Caves and Castles!!!

So a couple of weeks ago we went on an amazing adventure on our day off....first we went on a caving adventure which turned out to be WAY MORE INTENSE than what we had expected. For us North American females we thought we would go on a relaxing guided tour of some caves, see some crystals and rocks and just have a gentle tour. OH NO....that was not it at all. 

Here is a little clip of our pre-cave excursion! 

After this video was taken the serious adventure unfolded as we were led on a 3 hour journey into some of the world's largest gypsum caves. I did not believe I could fit through some of the small cracks and holes that we did....it was stretching and challenging - I LOVED IT! There were some moments (I will post those videos later!) where I really felt like I could not survive or pass through the suspended crevices. I certainly cried out to God a number of times and He came through - even in an adventure activity! He loves us so much!)

There is much more to write on the cave experience....it was so much piled into one day - fun, team work, testing, physical work, victory, fulfillment of prophetic vision for my time serving in Ukraine...and MORE!

A word about the prophetic vision:

When we first came to Ukraine in May 2010 the Holy Spirit gave me a very clear vision that He was bringing us to an underground cave that was very large. I was inside the cave and as I praised and worshiped Jesus light came into the cave and I saw beautiful painting on the walls. It was very high ceilings...and it was a stronghold. God spoke to me, that there has been a stronghold of faith in Ukraine for a very long time and it is beautiful, but has largely been hidden and underground. He spoke that as we seek His face and PRAISE Him, intercede and worship that He will shake the foundations of even this stronghold and begin to enlarge it for more to find refuge here....(making His family bigger here!!)....

It was almost one year later when I found out that Ternopil region (where we live and serve) is famous for its caves....and boasts Europe's largest Gypsum caves!!! I got so excited and new that I needed to get on the inside of these real caves, understanding the parallels in the supernatural!

We sure praised Jesus when we were in those caves, as we admired the crystal and overcame personal and team weakness by His grace!

So excited for this playing out in the spiritual more and more....!

About the castles...that will have to be another post...stay tuned!

YWAM Ternopil Staff Retreat

Here is a short video I took from our 3 days of Staff Retreat in August. It was a great time of camping, cooking over the fire, outdoor adventure and just plain family fun time!

For me, this was the first "family" camping trip I had been on since being a younger person...and it was a blast. IT was so great to be out in the fresh air of the country. Ukraine is so beautiful! We saw many horses pulling loads of hay, had some great long walks in the forest, some times together being challenged as a team....and more!!

One of our friends, and fellow missionaries, Slava, brought a huge human kite out to the dacha....I tried it a couple times...and it was wild! It is the kind that you have to harness yourself into and that could cause you to fly!! I did not fly, although it was close a few times as it dragged me here and there...it was a blast for sure!

Another highlight was spending time with all the kids! They were great...especially their excitement with the entire experience...getting to wear their pijamas outside (that was really cool!!), roasting marshmellows, playing together and more! Lots of amazing laughs with them!

How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity....this was a time of renewing that bond and love for one another and allowing God to make it go deeper :) Jesus is crazy about strong, loving, relationships....and so am I!

Back in Ternopil - Kings' Kids Outreach Team

Here is a little glimpse of some outreach in Ternopil....summer 2011 has been super busy! This is just a small look into a time full of God's grace and goodness in and through so many people!!  This outreach was happening when I arrived in Ternopil. I helped cook for them a bit while they were here...it was a blessing :) 

Port Townsend reflections

Relentless Blessing of the Generations

Just a few days ago I was radically privileged to sit with a multi-generational pioneering missionary to China. This dear saint is 88 years old and as sharp as whip! Mrs. Baker was born to missionary parents in Yunang Province of China in the 20's. They escaped when she was under 10 years old because of the national upheaval...she later married the son of well known missionary to China, H.A. Baker. Her story is long, amazing and totally a testimony to God's generation blessing that rests on families.

For me, it is a great privilege to sit with this woman of God and hear her stories of life from childhood to present. Her and her husband married and returned to China as full time missionaries where they pioneered Bible Colleges and formed a foundation for the Chinese underground church, before they were kicked out at the dawn of communist rule in China. She is brimming with wisdom, love for Jesus and love for people. At 88 she has such a zeal for life and for the things of God. What an inspiration.

I could go on and on about how wonderful it has been to be acquainted with her and her one daughter.

The reason that I am posting this is because it is related to a book that I am reading at present, called Relentless Generational Blessings, by Arthur Burke. In the book (which you must read!!) he details our God as a generational God and how there are blessings that have been laid up for us all from all of our righteous family members past that we have never known. It was as a result of Mr. Burke's expounding on scripture surrounding the generational blessing that I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to go to see Mrs. Baker a second time on this last trip to Port Townsend and ask her if she would bless me.

For me, I have no known ancestors that were full time missionaries, or Spirit filled ministers. (I am so thankful that my grandfather was open enough to become ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada - and I know that is heritage that I am very thankful for.) In this past year there have been times where I have felt like my endurance was growing weak and that God was testing my heart to see how committed to Him and His call that I was....and this seemed opportune and divinely appointed....that right at the time when God was speaking to me about the blessings of generations that can be imparted I have the time with this mighty woman of God who pioneered in the nations and has a mighty heritage....God's blessings simply continue and compound!! Talk about the kind of investments we must be making above all else - investments of the heavenly kind to leave a wake of blessing for our kids and generations to come...!

So....to the point - I asked and she immediately grabbed my hand and began praying for me. There was no lightning or thunder, but the sweet presence of God descended in that time and I was overcome by the GREATNESS of God and by His inheritance which transcends natural blood lines, but culminates in the all powerful and superseding blood of Jesus Christ. In that blood and by His power I received the blessing to move forward as a pioneer and builder of His kingdom in the nations, not without heritage of those who have gone before and feeling alone in the battle, but with the tangible blessing of God that will never leave and will continue to be enriched by God's presence and word as He receives honour and praise through my life! WITH A HERITAGE OF FAITH only in Jesus Christ....that is endless and relentless!

