Song for Freedom Indonesia 2012 pt. 1

Going to Indonesia this year can definitely be labeled as an adventure. From the five days it took to get there to: sleeping in airports, riding around on motorbikes, punching a monkey in the face, hiking through cow fields with huge donation suitcases and a surfboard, eating street food, getting a parasite, shell hunting, making new friends, being on a spider boat in the middle of the Indian ocean for a week, star gazing, surfing, getting cut on the reef, being followed by two guys with machetes, gawking at triple over head, barreling waves, almost running out of money, starting new business endeavors and falling in love with the country all over again.

HOWEVER, all of this is just a plus (and sometimes a minus) of the adventure, the true meaning, purpose and reason I do what I do all comes down to being led by the Holy Spirit daily and building relationships with people. This year that took on so many different forms. We started the trip as three (Suzanne, Malia and I) then Christina from Germany joined us. We made it a point everyday at 9 o’ clock to come together have a group meeting and pray for people we’ve encountered on our journey.  These times were breakthrough. I don’t know if you’ve ever had intentional daily meeting times for a month and a half really digging into deep questions and breaking things off of your close brothers or sisters but it is intense. I have never felt so encouraged, built up and strengthened, as well as frustrated, emotional and confused because there were so many new questions we were pressing into that I never understood or thought I understood, but I felt free.

Freedom is a word that holds so much meaning to me. It was the word that saved my life and brought me down on my knees to surrender everything to the king of kings. It is a word I fight for and I speak over many people, but it is a total different freedom than the freedom found in the world. It is the freedom to live life in the skin God intended you to have when he created you. What does that look like? I still haven’t fully figured it out and I think it will be more of a lifelong quest to answer what true kingdom freedom looks like, but I love the way I heard Erwin McManus define freedom in his teaching off of Isaiah 43:

“A lot of times we think freedom with God is a lot easier than captivity without God. But the reality is that freedom is always harder than slavery. Because when you are a slave others tell you how to live, how to act, how to be, how to exist, they manage your time, manage your energy, manage your life. You belong to them. Even though there may be hardship there is incredible security, predictability and stability. When you are FREE not only now are you free to create, you have the weight of RESPONSIBILITY to choose. Israel thought freedom from God was freedom from struggle, freedom from problems, freedom from responsibility, freedom from faith. So then they began to glamorize captivity.”

Erwin was speaking of how God saved Israel from a life of slavery with the Egyptians but then, when things hit a dead end, the Israelites wanted to go back to captivity because it was a known and comfortable cycle. They didn’t want to bear the responsibility of freedom because it required work, faith and uncertainty. From an outsiders perspective it seems so stupid for Israel to want to go back to a life of slavery, but I had to ask myself is this something I do? Where in my life do I relinquish my freedom because captivity is easier and comfortable. Where have I traded my freedom for chains of slavery? Where have I given up my faith and tried to do it on my own or the easy way, not letting God intervene.

Freedom is a free gift, it means that although we have a past (like Israel), we are still given a chance to have an abundant life, we have the opportunity to create a life where we live in relationship with the creator of the universe. We have the responsibility to live up to a different standard than the worlds standard, to live a life of joy, happiness, adventure and overwhelming love. That even in the rough patches (because life will not always be easy) that we can cling to our anchor of freedom from God and stand firm in faith and not turn back into captivity. It is a kingdom freedom.

This is what God tells us:

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end-
Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your savior.
I paid a huge price for YOU: all of Egypt, with rich cush and seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade creation just for you.
So don’t be afraid: I’m with you.” -Isaiah 43:5-7 MSG

God is for you. He is for me. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”(Romans 8:31).

Lord I pray you continue to reveal to me true, kingdom freedom because it is the only freedom I ever want to know. Help me stand up for what is right, help me to break off the chains of slavery and live in your promises. Help me to rely on you and not on my own comforts. I will no longer stand for little compromises that slowly bring me back to bondage. I know you paid a high price for me, Jesus blood was shed so that I may live an abundant, free life, don’t let me take this for granted my heavenly king. My heart longs for you and to see freedom brought to the nations, to Indonesia, to Hawai’i, to my family, to my friends, to me. Remove the veil from our eyes, help us live a life worthy of the debt that’s been paid for us. It is so scary to think one day I could stand before you in heaven, surrounded by your glory, brought down on my knees in worship, repeating the words “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty”, and then hear you utter, “why did you choose slavery.” From this day forward I will live a life of passion, of generosity, of servant-hood, of love and of freedom. I declare it in the name of Jesus! Thank you for your promises Lord.

