Happy Holidays all! The holiday season is booming here in Scotland. Decorations are out, hot chocolate is brewing, and people are shopping like Christmas is tomorrow! The last few days have been beautiful here at the base. We finally got some snow! I woke up the other morning, pulled back my curtains and found a steady snow fall greeting my eyes! Snow at the beach, what a wonderful sight! Walking into the village these last few days has been a wonderful treat. Snow crunching under your feet, the sun shining on you, and your ears frozen by the time you get there because you forgot to wear a hat! There was a craft fair going on this weekend in West Kilbride (my town is known as Craft Town Scotland because of all the little shops that make handmade artifacts). I stopped into the village hall Saturday to check out the fair and what goodies they have this year. It's always a great opportunity for me to meet people in town because they always want to know about my accent and where I'm from. When I get to tell the little Grannies, Southern California they always exclaim, "What are you doing here then lass! You should be back there enjoying the wee sun!" I love my conversations with the elderly community here. It's a great way for me to minister to them (being a foreigner) because they always want to know why I'm here, in Scotland, so far from home.
I had a lovely conversation with a woman in the charity bookshop today about YWAM and those of us that live "up on the hill" in that big house together. It's so interesting and funny to hear some of the people's opinions on what we do here in the base. A bunch of weirdos. Ha. But this woman was very nice and loved our presence here in the village. She said she knows we do "wonderful work out there". It's always good to here some affirmation from the locals here on what we are doing and how we are trying to reach the community by friendship evangelism.
The past few months I have been praying about my vision, and what it is that I am moving towards while I'm here. We need a vision so we're not staying stagnant. I want to go farther, be stronger, and live the calling that God has told me to fulfill. The past three months have been a little difficult with not fully understanding my personal vision. I have the wider picture: I've been called to make disciples in all nations in Jesus name, but I still needed a personal vision. My friend Hanna and I were having a Bible study the other day and I finally had a revelation! God told me that I am still in a time of training. He brought me back to Scotland not only to disciple others, but also to train me on a higher level for the calling He has giving me. I know this seems basic to most of you, but when you have a "light bulb" go off, and you have a deeper understanding about your passion, the world just feels right again. The Lord also said He brought me back here for this training because my foundations in Him were not solid enough to live a daily life serving Him in my hometown. I was not prepared to stick to my guns and not waver in ANY of my new knowledge, just because someone objected. So......I am here building my foundations. Getting prepared to one day be back in my own culture, an lead a life of faith by example.
This brings me to my other news. I have officially decided to become a staff member on the January 2011 Discipleship Training School (DTS). (insert exclamation !) This means my training will double or triple in the next few months. A staff member who works with the trainees side by side daily has an increased amount of responsibility. I will be leading home groups (bible studies), local ministries, mentoring, facilitating prayer times and meetings, and I will also have the opportunity to do a bit of teaching. One of the biggest roles a staff member takes on is leading a team of trainees into another country for ministry for up to three months to get a taste of what a long term missionaries life is like, and if they feel called to live in long term missions. As time gets closer to this this school I will give you more details.
In the past few weeks here I have been helping the October DTS prepare to leave for their outreach phase. This has included A LOT of practical work. I have been researching flights for 23 people, helping budget little parts here and there, preparing packets of paper work that they will be taking with them (this means a lot of photo copying), and praying daily on this teams behalf. A huge part of my role here is prayer. We call it intercessory prayer- where you pray and plead on someone elses behalf. My support team and I feel led to prayer many days. We cry out to God for protection, revelation, miracles, blessings, finances, new faces that they will get to meet, and most of all, a HUNGER in these trainees hearts to get to know our God and the Word He has blessed us with.
Our base also decided to hold a 24 hour BURN two weeks ago. This is a time of prayer and worship that continues on for a full 24 hours. We went from 9am on Nov 16th to 9am Nov 17th! Every two hours tHE people who were leading worship would change over to give them a rest. We have many people on base that are very talented with a gift of singing and/or playing musical instruments. Our Burn was started off by a worship leader named Keith Luker from Bethel Church in California. He came all the way over to the UK to come and encourage all the YWAM bases here to see revial and an outpouring of God's Spirit on this nation. He fired us up to want to see God overwhelmingly bless this nation and see many more lives come to know the name of Jesus. This worship time had all different styles of worship ivolved from singing to dance to artwork to creative writing. People were encouraged to act whatever way God was leading them to with no fear of what anyone else would think. Sometimes our worship may have looked a little.....different. :0 But, everytime it is so freeing to meet with God in a big group of people and hear what He is telling us.
I know this blog post might be controversial for some of you to read. And I know that many of you do not carry my same beliefs. That's ok. I just want to be real with you and give you an insight on how God is changing my life drastically. I AM a new person. I'm not going to hide from it. I have strong beliefs, and I want you to hear my testimony. I thank you for all of you who continue to support me and continue to read this website. It means so much to me that you read my words or even look at my photos. I pray that you will be blessed today. That you will be encouraged that lives can change, and we don't have to stay in our same old ruts. You can change a nation! Step into something new today (it doesn't have to be huge, start small) and take new ground for your life! Be blessed my friends!
