God is so funny sometimes. A lot of times, when we make a plan for ourselves, God throws speed bumps at us, and puts detours in our path. That way, He is able to show us that He is supreme in ALL His ways, but at the same time, good.
This is exactly what happened to me...
So, I have been putting off writing this blog for about a week and a half. Simply, because I have been uncertain as to what exactly I should say, and how I should say it. But it's time to let you guys know what has been going on and what will be going on.
As most of you know, my DTS left for outreach to London on Saturday, September 26. I watched the bus drive a way... I was not in it. That is right, while the rest of my DTS is on outreach, I am not. Here is why....
A couple weeks ago, I made a choice... a bad choice. Outside of YWAM context, the choice I made is not wrong, however it is in the rules. And breaking the rule was the bad choice. Of course, everything done in darkness will be brought to the light... So of course, it wasn't long before I was confronted about it. One of the BIGGEST things I have learned not just in the last several years of my life, but also on my DTS is that honesty is the best policy. So I answered honestly.
So then two weeks ago, I was asked to meet with my school leader and a base leader. I was told that I had four days to schedule a flight, pack my things, say good-bye and fly home. Not only was I asked to leave, but two of my best friends who were also students, and two staff members who I had gotten to know really well.
This devastated me because not only did I let my outreach team down, I let my whole DTS, the whole YWAM base, my leaders, my mom, and myself down. God was really stirring me during this time. At first, I felt totally under spiritual attack, questioning the realness of my relationship with God and myself. But then God affirmed me in something... I'm human. I make mistakes. However, just because I am inconsistent, and unfaithful at times, God is still faithful, and ALWAYS consistent. Where there has to be consequence and repentance, there also is room for grace.
At the same time that God was affirming His character to me, He was also calling me to take action. One of the things I have really felt since being here is a call to missions, a call to YWAM Perth more specifically. So I felt like God told me to fight to stay here; to prove that I am not defined by what happened, and to show myself trustworthy and the importance of me being here. God also spoke this to my mom, and to my leader. Let me tell you, I have the BEST school leader ever. Chenaniah is one heck of a guy! So I really began to pray into that. And then the unexpected happened...
Chenaniah (my school leader) approached me two days before I was supposed to leave and presented me with an alternative to leaving. Normally when one school leaves to go on outreach, a new school comes in to begin lecture phase of DTS. I have the opportunity to start my DTS over on October 7 with a whole new set of students. Along with that, I will only have to pay half of my lecture phase fees, and because I had already paid my outreach fees, I will not have to pay any of that. WHOA! Talk about AMAZING! I was completely taken aback by this offer. But I feel like it is one I have to take. I know God has called me here, and unless I finish my DTS, then I can't be apart of the awesome things God is doing here.
I prayed about it, and initially I was ready to come home, but then God reminded me of the things He had been speaking to me about YWAM Perth since being here. Also, I was afraid that I would have the wrong mindset since lectures will be so fresh to me, but then my wonderful mom said something that struck me... "Grace, you'll get as much out of lectures as you want to get out of them." With that said, I am going to approach this new opportunity like it's a first. Like I have never been here before. If I am going to stay, I am going to completely throw myself into this. I want an even greater understanding of who God is. I want to be taken to another level when it comes to knowing God's heart for me and for the nations. I want to fall more in love with Him.
So that's it. I will be starting my DTS over on October 7. There is not a Music DTS running this quarter, so I will be apart of a Sports DTS that has 22 students in it (11 girls, 11 boys). We will get many an opportunity to use sport in ministry...and hopefully I'll shed some of that freshman 15 i've seemed to obtain. I will be here until December 27 or 28, and then I will go on outreach with this new DTS. The cool thing is that I will be here when my Music DTS gets back from outreach and will be able to hear all the wonderful stories of what God has done through some of my best friends. BUT that also means I'll be here for Christmas. I will return from outreach late March, and then I will return home sometime in April!
So this six month journey has turned into nine months. But it is great, and God is good! I am getting to see how YWAM perth works as a base in all seasons, and build better relationship with staff.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray for my team on outreach right now in London, India, Cambodia, and Nepal.
