I ASKED YOU FOR LIFE!!

Kim Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQGnleZWZ88&feature=related

Verse 1:
I asked You for life, and You sent your son to die for me.
I asked You for hope, You came in the night and gave me a dream.
I asked You for freedom, You broke every chain and gave me the keys.
I asked You for love never-ending and every day You surround me!

Pre-Chorus:
And now my faith in You is a mountain that can't be shaken,
Now my strength is found in You, it is joy that can't be taken!

Chorus:
Praise spills from my lips, flowing onto the feet of You, my King.
You deserve all the love and all the honor that I can bring!

Bridge:
Here is my song, here is my heart, here is my love, all for You, Jesus!

Chorus 2:
Holy, Holy, only You are worthy!

Jaded NO MORE!

WHAT I FEEL...

I feel alone!

A hope in my heart has been plagued with dispair

I feel abandoned!

A TRUTH I once knew has quietly walked out on me.

I feel UNWORTHY!

A PASSION I so desperately fought for is suffocated by the lies I have chosen to believe

I feel JADED!




WHAT I KNOW...

I know I'm REDEMED

my distructive thoughts are no longer holding me captive.

I know i'm the BELOVED

I have a King in heaven who calls me his princess, who loves me the way that I am.

I know the TRUTH

God's word stands strong, it never dissapoints.

I know JUSTICE

there will be a day when I will see HIS face and I will thank Him for never giving up on me.


****Thank you Jesus for my life, it is a GIFT and a true blessing! I DESERVE NOTHING! I AM SATISFIED!

Courage!

I read this quote from Nelson Mandela (The former South African President who was imprisoned for nearly 3 decades...fighting against apartheid.)

What he said is so profound and if anyone can say this, it's HIM....

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. "
-Nelson Mandela


I can't say that I've ever known the extreme fear, pain and suffering in which Nelson and many others have faced, but unfortunately I can say that I've known what it means to be AFRAID...I know what it means to hold on to fear and let it get the best of me! I know what it means to let fear make me a coward and to let it stop me from pursuing my deepest hearts desires!!

MY DESIRE: TO BE COURAGEOUS!!

I am now thankful for FEAR, because without it, there is no COURAGE!!

BY THE GRACE OF GOD...and the JOY WHICH GIVES ME STRENGTH I CAN SAY:

* I am learning courage in relationships: both in romantic and friendships:

Friendships: I'm learning how to cultivate and nourish the relationships I have. To invest in others lives and to commit to caring for their hearts, as they do mine. I've seen how benificial it is to stay in one place (to stay put in Ohio for awhile, isn't as bad as I tbought! :)

Romantic: I'm learning to give all the control to the Lord, to wait patiently on him, to practice patience while trusting in his perfect time! Ahh, sweet discipline! and I'm stoked to share this time of singleness with JESUS ALONE!! woo hoo


* I'm learning courage in being content with where I am right now. I'm choosing to get my degree, thus I've commited to going to school FULL-TIME while holding a steady job...in hopes of some day reaching my goal of becoming a counselor to Teens (probably teen girls). <---Dischipleship and mentoring is my hearts cry!!

* I'm learning courage in seeing myself the way God does. It takes courage (especially as a woman) to take a look at yourself in the mirror and to honestly embrace the beauty of God's creation (flaws and all). It's a beautiful thing once you do, and I promise you that i'm trying...and I'm learning to respect God's masterpiece (which is me!! :)

* I'm learning to embrace the sometimes "uncomfortable" life...knowing that the Lord is shaking me up, because he CARES for me. He doesn't care so much if I'm comfortable, he cares MORE about my character and he's waking me up to the FULLNESS of HIS LOVE, GLORY and PEACE! he's waking me up to REAL LIFE in HIM!!

Guys, I am so in love with Jesus and I'm finally running back into his arms...
LIFE IS WONDERFUL...it's the small moments in life that make all the difference.

I'm finding adventure in the small moments of life right now!!

I'm signing off, until next time!!

BE BLESSED, BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!! and may your strength be found in JESUS!
love u.

How Good is the Lord!!??!!!

Finally a breath of fresh air,

The fog has passed, my vision is becoming clearer: STAY KINGDOM MINDED, MISSIONS FOCUSED, ZELEOUS AND PASSIONATE FOR JESUS!

The Cry of my heart: To TRUST in the SECURITY of Christ's love.



Oh Lord!!
I wait for you. I THIRST for you, I am desperate for you!

Jesus, My life is nothing without you. This life means nothing without your purpose and your leading.

once again Lord, I wait!

please answer me in due time. Lord of MY LIFE, give me vision. I will go......

I WILL GO....

JUST TELL ME WHEN,

Jesus....
TELL ME WHERE.

and I know you will take care of the how!

I am in love with you Jesus! So in LOVE! My heart beats only for you!

Open my eyes to your truth alone! Help me to be an incredible light and encouragement to those around me. May my attitude be like yours....you are so AMAZING! SO WONDERFUL!

SELAH!

love
your daughter

Transition Time

Well, I'm back home in sunny OHIO...wait, did I say sunny? I ment FREEZING COLD and SNOWY OHIO. ha! I guess I was dreaming I was back in Australia.

I really wanted to take this time to let everyone know what I've been up to this last month. I arrived back home on November 6th and boy was it good to see my family! It has been such a blessing to have them be so supportive during my travels and mission with YWAM. They have trusted God enough to place me in his hands. To allow me to listen to his voice and step out in obedience to be used by Him. THANK YOU FAMILY!

I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving with everyone too! That's one of my most favorite holidays.

Since I've been home I have been getting reaquainted with my friends and family and church . It's been a struggle, I have to admit. I dont have a car, I am living at home with my parents still, I am praying about when I should go back to school etc. I am still looking for a job, although I'm 99% sure that I got the job working back at Kohls Department store in Aurora. :)

I plan on going back to College in the near future and am still praying for peace and direction. I am learning that God is still the same God here in Ohio as he is in Australia and that I can continue to put my TRUST in HIM ALONE!

TO MY SUPPORTERS:
Thank you to everyone who has been so faithful in supporting me this past year. I appreciate your prayers and your financial support. Nothing could have been possible without your true obedient hearts to the Lord. As of now I do not need your monthly support. thank you again.


Some of you may know a musician named "Ginny Owens". She's one of my favorite artists and lyricists. She sings this song called "I AM" and these lyrics have been helping me through such hard times when I have no idea what the lord is going to do next. How he's gonna use me and what's around the corner.
please read them very carefully and believe with me that the Creator of our lives, the God of the universe, cares. He knows our situation and he asks us not to look at each problem as a limitation, but as a stepping stone to where he wants to lead us, how he wants to use us...only to reveal WHO GOD IS..and to show the world that God is: I AM!

Here are the words:

No Lord, he said, you've got the wrong guy.
Simple conversation gets me tongue-tied.
And you're telling me to speak with a maniac king.
Could it be I've lost my mind?
And besides, I am weak, don't you want someone strong,
To lead them out of Egypt when they've been there so long?
And anyway, they wont believe You ever spoke to me.
That's not your problem, God replied.
And the rest is history.

There's a bigger picture you can't see.
You don't have to change the world, just trust in me.
'Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan,
And through you I will show them, I Am.

Now Lord, are you sure? He's just a shepherd boy,
Too small for battle gear with a giant to destroy.
What on earth can he do with five stones and a sling?
That's not your problem, God replied.
'Cause I can do anything.

There's a bigger picture you can't see.
You don't have to change the world, just trust in me.
'Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan,
And through you, I will show them,
I Am the first, I Am the last,
I Am the present and the past,
I Am tomorrow and today,
I Am the only way.

