Week One: The Transformation Begins

For some reason, I predicted this week to be a time of easing in to my new surroundings, a week of welcome speeches and tours. I most certainly did not foresee that by Friday of Week One, my life would already have begun begin transformed at its very core. But this is YWAM we're talking about here, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.

We had our first speaker on Monday morning, before we had even had a chance to read through our welcome manuals or adjusted to the time change. The topic? "Making Jesus Lord/ Giving up your Rights". Powerful stuff for Day One, right? Our speaker, Werner Pfau, the base leader and a tremendous man of God, talked about how our culture's standards of greatness differ from Jesus'. While our culture (myself included!) places a high value on achieving, climbing the corporate ladder and having authority over as many people as possible while being under the authority of as few people as possible, Jesus' standard of greatness was how many people you serve. What really gripped me was that serving isn't the means by which we achieve greatness- it is greatness itself! We don't serve so as to eventually climb to a place of greatness in one way or another- by serving, we have already received our full reward. Serving is greatness! 

Werner continued to talk about how Jesus willingly gave up His rights so as to serve us and serve His father, and began to challenge us to think about what that would look like for us! To give up something that is bad for you is a challenge, but a good one. To give up something that is wonderful and a gift from God, however, is a sacrifice. Things like the right to an income, or the right to a spouse, or the right to an education are God-given and wonderful! But He asks us if we will give them right back as an outpouring of our love, that we might truly be free. Funny concept isn't it? Give up your rights so that you can be free :)

Our school leader, Benjie, shared about the importance of Thanksgiving and how it helps us to rise above our present circumstances. One of the founders of the base spoke on the power of intercessory prayer and urged us to open our hearts and minds to discern what exactly it is that God wishes us to pray about. As I learned to practice these three lessons- laying down my rights, thanking God just because, and opening my heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit- I began to encounter God in ways I never had before. The Holy Spirit has been moving among us here, healing the brokenhearted, liberating the captives and revealing the pure joy of being in communion with Christ through community with each other. Lives are already being radically changed (I know mine is!) and it's only Week One!

Praise Jesus: We are all required to spend 8-9 hours a week doing a work duty to help out on the base and give us opporunities to serve. My work duty consists of two beautiful "mocha-frappuccino" girls: Lilly, age 4 and Sadie, age 2. Papa knew I missed my sisters horribly and these girls have been such an encouragement to me!

Please Pray: The location options for outreach have been announced! Ghana, India, Turkey and Haiti are the  contenders. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as the leaders and the students try to figure out God's will for each one of us.