Back in Spain / Journal from Day 1

Hello everyone! I am back in Spain and back on my blog!!!! =]
Outreach was AMAZING!!!!
I am going to begin posting highlights from my trip over the course of the next few days. God set up some awesome encounters on our trip. =]
 So without further ado, here is the account of the first day in North Africa.

Day 1 – Tunis, Tunisia - April 8^th, 2012

     This morning we attended Easter service at a local Evangelical church. It was interesting to see the difference in culture. I learned a couple of new songs, one in an African language that had a dance along with it that I really liked.

     During different parts of the service, which was outside, people kept coming out on the balcony of the apartment across the way. First it was a man listening to the reading of the Bible in Arabic. Next it was 2 women out listening to a worship song. Then a little grl came out during the African worship song and was dancing right along with us on the balcony! It blessed my heart to see their interest in what we were doing. =]

After church there was a potluck, and of all things, I met another lady from Oregon!!! It was such a blessing. It was like God was telling me “you aren’t so far from home after all”. It was especially nice because I had just been lamenting the fact that this has been my first Easter ever away from my family.

     Later we explored the city a little bit. We roamed the streets and looked in a few shops, though for some reason most shops were closed this afternoon. I was finally able to get some sunglasses though, and had my first experience with real haggling. The guy wanted 12 dinar for the sunglasses, but I talked him down to 9. (2 dinar = 1 euro)It was so much fun for me, coming from a country where the price is the price and there is no negotiations.

     It was heartbreaking to see so many people on the streets of this city who are broken and begging just to get by. My heart cried out to God today, asking him what I can do. I know I can’t help them all, but I don’t even know what to do so I can even help a few. Giving money to a beggar might feed them for a day, but it doesn’t give them a living, and it doesn’t give them life in Christ. I also feel so helpless with the language barrier. I cannot even communicate the simplest things with many of these people, though I long to share with them the love and life that comes through Christ.

     These things I ponder as I am asking the Lord to give me direction and to break my heart for the people of Tunisia, and the people of all North Africa. I ask the Lord to give me a burden for the specific people he wants me to reach out to, and to give me divine appointments as he would will it.

Possibly My Last Post Until We Get Back....

Today is Thursday. The mad scramble to get ready for our outreach has begun, because in even less than a mere 48 hours we will begin our journey to North Africa for our outreach.
Am I excited? YES. Am I freaking out? ALSO YES.
I will not be able to post at all during outreach because of governmental filters in North Africa, but I am planning on keeping an account of everything that happens in a word document on my computer so I can post after we are back and let everyone know what happened.
I cannot wait to see what God has in store for this adventure!! =D
Any prayers for our team would be much appreciated s we seek God's guidance on this trip. God bless to all of you who read this. <3

Until June (probably),
Kimberly

Busy, Busy, Busy..

Sorry for not posting for so long. The closer we get to outreach, the busier life has become.
So here are a few updates:
Last week we talked about missions and leadership. Here is a quote about leadership I found particularly interesting:

“The first follower is what turns a lone nut into a leader. For us to all want to be leaders would be ineffective. If you want to start a movement, find a lone nut who is doing something great and have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join them.”

This week is our last week of teaching. We will spend next week preparing for our outreach, and we leave the Saturday before Easter.

During the time I am in the missions field I will not be able to post on this blog about our work there because of governmental filters. (We don't want to get kicked out of the country for proselytizing)

I will, however, be documenting my experiences on my computer so I can post all about it after we get back into Europe. 

That is all I have time to write for now. Ciao!

A Brief Update.

Last Tuesday –

Tuesday night was our local outreach. Instead of all going to run the kids program like usual, some of went, and others went to do street ministry in the local red light district. I was among those who went to do street ministry.

That night really touched my heart. Many of the women we talked to were Nigerians, who were in debt to those who helped them immigrate. So many of the women were not in that line of work by choice. Every time we talked to them we asked if they had an prayer requests, and the number one request was that they would find other work so they could get out of the work they were in.

It just broke my heart.

Because it was our first time there, the women were very guarded. I am hoping the next time we go and see them I will have the opportunity to hear their stories, hear their hearts.

Wednesday through today – We have been in classes again. It has been a weird schedule because of the long weekend, so we are in classes over the weekend, but we have this coming Tuesday off. This week we have been talking much about the importance of baptism, among other subjects. More to come later…

My Weekend in Madrid.

Friday:
On Friday we took a long bus ride. In fact, a very long, 6 hour bus ride.
Yet, somehow it was worth it. =]
We arrived in Madrid late Friday night and somehow muddled our way through figuring out which train to get on to get to the station we needed to be at, and then got picked up from said station by our hosts for the weekend. Once at the house, we relaxed for a bit before falling into an exhausted sleep.

Saturday:
Bright and early Saturday morning (Well... Early for me anyways...) Terah and I set off back into the city. After navigating the trains again, we made it to the right stop and headed out for our adventure. The day started off with many photos of the "Palace Real" (pronounced "ray-al") after seeing the lines to get into the palace, we opted to tour the neighboring cathedral instead.

It was breathtaking! Photos were not allowed in many portions of the cathedral, much to my dismay, but the intense detail put into every aspect of the building left me in awe.
After the cathedral, we explored the city. To my delight, there were a good number of street performers out doing their stuff. There were musicians, human statues, a man with a marionette,  and several "headless men" and "invisible men". It was certainly a sight to see.

We spent the entire day just wandering the city and exploring to our hearts content.
For dinner, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. For those of you who don't know, the Hard Rock Cafe is an international musically-themed restaurant, with locations in major cities around the globe.
It was so cool! I really enjoyed it. Our waiter also spoke english, which was a nice plus.

