It is a NEW SEASON!

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It is a NEW SEASON!

 

Our ASL DTS staff team has been back together for 3 weeks of staff training, which Dan lead and taught! It was basically a 3 week leadership school! Dan did a great job of teaching on developing our character, what the Bible says about leaders, and what is a YWAM DTS mixed with fun team building activities related to the topic he was teaching! We all learned a lot!

 Importance of Communication (pictures above and below): Each person had to draw a simple picture and then we got in partners and we can to communicate our simple picture to the other person and they drew it!  Communication is not about how we verbalize something but about what the listener understood.  We learned how to clarify things, ask questions and communicate details during this activity! 

 Dan planned a fun scavenger hunt to get the group moving!

Ready, set, GO! 

Simple clues like a door inside the church or a couch or stack of books leads you to the next clue. 

The clues where found in small colored boxes.  Can you find them in the pictures below?

Team work: Towel volleyball! 

 Active Listening: When we listen to others, we need to be listening to what they are saying but also asking Holy Spirit for what God is saying.  Asking him for themes or highlighting things that the person may not notice themselves.  Always, have our two eyes (ears) open to see (hear) what the other person is saying as well as God.   We set out 36 items from Dan and I's room for the staff to actively listen to for a minute and then asked them to share what they remember (listening to the the person).  As a group they remembered 32 out of the 36 items!  And then share themes they say saw among the 36 items, like sports or children or bathroom!  They did an amazing job! 

They are great active listeners!  

 

On the road again! 

This past week, we had the opportunity to join a regional staff training of the whole East Coast YWAM bases in North Carolina.  There was 13 YWAM bases from Maine to Fla that was there and 108 DTS staff that came to learn from our mothers and fathers in YWAM!  

It was an amazing training and great to connect with bases along the East Coast! They even had an all out dinner celebrating Renca Dunn's, one of our staff's birthday!  They loved us so much! And Alissa Matiya, a great friend from my college, came from Fla to help interpret and celebrate Renca's birthday.  She was also a huge blessing! 

The last night we were there.  The whole group prayed for our ASL staff team and prayed for the revival in the Deaf community and for all Deaf people to be saved!  It was so amazing how they embraced us and our calling as their own.  We were family!

This week is our last week to prepare for the students arrival which is this FRIDAY Sept 19th!  We are so excited about each one of the students.  This year we have 5 students who are so eager and hungry to know God and make him known on earth!

Pray with US! 

Our last week of preparing welcome baskets, classroom set up and speaker room, etc to start! Pray for grace and sleep for staff and quickness with Holy Spirit leading to make decisions and be good finishers this week!

Dan as he prepares his teaching for the 1st week of the DTS! He will be our first teacher and teaching on the Nature and Character of God, Hearing God's voice and Kingdom Culture! He will be teaching in ASL and will teach for about 12 hours! He is excited to step into the uncomfortable zone as God has called him to teach and rely on Holy Spirit to lead the week!

Open hearts for staff and students to fully embrace everything that God has for each of us this season.  Pray for the students flights and car drives on Friday, Sept 19th, arrival day and for their families and friends to commission them into the ASL DTS.  For the transition of moving to DC and living in community with others and an eagerness to grab everything God has for them! 

David's Tent started this Monday, Sept 15th at our base so the flow of the YWAM community with volunteers for David's Tent (about 20) and the staff and students for the ASL DTS to be living together in community! 

Interpreters!  This year it is harder as most interpreters have full schedules in the Fall to come and interpret.  We have 3 more weeks were I need one more interpreter to come serve with us! Pray for God to provide in his own way! We are grateful for the interpreters that are coming out and the local interpreters that are volunteering a day a week to come and bless us! 

I, Carole, will be making a 10 day trip to Taiwan, Oct 18th to 28th for a Asian Deaf Christian Conference.  There is a YWAM couple, from Canada, Jereme and Rebecca Doodle, who are living in Taiwan and learning Taiwan Sign Language and have a Deaf ministry through the YWAM base.  They are helping with the conference and have invited me to come and be a part of it!  I am so excited about connecting with Asian Deaf believers and meeting this couple who I have prayed for and skyped with and emailed for the last 2 years in person!  Please pray for safe travel for me and the baby and divine appointments! 

And anything else that God places on your hearts to pray! 

