Kona Day 104

"Whenever God's will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power."
-Oswald Chambers

I love this quote so much, because it gives me such an awesome visual of Papa God fighting for me, and shows me that He really is on my side! He doesn't want me to strive, or struggle....He really wants the best for me, and wants to provide all my needs! I love resting in that! You should too!
Ava rested in that as she enjoyed her fifth birthday party last weekend. It was a blast, and if you haven't seen the pics on Facebook, you should look at them. She had everything her little heart could desire...and all on the low low budget of her YWAMer mom!
I still can't express in words how at peace I am here. I know that I know that I know that God has placed me here for this season. In our weekly staff meetings here at the Learning Center, we have been discussing more of what our vision is as a team and as a school. I want to share that with you all as well. This is our vision statement:
"Our program (The Learning Center) is a part of an international mission (YWAM)that holds tremendous value in the education of children locally as well as globally. We aspire to use the medium of education to bring good news to children around the world and see transformation take place in their lives. We aspire to achieve this by training missionary teachers and build Bible based curriculum.
Our purpose is for children to be well equipped to serve in any sphere of society, to have a vast awareness of who God is and of His created world, and their unique role in His plan for this world."

As I am writing this out, I am even more inspired! As I came here to work with the Learning Center, I knew that this would be a "beginning" for Ava and I. While we will be here for the next 2 years and 9 months, I have already begun to pray into how God wants to use my life and my gifts. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know that if I continue to "do the next thing God tells me to do", then I will be in His perfect will....and thus He will continue to "assist me with His almighty power!" How wonderful is that! I encourage you all to continue to seek out what the next thing is that God is telling you to do. Listen carefully....and quietly for His still small voice. He WILL let you in on His plans for you!

Right now we are praying as a school staff about God's plans for us this summer. We have a wonderful opportunity to travel to another country and lead a summer English camp for children. It will be an incredibly opportunity for me to see what it would be like to teach in another country. It would also be an awesome outreach trip to take Ava on! I am seeking out God's will in this intensely. Please pray for wisdom for me. I am also planning on coming home this summer to the mainland for some time as well to see you all!!!! So, as I am praying to hear God's voice, and listen for the next thing He wants me to do....please be praying for me as well.

I miss you all, and love you so much! I am so grateful for your partnership with me in the vision that I have, and in the work I am doing here at this wonderful school!

Grace be to you and peace in God our Papa!
Brooke

All The Small Things

As Queenie and Pappy drove away this morning, I stood and waved until their car was out of sight, in honor of Elliott tradition. Ava was however speeding around the Ohana (family in Hawaiian) Court on her new bike with her friends. Thus, the Elliott family Hawaiian Vacation Part II is officially over. (Part I was when Tia was here.)

Now I am realizing just how quiet it is around the campus. You see, the first quarter of school for the DTS students ended just before my parents got here. So many of our new friends had to leave for outreach or home. Of course we have many friends on staff who have stayed, and some students who are staying to become staff...but the always buzzing hum of students is gone. For the moment. The new January quarter will begin soon and hundreds of new faces will arrive. Here on the YWAM Kona campus they run about four DTS schools(Discipleship Training School) each quarter, along with a few secondary schools, such as the School of Worship. There are also the University schools, such as the School of Dance, or Counseling. Total there is an average of four hundred students each quarter, in addition to about 200 staff. Right now the only people here on campus are the staff who live on campus (about 20% of the staff) and have not traveled anywhere for Christmas.
So, you can see how it is super quiet now!
Please be praying for Ava, because while she has made friends with a lot of the kids who won't be leaving...she also has friends who have already left, and now there will be many new kids to arrive.
The DTS school is what Ava and I attended in Nashville. It is a three month school where the students (of every age and Nationality) basically get to know God more. There are 12 different topics for each week, with twelve different incredible teachers/speakers. It is an amazing learning time. After the "Lecture Phase", the students go on a two or three month outreach. This is when a new quarter begins and the new students come in. It is an ongoing cycle through the year. The kids I am teaching in the Learning Center are the children of the leaders of these schools. Most of the leaders and their families go on outreach with the students, at least for a few weeks or so. I actually have a boy that will be gone for the month of January to Cambodia with his family and the outreach team. It will be so exciting to hear about his adventures when he returns. The experiences that these children are getting are priceless....as well are the students in the DTS. After outreach, the DTS students do a number of different things....hopefully it is the next thing that God tells them to do! Some return to work with YWAM in the country they just had their outreach in. Some return home, or go to college. Some become staff with YWAM here, or on another YWAM campus. Hopefully ALL of them go out to impact the earth for God's glory, and help usher in the Kingdom of God! That is YWAM's mission: TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN. I love that!