Sunday:
After a late, relaxed start, Terah and I made our way into the city, and made a beeline for the Prado Museum. There we marveled at the works of Rembradt and Goya, among many others. Again, photos were prohibited, but it was worth the money simply for the experience.
Something I found rather interesting was that at least two-thirds of the art in that museum could be directly traced back to a Christian origin - painting of martyrs, the crucifixion, the holy family, miracles that Jesus worked. Those that were not of Christian origin were either portraits, still life, or from greek mythology.
We sent sunday evening simply exploring more of the city and taking in the local nightlife. The streets were again filled with all sorts of performers - there was a classical group performing opera, a guitarist who was simultaneously playing the pan flutes, and a big brass band playing swing music, all within a couple blocks of each other. It was so amazing to see such diversity coming together in harmony in one city. It was truly inspiring.

Monday:
We got an early start Monday morning, and went into town for breakfast. We ate at a local chain called "Cafe a Te", and it was delicious.
After breakfast, we again wandered the streets, this time going into an older section of town, walking along quaint cobblestone walkways and later stopping in at a local cafe for some coffee and a croissant. I had my coffee with a shot of Bailey's irish cream, and it was delicious. Back home I would always get a "Kicker" from Dutch Bros., a local coffee chain, and it was coffee with a shot of non-alcoholic irish cream. In Europe, however, the drinking age is 16 (I think?) so they use the real stuff. Honestly, I have to say I prefer the version they make back home, but still, I must say it was good.
That afternoon we said our goodbyes to Madrid, and took the long bus ride home. I truly enjoyed the trip, but I will admit that when the time came to go, I was ready to come back to my home away from home, here in Torremolinos.

Long Weekend! =D

In a few mere hours, I will be with Terah, on a bus headed to Madrid for the weekend. How cool is that?!

We have a  long weekend, so many of us have made plans to go elsewhere to enjoy our little break. For Terah and myself, that means going to visit Spain’s capitol city, where Terah’s family has some friends living there that we are staying with.

So for once, the hiatus of my blog is in advance notice, as I am sure I will be far to busy to blog in the evening. So until next week, hasta la vista!

Ivy

So...... Sorry my blog has kind of been on hiatus lately. I really need to be better about posting. No promises though.
For once, however, I have a partial excuse. I was sick for a good portion of last week, and therefore I was miserable and not much blog-worthy stuff happened.
However, on blog-worthy tidbit did happen last week. I had a revelation about ivy.
Yes, you read it right- ivy - the green, leafy vine that adorns old buildings, especially old colleges such as Harvard, or other "Ivy League" schools.... Okay, bad joke, I know. Deal with it. =]

So, moving on.
I was sweeping the front patio one afternoon, and I stopped to cleat away some ivy that was growing onto the patio, and something made me stop and examine it. It was then that I wondered how ivy grew along the walls. When I examined it closer, I realized that at regular increments along each vine, there were tiny little tendrils that would find cracks and crevices, or even rough patches along the wall, to cling to. These tendrils, once they found purchase, would not only cling, however. They would slowly, over years even, work their way deeper into the fabric of the wall. If not kept in check, ivy has even been known to crumble entire building beyond repair. Though it is simply a plant, and not obviously aggressive to the human eye, it has the power to crumble entire buildings with its tendrils if it is ignored.
This idea brought a very strong spiritual correlation to my mind.
The ivy plant is much like the Enemy. He is always searching for a new foothold in our lives. It doesn't even have to be a large or obvious one either - he can use the smallest, most insignificant shortcomings in our lives to get a tendril in. And just like the ivy plant, if those tendrils are left unattended, they will widen the cracks, and begin to crumble our spiritual walls. Oh, and the whole time it looks good. Personally, I think a brick wall laced with ivy is a beautiful sight, but the ivy damages the structural integrity of the wall, and over time it becomes unstable. The same can happen with our lives. The crack can begin as a spoken word that was taken unkindly - if the person who was offended dwells upon the unkind word, it becomes a tiny crack in which the Enemy can get a foothold. The dwelling can turn into an attitude of self pity or insecurity. The attitude can turn into a mentality, and ultimately the mentality becomes a part of the persons identity, therefore giving them an identity of worthlessness and self pity.
Much of what we have been doing over this DTS has to do with "trimming back the ivy" in our lives, and having God help us to repair the cracks in our walls, and the damage done through them. I am excited to realize how much progress I have made already, and I am wondering what God will do next in my life. =]
Well, it's late now, and I am going to attempt to get up early tomorrow to join the girls for an early morning workout, so goodnight!

Reawakening

Last week I had a re-awakening in my spiritual gifts.  The week’s teaching was on the Holy Spirit and the gifts and fruits that come with it.

Long ago at a church camp one summer, I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and had received the gift of speaking in tongues, as well as the ability to function in a couple other gifts of the Spirit.

After first receiving these gifts, I functioned in them for a period of time, but life pulled me away, and after that I had forgotten or ignored them for a very long time, until coming here to the DTS, and especially this last week.

Wednesday night was the big night that reawakened me. We were all praying for one another, and praying to receive more of the spirit. That night not only did I begin speaking in tongues again, a gift that I had been neglecting for far too long, but I also received words and pictures for others in the group - words and pictures that enabled me to encouraged them. I felt so connected with God, and it was amazing. I had forgotten how good it felt to function in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, and to receive words for other people through Him. It has been renewing my relationship with God in a way I had forgotten it could.

I want to make sure I continue to function in the Spirit like this; I do not want to lose this connection again. I need to truly put my full attention on seeking God in my quiet times, so I can continue to grow in this area. I have learned that there is no middle ground in relationships – either you are growing in the relationship or the relationship is fading. I want this connection with God to grow ever stronger each day of my life, so that I never lose this sense of intimacy.

I have said in the past that God is my best friend, or that I have a personal relationship with God, but looking back, I realize that though what I had then seemed deep or intimate at the time, God is drawing me ever closer to His heart, and I want more. I cannot wait to discover more of God’s love for me, and the adventures he has planned for my life. <3

Blessings, Barbecues, and Getting Very, Very Lost.

