Weeks 4 and 5!!

So much has happened since our last update! Week 4 we got to join with the other 8 DTS schools on campus for corporate week. We heard from Darlene Cunningham, David Hamilton, and Matt Whitlock--all spiritual parents in the YWAM community. They shared about the history of YWAM, as well as the beauty of God--how He is infinite and personal at the same time and how we have been invited into His eternal story of redemption! It was an inspiring week for sure!

We ended corporate week by unrolling a giant map and walking across the nations, asking the Lord to SEND US wherever He desires, that His glory may fill the entire earth like waters cover the seas!

This past week we have been blessed by having Pastors Daniel and Theresa Jones with us from San Diego. Our theme for the week has been identity in Christ.

It's really been a time of igniting our faith and our giftings, and saying yes to His call on each of our lives. This week we have really opened our hearts to let the Holy Spirit come and do His work in us.

We have seen a lot of physical healings in our classroom too! Ears, backs, knees, ligaments, all being healed in Jesus' name!

The Lord has really been stirring our faith for what He wants to do through us. We've been realizing as a class that it's really not about us and our abilities at all, but about simply obeying God and walking hand-in-hand with Him. We are all getting stirred and excited for what He wants to do through us during our outreaches, and throughout our entire lives!

Community Outreach!

We are so blessed to live in Kona, Hawaii, and we want to bless our community! At YWAM we believe that one of the best ways to learn is through immediate application--practicing what we talk about.

Each week we will be blessing the community of Kona and sharing God's love in practical ways.

This week, we had the opportunity to spruce up a local park. The employees at this park have said that they encounter many people who try to convert them to various religions. They know that we are the real deal because we don't just preach to them, but we offer to serve and get sweaty too! Landscaping and picking up trash is an incredible way to show Jesus to people who aren't necessarily open to a conversation about Him. This is a way we can really reach out in love and make a lasting impact.

We are looking forward to going out each week and seeing what God does through our willingness to love Kona however we can!

Week 3 Update!

Hello friends and fellow Ablazers!

It's hard to believe week three is already history and we are heading into our fourth week of DTS lecture phase--nearly 1/3 of the way through our school!

Last week Tom and Donna Cole joined us with a teaching called Pure Heart. They shared their incredible testimony of God's grace, truth, and redemption, and addressed the various wounds of the heart. We spent lots of time in prayer together as leaders ministered to each individual and God's grace flowed in our class. It was an amazing week with lots of tears, laughter, and freedom!!

Tom and Donna also shared with us what it means to be a man or woman of God--how God designed us differently to express unique pieces of His character. One of the highlights of the week was when all of the men in our class were knighted! Tom spoke new names over each of them, calling out their identity in Christ--that they are full of strength, integrity, tenderness, compassion, and honor.

If you would like to listen to the Pure Heart teachings or learn more about Tom and Donna Cole, you can visit their website: http://pureheartseminars.com/,

Keep checking in for more updates on our class time, prayer and worship, and local community outreaches!

Outreach Teams Revealed!!!

After a night of music, stories, diet Sprite, whipped cream, ping pong balls, balloons, treasure hunts and a lot of suspense, we are pleased to announce our Compassion Ablaze 2013 Outreach Teams!!

We are so excited to go to the nations and share the Good News of Jesus' love for EVERY people!

Week 2 Update!

Hard to believe we're already nearing the end of DTS week 2! This week we have had Dudley Weiner join us as our speaker. He has been teaching us how to walk with our Heavenly Father each day, step by step, in tune to His voice and only doing what He tells us to do.

For our class this has been a week of major breakthrough in hearing God's voice and encountering the Holy Spirit! It is pretty amazing to hear student after student share what God is speaking to them, and see how each person hears a different piece of the overall message--like a puzzle. We've been filled with joy and excitement, as we have been seeing God's love in a fresh way this week.

We are also very close to revealing our outreach teams! All of us have been praying a lot and sorting out where God wants each person to go. But, with that, we are developing a heart for ALL the nations of the earth. Jesus is so worth every tribe knowing and praising Him!

Stay tuned for the outreach location reveal update!!

Welcome to Kona!!

We are in the midst of our first week of DTS here in the beautiful sunny town of Kona, Hawaii! Last Thursday we eagerly awaited our students' arrival, and we enjoyed a weekend of orientation and fun together. On Friday night we all gathered as a campus to celebrate the beginning of our biggest quarter in YWAM history with cultural dances, a flag ceremony, and a surprise flash mob!

There are about 40 nations represented on our campus this quarter and over 1300 staff and students. We are all expectant for what the Lord has planned for us this fall!

As the Compassion Ablaze DTS, we kicked the quarter off with a BBQ and bonfire, where we were able to form friendships that will last a lifetime. Many of the students have begun to explore the town and local community already, too.

We have spent many hours already worshiping together, praying for each other, and really getting to the heart of why we're here doing what we do. This week all of the C. Ablaze staff and students are sharing their testimonies--stories of how God has redeemed them, delivered them, and led them to a life of wild faith! It is incredible to hear how the Lord calls each of us out of where we are, and invites us to partner with Him in spreading His love all over the earth.

This first week has already been marked by freedom, love and radical joy as the students press in to know God more. We can't wait to see what the next six months hold for all of us--so keep checking this blog for all the updates on what the Lord is doing in Compassion Ablaze DTS Kona!