Missions, Moving, MBI

Change

Something I've never been extremely fond, but it seems like things never stop changing. Two big things have changed and are changing for me right now

1) My family has moved from Pine Trail Camp to the Presbyterian camp for the summer.
2) I will be leaving mexico and starting formal education with Moody Bible Institute.

These are both good, but hard things for me to process. My family moving is really hard because I have been here in Mexico as they are doing the majority of the packing and settling into a new house. Pine Trail has been my home for the past 13 years, it's full of memories and holds a special place in my heart. It's hard to imagine not going back there and continuing in the camp ministry.

I will be doing my first year of studies with MBI online and then move to their Chicago campus to finish my degree. This is going to be a crazy change for me. I have been on the mission field for close to 3 years now, the lifestyle in mexico and missions is completely different compared to that back home. It will take a while for me to adjust and remember how life works back in "normal life".

When I was first confronted with all the changes I freaked out, but as I talked about it with some of my friends I realized they were echoing some of my same thoughts, fears, and frustrations. It's scary for out lives to change in such big ways.

But it's all part of growing up.

I recently did a lecture on the book of Colossians with the CSBS here in Mexico. One of my favorite things I got out of studying it this time was how important thankfulness is. There are 6 commands to be thankful. Each time in reference to who God is and what He is doing in your life.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

It seems like those without thankfulness are susceptible to falling into doubt, frustrations, and maybe even turning away from God.

I found this to be true about me. I was forgetting to thank God for what he has given me. I was forgetting to thank God for the amazing changes he was bringing about in my life. I just cried and kept asking Him why he was changing my life in such drastic ways.

So I started to do something simple, started walk in thankfulness. When I find myself getting overwhelmed (almost everyday lately), I stop, run to the prayer chapel on campus, and take some time to just sit in thankfulness. It's surprising how much of a difference it makes.

I still don't enjoy the change, but the more I get used to it, the more excited I get about it. I'm excited for the direction God is leading our family. He is giving my parents the chance to take their amazing skills and love for camp ministry to new places. MBI is going to be an incredible time of focusing on studies and where God is going to lead me with that.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Positive impact

It's been a busy spring time! The YWAM Tijuana base is in full swing with Mission Adventures and Homes of Hope. The C-SBS started classes and study on the New Testament. I've moved around a couple times and taken on the running of the Hope Cafe. 

The past three weeks I've had a great time working on a small part of Mission Adventures by directing the Passion Play. I love getting the chance to use my love of theater and drama to depict what Christ did for us. We have been getting an amazing response from the kids in Mission Adventures.

(The passion play cast)

The CSBS has started the last semester of the school- The New Testament semester. It's so refreshing to study the life of Christ and the growth of the early church through the selfless acts of the apostles. Yesterday I taught on the background and culture of the books Luke and Acts. In two weeks I will teach on the books 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. 

(This is the CSBS at a Passover

 dinner we had)
After Christmas break I moved back on campus, there wasn't any staff housing available at the time, so I was housing with students. I had to move around campus a couple times in the past couple months. Yesterday I moved into a house off campus with another staff girl. It's a super cute house and I'll post pictures soon! 

Last year, during my SBS, I became addicted to caffeine  I blame it on the late night studies but also on the campus Cafe. I started working there last year and fell in love with the art of making good coffee (and drinking it). The next little while I will be taking over the running of the Hope Cafe because the lady who is in charge is taking leave to have a baby. 

(Caramel Macchiato!)

As you see, I've become extremely busy this past month. I'll be honest, I sometimes don't have the best attitude about it. I'm tired and would really just like a moment to go lay on the beach that I see everyday. But I also know that this season of busyness is going to slow down soon. So I drink another cup of coffee and get back in. Not because I feel obligated, but because I see fruit coming from hard work...

Kids in mission adventures are walking away realizing that their life was empty and they are ready to do something more.

The students are gaining so much from the bible school. I get to walk alongside them and watch them grow in their relationships with God. The school is a chance to pour yourself out for 9 months and walk away with truths that will shape the rest of your life. I love seeing the word of God set people free from lies they used to believe and give them practical ways to live out the truth. 

Moving has been frustrating and exhausting. Last night when I moved into my room that had closets I almost cried. I've been living out of suit cases and moving around so much.  I'm so grateful and happy to be in a permanent place that I can call my own.

It's my favorite thing to create an atmosphere in the Hope Cafe where people love to hang out and be a part of a community of joy and peace. 

God is teaching me a lot through all this busyness. A big thing is just knowing that life is so impermanent. God could send me to the other side of the world and my time here in mexico will end. I want to be able to invest and pour out my best while I'm here. 