Thursday -
On Thursday I had an adventure. during lunch I went down to Torremolinos to run some errands, by myself. It was actually really fun. It was good to get out and exercise a little after sitting in the classroom all morning.
When I was at the grocery store, there was a man outside playing a guitar, and I felt like God wanted to bless him, so I tossed a five-euro note into his guitar case full of small change. The grin on his face warmed me down to my toes. It was a priceless and irreplaceable moment for me, to see the joy I was able to give someone just by listening to what God told me to do.
Later that same afternoon, as I was running my errands, I ran into the same man in an entirely different area of town, now carrying his guitar, rather than playing it. He immediately recognized me and smiled and tried to talk to me, but our conversation was short as he knew no English, and I have very limited Spanish. He still made it very clear hough how much I had blessed him and made his day. It made me so happy, and I felt I was the more blessed one by being allowed to opportunity to bring that man joy.
It was a good day.

Friday -
Friday night our DTS group went to Ashraf's house. Ashraf, by the way, is the male leader of our group. He is from Egypt, though his wife is an American woman, and he has worked with YWAM for many, many years.
We had a lovely barbeque at their house, and we all delighted in finding the many different ways we could amuse their two-ear-old son Peter. Making him smile and giggle, and laugh and go crazy were the main source of entertainment that evening until his bedtime. He is such a little cutie!!!!
Again, a very good day.

Saturday (Today) -
Today I spent the afternoon with Johanna, a local YWAM staff person. She is such a sweetheart, and so much fun! I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with her. We went shopping at a local shopping center called "La Plaza Mejor"
I found some great clearance deals on some of the stuff I needed, and had a wonderful time just shopping and chatting with Johanna about life. =] It was fun.
For the way back to the villa, I got to take the train for the first time! It was a lot nicer than I expected. No homeless people, hippies with B.O., or garbage everywhere like the public transportation at home. (You Eugenians know exactly what I'm talking about when I say this! Haha)
When walking back to the villa from the train station I decided to take the scenic route, and in doing so I got lost..... Very, horribly lost. A walk that even taking the acceptable scenic route should have only taken me 45 minutes to an hour, took me roughly two and a half to three hours. Needless to say, I was regretting my choice of wearing my boots and not my comfy tennis shoes, less than an hour into this walk.
Eventually, however, with my feet and legs screaming at me the whole way up the hill, I did finally make it back... Just in time to eat a little dinner and rest a bit before going right back our and walking down into Torremolinos AGAIN for girls night out! Thankfully, with my tennis shoes on, I was much better off, however I am definitely sore now.
After arriving back at the villa, we got the guys to join us and we all watched the movie, "Courageous" (That my amazing Daddy was kind enough to put in my care package!! =D ) together as a group.
All in all this week has been pretty much amazing. =]

The Twelve-Year-Old Who Melted Me.

So it has been very nearly a week since I have posted here, due to a combination of being busy, having internet issues, and just plain laziness.
So here I am again, playing catch up on my blog. To save space, and to save you boredom, I will simply sum up my last week or so in a few key events.
Last week went well overall, learning to use inductive Bible study. Learning how itself was rather dry and academic, but the insights we learned through the practice of it was anything but. I now understand the book of Ephesians infinitely more than I did before, and I plan on doing inductive study often in the future.
The weekend was pretty calm - nothing much out of the ordinary, but I had a fun time with Terah on sunda watching "The Princess Bride" and drinking hot tea.
Tea is very much a part of the culture here, more specifically at the villa. It is partially out of necessity, to keep warm, because it is frustratingly cold inside the villa here, as it was built for summer use - to keep the heat out, not in. The other part is that it just makes everything seem more friendly when you have a mug of warm, delicious liquid in your hands.

My last highlight was from last night. Last night we did our weekly local outreach. It was at the same community center as last time, but this time instead of handing out food, we were pioneering the first kids program the center had ever had. Because it had not been properly advertised, and it was the very first night, we ended up only having one kid show up, but it was a blast.
The girl who did show up, is named Somaya. She is twelve years old, and one of the most adorable girls I have ever had the privilege to meet. She was a delight to play with, and apparently she thought the same about me, because for a reason that none of us could figure out, she completely attached herself to me, and barely took her big, beautiful eyes off me all night. 

My new friend Somaya. <3

My cool new name tag, courtesy of the
awesomeness that is magic markers. =]

She was so incredibly sweet. I found out later that she has a learning disability, but I think that it only adds to her sweetness, and I honestly had no idea until much afterwards. She didn't want to play anything unless I played too, and she was thrilled to take the wonderful photo above with me. She absolutely melted my heart down to the ground with her sweet, curious, brown-eyed gaze. It was such a blessing to me.

So there are the big things so far. More to come. =]

Lazy Blogging

This is another "I'm really tired and don't want to blog, but I know I should because I might forget stuff later" kind of days.
So,. two main highlight points today.
Highlight One - A couple is staying at the base this week, and they live in Paris, and bonus! Not only did I get to learn a little about Paris, I came to find out that Brendan, the guy, is from my hometown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was such a wonderful thing to get to discuss my hometown with someone who actually knows what I'm talking about!! Major highlight right there, as well as an answer to prayer. I  had been having trouble adjusting with nothing here aside from my own possessions being at all normal or familiar to me, so talking with someone from my hometown USA was just exactly what I needed.
Highlight Two - Tonight I had an amazing time with God. I had an actual conversation with him, like I would have with a friend, me talking and then him talking back, and so forth. The only difference was that the conversation was totally in my head and not audible to those around me. It was pretty cool and I got specific answers to some of my questions. I really hope my future times with God will be as awesome as tonight was. =]

So yeah, that's all I'm going to write for tonight. Ciao!

Scavenger Hunt

To be quite frank, (not Frank as in my teammate, but frank as in blunt) I really don't feel like blogging tonight. Thus, my entry shall be short and succinct.
Today we worked on analyzing Ephesians, but as that is pretty much what we will be dong the entire week, I will choose to cover that later.
This evening we had a wonderful time going on a scavenger hunt around Torremolinos. The teams were Spencer, Sarah and I, against Frank, Terah and Chelsea. We had to take pictures that illustrated certain things, (i.e. diversity, an act of kindness, a problem in the world, beauty of creation etc.)
It was a blast. We met lots of different interesting people. For our "diversity"  photo we took a picture with 2 guys from a shop who between them spoke 10 different languages, and to top it off, Spencer and I jumped in the picture to add more diversity! (An American and a Canadian!) Lol. It was a fun evening.
After the hunt, we had dinner at a local Moroccan restaurant. (Yummy)
Then we came home. I'm exhausted, not feeling well, and slightly depressed, despite todays fun adventure. I have been coming down with a head cold the last few days and it decided to come on full-force today, which definitely put a damper on things for me, not to mention I already haven't been feeling well the last couple days for... err... other reasons as well. Haha. So yeah, It was a fun day in all, but not as fun as it would have been had I been feeling better... =/
I'm going to bed to (hopefully) sleep it off now. Night!

