Graduation

So last night we graduated from our DTS. We had the community come to watch us be commissioned. We saw slide shows from both Guam/Saipan and Indonesia teams. The staff got a chance to share their experience with us these past six months. It was a pretty emotional night. After that we went forward and got our cirtificates, a abalone shell, and some chocolate (valentines day!).

Today we went to a thermal spa place where the water is heated by the earth (and the 50 c water smells like eggs). Tonight our outreach team for the last time ate together at Mongolian BBQ which was crazy good. It was special for one last time to meet as a team and share to the group what the time meant. It again, was an emotional time. The leaders gave each of us a necklace with a New Zealand symbol to remember the time by.

Tomorrow night we are going to see a rugby match, sunday i will be going to church and a festivle for immigrants and asylum seekers, monday a Rod stewart concert, tuesday...maybe read and sleep until wednesday night when i fly home!!! I am excited to see everyone and get to share my experience with family and friends.

Overall i must say this has been an amazing experience. Ive had some reall challenging times and had to confront lots of issues in my life that needed working on. I also discovered that God is faithful to help me through whatever it may be i need his help on - no matter what - because his desire is for me to become the person he created me to be and the person who will find complete satusfaction in Him. I also got to see some amazing things happening and meet people from all over the world and see different culture, language, perspectives, and everything that makes us amazingly different.Yet you find that we are all people and we all are meant for eachother and find our foundation in God and thats just amazing to see.

Cheyenne said he doesnt like the world graduation , but rather comissioning because we are beginning a new season. This one is comming to a close and a new one is beginning. But never believe the lie that there isnt better times ahead or that the next season wont be as meaningful. A life persuing the love of God and a love for others is always meaningful. It will be different - different struggles and different joys, but it will be an adventure. And thats what im on, my adventure.

Thanks for staying interested on my journey!! Hopefully i can share more in person someday with you.

Take Care,
Danny

Last Night

So this is my last night of outreach, we leave tomorrow afternoon for Aus, then to NZ. We have a 10 hour layover oh no!!! Anyways i have some extra time before we go spear fishing tonight so i thought id give an update. It was a bit hard comming back to Guam, almost like stepping back in time - like going tback to your old high school or somthing, because we had been here and been plugged in, then we moved on. So it was hard, but we had to remember that there was things to be done here and good things to happen. So we had a big outreach on the beach on Saturday with music and our skits and local churches doing stuff. Yesterday we did a chapel service which was our last ministry time where i got to speak and share my story and things ive been learning. Tonight we celebrated our outreach with a big feast - oh man this was good. And tomorrow is packing and leaving!!

The outreach has been really amazing. We had some time at the beach today just to process what we've seen change in our lives and ways we've seen God move and when i really think about it there are so many things that ive been wrestling and growing through. Its really quite incredible the ways ive been able to see the gradual growth. Then we planted a coconut tree to symbolize all the seeds we've planted here - the ones we might never see grow but we just trust God with. Good things take time.

So now we head back for a week of debrief in NZ. It will be exciting to see the other team again and share stories....but then i will be home exactly two weeks from today!! Nuts.

Anyways, gotta get going. Those sleeping fish dont know whats comming!!

Frying Pan...? Peter Pan.....? Saipan !!!!

Hello everyone from Saipan

Saipan could be described as a little Guam , about half the size and 10 years in the past. The weather has been colder with more wind and rain. The base we live on is more of an actual YWAM base, so we have scheduled chores and cooking etc. The chicken farm across the road is the oldest, smallest, and only one left of 3 farms on the island, so they provide all eggs for all people on Saipan (besides those who have their own chickens).

Since our arrival, we've been able to do some intercession for the island, hang with neighborhood kids, do our skits and program on a stage at the local markets. I actually got to share a testimony / word that night in front of a pretty big crowd. It's funny because its exactly the kind of thing i would never do 6 months ago, share about God in my life in front of others. Its funny how we can sometimes be embarrassed about it? Like my friend Joel says "Why can't we sing songs about God here? Some people sing about girls and cars...but we sing about God!" It sounds silly but its true. I guess i would be afraid of offending somebody...but really we're just sharing what God has been doing in our lives over the past 5 months, which is worth sharing. But i know if i saw a group of kids doing a skit in the market i would probably laugh at them for being dumb - but i guess that's because I judge people. (Normally here i would say "We" judge people, which is true, but it almost makes it seem less of a problem if i include others - really i need to focus on how i treat and love others). But we just go for it here, and its amazing!!!

So besides that, today we ran a service (without the sermon) at a local church. We led worship and had some island guys join us, and made one song reggae style which was awesome. The sermon was really good too.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "

Our love for each other is the sign that Jesus is who he said he is. If we a truly following him, then our love will be a sign for the world that he is the Son of God. Its our unconditional love - without reservation or expectation.

That is amazing.

So his message was, if somebody asks you "How is your spiritual life?" You shouldn't think about how much bible you have read or money tithed, but simply "Is my love for God and for others growing everyday?" Answer that, and you have found how your spiritual life is.

So we've been getting great opportunities already, and more to come. We only have until the 30th before we go back to Guam, so we must make the most of the limited time here.

I don't have any pictures because nobody has posted them on facebook yet, but when they do, ill be sure to post some.

Love you all,
-Danny

Month into outreach!!!

So hello everyone we have been here one whole month today!! We've been doing a lot since we've been here....like ministry at junvinille hall here, prison ministry, working with local churches and running services and sunday schools, visiting nursing home and playing songs and hospitals and meeting people. Also weve done evangelism in the markets and malls and other places which has been good.

