Getting Ready To “Go Out In Joy” November 22, 2009

Hello again from New Zealand!  The Earth Care DTS team is three weeks away from leaving for training in Bali, and five weeks away from Cambodia!  I’m starting to get really excited about the work we’ll be doing.   We recently had a speaker – Rus Alit – who taught us about making water storage tanks and harvesting “bio-gas” (using the gas emitted during the decomposition of organic material – e.g., pig manure – for fuel).  He also showed us how to make a simple water pump.  We’ll learn more from Rus when we go to stay with him in Bali, and we’re all looking forward to it.  I feel like I have a lot to learn before we go to Cambodia, but the most important part is loving the people, and for that I am ready!

I’ve been feeling a little homesick this week, and struggling with apathy.  I just felt really down for most of the week, for no reason whatsoever.  Until Thursday evening – I snapped out of the funk, started smiling from my heart again, and just had to jump for joy as I was walking to dinner.  Those of you who know me well can picture it, I’m sure.   Some have suggested that it wasn’t just a “funk” but a spiritual attack.  If that was the case, it was certainly the prayers of someone else that helped pull me out of it, so I thank you quite sincerely for continuing to pray for me.  Especially as we get ready for outreach.  We will be heading to some spiritually dark places.  “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but … against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).  Praise God that the battle belongs to him!  “In this world you will have tribulations,” Jesus said.  “But take heart!  I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  We go into these places “‘not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).  We are all preparing ourselves to carefully and intentionally stay in tune with God’s Spirit.   Please continue to pray for the love of Christ to shine through.  “Don’t try to push out the darkness,” one of our speakers said recently.  “Just bring in the light!”

This is a little random, but I want to take a minute to publicly thank my dad for being a man of God.  Our speaker this week, Mark Parker, suggested that when the devil wants to destroy a society or a family, he goes after the fathers.  My father has been such a blessing in my life, and I thank God for him.  Thank you, Dad, for following the Lord and leading me to do the same.  Your steadfast faith is a testament to the grace of God.  I love you.

Outreach fees are due at the end of November (next week!) – God had other plans for some of the money I had set aside for my outreach, so please join me in continuing to pray for God’s provision.  Most importantly, please pray for the people of Cambodia and the work that God will do there using us as tools.  I’d like to say again, thank you to those of you who have been praying, and to those of you who have also been moved to help financially.  If God is leading you to financially support this mission, see my post on “Donations” for ways you can help.

“[The Lord declares,]
‘As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.’”
Isaiah 55: 10-13

Visa Success! – part 2 September 25, 2009

Update: Anna has her passport back now, too!

Visa Success! September 22, 2009

Thank you for your prayers for my visa/passport situation.  I received my passport and New Zealand visitor’s visa in the mail today!  It took less than a week for the NZ Embassy to receive my application, process it, and send it back.  And, I was reasonably calm and un-stressed the whole time.  Praise God for that!

Anna’s application is taking a little longer, and she’s still waiting to receive her passport back.  Please continue to pray for a speedy resolution for her.

Last-Minute Woes September 17, 2009

I have been operating under the assumption that I don’t need a visitor’s visa for my time in New Zealand.  I found out yesterday morning that this is incorrect.

So … after a frantic phone call to the New Zealand Embassy verifying the necessity for a visa, I sent my visa application and my passport via FedEx Overnight service to Washington, DC, yesterday afternoon. The very friendly Embassy representative told me that the processing time should be only a few days and everything should be taken care of in time, so I’m trying not to worry.  But I have to admit that not having my passport two weeks away from boarding an international flight is more than a bit unsettling.

Please pray for a quick turn-around time with my visa application, and for my nerves as I wait to receive everything.  I am extremely thankful that I found this out in time to get it taken care of so praise God for that!

Donations September 16, 2009

Thank you for your interest in helping me financially as I spend these six months learning about Jesus and sharing the good news of His love and forgiveness with those who don’t know Him. The most important thing you can do for me right now is pray for me and the people I will meet in Cambodia. If you feel that God wants you to also partner with me financially, I will gladly accept your support. There are several ways you can help (I’ve listed tax-deductible ways first, then non-tax-deductible ways at the bottom):

Tax-deductible ways to contribute:
YWAM is a non-profit organization, so donations made directly to YWAM should be tax-deductible in the United States.

Option 1: Write a personal check made out to YWAM Oxford and mail it to me in New Zealand.   It’s important that I receive the check before the end of November if possible, and it usually takes about a week for mail to get here (if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate an e-mail letting me know it’s on the way so I can plan for it).  Here is my address:

Angela Steele
c/o YWAM Oxford
PO Box 47
Oxford, North Canterbury 7443
New Zealand

There is no need to write my name on the check. I will mail you a receipt. There are no fees associated with this option.