Thank you for joining us in prayer for this NEW SEASON! 

FAMILY is a blessing.

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Yep! Dan and I are pregnant and we are SOOOOO excited! We are so blessed to have life in my womb and grateful that God entrusted us with the blessing of having a child.  In this picture, we just found out so I was not showing but we put a sweatshirt under my shirt for sharing with people. 

Standing on head

A few weeks ago, after arriving back in DC, we were able to get our first ultrasound!  When I heard the heartbeat, I cried!  It was the first thing that happened.  I just started tearing up at the miracle of having life a separate heartbeat inside of me! We had so much fun seeing the baby.  We found out that at the time I was 16 weeks and 4 days (now I am 20 weeks) and I am due Feb. 6th, 2015.  Within the last week, has my womb "popped out" and people have been able to tell that I am pregnant. 

The woman was conducted the ultrasound shared that our baby kept on moving and moving and moving!  That she was catching our baby to try to get a good picture.  She apologized many times because she was unable to get a good picture of the baby because it just kept on moving all around! She told her it was ok as we were missionaries and traveled a lot!  And this baby will be a traveler too as he/she traveled with us all around the United States this summer.  Our baby also loves to stand on its head! That woman was trying to move the baby for a picture but it just kept standing on its head with its feet over its head! So much fun! This was one of the pictures we got,  the baby looks like it is signing CUP or DRINK in the womb!

About a month ago, we had an amazing vacation with the McClelland Family at Chincoteague, Va! For a whole week, the whole family got together, Dan and Mom (Rick and Patty) from Mercer, PA, Grant and Sarah and Talia from NY, Kelby and Rachel and Kaeyln and Micah from NC and Dan and I and our little one (in me right now) from DC! 

It was such a great time together as a family, hanging out, playing games, worshipping and blessing each other, time at the beach, cooking for each other and a Princess Ball for Kaeyln and so much more! Below are some pictures from the week! We are so grateful for family! 

 Ball Pictures

3 MB 

Beach

 Pictures from the Week 

BE tour: Embracing Wisdom: Becoming a Tree of Life (Proverbs 3:18)

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BE tour: Embracing Wisdom: Becoming a Tree of Life

Proverbs 3:18

As I started this 2 month journey with God, a summer tour across America.  I asked him what was the theme of the trip for me, what was did God want to teach me on this journey, what could I be keeping my eye open for?  As I quieted my mind and listened to God, I heard in my mind "Proverbs".  So I started reading proverbs and the first 3 chapters are all about embracing wisdom.   As a approached the third chapter, verse 18, jumped out into my spirit! 

"She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed."

The more I listened to God and more I made sense of what He wanted to do in my life within the next 2 months and I was so excited! He wanted me to become a tree of life, taking hold of wisdom and being blessed because I would hold on to her.  God wanted me first to read through Proverbs during the trip, one proverb everyday meditating on the wisdom in Proverbs.  But he also wanted to give me new proverbs, or wisdom from Him, everyday on the trip.  

So with my journal and bible and a calendar, 

I started the journey of embracing wisdom and becoming a tree of life! 

Over the next 2 months, I kept my eyes open and heart soft to receive wisdom from God. Our God is Faithful! He gave me a proverb everyday! A phrase or word or picture that represented something I learned that day.  The lesson came through people I met, through my team, from nature, books I was reading or a situation or experience I had that day.  

Every night, I reflected on the day and what God taught me and created a short phrase or picture to help me remember the wisdom I gained.  As I did I recorded it on a calendar to keep for the future. 

I will share some phrases with you.  

You are my hiding place. 

Take care of MY yard. 

Be a door opener. 

Avoid three person triangles. 

Lower your pride. 

Allow others to carry their own knapsacks. 

I am responsible for my choices. 

Grateful heart brings joy.

Relationships become strong partnerships. 

Ball in their court. 

Life in my womb. Children are a blessing. 

Self-control is better than a warrior. 

Face avoidance. Be a graceful confronter. 

5 min. walk, 5 year commitment. 

A daughter becomes a mother. 

Bloom where you are planted. 

Steadfast warrior. 

Citizenship in Heaven. 

Breath of God fall on Deaf men. 

Raw emotions, hold my tongue. 

Lasso Clouds . . . bring sunshine. 

