loose ends.

this next week will consist of tying up loose ends,
finishing packing,
getting together with family,
saying goodbye to friends,
and heading off on the adventure of a lifetime.

and this time next week, i'll be on a plane to Hawaii. :)
a week (7 days) until Kona!

ten.

by the time most of y'all read this,
it'll be down to 10 days until i leave.
sayyyy what????
it's gone by so fast.
i need to go shopping.
haha. :)

thirteen (almost twelve).

so the past few days have been crazy busy,
(i actually juuuust got back from a two-day visit to virginia to see some friends before i leave for hawaii...it was probably the most fun i've had in a while :D), but here's an update that i posted on my facebook on wednesday evening.

"i am SUPER excited to be able to say that 100% of the funds for my 8-12 week missions outreach with YWAM have been raised. my prayer was that it would come in before i left for training, and that prayer was answered today. God has blown me away with how He has provided. :)"


isn't God amazing?
as of wednesday, i have 100% of the funds needed for outreach.
this means that i don't have to worry about raising my funds while i'm at training!
Jesus answers prayer. <3


13 days until Kona,
$0 left to raise!!!!!!!!!!  :)

trust and have faith.

"immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "you of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"" matthew 14:31

Jesus' words to Peter are what i keep asking myself.
over and over.

why did i doubt?


i knew God would provide, and He has.
He has shown Himself mighty in numerous ways.
i feel so humbled by His provision,
and so ashamed that i doubted even the teeniest bit in His ability to provide.

each step i've taken the past few months has been one of faith.
granted, my faith is weak sometimes most of the time.
i guess i'm like Peter.
he had enough faith to get out of the boat to walk on the water with Jesus,
but he lost focus on Jesus and focused on the terrifying waves crashing all around.
Peter started sinking and would have drowned, but Jesus reached out and saved him.

in the same way,
i see Jesus reaching out to me,
saying to me,

"valerie, why did you doubt Me?
can't you see how I've provided for you?
I've been right here the whole time.
trust Me...I have the perfect plan."

16 days until Kona,
$106.00 left to raise!!!

twenty-four.

24 days until Kona,
$556.00 left to raise!
God is so good!!! :)

life in hawaii {a guest post}

after getting a super sweet comment from a girl named Kimberly, on my other blog,

i checked out her blog and discovered that she lives in hawaii.

i emailed her and explained what i was doing (YWAM - DTS),

that i was going to be leaving maryland to live in hawaii while doing my training,

and asked her if she'd be interested in doing a guest post about hawaii.

it turns out that she actually lives on the island that i'll be staying on,

and she's been to the University of the Nations' campus where i'll be living for 3 months! it's a small world. :)

i love being able to see how God is directing me and using little things

as a confirmation that this DTS is what i'm supposed to be doing.

but enough of my blabbering...enjoy Kimberly's post and lovely photos! :)

~Valerie

This place is dubbed the land of Aloha, pristine beaches, and hula dancers.

At least that's what most people associate with this little dot in the middle the the Pacific Ocean.

However, after having lived here most of my life, for me Hawaii is much more then a vacation getaway.

It's home.

The terrain here is quite diverse for such a small area.
There are mountains, rain forests, beaches, barren lava fields, and green pastures.
One can even admire snow-capped peaks in winter from a sunny beach on the coastline.
(And I certainly won't deny that the beaches here are gorgeous; even after living here for years, the view can still take my breath away).
At times, the water is crystal-clear, the sun is beaming, and the breeze is enchanting.
At other times the atmosphere is stormy, the foamy waves billow, and surfers dot the waters.

 Not only is the terrain unique, but the local lifestyle is also interesting. Many people speak "pigeon" which is a sort of local slang. It can be hard to understand at times; for example, instead of asking "Would you like to go to the beach?" it would go more like, "Eh, you like go beach?" Then there's the food. Locals love to eat poi, which is a purple, pasty food which is made from pounded taro roots. Another popular dish is called lau lau, which is salted pork wrapped in tea leaves and then steamed to perfection.