Great Lord, she said, I'm just a simple girl.
You say that I will bring your son into the world.
How can I understand this thing You're gonna do?
That's not your problem, God replied.

'Cause, there's a bigger picture,
And you don't have to change the world.
I'm your creator, I am working out my plan.
And through you, I will show them,
There's a bigger picture, you can't see.
You don't have to change the world, just trust in me.
I'm your creator, I am working out my plan,
And through you, I will show them, I Am.

I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful Christmas. I look forward to catching up with everyone in the near future. I'll be in Ohio for awhile, untilt he Lord leads else where.

miss you all so much!

in His Grip,
Kristin

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet...."

PSALM 119:105 "They Word is a lamp unto they feet and a light unto they path."

Yes...I know most of you already know this passage of scripture like the back of your hand, but yesterday I had a new revelation of what this scripture REALLY means. It states clearly that, God's word is a lamp unto our feet...AND ONLY OUR FEET!

God promises to direct our steps and to shine light unto our path so that we do not fall, trip or stumble. But does He promise that we will have CLARITY in the journey?

No....

Is this hard to take in, hard to comprehend?

Yes....

but...
If we seek and ask God for clarity ALL THE TIME for every choice and decision we make, I've come to realize that when "Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of TRUSTING IN GOD. FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN PATH STRETCHING AHEAD OF US DESTROYS CHILDLIKE TRUST IN THE FATHER'S ACTIVE GOODNESS AND UNRESTRICTED LOVE." -Brennan Manning Ruthless Trust

I so desperately want to know and understand God's Sovereign and Divine ways. I want to know His character and in the process learn to TRUST Him more with my everything.

If this is my desire, then why do I so desperately CRAVE CLARITY?

Is is because I am afraid to fully TRUST God and to say to him "OK, I'll take this step of faith without a clear picture of what's to come..."

*** I know Lord that you have my best at heart and I trust you! ***


OIY!!! This is pretty intense stuff hey?

The reason I am sharing this revelation with you is because I have prayerfully chosen to pack up everything and go home to Ohio in FAITH that this is the next step for me. I have sought God prayerfully on everything and I feel that the next step (the light that is lit for me on the path of righteousness) is Ohio. At least for now.

I don't know what the Lord has next for me next. It could be to pack everything back up again and move back to Australia, or to venture forward into something completely new? No matter what lies ahead, I have chosen to TRUST GOD...which means I must abandon myself unto Jesus, let go of every right I feel I have for clarity...and just take a step into the light which has been given to me by God.

I praise the Lord because He is SOVEREIGN!!! HE IS GOOD! and HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!

I will see each and everyone of you soon. Thank you again for journeying with me this year. It's been such a RAD YEAR! I can't wait to see what's ahead. I will forever live passionately and wildly for Jesus Christ who is the definition of LIFE ABUNDANT and I pray that you do too!

FULLY SURRENDERED!
KRISTIN

Oh, the month of September!

WOW, it's been ages since I've posted...and for THAT I am sorry! I do want each and every one of you to know that the Lord has been challenging me and blessing me as he has called me out to India, Thailand and Australia this month. I have been so full of joy and His peace this month it's been un-real!

Let's start with India:
I spent two weeks in India with a team from our church here in Australia. It was the sweetest experience ever. It's hard to sum up what the Lord really taught me while I was there. but I suppose if I could share ONE thing:
it wouldn't be the poverty strickin land

or the fact that I had to eat on the dirty floor and use my fingers

or the bucket showers which we took every day (they were very refreshing I might add).

No, I believe that the Lord revealed himself to me through the commited staff and team that were working so diligently and so hard at the shelter we worked in. One lady in particular (her name was Loch)stood out to me. I have never Jesus so much in someone.

day in and day out Loch would wake up and read her word FIRST. She knew the importance of filling her cup up so that she could pour out God's heart onto these kids. She would then head to the shelter around 8am and start cooking, cleaning and preparing the shelter for the kids to come. She did this 5 days a week.

The street kids (there were about 30 of them each day) would walk 30 minutes through the streets to be fed, bathed, clothed and educated. Loch seemed to never grow weary or tired of doing good. She was the ultimate example of what it means to be a proverbs 31 woman. No, she wasn't married and she didn't have kids of her own. But she knew her calling and that was to bless the street kids and to give them a bit of decency. To share Christ with them and to encourage them to be WORLD CHANGERS.

The reality of the situation is, most of these kids will never leave poverty! Most of them were born in the streets and most of them will die there. They dont have birth certificates, therefore they can't attend university and will never have a decent job. But Loch believes in these kids. Loch, has given them a glimps of hope in a hopeless world. She prays with them and for them. She teaches them about their worth in God. She knows that these kids can make a world of different in the streets that they live in. With just a glimps of hope these kids can encourage and change the streets in which they live, the streets of Kolkata.

please continue to pray with me for the streets of Kolkota. For this ministry in particual: Kings Kids Shelter. They need a knew building and they need more staff there. They need money and God's favor to continue to rest apon them.


GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND CAMP:



5 days after I got home from India I packed up my stuff and left for Keppel Island. The chaplains at the high schools I work with were heading up a Christian camp and they asked me to be a counselor. This camp experience was like none I've ever experienced. This camp wasn't just for CHRISTIANS, it was actually for NON-CHRISTIANS.

The chappy's invited every kid from their high school to come and believe it or not 100 non-christians and christians came!! I was surprised that people who didn't believe in God would want to come to a Christian camp. But I see now that it's only because of the Lord's favor that this could happen.
The camp was a success. I had an amazing group of girls who I got to journey with during the week. I grew closer in friendships that I had already started to develop this past year with teaching religious education and the girls talk program and I made plenty more friends. I was able to pray with a few students and had great conversations with kids about God. One kid in particular has Buddhist parents and is searching for the truth. He knew that what his parents worshiped and lived for wasn't TRUTH.
He knows that there is one true God...but he wants to find out for himself which God that is. I was able to challenge him to continue to read the word of God and to seek God's face. I know that the Lord will reveal himself to those who seek Him and those who cry out to Him.
I love that it's not ME who saves them, or that I have to know all the answers. I love that I can just share with them my heart and God's heart for them and encourage them to seek the Lord, who is the giver of Life, the healer and resorer.

Please pray for these kids as they continue to journey with God. Pray that the Lord really meets them where their at. That these kids find God and that the Lord works in and through their lives to change their school and their world around them.

What a blessing it's been to work here in Australia. I have come to realize more and more that all the Lord wants is a diligent and willing heart. A heart that desires Him above all else and that through the outpouring of your heart, through the sincerity of your heart for God...people will see Jesus. People will be blessed.

I want to be so in love with God that people have to search the heart of God to find mine!

BE ENCOURAGED!
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH

See you in November!

KRISTIN STILWELL

I'll be leaving for Calcutta, India in aprox. 6 hours. I'm extremely excited to see what's in store for my team. We will spend about 3 days in bancok, Thialand as well. I can't wait to share with you the stories and the miracles, the Lord is sending us out...but he has already gone before us to prepare the way. I'm so glad to know that he's behind us as well and his angels are protecting us along the way. We are covered in Christ's blood and we are standing on the front lines of the battle fully armed and ready to go. We come under Christ's Authority and only in his strength will we endure all things. only in his love will we bless the people of Calcutta.
I want to thank you for remembering us in your prayers as we serve the Lord in India from Sept. 3-17th. Please pray for whatever the Lord leads you to, but keep in mind these few prayer points:
1) saftey
2) boldness to preach the word
3) a heart to love the people and see them through the eyes of Christ
4) that we will experience a newness in our walk with the Lord, a deeper relationship with our personal relationship with God.

thanks again, love you all. I'll see you soon and I'll write you as soon as I can.