Part of being able to pour out my best is knowing when to rest and when to keep going. In those times when I have to keep going I'm learning to rely on God's strength. Because really guys, I'm not capable of doing all of this and make a positive impact without the help of God

Does that put the fear of God in you?

I don't know why but I keep putting this blog update off. I have tried a couple times to write one but then never get very far because so much is going on that I just don't know where to start or where to end.
Now I know, putting it off doesn't help because then more goes in my life that I would like to write about. And now there is over a months worth of things that I would like to share with you! Don't worry, I won't go crazy and will stick to some of the main things that have affected me.

After Christmas break the CSBS students started their studies on the infamous Prophets of the Bible. The school has had an amazing line up of teachers to help bring these unclear and baffling books to life.

Ron Smith, the founder of the SBS, was one of those amazing teachers that really brought understanding to the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel. One of his favorite lines being "Does that not put the fear of God in you?". His point always being "Everything you do teaches", which is not something that's easy to live by. For some reason most people (myself included) like to believe that no one is watching them or that no one is affected by what they do. I'm finding that to be far from the truth, and that truly everything I do teaches. The times that I'm in front of the class teaching, or mentoring students doesn't teach as much as my actions in day to day life. People are paying attention to if I complain while doing dishes. Girls will be listening to see how I talk about my body or others. It's those day to day things that have the greatest impact on those around me.

I taught on the book of Nahum, which speaks on the judgment of God against the evil city of Nineveh. I had great time teaching and I'm finding it easier each time to stand in front of the class and teach. The book of Nahum challenged me to really think on how much of my life am I really giving to God. Am I prideful because I am a missionary and already giving a lot of my life to God? Or am I striving to give the best I have to God?

These past 8 weeks have been quite a journey for everyone in the bible school spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Its been heavy work load and a lot of deep messages that go straight to the heart. The students here are determined to make it through and it's been incredible to see the ways that God is speaking to them through the hardest part of the school.

Thank you everyone for reading!
Nicole

Another year of trust

Hello Friends!
I am back in Tijuana, Mexico after a 2 week break to Michigan for the holidays. It was great to spend time with my family and catch up with some friends. By the end of my break I was actually ready to come back here to Mexico and start working again. I guess I got all the time I needed to rest be ready to go again.
One of the things that came up while I was home was what my next year was going to look like. For some reason it feels like every time I go home I feel this pressure to know what my next 5 years is going to look like. It's unnecessary, but all the same I end up trying to plan and figure out my life whenever I have time to do so.
Unfortunately all that planning and worrying doesn't usually accomplish much. It seems like every time I make a plan it some how gets changed at the last minute. You would think that I would learn and stop trying to plan things out and just go with the flow, but I don't. It seems my default is worrying instead of remembering how God is leading me to where he wants me to be. A few years ago I would never say that I'd be living in mexico and loving it. Going to show that if I followed my initial plans that I set up I wouldn't even think of living in Mexico. Yet here I am, loving life and following God.
I believe I wrote around this same time last year (I guess my thoughts go in cycles) about learning to trust God with my future. One thing I remembered today is that God loves me, and wants to see me do the right thing. I could easily say that I did the right thing coming here to Mexico, because I feel so blessed. Though I believe that if I had gone a different direction, while earnestly trying to follow God, I would feel blessed there too. Because no matter what I choose, God is still a good God. If I make a wrong decision He isn't going to make me suffer, He is going to try and lead me and bring me to where I'm supposed to be.
So here is to another year of trusting that God is going to open the doors to where he wants me to be. A year to trusting that if I do make a wrong decision God isn't going to abandon me because I know that he has never, ever done that. A year to enjoying life and giving God my best.

Help me with my Photography!

These past couple weeks have been full of some of the sweetest moments and some pretty tough ones. Being in another country, away from family, over the holidays has never been easy for me. I deeply love my family and our family traditions for the holiday seasons has always been something that has brought me a lot of joy. So being away from my family during this season wasn't the easiest on my emotions.
On the other end of that... I was just telling God about they way I was feeling about how much I miss my family. And almost everyday since then God has shown me how he has given me another family here in Mexico. We don't have all the normal traditions but there are certainly lives changing! The YWAM Tijuana campus pulled together and we put on a thanksgiving dinner for the homeless of Zona Norte. It was incredible as 500 homeless men, women and children sat down and enjoyed a thanksgiving meal they otherwise would never of had.
It was beautiful as a man who used to live on the streets of Tijuana gave a testimony of how God turned his life around and is now a pastor. After he gave his testimony many stood up and asked God to become part of their lives too. I was filled with so much joy as I watched all these men and women sitting down to a meal to be served and instead of them waiting in line for the food WE were waiting in line to serve them.

