Wow, God!

Wow, God!
Do you ever have thoughts like that? There are so many times that we walk through life and we just overlook the every day, we chalk things off to coincidence, or classify them as ordinary...

But God is actually in the every day, He is orchestrating every moment of life. Small things, big things, they all come under God's sovereignty.

I've just been reminded of that this morning. When I was first planning the Mini-DTS and picking speakers and topics, I'll be honest, I didn't much pray over it, or think of how it might flow or not flow. But God, in His sovereignty, has put together this school, with speakers and topics, in a way that flows, in a way that will prepare students from one week to the next...The little things, the details, they are in His hand...

The big things too are also in His control. I'm (Darla) leaving the Cook Islands in a few short weeks, and I've had my ups and downs with the decision. The base is coming into a new and exciting season, and I'd love to be a part of it. But Steve Dunne, the speaker for the next week of the Mini-DTS, pointed out some scriptures in Hebrews 11 to me this morning. One of the ones that really stood out to me was Hebrews 11:39-40, These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better...

I know that the Scripture is speaking about coming salvation, but God used them to encourage me this morning, that He does know the thoughts and plans He has for me, and He is orchestrating every moment of my life, every step that I take...

So stop for a moment and acknowledge God, think to yourself, Wow!, because He is doing some incredible things in your life. In every moment He is ever-present and He will never do anything unloving in your life. Each journey He takes you through is worthy of a sacrifice of praise as He leads you and guides you through life!

Be Blessed...

Hearing God's Voice!

We started the Mini-DTS this week. We have 6 full-time students and a few others from the base sitting in on the classes.
We're hearing from Cheyne Hosking, from the Marine Reach base in Tauranga, this week and he's speaking on one of those essential YWAM topics, Hearing the Voice of God!

We've only had 2 evenings of classes so far, but the lectures have been great. We've covered why it's so important to seek God in our daily lives, different ways to hear from Him, and different hindrances to hearing God's voice.

Although Hearing God's Voice is one of those basic YWAM things, sitting in on the classes this week has made me realize that it's one of the basics that I need to re-prioritize in my life.

Often when we're not seeking God's direction, we stuff up in our decisions, go off course, and find ourselves in places that we never intended to be to begin with. It's so important to seek God's will in EVERY decision we make, to make sure that our lives are continually aligned with His heart.

There are a number of different ways to hear from Him, the still small voice, impressions, the Word, and the list goes on and on.

Often though we're hindered by different things from really and truly hearing God's voice, possibly we have undealt with sin in our lives, we may have to re-prioritize our time, we may have a wrong view of who God is, or a host of other things.

It's made me ask myself, am I spending enough time with God? Am I truly seeking His will and making His will a priority? Is there sin in my life that is blocking me from hearing God?

At the end of the day, if we come to Him with an open and willing heart, soft-souled to hear from Him, we have to trust that God, who never does anything unloving, will speak to us, in His way, in His time, giving the perfect answer to whatever circumstance we're in or decision we're facing:)

We'll keep you posted on more of what we're learning!

New Things

So on Monday, we're starting our very first mini-DTS.

YWAM around the world offers a Discipleship Training School (DTS), which is a 5-6 month course, which offers 12 weeks of classroom training and 8-12 weeks of practical outreach in countries around the world. Many of the local community are busy with work and family and are unable to commit to a course this long, so we’ve developed a Mini-DTS that suits the Cook Island way of life. The Mini-DTS is a 3 week evening course that will cover topics such as Hearing God’s Voice, Worship, Intercession, Identity in Christ, and the Father Heart of God.

We want to encourage members of the community to a deeper relationship with God, provide teaching on the heart of God and our response to His heart. 

A further aim of mini-DTS is to help equip individuals in their everyday interactions and allow them to gain a larger heart for serving their local churches and for impacting the community around them for Christ.

We're so excited with what God is going to do in the local community through this course. So many people in the past have asked how they can be involved with YWAM, how they can be trained, and have been unable to commit due to family and work commitments. So this seems like the perfect opportunity.

There is also a growing hunger for God in the Cook Islands and we've seen Him open so many doors in the past few months. 

But with all things new and with every open door there is an upheaval in the spiritual, a resistance to what God is accomplishing around us. 

We just want to ask for a covering of prayer over each of us and each of these students over the next 3 weeks. We want to see God's purposes accomplished as He intends and we want to stand strong in all that He is doing and in His will.

Kia Manuia

Peeks & Snippets

Apologies for not having a post for the end of last week.
We ended up with a bit of a crazy weekend. All good things, but busy, and the blog, sadly, got left a little behind.
I just want to post a few of the things that have been happening around the base in the past few weeks, and what we're looking at doing in the weeks to come.

