lily
09-18-2004, 01:07 AM
Hey you all! :D I just wanted to let you all know that I’m still alive, and well, and I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings that some of you may have had after reading some stuff about what my plans are.
Btw, thanks to those of you who noticed I was gone, and asked about me… I lub you guys, Rudy, Gabe… :) and to answer your question, I was posting on christianforums.com for a while, and then for a few weeks I was posting on an atheist site. I’m not posting there anymore, and all I have to say is maan… that site gave me a new appreciation of DA, and other sites on the web!
I know that some of you already know about my plans, but I just wanted to get my words out there, and this is so important to me, so I hope that you hear me out, and keep in mind that there’s not one side to this story.
I’ve been wanting to do missions work for a few years now. It’s something that I’ve known, on some level, for the last 2 or 3 years that I would eventually do, but it wasn’t until this year that I really felt led to do it. I worked at a Christian bookstore, and that was great for meeting people who have been on missions trips (many times), and strong Christians who have positive words of advice/encouragement.
Early this year, a really cool lady that I know from Sacramento State came in to the store, and we talked. I told her that I wanted to do missions work, but I don’t know if I’m really ready… She immediately mentioned a missionary school/sending organization called Youth With a Mission, and was really excited to tell me about it, and said it was great, they are based in Hawaii, and she wrote down some info for me. Funny thing, as she was writing down the info, she said ‘I just got the chills’ (meaning, she felt that we were meant to cross paths that day, I guess) Yes, I know to non-Christians that probably sounds silly, but let me get back on topic here.
So I thanked her and took the info, but other than checking out their website, I just filed it away mentally, and didn’t really think about it for months. Then, a few months later, a girl who I worked with, who I was beginning to be good friends with, told me that she wanted to go on a missions trip… and her place of interest has always been Russia, for some reason. Then she mentioned YWAM, and said that she wanted to go to the YWAM in Russia. (Her older sister went to YWAM in Kona, and so did a number of friends of hers, so she knows all about it) I told her that I wanted to do missions work too, and I remembered (from my friend at Sac State) that organization, and now a second person was bringing it up. So, since we both want to do missions work, she said “let’s go together.” I told her that I had no desire to go to Russia, but I might be interested in going to the Hawaii location for the course. So, she goes “Ok, let’s go, I’m serious.”
That was a few months ago, and after a lot of praying, thinking about it, and asking tons of questions to people who have been there, I have felt all through these last few months, that this is what I’m supposed to do, and there have been so many circumstances and things that have happened that confirmed that.
I worked at a Christian bookstore where many of my co-workers, and my managers, are genuinely awesome people who have been Christians for many years. I talked to my managers, my co-workers, and even customers, and everyone had positive things to say about YWAM, and they were excited for me that I was getting started in the amazing task of world missions. As I said earlier, many of them have been on a number of missions trips, so they had advice for me, from their own experience.
My friend Carrie’s (the one I am going with) older sister went through YWAM in Kona, and she is a very strong, mature Christian, who has been a Christian for 20 years. She goes by the Bible, and she is very knowledgeable, and an all-around great person. She has had nothing but very positive things to say about her experience, and she has been so encouraging. She said that it was definitely an awesome, life-changing experience, both the school and the missions trip (she went to India, but has also been to other places, including Taiwan and Europe). I also met her friend, who was also there, at the Kona YWAM, and she too had positive things to say. She showed me a scrapbook that she made, from her trip, and answered a lot of questions I had.
So I applied, and the application process took a while (I dragged it out, so it was my own fault), and during that time, I went through a period of time where I wasn’t sure if this was God’s will, and that was mostly due to that negative stuff you might’ve read, on Jason’s thread. (I saw that long before he posted that) So I prayed more about it, and talked to many people about those concerns, and I met more people who have been through YWAM. The bottom line is, even after going through that period of time when I had doubts, I still felt that it is God’s will, and many people who I respect and trust, including my managers, friends, and others, have encouraged me to go, and I am going by my answered prayers, and the advice of many people I trust, and 7 different people I know in real life who have been there, and all said it was awesome. And out of those 7 people, I have talked to a few of them in-depth, they are all strong, devoted Christians. My friend Carrie knows even more people who have been there, done it, and no one she knows has said those bad things, and they all had good things to say.
But enough about that. I feel like the big misunderstanding here is what I am super excited about… it is not YWAM, or any sending organization, it is missions work itself, being a part of the Great Commission… that is the amazing thing, and what the focus should be on, and that is what I truly need support from my friends. Because as I said, this is important to me, and I would hope that the people I have gotten to be friends with in these last few years, would be supportive. A couple of you (you know who you are) have been, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your contributions to my missions fund and for your prayers.
I am going to be leaving on the 23rd, and I will be gone for about 5-6 months. I probably won’t have much internet access, especially on the missions trip, which will be in South East Asia. I am so excited and stoked and I really wish that you guys would trust me, and be supportive of me on this trip. Btw, I am still quite a bit short of my financial goal, but I have been in the process of fundraising, and I am still expecting donations from more family and friends, but I really do need a miracle, and for those of you who pray, I could really use your prayers right now! Please pray that I am able to meet my financial goal for this trip, and please pray that all goes well, and for my safety when I’m on my missions trip. That would be appreciated so much!