Okay...now about the small things...for the past few weeks God has been giving tiny gifts to me to build my faith! For example, every time I would pray that I needed something, or think it, or write it on my fridge....He would bless me with it! Now I am talking about very specific things....like an air mattress for my parents to sleep on when they arrived here...it showed up in the "boutique" (which is a place where you can drop off unwanted things and you can also take anything for free-like a free thrift store). I needed a room divider to separate Ava's "room" from mine....and I found a brand new very nice Chinese room divider in the boutique! One night I was admiring someone's fake Christmas tree....I mean this thing was white and sparkly (not quite my type), but I just wanted some sort of tree for Christmas! The very next day, someone brought up a 6 foot, living Christmas tree to my school. The other teachers asked ME if I wanted it! Then they busily began finding me a tree stand, ornaments, decorations, and even someone to trim it for me! So when my parents arrived here for Christmas they were in shock! I felt so blessed that God would go out of His way to give me the things I ask for. Seems a little crazy, since He says numerous times in the Bible that He wants to bless us! My favorite example was the day I was walking to my school and random people whom I didn't know kept saying hello and good morning to me. I thought, what's going on today? God said to me "IT is because you are so beautiful!" Then, when I arrived at school, there was a very very large banner about my classroom (put there by my Secret Santa) that read, "Ms. Elliot, you are BEAUTIFUL!"
Ha! God really knows how to get a point across to us!
It is as if God has been saying to me, "See? I can provide for you the small, specific things that you need and want! Don't worry about the big stuff! I can definitely handle providing you with money to pay you bills! I want to show you how creative I am. I want to give you the desires of your heart!"

And I believe that God wants to give you all the desires of your hearts too! He loves you so much! So, expect some unexpected things from Papa God today. Ask Him to bless you in a creative way. He will!

Kenna

Kenna has such a passionate, and kind spirit. Her smile encourages me each morning. Her "Hang Ten" hand sign is indicative of the Hawaiian culture....just about everyone uses that sign here! She is a brave girl who is becoming more and more confident in who God has created her to be. Her mom is also a teacher here at the Learning Center...and her grandfather is the founder of YWAM. How amazing is it that I get to pour into the lives of the family that began this mission?!
Kenna, just like all the staff children in this mission, has a battle to fight in the Kingdom. As always, Satan is out to kill, steal, and destroy God's children. Please join me in prayer for Kenna, and all of my students, as I impart love and knowledge to them.
Kenna definitely has my heart, as she is such a girl's girl....but also has a fiery passion!

Kona Day 49

Well, I have been so busy gallivanting around the Island with my sister, that I have barely had time to update you all! I has been such a wonderful month, being able to spend time with her. She took us camping at the volcano, drove us around the entire island, gave us an early Christmas present of a snorkeling cruise on a catamaran, took us on an art gallery walk, saw the Kona Coffee Festival parade, saw the new Twilight movie!....and so much more! It has been such an eventful month! The best though was being able to hang out with her. I sure miss her already!

Even though we love it here so much, and the school I teach at is incredible, and Ava's preschool is better than any I could have prayed for, and the weather is beautiful, we are still missing our North Carolina Fall and Winter! I have always loved cozy fireplaces (well I am the fire-master), hot coffee (in cold weather), and freezing sleet...(well maybe not). The Christmas lights Ava and I decorated with tonight and the Sufjan Stevens Christmas album is helping some....but be sure to enjoy the season for us!

My parents are actually coming to visit in three weeks! I am very excited, and can't wait to show them around. Which is now possible, thanks to my sister!
As the students in my school sing in the Christmas show they are practicing...."Christmas is gonna be different this year! Very very different!"