So now Christmas time is around the corner and I'm coming home for Christmas and New Years! I'm very excited to come home and see my friends and family.
I would like to ask for your help while I'm home. My sister in law had this brilliant idea of how I could raise some financial support while I'm home.....
Family Portraits for "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" greeting cards. If you have procrastinated pictures for this let me help you! I love taking photos and I'm always looking for those who love to have their pictures taken.
I'm home from the 18th of December till the 3rd of Janurary. If there is a date in there that would work for you let me know! I would love to meet with your family, share a little bit about my missions work and have a blast taking your pictures.

Prayer Requests
1) The people of Zona Norte who gave their lives to Christ would continue to see Him and search for Him

Mario of Zona Norte

Hey Friends! I just wanted to share a quick story about something that really touched my heart the other week while doing ministry in the Red Light District of Tijuana.

The picture above is a man name Mario that lives on the streets of Zona Norte. He comes to the park every Wednesday when our group gives out soup.
This one week we had a guy from our ministry share a message and play worship before we served the soup to the homeless. Mario and I were just chatting before this started and I found that not only did he have a physical disability that caused him to need a walker but he also has a speech impediment that makes it hard for him to speak. Only about 3 words of a sentence are clear.
When worship started we stopped talking to listen. As I was standing next to him I noticed that he knew the worship songs and was doing his best to sing along. It amazed me as I watched this man who could barely put two words together, and not really even sing, give his best to worship God.
So I think, do I, who lives in a beautiful place, eats food everyday, and am in very good health give my best to worship God like this man who has nothing compared to me. Too often I don't.
Later on Mario and I prayed together and the only thing he asked me to pray for was that God would forgive him. I wonder if that is what I would ask from God if I didn't even have a home to call my own and was begging for food on a daily basis.

Mario challenged me in how much I really give in worship God and what I truly should be seeking when I've already been given all I need to survive.

Joy instead of mourning

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in any way during my time here in Mexico.

These past couple weeks have been full of meetings, classes, studying, grading, working, ministry and tons of little details that fill in the gaps of time.
Usually during times like this I get tired and grouchy. But I really believe that God is fulfilling the verse that he gave me for this season of my life in Mexico
Isaiah 61:1-3 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

Before I left for Mexico I asked God for a verse to dwell on and think about as I go through my year here. I believe that God has been so faithful to turn mourning into joy, in myself and to the people that I am able to encounter. 

Doing what God has called me to has filled me in inexpressible joy even though it is tiring. People have come up to me and told me that they can see that I am growing in joy and peace. They say that because of the work that God is doing in me they see my ministry is becoming fruitful. I believe that a lot of that joy has been present because of the prayers of my friends and family. Prayer is such a vital part to the ministry I am doing here and without I would wilt. 

So thank so much for praying for me. 

Prayer requests: 

Increased joy and peace 

Healing from sickness (there is a flu going around the missionary base) 

Ocean Breeze and Mariachi Band

The ocean breeze and sounds of a mariachi band drifting through my window are a few of the sensory things that I usually experience on a normal day in Tijuana, Mexico. I live an extremely blessed life. As I revel in my  peaceful surroundings, I'm also searching for answers to questions that I and others have about the bible. Sometimes I get worried that I won't ever be able to amply explain and teach others the exciting things I have found in studying the bible. But as I keep studying and plugging away at it, I realize that if I am searching out truth and truly being humble about what I find, God will work through me whether I can't create a great power point or if I can't eloquently communicate my work. Gods word will not return void. (Isaiah 55:11)


My days have recently been filled with classes on the inductive method with the book of Genesis and personal study on the book of Exodus. I'm preparing a teaching on the Plagues, the Passover and the hardening of Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 5-13). The subjects are packed with so much meaning and are pivotal in the history of the Hebrews. I'm excited to study them and then be able to share them with the CSBS class.
I feel extremely blessed this week with the prayer and support that has been coming in. I can't thank everyone enough for their encouragement and willingness to make it possible for me to teach the bible here in Mexico.

Weekly Prayer Requests....

• Wisdom on how to present my teaching/ confidence and understanding for any questions the students might have. 
• Peace 

Thank you for reading!

Preparation

Hello Friends!
So much has happened in my first week of being back in Mexico that it has actually felt like I've been here longer than a week! My week has been full of preparation for the CSBS that is starting on the 16th. It's exciting to get back into the inductive method of studying the Bible and learning how to guide the students in the best way that we can.
Already we are welcoming students to the base and helping them get settled into their new living spaces. It's so exciting to have students from the US, Mexico and Norway joining us for this school. As a staff we have taken time to pray for each individual student and the school as a whole. During our time of prayer we are all feeling like this is going to be a school of personal transformation that people will be able to use to bring unity to the body of Christ.

