Test Time!!!!!

So we have had more than our share in study and prep time and as you are prolly aware of...i have been more than anxious to apply and live all that ive been learning out. our team finally got the opportunity to do some intense time of ministry this past week. we call it our ¨OUTREACH WEEK¨ lol. if only our whole time could have been this filled with opportunity, but we made the most of what we were given and it was so fun!

We traveled to a small villiage...um...Texta...i don´t remember ha, but it was loaded with new adventures and rare animal sightings! we split up into 4 different houses for home stays. one of the homes also housed pigs out front...very talkative pigs! right next to the ¨baño¨or the outhouse and bucket shower=) it had a horse, a stuffed jaguar...chickens, turkeys that worked as alarm clocks...and a tiny lil boxer puppy which happened to be my favorite addition. My girl, Karla and I were blessed with (n our opinion)...the coolest family. we had our walk from the others...but our house was very civilized with hot showers, flushing toilet, and our own bedroom and beds...not to mention 2 quads (4 wheelers) =) not a bad deal.

we got up early and did lots of home visits...telling people about the God that we love...praying for their needs and for healings...and just loving them. we worked alongside the church there and their amazingly involved youth. one of our translators that was a part of the youth was a brand new follower of Christ and it was awesome to see her enthusiasm to learn about this Savior guy. she was constantly reading thru His Word and asking questions. Awesome! we did open airs and spoke at a high school. at the school we were not allowed to say or mention the name of Jesus,but we talked about morals, our testimonies and left the implication to ask who it was hat changed our lives and transformed us so much. one of the girls asked me for my email address so she could ask me more questions about Jesus. we did our dramas and gave them words of encouragement. afer oneof the open air services i had the urge to tell this cop a lil sumthin that God patiently kept pressng on my heart to share with him. so i made Karla go with me to translate. she was a lil nervous about getting capped (shot up on the block) Lol...but i convinced her...so i told this young cop guy(kinda cute i must add) the picture that i had gotten from God for him. Of seeing him as a soldier for Gods army and him fighting for his city to know God. Turns out he was a Christian himself and he said that he had heard about the open air and had requested to be posted there for it! haha...God is funny. He was so thankful and seemingly encouraged so that in itself encouraged me. and knowing that God was able to use me and that His power was great enough to give me enough boldness and love for a cop...among all the people...Oh what a God i serve=)


It was a testful week and i definitely could feel the Enemy trying to get to me all week...but i told him that he could kiss my a$* ha...and for him to get the heck up outta my headand take his butt back to hell. But it was also testing in another way...ya know...walking up into people´s houses and being aksed to share ¨a word¨with them---i asked myself---what is it that these people really need? what really is my core motivation for serving and passionately following my God? how has he transformed my life and what pushes me to share this love with strangers in a totally different and oppressive country? bottm-line...what is the truth as i know it??!=) truth vs lies...bc satan was continually trying to cloud my vision, but the truth prevailed and i ended up speaking about it during a service lol. Experiences and testings that work to increase my faith and ultimately my trust and love in my Father...my Friend...My EVERYTHING!!!

There are more stories from the week...but we have to go soon and i still need to check my gmail=) Thank you always for your support and prayers. Please keep them coming!! i have 2 weeks left in Mexico. We will be back in LA on the 9th...then i will be back in Indianapolis on the 15th!! Ha...Indianapolis...a city that i have grown to love and actually miss. Love to all ya´ll!!

Kate

Consume Me From The Inside Out:

God has sure been workin me over on this outreach! ive been learning and cramming so much in my head it is hard to organize it all in order to process it and write it out for this update. My last writings depícted the struggles and cries of my heart. But through struggle comes growth...and i am slowly continuing to lay the bricks of my faith foundation.

I have realized that change and transformation need to happen from the inside out. Focusing on your own heart, your own relationship, passion and love for the Lord, your own amount of love for people...before you can effectively ask others to do the very same.

And while we are mentioning love...i have learned a lil bit on that too. I have learned and am in the process of applying lol...specifically...love for "the church"...for fellow believers and breaking it down even a bit more...love for those believers who are satisfied with the mundane and living in passive religiousity. I need the same love for these that I already have burning within me for "the lost"...for those that are not aware of their identity that they are entitled to through a life with Christ. The hurting...abused...abandoned...the victims. why am i so judgemental of my fellow brothers n sisters? how can I rule a guilty verdict when i am so far from perfect myself? Its pride. well its alot of things that make me angry...but none of them entitles me to be so. So pride it is.

So i am working on my own change on the inside....while that will hopefully affect the church...which in turn...will ultimately be the army that God has established to admister truth to their own communities...to the OUTSIDE!!! To the lost, hurting, etc. It is a chain reaction that i was picturing with the same outcome...but with a huge piece of the puzzle missing. That being the church. I dont know how i missed it. Jesus talks so highly of the church..."His Body". I mean...He was kinda serious about it. It is kinda a big deal=)

So i continue to learn...and be transformed...no matter how painful it may be. I was gratefully reminded by a pretty amazing friend of this following verse in James 1:1-4: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds; for you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverence. Perserverence must finish its work so that you may become mature and complete...not lacking anything."

Quite the truth. Its funny how verses come alive to you as they apply so accurately to your given circumstances. I am being continually reminded to be faithful with what i see as "little"...in order that God can trust me with the "bigger". I also appreciate this quote from Oswald Chambers: "Service is not what you do for Christ, but who you are for Him." I am so thankful for that because i am not sure of all the ways in which God is using me here...but i do know without a doubt that He is molding me...and for that i will praise Him and continue to perservere.

Thank you all for the e-mails, n posts of encouragement and words of wisdom and truth. You seriously help me out SO much in my processing and learning! I am so thankful for my community of support...thank you for fighting with me. Continue to press fervently in to our Father so that we can passionately praise Him through every feeling and circumstance of life. May we glorify our Savior with ALL that we are and truly KNOW the Father who we serve with our lives.

With love...

Kate


Extra Prayer Points:

**LUIS---a young man that i got a chance to talk with at the juvenile prison that we went to. He seemed genuinely thankful for the words that i taught on. He is searching for truth...you can see it in his eyes...but he has alot of the crap from this world up against him. help me in lifting him up in prayer and interceding for him to God.

*That i can effectively learn how to better harness my anger which on more than one occasion have been rather surprised with. ugghhh...emotions!

*Continuing to trust God no matter the situation...no matter if i cannot totally trust people.

*The teams health...lots of sickness

*Team unity...which comes thru selfless love (theres that love word again!)