I stood in the street; the mosque in front of me;
The Islamic call to prayer
Interrupted me.
I had heard this sound only once before;
On an educational video because
I studied this inside classroom doors.
World religion;
Detailed definitions and
Perfect explanations
Should have answered all my questions.
"What are these people like?"
A, B, C, or D, all the above?
I'm here now.
I see real people in front of me;
Something we never studied..
The Islamic call to prayer
Interrupted me.
I had heard this sound only once before;
On an educational video because
I studied this inside classroom doors.
World religion;
Detailed definitions and
Perfect explanations
Should have answered all my questions.
"What are these people like?"
A, B, C, or D, all the above?
I'm here now.
I see real people in front of me;
Something we never studied..
I remember about 6 months ago, I was back home in Minnesota for winter break. I feel asleep on the couch for a nap, and I woke up suddenly to the Lord saying, “Go fulfill my Great Commission in Southeast Asia.” It was one of those moments when you’re like WOAH, what just happened? I was so convinced that God spoke to me but to be honest, I was a little surprised because I had no idea what that was supposed to look like. His words stuck in my head and my heart. God is starting to put the puzzle pieces together, and is reminding me that I am doing what He has called me to do. I am shocked that I am already in Southeast Asia so quickly after arriving in New Zealand that it all feels surreal to me. IT IS CRAZY how faithful God is!
This trip has been really awesome because we are trailblazing for other teams with YWAM Queenstown to come do outreach here. We have a team from the Ski and Snowboard DTS coming to West Papua in September that will be staying at the YWAM base we stayed with. This has been such a great opportunity to connect with people in the city so that missionary teams will have multiple ministry opportunities. We have met many people from different churches around the area, other missionaries from the States and Indonesia, and even many pilots that fly to remote areas of the country to spread the Word of God.
Because we booked our plane tickets so quickly, we had no ministry planned. This is one of my favorite things in the world because I get to ask God what He wants to do. I love asking God questions. One night, we had to split up for different small groups. So Michael asked us who felt to share the message for the night and Tyler and I both said we did. Then Michael said, “Okay we are going to split up Lauren and Tyler and decide the groups based off of this.” So we said, “Okay everyone, ask God which number (1 or 2) and write it down, and that's the group you're supposed to be in.” So the girls and I got “2” and the boys got “1,” and we were split up perfectly because both of us had a different message. Little things like are SO SO SO cool to me! He wants to be involved in even the littlest decisions, and He makes growing in relationship with Him so fun.
This trip has been really awesome because we are trailblazing for other teams with YWAM Queenstown to come do outreach here. We have a team from the Ski and Snowboard DTS coming to West Papua in September that will be staying at the YWAM base we stayed with. This has been such a great opportunity to connect with people in the city so that missionary teams will have multiple ministry opportunities. We have met many people from different churches around the area, other missionaries from the States and Indonesia, and even many pilots that fly to remote areas of the country to spread the Word of God.
Because we booked our plane tickets so quickly, we had no ministry planned. This is one of my favorite things in the world because I get to ask God what He wants to do. I love asking God questions. One night, we had to split up for different small groups. So Michael asked us who felt to share the message for the night and Tyler and I both said we did. Then Michael said, “Okay we are going to split up Lauren and Tyler and decide the groups based off of this.” So we said, “Okay everyone, ask God which number (1 or 2) and write it down, and that's the group you're supposed to be in.” So the girls and I got “2” and the boys got “1,” and we were split up perfectly because both of us had a different message. Little things like are SO SO SO cool to me! He wants to be involved in even the littlest decisions, and He makes growing in relationship with Him so fun.
So much happened when we were in West Papua, but I am going to share a couple of my favorite stories with you!