Walking in Christ's AUTHORITY and LOVE!
KRISTIN

WORTHY WOMEN

WORTHY WOMEN WAS A SUCCESS!
Saturday night August 18th the dream and vision of a few of us YWAM girls came true! It all started one night as all of us girls were talking about how the world tries to define us as woman. How we are all forced to look like the models in the magazine. How most girls/women find it hard to see themselves the way the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE sees us. We brainstormed a few ideas and came up with "worthy woman". This was a night where we invited all the girls of the Sunshine Coast that we knew of to come and celebrate our beauty. To stand confidently in the truth that we are loved by God, we are chosen, we give God butterflies when he looks as us. He says we are fearfully and wonderfully made and there is NO FLAW IN US! We were created in his perfect image.
40 girls showed up after we prayed for days that the Lord would give us favor.
15 of these girls were from"Mercy Ministry" (an organization that helps girls who struggle with eating disorders and depression). A lot of them are girls that I mentor at the high schools every week.

We had desserts (even a chocolate fountain), hair, make=up and nails stations where each girl could go to recieve a pamper treatment. There were door prizes that were given away at the end of the night ( a few hundred dollars of product was donated by the salons in the area).

At the end of the night the girls I mentor came up to me just glowing and beaming with excitment. They told me how beautiful they felt and how accepted and loved they felt there. They were excited to plug into a few of the other ministries we have in ywam too. They are going to start dancing with the Christian dance team and go to Skate Church every friday afternoon. They wanted to get more involved with church.

All of us girls thanked and praised God for allowing us to do this and for bringing those precious girls to the event. I know our God is a persuer of our hearts....he loves us and desires us!
WE ARE WORTHY WOMEN!

**we plan to make this a yearly event..maybe even 2 times a year!

Thanks for your prayers once again, GOD IS SO FAITHFUL TO ANSWER THEM!

ALL MY LOVE,
KRIS

I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL IN NOVEMBER!

Exciting news!!!
I found tickets to Cleveland OHIO for $1800 U.S. DOLLARS, I would be home from November 1st till December 14th. Although this may seem expensive, it's one of the cheapest I could find.
The travel agent is holding this ticket for me, thus, there is a deadline for when I need to purchase them. The deadline is: September 1st.

Please pray in agreement with me that the Lord will provide the funds for me to go home and that I'll be able to purchase these tickets before the deadline. I'm so excited to come home and visit with you! To share with you the amazing stories of how the Lord is working in the high schools and here on the sunshine coast.

Quick prayer point:I will be leaving for India Sept. 3rd, so please pray for saftey in our team and that the Lord will give us favor with the people in Calcutta.

MANY BLESSINGS,
KRISTIN

God's Provision:

"...I will send down showers in season, there will be showers of blessing. the trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield it's crop, the people will be secure in the land." Exekiel 34:26-27


Hello again!
A lot has happened since I last "blogged". It was my birthday July 28th and I turned the BIG 2-4.
Even though I was away from my friends and family back home, Australia put on a huge party for me. My friends had a "k-party" for me (where everyone dressed up like something that starts with the letter "k".) We had twister, Kareokee and dancing. I went as a box of "Klenex"...there were others who came as "hershey's KISS, Kramer off of seinfeld, KRISS KRISS and even a KITE came.
My friends and cousin Leanne woke up early on my REAL BIRTHDAY and made me a pancake breakfast right before they took me Kyaking to Noosa National Park. We got to Kyak with DOLPHINS!! They were under our boat and they were playing right by us. NO JOKE, I COULD ALMOST TOUCH THEM! (that was God's gift for me!)



INDIA DINNER FUND RAISER!

To raise money for the orphan kids in Calcutta our team going to India put on a fund raiser (India Dinner). We cooked Indian food and invited everyone we knew in the church and outside of the church to join. 100 people showed up! It was a success. We prayed and asked the Lord to provide $1500 for the rest of our airfare and $500 to bless the orphanage when we get there. Guess what? That was exactly what we got! AMEN! GOD IS GOOD! :)


R.E.:
A couple weeks ago, after teaching R.E. a young girl named "Ell" came up to me and said "why are all American's so zeleous and passionate for God, so on fire..while us Aussie Christians seem to take the back seat?" Wow.. I have never had that question asked me to before, and I didn't know what to say. But I did know where she was going with it. She (as an Aussie Christian) wanted to see her fellow Christian friends and church become more excited about God. To live OUT LOUD for JESUS, not just follow God, but LIVE GOD! That was a huge answer to my prayers as a missionary to Australia. This nation is very appathetic and that makes for a very relaxed culture. Not that this is a BAD thing, but I have been praying that more Australians would step it up and desire to "preach and teach" the word of God.
I was able to pray with Ell, for her friends and family and that she will have the boldness to speak the Truth to everyone she meets. May God annoint her to preach the good news. AMEN!

Cost of being a disciple

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. and anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."
Luke 14:26

When Jesus first called his disciples all he did was approach them at their job and say "come, follow me!". And THEY DID! They didn't say:
"why? what are you gonna do for me?"
or

"How good will my life be if I trust you and follow you?"
they didn't even bother to say:
"WAIT... Where are you taking me?"

NO! The Disciples dropped what they were doing and they followed Jesus. They didn't go home and say good bye to their families, they didn't go home and even pack for their journey. They TRUSTED GOD! They left EVERYTHING with nothing but the shirt on their back and they followed!
THIS IS THE KIND OF DISCIPLE I WANT TO BE. THIS IS THE KIND OF DISCIPLE I PRAY WE ALL BECOME.
ask yourself, if Jesus asked you to leave your house and family, job and even your cute little pet today to follow Him. Would you?



THE JOURNEY THAT I AM ON:
The high school ministry is really taking off this term. This week I will start mentoring in two different schools, along with the "Girls Talk" program, the breakfast and lunchtime programs and the summer camp approaching in September.
The last two weeks I've had the opportunity to teach Religious Education at Sunshine Beach High with the chaplain there. (The reason I am so excited about this opportunity is because Religious Education is being pushed out of schools and only a few schools actually do it.) It's been an amazing experience teaching R.E. There are about 60 students (grade 10 and 11) who show up and we have been showing them a rob bell video and then splitting them up into classrooms and asking them questions. The group I had was really open to talk about God.
My friend Jay and I lead the group discussion and all the kids were asking great questions about what we think hell is like (and we told them that it's basically the seperation from God, which means that if every good and perfect gift comes from God and GOD IS LOVE, then there is no hope, no love, nothing good!)
One of the students claimed to be athiest, yet he was the one who was seeking God's face the most. It was amazing to see these young kids really seek out the truth, they were testing us to make sure we were REAL.

SEEK THE LORD AND YOU WILL FIND HIM!

After every R.E. session, I pray that even though I don't get to see the fruits of my labor, or a student accept the Lord right then and there. I must trust that out of the obedience of my heart, they will continue to seek the Lord and God will meet them where they are at. God is the only one who saves...nothing I do or say will change that! I just plant the seed! So again, I will TRUST!


Prayer and Financial support:
I am sooo greatful for your faithful and fervent prayers as I continue to serve the Lord here in Australia.

** I have commited another year (possibly two years) to YWAM Australia because the Lord has shown me how important it is to remain consistent and commited to what he's called us to. I need prayer for:
*finances for my 2 year visa, plus the money I need to continue living here; food, housing, petrol, etc.
*In September I will be going to India and I need $1700 for plan ticket and ground fees. I also need $300 for the high school camp I will be counseling at the end of September.
I would love to visit the states and catch up with family, friends and supporters but am also praying for finances for that.