PS. I will be coming (or going) home for Christmas this year. Woohoo! I leave Scotland on December 15th and I will be home for exactly 3 weeks! Hopefully I will get to see some of your faces! Tis the Season to be jolly, right?
1 Thessalonians 2:4 "We are not trying to please men but God".
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Belated October!
I'm so sorry you guys (for those of you that regularly follow me)for this late update! My last 3 weeks have been crazy, and writing a new blog update wasn't exactly on the top of my to do list to be honest. I'll first update you on my last two weeks to explain why this blog post is coming to you so late:
A little over two weeks ago I found out my Grandmothers health was in very poor condition. She had had a stroke and from that had gone completely blind and lost her short term memory. There was also a serious threat of a blood clot on her leg with the possibility of it always moving to her brain, doing who knows what damage? I had a decision to make: to stay here in Scotland and pray for her well being, or to go home and see my Grandma while I still could. My decision was made in 24 hours... I was going home. I actually really struggled with making this decision believe it or not. I didn't want to move without God telling me to. I want to place Him at the for front of all my decisions, especially this one. I really thought He was going to tell me to stay here in Scotland and just pray. I was REALLY surprised when His answer was GO! On a Monday I decided to leave Scotland and by Thursday morning I was on a plane.
Man, those international flights are terrible! The planes are fine, but the no sleep and German tourist are horrible! :) My cousin Carly was gracious enough to pick me up from the airport and drive me the hour to the hospital. My Grandmas condition was terrible. She was in chronic pain, and couldn't see a thing. I think by the time I got home she had a little more concept on who was in the room with her (before hand she would ask every 5 minutes for someone to turn on the light, and you would have to remind her who was sitting with her). My family (+extended) had been sitting with her every day doing rotations, making sure she wasn't alone. Eventually she was transferred to a rehabilitation center, where she could have 24 hour care. My whole travels home was to stay with my family and support them in this time and to visit with my Grandmother regularly. On my visits to the rehab center there were a few occasions that I would get to sit and pray over her. An amazing memory I will cherish! Each time prayer was offered she would willing accept it! After a few days of being home my Grandmas vision started to improve! She could start to tell when she was looking out of a window because the sunlight would be shining and she could tell the difference between the light contrast! By the end of my visit home her memory was improving little by little and she could see your outline if you would stand still in front of her. This was amazing! We weren't even sure if she would ever be able to see again, and here she was able to point you out or point out a color that you were holding close to her face! My whole base in Scotland here was praying for her, as were family and friends at home. I really did see the power of prayer coming though in her life! Please continue to pray. Her condition is still pretty bad, and I need people to sow in prayers of faith that she she see a full healing in her body.
It was nice being home and relaxing with my family, catching up with uncles, aunts, and cousins, and getting precious time to spend with my Corey. (He'll probably be embarrassed that I said that) :) ha! There was a crazy heat wave of 99 there (37 Celsius for those of you in Europe)! Eww, I'm not heat friendly. But the sunsets were absolutely breath taking!
In Scotland a new Discipleship school has once again started. There are 19 trainees and 8 staff from all around the world. I am in the process of mentoring two girls during there time here, one from Canada, another from Sweden. My times with them have been great. Not only do I get to see the growth that they are going through and how God is changing them weekly, but He has placed me into these women's lives to impart the small amount of wisdom that I have! I myself continue to learn every time I speak with these young women. Discipleship has been a wonderful outlet for me. I really enjoy leading young people and being able to give them some direction for their own lives. This is a thing I would love to explore more of. ( Discipleship is kind of like counseling in a world when you are not using "Christian" terms). I know I like to talk, but in the last year I have really discovered about myself that I enjoy listening. I enjoy just being with people and sharing their daily lives with them. In the Bible it is called being "Pastoral". I'm here in Scotland to learn more of the Pastoral side about myself, and what does this mean for my life?
I'm going to cut it short here, just because my next update will be at the end of November. I will then tell you all that has be going on here, and what the next season holds for me!
Oh yes, I forgot to say I was at home for 2 weeks, that is why this post was late. I just arrived back into Scotland about 3 days ago, still jet lagged and a bit sick.
A little over two weeks ago I found out my Grandmothers health was in very poor condition. She had had a stroke and from that had gone completely blind and lost her short term memory. There was also a serious threat of a blood clot on her leg with the possibility of it always moving to her brain, doing who knows what damage? I had a decision to make: to stay here in Scotland and pray for her well being, or to go home and see my Grandma while I still could. My decision was made in 24 hours... I was going home. I actually really struggled with making this decision believe it or not. I didn't want to move without God telling me to. I want to place Him at the for front of all my decisions, especially this one. I really thought He was going to tell me to stay here in Scotland and just pray. I was REALLY surprised when His answer was GO! On a Monday I decided to leave Scotland and by Thursday morning I was on a plane.