"Inductive, My Dear Watson."

Saturday - Slept in, relaxed, went for a walk around Torremolinos with Frank. Had some interesting conversations about life. Made cornbread and chili for dinner. Had a movie night wit the group. We watched "Amistad".

Sunday - Slept in, relaxed, Prepared bread dough for dinner. Listened to music. Drank tea and relaxed more. Made a delicious dinner of calzone, rolls, and salad. It was a big hit. Thanks so much to my Aunt Deana for sending me the recipe. =] Watched "The Matrix" with the group - my 3rd time watching it. Loved it, as usual.

Monday (Today) -
Our teacher this week is named Heidi. She is originally from Switzerland, but is currently living in Budapest. Our topic this week is inductive Bible study.

Deductive study – Approaching the text with preconceived ideas and searching the text for evidences which will prove our ideas and opinion.

Inductive study– Approaching the text (as much as possible) without our preconceived ideas and discovering what was in the text. We allow the text to define the issues and topics.

So basically the point of inductive study is to get the whole picture first, straight from the text, before drawing any conclusions. This includes not only reading the text, but understanding the time and culture from which the text came from and was meant for, and understanding the different ways the words could be translated from the original language and text.

So basically we are learning how to be "Bible detectives" using the inductive study method. (As childish as that sounds, I am trying to be creative and at least mildly amusing, so bear with me)

"Inductive, my dear Watson." 

We are working on the skill of inductive study using the book of. Ephesians. We have only gone over the theory of inductive study today, but I am eager to learn more as the week progresses. =]

God is so Good.

So yet again I am playing catch-up on my posts. I always seems that on the days that are the most full with interesting things to write about, are also the days I don't end up having time to write about them.

Thursday- 

The teaching on Thursday was good, but that's not what I found most life changing about the day.

Last night, we had a special prayer time set up.

The classroom was emptied and then set up with rugs and pillow everywhere, and "prayer stations". These stations each had a purpose, and we were free to move from one station to another in our time however we felt led to do so.

One station had a bowl of water so we could "wash our hands" of anything we felt guilty about, and ask God for forgiveness. At another station there was pens and paper to write a letter to God about what was n our hearts. Another had some small stones and a bowl of water, and the object of that station was to take a stone, and focus on our burdens, pray abut them, and then place the stone in the water as a way of "releasing" our burdens. The couch we have in the classroom was the "Father's Chair" station - just a place to enjoy God's presence. Then there was a station to take communion, and some cushions in front of a wooden cross to sit and meditate on everything Christ did for us.

I had an amazing experience in the presence of God last night, and I truly heard him speak to me, and speak to my heart. There were two specific things I heard him tell me, one encouraging, and one healing.

The first thing was that as his daughter, the daughter of a King, I truly am a princess. I had heard this concept countless times over the years, but I had always dismissed it or not fully understood the concept.

Being his daughter, a princess, means I can ask things from Him in faith! Just as a daughter tugs on her daddy's sleeve and asks things of him, so I can do with God. Beyond that, a princess, I am an ambassador for him, and I must be confident in the actions I take. I don't need to be shy and apologetic about it. Through my Father in Heaven I have authority over my life and my actions. It may not truly make sense, but this changed my self-image, to see how God sees me. 

The other thing he spoke to me concerned my mom. My mom died from cancer when I was 13. I have gone through the grief process, gone through counseling, and been prayed for many times. For the most part I am healed, but last night God found a tidbit I didn't even realize was still hurting. The words he spoke to me were so unexpected that I broke down crying. The words were, "She didn't want to leave you; she loved you. You were her princess and her special little girl. She would not have ever left you by choice."

These words touched my heart and soul deeply. Through those words, another piece of my heart has begun to heal.
Last night was amazing.

Friday (today) -

 So time and time again, I have discovered God has a sense of humor when it comes to his timing, especially when it comes to revealing major things in my life.

Today, during the middle of class, God told me a major part of his plan for my life.

We were talking about spiritual adoption in class, and my brain decided to go off on a rabbit trail with that thought (like usual... I find it so hard to concentrate sometimes! I always have too many thoughts going on at the same time..)

I started thinking about adoption. 'Rambo' and I plan on adopting sometime down the road, and I always liked the idea of adopting a baby that would have otherwise been aborted. (Recently I have realized this train of thought may have come from watching the movie "Juno"..) This led to thinking about all the single mothers out there who struggle making ends meet, and all the girls who have been thrown out of their houses with nowhere to go because they got pregnant, and all the girls who have chosen abortion in favor of getting thrown out because they don't want to end up alone.

Through this rabbit trail, God revealed to me that this is what he wants me to do with my life. He wants me to open a house for women such as these. A place where women can come and find refuge, acceptance, help, love. A place to show God's love to them by providing a place to have their child, a place to live, a place to get on their feet. A place were they can get counseling and if need be, a shoulder to cry on. A place of healing and hope for women with nowhere else to turn.

This dream God has planted in my heart will take years to come true, I know, but now I have something to work towards - a purpose.
I want to get my degree in counseling so I can be fully educated in how to help these women to the fullest ability. I want to continue my writings and music ministry as well. Music can be such a healing thing. My love of cooking for big groups will also be very useful in this, as well as my passion for kids. Photography as well will always be useful.
I am getting more and more exited about how all my interests converge in this dream God is planting in me. <3

God is so Good.

Homesick.

Today will be a short post.
Quite frankly I am exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. It has been a hard day for me.. I am homesick.