I love you all so much, and am so thankful for your continued prayers and support. We are still in need of monthly partners. We need about 200 more dollars in support a month. Please be praying that we will have the faith to trust God for the finances we need, and also I want to ask you all to prayerfully consider partnering with us financially. I know firsthand that God blesses us when we step out in faith and do something that we don't think we can do.
You are all such a blessing to us!

Well, on the first of December, here I am saying Merry Early Christmas!

Love & Blessings

Hakani

I am beyond blessed to have this young lady in my class. I had actually heard her story long before I heard of The Learning Center. Many of you might have already heard of her as well. Her family are political refugees here from Brazil. They had to move because they were being persecuted for trying to fight for human rights of the native Indians that live in the amazon. Hakani was born into the Suruwaha tribe in the amazon. In her tribe, the witch doctors often decide which babies will be buried alive. The people of the tribe obey the witch doctors, because they are the religious leaders. It is a horrendous, and inhumane ritual that has been going on for a long time. However, Hakani's birth parents refused, and killed themselves instead. Her brother was then ordered to bury her. As he was putting her into the hole, he realized he could not do it either. So, her uncle shot her with an arrow. Her uncle then killed himself as well. Hakani's brother rescued her from the hole, and secretly kept her alive. He brought her food, but she was forced to live in the woods alone. When she was five years old, her brother brought her to a missionary couple who are now her adoptive parents. In Brazil, they cared for her and made her their own daughter. When they began to fight for her as well as other Amazon Indians' rights, it created a political uproar, and they came to YWAM Kona.
Her full story has been documented in film and literature. They are still currently raising support and awareness for human rights of Brazilian Indians.

Hakani is one of the most amazing children I have ever met. Although she is sixteen, and learning on a third grade level, her intelligence advances at a rapid pace. Considering that she wasn't nurtured and loved until she was five years old! She is always in a good mood, always positive, and always encouraging to everyone. She tells me every day what a "pretty girl" I am, and how she "loves me more" when I tell her I love her.

I can't believe that one of the very first students I get to teach here, has already begun to change the world with her life!

I encourage you to look up her story, and pray for her family. They need your support and prayers to accomplish their hope and vision. Also, be praying for me as I pour into her life. That I would be able to hear from God what she needs.

Love you all! I hope you enjoyed reading about Hakani!

Hi friends, I want to share this message with you all. It is written by someone at my church in Asheville....I have been missing that church a lot lately...
Everyday I ask God to humble me...and this message is very humbling....



Don't Be Surprised
by Marklar Klepac on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 12:25pm

Right now I am in a place of handing over my expectations, my struggles, and my power to Christ. I am being forced to let go of my judgments and expectations of other people. I am being forced to start seeing people as people instead of projects. I am being forced to listen and learn from others instead of coming up with ways to convince people of the depth of my own wisdom (which I am finding to be quite shallow.) I am being forced to address the pride in my own heart before pointing my finger at others. I am being forced to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit instead of relying on my own limited strength.
I am being forced to do all of these things by the simple realization that I am not the Savior that the oppressed need.
I am not the answer to their prayers.
I am not able to save anyone from his or her sins.
I am not able to convict or bring anyone to repentance.
I am also, surprisingly enough, not the center of this universe.
The deep beauty and peace I find in this realization is that instead of all of these roles being filled by me, they are being filled by a much more capable and loving God.
I encourage anyone who has a heart for service or missions or loving people or whatever to be careful of how you view your service or mission.
Don't be surprised when you show up to a broken place and meet people who are closer to God than you are.
Don't be surprised when you learn more from people in need than you teach them.
Don't be surprised of what the Lord can do through you, but always remember it is by his power it is being done.

Don't be surprised of what God can do.

Kona Day 13

Well, I am going to try to catch you up on the amazing things that have already happened since I Ava and I have been here on the beautiful campus of University of the Nations in Kona, HI.

Last week Ava and I familiarized ourselves with the campus, and even walked into town a couple times. We took the shuttle bus to Walmart and Target with the rest of the ywamers who are without a vehicle, and had a blast hanging out at our pool.