I will be sending out support letters soon and I will also take the time to call each of you who are supporting me already. I would love to touch base with you and share the great things God is doing in and through me.

Please pray and ask the Lord if he desires you to journey with me and support me financially. If you feel lead to support me, please contact me at: kjstilwell@hotmail.com
Thank you again for your love and support.

I will write again soon!
until then, continue in God's love!
KRISTIN

Breath of fresh air!

Lord God, thank you for bringing my cousin Leanne to Australia...what a blessing her time here has been for me!

What's going on in the life of Kristin?
Psalm 143:8 "....show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."


THE NEW DTS:
The new DTS arrived 2 weeks ago and they are an amazing bunch! Every Wednesday morning I've been leading the "waiting on God" time with my friend Marie. We teach about what it means to be silent before God (psalm 46:10 "be still and know that I am God") I am leading intercession this friday as well.
I've been connecting well with the girls on this school. God has been using my testimony of the last 6 months to speak into the lives of each of them. I'm so glad that God uses the bad things for good. I went through some hard times the last 6 months, but the lord has fully shown me that I should give thanks in all circumstances, even IN THE BAD CIRCUMSTANCES...to know that he'll use those times to mature me and encourage others. :) FOR THIS I PRAISE HIM!

HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRY:
School holiday is finally over! I know the students appreciated a little break, and so did I...but I am ready to get back in there and watch God bless the socks off those kids. During the school holiday I was able to hang out with some of the girls from school at the skate park and I saw a lot of them hanging out at the shopping center as well. The mentoring program will be starting up at the end of July! I'm so excited to meet the 2 girls I'll be matched up to mentor. I pray that the Lord prepares their hearts as well as mine. May the Lord fully use me to speak truth back into their souls.

We are also going to put on another "girls talk" program in about a week! I'm EXCITED and praying with another friend of mine to take this program into the local church's, to teach young girls the difference between love and sex and show them their worth in the eyes of the Lord. I want to see young woman living out their full potential in Christ!

I'm going to be staffing a high school camp at "Great Keppel Island" at the end of September and could use all your prayers! Thanks!

Maroochy Baptist Church and Outreach!
EXCITING NEWS! I'm going to INDIA for 2 weeks in september with my home church here in Australia. I'll be going with young people who have never gone on an outreach before. I'm excited to see their eyes open up to the reality of Calcutta. We will be working with the Mother Theresa Homes and the street children ministry.

the visa that I am on right now will expire January 5, 2008 and the Lord has asked me to commit another year to Australia and to this base. I have a lot of work ahead of me to apply for another visa, there are a lot of choices to make but I am doing my best not to fret or worry about anything. Since the Lord has called me here, I trust that he will get his purpose and will done, he will finish what he has started! I will trust in Him.

please pray for:
**my finances as I go to India and staff a high school camp, also that God will provide the finances for my next visa and a plane ticket back to ohio to visit my family soon!

**The high schools this next semester, for the chaplains who work so hard and invest so much time into the students. for the lunch time programs to be powerful and effective. That the girls talk program will bring restoration and hope into the girls lives.

**For all the relationships I'm building here will continue for a long while. That these kids will really ask questions about God and be desperate for his presence in their life. SALVATIONS!! I want to see more SALVATIONS through the relationships I'm building here.

**for wisdom and guidence to know when to apply for the next visa and when to come visit ohio!

Maturity in Christ

"Maturity in Christ is NOT about finally attaining some level of pseudo-perfection, it's about remaining in the arms of God and abiding in him even in your weakness and failure."
- "Do you think I'm beautiful" Angela Thomas

It's been a weak since the DTS left, that picture above is a picture of the entire group of us girls. I do miss them, but am praying and trusting that the Lord is leading and guiding their steps as they move to their next journey!

This week was the last week for high school ministry, until NEXT TERM which starts in July!
School holiday starts next week and goes for about 2 weeks. I am already excited to start the next term!
A cool thing happened yesterday while I was at the breakfast program. This young girl named Adrianna (she's in grade 9) came over to me before we left for the day and she just hugged me soooo tight. She looked and me and asked me if I was going to come back next term. I told her "yes" and she was soooo stoked! That was such a confirmation from God, to know that I am where he wants me to be. This is a girl who I dont get to talk with very often, but who finds it easy to come over and give me a hug. A girl who wants me to come back next term and would actually count it a loss if I didn't.
I realized that even though i may not get to tell a student straight up that God loves them, it's just the consistancy of me coming every week that shows them I care for them and that ultimatly God does too! :) I am so excited for what's in store for these kids next term!!! These students are amazing and I'm blessed to be able to be a part of their lives!
On Thursday nights I go to Coolum Beach and help my friend Melody with this free BBQ in the park for the skaters and surfers. A lot of the kids from Coolum High School show up and again I'm able to connect with them and develop friendships outside of the school invironment. It's been so amazing to watch these kids lives transform and change as we get to know them better. I've been able to invite kids to the wednesday bible study which is held in the YWAM skateshop and heaps of kids are excited to go now! Since being in the high schools I've been able to plan a day of snorkeling with one girl named "jax". we are going to go next week together! It's just awesome to see what relationships develop out of the lunch time and breakfast programs.
I have another exciting opportunity that I'm going to take in September. I'm going to be a camp counselor for the high school camp at a place called "GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND". It's a week long camp with a survivor type theme, which allows the students to bond together and learn how to work as a team and to accept each other. With it being a Christian camp, I will lead a small group of girls in a bible study the entire week! Please pray that the Lord provides the finances and prepares the hearts of those who will be serving at this camp and also the students who attend. May the Lord bless it and challenge the hearts of the students!!
Since I live in community with 12 other girls we find that its really important to remain UNIFIED in LOVE. We all work different hours and do different things, but we all live in one house and we all serve the same God. So, every Monday night we meet together and pray for each other and one person speaks each week on what the lord is teaching them. This week was my week! And I'm so glad it was, God has been smashing me with His truth about what it means to abide in his love and that maturity in Christ has NOTHING to do with finally being PERFECT, but to be mature means to just RELAX and abide in Christ.
(JOHN 15)

Please keep this in your prayers:
*Great Keppel Island Camp in September
*Unity for the YWAM staff and protection over this base spiritually and physically especially as a new school is approaching in July!
*That I can remain organized and at peace in the business of life!

p.s. please pray for my friend Marie and I. We've been asked to teach this next DTS on Wednesday mornings. The topic is "Waiting on God" and hearing his voice. So please pray that we make it clear to the students the importance of seeking the Lord's face and that we have creative ideas and ways to teach the students how to "wait on the Lord".

thanks again for everything.
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

oh, one more thing! My cousin Leanne is coming to Austraila THIS Monday to work with me for 2 months. How good is the Lord? Having her come just shows me how much the Lord really cares about me! I really am excited to have some family here to support me and to pray with me. Leanne is a God send for sure. I am so excited for these next few months here in Australia.

Debrief Week

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Last week I came down with the flu...I was in bed for 3 days and am still trying to recover. The DTS came back from outreach this week and it's their last week here; Debrief week! Like I told you before, I was responsible for planning it and now I've been doing my best to run this week. God's grace has been sufficient for me during my illness. It's a pretty busy week for me though.

As far as the high school ministry is going, last week was our last class session for "girls talk" at Maroochy High school. The girls were so sad to say goodbye. I was so blessed to have met these girls and I know this class was very benificial for them. The girls from the begining were really mean to each other and by the last day they were bringing in food to share with each other and they were actually allowing one another to talk without interuption. Praise God!

