videos to it as well. I hope you’ve been enjoying the journey alongside of me. And the best part is that the journey is not over yet. As I talked about in my last update letter, my future plans have taken a turn. I’ll be starting a secondary training school with YWAM Orlando, called the School of Ministry Development, at the end of this month. This training school [5 months in length] will be strategic in helping me develop a vision for my personal ministry, as well as enable me to come on staff with YWAM Orlando hopefully in the fall of 2011. As staff, I’ll be able to help staff future human trafficking Compassion & Justice training schools, allowing me to be involved in discipleship, as well as local & international human trafficking awareness and outreach. It’s an opportunity I’m really excited about.

To go with these new plans, God’s also allowed for me to continue this exciting journey of fundraising! I saw Him provide over and above in the past year with enough funds to cover my DTS and living expenses. And I know He’s going to do the same thing for this SOMD journey. If you and your family have already taken part in giving to my ministry in the past year, I want to thank you again. Your generous gift was such a blessing. I still have a great financial need for this next. This upcoming training school will cost $4,800 [plus airfare depending on outreach location]. For all online donations, feel free to use the PayPal link on my blog [http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com]. For check or cash, please send all funds to my home church, Watermark Church, with the enclosed card. This will allow your gift to be tax deductable. Thank you in advance your for your generousity.

As for prayer needs, please lift up the property where I’ll be moving. YWAM Orlando just purchased a beautiful new campus in Clermont, FL which allows all schools, trainings, and offices to be one property. It’s still in the rennovation stage, and as of this writing, does not have running water and electricity [it’s being powered by generators currently]. Please pray that the power company will see our campus as a high priority! I like being spoiled with running water and regular showers. Also, as I prepare to enter a new chapter, just pray that God prepares me spiritually, emotionally and mentally for what is to come.

Thank you again for all your support and encouragement. I greatly appreciate it!

God Bless,

Joy Engdahl
http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com

Hearing God Through Christian Radio

2011-03-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe you are thinking, well duh, of course God speaks through Christian radio. And I'll give you that. He does. A lot. I'm just not usually the one listening to it. I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a music snob. I like my indie bands no one has heard of except for a few other equally cool friends of mine. I like obscure foreign music [Sigur Ros, anyone?] and those sleepy songs that play during an art film's romantic montage [Ray Lamontagne, yes please!]. I used to listen to Christian radio all the time...but then I just stopped. When every song starting sounding the same, when I heard other bands that sounded current not like they were stuck in the 90's when its 2002, and when I realized none of my Christian friends listened to Christian radio either. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Christian radio...I'm glad it exists! My first international mission trip was because of a Christian radio station, and I'm forever grateful I turned it on that day. But even still, it's never really been a preset on my radio. Until recently. While in southern Africa, God really challenged about secular media and what I'm taking in through movies, TV, music and books. It's touchy subject for me, because I like my media. But I love my Savior more. So when He speaks, I listen. And He asked me to let it go for a season. I began listening to more Christian music, and reading more Scripture and Christian fiction. And surprisingly, there's some OK stuff out there! I found myself continuing when I returned stateside, and added some Christian stations to my car stereo. So begins this story...

The other day I was thinking about my life and the direction it was headed, and I began to get overwhelmed. Why was doing this secondary school just 2 weeks after returning from Africa? Where was I going to get the money for the school? How was I going to pay my bills? Should I take a quarter off, and just work? Should I even go back at all, there's plenty of ministry to be done right here in Tampa? I begin praying in the state of my overwhelming cry. I turned off one Christian station [I just couldn't handle another Colbie Calait sound-alike] to turn on another and catch the last half of this song by Josh Wilson, called I Refuse. Listen to what God spoke:

It hit me square between the eyes. This was why I was turning around 2 weeks later to do another training school. This was how I knew God would provide not only the funds for my school, but also my bills. And this is how I knew that what God is calling me to is bigger. Bigger than me, bigger than any job I could take or any paycheck I could bring home. Because:

Sometimes I,
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone’s alright
When I know they’re not.
This world needs God
But it’s easier to stand and watch.
I could pray a prayer and just move on
Like nothing’s wrong.

But I refuse.

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately,
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of you, oh God.
So, if you say move,
Then it’s time for me to follow through,
And do what I was made to do.
Show them who you are.

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.

To stand and watch
The weary and lost
Cry out for help.
I refuse
To turn my back
And try and act like all is well.
I refuse
To stay unchanged,
To wait another day,
To die to myself.
I refuse
To make one more excuse.

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.
Show them who you are.

And that is how God spoke to me through Christian radio. Funny, eh?

The Big Apple

2011-03-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just back from a whirlwind vacation through New York City. My family and I spent four days cramming in as much sightseeing as possible. And we were pretty successful! We arrived early Thursday morning [on St. Patrick's Day, and yes I wore green!] and after a harrowing van ride, we were in Manhattan before lunch. To avoid the craziness of the midtown parade, we took the subway down to Greenwich Village, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Those neighborhoods are not only completely different from each other, but also from the rest of Manhattan. It was so fun just walking the streets and taking in all the new sights. While in Greenwich, we did find the FRIENDS building from one of my favorite TV shows of all time as well! So exciting! After dinner, my sister Stephanie and I went out to see more of the city, and we found the awesome Apple Store on 5th Avenue. It was every bit of exciting as I had hoped! On Friday, we explored more of midtown. Starting at the Rockefeller Center, we went straight to the top for an incredible view of the city. While at Rockefeller, I couldn't help think of my new favorite show, 30 Rock, and took tons of pictures seen in the opening credits! Highlight of this day: celebrity sighting! Matt Bomer, from Chuck and White Collar was filming a segment on the Today show, and we got to see him. YAY! Afterward, Steph and I continued out on our way. I had a total Project Runway afternoon...from Parsons School of Design where each episode is filmed, to Mood Designer Fabrics where the contestants shop every episode, to Bryant Park where Fashion Week is held, I was pretty much in heaven! I loved Fashion District.

We then went back downtown for a water taxi tour around the Statue of Liberty. So cool! We walked Wall Street and the Financial District and saw all the sights. That night, we saw The Lion King on Broadway. It's a show I've seen before and loved. Having just returned form Africa, I looked at the animals with new appreciation. It was a fantastic show! On Saturday, we started the day in Central Park. Walking past famous movie landmarks like Wollman Rink [Serendipity], Loeb's Boathouse [27 Dresses], and Bethesda Fountain [One Fine Day, Gossip Girl], it was a great day. We then took a carriage ride through the park, and enjoyed the other sights that our driver pointed out. We then shopped like kids....FAO Schwartz then Dylan's Candy Bar! After shopping, Stephanie and I got our fill of culture, with tours of both the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We saw originals from famous artists such as Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Pollock, Dali and Warhol. It ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.

We crashed into bed at the end of this very long day. Sunday morning we had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport, so went back down to Greenwich, enjoyed some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, and took a tour of the NBC studios. It was a full, but exciting four days to say the least. We saw a ton of things, and had a blast doing it. But, I'm happy to be home and excited about my next adventure...School of Ministry Development with YWAM Orlando starting in just 7 days!!

