Christmas in Belgium

Our team had a great Christmas Eve Celebration last night! We had a wonderful dinner of pineapple baked ham, mashed potatoes, Russian casserole, rolls and lots of delicious deserts. We even had a homemade birthday cake for Jesus!




At midnight we started our newest outreach activity - a team prayed and prepared event of 80 hours of worship and intercession. We are using the cafe space on the floor level of the base here for ongoing worship and prayer. Each person on the team has committed to spend at least 10 hours of every 24 hour period in the room loving on the Lord and praying for the people of Belgium. I stayed last night for the first four hours - it was amazing. When I went to bed my voice was going hoarse from so much singing and praying! And that was just the beginning!!!

Here is one more pic from our time here in Brussels:
yummmmmy... I finally had a real Belgian Waffles. The problem (or maybe it wasn't) was that once I had one, I couldn't stop. So, I remembered that my dad asked me to eat one for him... and I did. Two delicious sugary warm Belgian waffles sitting in a metro station with a couple of friends. What more could I ask for on a day off?

Snuggling in Cold Brussels, Belgium

My team made it safely here on Monday and we are enjoying a day of rest from our busy schedule. We have done creative worship (painting, singing, dancing) on the streets, in the metro, and in the train station. It has been very fun and rewarding.

There were some technical difficulties with the visas for our leaders, Margret and Gabby, so the 15 of us students went on ahead without them.We are having a great time here serving the people and worshiping on the streets.

I gotta run to do some laundry now and enjoy a cup of tea with the woman hosting a couple of us in her home from the team.

I will post more stories and pictures another time.

Take care!

Departure Day! Belgium, France and Rwanda... Here I Come

Hi everyone!

It is departure day! My bags are packed, my room check is completed and I am finishing the last few details before my team leaves the island of Hawaii tonight.

A few technical difficulties with passports and visa have caused the team to not be able to travel all together today. The first group of us - me and 12 other students will go today. Two other students will follow on Monday. And our team leaders will hopefully be set to go in a week.

So, with that said, Wes and I, the two student-leaders for the team, will be leading our team to Belgium for a week, then to the south of France, and finally to Rwanda. Hopefully Gabby, Margret and Hero will be approved to come to Europe to meet us for some of our time there and then the flight down to Rwanda. As student leaders, there are a lot of things that we will be learning and praying about as we go. Your prayers for widsom, confidence in Christ, and unity for the team are greatly appreciated.

I hope to be able to post something on the blog every couple of weeks while I am out of the country for the next seven months.

Here is a little taste of what the language sounds like. The Rwandans speak kinyarwanda (or sometimes called Rwandan). I would love to learn this song as a team to sing while we are there. We have another song that Margret taught us also. The team also learned some dance moves to

http://blog.speakrwanda.com/category/music/

Thanks! I love you all!

Less than a Week...

Time flies by! I have been in Hawaii for 11 weeks already and will only be in this paradise for 5 more day. I already started packing for my 7 month journey that will take me to Belgium, France and then Rwanda.

Our team is doing a lot of preparations right now. Yesterday we started to learn the dance moves to a worship song called "Above All" by Michael W. Smith. We are also learning the lyrics to a Rwandan song. Tomorrow we are going to practice 3 skits that we can perform for people we meet along the way.

Here is a bit about a wonderful day about 3 weeks ago. Sorry I am so slow to post about it :(

A couple of weeks ago, three of my roommates and I borrowed a car and drove to a couple places around the island. My favorite part was at the end of the day. We drove to Mauna Kea which is a 13,000 ft inactive volcano with an incredible star observatory near the top. As we set out, God blessed us over and over again with beautiful sights:


an incredible sunset,




a rainbow so close we could almost touch it,

and then a night sky without a cloud in sight. They had telescopes set up for the visitors to check out the best star gazing on earth. I took this picture through one of the telescopes with my own camera. WOW God is amazing.

So, the part I didn't share yet, was a little blip in our plan. Exactly as we reached the driveway of the visitor center at 9,200 feet on Mauna Kea, steam/smoke started coming from the hood of our borrowed car. Ericka pulled over and a couple men from the visitor center came over to check things out. Turned out we had totally blew the radiator - cracked right up the side. Well, with a van that couldn't be driven we had to trust God for a different way to get back to campus - a 2 hour drive away. One of the men looking at the car offered to take us back to town. He didn't have any room inside his car, but there was space for the 4 of us in the back of his pickup truck. We were in the mood for adventure and had brought lots of warm clothes and blankets with us for the trip, so we gladly accepted. God gave us 2 more hours to enjoy his beautiful stars singing praises to him from the back of the truck. WOW!

DTS Update - 7 weeks in

Aloha! I want to start this update by thanking the Lord. He is gently revealins so many new things to me personally and through our speakers. I am slowly beginning to learn who He is. Tankey Papa God.

Now I turn my gratitude to all of you – my family, friends, church family, former employers, teachers, professors, and more. Thank you for your prayers, your encouraging words and for financially making it possible for me to come to Hawaii for this incredible time of learning, devotion, and intimacy with God. These past six weeks I have been soaking in every bit of wisdom and revelation from our speakers. I know it will absolutely change the way I walk with Christ for the rest of my life.

Our lecture phase here in Kona is more than halfway over. We leave for outreach in 4 weeks and 3 days. I am so excited!!!!! I can’t believe how quickly this time has flown by. Though I am leaps and bounds further than where I was two months ago, I can see more of what I need to know that I don’t know yet. I guess that is the continual excitement of learning. The more I know and experience, the more I realize I don’t know yet and haven’t yet experienced. There is still so much more that I don’t even know that I don’t know. Think your way through that one. :)

Here is a little promotional video we made last week. Each student on campus starred in his or her own video and I was selected to do the voice over for the whole thing – for all the videos. It is only 2 minutes long and shows the campus here in Kona, Hawaii. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZiO9k_1xk

God is becoming so much more real to me each day. I am much more aware of his presence – often I will feel a warm sensation in my stomach and though I originally thought it was just too much delicious food I have since recognized it as the presence of the Lord. I am stepping out in prayer and have been baptized by water and in the Holy Spirit. My first experience with filled with the Holy Spirit revealed to me that He is fun! I was literally on the floor laughing for at least an hour. This stuff is real! AND God can have a good time!

