Two Pilgrims and a Tomato

So friends,

Here in Carlisle, we've just entered into week eight of our 12 week DTS. Things have been just fantastic so far and I know that the entire team is eagerly awaiting and preparing for outreach.

Last week our speaker, Pieter McCarthy, was from one of the bases in South Africa that we'll be staying at. He spoke on worship and what that really means. It's more about living in a lifestyle of continually worshipping God than just something that we participate in at church. We talked about how we're a people who have been created to worship and that we were chosen specifically by God. Worship should be something where we're offering a sacrifice to God and He will always respond to that. It should cost us something either in time, energy, or money and it needs to be spent on something eternal, like our relationship with God. We spent time doing some really cool, open worship in that we sang some African songs and did some dancing. What a fun experience! We also talked about different names of God and how we're called to be warrior princes and princesses for Christ.

We also celebrated Thanksgiving last Saturday. My mom lovingly sent me a box with the Publix pilgrims for the table along with holiday smelling candles. We did a full Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, yorkshire puddings (the English influence from our team), and real pumpkin pie. One of the guys from our DTS is from the U.S. and his mother gave me a gift of realy pumpkin puree so that our team could get the true Thanksgiving experience. A good friend, Rachel, who's studying in London, also got to come up to celebrate with us. Lots of fun had by all!

This week our speaker is talking about sin and the cross. His name is David Painting and he's just brought so many new ideas and revelation. He's told stories that are slightly embellished in that they have much more detail than the Bible gives, but it's made it so much more real and less than just a historical account. We've discussed how we were created so that God can love us and so that we can love Him. Everything is really back on relationship with God. God is love, therefore relationship is implied, relationship is based on choices, and since there are different outcomes from different choices, God must be a God of justice. We've discussed relationships being broken through sin, not only with other people, but our relationship with God being broken as a result of sinning. It's been just fascinating to hear things about sin and the cross from another perspective and I'm really looking forward to the remainder of the week.

Other than that, life is just grand. I'm loving Carlisle, even if it does rain almost everyday. Right now we're preparing for a large gathering here in Carlisle on December 9-10. Be praying for that please in that we'll have people from all over YWAM England staying for the night and going to a prayer meeting. We're finishing up 40 weeks of praying 24/7. All of YWAM England participated and so we're having a gathering to celebrate the end of that and figure out where the vision is for YWAM England next.

Also, please be praying for me as to what is coming next after DTS is finished. I'm praying and thinking about staying on as a staff member in Carlisle. There's an administration position open and I'd still be able to help out with the upcoming DTS and possibly go on outreach backpacking in China and the Philippines next year. It's obviously still in the works and the staff and I haven't talked details yet, but it's a possibility, so please be praying for that.

As always, pray for unity for the team and homesickness as the holiday season approaches and we grow closer and closer to leaving for South Africa.