Empire State of Mind

2011-03-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my family and I leave for a fabulous four-day family vacation in NEW YORK CITY. I've only been there once [6 years ago] and I'm pretty stoked to go back. I love the busyness of the city and all the touristy sights to see. I love all the culture that comes together in one place. There's always something to see and do, and I can't wait to see and do it all! And it will be great to have this experience with my family as well. We haven't taken a vacation with just the four of us in I don't know how long, and with my foreseeable future being a missionary lifestyle, who knows the next time all of our schedules will align. We have many things on the agenda in the next four days, the big landmarks and the touristy highlights, but here are a few things I'm especially excited for...

1. Central Park. It's one of my favorite places in the city. It's a breath of fresh air amidst the concrete jungle, and it has some truly beautiful landmarks.

2. NBC Studios. As a recent 30 Rock junkie, I'm pretty excited to get to tour the NBC studios, a network that some of my favorite TV shows have called home.

3. FRIENDS Apartment building. FRIENDS is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and the apartment building they "lived" in is right in Greenwich Village. Must find!

4. Apple store. As a MAC nerd through and through, finding this Fifth Avenue mecca for techies is non-negotiable. I mean look at it...it glows!

5. Mood Designer Fabrics. As one who sews and adores Project Runway, finding the fabric hotspot for fashion designers is high on my list as well. Think there's a chance of running into Tim Gunn there? Because that would make my year!

So there ya have it. Some things I'm looking most forward to in the next four days! Stayed tuned for photos and videos when I return! Happy St. Patty's day!

Lecture Phase & Outreach Recap Videos

2011-03-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

Just for fun, I made these videos recapping both lecture phase in Orlando, then outreach in Southern Africa. As I'm sure you can tell, I had a blast in the past 5 months!!

Super Safari Slideshow

2011-03-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a video filled with many of my teammates' pictures and my own videos from our amazing 2 day safari in Kruger National Park!

Southern Africa Ministry Recap Video

2011-03-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I put together with my teammates photos and videos recapping our time ministering in South Africa and Botswana. Enjoy!

It's the End of the [DTS] World as We Know It

2011-03-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

As I write this blog, I'm sitting alone in a bedroom in an empty house. Yup, DTS is officially over and I'm back home. I still don't think it feels real yet, but I'm sure over the next few days the reality of the goodbyes will set in and I'll desperately miss my dear friends.

This past week has been a blur. We left Tuesday morning from White River Kruger for the airport in Johannesburg. It was a 4 hour drive, and we gave ourselves almost 4 hours before our flight to check-in and shop. Or so we thought. Due to one mishap after another regarding our tickets [and poor customer service from Delta], it was only 10 minutes before boarding by the time our entire team was checked in. We were able to inhale some dinner and grab a few souvenirs before taking off on our long 17 hour flight. We left from Joburg around 8:30pm and landed in Atlanta around 5:30am on Wednesday. It was the weirdest feeling to fly for that long through the dark the entire time! But I had PLENTY of movies to keep me entertained. We got into Orlando around 10:30am and it felt so good to be back in a familiar area. We were able to go to the YWAM base and see old friends and eat lunch with the new schools. We all were dealing with some serious jetlag, but we pushed through with hopes of adjusting quickly.

On Thursday, the other two outreaches returned back to the base and we were reunited with our entire DTS class. It was so fun to hear their outreach stories and see how they've grown. We stayed out at the property Thursday night, which looks so amazing. There's been so much work done there, and its totally livable now! Which is great, because in a few weeks, I will be living out there!

Friday, we had an extensive time of reflection and debrief with our staff which really helped just solidify what God has been doing in our lives during these past 5 months. We reflected on Scripture and just processed what we're been learning. We shared with teammates our most impactful moments, both in lecture phase and an outreach. It was really a beautiful time of sharing. We then got to go out to dinner as a school and celebrate our graduation day! Our graduation "ceremony" was also out at the property, the first school to graduate out there!

It was a great ceremony. All the families came earlier for a dinner, and I was so excited to see my parents and sister! It's been so long! Each outreach shared stories and a slideshow. I almost cried again during our slideshow. We really made alot of good memories. After the ceremony, I had the impossible task of saying goodbyes to the people who had come to mean so much to me. It was really tough. When the last tearful goodbye was spoken and the last hug given, we loaded up the family car and set off for Tampa once again. The only thing keeping me together was knowing I'd be right back there in just a few weeks. My heart felt like it was being pulled in so many different directions, but I know that I'll see most of these precious friends again at some point. And I can't wait for that day!

Super Safari!

2011-03-05T01:15:00.001-08:00

This week we had an incredible opportunity to an African safari! I've been waiting for this all of outreach. And not only were we able to do a safari, but it was an overnight 2 day safari! We actually camped overnight in the park. Our safari was in Kruger National Park, which is the largest national park in the world, roughly the size of the country of Israel. It takes 18 hours just to drive from one end to the other! So obviously, we didn't go through the whole park, but we definitely covered a lot of ground. We started at 5am Monday morning, because early morning hours are prime lion time. While we didn't see lions that morning, we did see elephants, hippos, baboons, warthogs, monkeys, hyenas, and a rhino! It's one thing seeing these amazing creatures in a zoo, but in the wild, in their natural habitat is just breathtaking. It was late afternoon by the time we got settled into our camping spot. We got to stay in these incredible safari tents, complete with beds and refrigerators! But we didn't spend too much time in the tents, because after dinner we went on a night safari! The sky was lit up with stars I've never seen before and I was in awe. It was just so peaceful driving through this beautiful park in the cool of the night air. The first animals we saw on the night safari was a pride of 20 lions! They were just lounging on the street, stopping traffic from both ways. They didn't even seem fazed we were snapping pictures of them! It was mostly female lions and their babies, but we did see a male lion in the mix as well. We watched them for almost 10 minutes before they got tired of the road, and went back into the grass. It was SO exciting! We also saw hyenas, wildebeests, and elephants that night too. But nothing could top those lions! The next morning we started early again, totally hooked on seeing more lions. We didn't see lions, BUT we did almost get charged by 4 white rhinos in the middle of the street! They intensely stared us down, and started walking towards us. We backed up the vans and prayed they wouldn't get closer. Eventually, they tired of us and left us alone, but our hearts were racing by then. We also saw giraffes on Tuesday too! They are the most beautifully awkward creatures. We were watching them feed on some trees by the watering hole, when a few zebra wandered up as well! And then a few hippos pop up out of the watering hole and begin cooling themselves off. I felt like I was living in a movie. Later that afternoon we got a glimpse of more lions, 5 females on the hunt. We saw it's prey leaping out of sight. We also witnessed a herd of elephants and their babies crossing the street right in front of us as well. The momma elephants were being real protective of their babies, and thought our vans were a threat, but after a few minutes realized we were not, and they just continued on their own. But we saw about 30 elephants cross right in front of us. Wee saw so many elephants that by the end of our safari, we didn't even stop any more. It was wild. I was so blessed to see the wildness of God's creation. How He created these beautiful creatures to hunt and survive the way they do. It was the best 24 hours I ever spent in a car!

Purity in Africa

2011-02-26T01:19:00.001-08:00

While in Kruger, we've been attending Evangelical Church with Pastor Stimbiso. For the entire month of February, he's focusing his sermons on love and relationships. Which just happens to tie in perfectly with our purity teachings we've been putting together this outreach! Every Sunday night, the church has a youth/young adult service which we are part of. This Sunday, we are teaching on purity and incorporating some purity-themed skits. We're covering everything from boundaries to setting limits to why God requires abstinence until marriage to how to start over if someone's already gone too far. Our team has really embraced this message, and does a great job teaching it.