We also have visited two different churches, and are still praying about where to attend. Please be in prayer with us.

Last Monday Ava started preschool! It was her very first day of school ever, and I think I was more nervous than she was. She had a wonderful first week, and her teacher said that she was the most cheerful and happy new student that she had ever seen. Ava is loving going to preschool, and has already made many friends. She even went to a birthday party for a girl in Kindergarten on Friday. (I chaperoned, and with 12 little girls in one YWAM room...it was a wild time!)

Last week I began observing my new classroom, and officially began teaching this past Monday. I have eight of the most respectful and loving children! Today is day two of teaching, and I am absolutely loving it! It is probably the most peaceful school I have ever taught at. I am going to tell you more about each individual child as time goes on. They are all so unique!

Also, on Sunday night we picked up Tia (Danielle) from the airport. I am so excited to have her here. She will be visiting for a month, and staying in our room for two weeks. She is such a big help to me, and it is so nice just to have her to talk to! Of course Ava was overjoyed to welcome her here!

Today after school we will be headed to the beach!

Thank you all for praying for us, and supporting us!
Talk to you soon!
Love and Blessings,
Brooke

address

To send us letters or packages:

Brooke Elliott - LCCY
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy #320
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740



For support donations:

Donor Processing
UOFN Kona
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy #256
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

(my account number is 5677)

Kona Day 4 - Brasileiro & Hummus

It has been four days, and I just now met my first Brazilian! She just sat down at the table where Ava and I were eating dinner. It was like she knew I was part Brasileiro! :) She spoke some Portuguese to me, which helped to refresh my memory a little, and told me that she is actually on staff in China. She has been living there for the past 20 years! So she is actually Chinese Brazilian! It was so wonderful to talk to her, and she encouraged me so much. I had the same feeling I did back in January when I was in Brazil. We talked about waiting on God.
I also learned earlier today that one of my students is Brazilian! She is also special needs and when I met her on Friday, I loved her right away! She is going to encourage me everyday...I can already tell. The teacher that has been teaching my kids, Shauna, took me and Ava to lunch today and told me all about her. Shauna says she has an incredible story, and when her family was in Brasil last year, she had a part in changing the human rights laws there! She is such a special girl, and I know she is going to help me continue my Portuguese studies.
I actually met all of my 8 students on Friday, because it was picture day, and I got to take pictures with them. They are an incredible group of kids, and I can't wait to teach them!
Tomorrow will be my first day of observing the class. I won't actually be teaching them until Friday.
Ava also starts in her preschool tomorrow. As I was meeting random people when we first got here...the first thing I heard was awe and shock that Ava had actually gotten in to this preschool. Evidently there is a long waiting list to get into the preschool, and God just loved us enough to bend the rules and get us in! Her teacher's name is Feather, and the facility is amazing. It is partly outside and very open. Ava went in to visit, and is so excited about starting there. I think it will help her get into a routine and settle down. It has been somewhat difficult for her to adjust to the atmosphere here. There are just literally hundreds of kids here! Which is great...but Ava isn't used to being around so many peers of her own age. Be praying that she can get adjusted, and we can both figure out boundaries that work.
Almost all of the families in our building are Korean, and are so nice! Ava has learned one word in Korean....the word for "Hello" (I can't write it on here....and she goes around saying it to everyone! Even to people who are obviously not Korean!
Saturday we went to the beach...actually we walked three miles to the beach. There are a couple closer beaches...but the one we went to was the best. It had a little lagoon that was protected by rocks....so we didn't have to worry about sharks! It was so beautiful, and you can see straight down to the bottom!
So, please be praying that we find a bike soon! Also pray for our first days of school tomorrow.

We love you all, and are having a blast here!

oh....I almost forgot to explain why the title of this blog includes Hummus.....
Today after lunch, Shauna took us to......Costco! Can you believe it? It felt so much like home! And what did I find there but none other than the best, best, best hummus....the Edemame Hummus that my sister loves!

See you soon sister!