My next post will be more about the adventures in Indonesia and the cool things God did there. This is just a pressing message I had to speak out! Cheee Heee ALOHA!

Prayer list stories: 10 first days of travel

This is day ten of traveling and so much has happened in such a short time! When I think of all the people we have already encountered I’m blown away. I could have written an individual blog for each day so far! But I will try to summarize all the individual stories!

We left on June 22 and our first flight was to Narita Japan where we would then have to catch a connecting flight to Singapore (we are flying stand-by) then buy an individual ticket to Bali. Suz and I were late checking in at the airport because our ride was late dropping us off. So initially we had seats in first class and were then demoted to coach. However, Malia was in first class and we could see next to her our empty seats. We asked the flight attendant if we could move up since the seats were still empty and he said no but he would let us once the meal service was over, but he never came to get us. So Malia went up to ask him again if we could move up and he sat there and said, “When I’m ready I’ll get your friends.” But he never came for us! Suzanne and I were so confused as to why he wasn’t following through with his word. Towards the end of the flight one of the attendants just kept talking and talking to us, wanting to know about our travels. Eventually he asked if we could send him a postcard from Bali and he would send us one from Morocco. We quickly came up with an excuse because we didn’t want to give him our personal information but then I asked if there was anything we could pray for him for while we were traveling. He looked at us, thought about it for a second and said,”Yes, for the will to do what is right.” Then began to share some of his struggles and his heart with us. Before we got off the plane he asked us if we would really be praying for him and of course we said yes, and then he responded with, “Ok when I’m praying and I feel something different I’ll know it’s from your prayers.” Amen. We hadn’t even landed yet and the intentionality and adventure had already begun.

When we arrived in Japan our next flight next flight to Singapore was full. This meant we would be spending the next 24 hours (actually ended up being 30!) in the Narita airport! We began looking up the flights for the next several days to Singapore and they were all overbooked with large stand-by list. This did not look good. So we began to think up creative new options. As we were doing this in the little wifi hotspot a local Japanese boy and girl came up to us. They explained that they were from the Red Cross and were making a video to inspire support for Tsunami victims in Japan and encourage those affected that foreigners had not forgotten about them. They asked if they could film us saying whatever we wanted to encourage the tsunami victims. I was so stoked on this idea and immediately let them roll the cameras! With a smile on my face I had the opportunity to tell Japan how much Jesus loved them and was there for them! What an amazing opportunity especially since there were so many people in the airport but they chose us to be filmed! God had a reason for our 30 hour layover! After filming we figured out our next move and booked tickets to Thailand because standby flights there were much cheaper! So we got on the plane and were ready for a COMPLETELY unexpected Bangkok adventure!

The next morning when we woke up in Thailand we decided to start having intentional prayer meetings each morning. We would each spend our own hour with God then an hour together. After our meeting that morning we all felt so empowered and went out to see what God had for us in Bangkok! When we got off the train Suz and I went into the salon where she had gotten her hair cut a year ago and the lady Sudah remembered us immediately! It was so cool to reconnect with her! As we were leaving we walked a few steps and this guy with a Tuk Tuk offered to drive us around Bangkok for 30 baht (1 dollar, split three ways!) that was a ridiculously cheap price so we agreed. Malia and I were having so much fun laughing and enjoying it but Suz had a really weird feeling about it so we all began to pray as we were driving. Shortly after I noticed our driver, Watana,  had a hurt arm. We all three decided we would pray over him when we got out. So when our ride was almost done we asked him if we could pray for healing over his arm (he had been in a motorbike accident) he agreed. All three of us laid hands on him and began to ask God’s kingdom to flood his arm. Suz specifically prayed for healing of his heart. By the end of the prayer he was teary eyed and thankful. Although we did not see immediate healing we pray for him daily and know that God did something in his heart. When we were saying our goodbyes he offered to lower the price even more (which is UNHEARD of in Asia) but we chose to just bless him. We think that when Suzanne was feeling bad in the tuk tuk it was her discerning the healing that Watana needed. Our time in Thailand was just beginning!

Later that day we stumbled into a little hole in the wall market shop and began talking with the owner. Her name was Niraya and she was SO JOYFUL! Malia felt strongly to pray for her and so again we all three laid our hands on her and began to pray for Jesus to fill her up and make himself known to her and for increase of joy. After we were done praying she offered us to come back the following day and she would buy us Lychee, sadly we never made it! But we are going back to Thailand after August 2 and I’m praying we get to see her again!

