LIFE INTERRUPTED

Until further notice, I am re-directing any non-YWAM folks to call if you want to catch up on us. I'm taking a "time out" from posting . . .

I will say that we are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay excited because Natalie will be arriving here on August 24th (much love and thanks to all who have supported her these past six months). Taryn & Kenzley will come on the 28th! The three of them will be here on base with us until they all three fly home to Texas on September 2nd, just before Nat & I leave for the Philippines on the 4th. At that point we'll drop out of sight, anyway, because we don't plan to take our laptop or our cameras with us . . .

Now, back to whatever it is I was doing before technology and compulsion interrupted me . . .

We do send our love and assure you that God is on the move here. We're trusting He also is in your neck of the woods!

held,
Shirley

Maasai Land . . .

well we're working on our time with the Maasai and i just wanted to drop a quick update to keep you posted :) Its been a really incredible experience so far. Our team is camping in three tents alongside the Maasai Boma (village) with Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro as backdrops (not to mention waking up to giraffe herds every morning - such awkward animals)!! im so blessed. The Maasai are beyond intriguing as peoples go and totally different than myself, as much as id like to pretend to be as rad :) Any words i use fall so short of doing them justice so you may enjoy looking them up online. They wear incredible pieces of cloth and jewelry that are their "trademarks." Ive been blessed to receive pieces from them as gifts. Its been a crazy experience just getting used to seeing tall thin nomads walking around in their BRIGHT blue, purple, orange and red "shukas" or blanket robes throughout the day and into the night. Some are herding cattle or goats, others are just walking to a location probably only they are sure of. The landscape looks exactly the same to me, but of course they know it very very well. They have been very friendly and welcoming to us, im sure a lot of it is curiosity. There are about 5 Bomas within 10k or so from the one we're staying with and so many of them make daily visits to our camp. We are visiting them each day to pray, help build huts and visit as well as working at the school YWAM has started in the area. There are about 50 little ones who walk miles each day to learn English, Swahili and the Bible. From about 8-9 AM you begin seeing little ones along the horizon singing and playing games as they finish up their journey to class (usually a few miles). Its honestly been quite frustrating trying to communicate with the adult Maasai. We've been working so hard at learning some Swahiil to get us by here in Tanzania, however most of the them only speak the maasai language. We have one translator named Johannah who has been doing his best as a go between and doing a famous job of it. We cook all of our meals over open flame and have to make due with the VERY limited water we have access to. A person learns that eating off a "clean" plate just means its not full of dirt :). Needless to say, the maasai here dont use really any water at all, mostly because they dont have access to it. They have voiced a need for rain mostly for their cattle and to make some mud so they can build more huts needed very badly. We obviously havent showered in quite a while and have to ration out the 3 liters/each of water we packed in. It has been such an eye-opener for me to see how a group of people can adapt to living under such conditions. As for prayer, the biggest one is that I see the God I know and love as relevant to them. I know He is . . . its just so hard to see when their way of life is so different than mine. Most (even the christians) practice polygamy, sharing of wives, female circumcision and many other things that I cant really wrap my mind around. The biggest foothold that I have found is going with the "heavenly warrior" and royalty mindset with them, which are things they understand very well. Tackling their fear of witchcraft and ancestor worship has been a large and ongoing challenge. I will be much more diligent in my prayers for those investing their entire lives in these people.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers as we begin our last week of ministry here in Tanzania ~ i cant believe its almost over ~ before beginning the LONG journey back to Melbourne (10 hour busride to Dar es Salaam, 2 day busride back to Lusaka, 3 hour flight to Johannesburg, 10 hour flight to Malaysia, three day layover and finally finishing up with an 8 hour flight into Melbourne) I'll be on again before we begin all of this, it would just be nice for prayer to begin now :) Traveling for such a long time can be very taxing on anyone, but I feel especially on 10 very different and exhausted backpackers ( 8 being female) who have been alongside eachother for 5 straight months and all a bit homesick :)

I hope this update found your homes well and blessed
. . .all my love,
nattie

Today has been a precious day for us, full of fond memories of Stewart and great anticipation of our future with him in the presence of Jesus forever!

You know, Paul records in I Corinthians 2:9 the Word of God through Isaiah that, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Then Paul continues with this powerful statement, "But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God."

God has placed eternity deep within my heart, and I have a pretty vivid imagination. But He is showing me Heaven (the new earth specifically) in realities so vivid and powerful, the joy and excitement are impossible to contain.