For Chirstmas we had a bbq island style. Basically as you can see we first get up at 5:30 to kill the pig!! which screasm a lot by the way :( then we gut him and put him over white hot rocks which were heated by a fire then he is placed on top on the grills, then covered with sticks and on top of the sticks banana leaves, then we put a tarp over, and cover the tarp with dirt. all this is to prevent flames, so it just roasts in the heat. then we eat him!!!! Islanders know how to eat, let me tell you. More food than you can imagine. Its their culture to show hospitality with food...which is awsome.

Here is us doing silly YWAM skits at a local church on the beach. You can see dolphins jump as you worship God. Sweet!!!!

Sorry there isnt more...i dont have tons of time to write in this little cafe!!!

But here is me and my pals being silly.

Yeah...anyways life here is really cool. Its interesting because i know that were only here for a limited time so its real important to remember to live in the moment and in the season and make the most of every oppertunity. There is somthing there for us everyday. So i miss you all, but i know i will see you soon and we will play and have fun, but for now, im just enjoying it here in Guam!!! We leave next monday (Jan 7th) for saipan where we will live on a chicken farm (eggs everyday and every meal!!!) and i will update from there.

My camera broke so i am just using others picktures but i know you all understand!!!

O time to go!!!

BYEBYE!!!

Leaving in Two Days

Well hello everybody, this will be my last post from New Zealand this time around. We head out for Guam on Thursday afternoon. I'm not sure what the Internet will be like there, so i can't make any promises i will be able to keep in touch.

This short week we are learning some skits to perform in front of churches and public. Its funny because i know if YWAM came to our church to do these skits i would definitely call them lame and laugh a bunch, but here i am doing them!!!

Last weeks lectures were on Identity healing and intimacy. It was really good. I found it very interesting that our first speaker and last speaker both hammered home the importance of being real - with ourselves and others. To others so often its easy to be fake and pretend you have all the answers when it comes to God, having no doubts or questions. To ourselves its easy to fell like its wrong to experience pain and lack of faith, and so we can sweep in under the carpet and try to pave over the holes instead of dealing with them and finding true healing.

The week before that we had spiritual warfare. We learned the authority we have as followers of Jesus and how to walk in and increase the authority in your life through God. Our culture is very blind to many things spiritual...both to the good and to the bad.

Overall i would say this lecture phase was very good. If i think back to my original expectations, i thought a DTS might be some sort of magic thing, where you go into it one way, and come out another. But the truth is, DTS does not change your life, God does - and when you give him room to do so. But the day is very structured here and everything is planned out for you - quiet time, praying, worship, and lectures...just like camp or conferences. But the reason it is so hard to come away from these things is you must make all the effort on your own. The truth is, no amount of lectures will ever mean anything if you don't get personal revelation of the topic, and put it into practice. Take this cliche - God loves you. Doesn't sound very interesting or exciting....until you experience it. That is what changes lives. Learning about things like healing or miracles isn't exciting if they only stay stories, but experiencing it is something completely different.

The truth is, you gotta want it. The most important thing is the personal relationship with God - your quiet time, hearing his voice, seeing him work in your life. I realize that back home i didn't even have a quiet time, something so simple yet so powerful for understanding who God is. Like i said, you can hear all about it, but until it becomes real to you, its just head knowledge. Its easy with the amount of "Christian material" (music, camps, books, sermons, etc) available to us nowadays to get lazy and not put in the effort. But of course you shouldn't feel guilty - that isn't what it is about. Its discovering how much there actually is to discover and coming into understanding of how much God actually wants you and has done for you, and you falling in love with Him.

Proverbs 13:4 "The sluggard craves, yet gains nothing. But the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied"

These are just some thoughts...i could be way off, but that's how i feel right now. Really all i can apply any of this is to myself, i cannot generalize for other people. But I must be honest and admit I'm on a journey and still have much to learn. But that's exciting!!! And thats what im doing!!!! WOOO

Well...that's about it. Thanks to all those who care to stay updated!!!

Time winding down...

So hello everyone. Here's what i've been up to for the past few weeks...

Last weekend we visited the Oakridge base, which is another YWAM base base up north about 2 hours. Its very pretty up there, definitely more in the country. The base is basically a farm. We stayed there for a night and visted Pahi beach and a waterfall.

A few of us trekked up to the top of the waterfall. We also visted the old site of the YWAM base, in Pahi harbor. There is the amazing tree here. It's huge. Realy. you must be there to experience it.

This week's lectures was on the holy spirit. It was really good. The speaker, Jay Heinrich, was leading a team from Figi to Europe and on the team was one of the world's tallest men alive today. He is 8 feet 9 inches. He's an awsome guy. The whole team performed dances for us and sang songs in Figian. Also, Jay lived in Guam working on the base for a few years, so he gave us lots of good info to prepare us for our trip.

Only two weeks left until we depart for outreach...!!

Also if you want to see some more cool pictures from my adventures, you can click the links to the right over there!! ----->>

Take care,

danny!!!

Funny Conversation

A guy who staffs at the Oxford base, which is down on the south island, came in today for a 3 day meeting with other leaders in NZ. Here is our conversation:

[Me]: So where are you from?
[Will] : From San Diego, but i went to school in Orange County
[Me]: Oh yea which school? San Diego State?
[Will] :No, i went to Vanguard Uni
[Me]: Hm...you wouldn't by any chance know a guy Named Paul Bagai, he's my youth Pastor
[Will] :I dont know, what does he look like?
[Me]: He's a short indian Guy but he doesnt sound indian
[Will] :Hm...maybe. Wait, buy any chance would he make this joke - "Im indian...dots not feathers!!!"
[Me]: YES!!! Thats him! hahaha!!
[Will] :Yeah that was how he responded in role call the first day of a class we had together
[Me]: haha yes!!!!

So, Paul, your indian power travels even to the the ends of the earth.