I am recognizing that God speaks to me in the languages I understand – pictures and mathematical equations. How cool is that! Just this weekend God showed me that His love for me is eternal. Therefore the domain of God’s love for me is (-∞,∞). That means God has loved me forever in the past, totally loves me now, and He will love me forever into the future. Forever is a long time, so God must have a lot of Love! An infinite capacity to love! WOW! I can’t even wrap my mind around that one.

I am also seeing that God is calling me for more than just this 6-month honeymoon. The 15 students in my outreach team were presented with an opportunity to stay in Rwanda for 4 extra months. Myself and four other students have committed to stay in Kigali, Rwanda with our two leaders and their 2-year old son, Hero. We will rent a house until July 7^th and continue with the ministries that we start in December. AMAZING! I knew that I wasn’t going back to Colorado when my school was done, but I had no idea that God would keep me in Rwanda sharing his love with a war torn nation for 4 extra months. This is so much better and more exciting than what I could have ever dreamed myself!

Just today, our leaders shared with our team and incredible opportunity that has come up. They feel God is calling our team to a special role of praying and intercession within two countries that have had a negative influence on Rwanda in the past. Belgium reigned over Rwanda from 1918 to 1962 and caused the previously united people groups to turn against each other. To learn more about the skew of ethnic relations during that time, please see http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/5918/Africa-Belgian-Colonies.html#ixzz0Wce96MTD

France has also been involved in Rwanda’s history. There is speculation and belief among many Rwandans and others worldwide that the French were involved and possibly financed the genocide that took place in 1994. Check out this article written 4 years ago for more details.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article782536.ece

So the surprise that our leaders finally shared with us today, is that our team will be spending a week in each France and Belgium prior to landing in Rwanda around the 29^th of December. I don’t know details of what our time in Europe will look like, but I know we will definitely be praying for the healing of the relationships between the nations of Rwanda and Belgium and that between France and Rwanda.

We are not entirely sure what we will be doing while we are in Rwanda either. Our team is praying about different skills or trades that we can teach to the people to help them start their own businesses in some way. God is reminding me continually of the African inspired paintings that I did last year and how they touched so many people’s lives. So, though I am not certain, I may be teaching the local Rwandans to make greeting cards with a similar look to my painting series and then selling the cards back in The States. Also, African patterns are very beautiful (and mathematical) so there may be some cards or paintings coming out of Rwanda too! God is that Good!

As I am writing this and recognizing how much God is speaking to me mathematically lately, I wonder if God will present an opportunity for me to tutor others in math. I am in awe of how God wants to use each of the gifts he has given me. God made me just the way he wanted. That is incredible. It is even more incredible when I think about how hugely enourmous the universe is and how he is even bigger than that. I am just a speck on a speck on a speck, and yet God chose to create me and continually chooses to love me. Check out my blog today for a reminder of how HUGELY ENOURMOUS God made the Universe - it is the posting previous to this one.

So, as I look forward to these wonderful plans God is revealing, I am recognizing my need and desire to have a team backing me. My immediate need is for financial support. I am about $1,800 shy for the final payment of my outreach fees (due next Friday the 20^th. I know God is good and he is BIG, so this is not a problem for him. I request that you ask God if He wants you to help in this manner. Because of the short timeline, I don’t think mailing a check is the best option. I have set up a PayPal account for my supporters to use conveniently online. I think you have to create an account, but it only takes a couple of minutes. If you would rather give a different way, please email me and I can explain other options. The Donate button is on the right side of this blog.

Another need I have is for art supplies. I would love to bring some supplies with me to Rwanda so I can jump right in with the artistic activities and lessons. If you have paints, brushes, art paper, etc, please email me so we can discuss details and how you can send them to me here in Hawaii before I leave.

Of course my greatest need and desire is to have a support team backing my venture. Just like any other adventure I have taken through the world, it is so much more exciting when I am able to share it with others. My support team would be the group with whom I have a continual relationship, sharing stories, struggles, prayer requests and praises. I am still praying about what this God desires for this group. I would like you to pray about how God may want you involved. Look for details about the future support team in another email.

This update shows just a glimpse of how God has been working in my life. As you can see I have a lot of exciting stories and new revelations to share. I will cut myself off here as it is already the longest email I have ever written. If you have any questions, comments, encouraging words, or prayers for me, please send ‘em my way. I miss all of you and am greatly looking forward to adventures God has in store. I am still in awe that He has called me to live such an exciting, outside-the-box life!

Thank you God! Thank you friends and family!

Much love, Logan

God is BIG!

Today we dove into the difference between the nature and character of God. In order to understand the character of God (Intimacy with God) we need to get a grasp on the Nature of God (Reverence). Why are we to bow down to God, trust God, respect Him fully, etc? What makes him deserving? So, to start, we looked at how BIG God is.

Here is an article I found online that gives a great summary of what I learned in class today. WOW! At the end of my "tour" of the universe I felt very small and insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. And yet, God still created me and knows the number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:29-31). He chose me when He planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). He created each of us with specific plans, hopes, and dreams. God must be VERY BIG!

How Big Is God? by David F. Coppedge

http://www.icr.org/article/2821/

Most people know the universe is "vast," but until we visualize it, we shortchange ourselves of some healthy awe. The heavens glorify God, but should also humble us—as should become apparent in the following mental journey.

