Week 5 - NIKO.

I conquered NIKO.

What a week. Our packing list was very limited. Tuesday afternoon we met in the classroom to discuss rules and get our bags checked. We were told no schedule, just that we would find out as the week went on. We were not told what to expect.

As we packed the vans, I felt unease creeping up. I have heard NIKO stories from my old YWAM friends, so I somewhat knew what I was getting myself into. What I didn't realize was how AMAZING this week would be!!! When we got dropped off, we were split into our teams and introduced to Kevin, the lamb. We were given somewhat vague instructions and told to head off. My team hiked around for hours looking for the next meeting place, where we would spend the night.

We were awakened at 2 am and told to pack up - with very little time before our next hike. The week was full of hiking, more than I have ever done in my life. Lots of uphill hiking, which challenged me physically and mentally. Our food rations were enough to keep us going, but I was hungry a lot of the time, courtesy of my high metabolism.

One thing that really stuck out to me was a talk about giving up our rights. During this week, I had to give up my right of sleeping all night. I had to give up my right to sleeping in comfort, in a bed. I gave up my right to personal hygene, including soap and toothpaste and deoderant. (On that note - baking soda works well for both toothpaste and deoderant!!!!) I had to give up my right to knowing a schedule, and knowing what was next. It really made me think about the apostles. Before modern hygene and modern conveniences, their "outreach" must have looked a lot like our NIKO, including killing their own food. It was such an eye opening experience for me.

God really blessed me with my teammates. as well as my brothers and sisters in this DTS. We had such an upbeat group. and the positive mentality carried us through this challenging week. I saw many people shining, and many people impacted me in such a deep way. I am so grateful for the group of people I call my family here in YWAM.

I really do feel as if I conquered NIKO. I have anemia, so the hiking was not always easy for me. God literally gave me energy when I couldn't go any further. Going into NIKO I knew we'd be hiking a lot, although I didn't expect to be hiking up mountains in the dead of night! God truly sustained me and gave me supernatural energy to complete this week with a smile on my face.

If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him,
If we endure, we will also reign with Him
If we deny Him, He will also deny us
If we are faithless, He remains faithful - for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 1:11-13

Such a good week. So many people overcame. So many people grew closer to God, myself included. Something I will never forget.

NIKO - prayers please

NIKO!!! NIKO!!! NIKO!!!!!

Tomorrow we leave for NIKO. It means "overcome." My bag is packed, complete with knife (which I may be slaying animals with) ... Future DTS students stop reading because this is a spoiler alert.

NIKO will last from tomorrow (Tues) to Friday. We have ONE bag, and a very strict packing list. No toilet paper. No soap. No deoderant. No toothpaste. Very few clothes, very little idea what we will be doing. I do not have a ton more information for you, but please pray for me!!! This week will be a challenge for all. I will blog again on Friday or Saturday once I'm back in a civilized part of Mexico!!

Week 4 - Justicia

This week the lectures have been on Justice.

We have dealt with a lot of hard issues. We have been learning about human trafficking - and how this means more than just sex trafficking, it includes forced begging, organ trafficking, and child soldiers. We learned the profile of a trafficking victim, and how even in Ensenada people are trafficked. We learned the questions to ask to identify a trafficking victim, even something such as "Do you have your passport? What address are you staying at?" Oftentimes trafficking victims get moved around many times and their 'boss' will take away all their legal papers. The reality hit me that even in the Red Light District in Ensenada, there could be trafficked women there.

We learned about how pornography is NOT just damaging for those who view it, but how often the women and children in the videos are trafficked people. The supply of pornography seems endless, because there is an endless demand for it. We prayed over Ensenada and how even in this city there is sex trafficking. So much corruption. Poverty. Broken families. Uneducated kids. Sickness. Prostitution. Murder. Homelessness. Drug trafficking.

We spoke today about abortion. Abortion is called the "silent Holocaust" - 46 million babies a year are aborted around the world, DAILY. The statistics I have seen this week have absolutely broken my heart. The world is such a mess.

