And my God will meet all of your needs...

... according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, I love that verse.

When I was saving to go to Africa last year, I clung to that verse against the odds, and God showed me His faithfulness yet again. He more than provided! Praise His name!

I've clung to that verse while saving for YWAM as well and He has been so awesome in provision, sometimes out of the strangest circumstances, but God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He? It's so amazing to see Him move, especially when the need seems impossible to meet in my finite view of things. Then He shows up in the most spectacular and simple way and I find myself deeply humbled by His faithfulness. Inspite of my doubt or unbelief, he provides and I have to step back and ask Him to forgive "oh, me of little faith".

I have also been blessed so much by the generosity of God's people. I want to say a tremendous THANK YOU to any and everyone who has sacrificed a portion of their income, to support my DTS. In these uncertain and at times scary economic times, when simply paying the bills and buying groceries is a great accomplishment, you have selflessly donated, with no motive of return. Large or small, I have been so blessed by your giving, and I pray that God would bless you all and return ten fold what you have given me. And to those who may have wanted to give and couldn't, I pray God blesses you as well and thank you for your giving heart!

I also want to say THANK YOU to all of those who have supported me with prayer! God bless you for your thoughtfulness! I have no doubt that you have been an ESSENTIAL part in my journey toward YWAM, and I ask that you continue to pray for me as it grows ever closer.

I am still a bit shy of what I need, but I know that if I do all that I can God will provide as he always has, and always will. If you need a babysitter, house cleaner, lawn mower, dish washer, errand runner, grocery shopper, etc... I'd be more than happy to give you a hand!

My goal is to have my entire DTS payed for before I leave, please keep me in your prayers that I can meet that goal!

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!

3 months and counting...

So, I've decided since I'm going to ywam and I have lots of family and friends that I'll be leaving behind, I should start a blog. This way I can keep everyone in the loop on what I'm up to.
As of right now I am three months [technically 2 months and 28 days] away from leaving and the time is flying by! On Sept. 10th I'll be boarding a plane bound for the Pacific Ocean and the island of Maui. I'll be based there for the first three months of my DTS. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten the "oh pooor you" eye roll when I mention where I'll be based and I can't say that I blame people. I'm sure it's going to be amazing living in Hawaii, but my real reason for choosing Maui is its focus area. When I first decided I wanted to do missions and eventually decided YWAM was the place I wanted to do it, I wasn't positive where I wanted to actually go. India? The middle east? Africa? But the place God laid on my heart was China [which turns out to be one of YWAM Maui's main focuses right now] which made their base the obvious choice.
Since I'll most likely be heading to China in a matter of months, I've wanted to learn a little more about the people and the country itself so I picked up a documentary last night and started watching it and the most amazing thing happened. I was sitting there watching some footage of a peasant family enjoying a meal together. They were laughing and smiling and despite their yellowed teeth and weathered faces; tattered clothes and the humble means of their home all I saw was God's beautiful creation. I started tearing up, my heart was bursting with love for these people I didn't know, but longed to serve. My heart was aching for the people of China.
I am so excited for what lies ahead in the months to come and I am so excited to be a part of the work God is doing around the world! Please keep me in your prayers as I step out into the unknown, holding the hand of the all-knowing! I'll be sure to keep you updated! God bless!

Chelsey