Farewell 2009. You've been good to me.

This past year has been incredible and excruciating, filled with love and the rawness of life. I've learned that, to die is gain and to love Jesus is fulfilling. I've discovered who I am and what I want from life. I want to be radical. I want to always live for Jesus. I want to love. I want to be loved.

I've dreamt more than I knew I even could. I've become someone I didn't know I could be. God gave me freedom. He breathed LIFE into me and gave me something worth living for. I am blessed.

Since returning home from YWAM, I've decided to move to Oregon. I've gone through a lot of change in the past months, and as it turns out, I'm not so good with it.....I like to know why and how, and all the answers to my questions. I like to plan. I've been challenged in ways I didn't think I would be since coming back to America. Since God has given me dreams and desires, I thought I would set out to conquer them. He is teaching me how and in his timing. In fact, I'm not really sure what direction my life is heading right now. However, I am sure that if I do not love along the way, everything is meaningless.

Something is happening in my spirit. I've lost a bit of the passion I've discovered since returning home. Now is the time to live out the person I became, and to live like a daughter of the King! Why am I holding back? What have I to lose? To lose everything for the name of Jesus is LIFE and fulfillment! So, why not?.....

In a few months I will be going back to New Zealand on my Around the World ticket with some of my Ywam friends (lord willing), and I am stoked beyond words..............

|R|

Thailand

Pictures from Cambodia!





We have been here for almost two weeks. We have been helping out with an already established ministry at the Tamar Center. It is a place of helping prostitutes find a different way to make money and it offers them a different lifestyle. Three times a week, we help out at an english class there. We also go around to bars and talk to the prostitutes there. Many don't know the truth and know hardly anything about Jesus. It is incredibly sad to watch these beautiful, intelligent women try to make a living like this. They need hope and love. They need to know Jesus. We have had some good opportunities to tell them about Jesus. Most of them are so open to hearing and love to talk to foreigners, so it has been pretty easy to bring it up. Kaylee and I had a chance to talk to this girl, Daol, and tell her about Jesus. She is a mother of two little ones, and has been in the industry for 3 years. She needed to find a way to make money for her and her family. It was sad to hear her story. We have talked to several others with a similar story. There are around 700 hundred bars in Pattaya and each filled with prostitutes. 

The guys have been helping out with a prison ministry and doing some beach evangelism. Now, we are at Koh Samet- an island off the coast of Thailand, for debrief. We will be here for three days doing a team debrief, then on Saturday, we leave for Israel. There we are meeting all the other teams from around the world for our school debrief and GRADUATION!! This DTS adventure is coming to an end. Only a few more weeks.......

Cambodia----

Cambodia. Wow. I have been here a little over a week. We started out in Phnom Penh and were there for a few days, doing some slum ministry for 'Children at Risk.' Jeremy, one of our school leaders, came here to stay with us for a week and just to see how we are doing. It has been refreshing and encouraging to have him around. We had our orientation for this country the first day we were here, and we went to the Killing Fields. Cambodia has a tragic history of their nation. Many people were tortured and killed during the Khmer Rouge period (5 years), due to a devastating dictatorship. It was overwhelming to visit these camp sites where people were treated in such an inhumane manner. It was important to visit these places, so we have a heart for these people and understand what they've been through as a nation. The past 10 years have been a time of peace for these people. Only 3% of the people are christians. 

We had three days in Phnom Penh, then went to Siem Reap for a three day rest. It was greatly needed for me and my team. We visited the Angkor Wat Temple, and just hung out. It was lovely. :) Then we headed to Kampong Thom, where we will be doing the rest of our ministry while in Cambodia. The house we are staying in is a bit different than what we have had thus far. I am sharing a bed with two others and we have no running water- so that means bucket showers! Beauty. God is teaching me a lot through this. He is teaching me to be flexible wherever I am, and reminding me I am not entitled to any of the comfort things I think I need or want. It's hard though, because I like my space, and he is teaching me to lay that down. My days here have been interesting so far to say the least. On the way to Kampong Thom, we stopped at this market, and Landon bought a fried spider and cricket. We ate it. GROSS. I just had a spider leg. That was enough for me. Yesterday, our contacts offered us fried crickets. mmm. I had one. It wasn't so bad, just a bit crunchy.....:)