We will start another "girls talk" class in July, after school holidays! I will finally begin the mentoring program as well. I can't wait! At the breakfast and lunch time programs I've made lots of friends with the students. There is this one particular girl named Brooke whom I've become really close with. Last week she saw my nails were painted and asked me if I would do her's. So I brought my nail polish and after we ate breakfast we sat down and I did her nails on the school bench. She was so excited!

Discipleship Training School UPDATE: **The DTS students graduate on Friday and then it's all over with. It's going to be sad to see them leave after spending 5 months with them, but that's the way it goes here in YWAM. We train them in the word and then open their eyes to missions through outreach, we pray with them and then send them out again. I love this program and am blessed to be a part of it, but man it's hard to not become attached to people! I am going to really embrace these last few days while they are still here.


please pray for:
- my health
- That I will take every opportunity to be God's hands and feet
- for the DTS that will be going home (that their re-entry will be easy and that they will continue to press into God when they are home.)
- for continual support and protection while I'm here in Australia

Thank you guys once again. I love you! Hope your summer is getting warmer and warmer.....don't worry, I'm staying warm too (under a sweatshirt and a blanket)...WINTER HAS FINALLY ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA!

one more picture of my friend and I dressed up and ready to paint the town red! :) hahaha I love when I get to wear a dress! :)

Invisible Children

God's Global Heart is aching!

Gulu, Uganda...AFRICA! This is the pulse (the beep of His heart) and this is what I feel! Last night I watched the documentary called "invisible Children". Some of you may have heard of it, or even seen it yourselves. My heart is broken because I have been so nieve about what's been going on in this country. Yes, I know as a Christian everyone says "pray for Africa!". But I never truly knew the devistation and disgusting things that were really going on in this war torn country.

After my good friends Jesse and Sara Blaine told me they were going to Uganda to work with "the invisible children" with their friends Jason and Kari. Since the documentary has come out. The violence has subsided a bit. but the war still rages on. Jesse and Sara will be working in the village of Gulu, teaching pottery to the villagers so that they can learn a trade and sell their products and make enough money to live. I am just blown away by how much need their is in this world. I know I can't SAVE THE WORLD, but I CAN STAND ON THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD:

John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

God has already overcome this world!! Yes, sin still abounds...but through prayer and petition and feeling the heart beat of God we can fight this spiritual battle. We can stand in the truth and in the power of God we can SMASH sin!

No...I'm not going to jump the next flight to Africa, although my heart yearns to go there. I will start with PRAYER and NEVER STOP PRAYING FOR AFRICA! Who knows where God will lead each of us next, but just TRUST HIM....listen to his heart and seek it out diligently in prayer!

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Please check out my friends blogspots on their journey to Uganda, Africa! See beautiful pictures and heart wrenching stories.

http://criglers-in-africa.blogspot.com/ (Jason and Kari Crigler)
http://www.blainesinafrica.blogspot.com/ (Jesse and Sara Blaine)

Also check out this website: InvisibleChildren.com



****Australia Ministry Update****
God has blessed me this week. I have continued to go into the High Schools and share the love of Christ with the students there. To build relationships through the lunch time programs and the breakfast programs. But I want to do MORE. :) This week I was interviewed by two chaplains who are in the process of matching me up with 2 young woman who I will have the priviledge to mentor as long as I am here in Australia. What a blessing that is for me and for them. God willing, I will start the mentoring program at the end of June.
My cousin Leanne Soldo (who my close friend and also a missionary in my family) is coming to work with me in AUSTRALIA for 2 months. She'll be the missions builder for the YWAM SUNNY COAST base. God is so good. Just when I am begining to miss home, God sends her my way. I can't wait to catch up on things, but I'm even more excited to serve God along side her. :)
The DTS students will be coming home next Saturday and then they have one more week left here in Australia. It will be sad to see them go, but how exciting for them to continue their journey in the Lord.

Please keep Australia in your prayers:
* For the broken families and depression of young children
* The Chaplains in the high schools, for support and prayers for them
* The DTS students and the YWAM staff, that we will be influencial for God's Kingdom
* That the Lord will bless me with a car
* Continual strength and revelation of God's heart...to endure all things and to always bring God the Glory!

Today, take a moment to think about this!

!!! God truley ENJOYS you! :) Do you truley ENJOY God? !!!!

CHAPPY'S ANGELS!

I heard once before that after entering a room Mother Theresa would whisper under her breath "LORD, I THIRST!". I desire for each of us to know what it means to THIRST after God...to thirst for God's word, His truth. To hunger for righteousness as much as Christ does.
DO YOU THIRST??
how about a drink of "living water?"

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?" Psalm 42:1-2


What a complete blessing it's been to join the 10/20 high school ministry here on the Sunshine Coast. I work with two other girls; Lauren and Melody. Our "job" is to support the high school chaplains (high school pastors) thus we call ourselves "CHAPPY'S ANGELS". haha

Every week we go into high schools and put on free breakfast and lunch time programs. During this time we get a chance to connect with the students and we are free to talk about the Lord, answer any questions about God they might have and just be REAL with them. It's such a blessing to only have been doing this for 3 weeks and to already be connecting with the students. The students really just want to see that you're serious about investing in their lives. They want to see that we really care about them. AND THIS WE DO!

We also run a program called "Girls Talk" where we meet during a class time with a group of 8 girls who are in grade 8. We sit and talk about body image and healthy and unhealthy relationship, we discuss girl things and really speak truth into their lives. We teach them how to relate to each other and how to handle conflicts in an appropriate way. It's been a huge CULTURE SHOCK for me going into the Australian high schools. Aussies are TOUGH KIDS...they learn how to fight at a young age and everyone is "to each his own" kinda thing. I really do like the "Aussie Culture" because they have the attitude of "what you see is what you get". They dont beat around the bush, they are very forward and honest people. It's cool, but way different then what I'm used to.

This week before Girls Talk we prayed that we would be able to show these girls Christ, not necessarily by what we say, but by how we act. It's hard in this class, because we actually can't talk about God here. We dont want to get in trouble with the school, so we are very cautious not to overstep boundaries. But God answered our prayers and we were able to actually discuss God with them and to answer some questions. The girls are real keen on getting to know God and what this "God thing" is all about. I'm so excited!!

I'll be starting up the mentoring/counseling program at two different high schools in a few weeks as well!! Please keep that in your prayers, that my time with these two girls will be effective and be a blessing to them.

**In two weeks the DTS that I am staffing will be arriving back to the base from outreach. I have been given the responsability to coordinate the last week of DTS. It's been a challenge, but God has been so good. I am learning how to be more organized and more confident in myself and in Christ. I love rising to new challenges and seeing God give me the strength to overcome them and to complete them.

Thank you for your prayers and support!!
please pray for:

*enough financial support to get a car and for petrol (gas)so I can go into the high schools

*The high school students we are connecting with, salvations!

*for a persevering heart, a determination to press into God daily and to fight for freedom of God's chosen people!

Thank you so much for your love and prayers!


"I THIRST".......MAY THIS BE OUR HEARTS CRY THIS WEEK AND FOREVER! BE BLESSED
LOVE,
KRISTIN STILWELL

He wants to carry our burdens? who does that??