I recall hearing somewhere that we, as Christians, should "not be so Heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good". I have come to realize that this is a lie straight from the enemy. he knows that the more we become aware of the reality that awaits us . . . the more eager we will be to tell others about Jesus Christ and all that His precious blood purchased for us on the cross!

Heaven is my true home, and God has allowed me to partner with Him in leading others to this wonderful place, glorious beyond our imagination. And if you haven't recently checked out what God has to say about it . . . let the Spirit fill you in as you read chapters 21 & 22 in John's revelation. Remember, we have the same Spirit . . .

We finished up this week's lecture with a good teaching on "The Two Trees". To sum of the five days, Ron Smith taught that as believers we are each constantly eating from either the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil (a religion of works, law & legalism, weight & heaviness of performance, external activity, studious of truth) or the Tree of Life (reality of Jesus, grace & love, joy & strength of His presence, internal experience, experience of truth). Too many pages of notes . . . good stuff . . .

Our 4th of July celebration was really good! Because we had been told that we were going to have a barbecue for the entire base, I posed the question to Nat, "A bbq! I wonder what they'll have to eat!?" When I looked out our apartment window (where the celebration was taking place), I saw the guys cooking hamburger patties and hot dogs. I realized that in Texas we call that a "cookout"! When told we were going to have a barbecue, my Texas mind immediately began conjuring up thoughts of brisket . . . or steaks . . . or ribs . . . or maybe chicken . . . But the hamburgers and hotdogs were really good, and the trimmings are just what I would have served at my Texas barbecue . . . potato salad, baked beans and watermelon! Although I would have served garlic bread, too! But they made up for it by having apple pie! Some of the kids popped off some fireworks (with older "kids" supervising). I don't know which was more fun, watching the fireworks or the Koreans watching the fireworks! We're sure enjoying our new friends from South Korea . . .

TGIF!!! Laundry, homework, SLEEP, church, and a class outing tomorrow to Silver Creek Falls State Park. Some of our team have already been and say it is really beautiful. And we have been told that we are having a cookout . . . I'll have to get back with you on what we actually eat!

Bontoc is the capital of Mt. Province Philippines where the YWAM Mt. Province base is located.

TUESDAY

We had a great weekend . . . After sleeping in Saturday morning (a luxury I have come to miss), we eased into the day. Saturday afternoon we joined the Maxwell Family in volunteering at the "Salem Beat Festival". It is an annual multi-cultural event with booths, music, dancing, and food representative of many different countries. Our families volunteered to help with children's activities in America, Europe & Asia/South Pacific.

We helped the kids with various arts & crafts and had a lot of fun manning and attempting to jump the "tinkle sticks". It takes coordination and concentration to jump in and out of two bamboo sticks being rhythmically tapped together. It often drew a large crowd. A couple of our new friends from Korea, Sue & Lynn, were quite good at it, actually looking quite graceful in the process. Tom Maxwell did a pretty good job, too. I, on the other hand looked a bit like I was trying to jump on hot coals (much to Sue's delight)! We have video footage I'll get Nat to post soon . . .

We have begun our fourth week of lectures. A gentleman by the name of Ron Smith is with us talking about the Kingdom of God . . . it is among us, you know . . .

He told us about Rolland & Heidi Baker who began Iris Ministries, Inc., an interdenominational mission, in 1980 and have been missionaries for the past twenty-seven years. They currently serve the Lord in Mozambique where the population has reportedly gone from 100% Muslim to 40% Christian in ten years.

The Kingdom of God is among us . . .

We spent our intercessory time this morning praying for the Philippines and other nations. When we received the news last Friday that we are going to the Philippines for our outreach, Nat was across the room from me but we gave each other a thumbs up! Then, our children's worship leader led us in singing "It is Well with My Soul", not knowing that it was my lullabay for Natalie & Stewart or that we sang it at Stew's funeral . . . it was such a blessing for us.

Our excitement is mounting! We will be going to Bontoc (north of Baguio), which is in North Central Luzon on the big island where Manila is located. Nat & I were in the Philippines in 1980 for a six-week Navy detachment. While there, we spent a weekend in Baguio as tourists. It will be interesting to return as missionaries.


FYI Stewie's birth mother, Marina Endaya, is from Batangas province which is south of Manila.

NATALIE - Jambo (hello loved ones)

Know it's been quite a while since I sent out an update on my life ~ but here it is finally! Internet has been quite hard to come by at times.