One Sunday, Tyler and I were ministering at a church in Sentani. We spoke on what it is like to be a missionary and what God’s heart is for spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Afterwards, we met a man named Darsono who told us about his son that wanted to do YWAM. We ended up going to his house and going out for lunch with him as we got to know him. He was the funniest guy with an amazing sense of humor, and he is a missionary pilot throughout West Papua and other islands in the area. He told us about his son Billy that has been living in Bali for 6 months studying English. After talking, we found out that Darsono was flying to Bali the day before us!!! What are the chances! NOT A COINCIDENCE! So we decided to meet up in Bali with him and his son. We got to meet Billy in person over an incredible seafood dinner on the beach and tell him all about YWAM. Now he is applying for the YWAM Queenstown Classic DTS this October! How cool is that!!!
One night we went to a church that was held outside. I was so thankful to be in that atmosphere again, as it reminded me so much of Papua New Guinea. It was even called Papua Blessing! We had gone to a number of church services before this, but something was special about this one. The Spirit of God feel in an incredibly powerful way. One of our team members, Sarah from Germany, spoke on the power of the cross and the finished work of Jesus Christ. After the message, we went into worship again and it was so evident that people’s hearts had been impacted. Many people came up to the front for prayer, and we really felt like that was a time of commissioning from God. Our team started praying for people and were listening to what Holy Spirit wanted to do. We prophesied over some people, prayed over some, hugged some, sang over some, and some people fell over from the power of God. Whatever God wanted to do to in those hearts, He did. I remember I prayed for a woman and the Holy Spirit fell on her. She fell over and started screaming out different countries, “Mexico, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea!!!” I felt like I heard God say that she was called to start orphanages in these countries and that she was going to be a mother of many. I felt like the Lord was calling forth her mother heart and was telling her that anything was possible with Him. After the service ended, she came up to me and told her that everything that happened that night was confirmation of what the Lord had promised her. It was SO AWESOME to be a part of that and see people launched into their destinies. I truly believe that that night, people were convinced that anything was possible with God!!! YAHOOO!!!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!
One Sunday, Tyler and I were ministering at a church in Sentani. We spoke on what it is like to be a missionary and what God’s heart is for spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Afterwards, we met a man named Darsono who told us about his son that wanted to do YWAM. We ended up going to his house and going out for lunch with him as we got to know him. He was the funniest guy with an amazing sense of humor, and he is a missionary pilot throughout West Papua and other islands in the area. He told us about his son Billy that has been living in Bali for 6 months studying English. After talking, we found out that Darsono was flying to Bali the day before us!!! What are the chances! NOT A COINCIDENCE! So we decided to meet up in Bali with him and his son. We got to meet Billy in person over an incredible seafood dinner on the beach and tell him all about YWAM. Now he is applying for the YWAM Queenstown Classic DTS this October! How cool is that!!!
One night we went to a church that was held outside. I was so thankful to be in that atmosphere again, as it reminded me so much of Papua New Guinea. It was even called Papua Blessing! We had gone to a number of church services before this, but something was special about this one. The Spirit of God feel in an incredibly powerful way. One of our team members, Sarah from Germany, spoke on the power of the cross and the finished work of Jesus Christ. After the message, we went into worship again and it was so evident that people’s hearts had been impacted. Many people came up to the front for prayer, and we really felt like that was a time of commissioning from God. Our team started praying for people and were listening to what Holy Spirit wanted to do. We prophesied over some people, prayed over some, hugged some, sang over some, and some people fell over from the power of God. Whatever God wanted to do to in those hearts, He did. I remember I prayed for a woman and the Holy Spirit fell on her. She fell over and started screaming out different countries, “Mexico, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea!!!” I felt like I heard God say that she was called to start orphanages in these countries and that she was going to be a mother of many. I felt like the Lord was calling forth her mother heart and was telling her that anything was possible with Him. After the service ended, she came up to me and told her that everything that happened that night was confirmation of what the Lord had promised her. It was SO AWESOME to be a part of that and see people launched into their destinies. I truly believe that that night, people were convinced that anything was possible with God!!! YAHOOO!!!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!