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens". Psalm 68:19

WOW....we serve a mighty God who wants to carry our burdens, DAILY!
As some of you may know, I live in a house with 4 other girls. Since moving into this house God really layed on my heart to start a bible study with them. To share in each others burdens, to rejoice in each others blessings! To really come together through the bond of peace that is Christ Jesus and life one another up. Every Tuesday night we have commited to meeting together and to share with each other what the Lord is teaching us and to pray together. To remain unified in love!
This tuesday we met for the 2nd time. We walked up to the "water tower" and watched the sun set. It was the most beautiful sunset I've seen in awhile. God fully revealed himself in it. We talked about how busy we can get and how we never give enough time to pray with each other. Yeah, we may say "I'll pray for you!" but then we just go home and forget to do so, or we go home and pray to God in a secret quiet place. But why don't we have time to pray WITH that person?
With the realization of how important prayer is and how powerful it is as well, my heart was convicted. I shared with the girls how much of a blessing it is to tell someone about our burden that we are carrying, about the heavy load that we are allowing to weigh us down. Once we unload our burdens on someone else, then that person shouldn't just walk away with it heavy on their shoulders but should pray together with that person and give it up to God. This is exactly what we did on tuesday. We ministered to each other with scripture and then we prayed individually and lifted our burdens up in prayer TOGETHER! what a blessing!
I encourage us all to listen to peoples needs and to find the time to pray with that person STRAIGHT AWAY! This simple act shows so much love to people...it shows them that you actually have TIME for them and that you fully believe that there is a God who cares for us and who wants to bear our burdens. LETS LIVE OUTLOUD!

This week has been a busy week in ministry. I'm finally getting into a more consistent schedule with my ministry. Things are really starting to pick up and I have plenty of work to do. (I love it).
Last Sunday a few friends and I were able to bless a church in our community by teaching sunday school for 2 hours to their little ones. It went so well! It's amazing to me to see such small children have such a deep revelation of God and who they are in him. To hear their prayers and to see them comprehend what the lord has done for them. What a blessing that was to me. God also blessed each of us with finances too, the church was gracious enough to give us $50.00 each. How good is it to be obedient to God?

This weekend I'm going to Noosa National Park with a few friends to go snorkling and then I'll be watching my friends semi-pro rugby game! If you havn't caught a rugby game..you def. should see one. It's......INTERESTING!

I love you guys and am so thankful to you all who support me and pray for me. To help me keep my eyes on Jesus Christ. Thank you for interceeding for me, I feel your prayers!

May this be your prayer as well as mine this week and FOREVER:

"1Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. And God granted his request!"

LOVE YOU!

My upcoming ministry schedule! :)

As I mentioned before in my last blog, I was going to meet with my mentor and friend Lauren today. I met up with her earlier this afternoon for coffee and to discuss joining her and the other ywam base staff in the 10/20 high school ministry. I have been so excited to start working with them and now is my opportunity to do so. Since the DTS is on outreach for 2 months I have this time to commit to this ministry and will continue my commitment for as long as I am here in Australia. (potentially 2 years or more).
My work schedule is pretty full on starting next week. I will be going into high schools at 7:00am on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to serve breakfast to the students before clss. This provides opportunities for us to have meaningful conversations with the kids and to even share the gospel with them. You have to understand that in Australia, the government requires religious education to be taught to the students...and they dont mind if we come in and share our faith. It's actually encouraged!
It's the biggest blessing for us and this ministry to be able to have such freedom in the public schools. Praise God for this freedom!
After the breakfast programs are over, all of us girls spend about an hour in prayer together before we put on a "lunch time program" for the students. The lunch time program is where the students voluntarily come and hang out with us after they eat. We play games with them and we share with them a bit about the Lord. In all reality it really helps us build relationships with the kids and to gain their trust to be able to invite them to Christian events and things we put on. A lot of these kids come from bad families and it's just nice for them to know they can come to school and feel accepted..and once they know Christ they will truly know what it means to be accepted! AMEN! :)
On wednesday's I will be meeting at the boardstore (a skate shop owned by one of the ywam full time staff missionaries) to pray and interceed for our countries and whatever is on God's heart!
In a few days I will be interviewing at 2 different high schools to do mentorship with the students on wed. and friday. This means I will meet for an hour with students who just need someone to listen to them, to encourage them and to just be a friend to them. (this is definitly my cup of tea)
On Wednesday nights I will be joining my friends and fellow base staffers in a small group bible study with the local church (MBC). That way I have a chance to stay grounded in the word and get a chance to get to know the community church!
Thursdays I am planning on joining the Christian Surfers ministry at Coolum beach (which is about 20 min. drive for me) to put on a free BBQ and to spend time with the local surfers around here, to encourage them and to build relationships with them. these bbq's are every thursday night!
This is a sort of sketch of what's to come for me in my ministry. I am blessed to be a part of such a great community of people who are willing to be challenged by God and ready to be used to furthur his kingdom. I ask that you all pray for me as I face new challenges and as I press into what the lord has called me to do here.
The Lord has really been pressing on my heart more so than ever, what it means to FEAR HIS NAME AND BE REVERENT OF WHO HE IS.
To Know God and truly make him known starts first with my personal relationship with God. I cannot walk in ministry or in life with POWER unless I humble myself in WORSHIP to God and submit myself to God...and then the power comes. Things can happen! The Lord is using me here at the YWAM australia sunshine base to really challenge my friends and fellow staff members to be men and woman of integrity. I do not claim to have mastered this myself by any means, but I have a heavy burden and a deep conviction to see each of us (Christ Followers) diggin into the word and allowing God to shape us to be more like him. This means dying to self daily and really living like a disciple of Christ. AMEN?

IMPORTANT*** please be praying that I'll be able to purchase a car here in Australia to get from school to school. It's a bit difficult now that I'm working with the 10/20 high school ministry to get from one place to another without a car. Lord willing, he will provide the car and the funds to purchase it.

Thank you so much for your love and support!

IN CHRIST,
KRISTIN STILWELL

Life is busy!

This is a picture of one of the girls I mentor (Kari) this was on our last one on one together before she left for Vanuatu! the next picture is of me and a couple of students on this DTS. and I put a pretty picture of a rainbow for ya, this was taken at Fraser Island, I went there a couple weekends ago. ...GOD IS GOOD!



It sure has been a busy few weeks! Since I'm on staff for the Discipleship Training School I have been in charge of making sure the students have their money in to go on outreach and to tie up the last few strings before they actually leave for 2 months on outreach.
I met with the two girls I was mentoring for the last time on wed. last week. Kari and Danielle are their names. They are so sweet and I've really enjoyed getting to know them. It's been awesome to stand beside them and pray with them as they grow here on DTS.
Before the DTS left they all had to clean their houses (a sort of spring cleaning if you will!) and pack up their stuff to put in storage while they are away on outreach. In between packing, the staff planned a fun night for the students. We did a camera scavenger hunt between the 4 small groups. Their are 2 girls small groups and 2 guys small groups which met every wednesday night during the 3 months lecture phase. It was a riot!!! what a great way to end the lecture phase and a perfect activity to allow us to spend some quality time together before they left.
The base is really different (a.k.a quiet) without the students around...but it's allowing me to get some work done in the office and to update my blogspot etc. ;) This is a new phase for me here in YWAM.

Some of you may not have known this, but during the DTS I was one of the girls student house moms. I lived with Noelle (she's another staff person on this school) in a house with 10 other girl students. It wasn't as bad as it may sound. It was wonderful having that quality time with the girls that I normally wouldn't have if I lived in the staff house apart from the students.
Since the DTS left this weekend (Easter weekend) I moved back into the staff house and am rooming with a good friend of mine; Andrea. Apart from moving my life to another house (which in all reality, my life consists of a few boxes!!) I've been planning out my work schedule for the next couple months.
I'll be meeting with the base director (my boss) on monday to figure out what my schedule will look like. I've been meeting with my mentor and friend Lauren Beatav a lot these past few weeks. She's one of the girls who heads up the Religious Education program to the high schools and she also does monday night girls skate ministry. I plan to join her in her ministry! However my schedule ends up looking like, I plan on keeping very busy and serving the base and the community as much as I can. I love serving the Lord with all my heart...and it's a blessing to be able to do that here in Australia, Sunshine Coast.
p.s. No matter how busy I get, I am glad to have such a strong conviction about quiet times. I've allowed myself a couple hours every morning to walk the beach for an hour and pray and then come back home and read the word. It's been ESSENTIAL to my ministry...and more importantly my relationship with the Lord.