I have one prayer request for this week...
1) There are two students from Ghana, Africa that are struggling to get their visas in time for the school. Please join us in prayer for God to pull these visa's through for the students so they can follow their passion for learning more from the Bible and experience the life changing power of the Gospel.

Another year in mexico (short version)

In a week I leave Michigan to go back to Mexico. While being home I've had the chance to relax, work and travel to Canada for a week to visit friends from my DTS and also to photograph the wedding of two of my friends. You can see the photographs from the wedding here . My time home has gone by very quickly and I'm sad to leave my family but very excited to see what this next school year will bring.
If my newsletter was too long to read, that's ok. Here is the short version...

I'm going back to mexico to keep working with the CSBS. I will be on staff with the school, my responsibilities will be grading, mentoring and teaching students the bible. I learned so much about the faithfulness and grace of God than I ever knew before and I'm so excited to be able to see the transformation that is going to happen in each students lives.
On the side of working with the school I also will be working with a ministry that serves in the red light district of Tijuana. There we serve soup in a park to the homeless while a smaller group does a prayer walk through Zona Norte. God is moving in powerful ways in the city of Tijuana and it's amazing to be a part of this ministry.
I have been blessed by so many of my friends and family's support in this. Though I am still in need of monthly monetary support. I know that as I am preparing for a year of ministry oversees, having a strong base of supporters is vital to my ministry in Tijuana, Mexico. Starting in September and lasting through July (10 months), I am in need of both spiritual and monetary support. Financially, I am in need of $500-600 of support per month, which covers all of my expenses in Mexico. At the moment I have been blessed with funds enough to get me through the first couple months of living.

                If you are interested in being my supporter there is a donation button on the right of this page. I'm seeking monthly and one time supporters. If you would like more information you can send me an email at nicole.hope35@gmail.com. I hope to be able to send out weekly prayer request and monthly updates during my stay in Mexico.

Thanks for reading friends!
Nicole 

Going back to Mexico!

Dear Friends and Family

I’m writing this letter to share what I have been doing for the last nine months and what the next step in my life is going to be.

                For the past year I have been a part of Youth With a Mission’s Chronological School of Biblical Studies, or YWAM’s CSBS for short. It’s a nine month school were we inductively studied each book of the bible in the order that the books were written. It was a very busy and crazy time of studying the entire Bible book by book. The last semester we studied the New Testament and it was incredible to see the whole story of the Bible really come together and see God’s faithfulness and sovereignty highlighted throughout all the books. These nine months have been the some of the most heart wrenching but also the sweetest months I’ve ever spent with God. God had been changing my heart and building up a passion for His word in me.  It was exciting and exhausting and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world.

                After completing the Chronological School of Biblical, I’ve been invited to join the next year’s staff of CSBS in Tijuana, Mexico. My passion for the bible and a desire to go deeper in the word is what has driven me to join the CSBS staff  next year. It’s going to come with a lot of responsibility but I know that I’m up to that task. I will be teaching two books a semester, a total of six books. My first book will be Ruth, one of my favorites. I can't wait to show the students the amazing story of redemption that God shows through the characters in Ruth! Other parts of being a staff member for the CSBS will include grading the students work, helping them improve their homework, and helping them go deeper in what they are learning. There will be an aspect of discipling the students through all that they are learning in the bible. Discipleship is something that I’m very excited about. During my time of going through the bible I found I had a lot of questions about God and lots of issues in my heart that I had to work through. My leaders were there to help me wrestle with those things. I am excited to work with students and help them wrestle with the hard questions and the hard things that God brings to light as you study his word.

                This past year I became involved in the ministry where a group of fellow YWAMers and I reach out to the homeless and the people on the streets of Tijuana’s red light district, called Zona Norte. Every Wednesday we serve soup in a park to the homeless while a smaller group does a prayer walk through the streets.. After repeated prayer walks as a group, many along the street are beginning to recognize us and allowing us to pray over them. We come into contact with all sorts of people, including other US citizens who are there for the heartbreaking things the red light district has to offer. I hope to become even more involved in this ministry when I return.

                God has blessed me with an amazing support base throughout this past year, both financially and spiritually. I know that as I am preparing for a year of ministry oversees, having a strong base of supporters is vital to my ministry in Tijuana, Mexico. I ask for you to take time in prayer to consider joining me as a supporter in this upcoming year. Starting in September and lasting through July, I am in need of both spiritual and monetary support. I am responsible for discipling students, teaching books, and hope to be involved again in Zona Norte. Financially, I am in need of $500 of support per month, which covers all of my expenses in Mexico.