- Pray that God continues to work in me through this season
- Pray for finances to come in
- Pray and ask God if He would have you partner with me financially during this
- $570 for an extended student visa since I will be here 3 months longer than planned
- $130 for extended overseas-health insurance
- $100 for an enrollment into a new DTS
- $1,890 for my lecture fees
- $600 for living expenses
Total: $3,290
If you would like to donate towards my financial needs, here is how:
- Go to https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
- Fill out Your Details
- Fill out Money Details
- Step 1: select Student Payment
- Step 2: select School Fees
- Select School: Discipleship Training School - Sports - October
- Who is it for? Someone Else
- Grace Eggers
- Final Step: This money is for Grace Eggers' school fees in the October Sports DTS
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Another Countdown...
And the next countdown has begun....
12 days.
In just 12 days, life as I know it in YWAM will change. Lecture phase will have come to a complete, and outreach phase will begin. I can't believe in less than two weeks I will be in London. We have sent in our visa applications to the Indian embassy, gotten backpacks, purchased plane tickets, and seen finances come down.
That is one thing I am most excited to tell you about. For all 40 of us to go on outreach, we needed $160,000 by September 5. For about three weeks, we were meeting in our outreach groups at 6 AM to pray for a final push for finances to subdue. God is so faithful, so of course we saw them come in. On the morning of September 5, as a base, we had a worship and intercession day to also push for finances. There are other DTS's going on who also needed finances, and several base ministries going on outreach.
Well, on that night, we still needed $19,000 as a Music DTS. So here is what we did.... we all gathered in a room, had a time of worship, and then asked God to lay specific people on our hearts within our DTS to give finances to. In fifteen minutes, we saw $7,000 come in! We had a whiteboard with everyones name and amounts needed. We saw names whipped off the board, and other totals come down. Then, in another ten minutes, my leader announced "we are done," and whipped the board clean. Wait....what? We're done? WE'RE DONE! That is right, in twenty five minutes, we had $19,000 come in from our other DTS mates.... from missionaries to missionaries. What a testimony! God is SO faithful!
So for the most part, we are all ready to go. I still have no idea what we will be doing exactly on outreach, but apparently we find out tonight.
As for now, we still have to finish this week of lectures on Evangelism, and then next weeks on Relationships & Unity. Lectures have been SO great, and God continues to speak to me and minister to me in ways unimaginable.
On another note, there is a young married couple who has been apart of our DTS and were going to be on my outreach team, however, the wife's [Stephanie] dad, has taken a health turn for the worst and the two of them took off last night to go back home to Switzerland to be with family. They will however rejoin us for outreach in India, missing the London side of it. Please pray for total healing for her dad and for peace for the family.
Talk to you soon :)
12 days.
In just 12 days, life as I know it in YWAM will change. Lecture phase will have come to a complete, and outreach phase will begin. I can't believe in less than two weeks I will be in London. We have sent in our visa applications to the Indian embassy, gotten backpacks, purchased plane tickets, and seen finances come down.
That is one thing I am most excited to tell you about. For all 40 of us to go on outreach, we needed $160,000 by September 5. For about three weeks, we were meeting in our outreach groups at 6 AM to pray for a final push for finances to subdue. God is so faithful, so of course we saw them come in. On the morning of September 5, as a base, we had a worship and intercession day to also push for finances. There are other DTS's going on who also needed finances, and several base ministries going on outreach.
Well, on that night, we still needed $19,000 as a Music DTS. So here is what we did.... we all gathered in a room, had a time of worship, and then asked God to lay specific people on our hearts within our DTS to give finances to. In fifteen minutes, we saw $7,000 come in! We had a whiteboard with everyones name and amounts needed. We saw names whipped off the board, and other totals come down. Then, in another ten minutes, my leader announced "we are done," and whipped the board clean. Wait....what? We're done? WE'RE DONE! That is right, in twenty five minutes, we had $19,000 come in from our other DTS mates.... from missionaries to missionaries. What a testimony! God is SO faithful!
So for the most part, we are all ready to go. I still have no idea what we will be doing exactly on outreach, but apparently we find out tonight.
As for now, we still have to finish this week of lectures on Evangelism, and then next weeks on Relationships & Unity. Lectures have been SO great, and God continues to speak to me and minister to me in ways unimaginable.
On another note, there is a young married couple who has been apart of our DTS and were going to be on my outreach team, however, the wife's [Stephanie] dad, has taken a health turn for the worst and the two of them took off last night to go back home to Switzerland to be with family. They will however rejoin us for outreach in India, missing the London side of it. Please pray for total healing for her dad and for peace for the family.
Talk to you soon :)
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