I will definitly keep you posted on what's to come.
thank you for your support, prayers and love!
FOR MORE PICTURES YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY FACEBOOK. For those of you who have facebook anyway :) and my MYSPACE has a few more pictures too!

xoxox
love in Christ,
KRISTIN STILWELL

a few pictures!

BAPTISM

Today is Friday, which means INTERCESSION for the school. We usually break up into groups of about 6 and pray for people groups, nations and just anything the Lord lays on our heart. But today was different. Today we went to the river mouth and 5 people expressed their undying love for the lord through Baptism! Two of the girls on this school; Heather and Amy, asked me if I would baptize them! I was more than honored to do so. They were a bit nervous about it, so before they actually were baptized I got a chance to sit down with them and discuss what baptism really ment. All the nerves subsided once they grabbed hold of how joyous this occassion really is. How beautiful it is to die to self and to ask the lord to pour forth his annointing and his spirit and fill us up and make us a new creation! It's a time to rejoice! Man...God is good!
I really am blessed to be asked to do this. I think this is one of those things you tick off your life's "to do list"
*baptize someone: CHECK!
'
I love you guys so much! Thanks for rejoicing with me in the truth that is Christ Jesus. :)

I'm going to try and post some pictures from the baptism, if this computer will let me.
BLESSINGS!

HELLO!!

(in a Gospel voice!!!) HOW GOOD IS GOD! come on now..let me hear it....... how GOOD IS GOD??!!!
Wow...life has been pretty full on lately. I havn't had the internet for about a week now, so I'm sorry for this blog being late!
Let's see, what's new? Well, the DTS is in their 9th week now. They only have 3 more weeks till outreach! Time is just flying and the students are learning so much about God, missions and their life in Christ. It's so good to be apart of someones life and to be able to influence them and challenge them and their relationship with God. The students probably dont know this, but they actually challenging me heaps in my walk with God as well. It's such a good thing, the unified body of Christ!
This weekend was sooo good. On friday night we went and did our friday night evangelism in mooloolaba (a town near us). I head up the coffee evangelism there. Anyways we get coffee every friday night at the same coffee shop and we've made heaps of friends there, so we always catch up with the people who work there. This way we can evangelis by getting to know the people (more friendship evangelism style) After we chit chat a bit with the assosiates at the coffee shop, we hang out and talk with the customers at the coffee shop. we usually pray together and then we head out and talk with people who are just walking around at night. This friday I had a chance to sing worship on the sidewalk with a friend of mine who had his guitar and was entertaining the people with worship!
I also had a chance to talk with one of the students fathers who came to visit for the weekend. The whole family is Christian except his father and it was so sweet to just minister God's love to his dad. His dad said he's never seen such friendlier people than Christians. It wasn't a forced conversation either. It was so encouraging to me even to see Nathan (the student) talk to his father about his personal relationshp with God. How much harder is it to evangelis to your family!! good on him for that! :) I'm continuing to pray for Nathan's father and family!
Then on saturday a bunch of the students took a trip up north to the great barrier reef to go snorking. Some of us stayed back and it was sooo good. I didn't want to not do anything so we planned to spend the night on the beach on sat. night and to have a bon fire on the beach and then do a morning surf on sunday and eat breaky together too! So on saturday morning I went to this ladies house (nell, she's the lady who's husband passed away 4 months ago from brain cancer and she's adopted me and a couple other girls from our church to be part of her family,) First we helped her pack up her house because she's moving closer to the church. It was so lovely to be there and help her pack her husbands things, she was too heart broken to look at them. AFter packing we made jewlery with her as well and we ate lunch with her too! Then on sat. night we all went to the beach and layed under the blanket of stars. I could actually see the milky way and there were about 30 shooting stars or more. How small do you feel when you are measured to the universe? God is so rad..and he named every one of those stars!! I didn't get a wink of sleep that night because of how awe inspiring our universe is...but it was all worth it. The fellowship was great and I havn't laughed that hard since being back here in oz. SOOOO GOOOD!!!!
Ok...so as far as ministry is concerned here on the Sunshine Coast. I'm so excited! Here's the go for the next couple months. I am finishing up these last few weeks of the dts lecture phase and then everyone leaves for outreach. I will be staying here on the sunshine coast and working with the local schools and churches here. I am waiting to hear back from this high school in mooloolaba where I will be interviewed to be a mentor to one student for a year! We sit down with them for an hour every day and just listen to them and give them advice etc. It's such an effective program and I can't wait to be a part of it. I am also joining the 10/20 Religious Education program as well and plan on bringing the gospel into the schools as well. I will be planning the DTS's last week of school as well for when they get back from outreach. I will be busy and that's what I like. So much is happening and will be happening in the next few months. I'm motivated and ready to persevere for the kingdom of God.

thought for the week: As Christians I dont think it's that hard to see how good God is. All the things Jesus did was so amazing and so incredible, it's hard to not think of him as good! But I think the challenge for us (at least for me) is to see that the same God that is so good and did all those amazing things, sees us as great and wants to do all those amazing thigns in and through us. He's just asking us to believe in Him and know that we can do all things through christ who gives us the strength. We CAN do GREAT things! As long as we can begin to see ourselves as Christ sees us: Amazing men and woman who are capable to do great things for the Kingdom! We are God ordained and annointed to go and bless others with the love we have recieved freely from GOD! how beautiful is life?

My prayer this week for everyone is that we will all be blessed so that we can be a blessing!
cheers from:
that Aussie girl down under!
KRISTIN

Life

This week was a pretty full on week, but good!
Our home church is amazing! There are lots of families in our church who have a heart for YWAMers. They all wanted to take some of us into their family and kind of adopt us while we are here. I was adopted by this lady named "Nell". She's a beautiful lady who works at the coffee shop at our church. She just lost her husband to brain cancer 3 months ago and is now selling her house and it's just ablessing to be able to be there for her. To laugh with her, cry with her and to just serve her. :) She's a blessing to me (providing a family and a home away from home, and she's allowing us to come into her life and to help heal her of her broken heart.) Please keep Nell in your prayers! thank you!

I also got a chance to talk with our base director of YWAM (Rob Henser) about how I can serve the base most effectively while the DTS goes on outreach. I am really getting excited about staying here on the Sunshine Coast for 2 months while the students are out on the field. God already had this planned far before I was even born. So, I trust him and know that this is where he wants me. :)
I've been given the responsiblity to keep in touch with all the outreach teams and to put together a news letter blog for them. I will keep an updated blog for the DTS's as they serve the lord in other countries. I will update the blog weekly to keep everyone informed on what the lord is doing and how people can most effectively pray for the outreach teams. besides doing this, I will be serving the local church here in Maroochydore, working with their youth group and joining a young adults group as well. I will be doing some administration work for the base and planning the students last week on their DTS. I'm ready and willing to be used here and stoked on whatever opportunities I get to serve the Lord with my everything!.
The students are really excited for this next weeks "lectures". We are having a 24/7 prayer week. All the students will be taking turns praying for a week straight. everyone is given a 2 hour time slot and we will rotate. We did this on my DTS and it was so encouraging for us and so effective for God's kingdom. If you have any prayer requests you would like us to pray for next week. please send them to me at: kjstilwell@hotmail.com we would love to pray for you!

