Summer DTS Update

Aloha family, friends, and supporters! I trust you are doing well and enjoying the warm, refreshing summer months. It is definitely warming up here in the islands both physically and spiritually.  My heart is full to overflowing at the faithfulness and work of God in these students' lives! We are finishing up our 7th week of lecture phase in our Summer DTS.  So far, our weekly topics have been "Intimacy/Intercession,” "Bible Overview,” "Hearing the voice of God,”  "Identity in Christ,” "Relationships,” "Postmodernism,” and others.  Each week has been full of revelation and transformation. As staff, all we do is give ourselves, our students, school, speakers, and every minute to God and step aside to let Him work. And He does! Sam (my co-leader) and I have been so blessed with our team. We have 2 guys and 4 girls who are absolutely hungry for the Lord and all that He has for them. We started the school with Opening Night welcoming the students into our YWAM family. After a fun night of celebrating the opening of the school, we announced that the following morning we would be embarking upon "Exodus". Exodus is our version of the Israelite's journey into the wilderness in the book of Exodus. DTS Staff and students spent 3 days and 2 nights "in the wilderness" without solid shelter, pillows, tooth brushes, hair 

brushes, makeup, deodorant, showers, mirrors, change of clothes, or various food (just top ramen and unseasoned oatmeal). The purpose of this challenging few days was to get to know the "real you". We were dirty, smelly, and vulnerable. It was awesome! We ended "Exodus" with an unexpected  "Love Feast" which consisted of all the staff celebrating our survival of "Exodus,” washing student's feet, and worship. This was the beginning of life change. Already, our students are not the same people that arrived here 7 weeks ago. Their hearts are being softened and mended, their minds are being stretched and grown in knowledge and wisdom, and their ears are being opened to their Father's voice.  "My mind is getting wrecked!!" is a common statement among my students.  The transformation and change is happening so fast that's it's almost too much but not enough at the same time. It's absolutely amazing to watch and be apart of.  God is daily teaching me what it means to find my strength and life in Him. He is giving me wisdom beyond my years. I'm so thankful. My prayer is to lead in Godliness, humility, integrity, holiness, righteousness, and purity. I am not one to be quick to lead but I'm learning how to step out and step up (with God's grace). 

We leave August 24 for Thailand where we will stay at YWAM Thailand for 10 days to finish up Lecture phase, make house visits, encourage the local missionaries and YWAMers, and get adjusted to the Asian culture.  I went to Thailand with my DTS last year so I look forward to returning to the place my love for Asia started. In a way, I'm going back to the beginning. From Thailand, our school will separate from the other team going to Bangladesh and our team will head to the island of Borneo. We will be flying into Kuching, Malaysia and then taking a 12 hour bus ride across the border into Indonesia. We will be spending the majority of our outreach in Indonesia where we will be backpacking through villages and living like the locals do.  Our ministry will consist mostly of house visits, building relationships, holding open air teachings and church services, intercession, and just sharing the love of God with those whom we come in contact with.  There is also a possibility that we will be teaching a week in a DTS in Samarinda. Overall, this will be a challenging outreach. Most places we will be staying at will not have electricity, beds, or showers. We will be sleeping on our own bed mats, bathing in rivers that are also used for washing and human waste disposal, and will be eating lots and lots of rice. But we are up for the challenge. God's grace is sufficient. Our team is ready (as much as we can be) and excited for what God will do through us and in us. I know we will not come back the same. 

The Lion's Rohr

Have you ever written an email or letter, looked at it, and then completely erased the whole thing? Well, that's what I just did. It's hard for me to put into words what my life has been and what it will be very soon. Shortly after coming to Maui, I felt like I was not going to be in the Hospitality department for very long. I had a "feeling" about the upcoming Summer DTS (Discipleship Training School). My "feeling" was soon confirmed when the Summer School Leader, Tik (she's an amazing Godly woman from Thailand), asked me to pray about staffing the summer school. I didn't have to pray long. I'm excited to say that this summer my co-leader, Sam Stephens, and I will be training and leading a team of students (ages anywhere from 18-28) through 3 months of intense lecture followed my 3 months of outreach to southeast Asia. Wow!! Lord, help me! =) God has given me such peace about this. Looking back over the last few months, I can see God's evident hand preparing me for the adventure/challenge that I am about to take. I feel so honored to be entrusted with such a great task. Staff training starts next week (May 4) and our school begins June 6. Please pray for strength, wisdom, peace, and faith for the leadership team and I. We have much to do. Also, please pray about supporting financially as well. I am still required to pay my staff fees (approx. $300/month) plus my plane ticket to Asia (approx. $1500). Right now, I have $50 support a month. I'm so thankful to be serving a God who provides where He guides. He is Jehovah-Jirah, our Provider. I hope you are doing well and seeing God's beauty in the little things. God bless! Aloha
-Chelsea

Aloha family and friends! I trust you are doing well and recognizing God's provision in your every day lives. The past couple months have flown by! I apologize for not updating you sooner. Due to some changes here on the base, I have been made the Head of the Hospitality/Housing Department. This requires that I do the budgeting, Hospitality shopping, cleaning, delegating house cleaning, and delegating students' cleaning duties. One extra detail- not only am I the Head of the Hospitality Department, but I AM the Department. With the occasional help from friends, I have been running it by myself. In a nutshell, my life has been extremely busy and crazy. I see now, though, that God knew exactly what He was doing because having this much responsibility and work has definitely stretched me and prepared me for future staff positions and life in general. It's only by God's grace that I've been able to do all that this job requires. I love it! I work with a smile on my face (most of the time...) and a thankful heart because that's what He requires of me.
Allow me to briefly update you on the past couple months. In February, myself and another staff member moved down to Paia (a town about 7 miles from the base in Haiku) for a couple weeks to cook for the Fall DTS teams who had just returned from outreach in southeast Asia. We cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 35 staff and students. It was a busy but great week getting to hear all the things God did through the students and seeing how He transformed them from the inside out. Outreach really gives new perspective and appreciation for our great nation. We are a blessed people.
I'm still leading worship on a regular basis and am loving it! Revival Maui is also taking off here and things are definitely shifting in the spiritual world. We are hearing testimony after testimony of God radically changing people's lives. God is giving us the vision and the tools to see revival come to Maui. Please go to www.revivalmaui.com to see the new website and get more information.
The Winter DTS students are already in their second week of Outreach. The 3 teams (Bangladesh, China, Borneo) left for southeast Asia last week after completing 3 months of intense Lecture Phase. They are so hungry for the Lord and so excited to share the Hope, Love, and Truth they have found. It's awesome to be apart of the training and sending out of these students. Not only do I see their personal transformation, but I also am able to see them go transform the world. Wow! What a humbling thought.
This next quarter is a short 2 months. We don't have DTS students up at the Haiku base, but we are starting the SBFM (School of Biblical Foundation in Missions) in Paia. It is a school whose heart is to equip people with the knowledge to shape and change their spheres of influence wherever their calling may be. Our focus is to help with SBFM wherever we can and to develop a deeper unity among ourselves as a base. This is a quarter of refocus and relationship development. I'm thankful for this time to recharge.
Thank you for your constant support and prayers. You are such a blessing. I wouldn't be here without your faithfulness and support. God bless!
In His Care, Chelsea =)