Man, those international flights are terrible! The planes are fine, but the no sleep and German tourist are horrible! :) My cousin Carly was gracious enough to pick me up from the airport and drive me the hour to the hospital. My Grandmas condition was terrible. She was in chronic pain, and couldn't see a thing. I think by the time I got home she had a little more concept on who was in the room with her (before hand she would ask every 5 minutes for someone to turn on the light, and you would have to remind her who was sitting with her). My family (+extended) had been sitting with her every day doing rotations, making sure she wasn't alone. Eventually she was transferred to a rehabilitation center, where she could have 24 hour care. My whole travels home was to stay with my family and support them in this time and to visit with my Grandmother regularly. On my visits to the rehab center there were a few occasions that I would get to sit and pray over her. An amazing memory I will cherish! Each time prayer was offered she would willing accept it! After a few days of being home my Grandmas vision started to improve! She could start to tell when she was looking out of a window because the sunlight would be shining and she could tell the difference between the light contrast! By the end of my visit home her memory was improving little by little and she could see your outline if you would stand still in front of her. This was amazing! We weren't even sure if she would ever be able to see again, and here she was able to point you out or point out a color that you were holding close to her face! My whole base in Scotland here was praying for her, as were family and friends at home. I really did see the power of prayer coming though in her life! Please continue to pray. Her condition is still pretty bad, and I need people to sow in prayers of faith that she she see a full healing in her body.
It was nice being home and relaxing with my family, catching up with uncles, aunts, and cousins, and getting precious time to spend with my Corey. (He'll probably be embarrassed that I said that) :) ha! There was a crazy heat wave of 99 there (37 Celsius for those of you in Europe)! Eww, I'm not heat friendly. But the sunsets were absolutely breath taking!
In Scotland a new Discipleship school has once again started. There are 19 trainees and 8 staff from all around the world. I am in the process of mentoring two girls during there time here, one from Canada, another from Sweden. My times with them have been great. Not only do I get to see the growth that they are going through and how God is changing them weekly, but He has placed me into these women's lives to impart the small amount of wisdom that I have! I myself continue to learn every time I speak with these young women. Discipleship has been a wonderful outlet for me. I really enjoy leading young people and being able to give them some direction for their own lives. This is a thing I would love to explore more of. ( Discipleship is kind of like counseling in a world when you are not using "Christian" terms). I know I like to talk, but in the last year I have really discovered about myself that I enjoy listening. I enjoy just being with people and sharing their daily lives with them. In the Bible it is called being "Pastoral". I'm here in Scotland to learn more of the Pastoral side about myself, and what does this mean for my life?
I'm going to cut it short here, just because my next update will be at the end of November. I will then tell you all that has be going on here, and what the next season holds for me!
Oh yes, I forgot to say I was at home for 2 weeks, that is why this post was late. I just arrived back into Scotland about 3 days ago, still jet lagged and a bit sick.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A New Season
It has come to the time for me to update you all on what has happened this last month in Scotland. To be honest I’ve been struggling with writing out this blog purely because I’ve been emailing a lot more lately and I am not a fan of writing! But once I start going it will probably just flow…..right? Just to let you know, I’m giving you a lot of facts in this one.
I arrived in Scotland in the most beautiful weather I have seen here. Blue skies, warm breezy days and BLACKBERRY SEASON! What a wonderful time to be here. Just a quick fact: Blackberries grow wild everywhere in Scotland, like weeds. So I have had a stained mouth and hands several days though out this month just because I can’t keep myself from picking them off the bush and eating them! Delicious!
This month has started off with coming into my new position as a staff member in the Discipleship Training Team. The team is in a season of change with new leadership and staff coming in, and a revamping of our discipleship office to make it our own, (we like to call it headquarters). J My team is made up of six people (including me) and we are all support staff for the October discipleship school that is coming in. Because we have the title “support” doesn’t mean our role is any less than the members of staff who are going to be leading this school. My ministry includes A LOT of intersession (prayer for the students and staff on the school) and practical details being taken care of every day for the students arrival. Right now I’ve just finished making all the students homemade welcome cars that include several personal prophetic words for each person. This is a word/message/picture from God that we believe He wants the individuals to know for their time here in Scotland. I’ve also been running around the base cleaning and praying in bedrooms, making welcome baskets, picking out new paint for our office and helping redecorate, and laminating a ton of teeny tiny papers! (By the way me and the laminator are now friends after a long battle of frustration)! These are just a few things to mention, there’s much more as always!
I have just been trained last week in reading the applications that come in to the base for someone applying to be a student on a DTS. This is A LOT more work than I ever thought! Many weeks of prayer and deliberation go into each applicant, and each is hand picked by God for our schools here at the Seamill base. I’m now in the process of reading the applications that have come in for the January DTS. We already have 13 people that have applied and 6 of them are men (which is amazing considering the Oct dts is 15 girls and 4 boys)! We’ve been praying for men constantly to come and apply here, and it’s finally happening!!