                If you are interested in being my supporter there is a donation button on the right of this page. If you would like more information you can send me an email at nicole.hope35@gmail.com. I hope to be able to send out weekly prayer request and monthly updates during my stay in Mexico.

                I would love to share more of my vision for teaching the word of God; so, if time allows I would love to meet with you before I head out again in September. God is doing amazing things in Mexico and I cannot wait to be a part of His work there! It would be such a huge blessing if you came alongside me and sent me out on this mission that God has given me. I hope to see you soon!

In Christ’s Love,

Nicole

Children of a family for whom the CSBS '12 built a house 

Transitions

Hello!
I must apologize for not doing the best job of giving out consistent updates. It's something I hope to get better at soon.

Well life here in Mexico is moving right along.There are only 2 weeks left of the CSBS, and then I graduate with 7 other students in June 22nd! Needless to say, we are are very excited to have made it through these exhausting 9 months of bible study. We have all learned so much and there has been a passion developed in all of us for the word of God.
Also, I have moved into a small flat that is right next to the base here with another friend. It has been such a huge blessing to have a small place to call my own. Right before we moved there my roommate's dog gave birth to puppies. When my roommate got the dog she had been a street dog and very malnourished, so only 2 of the puppies have made it. It is a miracle that the dog and 2 of the puppies are doing so well.
To celebrate celebrating moving into my house here in mexico, as my roomy and I went out to eat taco's in the city. We were sitting outside, eating our taco's and chatting about how much we loved living in mexico and how amazing it is here. Two seconds later someone ran by and snatched my purse right off the table! By the time I realized what had happened the man was already across the street and there wasn't a chance that someone could of gotten it. Thank God right before I left I had taken out some of the important things that I had in there. The poor guy probably thought that he was going to get loads of money from the american girl only to find that the purse was basically empty. The only thing I could do at that moment was laugh at the irony of the whole situation and just move on. Viva la Mexico
It's been a busy, full, and wonderfully exciting week!

So, right after graduation one other student and I from the school are going to be working 2 more weeks where we will constantly be preparing teachings and taking every opportunity we have to teach in the community. This is going to be a 2 week time of training on how to teach us how to teach the books of the bible next year in the school. We were given the chance to be trained on how to prepare and teach books and since I get nervous when I have to speak in front of people, I took the option to be given some extra help in learning how to do that. There are 5 out of the 8 students that are planning on staffing and teaching in the CSBS next year, and we all are very excited to work in the CSBS and pass on the knowledge that we have gained!

After those two weeks I plan on going home for a short period to see family and catch up with friends. I actually will be traveling to Canada for a week to take photos for my friends wedding that is taking place at the YWAM base I did my DTS. It will be such a great time of reuniting with my DTS friends.

Well my friends, I hope this update finds you well, I must get back to my homework now.

Love, Nicole

Our Puppies curled up into a heart 

Serious Risks

I've been trying to figure something out. My future.
There are many choices in front of me. I'm young, I have the time to take steps in one direction and if I don't like it I can go another, right? Because I have to much time in front of me it shouldn't be such a big deal to take time to try a couple different paths and discover which one is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

But it doesnt' feel that way. I feel like every choice in front of me is a risk. Because they all seem to ask for a 3+ year commitment. And after those three years I won't feel so young.

In the past 4 weeks 6 of my friends have gotten engaged and I feel like these kids have gotten life figured out and are stepping out and living. And I'm still standing in the same place, clueless as to what to do next.

Something I don't want to admit, because if I do, my brothers will have won. I don't like giving my brothers the satisfaction of having victory. When I was younger (ok, maybe only last month) they would tell me that I take things to seriously. I would always argue and tell them it wasn't true. But maybe it is, I take life to seriously. How can I not though? I feel like these major life choices are happening right now and each choice is a risk.

So my dilemma is this... So I need to calculate and be serious about these next few steps I have to take? Or is it one of those things where I have to listen to my brothers wise words and realize that I'm taking life too seriously and just learn to take risks with my life?

The wonderful thing to know is that I have faith on my side. Faith that even if I mess up and make a wrong decision. God will still want to work with me. It's a good thing that the most important thing in this life is having relationship with God, and as long as I'm pursuing that I don't think I can mess up too terribly.

Prayers

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me. It's been so encouraging to hear from different people who have been praying. It's helped me keep going here.

