Family & Freedom.

Kona, Hawaii. Mention this place to me 3 weeks and I wouldn't have given much thought to it. I'd of told you about the YWAM base I knew of there and how my friend Dan Baumann lived there. Thats about all I knew, showing even more clearly just how little I cared about the tiny city of Kona. Fast forward 3 weeks and BAM I'm now living in Kona and I've been here 10 days! Its truly amazing how God works.

Deciding to come do the DTS here at Kona was SUCH a last minute decision. So sudden, in fact, that I had barely any time to prepare or think about just what I was getting myself into. Even the decision to come was quick. I knew I was suppose to move within 15 minutes of hearing the idea from Dan. Looking back on it now... God is so crazy. When he wants you somewhere, there's no way of getting out of it, and it's gonna hit you like a ton of bricks. I love it!

I arrived Thursday night, July 7th, to a smiling Dan Baumann. The whole day had been filled with travel, so I still only took a brief few moments throughout the day to let the idea of what was really happening sink in. It truly wasn't until today, 10 days later, that I woke up and it started to settle in.. I'm here for a while. haha. Thankfully, its not a scary feeling. I'm just ready to jump in.

The first Friday we were here we got a little peek into what exactly we'd gotten ourselves into... The welcome services were awesome. The worship was FANTASTIC. I was so happy. Then came Saturday... Saturday night was just suppose to be a little "party/meet everyone" shindig. But MAN did Jesus have different plans. What was at first just a time to hang out, quickly turned into an hour long spontaneous worship time. This school started out So hungry that there was no awkward, get to know each other time. There was no lets-slowly-discover-who-God-is-together. We dove in, head first. And we haven't looked back since.

With each worship and prayer time has come new revelations of God and his love for me. Anything I thought I knew or understood about Jesus has been radically shaken up and the beauty of the Lord has melted my face off multiple times. 

GOD IS NOT AN EMOTION. That is just one of the many revelations that I've been challenged with. Whether you feel him or not, whether you're having a good day or bad day, he still deserves your praise. So many times in worship I've been bummed because I didn't FEEL God and I somehow took that as God not showing up. But that is such a lie. I am slowly learning to push past my feelings and worship no matter what.

A big theme throughout this DTS is one of UNITY and FAMILY. The staffs' hearts are really to live a life centered around the first 2 loves: Love God and Love People. It was evident from the first night that their hope of turning this DTS into one big family was already coming true. Each student has bonded with each other in a way that can only be attributed to a commitment to love each other like Jesus first loved us. It has been a desire of my heart for years to have a group of friends that I knew loved me 100% no matter what. And though these people are still human and will still fail me at some point, I know in my heart that when they say "I'm committed to you" they mean it! I love the feeling of complete support. I especially love living in an environment of freedom, where speaking into each others lives and calling out the plans and desires God has for each other is a daily occurrence. Never have I been in such a loving, supportive place. Its truly awesome. 

Knowing you're loved gives you such FREEDOM to walk out the plan God has for you. Freedom brings confidence. Freedom opens up the doors of opportunity, of discovering your identity in Jesus. That is something I have never had. I am still struggling with breaking free from the past, but every day is a step in the right direction. 

I'm here in Kona and my only prayer is Jesus have your way! Jesus, I want to KNOW YOUR HEART. 

This is part of my beautiful family :)