I will be involved in some of the lecture phases that are going to happen here with the students, so I will come along side of them and help guide them through this time when they are seeking God’s will for their life. I will also be doing a One on One with probably two students. I will be their mentor for this 6 month time and have weekly meetings set up with each girl to discuss their whole process they are going through and the changes God is making in them. I’m also praying into what kind of ministry God wants me to get involved in here with the Scots. Maybe Healing Rooms, working with emotionally abandoned teenagers, or street evangelism? These are just a few possibilities, there’s many more out there.
Ok, this month has been really busy. Starting at the beginning of the month we had a three day YWAM Scotland staff conference that we hosted here at the Seamill base. Every member involved in Scotland YWAM came for three days of lectures, worship and prayer to see where God is leading us as a “corporate body” in this season of missions. Then a few days later came our Seamill staff “Face to Face” two day meeting. This is where out smaller base community comes together to worship God and ask Him what these next four months are going to look like just in OUR community. We got the sense of family. To grow closer together and be bonded just like family.
The next week our entire base traveled the 11 ½ hours down to England to the Harpenten base to attend the 50th anniversary of YWAM. The founders of this organization came and talked to 700 YWAMers from around western Europe about the past, present and future of this movement. Hundreds of THOUSANDS of people have been involved in YWAM for the last 50 years following their calling into the nations of fulfilling the Great Commission, (making disciples of all nations). I can’t believe God has called me to be a part of this amazing team of people trying to seek the lost!
God has been speaking to me lately about discipline. Disciplining myself, my habits, my body and my spirit. It’s one area in my life I’m terrible at and need to grow in. The past few weeks I’ve been rereading Romans 12: 1 & 2“…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God… Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What does it look like for me to continually offer myself up to the Lord as a sacrifice and renew my mind everyday to know His will? I’m just slowly getting an understanding of this verse day by day. Right now a huge part of my life is prayer, reading chapters of my bible out loud, and fasting to see break though in my discipline. This has already been an amazing journey! As I press forward to know more about the Lord I find new wisdom everyday. I can’t wait to see what next month brings with all the new blood and cultures coming in! The new students will be here on the 2nd of October and then the real fun and challenges begin!
Hope you all understand my update. Love from Scotland! Katie
I arrived in Scotland in the most beautiful weather I have seen here. Blue skies, warm breezy days and BLACKBERRY SEASON! What a wonderful time to be here. Just a quick fact: Blackberries grow wild everywhere in Scotland, like weeds. So I have had a stained mouth and hands several days though out this month just because I can’t keep myself from picking them off the bush and eating them! Delicious!
This month has started off with coming into my new position as a staff member in the Discipleship Training Team. The team is in a season of change with new leadership and staff coming in, and a revamping of our discipleship office to make it our own, (we like to call it headquarters). J My team is made up of six people (including me) and we are all support staff for the October discipleship school that is coming in. Because we have the title “support” doesn’t mean our role is any less than the members of staff who are going to be leading this school. My ministry includes A LOT of intersession (prayer for the students and staff on the school) and practical details being taken care of every day for the students arrival. Right now I’ve just finished making all the students homemade welcome cars that include several personal prophetic words for each person. This is a word/message/picture from God that we believe He wants the individuals to know for their time here in Scotland. I’ve also been running around the base cleaning and praying in bedrooms, making welcome baskets, picking out new paint for our office and helping redecorate, and laminating a ton of teeny tiny papers! (By the way me and the laminator are now friends after a long battle of frustration)! These are just a few things to mention, there’s much more as always!
I have just been trained last week in reading the applications that come in to the base for someone applying to be a student on a DTS. This is A LOT more work than I ever thought! Many weeks of prayer and deliberation go into each applicant, and each is hand picked by God for our schools here at the Seamill base. I’m now in the process of reading the applications that have come in for the January DTS. We already have 13 people that have applied and 6 of them are men (which is amazing considering the Oct dts is 15 girls and 4 boys)! We’ve been praying for men constantly to come and apply here, and it’s finally happening!!
I will be involved in some of the lecture phases that are going to happen here with the students, so I will come along side of them and help guide them through this time when they are seeking God’s will for their life. I will also be doing a One on One with probably two students. I will be their mentor for this 6 month time and have weekly meetings set up with each girl to discuss their whole process they are going through and the changes God is making in them. I’m also praying into what kind of ministry God wants me to get involved in here with the Scots. Maybe Healing Rooms, working with emotionally abandoned teenagers, or street evangelism? These are just a few possibilities, there’s many more out there.