Being new to this whole sitting down and actually doing homework thing, I was struggling to get all my homework done each week. I kept trying and trying, my grader has been nothing but encouraging and always telling me that if I need help making  a schedule or anything else that I could ask her. But  I thought I could do it on my own, I was wrong.
This week is a very important and key week, we are studying the books of Kings and if we didn't buckle down and study kings we would miss out on a lot of the meaning to the books of the prophets, which is what we are studying next. My attempts at doing all my work were not working and I didn't want this week to be a week were I missed the main point to something and then end up not understanding the prophets. So I asked for help, I didn't want to, but I did. And guess what! It was a great thing. My leader and I sat down and she helped me make a schedule and she was so kind and is letting me study in her apartment, away from people. Because if I'm with people, I can't help but talk to them and thus, not get any work done.
At the moment, I am on schedule and getting all the needed homework done, praise God! If I can do this everyweek and learn to manage my time well enough, very soon I will be able to join one of the amazing ministries that go on here at the base. There are two things I've been dying to do.
One of them is the orphanage, twice a week people go to the orphanage to do dishes and help change and feed the babies there. The thing is, you have to wake up at 5 in the morning to go. So as soon as I get to a place where I'm not worried about homework all the time I will go!
The other ministry is "Zona Norte". In this ministry a group of people go and does a prayer walk through the red light district in Tijuana. When I first heard what this ministry did my heart jumped! One of my favorite things I did on my outreach in Brazil was work with the prostitutes in the city of Brasilia. There we got to go from bus stop to bus stop to pray, encourage and pass out roses to girls and tell them how they are beautiful. Seeing the change and light that came into the girls eyes as they listened to what we had to say and watching some of them come to except Christ was one of the most awe-inspiring things I did there. So the ministry of "Zona Norte" is something that is on my heart and I can't wait till I accomplish what God brought me here to do (school) and when I feel like I can, I will start joining people in these ministries.
Here is another missionaries blog on the ministry of "Zona Norte"  http://girlrelentless.blogspot.com/2011/11/pink.html

I have 3 more days of studying the books of Kings and I'm loving it! I've read the book twice before I came here and even reading it for the 3rd time while being here I thought it pretty boring. But as I study it, and really look at each king, the book is coming alive. Honestly though, the book is heartbreaking. Evil after evil king rules over Israel and Judah and brings them further and further away from God.
Actually, studying most of the old testament is pretty depressing. God is so faithful to his people, his promises and covenant he made with them. Israel just doesn't seem to care most of the time. I would like something a little less downhearted. I'm ready to read about Jesus!

So again, thank you for praying
Here are a couple of things you could keep praying for...

1) That I can keep the discipline and work-ethic I've got going this week
2) More revelation and excitement for each book I study
3) Health, I've had a cold this week and a lot of headaches lately.

Love you all!

In honor of the 5th

Hello my friends,
I can't say much right now, I am coming to the end of my all-nighter and I'm a bit tired. But today is the 5th of november and it is a day to be remembered.

I've always loved the movie V for Vendetta and thankfully I'm with a friend here in mexico that loves the move too, so we will be watching it tonight. A few of my favorites quotes from the movie...

V- His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot. 

Evey- That the world needs more than just a building right now. It needs hope. 

Gordon- You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it. 

V- Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof. 

Evey- Who are you? 

V- Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask. 

Evey- Well I can see that. 

V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. 

Evey- He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up. 

V- A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having! 

V-People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Valerie- Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free

Have a happy 5th!

Word Designs

So! I've been inspired by this graphic designer Jim Lepage. I've always loved his work and wanted to do something like it but never thought I would have the chance!
BUT now I'm going through each book of the bible and have 8 months of it left! I will try my hardest to keep making a different art piece for each book. So far I've drawn something for Ruth and done a little graphic design for 1st and 2nd Samuel. I will try and use the key verse from each book for the inspiration for my designs. But I might just use whatever inspires me the most in the book.
I highly recommend checking out Jim Lepages work though! His work is really awesome and has great meanings behind it. Plus there is a drawing taking place where I could win one of his posters.
http://jimlepage.com/word-designs/

Chronological School of Biblical Studies AKA CSBS

I'm sorry I haven't written an update until now. I know I should of done it sooner and I'm sorry.