When I say homesick I'm not talking about the place - I'd take the sunny blue skies of Spain over the rain clouds and current floods in the Willamette Valley any day. What I am homesick for is the people whom I miss so dearly - my closest friends, my family, and of course my dearest 'Rambo' most of all.
Today was the first day since my tearful goodbyes in the airport that I have missed them so much that I cried.I cried not so much for the time I have spent here - I have on;y been here a few weeks - but I cried knowing that it will be another 5 1/2 months before I can see them again, hug them, have them near me.
I'm praying God will give me the strength and comfort I need to focus on my purpose here and now, instead of pining away for the people I love and miss dearly.
I am grateful for my wonderful, supporting roommates, and their comforting hugs today when I broke down. They truly are a blessing in this new experience. I had never been away from home long enough to experience true homesickness before now. I am glad God has placed the right people in my life to help me through it.
That's all for tonight.

Local Outreach & Unconditional Love.

Today we did a local outreach. We went to a government-run community center to help distribute food to needy families. Most of the people coming to the center were Moroccan immigrants.
I was disappointed that we did not get much time to actually talk with the people we were handing food too, but the workers at the center were very grateful for our help, and it was a wonderful experience.
While we were waiting for the food truck to arrive, one of the ladies at the center taught us all how to write our names in Arabic. Mine looks like this: كيمبيرلي
What she taught us about the language was rather fascinating. They use different characters, with slight alterations, for sounds, rather than letters combined to make sounds.
Anyhow.. The teaching time today also went very well. We continued talking about the Heart of God. The range of this topic went all over today, but I will try and focus in on just a couple key points.

Unconditional Love.
What does that phrase mean to you? Can you even comprehend it? Unconditional love. Love without limits, expectations, or preconditions. Love that is whole and consistent, even when you are not. Unconditional means that the love God gives us, has nothing to do with us. It makes no difference what we do, how we live, what we say. It has everything to do with who GOD is. Unconditional love is entirely dependent on the character and nature of the giver, and it has nothing to do with the receiver.
How cool is that?! That means no matter what we do or how we act, we cannot make God love us any more or any less than he already does. That means we cannot earn his love! It is a free gift, and there is nothing we can do to change that fact! And Praise God for it, because there is no possible way we could earn God's love and approval, because it is not possible for us to meet his standards.
Something Wim said today really struck me. "Religion is the story of a desperate man reaching to a god he cannot quite get to; the Gospel is the story of a broken-hearted father, reaching down to pick up kids who could not even lift up their arms to him."

God loves us for the fact that we are alive – not for what we can or will become or do. Just as a parent loves a handicapped child that will never be self-sufficient, God loves us, though we will never be able to meet His standards alone.

Isn't that amazing? God is so good.

Playing Catch-Up / What's in a Name?

So, sorry I have neglected my blog lately, I have just been rather busy, and to be quite frank, when I wasn't busy, I was tired and lazy. So, I now make amends by playing catch-up and summarizing the events over the last few days.

Saturday -

We went on another "walk" (aka hike). This time it was at a place called "El Torcal" It was incredible! Great views, amazing natural landscape, and lots of fun to explore anywhere you had the guts to climb. Picture below.

So yeah, that was a lot of fun. =] And I'm telling you - that picture does not come anywhere near to even beginning to do that view justice. It was gorgeous there.
Later Saturday, some of s did our now customary walk around Torremolinos. This time, however, we took along this weeks speaker, Wim. I had a very interesting conversation with him about psychology and counseling; He has his degree and has been working as a counselor for many years now. It was wonderful to get perspective and information on an area I am very much interested in from someone who has much more experience and is undoubtedly wiser. =]

Sunday-

Sunday was a lazy day. I got to sleep in, read in the sun, and just generally relax. The Villa very much encourages us to take Sunday as a true day of rest - all assignments are due saturday night, and we don't plan anything academic on Sundays.
Sunday night, Terah and I went with Brigitte to her church. It was an interesting experience because it was a bilingual church. Some of the worship songs were in English, some in Spanish. during the message, the pastor had to stop every couple of sentences for another man to translate his words into English. (It was a weird feeling realizing that mine was not the dominant language here)
All in all Sunday went very well. =]

Monday (Today) -

Today we got back into the regular routine. This week we are learning about the heart of God. Today we talked about the Father-Heart of God.
Shakespeare once wrote, "What's in a name? A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet."
In class, Wim talked about how everyone can hear the same word and get vastly different pictures based on their experience. If someone hears the word "light" for instance, some people will picture a lightbulb, some the sun, and others may picture something that is light in weight terms, like a feather.
The same is true of the word "father". When someone who has grown up in a warm, loving home, with a strong, caring father-figure, the word brings a sense of peace, security, and warmth. However this is not the case of many today, with broken homes, abusive families, runaway fathers, and all the other terrible tragedies affecting family life. Many people today, when they hear the word "father" picture a cold distant figure, or worse, the source of emotional and physical abuse.
God is often referred to in the Bible as our "Heavenly Father". What kind of light do we shed on Him from our experiences? Do we see him as a cold, distant, judgmental figure? A wrathful being, bent on our pain and suffering? Or do we see Him as He really is, a loving, tender, merciful parent who only wants the very best for us, His precious children?
There are many meanings that can be put to the word "father". What meaning do you give it? "What's in a name?"...

Awareness Test

*I wrote the following post yesterday. However the internet was down and I was unable to post it. Enjoy!

So today was not so much of an overload as yesterday.
We actually stayed mostly on track with the lecture today, which was a miracle. We learned about all the different ways God spoke to people in the Bible, and how that relates to us now.

In class he showed us a video of an awareness test:

He related this video to how unless we are specifically listening for God’s voice, it is very easy to miss.

We also talked about journaling, and the different ways to journal. I find journaling, and blogging for that matter, to be very therapeutic, because it forces me to actually sift through my thoughts and put them down in an understandable format. This transfers over wonderfully to my time that I journal with God, because I am able to think through my prayers more specifically, and it clears my cluttered mind, making it much easier to hear God’s voice.