But adding the skits is something new for this specific teaching. In my job before YWAM life, every summer I would teach a team of high school students a 3 day skit-based curriculum to teach abstinence and healthy life choices to younger students. It's a ton of fun, and was the highlight of my job every year. Well, now I got to teach some of these same skits to my South Africa team! It was so fun watching them learn these skits that are so familiar to me, and add their own personality and character to them and make them their own. It made me miss my students back in Tampa, and I thought of all the great memories we shared over the past 3 summers. But most of all it was exciting to see this message of God's standard purity to be shared on a whole different continent and be embraced. I'm so blessed to be on this outreach and be sharing a message so near and dear to my heart.

Word of God Speak

2011-02-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

Today I did something I have never ever done before. I gave my Bible away to a stranger. Not just any Bible either, like my favorite Bible. I've had it for 4 years, and its traveled with me to Georgia, New Zealand, Florida, Cambodia, South Africa, and Botswana. I've marked it up with my favorite passages and times when God spoke to me through it. And I just gave it away.

Well, I didn't just give it away. It was something God told me to do. Last Sunday I was sitting in church, and to be honest, daydreaming a bit, and I was asking God to prepare me for ministry this week. And I heard Him say to give my Bible away to someone that needs it. My first thought was no way, this is my Bible. I love this Bible...the size, the color, everything about it I love. But God didn't let it go, so I began to emotionally prepare to separate from my Bible. I know, it sounds crazy that I even was feeling emotional separation, but I was. On Monday morning we had a time of intercession, and I heard God speak about my Bible again, and I knew it would be this week. We went out to this shopping plaza to do some prayer and evangelism, and with everyone we talked to I was wondering if they would be the one. I wanted God to be so clear with who would get my Bible. It didn't happen on Monday. Tuesday morning we did the same thing. I wasn't feeling too great, and wasn't too excited about the morning and really let my other group members lead the way. We weren't finding anyone that was open to prayer, and so I just prayed that God would give us someone just sitting there. And then we met Jacob. He was just sitting there. He makes pieces of string artwork to sell to locals and tourists, and he was just making his art when we approached him. We found out he was from Zimbabwe, and had only been in South Africa 6 months. He was really kind. I asked him if I could pray for him, and he said sure. And so I asked him if there was anything he'd like prayer for. And he said he wanted a Bible. My mouth probably fell open because none of us had our Bibles out and I knew God was making it extremely clear to me. So I asked him if he could read English, and he said yes. So I asked him if he wanted mine. And he said yes. Even though it was pink! We spent awhile talking to him about the Bible and Jesus and His Word. We left feeling confident he knew Jesus and now would be able to read His Word every day.

When I came on outreach, I knew I'd be leaving stuff behind but I never thought it'd be my Bible. But I really couldn't have been happier to let it go that day. I'm really learning how beautiful it feels to obey God no matter what He asks.

Letters, Love and Prayers Vol. 9

2011-02-19T01:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from Kruger, South Africa! We are in the final leg of our outreach, in the third location of our travels. It's been exhilarating and exhausting. I hope you've been able to keep up with the many stories on my blog about our ministry and experiences in Rustenburg, South Africa as well. One amazing highlight from my time there was having the privilege of praying with someone to receive Christ. I haven't been able to post nearly as many pictures as I would like because of the quality of internet here, but once I get back in the States, I have a TON to post!

God has really been speaking to me through this journey of DTS, and I'd love to share with you about my plans afterward. About two years ago, God had burdened me with the injustice of human trafficking around the world, specifically touching my heart for southeast Asia. So, I began making plans with what to do with my life regarding those 2 things. That is what led me to Cambodia in 2009. I fell in love with the people, the country and the ministry. In my heart, I knew I'd be back. Which is what led me to YWAM Orlando's DTS. It's been a roller coaster of a ride, and looking back, I see how God divinely directed my steps to this base in this season. It was during the 3rd week of our lecture phase, we had a speaker talking about Lordship and giving God complete control of our lives. It was something I thought I had done, I mean I was planning on moving to Cambodia, right? It was during that week that I heard that “I” had made the plans, and had merely just included God. But He wanted more from me. He wanted me to give Him my plans, my goals, and my dreams, so He could give me His plans, His goals, and His dreams for my life. I was completely wrecked. What did this mean for my future? I let it all go, and realized how much bigger God's plans were for me. YWAM Orlando is a base with an intentional focus on compassion and justice. My DTS is one of those focuses regarding HIV/AIDS. Other compassion and justice focuses include clean water issues, women's rights in Muslim regions, and...human trafficking. Their goal for 2011 is to begin regular human trafficking focused DTS', focusing on both local and international awareness and outreach, with an international outreach in southeast Asia. Over the next few weeks of this realization, I began to strongly hear God's voice regarding my place on YWAM Orlando's staff. I would be part of this training school's staff, discipling and training students from all over the world in their relationship with Christ and igniting a passion for the tragedy of modern-day slavery. I can continue to use my skills in advertising and design to motivate youth and young adults to respond to God's call to “go into all the world” preaching the good news. And I will be able to continue to use the abstinence education information I've learned over the years to educate further HIV/AIDS focused outreaches. It's a place where I clearly fit, and I can't deny God's leading into this next season.

So what exactly is next for me? Well, to join staff at YWAM Orlando, a secondary school called the School of Ministry Development [SOMD] is required. It's a school focused on discovering passions, talents, and vision casting. We'll talk about how to fundraise for a career in missions and how God can use our different personalities in ministry. Similar to DTS, it will be a 12 week lecture phase, and a 8 week outreach. I will be starting this school on March 29, 2011, just 3 weeks after completing my DTS. It's a quick turnaround, but why delay what I know God is calling me into. The funds needed for this school are $4,800 and possible airfare depending on outreach location. The completion of this school will allow me to be staff hopefully by Fall 2011.

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers over the past few months. I wouldn't be here without you. A few prayer needs currently are just for our team to finish strong and press into what God has for us in Kruger. Also, for the funds to come in for my upcoming SOMD next month. Finally, for me to continue to listen for God's voice regarding these last weeks of ministry. Thank you again for all your prayers. In just a few short weeks, I'll be back in the States and would love to catch up and share with you in person what God has been doing!

God Bless,

Joy

A Home at Kruger

2011-02-19T01:15:00.000-08:00

Monday the 14th we packed up our lives at Rustenburg and headed to our third and final outreach location, Kruger. The drive was about 5 hours and completely beautiful. Kruger is tucked away in the lush mountainside, and looks more like a tropical climate than the desert plains of Africa. Kruger is also home to Kruger National Park, which is the largest national park in the world. The YWAM Kruger base is very beautiful, homey, and has a real family feel. The staff is mostly American, [a few Canadians and South Africans] and are all super sweet. It's been awesome getting to know them. The main focus of this base is a project called Ten Thousand Homes. They raise funds and build homes for families in the surrounding communities. And they are intentional about providing more than a house, but a home. A place where they can feel safe and secure, where needs are met, and where they can feel community. It's an incredible outreach, and hopefully we can be part of helping build some of the homes that are already in progress.

