Divine Appointments in Washington DC

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We have been in Washington DC in for only 4 short weeks, and already God has moved in such mighty ways! Below are a few of the divine appointments that God has set up for us!

Above is Laura Penrod, she was a camper at Camp Lions of IL when I worked at a summer camp for the Deaf when I was in college.  She was one of the campers that I got really close with and developed a friendship with.  We keep in touch for a few years after camp but then lost touch with each other.  Three months ago, two months before moving to DC, I receive a FB message from her with the pictures above.  She was going through things and found this pictures and shared that she missed me.  In this email she explained that she was a senior at Gallaudet university this year.  And she was doing well but it was hard to be a christian at Gallaudet.  I quickly emailed back stating that we were moving to DC and would be there for her senior year.  The first time Dan and I were on campus, I walked by the computer lab and guess who was working, YEP Laura was!  It was a divine appointment!  Laura was the first our a handful of Deaf friends to come to the Washington House of Prayer and comes regularly to the worship/prayer times!  She loves it so much she always invites a friend!  I am so blessed by her eagerness to know God more and grow in relationship with him!  

Laura than invited Dan and I to a Deaf bible study that she goes to and so we went! The leader of the bible study (the guy with blond hair with his hand up in the picture below), Rusty, was a friend of mine when I went to Gallaudet.  When he saw me he recognized me right away and quickly gave me a hug! 

As I went I meet many Deaf people as well as interpreters for the Deaf at the bible study.  It was a great connection point and we plan to continue to go to the bible study throughout the year.  But God had so much more than this.  The women who has her arm up in the corner of the women was the interpreter for the night, as two hearing adults attend the bible study as well.  Loriel is her name and she is a staff interpreter at Gallaudet University and little did I know but she was the coordinator for the Interpreter Week that I attended at Gallaudet university last week!  

Above are the two coordinators for the Interpreter Training Week that I attended this last week at Gallaudet.  Loriel is on the left and Phyllis is on the right.  Both are strong christians and amazing interpreters!  God planned that I would learn from them the whole week of my workshop at Gallaudet! 

Divine Appointments in Washington DC, Part 2

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So there were just so many divine appointments and open doors 

that I needed to add a part 2 to the blog so here it is! 

In the picture below is Kari and her mom Diana.  Kari was an undergrad student at Gallaudet when I attended school there.  We were friends and knew that each other were strong Christians.  As I knew that were were moving to DC I emailed her on FB asking if she was still a student and living in DC.  She wrote back explaining that she graduate but was still living in DC as an independent full-time missionary! And the she knew of YWAM as her mother, who is Deaf did a DTS in Kona Hawaii through an interpreter in 1982 and went to Philippains and Twain for outreach.  Kari and her brother were kids at the time their partners did their DTS thus spend the 3 months on the Kona base and then went on outreach with them!  I was so excited to see Kari!  The same week we arrived in DC, Kari's mother was visiting DC!  So that week I had the chance to go out to lunch with Kari and her mom.  We  chatted for 4 hours about what God was doing in our lives and had done as well as her experience doing a DTS through an interpreter and any suggestions that she had for us as we desire to set one up in ASL for Deaf people to do!  It was such an amazing connection! 

Kari also attends the YWAM House of Prayer and Laura Penrod's (the girl I wrote the last blog about) happen to just move in with Kari as her roommate! Small world! Well, a week ago Kari shared that she was having some friends come into town that she would like me to meet who were christians and asked if I could go out on Thursday night!  I said I would love to.  Well, during the first day of interpreter workshop at Gallaudet, I met another interpreter who was christian named Abby (picture below).  She shared she was excited to meet another christian who was in the Deaf community as she has not met any and really wanted to get more involved in ways that she can use her gift of signing to bring Deaf people into a deeper relationship with Jesus.  We talked and got along great.  Well, a couple days later God laid it on my heart to invite Abby to Thursday night outing as well so she could meet some Deaf people that love Jesus! So we came too! 

Dan, Abby and I meet Kari and her friends at the zoo!  One of her friends was a Deaf missionary that serves in Honduras at a Deaf school named Azael!  I had met Azael in Honduras in Dan and I's first DTS outreach that we staffed when we were in Honduras.  A good friend Alissa was on a missionary trip in Tegucigalpa, Honduras that same week that Dan and I were in Tegucigalpa for our outreach! So I joined my friend Alissa for a day at the Deaf school that she was working at and met Azael.  It was the same guy! It was so cool to see him again and hear about what God was doing in the Deaf community in Honduras.  