Recently, the New Horizons spacecraft blasted off on a ten-year express flight to Pluto. (A manned flight to Pluto, at the maximum speed of the Apollo astronauts, would take about 17 years.) Since Mars (1/26 the distance to Pluto) seems at the limit of our reach, human travel to the stars beyond must remain a dream for now. But Pluto is very near compared to the stars; if the Sun-Pluto distance were represented by a one-foot ruler, the nearest star would be over a mile away.

Movies mislead us with their talk of warp speeds; real interstellar travel is limited by the speed of light—186,282 miles per second. In our imagination (and ignoring relativistic effects) let's aim for the nearest star at light speed. First, we would be disappointed at how slowly the scenery changes. Only after 4.3 years would Alpha Centauri appear larger than a pinpoint of light. Star-hopping within our galaxy, we would be amazed at how much is empty space.

Turning up out of the plane of the Milky Way, it would take 100,000 years for the full spiral of our galaxy to become visible. Though stars at our sun's radius orbit the center at nearly 500,000 mph, the galaxy would appear motionless. A whole human lifetime would pass with no apparent change except for the rare supernova. As for the earth—if the galaxy were represented as the size of North America, our entire solar system would fit in a coffee cup somewhere in Idaho.

Astronomers estimate that there are as many galaxies outside the Milky Way as there are stars in it. The Hubble Ultra Deep Field, taken in 2004, imaged 10,000 galaxies in a cone of space so slim you could cover it with a grain of sand held at arm's length. Integrated over the entire sky, that would mean there are more than 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe, many with more than 100 billion stars each. According to Psalm 147:4, God calls them all by name.

Contemplating such things is humbling, but also raises questions. Can a God of such a vast domain really care about us? It's important to understand the Biblical doctrine of omnipresence in answering this question. Learning that God is everywhere does not mean that part of Him is here, part there, and part in a distant galaxy, as if His love were spread thinly across all of space. No; omnipresence means that all of God is present at every place, at the same time.

This means that no matter how large the universe, and how many beings reside within His kingdom, each of us can have His full and undivided attention in our own hearts. Let us pray with the spirit and with the understanding also (I Corinthians 14:15). As the country song insightfully claims, "How big is God? He's big enough to rule His mighty universe, yet small enough to live within my heart."

* David F. Coppedge works in the Cassini program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

I am experiencing more of how real God is. I hope to have time on tuesday to catch up on blogging. Thank you for your continued support and prayers

Week 4: Glory, Worldview, and the Kingdom of God

Last week was another exciting week with lots of new information and revelations. So, be warned, this blog is longer than my previous weeks. I truly believe the information I learned last week is vital to living as a follower of Christ. I pray that you take the time to read over some of my notes and if you have questions, I am happy to attempt to expand on my understanding or I can put you in touch with the speaker.

Last week our speaker was Don Stephens (the Kingdom Don, not the Mercy Ships Don for all you YWAMers). He shared incredible insight on God's Glory, worldviews as well as the Kingdom. I am going to focus most of my blog this week on the Kingdom, because it is a totally new concept to me.

I will start with the Glory of God. This is a Christian phrase that is used constantly in conversation, prayers, songs, etc, but I have never really understood what the Glory of God is. My NIV concordance defines glory as: the grandeur and majesty of God. That definition feels like more arm waving and not a whole lot of substance.

Don summed it up as "God's glory is His invisible character made visible." citing Romans 1:20

Everything is about God's Glory! Don explained a Circle of Glory.

1. God creates man for his glory. "... those whom I have created for my glory." Isaiah 43.7
2. Man discovers God's creation to the glory of God. "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; but the glory of kings to search it out." Proverbs 25.2
3. Man imitates God through creative activity (for the glory of God.) "Make tunics, sashes, and hats for Aaron's sons to express glory and beauty." Exodus 28.40
4. Man's creative activity fills the earth with more of God's glory. "Whether you ear, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

As a visual person, the diagram helped me to understand it better.

The Glory of God is written on our hearts. That is why we enjoy the things we do: children playing, fairy tale endings, beautiful sunsets, loving relationships, etc. They all reflect the Glory of God.

Suddenly it everything matters. When I make my bed in the morning, it's aesthetic nature will reflects the Glory of God's beauty. When I help the elderly woman over the rocks into the ocean, that loving interaction of community reflects the Glory of God's relationships. WOW! Our role is to restore and reflect the Glory of God.

Now, I understand also, why I cry during the love scene in a movie, or at a beautiful orchestra concert, or am stopped in my tracks at the sight of the sun setting over the ocean. All of these things reflect God's Glory. And the most fantastic part is that when we recognize and respond to beauty, then we see more beauty. And seeing more beauty is recognizing more of God's Glory all around us! INCREDIBLE!

Here is an example of a loving relationship that entirely reflects Jesus' love for us and his constant desire to bring us back to his loving arms and relationship. This clip is taken from the movie Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio. Warning: you may need a Kleenex for the next two minutes; I definitely did.

OK - I could go on for pages more, but I want to get to the other gems from the week:

WORLDVIEWS: Why are worldviews important? Because ideas have consequences. Worldviews are formed without us even knowing it, so we are often unaware of the ideas we believe and therefore also unaware of the consequences we are heading toward.

Jesus wants us to see the world as it truly is. Don used a great visual to help us understand. As a person who grew up attending Buddhist Meditations, I received a tint of New Age Worldview to my glasses. I also am part of the Post-Modern Generation, so I have an additional tint to my glasses. All of the media, books, newspapers, church, school, family and friends that I am exposed to through my life tint my glasses too. So, what I am left with is a skewed vision of the world. Jesus want me to remove my glasses and when I refocus my eyes, I will see the world as he desires: the Kingdom worldview.

Don was great with sharing video clips to demonstrate the points we was making. They impacted me so strongly, I wanted to tell you about them too. I couldn't find this exact clip on youtube but maybe you will have better luck. Check out the scene in The Truman Show when Jim Carrey's character is on the boat and comes to the edge of his world. There is such a strong statement about our "reality" which can be said as the tinting on the glasses that we see the world through.