Mostly our ministry is going to be feedings, similar to what we did in Rustenburg. They are just MUCH bigger here. But the kids bring a lot of energy and we just get pumped up because of their enthusiasm.

One unique opportunity we had for ministry here was with a project called Knit-A-Square. Church groups and community organizations from across the world, mainly America, knit squares and send them to organizations all over Africa to be assembled into children's quilts. I've heard about these projects in the states, but this week I've actually been able to assemble some quilts here! There's about 12 quilts that need to be assembled, and then we'll be able to hand them out to some children at our feedings.

We're nearing the end of our outreach, and our whole team is still being intentional about pushing through till the end, and getting the most that God has for us here. We're all anxious to go home and be with family again, but we don't want to miss any ministry opportunity or any God moment. He's been so faithful to use us again and again, we know that He has specific things for us here in Kruger.

A Place of Peace

2011-02-12T02:53:00.000-08:00

This week my team visited patients at the Tapalogo Hospice/In-Patient Care Center. The hospice is specifically for patients with HIV/AIDS, although several had tuberculosis [TB] as well. I was a little intimidated on Monday, because I really didn’t know what to expect. We heard stories from the other half of our team who was there last week, and it just futhered my anxiety. We were going to be assigned a patient that was “ours” for the week. Ours to sit with, talking with, pray with, entertain and just care for. I had never done anything like this before. So when we got there Monday morning, and people started claiming patients, I just waited. I had prayed that God would match me up with the right patient. So I walk into a room, and there are 5 women in beds, all ages and all pretty sick. I couldn’t decide. Then 2 of my teammates joined me, Meghan and Morgan, and we decided to just adopt the whole room. Language was definitely the biggest obstacle of the week. Two women only spoke Xhosa, one only spoke Setswana, and two others spoke some English. We were overwhelmed, but we pushed through. We were overwhelmed, but we pushed through. We learned their names and prayed over them while they slept. We read Psalms and showed them pictures of America and our families. We brought makeup, nail polish, and lotion and we pampered them like royalty. As the week went on, familiarity and comfort set in and relationships began to form. We even had a dance party in our ward – much to the women’s amusement. Every day, we’d talk about God and Jesus and read from His word. At times it was frustrating, not knowing if they heard or understood, but we just had to trust the Holy Spirit to speak for us, and communicate where we could not.

Wednesday, we got 2 new patients, one that was very sick and not responsive at all. We took turns by her bed, holding her hand, praying, reading and singing. That night she passed away. We were thankful that she was no longer in pain. Friday, we planned a church service for the patients. We sang songs that we knew and they knew [crowd favorite – This Little Light of Mine!] I shared the salvation message, and Linnea shared about having hope for the future. We laughed and danced and a great time. I was actually pretty nervous about sharing the salvation message as a sermon, because that was new for me. But God had really put it on my heart that I needed to share it with them. We had nothing to lose and they had everything to gain. I was really believing God for salvations that morning, and was a little bummed that we didn’t get to pray with any of them.

After lunch, I went to visit one of our “room patients”, Donaro, that had been relocated. She couldn’t make it to church because she was too weak to get out of bed. Donaro is 25 years old, beautiful and bright, and infected with AIDS and TB. We were excited for her to join our room because she spoke great English. We had spent a lot of time talking to her, and discovered while she knew about God, she didn’t seem to be a Christian. I knew when I visited her after lunch on Friday that I was supposed to share my “sermon” with her. I wasked her and she let me share, and she nodded along with me. And when I asked if she wanted to be saved and become a follower of Jesus, she said YES! So we prayed together and Donaro gave her life to Jesus. I told her since we were now we’re both followers of Jesus, we were sisters – even when I’m back in America. She likes that part. I left her with a ring of mine that I got in Botswana so she will remember me, as she is forever imprinted on my heart.

It was a week that began with great struggle, but ended with great triumph. I am just so blown away with how God continues to use me. It’s such an incredible thing.

South African Soccer

2011-02-12T02:52:00.001-08:00

I had an amazing opportunity to do something totally South African this week – go to a football [soccer] game! I know what you are thinking…I’m NOT the biggest professional sports fan, but hey, its Africa! It was a cultural experience thing, and I’m SO glad I went!

We’ve had the same taxi [tabago] all week, Aaron, and earlier in the week he mentioned that there was a game coming up that we should go to. It was South Africa vs Kenya. They were playing at one of the World Cup stadiums, just a few kilometers from where we were staying. He wouldn’t let it go, and even offered to pick up the tickets for us. So we decided to make it happen. The tickets were only 100 rand [$14] and we had great seats. Right behind the goal at field level. I’ve been to a few sporting events, but never one as lively as this. The fans were on their feet all night, dancing and cheering. It was so entertaining. One thing I remember from watching the World Cup was the vevuzela, a trumpet like horn that fans blow constantly throughout the game. Some of our team bought them, and we blew them right alongside the South Africans.

The game flew by with all the cheering and chanting we were doing, and before we knew it, South Africa had won, 2-0! It was such a fun game and awesome South African experience!

A Hard Day's Work

2011-02-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Much of this week has been physical labor for my team. And during an African summer, that really didn’t sound appealing to any of us! But through the different work opportunities, we’ve seen so much tangible work done for the kingdom of God. Tuesday, we built and assembled a library for kids in Freedom Park, a shanty town. Wednesday, we went to Agnes’ property (where we do daily feedings), and helped clear the land for expansion. Friday, we did yard work and cleaning for a Bible college to help them prepare for an upcoming conference and new term of students. None of it has been real easy, but we’ve kept positive attitudes and found real joy in the work. God gave us cloudy weather for a few days, which made the outdoor work very bearable. It was only few hours for a few days, but so much was accomplished. When working Agnes’ land, we worked alongside other community workers as well. They laughed at some of the ways we did things and tried to help us out. We were also able to share with them who we are and why we are here. Ministry in the midst of ministry. We came home everyday sore and sunburned, but with smiles on our faces. It’s incredible how just remembering who we are working for can influence an entire day’s outlook.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man,” Colossians 3:23

Feed My Sheep

2011-02-05T02:20:00.000-08:00

Every afternoon, my team has been going to a woman named Agnes’ home and helping her feed the children in her community. What began as one woman’s response to Jesus’ command “Feed my sheep.”, is now an established and respected neighborhood feeding program. Everyday after school, anywhere from 30 – 70 kids aged 5 – 12 years old stop by for a warm meal and a safe place to have fun. Agnes is a lively grandma, or go-go as they are called in Africa. She’s full of spunk and her love for the Lord and these kids is evident. Since we’ve been going everyday this we’ve really been able to connect with these kids and even fall in love with them. Their faces light up when they see us, and there are high fives and hugs all around. The boys climb all over our guys, turning them into human jungle gyms. The girls sit around and teach us clapping games, or break out into an impromptu dance party. But whatever we do, it’s a joyful event. Whenever we have a translator, we tell the kids a Bible story and act it out. This week we did Joshua and the battle of Jericho and Daniel in the lion’s den. We taught them about the importance of praying to God and obeying Him – even when its tough. And of course, we sing a lot of silly songs! Children’s ministry has never been my passion, but God has given me a heart for these kids. I get into the stories and will do the silliest of songs to see them smile. I chase them around the yard and spin them in the air. It’s hot and exhausting, and it’s the best part of my day.

