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