My question is - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. I can NOT and I WILL NOT sit around and do nothing about this. I am so angry right now, about all the injustices I have learned about this week. God has called us to go and make disciples of all nations - and that doesn't just mean bringing someone to church with you on Sunday morning. These issues are REAL. They aren't just happening in developing countries or places full of poverty. Human trafficking happens EVERYWHERE. Rape happens EVERYWHERE. Abortions happen ALL THE TIME. The world is full of CRAP because we fell into SIN.

My question to you is this. What are you going to do about it. Not tomorrow, not in a year, not "sometime". God has called us to action. He wants our heart to be broken for what breaks His heart. We need to raise awareness.Please. If any of what I have said has stirred something in you, take a look at these links. WHAT CAN YOU DO.

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/takeaction/

http://www.humantrafficking.org/

Week Three - Acts 1 Conference.

      This past week the DTS staff and students packed up our bags and drove to Tijuana for the Acts 1 conference. YWAM Ensenada met up with YWAM LA and YWAM Tijuana. There were over 120 people there, and we represented 21 different nations!!
    Acts 1 talks about waiting on the Lord. "He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said 'you heard from me, for John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" (verses 4-5). This whole week was about waiting on the Lord, waiting for what he would reveal to us. There was a lot of worship and many times of intercession for the nations. It was an incredible week of bonding with others and drawing closer to God.
    I have never experienced anything like Acts 1. This conference stretched me and God spoke many things into my life. The leaders in Tijuana have a vision of 200 000 young people doing God's work there. We prayed a lot for the Tijuana base and for their vision to become reality. It was an overwhelming week because Ensenada students had lectures on top of the conference. Basically we started our days at 7:30 for breakfast and did not end until after 9 pm. It was exhausting, in a good way. I write this blog from my bed in Ensenada, actually feeling quite ill. This week took a lot out of me emotionally and physically, so thank God for weekends and times to rest and recuperate!!
    Please pray I feel better soon!! Praise God for such an amazing conference, and for so many lives renewed in God (including my own!)   

Week Two, and the Beginning of Acts 1 conference.

Monday afternoon. I write this blog post from my bunk in Tijuana - we are staying here for a week for a conference called Acts 1 Conference. We will be going through a schedule of lectures and times of prayer.

Last week Sean Lambert led our lectures. He spoke about the origins of YWAM, and about how to disciple others. I had heard from some of the students in the secondary school in Ensenada that he was a boring speaker, so I admit I went in to lectures with somewhat of a bias. However, I quite enjoyed listening to him. He told about his life and his beginnings with YWAM. We also had the privilege of listening to Tym Kemp speak, and hear his story. His life inspires me!

Time and time again, I realize how blessed I am to be here. Mexico is a beautiful country. Many walks on the beach have happened, many sunsets and sunrises watched. God is truly an artist. Being back in the country I love, doing what I love, enjoying my YWAM family... Life is good :)

To all my Canadian friends... Happy Thanksgiving!!! There is much to be thankful for.

One Week.

Well. It's been one week of lectures, and officially 9 days since I got to Mexico.

First off I need to say how much I love this group of people!! I can honestly say that  I love each and every person here, staff and students alike. I love the diversity of our group - there are students here from Canada, USA, Mexico, Honduras, Germany and Holland. God has brought all of us here from different walks of life, and all with our own stories. Already I feel a sense of family!

I have 4 roommates. One speaks English, two are bilingual, and one speaks only Spanish. I like to fit myself in somewhere in the Spanglish category. I am learning a ton of Spanish, and I can converse in very rough Spanish. It's such a beautiful language, and so good to learn.

The first week of lectures have been incredible. I have seen God in so many ways already. We have had times of intercession, amazing times of worship,  local outreach to the Red Light District, and lots of bonding time. Our lectures are wonderful, so much to learn!!

I will probably blog on Saturdays, since we have no lecture and it's essentially a free day.

- Sarah