Later on, when we were talking more about hearing God’s voice, Timo had us do an exercise. He told us to picture ourselves as a ship, and ask God what kind of ship we were, and just let him speak to us. It was fascinating to hear all the different things each of us got from the same exercise.
Mine was rather unique, because I had never gotten anything wit such specifics before.
As the ship in my mind took form I saw it was white with the deck being a rich, deep, rosewood.

It was a large ship. It wasn’t a cruise ship, but it did carry many people. Some of the people were missionaries, and other Christians, on their way to the next stop, and others were refugees seeking shelter and hope.  This touched me, because I love to help people who are hurting or need a friend, and I realized God sees that and loves it.

Then I realized it was a steam ship, running on fuel, and the fuel was burning incense. For those of you who do not know what incense represents, in the Bible, it represents worship and praise. This is significant to me because I love to worship God, and write songs to sing and praise him. Doing this reenergizes me in a way, or “refuels” me.
Then Timo asked us to picture Jesus coming aboard our boat.

As I pictured this, I saw Jesus walking aboard. As he did he touched the passengers on the boat, healing them, encouraging them, helping them. As I watched though, he did more. He got out a bucket of soap and a scrubber, and began cleaning the dirt from the deck of the ship. I heard him whisper into my mind, “I’m not afraid to do the dirty work in order to make you clean. Don’t be ashamed of your mess. Come to me.”
This just blew me out of the water. Wow. God loves me so much! He is willing to scrub the dirty decks of my life because he loves me that much. Wow.

The whole experience was amazing, because rarely has God ever been so specific with me. The more I think about it now though, maybe I just haven’t often given him that much of an opportunity. 

Processing Overload.

Today I had a processing overload error. No, not on my computer, in my brain. I hadn't really done anything really academic or anything that made my brain really stretch since I graduated last June, until today that is.
Today in class, Timo began his planned lecture on the character of God, and on hearing God's voice. The lecture and discussion spurred by the lecture was incredibly mentally stimulating, and mind stretching. We broached subjects that hadn't even entered the outer sphere of my thinking before! At first I absolutely loved it. I love learning about new things I can be passionate about, things that matter to me. I reached a point though, that my head was buzzing with so much information, that the processing just stopped. There was too much. I couldn't process it all at once. Luckily, shortly thereafter, class was over.

It is hours later, and my brain is only just now cautiously beginning to sift through everything I have taken in today. Here are a few interesting conclusions I am coming to as I sift through what I have heard today.

- Often the most difficult thing is not hearing God's voice, because God is always speaking to us. The difficult part is to filter out all the other voices and influences that are screaming at us in order to hear Him whispering to us.

- If each time we meet with God, we always talk about the same things, and always meet in the same way, (example: only through Bible reading, or only through worship) then we cannot move forward in our relationship with Him, and we cannot get to know Him in a deeper way. The same is true with people. If you have a friend whom you always meet at a coffee shop, and you always talk about work with them, you will never know anything about the rest of their lives, and you will never get to know them in any other context.

- When you ask God a question, expect an answer, but you must also expect it to not necessarily be the answer you want. You must be prepared to take the good with the bad, no matter what that means, even if His answer takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you feel awkward or uncomfortable.

- If you do what is right, even if it goes against what you may be feeling at the time, you are not  a hypocrite. But, if you do what your emotions tell you regardless of what you know is right, and profess to be right, you are a hypocrite. Our society tells us to "go with what feels right" and to "follow your heart (emotions)", but what if you really feel like you want to kill someone? Society says that killing is wrong and you shouldn't do it, even if your emotions tell you too. (which makes society in general, as a whole, hypocritical by the way.)

These are just a few tidbits. There is so much more, but I haven't processed through it yet, and I need to sleep so I can recharge both my brain and my body, so that's all for tonight. Goodnight! =]

God's Will.

Today we finally got past the whole "get-to-know-everybody" phase and actually had our first real day of classes. Our guest teacher this week is an awesome, funny guy named Timo. Timo is from Germany, and it is great fun to listen to him speak English because as fluent as he is he still has a cool accent.
Anyhow, today Timo spoke to us in class. At first he was just telling his story, but it turned into something more. We ended up on the subject of God's Will. We discussed on whether God has any one specific will for our lives or if there are many different ways we could live and still be in His will.
After much pondering, I opt for the latter answer. There are, of course, very set guidelines in the Bible on what is obviously not God's will, and what obviously is (example: Do not kill; love your enemies) but I believe there are many different choices we can make within those guidelines, and God is happy to let us choose, even excited like a proud parent watching us make those decisions.
For example, I do not believe there is only one person God means to be our soulmate. If that was so, then if one person married someone who was not their soulmate, that means they married someone else's, which would start a big long chain reaction of everyone marrying the wrong person. I believe God gives us several choices, and depending on the decisions we each make, hopefully 2 people who complement each other and are compatible with each other will end up together. This is not to say that f they do there will not be conflict - quite on the contrary. Marriage is a serious endeavor and takes lots of work, the same as any relationship only magnified. It just means that there could be several people that, provided the right decisions are made, you could be equally happy with. One comforting thing about this is that it takes a lot of the pressure off - I don't have to worry about whether or not 'Rambo' is my "one and only soulmate" or not. I just believe that he and I are compatible, we complement each other, and we are willing to do the work and stick it out, through good times and bad.
Moving on. While pondering God's Will for my life today, I got the strangest feeling. I got this innate sense that God is preparing me for something for a choice. I could almost feel Him rubbing his hands together in excitement, saying to the angels, "Just wait until she sees the wonderful blessings I have for her, and the exciting choices she gets to make!". I could feel an unexplainable excitement rise up in my chest at that feeling. I feel like at the end of this DTS, it will be clear to me the different paths God will reveal for my life. Not the whole paths of course, but I will come to a fork in the road and my choices will be clear.
I know that somehow it has to do with binding all my interests together - writing, music, photography, counseling, cooking, and just helping people. I have always wondered why God gave me such diverse interests and no clear career path on which to go with them. I feel very strongly that during this season he will reveal to me how they all tie in together.
I have such an anticipation growing inside of me. I just can't wait to see all the surprises my Heavenly Father is going to bring my way. =]

Adventures. =]

Today, I climbed a mountain. I don't mean just some dinky little mountain, this was a MOUNTAIN.
If you discount the fact that we drove up 3/4 of it before hiking the rest of the way, it actually looks very impressive. Haha. We all had a blast though. 