Ok, this month has been really busy. Starting at the beginning of the month we had a three day YWAM Scotland staff conference that we hosted here at the Seamill base. Every member involved in Scotland YWAM came for three days of lectures, worship and prayer to see where God is leading us as a “corporate body” in this season of missions. Then a few days later came our Seamill staff “Face to Face” two day meeting. This is where out smaller base community comes together to worship God and ask Him what these next four months are going to look like just in OUR community. We got the sense of family. To grow closer together and be bonded just like family.
The next week our entire base traveled the 11 ½ hours down to England to the Harpenten base to attend the 50th anniversary of YWAM. The founders of this organization came and talked to 700 YWAMers from around western Europe about the past, present and future of this movement. Hundreds of THOUSANDS of people have been involved in YWAM for the last 50 years following their calling into the nations of fulfilling the Great Commission, (making disciples of all nations). I can’t believe God has called me to be a part of this amazing team of people trying to seek the lost!
God has been speaking to me lately about discipline. Disciplining myself, my habits, my body and my spirit. It’s one area in my life I’m terrible at and need to grow in. The past few weeks I’ve been rereading Romans 12: 1 & 2“…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God… Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What does it look like for me to continually offer myself up to the Lord as a sacrifice and renew my mind everyday to know His will? I’m just slowly getting an understanding of this verse day by day. Right now a huge part of my life is prayer, reading chapters of my bible out loud, and fasting to see break though in my discipline. This has already been an amazing journey! As I press forward to know more about the Lord I find new wisdom everyday. I can’t wait to see what next month brings with all the new blood and cultures coming in! The new students will be here on the 2nd of October and then the real fun and challenges begin!
Hope you all understand my update. Love from Scotland! Katie
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Arriving in Scotland
I GOT MY VISA FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN’T KNOW!
I’ve finally made it back to Scotland! After three flights and 16+ hours of traveling I have made it to the Seamill Base. Right away I was welcomed with a big sign, biscuits (cookies) , and a friend jumping up and down, completely excited to pick me up from the airport. How wonderful it’s going to be calling this beautiful place my home for the next year! On the drive home I was greeted with the rolling vibrant green hills, grazing cows and sheep, twisting tiny roads, raindrops followed by bright sunlight, and finally the steep drive up to the base. I was assigned a room in the girls staff wing with a view that over looks the ocean and the Isle of Arran. I can’t wait for the spectacular sunsets I’m going to have the priviledge to see! I woke up early this morning, pulling back my curtains to find a perfect rainbow and a light down poor of rain. What a way to start off the day!
This is a quite weekend, only 5 other individuals in the base beside me. Everyone’s on Holiday and visiting their families. Work for me starts on Monday! That’s when I will find out my duties here on base and get acquainted with everything. The information I’ve been given so far is: about 20 students are signed up to come onto the October DTS school that I will be working on and about 7 staff members? This week our Seamill base will be the host of the annual YWAM Scotland staff meeting, so the whole castle will be filled up with new faces and returning friends. I’m so excited to hear what God has been doing in my friends lives these past four months and catch up on where they are now. I’m finally going to be “in the know”. At the end of the month the whole Seamill base will be traveling down to England for a 50 year YWAM celebration. Hundreds will gather from all around the world to reunite after years of separation, share their lives, and encourage one another with their ministry. It will be a time for teachings from Loren Cunningham (ywam founder) and fellowship between YWAMer’s from every kind of culture.
I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on where I am and how things are starting off. At the end of each month I will write an update on what God is doing all around me and in me.
As always, could you keep me in prayer as I am on this journey with the Lord to walk in obedience to the calling He has put on my life. Thank you guys! Miss you!
I’ve finally made it back to Scotland! After three flights and 16+ hours of traveling I have made it to the Seamill Base. Right away I was welcomed with a big sign, biscuits (cookies) , and a friend jumping up and down, completely excited to pick me up from the airport. How wonderful it’s going to be calling this beautiful place my home for the next year! On the drive home I was greeted with the rolling vibrant green hills, grazing cows and sheep, twisting tiny roads, raindrops followed by bright sunlight, and finally the steep drive up to the base. I was assigned a room in the girls staff wing with a view that over looks the ocean and the Isle of Arran. I can’t wait for the spectacular sunsets I’m going to have the priviledge to see! I woke up early this morning, pulling back my curtains to find a perfect rainbow and a light down poor of rain. What a way to start off the day!
This is a quite weekend, only 5 other individuals in the base beside me. Everyone’s on Holiday and visiting their families. Work for me starts on Monday! That’s when I will find out my duties here on base and get acquainted with everything. The information I’ve been given so far is: about 20 students are signed up to come onto the October DTS school that I will be working on and about 7 staff members? This week our Seamill base will be the host of the annual YWAM Scotland staff meeting, so the whole castle will be filled up with new faces and returning friends. I’m so excited to hear what God has been doing in my friends lives these past four months and catch up on where they are now. I’m finally going to be “in the know”. At the end of the month the whole Seamill base will be traveling down to England for a 50 year YWAM celebration. Hundreds will gather from all around the world to reunite after years of separation, share their lives, and encourage one another with their ministry. It will be a time for teachings from Loren Cunningham (ywam founder) and fellowship between YWAMer’s from every kind of culture.