The other friend that Kari had was a girl named Jenna, who was Azael's girlfriend.  We got to talking and she shared that she was involved in CRU and every summer interpreters for the Summer Project for CRU for people who are Deaf but just last year realized that she needs more interpreters due to the increased amount of Deaf people that want to attend as well the need to interpret all day long.  She was not even gone finished explaining when Abby started asking questions and shared that she wanted to become one of the interpreters next summer for the summer project!  That is why I knew I had to invite Abby, God wanted her to connect with Jenna! They exchanged emails and plan to keep in touch.  Abby got motivated to get involved with CRU in her city in Houston TX. 

It was such an amazing night! We glorified God by sharing what He was doing in our lives and then spend some time praying for God's will to happen in the Deaf community as it is in heaven! We praised Him for what He is already doing and asked Him for MORE!!! What divine appointments! 

Thank you Jesus!

Below are some pictures of the socialization after the worship/prayer sets at the House of Prayer.  We have had 6 different Deaf friends come within the last 3 weeks! The YWAM staff are so interested in learning ASL and the Deaf people are so excited to teach that we end up staying at least an hour after the worship just hanging out!  It is so beautiful and fun to be a part of! 

Laura is teaching Kate and Rachel, YWAM staff, the ABCs in American Sign Language! (above) 

Dan is using his ASL skills to get to know Tom, Laura's friend, better!  By the way, Tom is another divine appointment! Alissa my friend who went to Honduras is Tom's interpreter at his college in Florida! Tom was in DC at Gallaudet for the summer for an internship!  Small world! He was able to come to the House of Prayer two times before leaving for the summer! We miss you Tom!

Kari using her sense of humor and God given gifts to communicate with hearing people to teach ASL as well as make everyone laugh really hard! 

We are so excited about what God is doing and what more He has planned for us in Washington, DC!

Be strong and courageous . . . Anointed to Pray for our Nation

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God has fully prepared and made the way for a smooth transition to DC.  With in first days of arriving God moved our spirits as well as others in mighty ways! The day after we arrived, YWAM DC was asked to join with 8 older women from Aglow International, www.aglow.org, an international prayer group for a 4 day retreat filled with prayer and learning about how to pray for our nation!  It was an amazing 4 days where God called together the wiser and older intercessors with the energized and youthful intercessors to reveal to us His heart for our nation!

A late congressman's wife, named Ruth Mizell (pictured with Dan and I below) who has personal access into areas in the capital that is off limits to the public took all of us on this prayer walk.  She is a 91 year old women who is a strong intercessor for the nation! 

 To start off our prayer walk, Ruth took us to the Senate Prayer Room, where Ruth, Nancy McGuirk (leader of the Aglow for the Mid-Atlantic region) and Jason Hershey (director of YWAM DC and Washington House of Prayer) were completed united in the spirit and led us as a group in worship to the Lord with praise and song!  Afterwards, Ruth felt the desire to anoint everyone in the room with the call of Joshua from God "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9 (picture below).  

As I walked up to the altar to be anointed, I could not hold back tears of joy of God's presence and as we were anointed feeling an impartation of the grace and favor the Lord has given Ruth and the Aglow ladies passing down to the next generation of intercessors! The spirit of the Lord was there and there was freedom in the room! God's glory filled the room! 

We were all filled with the Holy Spirit as we began our prayer walk throughout the Capital building.  We were able to pray for Jesus' kingship over DC from the Speaker of the House's balcony (picture above) and for His truth to reign here in DC and in our congressmen as we prayer walked the floor of the House of Representatives.  It was a powerful day of interceding for the nation from the Capital. 

Jesus from Revelation

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Description of Jesus from Revelation

He is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He is coming with the clouds. He is like a son of man, clothed in a long robe and golden sash. His head and hair are white like wool and snow and his eyes are flames of fire. His feet are shinning bronze, and his voice is like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he holds 7 stars and out of his mouth comes a sharp double edged sword. His face is shining like the sun. He walks among the 7 lampstands. He has the keys to death and hades. He is the first and last, who was dead and has come to life. He is the Son of God. He has the 7 spirits of God. He is Holy, true and has the key of David. He is the Amen, the faithful and true witness and the beginning of creation. He is the lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, and he has overcome. He is the standing, yet slain Lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes. Only he is worthy to break the seals. He is the wrathful Lamb clothed in white robes. He is the shepherd and gives guidance to the spring of the water of life. He will wipe away every tear. He stands on Mount Zion. His voice is like the sound of loud thunder and the sound of the harp at the same time. He has a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. He reaps the harvest of the earth. He comes riding a white horse. He is faithful and true and in his righteousness judges and wages war. On his head are many diadems and has His unknown name written on himself. His robe is dipped in blood and he is called the Word of God. He leads the armies of heaven. From his mouth sharp sword strikes down the nations and he rules them with a rod of iron. He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and thigh his name is written, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the alpha and omega, the first the last, the beginning and the end. He is the bright morning star. He is coming quickly!