Thanks for reading this looong post, and thanks again to those of you who were interested in my whereabouts! :D
Love and God bless~
cindy
Btw, thanks to those of you who noticed I was gone, and asked about me… I lub you guys, Rudy, Gabe… :) and to answer your question, I was posting on christianforums.com for a while, and then for a few weeks I was posting on an atheist site. I’m not posting there anymore, and all I have to say is maan… that site gave me a new appreciation of DA, and other sites on the web!
I know that some of you already know about my plans, but I just wanted to get my words out there, and this is so important to me, so I hope that you hear me out, and keep in mind that there’s not one side to this story.
I’ve been wanting to do missions work for a few years now. It’s something that I’ve known, on some level, for the last 2 or 3 years that I would eventually do, but it wasn’t until this year that I really felt led to do it. I worked at a Christian bookstore, and that was great for meeting people who have been on missions trips (many times), and strong Christians who have positive words of advice/encouragement.
Early this year, a really cool lady that I know from Sacramento State came in to the store, and we talked. I told her that I wanted to do missions work, but I don’t know if I’m really ready… She immediately mentioned a missionary school/sending organization called Youth With a Mission, and was really excited to tell me about it, and said it was great, they are based in Hawaii, and she wrote down some info for me. Funny thing, as she was writing down the info, she said ‘I just got the chills’ (meaning, she felt that we were meant to cross paths that day, I guess) Yes, I know to non-Christians that probably sounds silly, but let me get back on topic here.
So I thanked her and took the info, but other than checking out their website, I just filed it away mentally, and didn’t really think about it for months. Then, a few months later, a girl who I worked with, who I was beginning to be good friends with, told me that she wanted to go on a missions trip… and her place of interest has always been Russia, for some reason. Then she mentioned YWAM, and said that she wanted to go to the YWAM in Russia. (Her older sister went to YWAM in Kona, and so did a number of friends of hers, so she knows all about it) I told her that I wanted to do missions work too, and I remembered (from my friend at Sac State) that organization, and now a second person was bringing it up. So, since we both want to do missions work, she said “let’s go together.” I told her that I had no desire to go to Russia, but I might be interested in going to the Hawaii location for the course. So, she goes “Ok, let’s go, I’m serious.”
That was a few months ago, and after a lot of praying, thinking about it, and asking tons of questions to people who have been there, I have felt all through these last few months, that this is what I’m supposed to do, and there have been so many circumstances and things that have happened that confirmed that.
I worked at a Christian bookstore where many of my co-workers, and my managers, are genuinely awesome people who have been Christians for many years. I talked to my managers, my co-workers, and even customers, and everyone had positive things to say about YWAM, and they were excited for me that I was getting started in the amazing task of world missions. As I said earlier, many of them have been on a number of missions trips, so they had advice for me, from their own experience.
My friend Carrie’s (the one I am going with) older sister went through YWAM in Kona, and she is a very strong, mature Christian, who has been a Christian for 20 years. She goes by the Bible, and she is very knowledgeable, and an all-around great person. She has had nothing but very positive things to say about her experience, and she has been so encouraging. She said that it was definitely an awesome, life-changing experience, both the school and the missions trip (she went to India, but has also been to other places, including Taiwan and Europe). I also met her friend, who was also there, at the Kona YWAM, and she too had positive things to say. She showed me a scrapbook that she made, from her trip, and answered a lot of questions I had.
So I applied, and the application process took a while (I dragged it out, so it was my own fault), and during that time, I went through a period of time where I wasn’t sure if this was God’s will, and that was mostly due to that negative stuff you might’ve read, on Jason’s thread. (I saw that long before he posted that) So I prayed more about it, and talked to many people about those concerns, and I met more people who have been through YWAM. The bottom line is, even after going through that period of time when I had doubts, I still felt that it is God’s will, and many people who I respect and trust, including my managers, friends, and others, have encouraged me to go, and I am going by my answered prayers, and the advice of many people I trust, and 7 different people I know in real life who have been there, and all said it was awesome. And out of those 7 people, I have talked to a few of them in-depth, they are all strong, devoted Christians. My friend Carrie knows even more people who have been there, done it, and no one she knows has said those bad things, and they all had good things to say.
But enough about that. I feel like the big misunderstanding here is what I am super excited about… it is not YWAM, or any sending organization, it is missions work itself, being a part of the Great Commission… that is the amazing thing, and what the focus should be on, and that is what I truly need support from my friends. Because as I said, this is important to me, and I would hope that the people I have gotten to be friends with in these last few years, would be supportive. A couple of you (you know who you are) have been, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your contributions to my missions fund and for your prayers.
I am going to be leaving on the 23rd, and I will be gone for about 5-6 months. I probably won’t have much internet access, especially on the missions trip, which will be in South East Asia. I am so excited and stoked and I really wish that you guys would trust me, and be supportive of me on this trip. Btw, I am still quite a bit short of my financial goal, but I have been in the process of fundraising, and I am still expecting donations from more family and friends, but I really do need a miracle, and for those of you who pray, I could really use your prayers right now! Please pray that I am able to meet my financial goal for this trip, and please pray that all goes well, and for my safety when I’m on my missions trip. That would be appreciated so much!
Thanks for reading this looong post, and thanks again to those of you who were interested in my whereabouts! :D
Love and God bless~
cindy