My Job

     I told you earlier that I would update you on what my role here in YWAM Madison will be. So, I figured now is as good a time for that as any!
     Those of you who I talked to before I left know that I am helping to pioneer a preschool for the 4 and 5 year old staff children. This preschool will hopefully be starting on September 15, and it will be running three days a week for two hours. I am literally building this thing from the ground, so that's pretty scary but at the same time, I know that God has prepared me for this.
     Currently I am spending my time reading the curriculum, and trying to figure out what I can use, and piecing that with different curriculum I have found online to form different lessons. I am also trying to figure out how I want to set up the room, what furniture and supplies I need, and pretty much everything else involved with running a preschool. I have put together a registration form that I hope to send to the parents by the end of this week. I have a bunch of children's books that I need to go through, and I have to figure out what toys and supplies I would like, and if we can get those.
     So it is a lot, and I hardly know where to start, but it is coming. I have read the curriculum, I have a small closet with a few pieces of furniture, and I have a to-do list a mile long.
     But the preschool will only be running for a total of six hours a week. I obviously will need time to plan and prep for classes, but I still will have some time to spare. So after much consideration and prayer, it has been decided that I will move to our other location, the TC (Training Center, where I lived last year) to be support staff for this year's fall DTS (discipleship training school, what I did last year). So I will once more be living in a building with about 50 other people, living in community. I will basically just help out and support the staff of the school, and do whatever needs to be done (which will probably include cooking).
     It will be a full schedule, and I'll definitely be leaning on God for strength during these next few months! Please be praying for me as I spend the next three weeks pulling a preschool together!
     Blessings,
          Katie

The new staff and our leaders for Connect (new staff training)

Be Careful What You Google

     Tonight, we had a big anniversary celebration dinner here at YWAM Madison. It's something they do every year, to reflect back on the year that passed and see how God moved and blessed. And YWAM Madison has seen a LOT of growth in the past year, so it's pretty great! God is good!
     As we were sitting there, listening to people's testimonies of God's faithfulness through the past twelve months, I started thinking: how on earth did I get here??
     Yes, smart ones, I drove my car. But seriously, how did I end up being a YWAMer?? I mean, I had heard of it, but joining YWAM had never once entered my mind.
     Then, a year and a half ago, I was halfway through my final semester of college. I had to start thinking about what I would do next, and I thought about volunteering in an orphanage. That is something I've wanted to do since I was about 12 years old (and, by the way, I did get to do that in Mexico!), but I never knew how to. Then I thought of YWAM and on a whim, Googled 'YWAM children'. Not 'YWAM orphanages', but children. My DTS focus came up and now, here I am on staff.
     I literally am here, a doing missions the way I always wanted to, because I Googled something on a whim.
     Okay, I mean, of course I'm really here because of God and His plan for my life and Him telling me to and all, but it still amazes me that the way He orchestrated this began with me GOOGLING something.
     God is so awesome, guys! I love it! I am SO BLESSED!
     Be careful what you google, y'all ;) But not really cause trust me, I wouldn't want my life any other way. God's plan is always the best! Even if it scares the crap out of you!
     Blessings,
          Katie

Connect

     Today is Thursday (yes, I sometimes have to remind myself), which means that our 2 weeks (er, one and a half for me...) of Connect, our new staff training, is nearly over. We have been busy getting to know the YWAM Madison community and the people better, and learning more about all the different areas of ministry in YWAM Madison.
     We spent one weekend at our downtown student housing for the university, called the Phos House. Phos means light, which is a very accurate description of it. It is a light for the university and downtown area. While we were there, we prayed over the university and city, beautified the place in the crushing heat (let me tell you, there were a LOT of weeds!) and moved furniture in preparation for the students to move in.
     Another thing we did was pray for the neighbourhood around the GMC, our central base here in Madison. Then, in small groups, we decided to do something to bless the neighbourhood. I told the story of how one time my mom left cookies in the mailbox of a lady she cleaned for, but the mailman got them, and he was so thankful for them. So my group baked cookies and left them at different houses in the neighbourhood. The mailman also got a bag, and he was so thankful and excited. So that was a really fun and cool experience!
     So that's just a couple things that we have done during these days of training. Next week, real life of being YWAM staff truly begins!
     Blessings,
          Katie