“Jesus asked…’Do you love me?...Feed my sheep’.” John 21:17

Bringing Freedom to Freedom Park

2011-02-05T02:11:00.000-08:00

Freedom Park. The name implies more optimism than what meets the eye. This squatter camp is home to more than 40,000 residents from all over Southern Africa. Rustenburg actually contains the world's largest platinum deposits, making mining a lucrative business. Thousands and thousands flocked to the area with hopes of employment and wealth. But for many, they found neither, and and thus Freedom Park became home to many. Along with utter poverty, disease and crime run rampant. According to rough numbers, of the 40,000 occupants over 75% test positive for HIV/AIDS. This is where our team began ministry this week. Partnering with Tapalogo, a hospice & home care NGO, we began to bring freedom to the residents of Freedom Park. One huge need they had was for an organized library for the Orphan & Vulnerable Children (OVC) after school program. Thousands of books & workbooks had been donated, but never organized or assembled. We worked hard and had it together in about 4 hours. We spent the rest of the day playing with and loving on some really precious children. Later in the week, we had the opportunity to follow the nurses from the Tapalogo Clinic of Freedom Park out on their home visits. We witnessed some real poverty firsthand. Houses – if you could call them that – were put together out of metal siding and whatever other scrap materials could be collected. One woman had turned her one room tin hut into a 3 bedroom home with just curtains and string. But what was even more apparent than the poverty, was the joy of these people. As we went from house to house to check on their health, we also offered prayer, which everyone eagerly accepted. One Xhosa woman couldn't contain her smile as she talked to us. But she was telling us how she had no food left in her house, no more money and no job to earn more. After we prayed for God's provision in this woman's life, we left some of our own lunches with her. One woman we prayed for had just moved into Freedom Park from Lesotho a few weeks ago, after her husband's death in the mines. She came with hopes of collecting his final paychecks, but so far hasn't received a dime. Her teenage son is also hoping to take his father's place in the mines to continue supporting his mother. The needs were great, but our Savior is greater. We humbly lifted each of His beautiful children up in prayer, knowing our words didn't fall on deaf ears. The proof we saw of that today was Shelley. A few months ago, some of the YWAM Rustenburg staff had prayed for her to find a job to support her fiancé and young son, as all 3 of them were HIV positive. God intervened and Shelley was given a job the Tapalogo clinic. Shelley walked the streets of Freedom Park with us doing her job, stopping by her own home so we could meet her new husband and son and pray for them as well. God's eyes are on Freedom Park, and today we were able to be His hands and feet.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40

Settling in Rustenburg

2011-01-29T04:12:00.000-08:00

So we've arrived back in Rustenburg, South Africa safely. It was a long day of travel, from Palapye to Gabarone, from Gaborone to Labotse, and then we waited at the bus stop in Labotse for 2 hours for our ride, to drive us the remainding 3 hours back to Rustenburg. So needless to say, we were quite happy to be "home" again. We are going to be here in Rustenburg for about 3 weeks and we are all sp excited to finally settle down somewhere. Its pretty funny to think that "settle down" somewhere means only 3 weeks. I'm sure to anyone else, living somewhere for only 3 weeks isn't settling, its stressful. But this has been our life: after Lecture Phase ended in Orlando, we went home for Christmas for 2 weeks, packed up and came back to Orlando for 2 days. We left Orlando for North Carolina, and spent 4 days at our first location. We packed up again, and went to our second location in North Carolina where we stayed another 5 days. We packed up again and came back to Orlando for 3 days. Packed up again and left for South Africa. Stayed in Rustenburg for 3 days and then left for Botswana. Stayed in Botswana for 9 days, then came back to Rustenburg. And now we are here for 3 weeks. We've unpacked and moved in, and it feels great. Here's a few pics of home at Rustenburg!

Our clothesline outside of our cabin!

The cabin that Rachel and I share. So cozy!

The steps leading up to the cafeteria, the porch and the swimming pool.

The view from my cabin. Not too shabby!

All of our cute little cabins in a row!

Letters, Love and Prayers Vol. 8

2011-01-24T01:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends!

Hello, from the beautiful continent of Africa! I've been here almost 2 weeks, and I've already fallen in love. It's so peaceful and gorgeous here, and I swear even the sky looks different. As you guys are experiencing a cold winter, I'm sweating through an African summer! But I can't complain too much, there's always a nice breeze and refreshing water nearby.

I've been able to post quite a bit to my blog, so if you haven't been able to keep up with it, you should check out my latest posts! http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com/

My team spent a few days in South Africa, and then we split up into two teams for a week and a half of ministry in Botswana. You have to read my blog on crossing the border to Botswana, it was so entertaining! This time of ministry has been challenging and fruitful. My team has been in Palapye, a small village on the east side of the country. It's further north and MUCH hotter! We've been living and working with a local pastor and supporting his church community. We've been preaching sermons, leading prayer meetings, and even sharing the purity message with the youth. We've also visited primary [elementary] schools, where we taught Bible stories and played games. We've visited hospitals, and prayed for the sick. We even saw God's healing power in action! The people of Botswana are so open and receptive, and willing to pray and talk about spiritual things. The church we've been working with is alive with the Spirit of God, and it's just been exciting to be a part of it!

Tuesday, we are traveling back to Rustenburg, South Africa, where we will be for almost 3 weeks. Here we will be doing more hospital and hospice visits as well as feeding programs. I can't wait to see what God has planned for the next chapter of our outreach!

Here's some ways you can be praying for me and my team:
~Health: many people have been sick on and off, so please just pray that the worst has passed and we remain healthy throughout the rest of outreach.
~Attitudes: as our comforts and strengths are being stretched, please pray that we can keep "the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus", and continue to be loving to one another!
~Faith: as we've already experienced in Botswana, God is on the move in Africa! Pray that our team has the faith to expect God to show up and act. We believe He has much more in store for our team this outreach
~Finances: my supporters have been so faithful in their continued giving to my ministry, and I couldn't be here without them. Please lift up my financial needs for bills while I'm in Africa, as well as future ministry plans after Africa, which God is speaking so clearly about.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I feel God's presence in this place, and am so grateful for all the times you've remembered us in prayer. Please keep up to date with my blog: http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com/ and use the PayPal link to send any financial donations.

I pray God's blessings for you and your family!