The original plan was to go for a "walk", which turned into a steep hike mixed with a little bit of rock climbing. It was great fun, especially our picnic at the top while overlooking the gorgeous view.
Later in the afternoon we traversed the nearby unique, picturesque town of Mijas. With its cobblestone streets, quaint little shops, and friendly locals, it is exactly the kind of friendly small town I could easily fall in love with. It really was a lovely way to spend the day.
The rest of the day was uneventful and not worth documenting, so for today I will leave you with this: I am in love with the beauty of the Spanish countryside, and even so much more in love with its Creator. <3

Dutchmen.

Every day here in Spain is an interesting one.
Today we spent the whole morning as a group, talking about our stories, and about the upcoming weeks. In the afternoon a few of us went on a hunt to find camera chargers. (I wasn't the only one who neglected that item) Alas, no luck. We hope to go into the actual city of Malaga later in the week to search for them there. The day was not a total loss though. Today I had my first ever visit to an IKEA store. It was rather interesting. We had fun wandering the maze and looking at various model room setups. I have to say, if it weren't for the big arrows everywhere it would be incredibly easy to get lost there.
Later that afternoon while everyone was doing there own thing, I decided to go help one of the staff members make dinner. She and I had fun experimenting in the kitchen while singing along with the radio. It was a different experience for me too, because I had never cooked for so many people - Not only were there the 6 of us plus staff, but also a team of 5 Dutchmen coming to do maintenance on the house, and our speaker for this next week also arrived this evening.
It was quite a roomful with everyone there, but in a good way.
I love the automatic sense of community and family here. It doesn't matter that we didn't even know these new, large men. We all fell into easy community because of our mutual love for the Lord.
Being here feeling this feeling... I can't help but think that this is exactly how it should be for all believers, everywhere. We should all have our homes open to one another always, and live in fellowship more deeply with one another.
After dinner we played a Bible trivia game. We were all pretty ashamed of how few specifics we could come up. I especially felt the shame, knowing that I should know most of the answers from my 4 years in a private Christian school, and taking Bible classes all the while, not to mention growing up in the church.
I am most definitely renewing my determination to become consistent in my Bible studying.
'Rambo' and I have a friend whose passion is studying the Bible. There is certainly nothing he loves more than studying the Bible, talking about the Bible, applying the Bible to real situations. If ever anyone has a question about the Bible or anything in the Bible, 'Rambo' and I always automatically think to ask this friend.
I want to be more like that. I want to really get a passion for studying the Bible and talking about it. I know that it is not my calling like it is his, but I want to have more of what I see in him than I have now. I am going to pray God gives me that passion, and any prayers anyone else wants to send up on my behalf can certainly address that. =]

Well, my roommates are already asleep and I believe I will join them.
Buenas noches. <3

I Can't Come Up With a Clever Title.

So... Today was...... Normal? I guess. As normal as it can get when living in a foreign country and leaving the place you have lived pretty much all your life behind.

Today was the first day we started at an earlier hour, and actually had classes however. We started around 9am with worship, and the had some more orientation (mostly stuff we already knew) and had had coffee break (smile) followed by some introduction to the culture we will deal with on our missions trip. 

The country that we will be visiting is ----
*Censored: I am not supposed to reveal what country we will be going to until after the trip is over. It is a restricted country in which the gospel is not necessarily welcomed by the government.

After that we had a little more house schedule orientation and just talked and got to know each other. After dinner we went on another walk down to Torremolinos. (This seems to be becoming habit for us.) And then we all just did our own stuff for the rest of the evening.

One interesting tidbit about today - somehow in my packing frenzy, I neglected to make sure I brought my charger for my camera's battery pack. Therefore, I now will not be able to take pictures unless I can locate somewhere to buy a new charger. We shall see how that goes......
So yeah, I'm tired, so I'm going to head to bed. Buenas noches!

Like Family.

Today the last of our small group of students arrived - Chelsea and Spencer. They are a married couple from BC Canada. We (the students already here) made a big sign and went with Brigitte (our DTS leader) to go pick them up at the airport. From the airport we stopped at the apartment Brigitte shares with Hanukah and Vida (two other YWAM staff members) so that she could pick up a few things.
After arriving back at the villa, Chelsea and Spencer elected to take a nap and unpack while the rest of us went exploring and showed Sarah around Toremolinos, as she had arrived after our excursion yesterday. Today when we went down to the beach I took off my socks and shoes and walked barefoot along the sand and into the waves of the Mediterranean Sea.. It was a cool experience - literally, because the water was a tad chilly. (bad joke, I know)
Back at the villa, we arrived just in time for the official DTS welcome dinner, with all the local YWAM staff in attendance, along with ourselves and the villa staff. It was interesting to meet and get to know all the staff. There were a lot more of them than I was expecting, and I cannot even remember most of their names. After dinner they prayed for us and our coming time together. A couple of us teared up at the words that were spoken, and we could tell that though they barely knew us, they meant it from their hearts.
In the evening I spent quite a bit of time on the villa guitar, building up my calluses again and working on my songs. I hadn't worked on them in so long, it was refreshing to sing them again, and play on the guitar. It was like spending time with a close friend you hadn't seen in a while, or putting on your most comfy worn-in clothes. It was comforting, and it fit. I truly never realize how much I miss writing music and singing until I start again after a period without it.
I hung out with everyone for the rest of the evening, chatting and just getting to know everyone a bit more. The funny thing is, despite the fact that we have only known each other for a few days (or less) we all already feel like we've known each other for ages... Like we're family.

I Love Exploring.

