DTS [WEEK ONE]

Greetings from Canada! YES, I officially made it to YWAM VANCOUVER and I am so excited to share with you how this first week has been!

I started my adventure on Tuesday, Sept 25, by waving goodbye to some of my family and friends. It was a bittersweet moment as I was very much looking forward to this new journey ahead but I was also sad to leave some of my favorite people behind. It didn't really hit me until after I started walking through the security line... Then came the tears and with all my might I tried to hold it back so I would be able to see where I was going. That having been my first real experience at leaving family and friends behind it hit me hard after I was alone. However, I wasn't truly alone and knowing and feeling that God was with me, comforting me, and protecting me made me feel way better.

The flight to Vancouver BC from Portland was only an hour and ten minutes, which went by super fast. What took the longest was going through immigration, I think about an hour, with just how many people were in line. After making it through immigration, I found my luggage and then met up with a YWAM Staff member named Adam. He was holding a sign with my name and a few others, which I met moments later.
What I didn't know before coming here is that at the same time as my DTS, there is also a Hockey DTS going on. The Hockey Team consist of seven guys and one girl. They have lectures with us in the mornings and some afternoons, then they hit the ice for some hockey time or have dryland drill time.
The Hockey team is very fun to have with ours and all the guys make everything so much more interesting!

The moment I arrived here in Canada and had a chance to settle in and meet everyone, I felt right at home. Everyone was very welcoming and easy to get along with.
In my DTS, there are seven of us, five girls and two guys - plus Flavia our DTS leader.

We all live in a house just outside of Vancouver. Twenty of us in all and that is also including 4 people who are in the School of Biblical Studies program that YWAM Vancouver also offers.

You would think that for me, coming from a quiet home of only two to a full twenty person household, this would be quite the adjustment but actually, in reality, I LOVE IT SO MUCH. All the commotion and laughter. However, at times, it is hard to concentrate when I need to but that is when I need to just make myself go to a quiet spot or to my room.

Speaking of my room, I am in one of two downstairs bedrooms and I have one roommate, her name is Sooyeon and she is from Korea. God blessed me with such a kind and caring roommate and I am very grateful for her growing friendship.

7 DAYS! + A Word From My Heart

I just wanted to send out a quick update now that there are only 7 DAYS UNTIL DTS VANCOUVER STARTS!!!

AHHHHH!!!

God is so sooo great and He keeps reminding me of His steadfast love and magnificent power every day. Sometimes in the business of life and the never-ending or changing routine, we can, I can get so stuck or blind at the many blessings and opportunities right in front of us.

One of my favorite bonuses for being a Christian is getting to decide every day to take hold of the Joy God wants to give me. To always have an excuse to be happy and spread that joy to others. Granted...It's not always easy and I am definitely not the best at it all the time. It does take work to turn the focus toward God and off of self. To take time to value someone else's happiness over yourself or to just simply spread that smile across your face even when the day is not as you planned. And hear me out when I am not saying tuck all your emotions down so no one can see them, God certainly does not want that. At times it is good to let it out, let people around you see that we are all human no matter what walk we're on, but as a Christain, we don't have to let problems, gossip, fears, or hurt define us or how we treat others. God does care immensely for the problems you and I are facing and He hears us when we cry out. He walked this journey too and sacrificed greatly, so we could someday be with Him in paradise. It was "HIS JOY SET BEFORE HIM." Walking with Joy and perseverance becomes our real testimony and what really is believed and accepted before any talk.

I've seen how God's Joy has worked in and through my life unto others and I pray that you would look for opportunities to be that light too. You might not think you are doing much but just give it to the Lord and He will fulfill the rest.

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That was Isabella's word of the day haha... Thank for reading and please comment below if you have anything you would like to add or questions!

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UPDATE
I just finished my last day of work last Friday and officially said goodbye to my co-workers today. I will truly miss working at the vet clinic and everyone there....
This week I will be getting things ready to pack, getting some friend/family hangout time in and loving up on my furry family before I head out next Tuesday morning!!

***Also, don't know if you have checked out my support page recently, but God provided the funds for the first part of my DTS journey!! Thank You LORD! Please keep in your prayers that I will not worry about the rest. Don't forget to also go on over to my support page and see where I am exactly with raising funds and if God puts it on your heart to give, please know that I am beyond grateful no matter the donation size.

God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

JUST 25 DAYS

UPDATE!!

Just 25 days to go and I will be on a plane headed straight for Canada! WOW, how time has flown by! It still has an unreal feeling in my mind...just thinking about being in another country, away from home, meeting new people, learning so much more about God, and then traveling to another country, just completely blows my mind and I AM BEYOND EXCITED. So much so that I can't sometimes express how much.

I have been collecting items for my trip here and there and with each item, it becomes more of a realization. Yesterday I just received my backpacking backpack and that was the last major item on my list. Now I need to do a trial run and learn how to pack it. While I am in Canada I can bring luggage and things from home but during the outreach phase, that backpack will carry everything I'll bring. I don't think I've ever packed that light, haha. It's all part of the adventure!

....IT'S HAPPENING!

What could be a better day than to announce some special news but on National Canada Day! Why? You ask... well keep reading!

About a week ago, on Monday afternoon, I received an email from YWAM Vancouver Canada that I GOT ACCEPTED for their fall DTS!!

I am beyond excited (and maybe a little nervous) about all that is in store and stepping out physically on my own onto unknown territory, however, I know that God is stepping out with me every step of the way. That is so comforting to me. He has always been my steady rock and I would not be able to continue if it wasn't for His providence and strength.

Being able to go and have that dedicated 5 months to dig into God and His Word is such an incredible opportunity and I can't wait to see what other avenues come from it!

[Love We Don't Deserve]

Tonight, my mom and I took the opportunity to go check out the YWAM base in Salem, OR and to attend their open worship night. We knew no one going in and really didn't even know where we were supposed to go haha, but I want to give a big shoutout to Jordan for greeting my mom and me with a smile and for making us feel welcomed after just meeting her! 
It was so awesome to actually be on a YWAM base and to see a small glimpse of what it might be like when I go. 

We did not know what to expect, but what I experienced is way beyond words. Jesus filled that room and even though there were only about twelve of us there (including the worship band), His Spirit was so powerful!
One of the guys there actually shared that when he was looking around and saw such a small group he was kinda bummed, but God was impressing on his heart that He had twelve disciples to begin with and that close-knit group of twelve grew into what is tens of thousands of people today!
It doesn't have to start with a huge crowd of people... if each person in that group of twelve lives like they have just received the most extraordinary, extravagant gift ever, lives all around them will be forever changed!

On the topic of the most extraordinary, extravagant gift ever, I want to share with you about LOVE. Not the kind that comes and goes depending on how you feel about someone. Nor is it to be earned or taken away. This kind of LOVE surpasses ALL UNDERSTANDING and it is the most beautiful kind of love out there.