Kona Day 1

Aloha!
Ava and I are sitting among many Plumeria trees at the playground in front of our new home. The same plumeria trees that my mom has and fights daily to keep alive in her home in NC, are growing everywhere here! We are so blessed to be here! There is worship going on right around the corner, and our room looks like a hotel room! It is so amazing here, and I can't wait to post my pics.
The trip over was very long and at times I didn't think I was going to make it....what with the abundance of luggage and a too tired four year old....but God was so faithful in encouraging me along the way.
I love you all, and will let you know how our first day goes.....it's only 930 in the morning here!
Love you!

T Minus 12 Days!

First, I have to apologize for not blogging in so long. It has been a crazy time! So, we are flying out to YWAM Kona in twelve days. It's becoming real to me know. I just helped my parents move out of their rental house (where we were staying) and into their RV. Thankfully we did not have to move into their RV with them! A very amazing and generous family from our church offered to let us stay with them until we leave. So, that's where we are now...we have our own bathroom, living room, and two bedrooms! God has blessed us so greatly this week! Well, actually He is always blessing us!

We are still at 65% of our support goal....but that means we only need 35% more! :)
That's only 8 more peeps to partner with us at $25 a month!

My benefit concert is coming up at Creature's Cafe (in Asheville) this Friday (Oct. 7) and I have five very talented and incredible musicians lined up to play. Please please please come out if you are in the area....or just want to drive up and see us before we leave!

I am just about to go meet two of the coolest people in my YWAM DTS (that I did in Nashville). They are driving through Asheville, and we are meeting for coffee.....I'm so excited to see them!

Oh...and Ava is singing "Here we are to Worship" right now! :) I am so blessed!

I am getting super excited to leave, and also very sad....It is going to be hard to leave my family and the church I have been attending here in Asheville. They have blessed me so much!

So, here is the theme of this blog....WE ARE BLESSED! All the time...even when we don't feel like it....even when things are not going our way (believe me, everything is NOT going my way right now)...because our Papa God loves us, and loves to bless us! He wants to lavish you with His love....and I bet He has an unexpected surprise planned for you today. You just have to open your eyes and be on the look out for it!

I love you all so much. Please keep praying for us during the end of our time in NC and the beginning of our adventure in Kona.

Re-start the Countdown!

Hi friends!
The news I have for you today is so exciting! I have been feeling lately that I should go ahead and step out in faith and purchase our plane tickets, or at least pick a new goal date to leave for Kona. Well a couple days ago I received a call from Kris (who works at the Learning Center in Kona) saying that after praying, she felt I was supposed to step out in faith about something. It was a great confirmation for me that I should buy our tickets. Then I received another call from Kris saying that there was a person willing to give me their air miles to come over....but I would have to leave in two weeks!
I felt very thankful and excited, but also overwhelmed at the same time. I began praying right away. It's always the best thing to do when you feel overwhelmed.
I felt like God was urging me to trust Him more and to believe that He IS going to provide for us. I definitely felt that we should be more proactive in pursuing Him and His will, instead of just waiting. Although, I know we were supposed to be in a time of waiting, I felt like God was saying, that time is over...and it is now a time to pursue!
It was such a hard decision to make about whether to accept the air miles or to buy our own tickets. In the end, I didn't feel a peace about flying out in two weeks.
However, I have picked a leave date and will be purchasing the tickets for October 12th!

I am so excited, and I know that by making this commitment, it will provide room for God to show up and get all the glory! I know He wants to bless us!

We are still at 53% of our goal. It is also definite that I will be having a fundraising concert here in Asheville at "Creatures Cafe" on October 7th. Please come out if you are here!
And pray for us!
Love you all!

Satan doesn't make it easy for us to obey God's voice!