THE KINGDOM: During class one day, Don asked us what we believed was Jesus' main message was while He was on earth. What is the central theme to the four Gospel books in the Bible? My response - LOVE. Other responses varied from forgiveness to truth to repentance.

Then Don got out his stats and blew us all away.

These are some of the the typical responses Don hears from people when he asks them the same question. Each word is followed by the actual number of times Jesus used the word in the New American Standard version of the four Gospels.

• Born again: 2 times
• Salvation: 8 times
• Sin: 17 times
• Forgiveness: 24 times
• Truth: 28 times
• Satan/the Devil: 28 times
• Money: 29 times
• Love: 43 times
• Heaven: 71 times
• The Kingdom: 117 times - (The Father: 226 times!)

Jesus' first message preached is recorded in Matthew 4:17.

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Jesus is telling us to take off our "glasses" and smash them. Everything is changed (Jesus dying for our sins) - come see the world the way I see it!

The notes in my NIV study bible describe the Kingdom of Heaven = Kingdom of God as:

"the establishment of God's rule in the hearts and lives of his people, the overcoming of all the forces or evil, the removal from the world of all the consequences of sin - including death and all that diminished life - and the creation of a new order of righteousness and peace. The idea of God's Kingdom is central to Jesus' teaching and is mentioned 50 times in Matthew alone."

That description is still very abstract to me. Our speaker put it into words that my mind can grasp.

What is the Kingdom of God? “May thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

• It is every place where God’s will is being done.
• It is everything gone wrong in the fall being made right again in Christ.
• It is God’s dream for His creation.
• It is the Father, Son and Spirit extending His life into all of creation.
• It is the “perichoresis” the circle dance of the Trinity embracing the human
race.

The Ways of the Kingdom:

The purpose of the Kingdom is the glory of God.
The constitution of the Kingdom is the Word of God.
The ruling principle of the Kingdom is love.
The language of the Kingdom is story and picture.
The reach of the Kingdom includes all of the universe.

What was the “Gospel of the Kingdom” that Jesus preached?
(From Darrow Miller: Discipling the Nations.)

• The Kingdom of God is revealed in a person. Col. 1:19
• God's rule is here and now. Now, and "not yet." Matthew 6:10
• The kingdom is comprehensive, touching every area of life. Col. 1:20; Rom.
8:18-23
• The kingdom is open to all. John 3:16 Matt. 5:3-10
• The kingdom of God sanctifies the common. 1 Cor. 10:31; Zech. 14:20-21
• God's kingdom is unshakable. Heb. 11:10
• The kingdom of God is offensive. It assaults the gates of hell. Matt 16:18

A Different Kind of Fairy Tale
It is a world where terrible things happen
and wonderful things too.
It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil,
love against hate,
order against chaos in a great struggle
where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side
because appearances are endlessly deceptive.
Yet for all its confusion and wildness it is a world
where the battle goes ultimately to the good
who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody,
good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name.
This is a fairy tale of the gospel with, of course, one crucial difference
from all the other fairy tales,
which is that the claim made for it is that it is true,
that it not only happened once upon a time
but has kept on happening ever since
and is happening still.
~Frederick Beuchner

Week 3: The Reality of Walking with Jesus

Ericka and I eating frozen yogurt - literally yogurt that I

put in the freezer - DELICIOUS and reading our assigned book.
I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet.
Is That Really You, God? by Loren Cunningham, Founder of YWAM

Last week was week three of our lectures. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by here. Dave Gibbons was our speaker for the week. He was part of the Leadership Summit 2009 Speaker Line Up, so if the name sounds familiar, that may be where you heard it.

"Dave Gibbons is the founding pastor of Newsong Church, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, multi-continental, multi-site church in Irvine, CA, named as one of the most innovative churches in America by Outreach Magazine. Gibbons also leads the Newsong Global Alliance, a catalytic church organization with expanding, worldwide reach into Asia, Central America, and Europe. The author of The Monkey and the Fish, Gibbons is a vision-oriented leader known for his insightful thinking on the future of the church. He brings expertise on “Third Culture” leadership and the top skills and experiences every leader will need to reach our global culture with the gospel." - Excerpt from http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009/david-gibbons.asp

We did a very interesting activity one of the days of Dave's teachings. We were asked to complete 3 assessments. First, I was to draw a time line of my life. I could draw pics and/or use words to identify key people, places and events through my life. The second task was to create a 2x2 matrix. Each quadrant would contain info from one category. The four categories were who energizes me, who de-energizes me, what energizes me, what de-energizes me. The final assessment was to draw my home when I was ten years old. I then needed to draw my family members and myself where I saw us in the home at that age.

When reviewing the assessments, we were taught to look for patterns, reasons and places to confirm the cause of why someone currently has a certain thought pattern or belief, and most importantly the fingerprints of God's hand throughout the person's life. The assessments also revealed to many people the sources of deep pain and hurt that may have previously been undefined or buried so deep they were more or less unaware of its existence.

The principles to remember when reviewing the sssessments:

1. It's more about your weakness than your strength. We can see why and how God uses certain pains. Weakness becomes a gift if we allow grace to transform us.
   
2. It's more about pain than pleasure. Although we most likely won't understand that at the time, the pain in life will become each person's connection to the world. People won't connect to one's achievements through life, they will connect to one's pain.

Though it may not look like it from the notes I have included here, this was definitely a week of realizing deep hurt, forgiveness and healing. I became aware of hurts that I never had even recognized as problems. After lots of tears and headaches from crying, now I understand that God did not want certain events and relationships to take place the way they did. This week has also taught me that God can and will use pain and hurt from my life to benefit others. God gave me a gift that no one else has - my story. My suffering is a way that I can reach and relate to the rest of the world.

A few key phrases from the week that I am praying about deeper and allowing to sink in.