Today was my first full day here in Spain, and I have to say, it was fantastic.
After breakfast Frank, Terah and I went exploring a little bit in the city. Torremolinos is beautiful.
La Villa de Isabel is on the top of a hill so it was quite a walk, but it felt good to get out and exercise. We walked down to the shops and through the tourist area, and then down to the beach, on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is so gorgeous. I didn't bring my camera with me, so no pictures today, but soon.
On the way back we say a cat with three legs. It was missing one of its front legs. It didn't let me get too close though because it was a stray.
This afternoon Terah and I took our first siesta. It is quite a cultural thing over here. For a couple hours in the afternoon all the shops close down and everything for siesta. It was rather nice, actually. I think I will definitely enjoy that aspect of Spain very much.
When we woke up the next student of our little DTS had arrived - Sarah. She seems very nice and I am excited to get to know her better. We all played a game of 'golf' (the card game, not the sport) before getting ready for dinner.
Over dinner we all decided we should have a villa pet. This came about because as we were talking we discovered that one of the villa's staff, Soraya, has a degree as a vet. That turned the conversaion to animals, and thus our decision. My project will be, I think, to gain the trust of the three legged cat and lure back to the villa. =]
Frank, Terah and I wound down the evening by watching a few episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" (very funny show btw) and now I am writing this entry while getting ready to Skype with my beloved 'Rambo'.
That's all for today!

In Which I Say Tearful Goodbyes, Make a New Friend, Get Lost in a Swiss Airport, and Finally Make it to Spain.

I'm here!!!!!


Okay, backing up and starting from the beginning now.
3:45am PST, Yesterday: We leave for airport.
4am PST, Yesterday: We come back, grab the stuff I forgot in my hurry, and leave for the airport again.
This is where my timing starts to go fuzzy, but bear with me.
At the airport my heart was breaking as I said tearful goodbyes to my Dad, Stepmom, and my beloved 'Rambo'. It didn't seem real. I didn't want to walk away, knowing that this would be the last time I would see them for 6 months. Somehow, though, I gathered my courage and strength, and made my way through security to my departure gate, tears rolling unbidden down my cheeks.
I slept most of my first flight, thank goodness, and arrived at the denver airport around breakfast time. I had a coffee and a little breakfast, and then dragged myself across the airport to wait at my connecting gate.
On the flight from Denver to DC I found myself sitting next to a man looking to be about 40 or so. A first I thought it was going to be an awkward flight, between him and the window, but as I spied the book he was reading my mood brightened, and I started up a conversation. He was reading a book that I cannot for the life of me remember the title of, but it was about God, and through asking him about the book I discovered he was a missionary on his way to Africa. We chatted for probably an hour and a half, him sharing about his upcoming mission, and me about my upcoming time with YWAM and mission thereof. It was an uplifting experience to meet a fellow Christian on the flight, and to have a friendly seat-mate whom I could chat with.
Later that same flight I got to see the most unique and gorgeous sunrise. Below are a couple of photos, but they don't nearly do it justice.

In DC I disembarked my plane and walked around a bit to stretch my legs, before boarding my next flight. This flight, however, took much longer to take off than it should have, as it was snowing and they had to de-ice the plane. Due to these delays, I missed my connection in Zurich, and ended up getting lost in the Swiss airport trying to find my new connecting flight. Finally I found it with the help of a Swede who spoke a little English. Then I tried calling the base to let them know about the flight change. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to work the international pay phone, but I finally got it working.
From Zurich I had a connecting flight in Valencia, then here to Malaga. When collecting my luggage at the airport here sadly, I discovered that only one of my bags made it through, however after much searching and some 'Spanglish' my bag was located, and will be delivered here to La Villa de Isabel tomorrow. =]
After arriving at La Villa, I met the base staff, most of whom I have already forgotten their names, and 2 of my 5 fellow students - Frank, and Terah. Frank is from Holland, and Terah is from the states. We have had quite an amusing evening trading background stories, as Terah and I have ound so many significant similarities between us it is downright creepy.
Well, it is almost 9:30pm here, and the evening is winding down, so I think I will head to bed. I have had quite a day. So that's all for now! God Bless.

My Last Day in the States....

Wow. Time has just flown by as I prepared for this trip. It's hard to believe that bright and way-too-early tomorrow morning I will be on a plane on my way to Spain. It just doesn't seem real yet.
But here I am, sitting on the couch next to my darling 'Rambo', packed and nearly ready to set out on this great adventure..

I attended all three services at at my church this weekend, saying goodbye to all those who I hold so dear in my church family, and getting prayed over for my journey ahead. I had multiple prophecies spoken over me about what is to come in the next months, and I am excited to see them unfold.
I was told to ask for God to put people in my path, not only once I get there, but even on the planes as I travel to my destination. I was also told that sometime while I am there I will be able to have influence in an area that others are not easily accepted in, and God will use me in amazing ways. The most encouraging thing I was told though, is that God is going to use this trip to grow my relationship with Him tremendously. I'm not just going to grow a little, I am going to grow a lot.
That's all for now.
'Stay tuned for updates about my adventures in flight, tomorrow night something-pm EST ! ' 

5 Days and Counting...

So here I am, preparing to set off on an adventure of a lifetime. In just a mere 5 days I will be on a plane heading towards 6 months away from everything and everyone I have ever known.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Kimberly. I am a 19-year-old high school graduate, born and raised in Oregon. I have a wonderful, supportive family, and an amazing fiance' to whom in this blog I will refer to as 'Rambo" for the sake of privacy.
The purpose of this blog is to chronicle all my experiences in my YWAM DTS (Youth With a Mission Discipleship Training School)
I will be spending 6 months in this program, away from my family, future spouse, and everything I've known growing up. I am taking with me only 2 suitcases of belongings. The first 3 months I will spend in a YWAM base in Spain, called the Villa de Isabel. The second 3 months I will be on the missions field in North Africa.
I feel very strongly that God has called me to be a part of this program, and I am very excited to see the adventures He has in store for me. I know that He will change me dramatically during the coming months, but I am also very anxious about the whole ordeal.
So here I am, waiting in tenacious anticipation for the beginning of my great adventure. What does God have in store for me exactly? I'm not sure. But I guess I will find out.