So, I'm in Tijuana, Mexico doing YWAM's School of Biblical studies! It wasn't what I was originally planning to do this year but God changed my plans and told me to be here. So here I am and I am already seeing why God wanted me here. I've only studied the first 4 books of the bible and I've been brought to tears more than once because of the depth of love that God has for his people.
If you don't know, what we do in the CSBS is inductively study the bible in the order that it is in. So at the beginning of the week we separate into groups and read the book that we are studying, out loud, in one sitting. During the week we have lectures where a teacher or guest speaker teaches the background on the book. And from what we learn in class we have different homework assignments. Most of the time we have to chart out the book, that is where we observe everything we can find in each chapter and then from that we find an interpretation and an application of how it affects our life and how it could affect the church or the people around us.
We also have to do some background information on our own too. We have to find internal and external sources on Who wrote the book, When the book was written, Who the book was written too and figure out the mindset of the author and the mindset of who the book was written to. It can be very tedious but it is required if you want to be able to really dig deep into the the book and gather great insight into the reason the book was written.
When I tell people about the school I'm doing usually the response is "Oh, I could never do that". My response usually is that, I can't either. It's not easy, and the only way I've making it through right now is only with God's grace and revelation. I have a love/hate relationship with my studies. I can feel myself truly growing and creating an amazing foundation in God's word. But it's so much work!!! I know by the end of the nine months I will never want to trade this time for anything though. The relationship that is growing between me and God is becoming deeper and so much sweeter the more I learn about the things he has done and is doing for his people.

Oh! The base I'm at is beautiful. It is located about 15 minutes outside of Tijuana and is about 2 blocks away from the Pacific Ocean. All the buildings here are fairly newly built and done very beautifully. The CSBSers have two double wide trailers that we stay in. We were put in the trailers because they are better long term spaces because they have little kitchenettes and more space than the base dormitories.

So in about an hour our CSBS is leaving on a "wilderness wandering" camping trip. We are doing this to get even more into the mindset of the Israelites, We are studying them at the moment and they are wandering in the wilderness too. Also we are going just to have fun. Not that our group has had a lack of fun. On the coupl of nights that we have had off we have gone into town to karaoke and to dance. It's been a great time of bonding and becoming a great group of friends. There are 9 of us, a girl from cambodia, a girl from switzerland, 2 of us girls and 3 guys from the states and two more guys from canada. Also, my friend Jesse Evans and his wife Becky are the leaders of the school!

Unfortunately because of all the homework I haven't had much time to participate in the different ministries that are going on here at the base. But the base has some amazing, fruitful ministry going on. There is Homes of Hope, where almost every weekend a missions team comes down to build a house for the poor in Tijuana. Also there are jail, street kids, and homeless ministries that are going on every week. I'm sure there are other ones too that I have forgotten to mention. I hope that some time soon I get a good handle on the homework so I can join in a ministry!

Well my friends, I should go pack. Thanks for reading and hopefully I can get an update out more often.
Much Love,
Nicole

The base's coffee shop I love studying in.

Early morning prank us girls pulled on one of the guys.

He had pet turtles and in the midst of the prank war we had the night before we stole the turtles and set them up for breakfast at his desk the next morning.

View from the window of my coffee shop.

Our Trailers.

Ottawa

Hey guys!
I wanted to update you on what has been going on with me these past couple of days. At the moment I am in the city of Ottawa doing evangelism here as like a starter for outreach. The first day here we went to Canada's national house of prayer. The people there are so passionate about praying for their government, it's infective. So there we learned all about Canadian government and then walked to Parliament Hill, and took time to pray and intercede for the government. The next morning we split up into smaller groups and prayed over a map of Ottawa and asked God where he wanted us to go in the city. This was such an amazing experience. Our team was very unenthusiastic and tired in the morning when we were praying. And only two people in our group felt like God had spoken to us. I got the word manchester and another guy felt like we should do some work in a soup kitchen or food place. So we looked up where manchester ave. was and went there. When we got there we were so confused, Manchester ave. is a little dingy street with four run down houses on it. So we parked and started walking towards it when we noticed a mosque across the street. And we felt like we should go there and pray by it. On our way there we saw these signs saying "food bank that way". God could not of spoken more clearly to us. Even though at first we didn't think that "manchester" of "soup kitchen" but we ended up going to the food bank and asking the people there if they needed any help. The workers there were so open and excited for us to work with them. We spent most of the day just stocking and organizing the back closet of food. We then took a time to pray for them. It was such an amazing experience for us all.
On monday I got a call from Indiana Wesleyan University saying that I had been accepted into the school. I have also been invited to be staff on the YWAM base in Dunham. So I have very exciting opportunities ahead of me after DTS. But after getting the call from IWU and talking with friends about it I am feeling very called to be staff here on the YWAM base. What the means is that I would commit to working on the base during the off season and staffing the arts and music DTS for two years. This is so exciting for me, I have been impacted a lot by the leaders on my DTS and I want to be able to be used by God in the same way to impact others lives.
Another thing that has been going is finances, God has blessed be extremely through family and friends with close to one thousand dollars for outreach. The way that has been happening is extremely amazing and I am so thankful for all he has done so far. I'm still short 1768.11. As much as it is against my nature to trust God with this I am trying. Daily I have a small panic attack but then God reminds me that he chose me to go Brazil and he will make a way as long as I'm faithful.
So here I go... trusting God to miraculously bring in the rest of my finances, to show me whether or not I am supposed to be staff next semester or go to college and that he will continually working in the lives of the people in Ottawa....