Two days later we finally made it to Bali and I felt like I was home. Suzanne and I immediately fell back into our laughing, relational, joking ways with the locals and I was filled with so much joy! However, our first day there we were so tired we ended up sleeping for 14 hours! When we woke up in the morning we began walking around the markets and seeing all of our friends. I felt ALIVE! Our friend Mika stopped working to take us to see our friend Pola and we all spent the afternoon walking around and talking. I felt like they were my normal friends, we were laughing and joking around as if it hadn’t been a year since we last saw each other, and even a year ago I had only spoken with them for maybe an hour! Pola took us to her house to see her baby and we spent the next two hours hearing about her life style. She is the sole provider for her husband and baby. She only makes $15 a day working ten hours a day. Her rent is $45 a month she spends $5 a day on Hindu ceremony rituals and her babys milk is $7 for a week. This isn’t even including a motorbike payment, food and other necessities. Two days before we came she had to take out a loan to buy her baby, Brandon, formula. Suzanne and I were able to bless her by buying her two weeks worth of formula and we creatively provided for her by ordering all our bracelets we needed to have made in bali (I had 52 orders Suz and the other girls had more than 20). It was a really cool way to be able to sow into her business, and meet a need instead of giving a handout. We have continued to meet up with her for the past few days and despite her hardships she is one of the most joyful Indonesians I have met.

Mika is another amazing girl. She is 17 years old and has been working 15 hour days since she was 13. When I look at her I see so much beauty. I want her to live the best life possible, whatever that may look like to her, and walk in her identity knowing how much worth she has. I seriously love that girl and can start seeing the beginnings of a strong bond between me and her. Please pray for me to be able to encourage and call out her beauty. We were all able to pray over both Pola and Mika and continue to pray for them daily during our quiet times and meetings.

Nick is another friend I have had for three years who I got to see on my first second day back in Bali and I actually got to surf with him the following day! He is even letting me borrow his surf board the whole time I am in Bali! This was a huge blessing because I do not really have the money to rent one but it is a desire of mine to surf! He told me, “You always bring me presents I can at least let you ride my ride!”

Our team has spent the past four days at the Bali surf house living in a communitz of awesome full time missionaries! I have felts so refreshed, rested and blessed here! I was able to surf every morning and we had worship night, family dinner nights and awesome conversations. Please pray for the missionaries on staff at the house!

The reason I do short term, relational missions and continue to come back to the same place year after year is finally all starting to make sense to me. I could always feel the yearning and desire in my heart but now I am starting to physically be able to see the fruit from it. The people we meet are just crying out for friendship. If I meet and intentionally talk with someone in Indonesia for 15 minutes they still remember me a year later, even though they see millions of tourist between now and them. People want to feel loved, feel desired, feel accepted, feel wanted, feel like they are full of worth because that is how God created them to be. That is their true identity and it has just been forgotten. We are here to encourage, inspire and show them just how much they are worth. Please pray that I am able to see them the way God sees them!

It’s only been ten days! One month left in Bali then five more in Thailand! The adventure has literally just begun!

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply from the heart.”

-1 Peter 1:22

Awaken- Give it all

I have been so challenged the past couple months to give. I’ve been confronted with giving my time, my money, and my stuff. Giving used to be really hard for me but every year it seems to get easier. It’s crazy to think about last year when I was selling everything to travel then gave away what didn’t sell- it was a constant battle in my mind to hold onto my stuff. However, once I let it all go, and just surrendered everything, God gave it all back to me double portion and made it NEW. A few days ago I had a vivid dream of me shaking a young girls shoulders and speaking with so much passion the words, “Give it all and He will make it new”, over and over. When I woke up immediately all the things I had given in the past flashed into my head and God showed me how he made them new in my life. For example I sold my truck last year (which was so so hard for me) and now I have an even nicer one. I left the island with no place to live, came back having my own apartment- rent free. I also left the island with just enough money to make it back to the mainland completely broke, I ended up coming back with almost as much money as I started with and being able to start college. I surrendered it ALL for the kingdom and God gave it all back to me double portion and made it NEW.

So this year I feel compelled to give even more. I’m constantly confronted with opportunities to support other missionaries and although I don’t support every good cause that comes my way, I’ve found that lately I’ve been convicted to support a lot of them! I started to question God, wasn’t he aware that I was saving up for a trip to Indonesia? I couldn’t be giving all my finances away like this! Then one day while I was on a worship run I got my answer in a worship song by Will Reagan & United Pursuit Band “If I give it All”. The song asks, “Lord if I give it all to you will you make it new?” I am being awakened to the BIGGER picture God has not the little details that I can easily stay  fixed on.We are called to live by the standards of the Kingdom of Heaven not the Kingdom of the World, therefore when God says give, give and when he says go, go. God is not only doing work in Indonesia but around the world and he has called me to ALL NATIONS therefore I will invest in the people that go to those nations. There is nothing I hold onto in this life because I know that I am not storing up my treasure on earth (Matthew 6:19), but in heaven for eternity. If I do my best to live a life of obedience and generosity, then when I’m still able to do things like go to Indonesia all the glory is given to my heavenly father because I could have never done that on my own.