I have been learning dependency. This has been my prayer, but I didn't know it would look like this. I can normally walk into a room and discern what is going on in the spiritual realm right away. I can usually feel and hear what God is saying over the people and the room really easily. However, that has not been the case in West Papua. Sometimes I think, “What the heck God! I don't know what is going on at all right now!” It is causing me to press in, ask Him more specific questions, and wait on Him to see what He's saying. I am realizing that my dependency was sometimes more on my GIFTINGS that God gave me than just relying on God. This is something I was completely unaware of until now, so that has been really cool to learn what it looks like to depend on Him and not my discernment or prophetic insight.
Another thing that I have been learning to believe in is the Father’s love for me. I have been extremely focused on ministry and wanting to be effective in everything that I did. Being in West Papua on another outreach has brought a lot of wrong thinking that I have had about who He is to the surface. He is showing me who He is, but it is a process to let go of those mindsets and be convinced of who He is in my life. I wrote a poem about a little tiny bit of this process one night when I was asking God about ministry:
I feel like you're shaking your head at me;
And I feel like I'm disappointing
Everything you hoped for in me.
Everyone says you're proud of me
But isn't that because you have to be?
How can you be pleased with me?
Sympathy;
I can feel your pity
Looking down on me.
But wait, come let your love fix me
Quickly
So I can move on with my calling
And make sure I'm doing the right thing
Isn't that what you're wanting?
I lost you somewhere in ministry
And now I don't know how to receive
The truth that you're proud of me
Before I even do a thing
Where's your heart in all you're teaching me?
I know I desire intimacy
But all I can feel is expectancy;
Standards I don't think I can meet
What is ministry
If I don't know your love for me?
It is hard to conclude all that I am learning about Him and myself, but I know that God is refining how I view Him. He desires me to know Him well. He wants to show me who He is, and I believe he is patient through the process. Usually when I go out for the day, I ask God the question, “Okay God, what do you want me to do?” but the Lord has been telling me to change the question I am asking to, “God, what are you ministering to my heart? What are you giving me in this moment?” I feel the Father inviting me to ask Him, “Who are you right now? What is your name?” This has been so kind to me because He is showing me that His love comes first every single time before I do anything. He is positioning my heart to receive His love and it’s the kindest thing I’ve experienced!
Another thing that I have been learning to believe in is the Father’s love for me. I have been extremely focused on ministry and wanting to be effective in everything that I did. Being in West Papua on another outreach has brought a lot of wrong thinking that I have had about who He is to the surface. He is showing me who He is, but it is a process to let go of those mindsets and be convinced of who He is in my life. I wrote a poem about a little tiny bit of this process one night when I was asking God about ministry:
I feel like you're shaking your head at me;
And I feel like I'm disappointing
Everything you hoped for in me.
Everyone says you're proud of me
But isn't that because you have to be?
How can you be pleased with me?
Sympathy;
I can feel your pity
Looking down on me.
But wait, come let your love fix me
Quickly
So I can move on with my calling
And make sure I'm doing the right thing
Isn't that what you're wanting?
I lost you somewhere in ministry
And now I don't know how to receive
The truth that you're proud of me
Before I even do a thing
Where's your heart in all you're teaching me?
I know I desire intimacy
But all I can feel is expectancy;
Standards I don't think I can meet
What is ministry
If I don't know your love for me?
It is hard to conclude all that I am learning about Him and myself, but I know that God is refining how I view Him. He desires me to know Him well. He wants to show me who He is, and I believe he is patient through the process. Usually when I go out for the day, I ask God the question, “Okay God, what do you want me to do?” but the Lord has been telling me to change the question I am asking to, “God, what are you ministering to my heart? What are you giving me in this moment?” I feel the Father inviting me to ask Him, “Who are you right now? What is your name?” This has been so kind to me because He is showing me that His love comes first every single time before I do anything. He is positioning my heart to receive His love and it’s the kindest thing I’ve experienced!