I just finished up a 5 week stent in Lusaka, Zambia serving at a street kid ministry called Chisomo as well as doing nutrition teaching in some remote villages and a TB/AIDS hospice called VK.There's so much to tell about my time there, but I think the details will have to wait a couple months more :)

Zambia is one of the poorest African countries with 50% unemployment and 80% poverty rate. It was so shocking though to see the joy and peace in so many of their lives even without the wants most of us mistake as necessities. It was an incredible experience, challenging at times, but nontheless incredible.

Our God is so good and CREATIVE! The ways He used me in my unique interests and abilities was remarkable, as was feeling Him bless me so deeply through the people I thought I was sent to reach and gain nothing much in return :) Isn't that just like Him? The base was wonderful and the staff members became like family - I will miss them so much.

We left Zambia for a 3 day train ride on an old Soviet train; followed by an 11 hour bus ride through the Tanzanian countryside to Arusha. I was AWESTRUCK by the scenery. So many times I had to sit back, take a breath and remind myself that I was actually experiencing these things ~

No animal sightings yet, but I've heard that while camping out with the Masai people, I'll get unbelievably unique opportunities. The animals are beginning their journey back to Tanzania from Kenya, so I should be able to experience their migration.

I've also enjoyed seeing myself pushed to the limit during the past week of traveling. There have been a few times when I've just had to laugh, take a deep breath and deal.

We are now FINALLY settled into the Arusha base which is much larger than the Lusaka one. There are about 100 people on base right now and it is totally different from our stay in Zambia. We only stay here on the weekends while spending the weekdays out on location.

We are coming up on a week at an orphanage down south and then the rest of our time living with the Masai tribe. I haven't met any yet, but I had such an incredible view of them periodically along the bus ride here. I have NEVER seen such intimidatingly majestic and royal looking people. They are on average 6.5 to 7 feet tall and wear bright red and purple robes with gauges in their ears and rings around their necks. I am VERY excited about finding out more about them in the days to come.

Going up against their nomadic religions of ancestry worship will be hard - but I serve a mighty and steadfast God. He's not surprised by the hurdles. You can be praying for continued energy, excitement and passion for me. I have to be filled up every morning due to the sometimes painful emptying of the day. I'm a bit tired so hope this is all coherent ~

I'll try to do weekend updates as much as possible! Thanks for EVERYTHING, you are greatly loved and missed :) Talk to you soon, Lord willing!!

All my love,

Nattie

SATURDAY

WE'RE GOING TO THE PHILIPPINES!!! More later . . .

THURSDAY

During corporate intercession this morning, we heard from a couple who are on staff with YWAM Salem as leaders of FAN "Friends of All Nations". They did a Crossroads DTS in 1992, and felt an immediate call to this ministry. Since that time, they have ministered to international students at local universities. They told us of specific ways they have befriended young people from other countries, shared the love of Christ, and helped them blend into our western culture. We then entered into a dedicated prayer time for their ministry, and two of their students in particular who are sisters from Japan. The couple had recently given them a copy of "Purpose Driven Life". Although the girls have yet to make a commitment to Jesus, they are very interested in reading the book. We closed by all encircling the couple to pray for them. Prayers were being offered up in English, Korean, Malagasy (Madagascar), and French. It was a really moving experience.

As a class we celebrated the birthday of one of our classmates, Lisa Maxwell. She & Tom and their four beautiful young girls are a special addition to our Crossroads experience!

Dean Sherman continued his lecture on spiritual warfare:

The purposes of God & Satan are both recorded in John 10:10
God's purpose is to give life to the fullest
Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy

Satan's main agenda is to 1) discredit God, and 2) divide people.
A Christian's main agenda should be to 1) glorify God in my daily life, and 2) be a minister of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18).

Yep, that's it! Then, why is it so hard? It's WAR, folks!

Nat and David, another maintenance fella, left before dinner to drive to Portland to rescue/fix a van which had been driven to the airport to pick up some folks. He got back around 9pm, and went to the kitchen where his supper had been held for him. I told him they need to pay him overtime. I think he's holding out for a raise in pay!

My work duty????? I played one of my favorite new games . . . "Sorting Sheets" . . . and helped one of the Korean girls with her ESL homework (English Second Language).

The last thing before I returned to our little home? Helped welcome to the base a young man from Brazil, Jason Mayer. He will be volunteering for a month, which is his vacation time from his work. And remember . . . he's paying to be here! Absolutely amazing!