One of the interesting places on the island is the YWAM base in Kona.
It's a place of worship and spiritual growth, filled with people devoted to spreading the gospel.
The few times I have attended a YWAM meeting, the energy of the worship filled me with joy.
Seeing so many young people gathered to serve Jesus Christ is encouraging and overwhelming all at once.
I am so very excited for Valerie, and know the Lord has amazing plans for her time here!




this blog post is brought to you
by the lovely kimberly.
you can find her over at AMUSING.
go check out her super adorable blog
and leave her some aloha (love)! :)

confident.

everything inside of me knows.

i know without a shadow of doubt that this,

this thing called a 6-month discipleship training school (PhotogenX!),

this is what i'm supposed to do.

i don't know how i know it,

but i have never felt so sure of anything in my life.

it's truly God.
i can see Him working in so so SO many ways
(not just how He's providing financially).

a few weeks ago,
i was so scared of the unknown lying before me.
but i've been praying about it,
(i know that others have been praying for me too),
now God has taken that feeling away
and replaced it with a confidence.

"for God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7

because of the Holy Spirit,
i go with confidence.
i embark on this journey,
trusting God to take care of my needs
because He can.

i just want to praise the Lord
and thank Him for friends who support
and encourage me in my walk with Him.
i am so blessed. :)

28 days (4 weeks) until Kona,

$1,260 left to raise.

twenty nine.

i applied for health insurance for my DTS on saturday,
and on monday i got an email saying that everything was set.

my grandfather was kind enough to pay the $532.99 that the insurance cost.
praise Jesus!
one less thing to worry about paying for. :)

i also paid the $1,000 deposit fee today.

two things checked off my "to-do before April 5th" list. :)

29 days until Kona.
$1,280.00 left to raise for outreach!

never underestimate my Jesus. :)

i want to begin this post by saying WOW.

i knew God would provide the $6,000.00 needed,

but i didn't know how or when.

today, i made about 95 more ham sandwiches to sell towards my trip,

(making the total of ham sandwiches sold, 345-ish;

meaning i made over $900 for my missions trip by just selling ham sandwiches),

but that's not even the most exciting part!

i got a VERY large donation (read: $2,300.00)

from someone who would like to remain anonymous.

they were very impressed that i was going with YWAM,

and what i was going to be doing there,

and they wanted to contribute towards my trip.

i guess buying 30 ham sandwiches wasn't enough,

so they donated $2,300.00!!!!!

um, i shouldn't be amazed, but i am.

God is just SO awesome

and He's continually showing me that He doesn't operate on a budget.

He WILL provide. :)

i also got an email from one of the pastors at my church,

and the church will be donating $300.00 towards my trip,

praise the Lord.

my prayer was (and still is) that i would be able to raise my goal

of $6,000.00 (for outreach) before i leave for Kona on April 5th.

today that goal suddenly got 100x more achievable.

i'm just so blown away by God's goodness and amazing-ness.

PS. hey you fellow YWAM-ers, if you're doubting that God will provide for your DTS, here's a tip: never underestimate Jesus. He knows the desires of your heart (like mine is to have 100% of my outreach funds before i leave for Kona), and He loves you! just trust Him! He can and He will provide. :)

34 days until Kona,

$1,476.00 left to raise!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 weeks.

i'm terribly sorry that i've only really been posting updates on the financial part,
but i have a special treat coming to you all next week!

i have a guest post-er lined up,
and y'all better get excited about it,
because i'm STOKED about her guest post.

let's just say that it's going to be amazing,
(i know this because God's hand is 100% in it). :)

God has been working in crazyyyy amazing ways recently.
i'm so amazed at how He works stuff out.
(i'll share more later). :)

35 days (5 weeks) until Kona,
$4,343 left to raise.