So here I am, I leave for Indonesia in four days and I am giving everything I have to go. I am being AWAKENED. I will no longer stand for living my life with fear, anxiety and worry. I will not let the enemy hold back my voice and I will speak the TRUTH with the power and authority that has been bestowed upon me. I will call out and reclaim the beauty that has been stolen for so many years of my life and others around me and there will be no room for doubt here. I will fight for the heart of my king with as much devotion as I possibly can, I could not bear walking up to him at the end of my days and hearing him ask me why I didn’t give more, why I didn’t love more, why I didn’t risk more. I am in tears as I write this thats how passionate and convicted I am about this. So here I am God, humble me, break me and mold me into a servant. Anoint Malia, Suzanne and I to hear your voice everyday, to not be distracted and to walk in boldness in the name of Jesus to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth.

GET READY INDO HERE WE COME! CHEEE HEEEEEE.

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” -Luke 6:38

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” -Proverbs 11:24-25

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”- Matthew 6:33

 

Indonesia 2012- Reckless Abandon

Reckless Abandon, Radical Obedience for Relentless Love.

I am sold out to God’s will for my life. In Ephesians 2:10 he tells us he prepared the good works for us to do before we were even born, but it is our choice whether or not we walk in them, or beside them. I am consciously choosing to walk in them. God has called me to go back to Indonesia for my third year. I tried to come up with new summer plans to see new countries and possibly just drop by Indo, but my heart has been refocused on the vision God has for his people there and how he wants me to be apart of it in continuing to build upon the relationships I’ve already established there. He has also given my amazing adventure sisters Suzanne Artley (fifth year returning to Bali) and Malia Wolcott (first year to Bali) the same vision so together we are leaving for Indonesia on June 20 until sometime in August with a heart to serve and a mission to encourage.

 Purpose:

We plan on being very intentional with our time. The first week we will be visiting our market friends in Kuta. Then we will be spending a weekend with our friends at the Bali Surf House Ministry where our goal is to encourage the full time missionaries that run the house and help them with anything possible. Then we will be heading down to Bingin for a week where Suzanne has done outreach for the past four years. After we will be going back to the island of Nusa Lembongan where my heart is! I am so excited because for the first time we will be gathering together a team of people who already live in Bali to come with us. My Brazillian friend Samia does outreach on the island two times a month and we are going to join in on her vision and help her continue to bless the people on the island. She has also volunteered to be a translator for me when I go to visit Sumi and her family. This is huge because I have seen Sumi for the past two years but never been able to carry a conversation with her or find out more about her, so I am so excited for this opportunity to finally go past surface level with the family that I know God has put in my life for a reason! We are also hoping to meet up with Surfing the Nations who I first went to Bali with in 2010 and of course we are leaving room in the itinerary for the Holy Spirit to lead us in where we should spend more time or possibly going to a new island.

Life-long calling
I am so excited Suzanne and  I will get the opportunity to show Indonesia to Malia for the first time and hopefully God instills the passion for the country in her as he has done for us. I feel God has called me to adventure missions long term, not just in Indonesia but around the world and I love helping God release others into the same vision he has given me.

 

How are we preparing for the trip?

     Suzanne lives on the Big Island while Malia and I are on Oahu. So, we have been meeting up for skype dates, talking things out, planning and most importantly praying together. It’s so cool to see how God has put all three of us together with the same vision and passions. We will also be doing a Daniel fast for 21 days with the purpose of surrendering ourselves and seeking God’s heart for the trip.

How can you become apart of the vision God has for Indonesia?

Please pray for us and the people we come in contact with! Last year we had so many people praying for us and I promise you     God blessed our whole trip and went before us every place we went. Prayer works!!

Specific Prayer Points: 

* For all of our flights to go smoothly (we are flying on buddy passes)

*For God to prepare the hearts of the people we are going to see

*Divine appointments

*Finances

*Sumi and her family as well as Dia and her family

*Bali Surf House Ministry

*Global Church Bali

*Healings, Miracles and Revival to be brought

*God to use us to encourage and speak life

*That we can stay FOCUSED

*Everyone around us sees and connects to Jesus through us

 Financial Outline of the Trip:

• food and lodging: 1,100 ($20 a day for 55 days)
• flights: 750
• transportation: 200
• missions market: 300
• activities: 150

Need to have 2,500  but praying for an extra $500 for generously giving while we are there and cushioning to fall back on.