I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on where I am and how things are starting off. At the end of each month I will write an update on what God is doing all around me and in me.
As always, could you keep me in prayer as I am on this journey with the Lord to walk in obedience to the calling He has put on my life. Thank you guys! Miss you!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Ready to Fly the Coop!
One week and counting until I head back to Scotland to join Youth With A Mission in my staff position! Time has flown by being here at home, but I'm ready to get back in action and continue my work with the Scottish people and the new students that come to the Seamill Base.
These past two weeks have been so amazing by watching and enjoying what God is doing in my own home town. I've had a ton of great conversations about my plans with friends and family, and I'm really starting to see a blossoming relationship with so many people. It really seems like when your ready to leave a place for some time people can't get enough of you and want all your attention, but when you're at home for MONTHS everybody is busy!! :)
It's definitely sad leaving home, family, friends, and our dog Ziggy ;), but I know without a doubt Scotland is THE place I'm supposed to be in this next year. I'm ready to once again call myself a missionary for the Lord and dive into a culture that needs God in their lives. That's right, the Scots need God, no matter how Westernized they seem every country needs to know about Jesus and the relationship He is crying out for us to have with Him! So...for me to do this and follow the calling God has given me I really need your prayers right now! I am still waiting for my visa to come in the mail. The British Consulate has received a lot of visa applications this summer and it's taking awhile for them to process them all. My flight leaves out on Wed August 25th at 3:35. Before that time and date comes up I need my friends and family to keep praying for me that my visa WILL show up in this next week. I need it to come by Tuesday the 24th so I don't have to pose pone my flight and go through a big headache with the airlines.
Now I truly believe that the power of prayer works, and if we all say a quick one anytime I pop into your mind, that will just keep jumping me up in front of the visa line! I'm also still in the process of raising monthly financial support so I can continue to be involved in my ministry in Scotland. I would love for you guys to pray about this and think of partnering with me and what God is doing in and through me in my ministry overseas. I am covered on my plane flight and visa fee but I still need to raise $450 a month to stay in Scotland and be a staff member. If you feel led to help me you can donate money straight into my Paypal account or send a check to my home address.
If anyone wants to be pen pals and I don't have your address let me know (katienbeck@yahoo.com). I would love to stay in contact with you through snail mail (you feel so much more special when you get something hand written in the mail, you know)?
My Scottish address is:
Katie Beck
YWAM Scotland
9 Glenbryde Road
West Kilbride, Scotland
KA23 9NJ
These past two weeks have been so amazing by watching and enjoying what God is doing in my own home town. I've had a ton of great conversations about my plans with friends and family, and I'm really starting to see a blossoming relationship with so many people. It really seems like when your ready to leave a place for some time people can't get enough of you and want all your attention, but when you're at home for MONTHS everybody is busy!! :)
It's definitely sad leaving home, family, friends, and our dog Ziggy ;), but I know without a doubt Scotland is THE place I'm supposed to be in this next year. I'm ready to once again call myself a missionary for the Lord and dive into a culture that needs God in their lives. That's right, the Scots need God, no matter how Westernized they seem every country needs to know about Jesus and the relationship He is crying out for us to have with Him! So...for me to do this and follow the calling God has given me I really need your prayers right now! I am still waiting for my visa to come in the mail. The British Consulate has received a lot of visa applications this summer and it's taking awhile for them to process them all. My flight leaves out on Wed August 25th at 3:35. Before that time and date comes up I need my friends and family to keep praying for me that my visa WILL show up in this next week. I need it to come by Tuesday the 24th so I don't have to pose pone my flight and go through a big headache with the airlines.
Now I truly believe that the power of prayer works, and if we all say a quick one anytime I pop into your mind, that will just keep jumping me up in front of the visa line! I'm also still in the process of raising monthly financial support so I can continue to be involved in my ministry in Scotland. I would love for you guys to pray about this and think of partnering with me and what God is doing in and through me in my ministry overseas. I am covered on my plane flight and visa fee but I still need to raise $450 a month to stay in Scotland and be a staff member. If you feel led to help me you can donate money straight into my Paypal account or send a check to my home address.
If anyone wants to be pen pals and I don't have your address let me know (katienbeck@yahoo.com). I would love to stay in contact with you through snail mail (you feel so much more special when you get something hand written in the mail, you know)?
My Scottish address is:
Katie Beck
YWAM Scotland
9 Glenbryde Road
West Kilbride, Scotland
KA23 9NJ
Friday, July 9, 2010
BACK TO SCOTLAND!
Sorry this is a bit long! My next updates will be a lot shorter! I just have a lot to say to you all!
I'm officialy going to be a blogger. Wow, things have changed! I have been accepted to go back to Scotland at the end of August and this is going to be the way I'm going to send out my support letter and update everyone on my where abouts.