My prayer for Cambodia is that God would just give me his heart for these people here. I want to feel what they are feeling and love them with God's love! Ah i just want them to know how much they are loved by God! Holy cow. God has been teaching me to live in the present and take each day, one day at a time. That is so hard, because I keep dreaming about the future and wishing I was home, or traveling Europe. I just want to be content with where I am now. God has placed me in Cambodia for a reason and a purpose. I was chosen to reach his people. It takes patience and it's hard, but I need to be here with all of my mind and all of my heart, spreading the love of Christ. 

We are only half way through. Pray for me, because I need it. I cannot do this on my own. That is something I have been learning as well....I just want to keep having revelations and going deeper with my Heavenly Father. ahhh I feel like God is going to do huge things in this country. Also, please pray for our team's well-being. Some of us have been feeling sick lately.  And for strength and boldness! I miss home. a lot. I miss summer. a lot. oh well.

love.

rachelle

Leaving Taiwan.

Taiwan was a sweet country. I loved getting to know the people there and the culture. Everyone is so hospitable. It was so encouraging. We were busy all the time. We fed the homeless, helped with  some church services, went to jr. high schools and shared our testimonies, dramas, and the gospel. We also helped out at a crazy kid's program at a church. It has been stretching for me, because I am forced to get out of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn't normally want to do. I have been learning to just praise God for the small things even when things suck and I just want to get away. God will never leave me and is always there for me. He is strong when I am weak. I am really learning the full extent of that statement. I just want more! I want so much more from this outreach! I want to step into each country will both feet and my whole heart. I mean, holy crap, we are already half way through! Geez louise. I want to be used so much by God. I want to focus in like crazy and just kick some butt! :) I am at the Bangkok airport right now. I am on my way to Cambodia tonight. We have  4 day holiday, then back to ministry. I am stoked to just be there already! I love this adventure I am on. God is faithful and working. Thank you all for your prayers.

Rachelle

Taiwan!

Currently I am in Taiwan. Our team arrived last Thursday. It has been a whirlwind since. We have been so busy with ministry and connecting with the people here. I love it here. The city is so cool. We have been visiting churches and sharing our testimonies, as well as doing dramas. Yesterday consisted of our team singing on the street corner handing out tracks. It was really random, and we have to be ready for anything! ahh. Most of the time we don't even know what we will be doing. It has been such an adventure. Today we are going to be visiting the tallest building in the world. Taipei 101! Holla. Tomorrow will be a big day for us too. We will be going to a junior high school and sharing our testimonies/dramas for the entire day. Exhausting maybe....but I am totally stoked!!!! 

[BALI, Indonesia]

So, I'm in freaking Bali. I arrived Monday night and it has been a whirlwind since. It is really humid and hot all the time, everyday. Which I guess is what anybody can really expect.....
It is so good to finally be here though. The culture is beautiful and the food is great...beautiful people. I love it. We taught some children a bit of English so far. We also worked with the compassion project, which was cool to see how it works. Tomorrow we are going to a picnic to talk to youth and teach them games, and just to build relationships with them. Pray that we can make connections and share Jesus with them, even with the language barrier. I am missing the YWAM oxford base a bit and everyone that I left. BUT God is doing great things and I am excited to see where and how he will use our team.

Bless.


-rachelle

holy crap

I am not my own. 

I am learning that more and more. I am learning to completely die to the flesh and find life in Jesus Christ. I want to seek him in everything I do, whether it is hard or not. Last week we had lectures on Lordship. It was the most intense week thus far. I had so much TRUTH spoken into my life this week. My faith is not going to be based on feelings. The foundation of my faith is being rebuilt. I want to walk in the light every single day of my life. I don't freaking care if it's hard or not. I don't want to live a life for myself anymore. I don't want my life to be rooted in fear any longer. I am free in the name of Jesus Christ of any bondage of fear in my life. I will live a life for my Lord. I am not afraid. 

.....2 weeks till outreach! ahhhhhh

Pray for me and my team!

cheers!