Have faith . . . a lesson from Hebrews

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Every week in our bible school, God has been revealing universal truths within the books we are studying that He calls me to apply to my life. I want to start blogging about the truths He has shared in the school, so once or twice a week for the next couple weeks I will post another blog from a book we have studied or the one we are studying.

FAITH

Hebrews: Unlike other letters in the NT, the author never identifies himself, nor does he clearly state who he is writing the letter to. However throughout the book, we learn a lot about the author and the recipients. We know that the author is a Jew who is well versed in the OT scriptures as well as the sacrificial system required by the Law of Moses, the first covenant God established with his people. The most accepted authors are Paul and then Barnabas. The author was writing primary to Jewish believers who received the truth of Jesus through testimonies of the apostles, but because of persecution by other Jews as well as the Roman government were falling back into the Old covenant and their old way of having a relationship with God through the law. Judaism was an accepted religion under the Roman Empire, however Christianity or the Way was not accepted thus followers were persecuted. The author wrote clearly explaining that the Old covenant was not the way God related to his people anymore and how Jesus completely fulfills the requirements of the role of high priest and how with the change of a high priest there is also a change of law, thus a new covenant was been inaugurated by God. He rebuked their unbelief and challenged and encouraged them to come completely under Jesus Christ as their High Priest and under the New Covenant by faith. Calling them to have faith and endurance for the life here on earth.

Universal Truth: Faith is an inner conviction of the truth of the nature of God (He will fulfill his promises) that leads to taking actions of obedience based on His nature. God is pleased by our faith.

I totally related this to the trust fall. Just like the trust fall, you need to have an inner conviction of the truth of the nature of the people you are allowing yourself to fall into. I had faith in my friends that they would not let me fall and they would catch me. I had not doubt in my mind because I know my friends. Thus, I was able to take a step of obedience and fall backwards into the air because of the truth I was convinced of. The same is true for God. Our faith is not based on who we are or what we can see but faith is based on the nature of who God is, the truth that He is a God that is faithful to his promises and I can takes steps of obedience based on the truth of who I know He is. And by taking steps of obedience my faith increases and it is pleasing to God.

God is calling me to apply this to my life NOW! As Dan and I are called to move to Washington DC in a month, there are many things that I can not see or are unknown to us, that my natural instinct is to want to fall back into the things I know like serving in Costa Rica with normal DTSs. How often when God guides us to a new and better way or plan for our lives, do we decide to stay in the place where we are familiar with and know well? I know that my God is faithful, and that He will keep this promises! It is his desire to see more people that are Deaf to come to know him personally, I only have a little percent (heart) of the amount of the heart he has for them. This week, God has brought me to the place of inner conviction that the plans He has for Dan and I in DC are not based on who we are or what we can do but they are based on WHO GOD IS! And HE IS a GOD who is FAITHFUL, HE IS a GOD who KEEPS HIS PROMISES, HE IS a GOD who has a GOOD PLAN FOR US and LOVES US UNCONITIONALLY! Based on who GOD IS, we are taking a step of obedience, and moving to DC, without things seen but many things hoped for.

Are you walking in faith in the situations in your life? Are you walking the path that God is calling you to walk in faith? Are you basing your steps of obedience on who you are and what you can do or on who GOD is and what HE can do? I challenge you to step out of the known and into the things unseen, knowing the truth of the nature of God. HAVE FAITH! 

Pulling out dying roots and replacing them with something eternal

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In the last 2 and a half weeks, I have had a two root canals, the first ever for me and God has taught me through the experience. The first root canal was right before I helped out teaching inner healing for a week in the DTS (Discipleship Training School) and then the second one the Monday after the week finished.  

As I was sitting in the dentist chair for my first root canal, I cried out to God and asked what was happening to my teeth.  As I was praying, I feel in my heart His answer, what is happening in the physical to you right now is what I am going to do in the lives of the students next week and what I want to do more in your life.  