NATALIE February 4, 2007

--- On Sun 02/04, natalie wofford <> wrote:

Well, i made it finally :) the connection in sydney was no big deal at all and i met up with YWAM perfectly. my luggage is no where to be found, but they are going to keep me posted on their tracking. i ADORE the people on base and ADORE the other students. There are 9 of us and the girls are phenomenal. i already met a staff member here who wants to take me hiking on the weekends ~ she's pretty great :) Chris (leader of my school) and Gloria (his fiance as well as base manager) took us to surrey hills park for a jazz festival and picnic this afternoon to mingle and relax. Chris is a climber and is going to show me all the walls around. he was very excited that i packed my stuff. Theres apparently an incredible bouldering wall under an old bridge in Melbourne!!. The weather is perfect and surrey hills is picturesque. im going to adore it here i can tell, and want to give you a heads up that i am very likely going to want to stay :) im pretty exhausted right now, but i will write more later (the flight was perfect: complete with empty seats on either side of me, showings of "The Illusionist" with Edward Norton and "Because I Said So" with Diane Keaton, and Cantebury hot cocoa ). the base is super gorgeous and very easily accessible - it feels like a home. there are three computers with internet right outside the girls' dorm as well as wireless that my comp can use. like i said though, im going to be very careful how much i allow myself to use it as not to create a habit.

WEDNESDAY

Here is a pictorial video of YWAM Salem made by one of our classmates, Tom Maxwell. It is a good representation of this beautiful campus, which is becoming "home" for us these three months. The community living is teaching us on a deeper level about humility, service to others, and eternal concern for people of all nations. Because people of all ages, nationalities, and walks of life come to this base to learn what God has to say about these things and other attributes of His character . . . His presence permeates YWAM Salem. Everyone, from the top down, is self-supported and they continue to come by the droves. Currently, this base is experiencing the largest influx of students and staff in its history. To accommodate everyone at meals, they enlarged the dining hall our first week here! Multiply this by over 550 YWAM locations in 130 countries, and we are confident that we are learning in an anointed environment.

TUESDAY

Our team (13 adults & 11 children) continues to seek the heart of God regarding where we will go on our two month outreach phase, beginning September 2nd. Our excitement is building as we pray, and seek His heart. Our staff consists of four couples, and they are seeking his guidance diligently with us.

This week at "The Rising" our CDTS speaker, Dean Sherman, spoke to us on abiding with God in the secret place. We also prayed for two young women who will be leaving in a couple of weeks for Sudan and Uganda. Among other things, they will be working with the child soldiers of Sudan. As part of the peace process in Khartoum, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has been releasing hundreds of child soldiers since March 2004. Many of these children, generally aged 10 to 17, had been recruited by force (from about aged 7 or 8) to fight. YWAM is participating in the healing process of these precious children.

WEEK #3 June 26-July 1, 2007

MONDAY

Dean Sherman is with us from here in Salem, Oregon to teach on Spiritual Warfare, or recognizing the S(s)pirit factor in the things we experience in life.

He talked about hidden treasure and how we need to change our thinking. We don't need to try to "sell" a field to unbelievers . . . we need to live our lives, filled with His Spirit, that makes them want to sell all they have to purchase the field for the treasure, Jesus.

There are two power systems in our society . . . the Kingdom and the WORLD. Many in the WORLD are living Kingdom principles, and many in the Kingdom are living WORLD principles. There is a battle going on within the mind . . .

If my belief system does not include the supernatural, I will tend to become too reactive toward others. We need to be:

Faithful to God
Gentle to people
Aggresive in the heavenlies

If I'm not aggressive in the heavenlies, I will be aggresive (harsh) with people.

"For we battle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the high places." Eph 6:12

WEEK #2 June 18-24, 2007

A class assignment was to read Joy Dawson's book titled "Intercession - Thrilling and Fulfilling". Using her principles for effective intercession, we divided into two groups and prayed for God's heart on behalf of the nations. It was a very moving experience as God revealed to us the things He wanted us to pray for.

As the week progressed our speaker, Donna Jordan, taught and modeled for us how to listen to God. So many times, we pray but don't take the time to listen . . . really listen to God. The week culminated on Friday when Donna challenged us to find a quiet place and ask God three specific questions:

1) What do You think of me?
2) What plans and purposes do You have for me?
3) What do You and I have in common?

We also each randomly drew another classmate's name and were to ask God, "What do You want to say through me to _______?"

Applying what I had been taught this week about preparing my heart to hear from God, my answers to the first three questions came rapidly. But it is one thing to ask God to say something to ME, and quite another to ask God to say something THROUGH me to someone else! But I did ask, and He did say something. I was a bit unsure when I read it to her, but she was obviously moved. Nat's word to another man was very specific, and was right on!