• The purpose of a word is to catch an idea, once the idea is caught, the word is forgotten
• Success in God's eyes is often a failure in man's eyes
• The key task of a leader is to build trust and bear pain
• As I better understand who I am, I'll be able to better flow with the Holy Spirit
• The best leaders aren't even noticed by the people they are helping
• God is my main entree, people are my dessert
• Healing happens as we go

On Friday all the students and staff in our school declared it PINK day. So, we all searched our closets, friends' closets, Wal-Mart and raided the Boutique (the on-campus free thrift store) for Pink garments for the day. Wow! Some people got very creative! Here is a picture of our school with Dave Gibbons (center) and his friend, Mike Wang, who came with him to teach for the week.

The week was not all work and intense learning -

we did have wonderful fun too! Here are some other pics from the week:

Beautiful Sea Turtle at Kahalu'u Beach
a couple miles from campus

YAY Snorkeling time! Note to self - smiling
with a snorkel in your mouth is VERY awkward.

Ericka and I after we found out our locations for outreach
and had a celebratory dance party with the school.

Outreach Location Announced!

I believe God has been calling me to Africa for a very long time. When I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone in April of 2008 for a missions trip, the calling only got louder.

In choosing to come to the Compassion DTS here in Kona, I was not sure whether I would be able to spend my three month outreach phase of the school in Africa. Much of the information prior to me coming made it sound like I would be serving in South East Asia somewhere.

I can rejoice in saying that God hears our prayers and is faithful to the desires He places in us! Last week we prayed about our outreach locations and then the leaders placed us all in teams according to our preferences from our prayers. I am going to RWANDA!






My team is an incredible group of students from my school, plus our leaders, Gabi and Margaret and their son Hero, who are from Rwanda. When I got here to Kona, I saw Margaret and knew right away that I wanted to get to know this powerful woman. The second week I was here, I was put into her small group - TOTAL BLESSING - and now I am going with her to Rwanda to serve in her homeland. GOD IS GREAT! And, to top it all off - Gabi is an artist!

Though we don't know details of what works we will be doing in Rwanda, we know that we will be working with children, poor and needy in some capacity at some point in the three months. I am sure we will get more details as we get closer to departure, but for now, I desire to focus on the lectures and the work God is doing in me now.

Ironman World Championship

Life has been crazy busy with all of the wonderful lectures, activities, praise times, etc. So, I have a bit of catching up to do.

Saturday the 10th of October was the World Championship Iron Man Triathlon here in Kona. Our school had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at this huge event. Our shift was the end of the race, which left my schedule free to watch the start of the race bright and early at 6:45am.


For those of you who are unfamiliar with the race, here is a blip from the official race website:

To get to the starting line in Kona, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying events held around the world.

Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeeded.

That means 1,800 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves, and challenging lava-covered terrain.

Our volunteer shift was at the end of the race - from 7pm till Midnight. I was hoping to be assigned to "security" using the term very loosely near the finish line. I love cheering people on, so I thought that would be the best place for me. Unfortunately, I volunteered for a different "security" assignment.

I was stationed after the finish line just outside the area where the athletes came to pick up their bike, swim equipment, and other race gear. The first couple of the hours were not very fun for me. I was a human traffic light telling athletes and their families a variety of instructions.

"Keep moving. Pick up gear straight ahead. Exit the way the bike race started. Blah Blah Blah."

I was rescued at one point when another security volunteer asked me to help me one particular athlete who didn't have any family here with her. My mission was to help her get on her shuttle back to her hotel. Thinking this was a simple 5 minute task I wandered from my traffic light position with my new Ironman friend.

The woman I was helping was 21 year old Battig Rahel from the German part of Switzerland. She was here in Kona with another friend who also competed in the race. Battig finished the triathlon in 13 hours 15 minutes and 40 seconds and when I met her, she was entirely exhausted and deservedly desiring a shower and her bed.

The five minute expected walk turned into a much bigger adventure. It turned out there was not a shuttle from her hotel, so we would have to walk to the town's shuttle which was over a half a mile away. I welcomed the exercise, but my heart went out to Battig who put far too many miles on her legs that day and was now asked to keep going.

A slow walk through hordes of fans still watching athletes cross the finish line eventually brought us to the shuttle. Another road block in the plan. Shuttle policy says no bikes on the bus. Well, I thought a simple solution would be to call a taxi for my new friend. I could tell she would not think twice about paying for a ride if it meant she could be in bed sooner. Well... the taxis were all booked for the night.

The shuttle driver motioned to another athlete on his bike a few yards away and explained to me that he was riding his bike past Battig's hotel a couple miles down the road. I could ride with him and Battig could take the shuttle and we'd meet at her hotel. Inside I was jumping for joy - I could ride an Ironman's bike! However, knowing how my ultra-athlete friends can be about their equipment, I didn't want to expect Battig to allow me to ride her bike, especially because it was dark by this point and she didn't have a light. I shared that I wouldn't mind riding her bike and she was incredibly grateful that I would even consider helping her. She already felt overwhelmed that I carried her bags and walked with her to the shuttle.

So, as Battig climbed into the shuttle to finally sit and relax, I mounted the best bike I may ever ride in my life. As I was pedaling with incredible ease, I wished her hotel was 10 miles instead of only 2 miles away. My "chauffeur" and I chatted as we rode down the street.

God totally blessed me by giving me the chance to help Battig. I enjoy one-on-one interactions and small groups much more than large masses of people. It was incredible standing in as her support system even just to carry her bags and help her get back to her hotel after an incredible day of swimming, riding and running in the Hawaiian heat. WOW God. Thank You!

Bravo to all the athletes who work so hard to make it to the race whether they cross the finish line or not.