My life will never be the same....by God's great power at work in me!

Wrestling with contentment

Off the top of my head, I could define contentment as being satisfied, complete, not lacking or wanting anything else. Fully satisfied sounds like a good description. And in such a phrasing it sounds great! Don’t we all want this? Do we all have this?

For me, it seems that I am in a constant wrestling match with contentment...desiring to be content because I know that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6) and that Jesus has given me all things, so why in the world or heaven would I not be content in His amazing love and enjoy life with Him! Exactly – good point! I desire that great gain, that enjoyment that Christ came to give us, and above all I want to please my Father in heaven. I also desire the peace that accompanies contentment....a rest of spirit and soul – a settledness.  Ahhh – sounds perfect and it is indeed great gain. When we can cease striving, or when we are still, and know that He in fact is God, and I in truth, that we are not!! A great definition of freedom.

And right about the time that I am basking in the fruit of contentment (peace, rest, joy, love, gain) there rises this desire for change, for more, to let go of the old and reach for what is to come. So contentment quickly becomes discontentment and then a hunger for more. The wrestling match begins.

I go from enjoyment to dissatisfaction, knowing that there is something great on its way. The process of God bringing us to that new something great, however is where there is a battle within me. Wanting to maintain a content heart and not become unthankful for what He has done and given, it can become hard to let go and give what we have in order to return to the state of being empty handed before our Amazing Daddy, in order to receive the gifts and treasures that He wants to put into our hearts and hands.

Right about the time that I am able to put down the people and things that I have gained a contentment and satisfaction with and simply surrender, a grace comes to embrace the new and a new contentment begins to grow. But that is just it – contentment must GROW. As we are thankful and we continue to receive from God and recognize His working in our lives, contentment grows...and then when it grows to the point of change, a holy discontent arises, giving way for us to desire the new things in store. Yet I believe the even when we are in a place that we need to let go, and seemingly shed our contentment, God allows the fruit of contentment to compound in our lives and as we choose the right response to change it seems as though we lose our past contentment, but really the new contentment is added to our past measure.  Contentment is the fruit of our response to the circumstances of life, which is rooted in the state of our hearts.

I suppose that the wrestling match is resolved when we give up to the grace of God and go with His flow! When discontentment is recognized as a part of the growth of lasting, compounding contentment.  As I can see now, it is not a new story or prescription from Jesus – if we give it away, it will come back to us; if we lose our lives for His sake and the sake of the Gospel, we will gain live. God help us to receive the grace for the new and unknown, the things we have yet to see,  that will cause more godly contentment to grow in our hearts.

The Bridge and other thoughts

So...I have been home in Ontario for almost 9 weeks....and I have three more weeks until I go. The time has been very special, very precious and very different! I am realizing that being a bridge sometimes hurts....and rightly so. Bridges get walked on, things get transported over bridges, there is pressure, there is wear and tear...but bridges are build to last. They are built to withstand floods, they are build to bear the burden of those heavy loads, until they cross over to the other side. Bridges are build to connect, to increase communication, to increase traffic and accessibility to all sorts of things. Thank God for bridges and really thank God for the strength He gives bridges to exist. Another revelation and some of you might laugh who have heard me say this....I realize that to be a bridge is to be transition!!! Ha ha ha! Bridges are transition - they are the point in between that connects to fixed points!! So all this time, when I have said, "transition is my middle name"...actually my middle name is renee, which means reborn!!, it is pretty true from a heavenly perspective!

It has been unique to be back at home and almost "slide" right in to a role and perception of the dear friends and family here and see God do mighty things in such a short time. (obviously I understand He was working all the time, I just get to jump in and celebrate the victories God brings while I am present!!!) Lives brought back into right relationship with God. People receiving greater healing in their hearts and lives. Others being conformed into Jesus' image through discipleship and simply through loving, meaningful relationships. People identifying their dreams and visions from the heart of God and then going after it! AHHHHH!!!  I love the body of Christ and I love loving God's people - what an honour it is to be in His family!!!

Time is so valuable. Time with people with open hearts to love and hear and give and receive is valuable. Action and words that show our faith-filled belief in others is what Jesus loves!!! And it causes people to thrive and flourish in their God give gifts and talents! And it allows us to enter into greater love and freedom in Christ as we freely give away the love, faith and care that Jesus so freely gives to us!

What an exciting time it has been. And also a trying time. A time to fight in the unseen to attain and maintain the peace of God as various things have come against me pursuing obedience to God's word to me.

As I feel the winds of the Spirit of God stir me up to get ready to go away on assignment again, all the emotions and experience of a continued transition come along with it! Yet, in the midst of the pressure, of the temptation to compare and desire a life that God didn't make for me that I see others living with the grace and joy God has given them to live it with, I have a brooding excitement and renewed longing for the new adventures God has planned. I feel the awe of walking with Jesus into new places and into new and deeper relationships with people of other cultures, nations and lands starting to ignite my soul.

I was made for this. For adventure with God and others. For the glory of Jesus to be seen and seeded throughout the nations of the earth! And how awesome and wonderful is it that in this life God has given us, He can actually do that....through normal means like teaching English, prayer and intercession, worship and praise, declaring His word.....simple obedience! Only God is that good and He loves us so much that He brings us along for the ride!! And He builds us into what He designed, in my case and one of His purposes for me...a bridge builder and then the bridge itself!

Jesus is the greatest and most powerful bridge of all times...so I guess I have been grafted into His pre-existant bridge...What an amazing engineer our Father is!