Love,
Joy Engdahl

Church Planting in Botswana

2011-01-23T01:21:00.000-08:00

Pastor Peter is a small man, with kind eyes and a gentle voice. But the ministry he runs is anything but small. He and his family are church planters at heart, taking on the Palapye plant of Christ Citadel International Church which is a large church in Gabarone with many locations. CIC Palapye has services almost every night of the week, for families, for prayer, for youth and for children. Each Sunday averages about 70 members crammed into a tiny little rented room. Pastor Peter is the only staff, and his week is filled with visiting primary schools [5 a week = 500 kids!], praying with patients at the hospital, preparing services and sermons, and driving people around the community [he's one of the few blessed with a car in Palapye]. But when you meet him, you'd never know he has all that on his plate. He looks like he has all the time in the world. But I think that comes naturally to an African. Pastor Peter and his wife Monica are from Zimbabwe, and moved to Botswana just a few years ago, with their 3 kids. Pastor Peter himself is a YWAMer, and his DTS outreach was to Botswana! He fell in love with the people and felt burdened to plant churches. The vision for CIC Palapye this year is to plant 10 new churches. This Sunday, we were part of one of those plants. Sunday night, we traveled to a neighboring village of Serowe to launch its first service. We got there a little early, and walked to the houses nearby and invited them to a special prayer service. And 13 people actually came! I can't imagine that ever happening in America...inviting someone to a church service the day of, with about 30 minutes notice. But T.I.A....This is Africa. It just works here. The service was celebratory. Jumping and dancing and praise and shouting. We knew we were part of something great. As we talked to the visiting members of the community, they said they would come to church every week, because they could just walk to it. And that was Pastor Peter's plan all along. He mentioned all the bigger churches being planted across town, but no one is planting the villages, where the people don't have cars. That's the heart of this man. Bringing the gospel to the people, not making them come to find it. It's been pretty awesome to be a part, and partner with this godly man and his ministry. He says we blessed him, but I think he's blessed us more.

Crashing into the Kingdom of Heaven

2011-01-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things that these, because I am going to the Father. - John 14:12

I've read this verse, memorized this verse, but I never really believed this verse until today...until I lived this verse. We've been in Palapye, Botswana for 5 days, and each day has looked totally different than the one before. We've taught in church services, led prayer meetings, loved on kids at an orphanage, and taught Bible stories to kids at schools. All of these great ministry opportunities have really given us a heart for the people of Palapye. On Friday, we started out walking the streets of the neighborhood we've been living in, and introducing ourselves, and asking if they needed prayer for anything. We found most people to be really receptive and open to prayer. We eventually walked to the local hospital , where we would pray for the sick, the families & friends, and the nurses. It was such a blessing to pray God's love and restoration over these people. Near the end of our hospital visit, two nurses called a few of us over to pray for them. They had been having trouble breathing, and one couldn't see out of her left eye. So we laid hands on them and prayed & believed God's healing for these women. They were extremely grateful for our prayers, and we invited them to church with us this weekend. They hugged us as we left, and we hoped to see them on Sunday. Friday night, the church held another prayer service, which we helped lead as well. Halfway through the service, the nurse with the eye problem and another friend of hers who had been prayed for as well walked in. We were excited to see them and we made sure to talk to them after the service. They told us that they just had to come to church and find us - because they had been healed. The woman could see and breathe clearly, as did her friend who had suffered the same symptoms. They were overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness. We were thrilled and humbled. They plan to continue to come to church there and find out more about this God who healed them. God had just used us to change these women's lives forever. This is the kind of stuff from the New Testament, not my world. But here is my world, crashing into the kingdom of heaven. It's only been a week and a half into our outreach, and God is already doing miracles all around us. This is what the Christian life is all about.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

Botswana Bound!

2011-01-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

Our team actually split into two smaller teams for the next week for some different ministry opportunities. My team would be traveling about 6 hours to Palapye, in the midwest part of the country. The other team was going to Labotse, which is just over the border of South Africa. Getting to Botswana has definitely been one of the most interesting travel experiences I've ever had. My smaller team of 13 loaded up Sunday afternoon in 2 vans and began our trek for the border. It's only about a 2 hour drive, and it went by pretty quick as we took in all the beautiful South Africa landscape along the way. We had to get out at the border for customs and immigration, which is where everything changed. One of our drivers had an invalid passport and wouldn't be allowed to cross the border. Of course, this was the driver that I was with. The other driver's van was so full, that the 6 of us could never fit. So the only choice was to take the first van load into our stop for the night at Labotse, then come back for us. So we walked over to border patrol office, filled out our forms, and just waited. And waited. Don't worry, she came back for us. To avoid paying for a second trip into the country again, the driver had us actually walk across the border and get in her van in Botswana. So I literally walked from South Africa to Botswana! We made it Labotse without any further complications and reunited with our crew for dinner. We stayed the night there, and then started early the next morning for Palapye. Because we were down a vehicle, we now had to walk to the bus station to catch our ride. Luckily, it wasn't too far! We said goodbye to the last familiar face, and headed for Gaborone. Gaborone is the capital, and the largest city in Botswana, and this was where we had to switch buses. It was quite a hassle. People yelling for our attention, trying to sell us things, and all we wanted to do was get on the right bus to our final destination. Thankfully, a kind soul pointed us in the right direction, and we headed north. We arrived in Palapye at a small bus stop by the side of the road. We waited for a man named Pastor Peter to pick us up. We got alot of weird looks at the bus stop with all of our luggage, but I guess we'd just get used to it. Pastor Peter arrived, and he took us to his home, where all the girls would be staying with him, his wife, and 3 kids. It's tight quarters, but its a nice house with internet [yay!] and its a blessing to all be together. We have a busy week of ministry planned, and can't wait to see all the exciting things God's going to do here in Botswana!

Here in Africa

2011-01-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

The Rustenberg base is absolutely beautiful! It looks like a resort on the set of the Lion King more than a missionary base. There's lush vegetation all around, and animals just wandering about. From donkeys to peacocks, to ostriches to chickens, there is quite the wildlife at our fingertips. Most of the team is staying in 2 person cabins, complete with a tin roof. The staff is great and have been so welcoming. The view from the base overlooks the city, which at night you can see lit up like stars. During the day, you are surrounded by mountains. On top of one of those mountains is a prayer chapel, where you can see for miles. I'll be hiking up to that chapel soon. The weather is perfect. It's been a little rainy, but still warm enough for tshirts and shorts. Such a great change of pace from the chilly USA! Our days at Rustenberg have pretty chill, recovering from jetlag and preparing to leave for Botswana in a few days. But settling into life in South Africa has been a pretty easy routine. Not getting too settled though, as we are hitting the road all over again!

Goodbye America, Hello Africa!

2011-01-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

After a winter storm scare, we left North Carolina earlier than planned. It was a bummer to miss out on some ministry opportunities, but if we wanted to be sure we made our flight, we had to get back to sunny FL. So late Saturday night, we got back to Orlando. We spread out through different houses, and got to meet some of the new Winter DTS students. It was actually a blessing to get back earlier, because we were able to catch up on laundry, on packing and organizing, and last minute shopping trips. Tuesday, we were able to go out the property and be part of Family Night as well. It was so fun to reconnect with our YWAM Orlando family again! Wednesday, we packed up the vans and said a final goodbye to the base, and headed to the airport! We gave ourselves plenty of time to get all 25 of us checked in, and things went pretty smoothly. We had our first flight to Atlanta, GA. There was some concern about flying out of Atlanta, because of all the snow and ice the south had been getting, but we made our connection with no problem, and a *short* 14 hours later, we were in Johannesburg, South Africa! OK, short was an exaggeration, it was actually super long, and we couldn't wait to get off the plane. Being on solid ground was a relief. Also a relief...all of bags made it through! Praise Jesus! We were picked up by some staff at the YWAM Rustenberg base, and loaded up for another 2 hour van ride. It was almost 10pm on Thursday night by the time we finally got settled where we were staying. We briefly met the staff, and then went off to a much needed night sleep. We were weary from the travel, but so blessed to finally be in AFRICA.