We've seen God open up so many doors for us since the beginning of this year, and we are so excited for what God wants to do in and through us in 2014.

Last week the guys went to the Prison and were joined by a group of men from the Lighthouse AOG. They'll be heading out to do Prison Ministry once a month for the rest of the year.

We had an awesome ladies night on Friday, February 14. We really want to keep holding Ladies nights once a month, to build fellowship and support with women in the community.

This morning, we had our first devotion at Imanuela Akatemia. We'll continue doing this monthly throughout the school year, and would like to expand into other schools as time & staff permit.

Every Thursday night we hold an Open Meeting at the base. Everyone is welcome to come and we have a time of worship, teaching & fellowship.

Sunday mornings we head out to the Arorangi AOG and run the Sunday School.

Also, we're having our first youth night for the year this coming Friday. It's a night of sports and games, with a simple message, open to all the youth on the island. Please pray with us that we'll have a good turn-out.

So these are just a few peeks & snippets of what is happening around the base and some of the ministries that we're running. Please continue to pray with us, that God will expand our ministry in the community around us and that we'll see many commitments for Christ this year.

Also, if you're interested in any of our ministries and would like to lend a hand or feel that God is leading you to get involved in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us! seeyou@ywamcooks.com

Blessings!

For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you. 

Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 

Plans to give you a future and a hope.

Why Evangelize Children??

Hey everyone, so I am in New Zealand at the moment attending a couple of days training at YWAM Crystal Springs on Children’s Ministry with CBM(Christian Bible Ministries). It has been awesome and I have learnt so much!!

One of the main thoughts that has come out of this that I want to share with you is “Why do we need to Evangelize Children?” So here is some of the teaching I have received on this.

1.    Because the Bible tells us to: In Matthew 18:14 Jesus tells His disciples, that it is not the will of the Father which is heaven that one of the little ones should perish. Jesus always made time for the children and blessed them, we can read this in many passages in Matthew and Luke.
2. There is a worldwide need: If you look at statistics at the moment almost one third of the world is under the age of 15. I am pretty sure that the Bible doesn’t say “go only to the two thirds of the world over 15 and preach the gospel”. No it says go into all the world.
3. Children are at the ideal age: They have a simple trust and a simple faith. We see Jesus telling His disciples to have childlike faith and to become like a child to enter the kingdom, so it makes logical sense that children are already in the perfect state to enter the kingdom.
4. If we don’t evangelize our children, someone else will: Most other religions, sects and cults all try to get our children. They understand that if you can reach a child you can reach the whole family.

I have so many other thoughts rolling around in my head but I am sure this is enough for now. Maybe if I get another chance to blog I will add some more on topics such as: what lies the enemy has put in our head about why children don’t need to be evangelized.

All in all it has been great training and I look forward to using this in future ministry.

How can you reach the children in your life today?

Kate Moala

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to make these amazing chocolate chip cookies, if I do say so myself. They had the perfect blend of white chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate chips. Occasionally, I'd throw in a few different types of chopped nuts, or some dried fruit, not raisins/sultanas but nice fruits like apricots. I'd mix it up with this perfect cookie dough recipe, and in just a bit there would be warm, tasty cookies being pulled out of the oven, ready to bite into.

I find that often the church is like one big cookie. There's lots of different chocolate bits, some nutty bits, some fruity bits, all very different, with different gifts and callings, but when held together with God, it makes something beautifully tasty and wonderful, something that draws in others of all kinds.

I think something for us to remember as we work and fellowship with others who are different than us is that all the bits are necessary, and if any of the bits are missing, we lose something vital to the taste of the church. God has created each individual with something to contribute to the whole.

So love on others today, even if you don't seem to agree with or understand them.

Kia Orana Kotou

Kia Orana, as we say in the Cook Islands, means, "May you live on." And since it's my first time writing on YWAM Cook Islands's blog (thanks to Darla Unrau for setting it up), may I greet you by saying, "May you live on."
As the year 2014 has already begun, most of us have plans and dreams about what we'd like the year to be like. With all the wonder and excitement that follows, unfortunately some plans don't always turn out exactly the way we want.
So friends, whatever the year has in store for you, "May you live on." With all the joy, fun, surprises, stress, sadness, or as they say, "the good, the bad, and the ugly," May you live on! And let the Lord of Hosts, our Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, help us through. May we see ourselves, our dreams, and our plans for this year through the looking glass, as God sees it.

Kia Orana e Kia Manuia

Paula Moala