Week 2: Destiny by Design

Last week was another incredible week. Our speaker, Gwen Bergquist, taught the lectures on Destiny by Design. Each day revealed new "secrets" to me and reassured me that God really has designed me for a specific purpose. The first day, Gwen asked us to draw a picture with crayons of what our dreams for our life look like. This is my picture:


It shows me in the mid-ground painting a picture of God's love. The yellow face behind me is God with Love in his eyes. The figures in the foreground are children whom I am teaching to also create art that reflects God's love.

This dream incorporates my loves of art, children, and teaching all while keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus. This is the first time I have really put this dream down on paper. It was so freeing and exciting for me to see what my heart really longed for.

A few days later I was able to share with the class my dream and the picture I drew. They then shared some words of encouragement and impressions God gave them.

Some examples were: No fear - God is my shield, gooey paint material(this one especially excited me because I love my gooey pastels!), prophetic, life giving, expression, where I step there will be land, I will know God's love, Africa, and multiplication of believers.

All of these words came with deeper meaning and revelation of how God is going to use my dream and how it aligns with the purpose He has set for my life.

In the two weeks that I have been here, I am already feeling a deep desire to learn and feel who God is as my Papa. I want to create a piece of artwork to represent each of His characteristics that I learn. So, as I was praying on Friday God gave me a new idea. I was totally ecstatic.

I feel that the Lord wants me to create these pieces of art and compile them into a book called Portraits of Papa. I will then use this book as a tool to teach children the nature of God as our Father. Then I will teach them basics of art and give them an opportunity to create their own Portraits! This is incredible and so much greater than anything I could have planned myself!

I am so excited to get started - and to think I almost didn't bring my art supplies with me. I was feeling that my love of art was entirely separate from my love from and for God. I really did not see how they could fit together. So, last week broke that lie and revealed to me not only do they fit together, but God has designed me so I can use my art to help teach others about Him.

God gave us all a very special gift last Thursday night. As I rounded a corner around a building, my friend, Corlize, and I both looked up simultaneously and shrieked with joy at the view of a brilliant, complete, double rainbow in the sky framing some of campus. It was incredible! Unfortunately, my camera doesn't do God's masterpiece justice.


We are still all having fun also. Here is a little clip of the "Pass the Cup" game at lunch one day.



This weekend our class helped with security at the Ironman World Championship race. I will post details sometime this week. I will also let you know where I will be going for the outreach portion of this school. :)

First Week:Setting the Foundation

WOW WOW WOW!

It is amazing how quickly God is getting right to the meaningful, life changing stuff. Last week the students, staff and our leaders shared about how God brought us here is Kona, HI for the Compassion DTS. The three nights of sharing involved much more than canned answers. All 38 female students and 12 male students opened up to each other. Some told secrets they had been holding inside for years too afraid of the reactions she would receive. Others opened their souls to healing but were unsure how to awaken their hardened hearts.

Alright, let me start with a little more of the basics. When Ericka Smiley and I checked in last on the 24th, we found out that we had been roomed together. This was incredible because the housing department didn't even know that we knew each other! We live in a beautiful room that overlooks campus and the ocean! God truly blessed us and our 4 other roommates. The other girls are from South Korea and they quickly became our sisters! Here are a few pics of our roommates. You can click on the collage to see a larger version. Our roommates are Hyun Min, Yu Hyun, Eun Jung, & Ju Hyun. It took me the better part of the week to learn how to pronounce them, and I believe I've got it figured out now.

Before we had any actual class lectures, our whole school (50 students, 2 leaders, and 10 staff and their families) all loaded into vans and drove to Hapuna beach. We enjoyed an incredibly beautiful day in the sun and playing keep-away in the waves. Guys vs. Girls. Unfortunately, our numbers could not defeat the athleticism of the men. Victory was theirs.

So, as I said, last week was filled with incredible speakers, sermons, revelations and vulnerability. The intense nature and long hours of the first three days made us ready to let loose a bit on Thursday. WATER BALLOON FIGHT! Guys vs. Girls.

We also made human pyramids. The ladies made slight variation on the traditional pyramid. We were much wider that we were tall...

Dawn, one of our leaders, told the class first thing on Monday that she felt that some of us would be baptized this week. My first thoughts were: that's cool for others, but I am just coming up on my one year anniversary of my baptism. It isn't for me. However, after all of the huge changes during the week, by the time we were at the campus pool on Friday afternoon, I was praying about a baptism.

I had just learned that the Jews actually would baptize anytime a person was walking into a significant new chapter in their life. I had given up many past things that I'd been holding on to and had a new song in my heart from the Lord. So, I listened to the prompting in my heart and made a declaration of my desire to follow the Lord for the rest of my life. I give up my plans and my desires and want to follow his will for my life. Oct 2, 2009 marks a first day of my new life! CELEBRATE!!!

A few thoughts and verses that really sunk in this week include:

• All of life is simply responding to God's Love. Life becomes the revelation of God's love for us and us responding to it. Somewhere along the line I missed the lesson on God's love for me. My entire foundation was built on my love for God rather than His love for me. Now, I desire to live my life from the God's love for me rather than from my love for God. God loves me. Therefore, I love God. Therefore, I love myself and others.
  
• Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The word rejoice originally means to spin around under violent emotion and the word sing means to scream in a shrill voice. This lecture gave me an entirely new picture of what God's love looks like.
  
• I need to rest to experience God's love. Relax into his arms

I am learning amazing things already. At this pace, I will be an entirely different person after 5 months and 3 weeks more of this transformation process. Praise God!

Prayer Requests:

• Allowing myself to rest
• Believing and Receiving God's love for me
• Getting to know God the Father. I know Him very well as the Creator, and want to learn his other characteristics.
  
• Freedom to worship Him genuinely. Something is holding me back right now.
• Safety for the class, leaders, and staff. We have had a couple of people get hurt already, so prayers in this area are much needed.
  

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Your prayers too are so much appreciated! Thank you!

I had an incredible first week! Our class is very vulnerable to each other, and i can tell God has big plans of healing for all 50 of us. Details to follow...