Family

Hello Friends!
It's insane that this is the last week of lectures and then in two weeks I will be boarding a plane to Brazil! It's very bittersweet, I am so excited to go to Brazil but I'm going to miss the rest of the DTS and the other friends I have here on the base. Everyone here is like a second family to me.
Recently though I've been getting closer to my outreach team as we have two meetings together a week where we just get to know each other or plan things for outreach. But mostly we have been working on getting visa's for Brazil. Which we thought was going really well, till we got to the consulate in Monteal and turned our papers in we found out that our case requires a different type of visa, so we have to wait on a lot of paper work to be done and then reapply again. So PLEASE be praying that the paper work gets done quickly and correctly. Our team has been praying and know that God has already got it covered but support from family and friends never hurt anything.
Thanks for checking in!
Love you,
Nicole Hope

Greetings my dear friends and family,

Bonjour from Dunham, Quebec! I'm am so amazed how God has blessed me here and am excited to tell you about it. I can't believe I've been here 8 weeks already! I'm starting to get used to hearing as much French as English in a day, but I still can only speak a few simple phrases. It’s difficult to try to learn a second language on top of everything else we're doing here.

As far as my schedule goes; Monday through Friday, we have 3 hours of lecture, with a different speaker every week. It's really nice to have a fresh face teaching us different things every week. On the other hand, by the end of the week, we are all sad to see our teacher and new friend leave us. It’s all bittersweet. Each week we have different times scheduled for creative release, intercession (praying and listening) time together, HOME CLEANING, home projects (pretty much just another name for more cleaning), and community service. And with all this I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN. We have weekends off, but they are mostly spent working on different projects such as creating a psalm in our own art form or creating a video on an injustice issue going on in the world. Also, weekly we have to complete our journal. These are meant to be personal accounts of what we've learned during the week presented in a creative way.

I’m not the same person as I was 8 weeks ago. God has put so many amazing people in my life that have helped me truly discover some of God's love. So many lies that I had been believing are being replaced with the truth of God's love for me. Being in a place where God is the focus of everyone is incredible. I can’t think of any other place I’d want to be at in this time of my life.

Did I mention that I’m going to BRAZIL for outreach!? For the first 3 weeks I will be in the city, Porto Velho, involved with YWAM and working with the Tribes in the Amazon jungle. After that our team will be heading to the city, Brazilia, and working in a hospital that treats kids with cancer. Also, we will be going an hour outside the city and working with a project that gives shelter to kids that have been rescued from being buried alive because they have deformities. There is a team of six of us going to use the amazing things God has taught these months here in Dunham. I know God has picked us to go to Brazil for a reason and I'm extremely excited for the work we will be doing there.

God has been so good by providing me with jobs so I could support myself for the first part of this adventure! Thank you for all of your prayers and support in coming here. I still need to raise some support for myself, the outreach phase costs about $3,500. I have $1,000 set aside for that and I'm trusting God to bring in the remaining $2,500.

If you feel like would like to support me in this amazing time in my life, please a send a check made out to YWAM Dunham with Nicole Lechner in the memo, or just write it out to my name. Feel free to send me letters and emails too! The address is as follows:

Nicole Lechner
Jeunesse en mission
165, rue du collège - Dunham, QC,
JOE 1MO Canada.  


Also you can support me by donating through paypal,

Donate through paypal

I also need lots of prayer for this journey I'm about to go on. Here are some things to keep in your prayers:

• One of the members of the outreach team is from the Dominican Republic and will have a hard time attaining a transit visa so we can fly through the US.
•  Each of us has to get a visa for our time in Brazil and it's hard for people who are doing the work we are going to do to get one. 
• That our team will learn Portuguese quickly because for the first 3 weeks, while in Porto Velho, we will not have a translator and only one team member speaks a bit of Portuguese. 
• Pray that the outreach team will become a strong, united group because the work we will be doing is not easy work and will probably bring many different struggles for each of us. 
• Please pray that daily I will feel passionate and excited about the ministries I will be working with. There will be days that I will be exhausted and need to remember God’s heart for the people in Brazil.
• While being here I have discovered a passion and a new talent for dancing. Which is awesome because in Brazilian culture dancing is huge. So pray that God will continue to bless my dancing and give me the patience to keep learning.

That's all for now! Please keep me in your prayers, especially as my team and the other teams prepare for outreach. Thank you for everything, dear friends. I miss you all!

Love,
Nicole