Saved so far: 1,400 as of June 2

If you feel led to give financially you can choose specifically where you would like your money to go:

~To bless those we come in contact with. This could be other missionaries, individuals we stay with or random people we meet on the street.

~To buy donations to bring to Sumi and her family.
~To support me as a missionary to go to Indonesia
~By buying jewelry for missions at http://www.YirehJewelry.etsy.com

If you feel led to support any of these you can give online with a credit card through paypal. Just click the button and under send money you can instert my e-mail address YirehJewelry@gmail.com: 

 and write in the box which area you wish to give to.

or you can give via snail mail and I can e-mail you my address.

Indonesia 2012 is going to be a trip un-like any other. What seems impossible is made possible by God. Every time I’ve stepped out in faith before he has never failed to provide. This is no different. I want to challenge you to step out in faith is some way, big or small. To live for God is to live for adventure.

Individual Identity

If someone asked you, “Who are you?” and you couldn’t answer with just your name, what would you say?

Would you say, “I’m a student?” or “I’m a business owner?” or “I’m a mom/dad/daughter/brother/sister etc?” Lately I’ve been confronted with a lot of these questions and God has been teaching me about the importance of individual identity and where you find that identity.

A few years ago I searched for my identity in everything I did. I was a student, a nanny, an artist, a beach girl, a dreamer, a friend, a daughter, a sister, then I decided I was simply just a “christian”. I thought I had finally narrowed it down, came up with the simple answer, and knew straight forward who I was for anyone who asked. Within the past couple of months I’ve been asked to go a step further and break down what even being a”christian” means, and why I do and say certain things and where this mindset came from. Lets just say, I had a little bit of an identity crisis on my hands. I was at a loss for words.

So, I went back and meditated on the core values, words, and revelations God had revealed personally to me about myself. Two words God has spoken over my life are Freedom and Adventure. When I surrendered my life to God I felt this immediate freedom, because I had been caging myself in and letting certain people and ideas hold me back. I was finding my identity in the things people had told me that I chose to believe and circumstances that had unfolded in my life. When I finally let all of that go, it opened my eyes to an abundant freedom, with no end. Freedom to dream, to act, to speak out, to not have to worry or stress- it is the feeling of letting absolutely nothing hold you back from the will of God and surrendering everything before him and being completely at peace with it. It is a feeling that I cannot describe but try so hard to put into words. Abundant freedom is what I have been given, and I speak it out like a broken record, not because I’m trying to be repetitive, but because it has been something that has radically changed my life and I cannot help but share it with everyone I come in contact with.

Adventure defined is 1. a risky undertaking of unknown outcome 2. an exciting or unexpected event or course of events esp. the exploration of unknown territory.

To live for God, is to live for adventure. You cannot aim to follow Jesus, the most radical man ever to walk the face of this earth, and not call it an adventure. Living in adventure does not mean every day has to be some extraordinary event, it’s having the eyes to see the adventure in the mundane. It’s being able to give up control, letting God have his way, and not knowing every single piece of the puzzle. When you do this God gives you new eyes to see life with a heavenly outlook instead of a worldly one. You might find yourself being pulled to make some pretty abnormal or radical decisions, you might be questioned or not understood, but that is totally ok. When you are sold out to the will of God and know that he is calling you to do something, he will give you the strength and power to hear only his voice and not be influenced by others. Stepping out in faith is supposed to be something we do continually, if we only aim to accomplish things by our own power how will we ever get the chance to see God work and bring him glory?

A few times I have been accused of being “too independent”. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I am a very independent person, but I’ve come to realize that this can be mistaken for a secure identity. Since I am confident in who I am and whose I am, I am not willing to compromise for anything less. This is not arrogance, it’s standing firm in the identity christ has given me. Some people just don’t know how to handle that and this is what God is now teaching me to deal with, because it can really hurt when someone attacks who you are as a person. But, once you establish that foundation, nothing can chip away at it.

I never want to be moving backwards I always want the fullness of everything God is willing to offer me and I will never choose to settle for just good, but always go for the great, because I have been promised abundant freedom, and made the choice to live in a constant adventure with the creator of the universe.

I have come to the conclusion that my identity is founded on being a radical follower of Jesus Christ and grounded in the words Adventure and Freedom. To solidify it my key life verses are Ephesians 3:20, John 10:10 and Genesis 22:14-17.

So…..

Who are you?

Aloooha. =]

Yahweh Yireh in the background (Genesis 22:14)