I will take the spiritual principles taught this week to energize my prayer time!

Sunday, Nat & I had kitchen duty for the entire day (every student will have this assignment one Saturday or Sunday during the three months we are here in Salem). It entailed breakfast prep & cleanup, coupled with sack lunch prep & cleanup, and dinner prep & cleanup. WHEW! It gave us a deeper appreciation for our fellow classmates who have these work assignments regularly! Hospitality is looking better and better . . .

Between breakfast/lunch and dinner, we joined some folks for worship at Salem Vineyard Church. It is a great fellowship, and we heard a good teaching on "The Food of the Father's Will" from John 4:27-38.

It was a good week, and we are looking forward to all that God has for us during Week #3 . . .

WEEK #1 June 11-17, 2007

Our week began with orientation, YWAM Salem history, and three lectures 1) Intercession 2) God Loves & Uses Ordinary People 3) Leadership. We begin every Monday morning with corporate worship with the entire base, and have "class" every morning and afternoon 1p-3p. From 3p-5p, everyone who has not been assigned breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal prep/cleanup reports to an assigned duty . . . i.e. Nat has been assigned to work with the maintenance team, and I have been assigned to help with the hospitality team (Nat sez- they saw immediately that Shirley would be the "Hostess with the mostest!).

Every Tuesday night, the entire base gathers for "The Rising", which is corporate worship and a message from a current speaker on base. We begin every Thursday morning with corporate intercessory prayer (this first week we prayed earnestly for the Amado province of Tibet, China). One of the young men here at YWAM Salem, 21 yrs old, will be leaving next Tuesday to devote two years to these people. This is where he did his DTS outreach a year ago, and he knows God is calling him back. He can hardly wait . . . very impressive.

This last Friday afternoon, we did part of the "ropes course". The instructor took us to an area where we each, in turn, were strapped into a body harness and were given a helmet. The harness was tethered to a steel wire pulley, and the rest of our team (12 members) took hold of an attached rope. After asking the team if they could be trusted (and being assured that they could be), we each gave a command word (such as "Now!") and the team ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction. This caused each of us (ME) to be yanked up into the pine trees . . . hence the name "Flying Squirrel". Each activity of the ropes course is designed to instill trust, confidence, teamwork, courage, etc. It was also a lot of fun! We had another rope activity and were promised that before we leave on outreach, we will experience the entire course.

Our second week began this morning (Monday, June 18th). We are learning "How to Hear God's Voice". God gave our instructor a specific word early this morning for our team. It is full of scripture, all very encouraging and motivating. I need to go mull it all over before class reconvenes tomorrow morning.

This is a beautiful place, full of God's presence and many folks of all different ages and nationalities hungry for more of God's presence in our individual lives. I expect the rest of the week to be very challenging and even more rewarding.

Natalie should be finishing up her time in Zambia, Africa and her team of seven will be heading to Tanzania.

We all so appreciate your prayers!

WE HAVE ARRIVED! June 9, 2007

Just to let you know that we arrived this afternoon. Several staff began to gather, and they took us to the kitchen where they opened up the pantry and watched us eat egg salad sandwiches . . . yum . . . one of my favorites! So far, everyone is so nice and eager to help us get settled in. Only one other student is here so far. Norma is from California. Everybody else is driving in, also, and will arrive throughout the day tomorrow. The Pakistani couple could not get their paperwork through to join us. There are about 25 children running around (kids of staff and students). So cute, from the States and So. Korea. There are other schools going on, as well, i.e. ESL (English Second Language) . . . hence the South Koreans . . . Introduction to Biblical Counseling, and a "ropes course". The "zip line" begins at our porch and zings through the pine trees to somewhere. I'll getback with you on this. I plan to just step out on our porch and cheer them on! This YWAM runs about 5,000 folks through their ropes course during the summer . . .

Our little apartment is very nice. I was tickled, because it has a private bath, which we were not expecting! It has a little kitchenette, which I do not plan to utilize. One fella said, "Shirley, you won't have to cook for five months." Not that I've been cooking that much lately, anyway. We're sure going to enjoy three meals a day 7x/week!

We're going to do a little reading before bed. No tv, which will taking some getting used to for me. I do enjoy vegging in front of Fox News a little in the evening, or watchingHistory or Discovery or Military channels if Nat has the remote . . . This will be good for me. Change of habit, you know . . . I need to read more!

We are going to church with some of the folks in the morning. The "Church on the Hill". One guy said, "It's a fun place!" Well, all righty then!!!