In my free time I've been reading this book called "30 days to understanding the bible." It's an amazing book that takes you step by step through the bible bit by bit. breaking it down into "lay mans terms". I've been so stoked on it, cuz everything I read now is making so much more sense and the bible has fully come alive for me. I am still super hungry to know and truly understand God's word.
I have been spending lots of time at the beach and hanging out more with the students...lots of coffee dates!! <---thank God for starbucks! who's with me? hahaha

One big thing I've learned this week is that no matter where I am in my walk with the lord, whether I am broken and feeling so weak, or if my cup is full to the top and overflowing...I can be effective for the kingdom. and in a possitive way too. when we are broken, it brings us back to the reality that God is fully in control and he's the one who heals and satisfies.
when we are broken, the people in our lives can see that you may not have it all together, but that the lord is your strength, he's leading and guiding you and healing you. I'm stoked that they can see less of me and more of Christ glorified through me in my times of desperation. Thank God for the desert/broken times. God is so good!!!!

p.s. I love you guys and am praying for you all!

Hungry I come to you for I know you satisfy!

Whoa...how satisfying is the bread of life. How hungry am I? I am STARVING!!
Silence and solitude is such a blessing from the Lord. I have gone through so much these past few weeks, probably the hardest things I've had to go through in my life. But the lord has been so gracious to me. He is more than enough..he is all I need. in a foreign land where I could feel so alone...I have felt so much love and so much acceptence from the Lord. God has also provided people in my life to come along side me and have compassion on me. To pray with me and to cry with me, to laugh with me and to be a true great friend.
I just learned something about shephards that I have never known before. When a shephard is leading his flock of sheep and there is a sheep that wont stay with the pack and is wayward...the shephard (out of love) will break the sheeps leg. He then will carry the sheep on his shoulders with it's broken leg until it has healed. The sheep will learn to love his shephard and to listen and obey. The sheep feels comforted and loved after all of this and will never leave his shephard again. This is a true example of God's love for us. He sometimes has to BREAK US to get us to stay with him and trust him and to learn to love him and to obey him. BUT, when he breaks us, he carry's us. he nurturs us back to health. He's right there next to us...he breaks us, cuz he loves us. I feel so broken, yet so much closer to the Lord. I know he does all that he does with love. he's a just God..a compassionate God. I will always honor him and always obey him.
I bought this book yesterday called "30 days to understanding the bible". It's so good! It's a simple book to help me understanding the bibles history and geography and the people..etc. I'm learning so much and now that I'm learning the basics of the bible, it's making the bible come alive so much more!

WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS..THERE IS FREEDOM! God's word is not constraining his love has no boundaries...let's continue to live in the freedom that is Christ JEsus...again...with the JOY OF THE LORD AS OUR STRENGTH!

p.s. I watched this amazing teaching by Louie Giglio called "Indescribable". it's about how BIG our God is..how amazing his creation is and how small we are. but how much he loves us...even after making the universe (how cool is our universe) he still knows our names and knows us more than we know ourself. anyways..I suggest that you guys look it up online and watch this video...it's truly incredible.
many blessings!
KRISTIN

Silence and Solitude!

this is what the Lord is calling me to. Silence and Solitude.
I have to be honest with you guys, I havn't had the best week. It's been really hard for me and a lot has been going on. I came to Australia with the mindset of "do everything as unto the Lord." I came with an idea of what everything was going to be like..and I had a bit of a plan. but I realize now, that the Lord doesn't really want me to plan everything and then ask his blessing..he wants me to ask him what his plan is and to seek his face first.
All my plans pretty much came crashing down this week, the Lord is doing a little "spring cleaning" in my heart, if you will. He's revealing to me that HIS plan is much better, even if he doesn't choose to reveal it to me right now.
The Lord asks us to Commit our plans to him and he will make them succeed. Well, after a few recent events, I've realized that the Lord is still in control and he desires us to follow his perfect plan. Even if our plans fail or fall to the ground, this only leaves room for the Lord's plans to succeed. :)
God has asked me to seek his face in a new way...through silence and solitude. To drop all the "Christian books" I was reading and to just read his word. To stand in awe and reverence of who he is and his beautiful creation and to just BREATHE! I tend to be the type to "seek adventure" especially for the sake of Christ. I love to serve God and to be challenged with tasks that bring glory to God. It's hard to just sit in the Lord presence and to soak in his word, But right now, the Lord has kinda slowed everything down. He's asked me to pull myself away from the large groups (if you didn't notice, I'm a huge people person, I love being the center of attention, I love making friends and I love talking to people about the lord!!) but all this, the Lord is asking me to take a break from.
The questions running through my mind are (God, if I stop hanging out with people all the time, then I'll loose my friendships...if I'm not investing in peoples lives all the time, then I will become a loser...no one will think I'm fun if I dont hang out with them all the time.) but this is what the Lord replied to me with..Ecclesiastes 5 "For God is in Heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few..." then in vs. 7 he says "for in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness, rather fear God!" I am called to shut my mouth...to be silent before the King and to stand in reverence of Him!
I always come to the trone room with requests, fears, thoughts, dreams, but I find now that it's ok to just be stil before the Lord. I know the Lord just wants to spend time with me, he doesn't care how much I do for him, he just wants to enjoy life with me and stop and be satisfied in him. he desires to whisper in my ear and to romance me. To restore my heart...and to just enjoy life together.
OUR GOD IS:
Jehovah Raffa: OUR HEALER
Jehovah Jirah: OUR PROVIDER
Jehovah Shalom: PRINCE OF PEACE
and much more!!!!

I have a prayer request:
There have been a few plans changing for outreach! I know I told you I was leading the outreach with John to the Philippines and Australia, but the Lord has presented a new path for me. Although I wont be going to the Philippines and Australia, I will be staying here in the Sunshine Coast and helping around the base. I am currently looking for a ministry that I can invest in full-time while the school is on outreach. At the moment, I am getting more involved with my church here (Maroochy Baptist) and I'm praying about what ministry to join. I may end up doing the Religious Education program in the high schools as well. There are so many things I could do, but I only want what the Lord wants. Where can he use me the most? Thank you for your prayers!
I will trust in the Lord always and delight in him. I am so stoked that he's called me to be his servant and his friend. The students on this DTS are really growing and learning so much, this week they just learned about relationships (both romantic and non-romantic). This next week is gonna be amazing, we are learning about "Fearing The Lord!" MY FAVORITE THING EVER! I love the "fear of the Lord"....complete reverence to the King! it brings chills to my spine and joy to my heart!

no worries guys! Though there is surrow in the night, there is JOY in the morning! the Lord is near..the Joy of the Lord is my strength!
thank you for your love and prayers and financial support. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me next. There's always a new adventure right around the corner.
LOVE IN CHRIST,
KRISTIN

p.s. did you get your cup filled today? (read that word!....it's good!)

PICKY'S!!!

this is the new dts! These kids rock! they are already bonding so much. We have done heaps of evangelism (every friday nights we go to this place called mooloolaba and have worship and evangelize through sports and just randomly talking to people, we have a coffee ministry (this is what I'm in) where we go to the same coffee shop every week and sit and talk with people in the shop, the workers and the customers. it's really cool how commitment pays off.
The pineapple is actually growing in our front yard. I'm stoked, but it actually takes like 3 years for it to become ripe! bummer!
there's a picture of us praying/ interceeding for the world especially the countries that we will be going for outreach: Philippines/Australia, Thailand, Vanuatu.