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!

 

Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy.

I have been filled with JOY. God has filled me up and my cup is overflowing. I have joy in my heart and love in my spirit. Thank you Jesus. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Words of LIFE were spoken over me this week. Words of FREEDOM. I have the joy of the Lord in my heart, and I will never let it go. I have the truth. I know the truth. God is stirring up life in me. Life filled with love and joy that I didn't know I could have. I am tall and radiant like a sunflower. Jesus is pouring into my spirit. I want more I want more I want more. Drown us in love, Jesus. 

FAITH WEEK

What a crazy week....

So, this past week, Landon, Grace, and I got dropped off in the middle of nowhere with 2 sandwiches and $20 each. We had to survive on that for the whole week, while hitchhiking across New Zealand. It was incredible what God did for us that week. The first night, we ended up in Christchurch where we found an old man inside an anglican church who helped us out and got us a place to stay for the night. The next morning we went to the easter service at the church and had lunch after. Then the pastor took us to Timaru and we stayed with a couple there for the night. The east coast was beautiful. The next day, we made it all the way down to Gore where we met this owner of a resturant and it was her birthday. So, she invited us to have diner with her and her family. We had a full course meal complete with birthday cake and ice cream. It was wonderful and later that night we went eel spearing. God provided a place for us to stay every night. Except for one night we had to sleep in a park in Queenstown. Another night we slept in the back of a tour bus. It was just super cool to see how God provided all the things we needed for that week. We made it all the way to Bluff, which is the southern most tip of the south island, and we were there for 2 days staying in an old oyster factory. All these things happened by the grace of God. God is so good to me. It just showed me and forced me to rely on God for everything that I need, like food, shelter, and showers. I had to trust that he would provide for me, and he did. Even the simple little things that I didn't need, but that he wanted to bless me with. It made me so thankful for every little thing that I have. New Zealand is so beautiful. I was blessed to be able to see a lot more of it this week. I got home yesterday at 9:20 AM, and it was the best feeling ever. It is so good to be back. I had such a wonderful, hard week, and I am so glad to be back. We had a cinnamon toast and chocolate milk party then took some showers, and just relaxed the rest of the day. It was so good to see everyone again and be around the people that I love....my family. 

Thank you for your prayers everyone. I have so much homework and such to catch up on. 

I hope you all have a lovely day! :) 

Bless.

SOUTHEAST ASIA.

About a week ago I found out where I am going on outreach! How marvelous is that?! I am going to southeast asia :) The countries we are going to are Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan. I have a sweet team of 3 guys and 6 girls. I am so excited....We leave for outreach May 16th. It's crazy how fast time goes by here. I love everything about oxford and just the beauty it offers. I am so blessed. Last week, the topic was the Father Heart of God. It was sort of a tough week for me. I realized I hadn't dealt with a lot of baggage with my dad, and God just revealed that to me. Just accepting his love for me and realizing I am capable of being loved. 

Last weekend, I went to the west coast. It was sweet. We stopped along the way to see the Pancake Rocks. Then we went to the hostel by the beach and hung out there for the day. It was magnificent...and I saw glow worms. glorious.

This Saturday we are starting faith week. Me and two others will be dropped off in the middle of no where and we have to survive the week on $20 per person. It will basically force us into relying on God for everything: a place to stay, food, and transportation. I am excited to see how God will work that week. It will be CraZy. :) Please keep Grace, Landon, and I in your prayers on the week of the 11th. I will let . all know how it goes! :) 

I love all of you!

bless you.

This is a sweet video of what I have been up to.... :) our school still needs quite a bit of money for outreach, so if you feel lead to give, contact me!

YWAM around the world in 80 days... from Jaclyn Visbeen on Vimeo.

[rachelle]

YWAM is cool

Hi.

How is everybody? It seems strange that this is my third week into the DTS. I have been so busy lately. Last week I felt like God was telling me that I need to change some things in my life. I felt like there were some people in my life that I needed to forgive. The bitterness in my heart was rooted so deep within me. I was oblivious to some of it and didn't even know it was controlling me. It will take time, and it hurts, but I need to deal with it. There is other things I need to deal with as well. God, just continue to just shape my life and my heart into the person you want me to be. Jesus is good, and I want to be willing to be WHATEVER He wants me to be. I can't believe I am here. I am becoming so much more aware of everything that is out there. There is so much more to life than Holmes County. Thank the Lord....I just feel like I have missed out on so much when I was just living the safe, typical life back home. It is just cool to get away. :) 

RELATIONSHIPS is our topic this week. It is always good to learn more about something that is such a big part of life. Everyone has relationships, and it is so important to be living in healthy relationships. 

I hope everyone back home is doing splendid. I miss my church family!

love.

Life

This is going on my second week in New Zealand....Last weekend, we were able to see more of this country and go into the city, Christchurch. It was a lovely weekend for sure. I am so glad to be here in this new season of my life. God is teaching me new things and I am being challenged already (just getting here was a challenge). :) I am doing very well and I don't really know what else to say :) I hope all of you are doing well also! Take care!!

[rachelle]

I am here.

Hello everyone. 

I have been in New Zealand for 4 days and it already feels like it has been weeks. It is such a beautiful country with wonderful people with marvelous accents. : ) Basically this week is just orientation week and getting settled. The people I am getting to know that are doing the same AW80 school as me are super sweet. People from all over the world :America, Canada, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Fiji and others. Today we had a lecture on Intercession. It was something that I am not really used to. But I am excited to see what God is going to do in me and through me and use me to reach others. I love it here. I am doing very well. I hope all of you are doing well also. Keep me updated with your life! :) Keep me in your prayers that I will just do what God wants and be able to completely die to myself. 

love.

[rachelle]

5 days

In just 5 days I will be wandering off into the unknown. In 5 short days I will begin to experience all the scary, hard, stretching things that i can't even begin to comprehend. I want to be able to know God on a new level and be able to rely on Him only....I can't even describe all the emotions and things that I am feeling because I feel so many different things. Everything from anxious to excitement, to feeling happy and unsure. I am just trying to take in all my last days here and get my fill of everything. :) I really am excited to start this new journey and see what God is going to do through me. I can't believe this is all happening, and I can't wait to meet all the marvelous people i will come to know so well. 

1 Month

Today marks one month till I leave Ohio and head onward to New Zealand. I have begun taking on the joys of getting my stuff together and sifting through the most important things to take. I am beginning to realize that living out of a backpack for 6 months will not be easy, and quite challenging! But bring it on!! I know God is going to work in amazing ways, and I cannot wait to learn and see and grow. Jesus be with me.

[rachelle]

Goodness....

On Sunday I had my brunch fundraiser. It went really well! I had so many wonderful people helping me and making delicious food. This was my final fundraiser before I leave for New Zealand next month, and the outcome was such a blessing!! Indeed God is good, and again I was reassured that this is where I am meant to go.
What a blessing this preparation stage has been for me. I am ready to be in a plane across the Pacific anticipating what God is going to do in my life and reflecting on what He already has done. I do get a bit anxious when I think about being gone for six months, but I think it will be good for me to get away. This whole thing is beyond mind boggling and to know God chose ME to go!! It's all a little frightening, but at the same time exciting and wonderful. I have amazing family that have helped me soo much through these past months and I am so grateful for their support. Although I still have quite a bit to do before I leave the states, I am looking forward to this marvelous adventure!




[rachelle]

Not Something Sweet

I am unsure what to write about in my first post in the blogging world. In fact, writing a first post is quite intimidating, because it is your very first and the pressure is on to write something really stunning/gripping/creative. BUT, I don't really have anything to say today. So.......maybe tomorrow I will write something sweet. :)