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.

....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.

A Heart Longing to Go

I am really excited to share with you all in today's post about the upcoming plans for my life!

I have always had a strong desire for missions; to travel and explore God's creation with also the passion to incorporate sharing the LOVE I've found in God with others. It is so amazing to go over to another country and witness God do the miraculous. To see people with very little but SO MUCH!
God uses everyone's gifts and passions for His Kingdom and it is so amazing to see that worked out, whether here at home or overseas.

While I was on the path of looking into various programs and ways to incorporate missions into my life, I heard about a very AWESOME program from someone who shared their experiences with it in Fired Up. It is called Discipleship Training Program (DTS) through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). You might have heard about it before but if you haven't, I would encourage you to check it out, if you are interested in missions! It is such a vast program that has so many opportunities for people based on desired location or passions. There are over 200 school locations with varying focuses but all designed to bring a person into a more intimate relationship with God and to equip them with the needed tools to share His gospel with others.

~Snow Day~

Sometimes, especially in winter, I dream of living somewhere on this earth where the winters are actual winters with freezing temperatures and snow, that is everywhere. :D Maybe someday it will happen haha... I don't know what it is about the snow, but it makes me feel so warm inside (even though everything else is usually freezing). Just seeing everything covered in a white layer brings such a peaceful attitude to my spirit. With all the negative in the world, a completely white layer over everything makes it as if God is sending His cleansing spirit over us. Helps us slow down. And look at old things in a new way.

Down in the valley where I live, we haven't had too many days below 35 degrees this year and with that came the lack of snow. I have been so hopeful for the days that it will snow us all in but that hasn't exactly happened yet...YET! It did, however, just snow in the hills around the valley and before we lost the chance to enjoy it my mom and I geared up and had a wonderful snow afternoon!

It is so amazing to walk in God's creation when it is all covered in this white powdery stuff. It's like being transported to a different world!

God is GOOD All the Time and All the Time God is GOOD

Around every corner of life, we all have decisions, we all have choices to make. Some can be life alternating, some for the future, some for the present, and some that might have little effect at all. You might be wondering where it is in this life that you're meant to go, who you're meant to be, what you're meant to do. God doesn't give us all an exact direction for our lives; He might have some go to college, others to start a family, some to serve in the mission field, or some He might have stay right where they are. NO MATTER what path you go down though, NO MATTER which direction you take in your life, one thing is for certain, REALIZE YOUR PRIORITIES and MAKE SURE THEY GET INCORPORATED INTO YOUR LIFE. For a Christian, our main life purpose (and should be a priority) is to HONOR God, to GLORIFY and PRAISE Him, and to make Him KNOWN among the nations (even in small ways, including in your neighborhood, school, among friends, family . . . etc). Just SHARE His glory and marvelous Name with those around you. 

Proverbs 3:6 says (paraphrased) in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

You might be scared or nervous about your future if you're going down the right path or not, but you don't have to be! You got the KING of kings and LORD of lords on your side (Romans 8:31-32)! If we just all turned to Him and saw that HE IS GOOD, that He Provides, and that if we share that with others no matter where we go, that unknown journey will be WORTH IT!

Wednesday, this past week, was just not my day. It was not like it was too much different than any other day, it was just that the stresses of this life, decided that Wednesday would be the day to take my emotions on a rollercoaster. With the pressures of school, financial situations within my family, and my car, which decided to die on me, while driving, two times that day! You could say that I could have definitely been on the verge of letting the devil steal my joy. I was feeling sorry for myself, upset because what I had planned for that day wasn't happening. One thing is for sure, if I did not have God in my life to keep my eyes on Him, if I did not seek Him above all else while I went through that, if I did not decide to invite Him to stay close to me throughout the day, I could have totally stayed in that state and I would have ended up a major wreck. 

Wednesday, one of my teachers also shared with the class about how a college student recently took his life. It is so sad to think about the many people who get so bogged down with the pressures of this life and stay there. Who don't know where to turn, where their joy comes from, or who they find their identity in. I know for certain that if I didn't have the Lord, who uplifts me with His right hand (Isaiah 41:10) and didn't cling to His promises I could be their situation. But the JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH. He will ALWAYS provide. He will ALWAYS continue the good work that He set out before me to do (Philippians 1:6).

Have you watched God's NOT Dead? If you haven't, I would DEFINATLY recommend it! From that movie, I love how in all the different situations when everything went wrong and the pastor and/or his missionary friend could have been upset, they instead kept their eyes on God and His GOODNESS. How even in those upsetting, painful, or stressful situations there is always something to be THANKFUL about. From that movie, I have learned the saying: God is GOOD all the time and all the time God is GOOD. Now whenever I am down and out, or when this life feels like it is against me, or when Satan tries to deceive me and steal that JOY, I just say that over and over,

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

because He is! When my car died the first time, I was so thankful that I had just turned off the main busy highway. There was also no one close to where I was that I knew I could call and my car did not want to start. I let it rest for a while and prayed, rebuking the devil and by the power and grace of God my car started and I was able to make it to my destination. The second time, it was really close to dying as I was going up a hill, but because I felt a warning and my breaks still worked I was able to stop abruptly before being stranded on a hill with a corner and cars behind me! 

God doesn't make bad things happen to us, it is the sin in this world and the imperfect nature of it that tears people apart, that death by natural causes, murders or suicide happen, or that natural disasters occur. Then there are just those that happen like mechanical problems. Yes, God doesn't necessarily stop misfortune from happening to good people but in the truth of it all and from a Christian standpoint, when we go through things that have a tendecny to tear us down we come out of it stronger; we come out of it braver and more dependent on God. If we were able to do this life without Him, where would His place be? We would be like, "See you later, I don't need you anymore. I got this." But no. We DO NEED Him! He doesn't promise us an easy life, a life without any struggles, troubles, or pain, but He does promise to be with us. God is true to His word and I am a testament that He is GOOD. I am definitely still going through struggles and have much growing to do in my faith and walk with Him, however, I have learned so much (especially from the hardships of this life). If we just keep our eyes ON HIM, we can still have the JOY that He gave us from the start!

So I encourage you, wherever you are in this journey of life, whatever you're going through, whatever decisions you have to make, know that GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU. HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). He will UPHOLD YOU with His right hand and if you just acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will always direct your path in the way that it should go.

Also, keep yourself surrounded by good God-fearing people. It is SO important to be surrounded by a community of believers and STRONG ones. So that way when you have those tough days or when you feel like the whole world is against you, they can be there to encourage you, pray with you, and remind you that God is still on your side.

Thank you so much for reading and have a GREAT weekend!