God-Sized Dreams

     This week was a really good week. In the DTS, the speaker was Troy Sherman, a man who was born and raised in YWAM. He spoke in my school, as well, on the same topic- Identity. I remember him being a really good and impactful speaker, and those memories were correct! I learned so much from him again this year, even though it was the exact same teachings that I heard last year.
     One thing that Troy repeated over and over and over -both this year as well as last year- was that "God wants to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things." The Bible is a book about very ordinary and imperfect people. It isn't about extraordinary people! As Troy says "When extraordinary people do extraordinary things, it isn't anything amazing because it is expected. But when ordinary people do extraordinary things, the glory goes to God because it is amazing."
     I think it is pretty safe to say that most of us are ordinary people. So if we offer our lives to God, and tell Him that we are willing to do whatever He asks, He can do some pretty amazing things through us, and best of all, HE gets the glory, if we give it to Him. If we give our whole heart to God, we are giving an infinite God infinite possibilities. If we keeps just one small section of our heart, we are limiting an infinite God. The idea of giving God our all and seeing what He does with our lives is so so exciting, yet all too often, we don't give God our whole heart. We keep just one small part of it for ourselves, often because of fear. We think that this doesn't matter, but it does.
     Where in my own life have I been keeping a part of myself away from God, telling Him that He can have my everything- except that. Why don't we trust God? He literally has our best intentions at heart, so why do we often find it so hard to trust Him?
     Troy also asked us this question: If your life had a price tag on it, what would it say? Then he answered that question: It would say "the life of a God". Jesus paid for us with His life. We know that. But do we live that way? How are we living out lives, the ones that Jesus bought with His life? And then He had us read 1 John 3:16. Not the typical John 3:16. But 1 John 3:16.
     Troy then went on to ask us about what we think disqualifies us from the Kingdom of God. Why do we think that anything can disqualify us, when Jesus died for us? What if the things that hold us back, the things that we see as flawed and keeping us from being competent, are actually the things that God wants to use? Troy's biggest fear is public speaking. He refused to speak in front of even small groups, until God challenged him to do that. Now, that is how Troy spends his life. He still has the fears, but the fears help him to constantly cling to God in his work! We should be building a kingdom worthy of our King, for when He returns. If you are 'unemployed' in the Kingdom of God, then you should get a job. God wants to use us to change the world. He wants us to look past our fears to Him, and take that step of faith and trust. We need to be the change we want to see! In the Bible, it says that Christ is the head, and we are the body. That means that we are God's hands and feet here. If we want God to change the world, we need to be willing to let Him use us to do it! After all, what can a head do without its body? Obviously God is all powerful and can do it alone, but He chooses to partner with us instead! If you aren't willing to be the answer to your own prayer, maybe you shouldn't be praying it. It is so easy to pray "God, just show the people of this place Your love!", but maybe God is asking YOU to go there and be the answer to that prayer. If we don't have impossible dreams, then we don't need God to fulfil those dreams. We don't need big dreams, we need God-sized dreams!
     God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Troy told us story after story of regular, imperfect people who listened to God and were willing to step out of their comfort zone and do what He asked. And God showed up in amazing ways! One story in particular stands out to me. It was about a girl who did a DTS that Troy was leading. Afterwards, she felt that God asked her to go to South Africa and do something about human trafficking. She didn't know much about human trafficking, not enough that she thought she could make a difference, anyway. So she went, figuring God just wanted her to learn more about it.
     She got to South Africa and went to get some coffee or something. And there, she met a man, started chatting with him, and ended up having met the US ambassador to South Africa. He was so interested in what she was telling him about human trafficking that he brought her to the embassy, where -within 24 hours of having arrived in South Africa- she met the Secretary of Internal Affairs in South Africa, who also wanted to talk to her more about human trafficking.
     If you give God your everything, you are giving an infinite God infinite possibilities.
     If God can turn a shepherd into a king (David), a fishermen into world changers (the disciples), a murderer into a leader (Moses), and a group of slaves into a nation (Israel), what more could He do with you?!
     Blessings,
          Katie

The YWAM Madison Fall 2015 DTS! Yes, I live with ALL these people. In one building.