The first time I traveled to Scotland I didn't keep anyone but my family updated and I have completely regretted it. I now realize the huge mistake I have made by not taking along the others in my life with me during this EPIC (yes epic) life changing adventure with God. Honestly, it makes me nervous telling everyone in my life what I'm doing because they just might not understand or agree at all. But if I want people to know about God and what I truely believe and know about Him, it has to start with my friends and family, right?
While living and traveling through Scotland, Turkey ,and Bulgaria I experienced the love and miracles of God in ways I didn't know where even possible or still done today in modern times. These experiences need to be written down and shared with the ones I love. When I moved to Scotland over nine months ago I knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime. I knew God was calling to do something more with my life that included Him in my job title. To be a missionary. To live out His commands and to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19). I joined with the organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to undergo a 6 month intensive course called a Discipleship Training School that teaches and equips you to be a short term missionary. During the course you're involved in a three month lecture phase getting to know Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and growing deeper in a personal relationship with each one. This time is spent focusing our yourself, and God revealing who you are to Him. So many barriers where broken down for me in this time. I learned to start loving myself and to love the person God made me to be. When I first moved I had a life full of depression and a heart full of loss from my Dads death the year before. I was so lost. So sad.
God knew this was the right time for me. A time for healing, laughter, expectation, and joy. In the first couple of weeks living in the Seamill community I was healed of my depression! I laughed every day and was continually encouraged by my fellow classmates to seek and praise God for the changes that He already made in my life.
Once the lecture phase was coming to an end it was time to prepare for Outreach. We were going to Turkey! Lessons with language and culture began and we were learning how to bring our classroom theology to the "lost". While in Istanbul I was living with 7 other indivduals reaching out to the Muslim culture at every opportunity. We were involved in different ministries such as teaching english, working in a city church, working with refugees running from war, volunteering in a soup kitchen for 50 Nigerian men, bus evangelism, friendship evangelism, Marias Cheescakes (teaching Muslim women from a farming community to run a business), and numerous prayer walks. This is just a few things we did. This work was challenging daily. We were noticed everywhere we went and stood out like a soar thumb! This Nation is 99.9% Muslim! I believe we made a great impact on the communtiy and the atmosphere. The Lord revealed to me the stuggles of a missionary with spirtual warfare but also gave me an amazing gift by seeing the Turkish community and other cultures from all around the world come together and praise Him as one!
I also traveled to Bulgaria with my team and was linked with the YWAM team there in healing ministries. We were continuesly in prayer with the Bulgarian Gypsies to see the Kingdom of God come to earth. It was some of the most powerful days I have ever experienced in my life! We saw people constatly being healed by God through the power of prayer. We were invited into Gypsies homes to kneal on the floor in front of them and show them they were worthy of love and respect. We would then pray for what ever they needed (and it was usally healing in the physical or spiritual) and see them healed every time by God! I was so blessed to get to really experience the Gypsy culture and people and see how colorful and lively they are. They truely love to sing and worship God with a fire in their heart!
I'm writing this letter to you all to let you know of my up coming plans. While I was still in Scotland I prayed about my next step and where it would be. It took a couple of weeks but I heard from God over and over again "Scotland, Scotland, Scotland". I am choosing to live my life for God and obeying Him when He calls me. I have prayed about staff positions at Seamill and I am confident to say I have been accepted to become a Suppot Staff member on the next October DTS School for a year starting the last week in August 2010. Support Staff works with the new students that come into a Discipleship school. I will be involved in their lecture phase of their 6 month coarse being a mentor, leading small groups, local ministry, and times of prayer. I need your support in this next journey with God. I need your prayers. I need my friends and family to be my encouragement and trust that I am on the right path. I have been called.
Prayers
1. Pray for protection for me getting back to Scotland.
2.Pray for breakthough in finances to be covered during my time is Scotland.
3.Pray that I will have constant encounters to share my faith with the Scots.
I also need help in Financial Support. As a missionary with YWAM you do not get paid. Even as a staff member. I know thats hard for some of you to understand. So I need a team a people behind me that would be willing to help support me. The fee at the base will be about 300 pounds ($450) each month. I would also need help to save up for a flight and visa so I will be asking people if they will be willing to help with 400 pounds a month ($600).This covers my room, three meals a day, transportation, saving for flight, ect. Please pray about this. Monthy support is welcomed as well as a one time gift. God can to anything, even with our finances. I choose to have faith that He told me to go and He will find a way to help me. Thank you guys for reading this and keeping me in prayer and mind!
Checks can be sent to:
Katie Beck
321 Alvarado Pl.
Newport Beach, Ca
92661 USA
My skype name: katienbeck
Email: katienbeck@yahoo.com
Facebook: Katie Beck
I also have a paypal account, and I will hopefully be linking it to this blog soon! Technology is not my friend, so pray for that too!
I'm officialy going to be a blogger. Wow, things have changed! I have been accepted to go back to Scotland at the end of August and this is going to be the way I'm going to send out my support letter and update everyone on my where abouts.