This past Saturday I literally felt Satan trying to suffocate my faith and hope and vision of going to Kona. All of a sudden I felt so discouraged, I could hardly breath! I began thinking that God was NOT going to fulfill His promise, and maybe I wasn't going to make it to Hawaii after all. You see, this trip is not just a pipe dream to me. Yes, whenever I tell people that I am moving to Hawaii....they laugh and say "Oh, you have it sooo bad!" But to me, this trip represents not only the beginning of the ministry that Papa wants to do through me, but also a revolution on the education front. In an email I received from the teachers that are currently in Kona this week, they said " Keep the Global mind frame, it is not about just serving a need here, but we need to walk the calling out of each teacher.
"The Learning Center" is not just another private school. We will be recreating how we teach children, and researching the best ideas, challenging the oldest philosophies, and devoting our lives to the children who will soon be carrying us!
I am so passionate about this school, and my calling there. I hope that those of you who are passionate about education will rise up with me.
Okay....back to last Saturday....before I uttered a single word of how I was feeling, two different friends from my Discipleship Training school texted me encouraging words. The next night, God sent me a huge message. I received an email from someone in Kona, whom I don't know at all, saying that they wanted to give me a gift of 500 dollars! It was as if God was screaming to me "Of course you belong in Kona, and I'm going to get you there! Through strangers and ways that I alone know! Hang on!"
It was so very encouraging, and I will admit that I have always wanted to be blessed by someone I don't know. It is such a powerful way for God to show His glory, and remind us that He knows all, and is bigger than the world we can only see.
When I was so discouraged, my sister said..."of course Satan isn't going to make it easy for you to get to Kona!" He is always trying to discourage us, destroy us, and take what belongs to Papa God. BUT, God is bigger and way more powerful!
Love you all!
I also have a new fundraising website up!
http://www.gofundme.com/75llw

News!

Hi friends! As of Sunday we are at 49% of our monthly support goal! How good is my Papa God!

Plans

"For I know the plans that I have for you...plans to prosper you...plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

This past week I have been lost in thought about my next steps to take. I have been struggling to figure out what plans I should make. It is getting closer and closer to the beginning of school at the Learning Center in Hawaii, and I am still so far from my financial goal. Do I find a more permanent place to live here? Do I enroll Ava in a preschool here? Do I get a job teaching here??? I have been driving myself...and God...crazy! :)

However, the more I read the old testament, the more I know how faithful and trustworthy God is. His people are constantly questioning Him. They are constantly complaining about circumstances. All the while, He is constantly reminding them in huge ways, in an audible voice, and even in smoke signals that He is GOD! He is all powerful and all knowing and has a plan! The more I think about how many times He says that to the children in the old testament, the more I can hear him saying it to me. Trust me, Brooke. When no one else around you is trusting....Trust me. When you can't see the way....trust me. When it seems like your plans are ruined....trust me!

I have even been humbled to realize that even if I never get to Hawaii to teach....God is still incredibly awesome and good! And His plans are the best.

To top all this off that I have been learning....I watched the movie "Soul Surfer". (Don't watch it if you are a crier...like me...you'll be weeping!) God had such a great and wonderful plan for Bethany Hamilton...that He used a shark attack to get her to it! I am still crying at how humbling that is...God will use whatever He sees best to get us to His perfect plan...even if it means you loose an arm.
(Oh, and I was just kidding...if you haven't seen the movie, you HAVE GOT TO SEE IT!

I love you guys and gals!
Trust Papa with your plans!

"RADICAL"

I hadn't heard of "Cross-Carrying-Chuck" the day my mom rolled down the window and asked me to yell out of the car to the skinny man with a beard and a 7 foot white cross on wheels, who was walking down the Black Mountain road on a sweltering summer day. "What am I supposed to say?" I asked. "Hi" was all I could think of. O course my mom took over from there...she is never at a loss for words, and proceded to ask him if we could take him to lunch. We pulled our car over to the first restaurant we saw...KFC...he stowed his backpack and cross behind some shrubbery next to the entrance.
"I've been on the road 11 years, carried 12 different crosses, and crossed the United States 10 times" was his initial introduction of himself...which I could tell he had said too many times, to too many strangers. "Some people call me Forest Gump!"
I googled Chuck as I got home, and saw a much younger and healthier version of himself on multiple blogs, home videos, and new articles. He really is quite famous! I felt honored to meet someone who had given up what they knew to be normal and comfortable to do something...well, radical! Wouldn't you say that walking across the entire country on foot, sleeping wherever you could, and eating whatever food God provided for you is radical? Chuck had numerous accounts of times that our Papa opened doors for him, provided for him, and created encounters with His people so that Chuck could share God's Agape love. I want to live like that! Oh that we would let God ordain our steps. Oh that we would let our Papa get all the glory for everything that happens in our lives! I just finished watching "The Adjustment Bureau", in which they call God..."The chairman". It was an amusing and well put together film about God ordaining our steps and us not veering from His plan for our lives. (Well, that is my interpretation) The main characters spent the entire movie trying to do what they though was the best plan for their lives...all the while God knew exactly what the best posible outcome would be. It made me think about the choices I have made in my life...and where they will take me. It made me think about how radical I have been...or not been. Our church is reading a book entitled "Radical". Reading it has made me realize that I am not radical enough! How radical were the disciples? How radical was Moses? Are there ANY people in the Bible who were following every step of God's plan that weren't radical?
In order to be radical, we must stop trying to veer from God's plan, and accept that His is the best. He knows us, and He knows the future. When we listen for His directions and obey them at every intersection...then we will be radical...because we will not be living our life for ourself anymore...but living each day to bring glory, worship, and love to the creator of the universe...and that is radical.