A Little Bit of NC

2011-01-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, its a week into my DTS outreach, and just wanted to put together a little update. We've been doing something called "mobile teams" which the stateside part of our outreach, which the purpose is not only serving, but also mobilization [recruiting]. So we drove up to North Carolina, as we have some good contacts up here. The 22 of us piled into 12-passenger vans, and we started the trek...but not without complications! One of our leaders had gotten really sick over Christmas, and hasn't been able to leave her home in Canada, and she wasn't going to be able to join us on during mobile teams. We were bummed, but knew that she needed to be full and healthy before leaving for South Africa in a few weeks! Then, we were supposed to leave super early the morning of the 31st, but because of the snowy weather up north, one of our teammates flights was delayed. So we left after we picked up that afternoon, pushing our drive much later into the night than planned. So we rang in the new year while driving down I-77 in North Carolina. It was quite merry. But we arrived in Thomasville safely, and settled in for the weekend. We were visiting the church of Steve Shamblin, who was one of our speakers during the lecture phase of DTS in Orlando. He was one of our favorite speakers, and when he offered for us to visit, we were than excited. Right off the bat, his team had a time of ministry for us! They prayed over each of and spoke words from God on our lives. The words Steve prayed for me specifically really confirmed what God had already been speaking to me regarding my next steps. It was very encouraging. We had alot of downtime this weekend, which was a blessing. We did do their entire Sunday morning service though. We shared about YWAM/DTS and what our outreach was going to be [I shared on our purity education aspect] and testimonies, did a drama, a dance, and had a time of prayer. It was a full, but exciting morning. It felt so natural to be doing ministry alongside these people, like I've known them my whole life. God has truly knit our team together. On Monday, we left Thomasville and headed over to Burlington, which was only about 45 minutes away. We have been staying at the home church of one our teammates, and they have been the most generous church to serve with. From sleeping arrangements, to food menus, to ministry connections...they have been a blessing. We have spending our days at Haw River Elementary, a lower income area school that this church does alot with. We've just been going to serve in the school in whatever capacity they've needed. And we've definitely been a help! From copies to organizing to reading with kids to bulletin boards, we've been put to work, but its been a blast. Last night [Wednesday] we did the youth service, which was a really good time also. We shared about YWAM and DTS, with the hopes of recruiting students to do a program with YWAM Orlando. Three of us shared testimonies on something God had taught us during DTS. I shared on Lordship, and God really challenged that within me regarding my plans for Cambodia. We did a dance, and had a time for prayer and questions as well. They teens were really receptive, and we even heard that an email came in from a parent of a teen who wants to do a DTS after she graduates this year! So that was pretty cool. Mobile team is not over yet though, we are here until next Monday, when we'll drive back to Orlando and then have a day to transition, and fly out to South Africa on Wednesday! Here's a glimpse of what the rest of my week in NC looks like and some ways you can be praying for me and my team:

-Saturday, we're volunteering with Living Free Ministries, a men's rehabilitation center at a local farm. We will be doing anything and everything from office work to cleaning out horse stalls.
-Sunday morning, we will be doing the entire children's service for 1st - 4th graders [about 75 of them!]. We're planning on sharing about missions, the story of the Good Samaritan and compassion, talk a little about our outreach to S. Africa and even teach them an African children's worship song & dance!
-Sunday night, we will be doing the youth service again, but this team we will be teaching them. It will be the first time implementing our purity material with the whole team teaching it, and I'm pretty nervous/excited. The team has really gotten excited about this focus, and many of them are anxious to communicate the information. We're also during our drama and having a time for more ministry/prayer.

Please be praying for the rest of our mobile team outreach and the people we're encountering. Please pray for the sickness within my team, that they are healed quickly and it doesn't spread. Please pray for Tasha, our leader who is still in Canada healing and recovering. Also lift up her reentry into the States, that she is not delayed in getting back to us. Please also pray for our travel back to Orlando [I'll be driving again!], and our time of preparation there. Also, on Wednesday/Thursday we'll be en route to South Africa, so any and all prayers would be appreciated then as well. Plans changed a little, and we'll be headed to Botswana within a few days of arriving, so I may be out of communication a little longer than expected. But check out the YWAM Orlando website for updates.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. God Bless.

My African Adventure is About to Begin!

2010-12-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

Outreach officially begins tomorrow. Tomorrow I arrive back in Orlando, FL and reunite with my team. I’ve really enjoyed this break, but I’ve missed them too. It will be so great to see them again. Then Friday we take off for North Carolina. We will be doing “mobile teams”, which we drive to various team members’ home churches to talk about what we will be doing overseas, promote YWAM Orlando, etc… So we will caravanning up to Greensboro, NC for about a week and a half, and ministering with 2 churches over there! Then we head back to Orlando on January 10th, where we have one day to regroup for AFRICA! January 12th we fly out of Orlando, with a quick stop in Atlanta, and then straight on to Johannesburg, South Africa! No big, just a 17 hour flight. Glad I have that Kindle! From Johannesburg, we drive about 2 hours north to Rustenburg, which is our first stop. We will be there for about 2 weeks, working with YWAM Rustenburg. Here we will be doing VBS, feeding programs, HIV/AIDS education, purity teachings, hospice visits, and more. Then we head to Labotse, Botswana, where our team splits in two. We will be doing everything from VBS & kids ministry, to teaching and door to door evangelism. We reunite 10 days later and head back to Rustenburg. After another 2 weeks in Rustenburg, we then east to White River, South Africa, located on the beautiful Kruger National Park. Here we will also be doing kids ministry, purity education, and working with Ten Thousands Homes, who provide homes for orphans. We will also have a time of debrief/reflection at the Kruger base to wrap up our entire outreach time. We arrive back in Orlando on March 9th!

I can’t believe the time for South Africa is finally here! I have been totally blessed by my time at home. I’ve connected with friends and family, and its been amazing. I’m so grateful for the network of support I have here at home, and the prayers that will be lifted up on my behalf.

My internet connection will be quite limited, so don’t be alarmed if there are not regular blog posts while I’m away. I will be typing up blogs regularly to be sure I capture everything, but I may not be able to post them all right away! Check out the YWAM Orlando website, as they will be posting updates from my trip as well.

Prayers requests would include safety, health, flexibility & adaptability, and for our team to just be effective tools for God’s work. I’m especially excited about being part of the purity/abstinence education. Please pray that we are able to clearly communicate this message and that it is embraced!

Thank you so much, and be looking out for my next update from SOUTH AFRICA! Send me an email if you’d like to join my email update list at joy2theworld82@gmail.com

A Very Missionary Christmas

2010-12-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty unique Christmas this year! Since I'm a missionary in training and I'm about to leave the country for 8 weeks to live in South Africa and Botswana, and the usual lotions, DVDs, shoes, and electronics weren't on my list this year. I asked for a clothesline to dry my clothes on...a microfiber towel that will dry super fast and pack nicely....hand sanitizer & wet naps so I can attempt to remain germ free...Ziploc baggies for efficient packing...Downy wrinkle release for those clothes that just came out of my bag...Bananagrams game for those plane rides and long waits. So, yeah, not my normal Christmas list, but I have to admit, I was excited to get all this stuff. This is the lifestyle I'm going to be living from now on, and I'm so glad to start stocking up on some of this stuff! Of course, my family did get me some fun stuff too...Amazon & iTunes gift cards, and other goodies.