The first time I traveled to Scotland I didn't keep anyone but my family updated and I have completely regretted it. I now realize the huge mistake I have made by not taking along the others in my life with me during this EPIC (yes epic) life changing adventure with God. Honestly, it makes me nervous telling everyone in my life what I'm doing because they just might not understand or agree at all. But if I want people to know about God and what I truely believe and know about Him, it has to start with my friends and family, right?
While living and traveling through Scotland, Turkey ,and Bulgaria I experienced the love and miracles of God in ways I didn't know where even possible or still done today in modern times. These experiences need to be written down and shared with the ones I love. When I moved to Scotland over nine months ago I knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime. I knew God was calling to do something more with my life that included Him in my job title. To be a missionary. To live out His commands and to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19). I joined with the organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to undergo a 6 month intensive course called a Discipleship Training School that teaches and equips you to be a short term missionary. During the course you're involved in a three month lecture phase getting to know Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and growing deeper in a personal relationship with each one. This time is spent focusing our yourself, and God revealing who you are to Him. So many barriers where broken down for me in this time. I learned to start loving myself and to love the person God made me to be. When I first moved I had a life full of depression and a heart full of loss from my Dads death the year before. I was so lost. So sad.
God knew this was the right time for me. A time for healing, laughter, expectation, and joy. In the first couple of weeks living in the Seamill community I was healed of my depression! I laughed every day and was continually encouraged by my fellow classmates to seek and praise God for the changes that He already made in my life.
Once the lecture phase was coming to an end it was time to prepare for Outreach. We were going to Turkey! Lessons with language and culture began and we were learning how to bring our classroom theology to the "lost". While in Istanbul I was living with 7 other indivduals reaching out to the Muslim culture at every opportunity. We were involved in different ministries such as teaching english, working in a city church, working with refugees running from war, volunteering in a soup kitchen for 50 Nigerian men, bus evangelism, friendship evangelism, Marias Cheescakes (teaching Muslim women from a farming community to run a business), and numerous prayer walks. This is just a few things we did. This work was challenging daily. We were noticed everywhere we went and stood out like a soar thumb! This Nation is 99.9% Muslim! I believe we made a great impact on the communtiy and the atmosphere. The Lord revealed to me the stuggles of a missionary with spirtual warfare but also gave me an amazing gift by seeing the Turkish community and other cultures from all around the world come together and praise Him as one!
I also traveled to Bulgaria with my team and was linked with the YWAM team there in healing ministries. We were continuesly in prayer with the Bulgarian Gypsies to see the Kingdom of God come to earth. It was some of the most powerful days I have ever experienced in my life! We saw people constatly being healed by God through the power of prayer. We were invited into Gypsies homes to kneal on the floor in front of them and show them they were worthy of love and respect. We would then pray for what ever they needed (and it was usally healing in the physical or spiritual) and see them healed every time by God! I was so blessed to get to really experience the Gypsy culture and people and see how colorful and lively they are. They truely love to sing and worship God with a fire in their heart!
I'm writing this letter to you all to let you know of my up coming plans. While I was still in Scotland I prayed about my next step and where it would be. It took a couple of weeks but I heard from God over and over again "Scotland, Scotland, Scotland". I am choosing to live my life for God and obeying Him when He calls me. I have prayed about staff positions at Seamill and I am confident to say I have been accepted to become a Suppot Staff member on the next October DTS School for a year starting the last week in August 2010. Support Staff works with the new students that come into a Discipleship school. I will be involved in their lecture phase of their 6 month coarse being a mentor, leading small groups, local ministry, and times of prayer. I need your support in this next journey with God. I need your prayers. I need my friends and family to be my encouragement and trust that I am on the right path. I have been called.
Prayers
1. Pray for protection for me getting back to Scotland.
2.Pray for breakthough in finances to be covered during my time is Scotland.
3.Pray that I will have constant encounters to share my faith with the Scots.
I also need help in Financial Support. As a missionary with YWAM you do not get paid. Even as a staff member. I know thats hard for some of you to understand. So I need a team a people behind me that would be willing to help support me. The fee at the base will be about 300 pounds ($450) each month. I would also need help to save up for a flight and visa so I will be asking people if they will be willing to help with 400 pounds a month ($600).This covers my room, three meals a day, transportation, saving for flight, ect. Please pray about this. Monthy support is welcomed as well as a one time gift. God can to anything, even with our finances. I choose to have faith that He told me to go and He will find a way to help me. Thank you guys for reading this and keeping me in prayer and mind!
Checks can be sent to:
Katie Beck
321 Alvarado Pl.
Newport Beach, Ca
92661 USA
My skype name: katienbeck
Email: katienbeck@yahoo.com
Facebook: Katie Beck
I also have a paypal account, and I will hopefully be linking it to this blog soon! Technology is not my friend, so pray for that too!
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