Option 2: Go to www.ywamoxford.org and make your donation there (there is a small fee associated with this option).

1. Click on the “EarthCare DTS” icon.
2. Click “Pay Online” in the top right-hand corner.
3. There is important information on this page (explained in the next step) so make sure you read it. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select “Donation” from the drop-down menu.
4. Fill out the information on the next page. Make sure you select “United States” as your location. In the “Purpose” box, please type “Angela Steele Earth Care DTS.”  Note that the “Amount” box accepts your donation in New Zealand Dollars. As of the time of this writing, the exchange rate is $1 USD = $1.38045 NZD (check www.xe.com for current exchange rates). So, for example, if you type in 100.00, you are actually donating approximately $72.44 USD. There is a service charge for paying online by credit card (this is explained on the page in step 3). When you are done, click “Next” and continue to follow the instructions.

You will receive a receipt by e-mail.

 

Non-Tax-Deductible ways to contribute:
Any cash given to me or checks made out to me are not tax-deductible. If you are OK with that, I am happy to take your donation in this way. You can send a check made out to me to my parents and they will deposit it into my account. If you need their address, let me know and I will e-mail it to you.

Taking a Leap of Faith September 8, 2009

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“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  Genesis 12:2-3 (NIV)

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Praise the Lord, for surely I have been blessed!  I don’t know why God has given me the life He has, but I am truly thankful for it.  God made the above promise to Abraham and his descendants four more times in the book of Genesis – because of my faith in Jesus Christ I am part of that promise and that responsibility.  Over the last eight months, God has been leading me to explore the ways that I can be a blessing.

Since December, my job and many others at Cessna Aircraft have been in jeopardy because of the falling economy.  More than 8,000 people have lost their jobs at Cessna alone.  After seeing the effects of several rounds of layoffs, I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit.

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“Put on your backpack, throw out your road map - God’ll use anything, check it and see.  He’s giving us more than we ever could ask for; that’s the way we roll ’cause we’ve been set free!”  Newsboys

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My best friend, Anna, and I decided to follow what we felt was the direction of the Holy Spirit and take a leap of faith.  In May, we volunteered for the next layoff and applied for a six-month program with Youth With A Mission (YWAM).  I knew immediately that it was the right decision because of the sense of peace I felt the moment I turned in the paperwork to end my time at Cessna.  Even with that sense of peace, it hasn’t been easy.  It breaks my heart to walk away from the job and friends I’ve grown to love over the last two years in Wichita, but I trust God to put the pieces back together and make me stronger and more faithful because of it.

I will leave for Oxford, New Zealand, on September 30 for ten weeks of training in what YWAM calls Discipleship Training School.  After that I’ll put on my backpack and head with the group somewhere in Southeast Asia for outreach until the middle of March.  I’ll be out of the US and away from everything I’ve ever known for approximately six months.  During that time I will focus on my relationship with Jesus Christ and what it means to serve Him.  I believe that He will use me to add to his kingdom by being a blessing to others.

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“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” John 20:21 (NIV)

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I chose YWAM because I believe in their mission: to know God and make Him known.  I also chose the Oxford, NZ-SE Asia program within YWAM because of its goals.  This particular program is called Earth Care, and we’ll be working with people in poor rural communities, helping them with simple sustainable agriculture techniques.  We’ll be able to practice evangelism through word and action to bring the good news of Jesus Christ.

I’m writing this because I want you to join me in this mission with your prayers.  Someone once said, “When man works, man works.  When man prays, God works.”  I believe in the power of God, and that He will work for us when we ask Him to.  Please pray for me and the people I will meet while I’m in New Zealand and Southeast Asia, as well as for my family and friends at home.

I believe that God wants me in this program right now.  I will encounter many expenses along the way (school and outreach fees, equipment, plane tickets, etc., will total around $7,000).  I have just enough in my savings account to cover the estimated expenses, and I know God will continue to provide what I need.  If the Lord is leading you to partner with me financially, I will gratefully and humbly accept your financial support.  Call or e-mail me and I will tell you the ways that you can help, or check my post on donations (coming soon) for instructions.

When I return in March, I don’t know where God will lead me.  Maybe this is the beginning of a career in long-term missions, or maybe this is an experience I need to have before finding another job so I can support someone else.  In any case, I’m sure that the next six months will change my life – and, God willing, the life of another.

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“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”  Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

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