November 1st

Wow! I just typed the title in and I still can't believe it. I've been in Australia over two months already!!! It seems like forever since I was home... but at the same time time is flying by. Well I just wanted to let everyone know that I have three weeks of lectures left and then I head over to Asia. I do not know how often I will be able to update this once I'm out of Australia (I haven't done a very good job while I've been in Australia :S) but I will do my very best to let Anne or my parents know how I'm doing so they can send on the news.

What has been happening lately:

AH! Sooo much! Well I'll start with performing arts. When I came here I thought that there would be a lot more performing arts going on. There hasn't been A LOT but there has been some. Over the last couple of weeks I've been apart of a group of 5 people who have been writing, directing, and choreographing a five minute skit/dance. It's directed towards young women who are either in the sex trade by force or free choice. I really think that the Lord is going to use this skit. A lot of work has gone into and I can't wait to post a video (can't until February but it will be online eventually haha). There are lots of other dances, and skits being put together but that's the one I'm working on primarily.

So last week some of my leaders found out that I love and know a lot of drama games and asked me to lead the team in some warm up activities. For those of you who were in drama with me I got to play Mar for about an hour and let me tell you it was FUN but soooo HARD. We played Bopdebop, Zoom, and some other basic focus/warm up games. I also got to lead the drama team in Youth Street (a ministry we run for the youth in Sydney on Saturdays) and that was just as challenging. It was good practice but definitely a new kind of challenge (patience!).

All Night Prayer/Fasting:

Two nights ago we had a prayer night from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at a local church. We prayed for the community, families, Australia, salvation, and a whole lot of other things. It was really good but it's amazing how much easier it is to stay awake that late for a movie or hang time instead of for prayer and worship. God really convicted me about that one.

This coming Wednesday-Friday the whole base is fasting. The elders of YWAM sent us an update at the beginning of this week and I believe all YWAM bases around the world are going to be fasting for break through these three days. God just really put on our hearts that we need to come back to the basics of worship and following him. We're out in the mission field yes... but if we're doing this for ourselves then it's going to be counted as nothing in the end. I don't and we don't want that to happen. We're just going to be really seeking God these next few days and I think it's perfect times because we're about to leave for outreach... and I mean if our hearts aren't in the right place... there's no point to go. He can use us yes... but not to our full potential. He has so much planned and as long as we're in line with that mountains can be moved and we'll get to see amazing break through. I don't want a moment of these next two months to b wasted because I got in the way. You know?

Outreach and PRAYER:

I'm really excited for outreach. I think our whole team is but I'm just bubbling over. I literally have a count down in my journal :). I can't wait to go to Thailand. We've already designated roles for our team. I'm helping with organizing Performing Arts and Intercession. The Performing Arts team makes up a list of the skits and songs the school is learning and makes sure that the right people know what parts of what skits/songs/ect. so that we're fully prepared if say we're asked to share something two minutes before we share it (that has happened many times already and is pretty much how YWAM runs). I will also be leading the intercession team in Thailand. That team makes sure we have someone praying constantly against the enemy and praying for break through in the community we're reaching. Because I did my Adopt A Nation (15 presentation and 15 prayer time) on Thailand I volunteered to bring my research on outreach and share it with our team :).

Last week our team (23 people in all) got together and talked about finances. As of last week we need $41,000 AUD. As of this week we need roughly $30,000 AUD. God is SOOO FAITHFUL! In ONE week he provided $10,000!!! One week. That blew my mind. When I saw the figures I was amazed. I haven't written about the need on my blog as of yet because they told us to hold off sharing until we ourselves had given all we had to give. We had a time of giving within the school (pocket change, spending money, anything we felt God wanted us to give towards outreach fees) and now we're organizing fundraisers (we have at least two scheduled and more to come in the next couple of days). We're also working with some local churches who want to help support our team. I'm going to say if you do want to donate funds here's where they're going to be going.

Team #1.: Samoa and Vanuatu - Team 1 is going to be going to Samoa to help clean up after the devastations of the tsunami that hit just a few weeks back. After they help there they're going to be heading to Vanuatu to help build water tanks, take care of kids, and help in the local YWAM bases and churches. They're more of a relief team than anything else. I'm soo proud of them and am going to miss them :(.

Team #2. Thailand and South Africa (me :D) - We're heading over to Thailand for two weeks. While we're there we're going to be ministering primarily to kids and women involved in the sex trade. As of right now we're working with three ministries during those two weeks. We will be staying at a YWAM base in Bangkok (the capitol of Thailand).

The primary religion in Thailand is Theravada Buddhism (94% of the population practice Buddhism actively) and a little less than 6% are Islamic and less than .7% are other religions... including Christianity. Those figures shocked me when I was doing my research a couple of weeks back. God has broken my heart for Thailand. I can't wait to go and I can't wait to help in whatever way I can. I want to see women and children who have been taught you need to sell yourself to live comfortably that there is more and that their fulfillment will come from a completely different place! After two weeks in Thailand we head to South Africa for six weeks.

Team #3. South Africa (Capetown) - In Capetown we're living literally just around the corner from the red light district. We're staying at a church that's in the slums... literally. We'll be helping ministries that feed the poor, helping in orphanages with kids who are HIV+, we will be doing some "evangelism" but we're going to help with the basic needs before we do any preaching. We want to show these people the love of Christ through our serving and through that we pray that many will come to know Christ. We also are going to do our best to encourage the churches in Capetown. We will be running services, prayer nights, and worship/worshop times. I can't wait to show our skits and songs!!! :)

Alright so that's what we're doing for the next two months. We do have about two weeks of outreach in Australia (after we come back in January) but I'll tell about that some other time :) If you want to support the team please let my parents or me know. My parents can deposit checks and then I can take the money out via cash and I can give it to whatever aspect of outreach you want it to go towards. God Bless you guys and thank you guys for your generosity that I've already seen sooo much of! God provides and he is continuing to provide for me, my family, and this team. :)

Ok- I got to go. I love you all and will try and write a couple more times before outreach. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon :)

God Bless,
-Shanna


p.s. One last prayer request. Please pray against condemnation. I've been continually attacked with this and I'm just praying for major break through. God Bless you guys! and THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH PRAYER!!!