The Beginning of a New Adventure

     Hey everyone! Wow, it has been a long time since I have written on here! And here I am, at the beginning of a whole new adventure! Even though really, it began last year when I first arrived in Madison, Wisconsin.
     So, in case you did not know, I am back in Madison! I will be serving with YWAM Madison as volunteer staff for the next eight months. But more on that later.
     When I was driving home at Christmas last year, I was just chilling to music as I drove when I suddenly, God told me, in my head, "You're going to staff". This freaked me out a bit, but I knew that God's plans are wayyyyy better than any plan I can come up with, so I followed through with that, and after outreach, I applied to be on staff. I was accepted, and asked to pray about what my role would be on staff. When I saw the list of different opportunities, one immediately stuck out to me- helping pioneer a preschool for staff kids. I prayed about it, and felt that this was the role God wanted me to take on in Madison.
     So on Sunday, August 9, I left to go back to Wisconsin. Staff training began on August 10.
     My trip to Madison turned out quite different than I expected, and different from anything I've experienced before. Previously, I had felt a strong urge to drive a different route than I normally do. It was very clear to me that God wanted me to cross the border in Sault Ste Marie rather than in Sarnia. So on Sunday, I headed north. It took me about 8.5 hours to drive to the Sault, and when I reached the border, it wasn't very busy.
     Then they pulled me aside and searched my car. I sat in their little office for three hours while they looked through my stuff, asked me questions, and did who knows what else. One thing they asked me was why I drove that way, when normally I cross in Sarnia. I was straight up: "God told me to." I think they think I'm a little crazy ;)
     In the end, they fingerprinted me, took my "mug shot", and sent me back to Canada. I was denied entry into the United States. I was so confused. God had told me to go this way, so why would He do that if He knew I was going to get stuck in Canada?!
     I stayed the night in a hotel there (thank you very much, my lovely parents!) and once morning came, I had decided that God must have a task for me in Sault Ste Marie. I knew He told me to go there, so there must be a purpose.
     I hung out at the mall across the road all day, waiting to hear from Madison about the situation. I had just grabbed my Bible from my car and was entering the mall to sit and read, and hope to have clarity about who to approach/what to say, when I saw an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench outside. I said good morning, and, long story short, ended up talking to him for nearly an hour. Well... he talked to me, mostly :P And God came up shortly into the conversation! It was really neat.
     I don't know that I said anything that changed this man's life. I really didn't say all that much, to be honest. I don't know if God just wanted him to know that he was valued, or if he just needed someone to pay attention to him, or what, but I believe that the reason God sent me to Sault Ste Marie was for that conversation with Frank. After that, I felt like I was free to go home. I didn't have to stay there anymore.
     So I drove eight hours back home, where I stayed for the next few days trying to figure it all out alongside those in Madison who were helping me. I ended up with a letter from them, as well as a few other pieces of paperwork, and drove back to the border on Thursday to try again. This time in Sarnia.
     They held me there for an hour and a half, asking me questions and such, and then they again fingerprinted me and took my picture. But then, finally, they let me through! So I arrived here in Madison on Thursday.
     I'll tell you more about what my time here in Madison will look like, although at this point I really don't know that much. But that will be for another day :)
     Blessings,
          Katie

Hi Canada

     Well... I'm home.

     Last night, mom, dad, Daniel and I slept in a hotel in Beloit, Wisconsin, which is just outside of Illinois and about an hour from Madison. And I may or may not (but lean more toward the may side) have shed a few tears after the rest went to bed. I managed not to cry before, during, or after graduation though! Saying goodbye to my YWAM family was HARD but I made it without tears until the night! Then I read the note that Kenzie had written to me and I couldn't not cry.