As I am driving home from preschool at about 3:30, the sun is already beginning to set. I just had to stop and take a picture; it is so gorgeous!

This and That

     It has been a long time since I have written on here! Last week, I was at home, so I decided that talking to people was more important :) I had a terrific Thanksgiving break! And two weeks from today, I will be heading back to Canada again, so I'm going to enjoy my time here in Madison while I can :)
     I came back here on Monday. It was an uneventful drive. Rather boring, since driving by yourself for 11 or so hours can be... mind numbing. I mean, I'm an introvert. I love being alone, but even that is a little excessive! Crossing the border was a bit nerve-wracking, because even though I have a visa, they asked me all sorts of questions (including ones about my work with YWAM in Canada- which as you know is non-existent), and made me show them my letter from YWAM Madison again. But after 10 or so minutes, they let me through and I breathed MANY prayers of thanks! :)
     Preschool started up again on Tuesday. It was so good to see "my" children again! I missed those kiddos :) One child missed the whole week before Thanksgiving because his family was visiting family in Pennsylvania, and his dad told me that every day since they got back, he would ask if he could go to the YWAM preschool again. He just really missed it! It is always so good to hear those things. I mean, I know the kids love it because they have fun when they are here, but when their parents tell me things that they say at home -about how much they love preschool, or random things about God that they have learned here- it really helps to remind me that what I am doing makes a difference, and it matters.
     This week in the DTS, the speaker was a man named Wick Nease, who taught on destiny. We had him last year for the same topic, so I already have heard all his teachings, but it was really good to be able to sit in class with him again. I had a lot of classes last year, so I obviously don't remember everything! One thing that he said several times was that "Salvation is free, but destiny will cost you everything."
     To live the life God has called you to... it will cost you. It is definitely worth the cost (which Wick also made clear), but there is sacrifice. I mean, look at me. I live most than a thousand kilometres from my family. I love Madison and all the people in YWAM Madison. It is an absolutely amazing community. But I am a homebody. Before I left for DTS, the longest I had ever been away from home was two and a half weeks, and that was with my brother. I love being at home with my family. I love my life in Georgetown, my friends there, my church. It was very hard for me to agree to come here in the first place, and to come back to staff. But living here, doing what God has asked me to do, is the best decision I ever made. It is worth the cost!
     This year, for the first time, YWAM Madison is running a winter DTS. So far, they have 26 students signed up. One of my friends from my DTS, Kari, has come back on staff, to staff this school. She just came back to Madison after Thanksgiving. Today, we went to Cool Beans (my favourite cute little coffee shop here, owned by Christians so that's a bonus) for coffee and to get caught up. We talked for 2 1/2 hours, which flew by. I miss my fellow DTSers. This new groups is great! I love them all! But my DTS will always and forever have a special place in my heart. And seeing Kari again reminded me how much I miss them. So I am thankful for every moment I have with the ones who have returned!
     This week, in the DTS, we finished our intercession times for North Korea. I told you about how we prayed for Bhutan; that was for the first half of the school. For the past few weeks, we have been praying for North Korea. I love intercession, and praying God's will for the nations is such an honour and privilege! It also helps me to have a heart for these nations. I didn't really give North Korea a second thought before we started praying for it. Now, I care deeply for the nation, and continue to pray for it. Same with Bhutan. I would encourage you to do the same- it doesn't have to be Bhutan, or North Korea. But if there is a country that is on your heart, pray for it continually! Even if you don't currently have a country that you have on your heart, pick a country and pray for it! Watch, and see if that country doesn't become very important to you! :)
     Prayer is a beautiful and powerful thing.
     Blessings,
          Katie