Aloha! School Starts Tomorrow!

Aloha my wonderful ohana and hoa makamaka (Hello my wonderful family and close friends)! I made it to Hawaii on Monday night. I had the opportunity to earn a free flight voucher on my way out here by giving up my seat on a flight. So, knowing that it I can use it to visit my family and friends next year , I decided to delay my arrival in Hawaii by a few hours. The cherry on top was that the later flight chased the sun. I watched incredible sunset colors out my window for two hours!

Exhausted from a long day of travelling, my senses were awakened when my friend, Ericka, picked me up from the airport with a lei in hand. It was all beautiful, white plumeria flowers! Fresh plumeria exude the most incredible, intoxicating smell :) Mmmmmmmm. We came back to Gordon and Kim Dong's home here in Kailua-Kona. They are a wonderful couple who invited us into their home for the few days before school starts. Thank you so much for your incredible hospitality and loving home.

Yesterday, Ericka and I woke up and enjoyed Kim's fantastic banana, macadamia nut pancakes with raspberry syrup. Wow, I am spoiled. After filling our bellies, Ericka and I went to the beach for a few hours of swimming, talking and enjoying God's glorious creation. So incredible! Running into the water was incredible - so I wanted to share the experience with you.

Today was also wonderful. We joined the woman's small group this morning at Kim's home and discussed the importance of interdependence versus independence and lessons in submission and following the lead of a husband. One of my continued prayers is for the Heavenly Father to prepare me and mold me for the day he brings me my husband.

After the woman's group, we went to the high school that Kim and Gordon's sons attend. They had chapel time today, so we listened to the sermon from the visiting pastor from India. The lessons there patience and obedience. Also incredible.

Tomorrow we check-in for the school. I am so excited to get started! I know that God has wonderful things to teach me. I am going to be in a very safe atmosphere for letting down my walls, showing my wounds, healing and growing.

One last thing for today. I have a prayer request from all of you. Ericka and I were talking today and I realized that I am holding on to pain and need to forgive someone. I would like to ask for your prayers in my complete healing regarding this situation. I can sense that I have built up a wall and pretended that everything was okay. Pray with me that God will tear down my wall and heal the wounds in my heart.

My bags are packed and I am ready to go!!!

Praise GOD. I am up before my alarm and filled with joy. I leave for the airport in 45 minutes. Praise GOD for this beautiful day and new adventure!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again

The time is finally here! I have one more night in the beautiful state of Colorado before I head on an adventure with my Lord. My parents will wake up in the dark tomorrow to drive me to Grand Junction where I will catch my 8am flight to Kona, Hawaii (via Pheonix and Los Angeles). My wonderful friend, Ericka, who is going to be in the same DTS as me, is going to meet me at the airport. She flew out to Hawaii last week to spend a little time enjoying the island before we check in on Thursday. I too am hoping to enjoy Kona a bit before I dive in to life as a student again.

I am so excited to be part of such an amazing community of believers all stepping out in faith to grow closer to the Lord and to show His love to others. Our school is a very diverse group, which is something that I have been praying for. Last I heard we had 46 students accepted into the school. We come from around the world: USA, Canada, South Korea, China, Russia, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, India. This is going to be so incredible!

Here is a bit more info about campus life from the U of N Kona Website:
Typically, there are between 250 and 400 students living on campus each quarter. We often have another 100 to 200 on overseas field assignments plus an additional100 children enrolled in campus schools. We may have as many as five focus DTS programs each quarter. Each focus DTS could have between 20 and 80 students, sometimes more.
Other schools running at the University of the Nations Kona -- such as the School of Biblical Studies (SBS), Introduction to Biblical Counseling (IBC) and School of Digital Filmmaking -- typically have smaller classes ranging from about 15 for SDF to 35 for SBS.

I am so blessed! I am so thankful to the Lord that I was able to spend the last three weeks with my parents. We shared so many meals, conversations, and time together. I will miss them, and I am sure they will miss me too. Hopefully these last three weeks will make it easier when I am away. I think the hardest part for them is that I bought a one way ticket, and don't know when I will be back in Colorado. It is a little scary for me too, but I really feel the Lord calling me and I want to dive into His arms without anything pulling me back. WOW. What an incredible opportunity He is giving me. :)

The leaders feel the theme verse for the Compassion DTS comes from Micah 6:8. I love it!

"He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Art Festival with Mom

Last weekend my mom and I participated in the "Render the Rock" Art Festival in Crawford, CO. We arrived Friday evening and set up our painting camp in a hay field with about 30 other artists where we would all spend the next few hours and most of the following day creating art inspired by Needle Rock and the surrounding landscape.

Saturday all of the entries would be judged and then auctioned off. My mom and I had a great time painting in beautiful Western Colorado and did our best to win a ribbon in the judging round. Unfortunately, our pieces didn't quite have what it took for the ribbons this year nor to be purchased. This is the painting that I did on Friday night - I love the late evening sun and the way the shadows and colors come to life.

I left one of my other paintings out to dry while we went to the artist reception and auction. Unfortunately while we were there, a huge storm went through town and when I got home, most of the paint had been washed off my canvas. Oh well! I guess I will just have to paint another one someday. Thanks for a very fun weekend, Momma Mia :)

Family Time in Montrose

The countdown till my departure is 11 days 14 hours! I am super excited to meet the rest of the students in my DTS and to focus all of my time and energy on learning and growing closer to the LORD.

In the meantime, I have some wonderful time to spend with my family. I am staying at my parent's house in Montrose. This allows me to do advertisement sales here in Montrose for a couple of weeks for the Go To Guide Telephone Directory. The Lord has blessed me with fantastic clients down here. I wasn't ready to leave them yet, so my bosses agreed to keep me on for a few weeks of this selling season. I am also learning (when I tell my clients of my YWAM plans) that the high majority of them are fellow believers. So amazing! Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement

On the weekends, when I am not doing the 8 to 5, I am hanging out with my parents. For Labor Day the three of us went up to help my sister and her boyfriend build their cabin just outside Powderhorn, CO. It is in a beautiful location out in the woods away from everyone. Here are a few pictures from our construction day on Monday. When we got there, we had a few planks in for the foundation and when we left we were already placing in the third layer of logs. Way to go team!