Then, we're going to drive to Portland. Nolan Lewallen has a layover there tomorrow and Zandra will try to join us, too. That would be a treat! Perhaps a salmon dinner??? Another fav!!!

Thank you all, so much, for your prayers for our travel. Gettingto see friends (Flanagans) and family (Larry, Mary & John Hereford), and Yellowstone National Park . . . everyone should do that at least once, right Nell? We had such a great cross country trip this week!

We received an email from Natalie as we were leaving our hotel this morning. She wrote, "Well, by the time i talk to you again i would have (bungee) jumped off of the Zambia side of Victoria Falls bridge - - - all 115 meters (376 feet) of it!!! no worries, ill have a rope :) im so so so so excited! I cant even begin to imagine what that will feel like!!!" We wrote back and told her that this is something we would prefer to know after the fact!!! Here's website for the bungi jump experience. Maybe Natalie will post her own video soon! http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/greatvac/bunji.htm

BIG NEWS! May 8, 2007

Hi folks!

We have some big news regarding something Nat & I have been contemplating for a while now, and have made our decision . . .

Not only does Natalie continue to tell us about her wonderful experience thus far with YWAM (Youth with a Mission ), we have also been hearing about it from other, unrelated, sources. One in particular, really got our attention. We were in Dallas a couple of months ago at a financial seminar. Nat has "known" the head of the organization, Don McAlvany, since the 80's but has never had opportunity to meet him. He was in Dallas for this particular seminar. We were told that the daughter of one of his close friends and associates had been on a YWAM DTS ( Discipleship Training School ), and is currently a missionary with YWAM in China , so we planned to make that connection with him.

When the seminar was over, we went up to introduce ourselves. It didn't take long for the discussion to turn to YWAM and he kept us there for another hour talking about it. He & his wife, Molly, were very impressed with the YWAM DTS. He mainly wanted to talk about is how it radically changed their son's life a few years ago, and subsequently their own lives. Their son, Scott, is a single 26 yr old who runs an orphanage now in Bali (but that's another story).

Because of Scott’s radical life change since his DTS, Don & Molly decided they wanted to attend one themselves to see what it was all about. Neither had really been personally involved in missions prior to hearing about Scott's experience. Don said, "Shirley, I didn't even know how to spell missions." They now are deeply involved with an orphanage in the Philippines , and are in continuing education through YWAM to do full time mission work. He is also turning the helm of his financial institution over to another son. He looked intently at us three times that night and said to Nat & me, "You two need to do a Crossroads DTS!"

YWAM began as an organization (in the early 1960's) to train postschool/precareer youth to go on mission. It has become a worldwide organization to train part time and full time missionaries. This is how we have heard from others about how great YWAM is. They now have the Crossroads DTS, designed for folks age 35+, and are worldwide. The Salem , Oregon Crossroads DTS will begin June 11th. We are in the process of filling out applications, and taking care of lots of things around here in order to be gone for 5 months (three months of lecture/school in Salem , and 2 in outreach . . . don't know yet if stateside or overseas).

Our decision was finalized when we ran it all by Natalie in Melbourne , Australia via phone a couple of weeks ago, and she began to cry. It is what she had been praying for!

We (actually all three of us) are eager to see what the Lord has for this next stage of our life together. The two of us are both very excited and, realistically, a little anxious about an unknown future. But the excitement outweighs the anxiety. We plan to leave the first of June and head for Salem , Oregon to arrive no later than Sunday, June 10th.

Our plans right now are to drive (rather than fly) through Colorado Springs to visit friends, through Wyoming (where Nat “cowboyed” before we married), hopefully see some if not all of the Colorado Herefords, then on in to Salem.

God has, indeed, given us “beauty for ashes” up here on the hill, but we don’t want to plant roots too deep again! We are of one heart and mind for this thing.So, there you have it thus far. I remarked to Nat about a week ago, "You know, we are on the cusp of finding out why Satan has tried so hard to destroy us." I feel it with more conviction each time I say it.

We need your prayers:
- The enemy doesn't want this to happen. Please pray with us that we will press through each hindrance placed before us
- That we know the best way to leave the place for extended periods (family & neighbors are willing to look after the property)
- Chip away at a looooooooooooong "to do" list
- Prepare our hearts to be away from Kenzley & Taryn for an extended period. We are so grateful, in instances like this, for cell phones and internet technology!

We may just be talking five months, and no more or we could be talking about a complete life change, which we’re getting pretty good at!