Confidence in the Lord brings freedom to others. 

Rest on God's stability. 

Come Holy Spirit revive us. 

Brokenness brings healing. 

Free: out of my box

Confidence in Christ: Fall down

LISTEN

Sips of Holy Spirit

Long-lasting satisfaction = worth the wait

Lord of Breakthrough: My Marriage

Avoid godless chatter

I love you, Apple Tree. You have an apple. 

Do not need sleep, I need JESUS!

Called to release. 

You and Dan have a map! 

To you, these phrases are just phrases, but for me each one has a deep meaning of a proverb I learned from God.  A moment where He spoke, or where I learned something that I can apply to my life or a moment of repentance leading to a heart change!  I see these phrases and I get a smile on my face and my heart soars, I am becoming a tree of life, I am embracing wisdom. 

You can ask me about any phrase if you are curious the lesson or experience behind the proverb.  I am very open in sharing what I have learned from God, so please email or FB me! I will share just a three here so you get the idea. 

Allow others to carry their own knapsacks. 

I was reading the book called "Boundaries" by Cloud/Townsend.  This difference between a knapsack  (load/burden of daily toil) and a boulder (burden/excess burdens) was brought to my attention.  How we are called to allow others to carry their own knapsacks (loads) but called to help each other with boulders (burdens).  I was reminded of chapter 6 of Galatians . . . "Carry each other's burdens" and then 3 verses later it says "each one should carry their own load". I was always confused with that statement.  The book explained the difference between a knapsack and a boulder.  I recognized how I am naturally a person who likes to help however I often help with other people's knapsacks, which is not helpful at all but actually harmful.  Each person is called to carry their own knapsacks.  When I allow others to carry their own knapsacks, when they have a burden, I will actually be rested enough to help! The next day, I was about to help out with something and realized that it was their knapsack so allowed that person to carry their own load.  It was a huge revelation and able to to see the difference between a knapsack and a boulder and be able to apply when I am called to help and when I am called to allow others to carry their own.  I was able to do this during the road trip and have continued to apply it now. 

Proverb for the day: Allow others to carry their own knapsacks. 

Long-lasting satisfaction = worth the wait

So when we were at Yellowstone Park in WY.  Our team got marshmallows to roast over the fire.  As I was roasting my marshmallow, well more like burning my marshmallow.  I have never had enough patience for the perfectly roasted ones.  The next evening, Dan showed me how and challenged me to try a roasted, not burnt, marshmallow.  So I did. It was the BEST marshmallow I have EVER had! However, it was not until a few weeks later that God really impressed this as a proverbs.  My body was reacting more and more towards the end of the trip due to my eating habits on the trip.  There was one day that I was so hungry but there was only food with dairy offered, so I ate it.  I was sick for a day.  The next day again there was limited choices for me but I decided to wait until after dinner and ask Dan to drive me to get something I could eat.  I waited and after having some vegetable soup, my body was restored! It was worth the wait. As I reflected, I saw how this applied to many others things in my life as well.  

Proverb for the day: Long-lasting satisfaction is worth the wait!  

Sips of Holy Spirit

 

When we served at Deaf Camp in IND for a week, I lived in a Yurt (picture above) and the closest bathroom was outside across a road, over bumping group about 300 feet away.  The first night, I went to the bathroom 3 times.  Each bathroom trips, I had to get shoes on, a sweater, get my flashlight, walk to the bathroom and then back.  It was a whole experience for me especially as a pregnant woman with a small bladder.  So the next day, I decided to drink less water! Bad idea.  I got dehydrated and was in the nurses office all day.  The nurse (and Dan) encouraged me I needed to drink water and I needed to do it throughout the day, sipping drinks here and there to keep my body hydrated.  Reflecting about it in the nurses office, I realized that just like water, I need to be sipping drinks from Holy Spirit throughout the day.  Not only in the morning during, my regular time with God but throughout the day, I need to sip Him in! So I did, sip water and Holy Spirit all day.  That night I went to the bathroom 7 times but it was worth it! I was hydrated physically and spiritually! 

Proverb for the Day: Sips of Holy Spirit

God, thank you so much for the wisdom and proverbs you gave me and taught me this summer.  Help me to steward them well and walk them out in my daily life. Jesus name, Amen.