Update on my finances for the DTS. I currently have raised $7,764 for my DTS. I have been drawn to Proverbs 13:5,6

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

God is so good! That means the entire tuition is taken care of, and I only need about $2,400 before November. If you are interested in supporting me financially, please mail a check to:
Logan Marlatt
7023 Old Relay Rd.
Ridgway, CO 81432

Also, thank you for your continued prayers. As I prepare for my DTS, please continue praying:

• that I would rest in the Lord's arms, trusting Him fully with my life
• that I will become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His promptings
  
• that I will learn our Father's voice so that I may obey and live my life according to His will
  

Thank you all so much for joining me in serving our Lord. Your support and encouragement are appreciated more than I can express. Thank you!

Wonderful time with Family and Friends

My two weeks in Longmont are almost over. I have had a wonderful time staying at my grandmother's house and am so thankful that I was able to come. My grandmother is 87 years old, and we accomplished all three things on her vacation wish list while I was here.

Our final adventure took place on Thursday. I drove my grandma and my cousins' daughter, 3 year old Maylea, up to Rocky Mountain National Park. What a beautiful drive! Grandma even treated us to McDonalds for lunch and a blizzard from DQ when we made it back to Longmont.

I am so blessed to have been able to spend time with several of my friends from high school and even catch up with my favorite teacher from middle school. Thanks for all of your support guys!

Monday I will drive back to the Western Slope to spend three weeks at my parents' house in Montrose while I do my final advertisement sales for the Go To Guide Telephone Book. I also have some wonderful paintings to complete! :) Then it is off to Hawaii :)

LIFE IS GREAT! TANKEY PAPA GOD :)

Details about Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and more

Quick Facts about YWAM
-Founded by Loren and Darlene Cunningham in 1960
-Operates in more than 1,000 locations within 149 countries
-Current operating staff is more than 16,000 (the staff volunteers their time - no salaries)
-Nearly half the staff comes from non-Western Countries (Brazil, Korea, India, Indonesia, Nepal)
-Sends out 25,000 short-term missionaries each year

Here is a video of the history of the University of the Nations campus in Kona, Hawaii




This is a video put together by some of the students who did the Compassion DTS in Kona, Hawaii that finished in March, 2009


The leaders for my school, Pieter and Dawn Heres, have been involved with YWAM since 1984 and are doing amazing things. Their website explains more: www.heresfamily.com

I would be thrilled to go work with children in Cambodia or anywhere else God may call our team. We will pray about our missions outreach the first few weeks of school and should know where we will be going by the beginning of October.

Other websites you may want to look at: (just select, copy, and paste in a new browser window)
www.ywam.org/contents/abo_introduction.htm
www.uofnkona.edu
www.uofnkona.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=128

Sing Praise from the Mountaintops

Today was a glorious day - I believe the Lord made it especially beautiful for a convertible ride up Trail Ridge Road with my dear, dear friend, Joanna. With the top down and the sun warming our faces, we drove up to the top of Rocky Mountain National Park to spend some time praising the Lord. The whole time we were hiking (trying to stay on the rocks so we didn't kill the delicate plants of the tundra) the song of my heart was "You are Love, Love, Love, Love. Lord you are Love, Love, Love, Love."

I was praising the Lord for showing His love through all of my wonderful friends and family. Thank you all for loving me for who I am. I pray that you will see the Lord's love coming through your friends and family. I also pray that you will be so overflowing with the love of and for the Lord, that it spills into the lives of the ones around you. Lord, thank you for loving all of us, your precious children. God, thank you for being love.

I was reading in 1 John 4 today and learning more about God's love and how He showed his love. This phrase, the second half of verse 16, especially spoke to my heart. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him

Disclaimer - The photo above is from Trail Ridge Road, but I actually took it in mid June, not today. So, there was less snow today and also fewer clouds. It was beautiful!!!

The countdown is on... Departure day for Kona, HI is 4 weeks, 5 days away!

Farewell to Gunnison

I have lived in Sunny Gunny for 8 wonderful years. When I first moved here for college in August 2001, I never thought I would be here so long. I came to Gunnison partly because I thought the people were so nice. I had no idea how many incredible souls I would cross paths with.

I've developed countless friendships and have too many memories to count. Sunday will be the day to say goodbye to my friends, roommates, and my church family. If you know me at all, you realize there will be many, many tears. (I tend to be marked as a "crier"). Thank you to everyone I know here for making Gunnison the wonderful place it is.

Last Monday our women's small group had a time of prophesy for me. I had heard of this before, but never been part of it. Thank you to Ali and Bistro for teaching us what you knew and guiding the evening.

The Lord spoke words of encouragement to my heart through the other women in the group. Any anxiety that I may have had was replaced with excitement and comfort through the Lord. A few of the scriptures shared during that time include: Psalm 13 (especially 5-6), Psalm 21 (especially 1-2), Exodus 14:14, Zephaniah 3:17 The passages are written out on the bar to the right.

You will notice a theme of rejoicing for the Lord and He for me as well as instruction for me to trust in the Lord and to find comfort and rest in Him. Please pray that I continue to praise our Father for the blessings and provisions he has given me. Also pray that I trust Him and let down my guard to allow Him to do his works through me.

I will be driving to Longmont on Sunday to spend two wonderful weeks at my Grandma's house then heading to Montrose for three weeks with my parents.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to spend time with my family before I fly to Hawaii on the 21st. I am not sure where God will take me through this adventure or when I will find myself in Colorado again.

Thank you for your prayers, support and for joining me in this "Adventure for the Lord"