My Papa keeps His promises!

Hi friends!
Yesterday I had a wonderful talk with a beautiful friend of mine! She confirmed something I had been feeling lately...that I was relying on my provision from my supporters more than I was relying on my Papa God to provide for me. So I surrendered my time and my heart...and spent a wonderful morning with my Love. When I got home today, in the mailbox was the biggest donation I have received so far! It was incredible....like God was saying, "See! You can trust me!". When we give God room to do something miraculous....He always comes through! That's what I love about my Papa! So....we are now at 30% of our monthly goal!

The Learning Center has a website!

www.uofnlearningcenter.com

What would you give to hear God's voice?

We are at 25% of our monthly goal!!!

We have been having a blast on our mini vacations. Today is the last day in Wilmington, then I am headed back to Asheville for church meetings and ballet lessons. Next weekend we will be back in Greensboro to see the "Meredith Girls" (yay!) and to clean out the storage unit (boo!). Then I think we will ride back down here to the beach for the Fourth with my sis. This is her favorite holiday, and she has made camping on the beach a tradition! Then we will be back in Asheville before one last hurrah at Dionne's Wedding in Ocean Isle!!! THEN, we will hopefully be on our way to Hawaii!
Wow, I have a booked schedule!
However, I let all that stress go Wednesday at the beach. It was a warm and slightly overcast day, and the waves were small yet powerful. I was sitting in a beach chair at the break line, and watching Ava out of the corner of my eye as she played with some random kids. As I was looking out at the vast, immense ocean, I decided to talk to God. :) It was such a peaceful feeling and so refreshing to have all my focus be on my Papa and Love. He said to me very clearly that I am following Him to the right place, and that He has a rainbow for me at the end of the storm. (Ava always says "Mama, you know what makes the storm stop? A RAINBOW!")

It was such a powerful moment to me...that of course Satan had to try and ruin it!
Immediately afterward, we all went into the water. Pappy was holding Ava, and I accidentally wore my favorite and very expensive polarized sun glasses out. Pappy was promising Ava that no water would get in her face when a very very big wave came and crashed over us. Pappy and Ava went tumbling into the sea, as well as my favorite sun glasses. Of course I was upset, but soon after thought...It doesn't matter what I lost today, because I gained that beautiful conversation with my Papa!
(oh, and Ava was okay!)

Dessert Party in Wilmington!

Hi friends! Well, Ava and I are in Wilmington. We are hoping to get to see as many of our Wilmy friends as possible. I am having a dessert party this upcoming Friday night...and if you are in Wilmington, you are invited! Let me know if you want to come. If you can't come, please be praying that the right people can attend, and that God will bless our time together.

I am currently at 22 percent of my support goal! I only need 13 more monthly partners at 20 dollars a month and 15 at 50 dollars a month! This is such a wonderful time for me of trusting my Papa to provide....but I know He will... He always does. I am praying right now that God will show up in your life in a huge, exciting way today. I love you all!

I will write soon...We are currently without internet, as we are staying in my parents' RV at the beach! This past weekend we traveled to VA to Bush Gardens, and then came straight down here. We had a blast...of course, how could we not with Ava jumping up and down all the time screaming happiness all over the place!

I hope you are all having a wonderful blessed summer too!