A root canal is done because the nerve of the tooth is infected and is dying, and causes a lot of pain in the persons mouth when doing normal things like eating.   First the dentist needs to drill through the filling and then file down into my tooth to the nerve, pull out the nerve and then clean the area.  The dentist then places the empty space with a plastic filling, where the nerve used to live.  Then they cover up the tooth with a crown that protects my tooth. 

God opened my eyes to the parallel of what He desires to do in me.  There are lies deeply planted in my heart, that I have chosen to believe at one point in my lie instead of believing God's truth.  When I chose to believe a lie instead of God's truth, it leads to pain and suffering (consequences of sin in Gen 2).  As I feel pain, I need to identify what is causing the pain and a dentist (God) is needed to help discern what is happening.  Then I allow God (dentist) to drill in deep through barriers of pride and earthly wisdom or reasoning to reveal the lie (nerve) that needs to be pulled out and replaced.  After the lie is identified, I need God to clean out my heart so that the ground can be clean.  God replaces the emptiness with His truth (plastic filling) that lasts forever and will never again cause me pain.  And then God continues to provide His word to cover and protect the truth deep in my heart. 

I was able to use this analogy to better explain what God does and desires for inner healing.  It was a great example for the students to understand the concept of pulling out lies they are believing and replacing the emptiness with God's truth.  Through all the pain and work that was done, God revealed in a deeper way His process of inner healing.  

Above: The root canal specialist that did my infected back bottom molar and his assistant. 

Below: The amazing staff at Costa Rica Dental Clinic Lab! 

Left to Right: Dr. Roberto (did my first root canal), his assistant, Me and Fran (did my two crowns). 

Dan and I in the dentist office, with BIG SMILES after all the work was done on my mouth! 

Lives Transformed

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God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit transforms lives! Dan and I have testified to this truth over and over again.  It is a joy to share two of the transformed lives within that last two months!

 

This is my friend Christina! One day we were playing soccer with a bunch of kids and I saw her sitting and watching and my heart started to beat very fast and I was drawn to her.  I started to walk over and sit next to her and started talking.  She spoke English and shared she saw difference in me as well as some of her friends and she wanted the same.  We prayed for knowledge of God to grow into an intimate relationship with her Dad and lover.  I invited her to come to a kids program again with her nephew and she came the following Monday.  We started talking again about God and our conversation led to forgiving people in her life and asking God for forgiveness for holding on to bitterness and not forgiving.  As we finished praying she said that she felt "lighter" and more free! I love how personal our God is that He wanted to touch Christina heart and He asked me to come along with Him to do it! What a joy it is to work with our Heavenly Father! 

This is Keath and he is 16ish years old is from the ingenious parts of Costa Rica.  He and his cousin Maxi help out with NIKO, the one week adventure camp learning about God.  Keath and me were parnters for NIKO and got to know each other.  During NIKO he shared that him and his family were having struggles with his cousins family.  We prayed for him but God had bigger plans.  God actually called us as a team to spend a week in Talamanca where he lives serving with his church. 

We had a youth ministry one day and the only people that came where Keath's and Maxi's sisters.  We did not know it at the time but it was between the sisters where the family problems started.  The students did a program on forgiveness and gave the girls the opportunity to write down something they wanted to forgive or heal and burn it in the fire.  After this activity, all four of the girls, two sets of sisters, started to argue.  

And three girls (the same three girls in Keath's NIKO group) took the girls to a private place to discuss. They shared that their families started to take turns going to church on Sundays so they did not have to see each other and there was a huge division in the church because of these two families disagreement and unforgiveness.  One father is the worship leader and the other father was the youth group leader and since the arguement  the youth group stopped and many church members took sides.  The pastor had been praying for the families to forgive each other for 6 months.

After 3 hours, the girls decided to forgive each other and ask for forgiveness!  They were hugging and laughing! They went home and shared with their parents what happened and one girl felt called to challenge her parents to forgive as well.  Her mom felt convicted and at 3 in the morning with her husband and daughters walked over to her sisters house to ask for forgiveness.  And the sisters (moms) forgave each other! At 430ish Keath ran to the pastors house and shared the testimony with him!  He was so joyful the whole day and that day three of the sisters showed up together to work with us on our service project!  

Our God is a God who forgives and heals us through forgiveness! God had a plan for these two families and their church and he used our group to unite them! 

This is Jorgelis the pastor of the church with big smiles! And below is a picture of the sisters and cousins serving together! It was the same morning the moms forgave each other, the day after the cousins forgave each other.