In addition to new Christmas traditions, since I didn't really have a new toy to play with today, I decided it was the perfect day to sew a messenger bag that I designed for Africa. So, I made that happen today, and I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

So, that was my 2010 Christmas! It was a small Christmas for me [my sister got a Wii, and I got a clothesline], but it was the perfect Christmas for me. Hope yours was as blessed and satisfying as mine!

Christmastime is Here

2010-12-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Christmastime is here! You can hear it on the radio, in the stores, and even in the air. In my 28 years of celebrating Christmas, I’ve had many different emotions surrounding this holiday. As a child, I remember being excited and feeling the “magic of Christmas”. I’d go to bed and the next morning, our living room would be brimming with gifts. I remember knowing about Santa Claus, but also knowing the true meaning of Christmas was the birth of Jesus. We celebrated both in my house. It was a joyful time. My little brother died when I was 10, holidays became a little less joyful for awhile. Our first Christmas after his death, we went to Disney World as a way to completely change the holiday for us. [Disney on Christmas, by the way, was waaaay too crowded!] It worked. Eventually though, Christmas regained its joy. Throughout my teen years, I associated the holiday with family coming in town I didn’t always want to see, and getting gifts I didn’t really want. [Typically angsty teen, I suppose!] In the last couple years, I’ve had even more mixed emotions. As I began traveling as a missionary 5 years ago, and visiting the poorest of the poor, I became disgusted with the amount of wealth and consumerism of Americans during Christmas. For 2 years in a row, I refused to buy gifts, but made them instead. One year, I bought only handmade items. And one year, I gave everyone cards that said instead of giving them a gift, I donated the money I would have used to building wells in Africa. [It went over surprisingly well!] And now here I am again, at Christmastime.

I was watching some of my favorite Christmas movie classics [Love Actually, Elf, White Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas] and some of my favorite TV shows Christmas episodes [The Office, Glee, Community, Seinfeld, Friends] and I began to notice something. Amidst the shopping and the humor, the wacky traditions and the cheesy songs, I saw how the world sees Christmas. It’s a time to tell the people in your life that you love them. It’s a time to forgive each other and let go of past grudges. It’s a time to come together and help make your friend’s dreams come true. It’s a chance to believe in something bigger than yourselves. It’s seeing the positive in the world around you. It’s a time to give…not just gifts, but to your community too. It’s the one time of year that the world ceases to act like the world, but longs to live in the kingdom of God.

So for me this year isn’t about avoiding stores and boycotting malls, and its not about ignoring family traditions or trying to preach simplicity. It’s about embracing the world’s desire to live in the kingdom, even if just for a season. And to hopefully show them how they can live as though its Christmas everyday…with the love and knowledge of a Savior who was born this very time of year.

This video does a great job of explaining the world’s system vs. the kingdom of heaven’s system through the lens of Christmas. It’s a few minutes long, but worth the watch.

Letters, Love and Prayers Vol.7

2010-12-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s the end of 2010 already! I don’t know about you, but this year has just flown by! I’m home in Tampa for just a few short days to celebrate Christmas with the family before heading off to South Africa soon. I finished the 12 week Lesson Phase of my Discipleship Training School recently, and I have to say, it was the most life changing 12 weeks of my life. If you haven’t been on my blog lately, check out the video recap I posted as well! But here’s just a glimpse of what God has been doing in me the past 3 months…
• Challenging His Lordship in my life. I went into this training with my own thoughts, plans, ideas and during this week on Lordship, God really challenged me to make Him Lord over all. I found so much freedom this week.
• Rich Hodge from Kruger, South Africa came in and taught our class and his week was pretty phenomenal. He talked about the importance of heart change, if we ever want to see any change in thoughts, emotions or behaviors. A good lesson not only for the people we will be ministering to in South Africa, but in our own lives too!
• I love how maturing in my relationship with Christ is a never-ending process. In a week with Steve Shamblin, he walked us through what a babe in Christ, a child of God, and a young man/woman of God looked like. I was humbled to realize how much further I have to go. But excited to press into God and reach new depths with Him!
• Dean Sherman, a YWAM big gun, came and spoke a week on Spiritual Warfare. Ironically, the truth that stuck with me from that didn’t have too much to do with spiritual warfare at all! Dean talked about the realms that are at work right now…the physical world and the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a lifestyle. Living as Christ did, living as though we have a King, is bringing the kingdom of heaven to the physical world. And it attracts people to God. Our lifestyle is our biggest witness.

So those are just a few nuggets I walked away from DTS with. I have so much more that I’m still processing and attempting to apply. I hope you know how much your prayers and support have meant to me during this time. It was so revolutionary!

Now what’s next? Well, South Africa! We leave January 12th for Rustenburg, where we will spend time doing children’s ministry, feeding programs, and hospice care. From Rustenburg, we will travel to Botswana, where our team will split into two. One group will do prayer walks and Vacation Bible Schools for the children. The other team [mine!] will travel another 4 hours and be doing door to door evangelism and teaching. After Botswana, we will be back in Rustenburg for a few more weeks, then head over to Kruger, South Africa. We will spend the remainder of our time here. We will be doing more children’s ministry, some light construction, and more feedings. We arrive back in the States on March 9th. It sounds like a long time, but I know already that it will fly by!

Here’s a few prayer needs for the upcoming months…
1. Safety & Health. Please lift up our travel to and throughout South Africa/Botswana. Also, please pray for the health of our team.
2. Team Finances. Several of my team members are still needing their outreach funds in the next few weeks. Please pray that God provides and they are able to ask the right people while home for Christmas break.
3. Ministry. We have several great ministry opportunities planned, but ultimately, we want to be sensitive to what God is telling us to do in these locations. Please pray for our planned ministry and the unplanned ministry. Pray for changed lives!
4. Personal Finances. My training costs are completely covered [yay God!], but I’m still needing a smaller amount to cover my bills while I am in South Africa. Please pray that God provides on my behalf as well, as He always does.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I am humbled that you are walking this journey with me. I’d love to hear from you, so please email me back or give me a call to catch up as well. Without my incredible network of prayer warriors and supporters, I couldn’t be living this amazing life God has called me to. THANK YOU!! I pray that you and your family are blessed this holiday season. Be looking for my next update from SOUTH AFRICA!!!

DTS Lesson Phase Recap Video!

2010-12-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Check out this totally awesome video I made recapping the last 12 weeks spent living and learning at YWAM Orlando!

Spirit of Love and Power

2010-12-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Muted

2010-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in weeks. Not for a lack of interesting events, circumstances or moments, but just...because. I don't really know why. I'm nearing the end of the lecture phase of my DTS here at YWAM Orlando. I really can't believe how fast that came upon me. God is showing up in real and practical ways in my life. And He's asking some tough things of me. I've seen my faith go to new places. I've experienced growth in areas I didn't realize needed growth. I've made lifelong friends, and this is still the beginning of our journey together. But mainly I just feel like I'm trying to drink from a fire hydrant. So much is being thrown at me, spiritually, intellectually, socially, personally, that it is all I can do to catch it. So forgive my muted silence. The words will come again.