     Anyway, we left Beloit shortly after 8 this morning. Had dinner with Kyle in Sarnia -I got poutine, hee hee!- and then visited my Opa (Roest) for about half hour. And I got to go to Timmies.... Yay!! I missed Tims. Trust me. I literally was craving an iced capp since going on outreach. So, for 2 1/2 months. I didn't get one tonight though cause IT IS ROLL UP THE RIM!

     So that was exciting although I didn't win :( Anyway, so we got home eventually. Its weird here, but I suppose I will adjust eventually! It just doesn't feel like I'm actually going to be STAYING here... The TC is home now!

      I'm excited to see everyone here, but I REALLY miss my YWAM family. So so so so so so so so so so so much. Like really, I miss them SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!! I miss them!!

     Okay I cant dwell on that. Really I just wanted to let y'all know that we made it home safely. I'm back in Canada again. Weird :P

     Blessings,

          Katie

This Is Not Goodbye

     Today is the day. At 2 pm, my DTS, along with the GMC DTS, will be graduating. Our amazing, life changing time here is over. Tonight, I will be gone. Last night was my final night sleeping in this bottom bunk just inside the door of the 2nd girls dorm, Bhutan. After today, I won't be in Madison anymore. My 6 months is up, and it is time to go home now.

     My first instinct when I woke up this morning was to cry. I don't cry. But it was my last time waking up here, across from LaShanda and Christine and with Anna on the bunk above me. After today, LaShanda will be back in Michigan, Christine will be in California, and Anna will be in Brazil for a couple weeks before moving to Japan. Everyone is scattering around the world. Already Laura is home in Mississippi and Annika is in Mexico, doing a school of Worship in Cancun. Which is being led by some people that I know from my time there. 

     I cant believe DTS is over. Back in September, when I left, I didn't want to come. I wanted to stay at home and go to school. But God had a wayyyyy better plan for me. So now I have to trust that He still has the best plan for me. I'll miss this crazy family of mine incredibly much, but I know that this is not goodbye. It is "until next time" (we have learned that in YWAM, that is actually incredibly true). It will never be the same again, but I know that my time living in community with these people was incredible. I wouldn't change it for anything. And God is going to take each and every one of the 48 people living in this building and bring them amazing places. I'm so excited to hear what God does with them and where He takes them!

     So YWAM Madison DTS 2014-2015, thank you for the incredible past 6 months!

     And home, I'm excited to see y'all! But please excuse any crying I may do during the next few weeks (yes, weeks. It takes a long time to recover from being separated from people you've just been transformed alongside!)!

     Blessings,

          Katie

The End is in Sight

     So. Its crazy. A week from today, I will be home again. Back in Canada. DTS will be over.
     Yesterday we finished the stateside portion of outreach. My team and I are currently in western Illinois, where we had our final event last night. We then were split up and went to different homes for the night. All the other students went to Britta's house, since it was her and Ethel's church. Eth slept at her mom's place, and Kenzie and I spent the night at the home of a lovely little family who Kenzie stayed with on stateside 2 years ago. And now we are here alone in their house, waiting for Eth to pick us up to go home.
     Tomorrow through Friday, we have a financial seminar. And then on Saturday, at 2pm, we have our DTS graduation. Discipleship Training School will officially be complete. The six months in Wisconsin will be done. It went so fast!
     To be honest, up until 2 days ago, I was dreading March 14. I didn't want DTS to be over. I love my new family here! I miss everyone back home, of course, but I know that I will see them again. These people, my YWAM family, I don't know if I will see again in this life. We just shared a lot of experiences over the past 6 months, and it will be hard to say goodbye.
     But then yesterday, we went to a more traditional church. We sang an old hymn. And I suddenly wished I was back home at the GCRC. And then as we were driving out of Chicago, where our first event of the day was, to drive here, we passed by 2 signs. One that directed you to Wisconsin, and one that directed you to Indiana. I wanted to go on the Indiana one, because suddenly I really wanted to go home.
     God is good, y'all! He made me ready for home just at the right time!
     See you all soon!!
     Blessings,
          Katie