Week 4=Good Times

This is a Gecko. We find them all over campus and such areas...this little guy happens to be in our room. :)



This week has been full of crazy times...from an intense topic and speaker to a lot of fun times with my roomies and other people. This weeks topic has been on the intimacy and father view of God, taught by Andy Bryd. Andy is an intense passionate person who is crazy about the love of the Lord. When he teaches he does not use notes or any sort of slide...he just speaks from the heart of the Lord, his personal heart and the word of God. I never heard a person so passionate and caring for the heart of God. Andy compared our relationship with God and being His bride, to his own personal pursute of his wife. The way one longs for, strives for, desires for, and pursues after their future significant other is such an amazing example. This really made me think more about what I mean to Jesus and how he is crazy about ME. Awesome and exciting is all I have to say about that. :)

Gorgeous Sunset :)

Also this week we had a girl and guy time in our class...separate of course. I have no idea what the guys talked about but I do know that it was nice to have some alone just girl time. All of us ladies went up to our leader's (Peter and Dawn)beautiful house which is up in the mountains with a gorgeous view of the ocean. We all had some lovely snacks chatted and listened to a lovely lady named Kay who spoke to us on the Justice of God and how he can use us in any condition.and way. It was really inspiring and encouraging especially being that Kay has a medical condition that weakens her muscles and she can no longer walk...truely an inspiring woman of God. We also received flowers from Dawn as we are all beautiful flowers of God...we reflect his beauty as women. :)

My flower :)

This week also included some random fun with my roommates! Love those girls so much. We wanted to take part in some fall festivities/halloween celebrating soooooo.... we bought little pumpkins and decorated them individually with Sharpies!! There was also some good food and music involved of course. It was some good and fun times to be sure! More to come me thinks....

Here are our pumpkins with Gabby helping to hold them up  :) Mine is  the second to the left on the bottom :)

This weekend I again went to the beach....I know, shocker, right? This time I went to a new beach with a group of about 6 people and it was a lot of fun. Because we don't have a vehicle or a lot of money for traveling the most common way to get around is by hitchhiking! For real. It is not illegal to hitchhike or ride in the back of pickup trucks either so to get to a far away place or beach we stick our thumbs out and smile to get a ride! :) I've had several successful attempts thus far including my ride to and from the beach this weekend. Good Times! :)

Some of us in the back of van after hitchhiking on our way to the beach! :)

The beach! So beautiful.

Some of the girls and I! :)

Words in the sand saying that I miss my boyfriend (and others)

Saturday was also another game day for the Nebraska Huskers...ahem...and I showed my support all the way from Hawai'i! Yeah, that's right. :)

Go Big Red!!...and I'm just a little tired as well in this picture.

Another fun thing that I did with a couple of my roommates this weekend was go a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant! It was a lot of fun as the restaurant was themed after the movie "Forest Gump" and there were things representing it all over.....check out the pics. :)

My roommates Amy, Amber, and Staci at Bubba Gump Shrimp!

Yep!

This was on the table to let the waiter or waitress know if we needed anything. I would flip the sign over and it says "stop Forest, stop" to tell them to stop at the table. 

My meal! Yes I did order chicken....and yes I did order from the kids menu. :) so cool that I get a boat with my food and jello! :D

Peace out all!

Marked With JOY

Hello Fellow peeps!
Tonight I had my first official meeting with my Virgin Island/St Croix team!! Let me first just say that God is AWESOME by already working on my heart with this team and giving me the JOY and excitement I haven't had. My team consists of 10 people fired up for God and His plan for us. There are 6 girls (myself included), 2 guys, and a married couple Josh & Melissa who are our fearless leaders. I don't know everyone very well as of yet, but I'm certain that soon enough we will get to know each other better. Our point of getting together tonight was to really focous on prayer for the island and the people there as well. I also found out some interesting fact and information about the Virgin Island, St Croix that I've ever known and am going to share with you............

The people are a wide varity of nationalities and social stand points that populate this island. I will try to tell you their history in a quick, non-boring way. Here goes. In the 17oos and 1800s there was a ton of slavery and slave trading that took place on this island as well as piarate influences being that this was a "safe place" for them. The pirates were a strong influence with slavery and how the island was governed...leading to control, more slavery and distruction. This left the islanders in a state of depression, oppression and poverty. The Virgin Islands have also been owned and bought several times ending up with being a teritory owned by the United States since  the early 1900s. Since then the people of these small islands have been fully dependant on the government.

The mindset of the people is that of "If I'm in trouble or make a mistake the government will bail me out". So, for example, a mother might spend $100 on a haircut but run out of money for her children at the end of the month and have to ask for food stamps. Also, the way that a man is respected and builds his pride, is by the amount of children he has...so there are a lot of rather large families and children who then cannot be properly taken care of. The island I'm going, St. Croix, is mostly these poverty stricken people...the other two islands are tourist traps that contain resorts, hotels, and luxorious places for vacations. If you are not rich "enough" or homeless, the people will be actually shipped to the island of St. Croix so as to take away any appearance of poverty and homelessness from the tourist areas. This is messed up to be sure.

As a team we have several different ministry opportunities to take part in there with another small YWAM base. We have the opportunity to serve in a orphanage with children who are aged from new born to 18 years old, as well as some with mental disabilities. We can assist and minister in a nursing home to the elderly, help feed the homeless nearby, open a health clinic and any other random things we might come up with. As you can see it is a broad variety of ways to serve this community....what we will be doing for sure we don't know but are continually praying about.

Besides getting to know each other, when meeting together for the first time, we also began praying for these islands and certain things we would like to see in our team. We prayed for   courage, fearlessness, that we would be one as a family, to build one-one relationships for the people there, and that we as a team would be marked with JOY. This especially is something that I believe our group will be...a group of JOY bringers and that people will see the JOY of Jesus in us...I'm excited to get going with our plans and ideas for this place God has called us! I cannot wait to see what He has planned. I will keep you all updated!!

Peace out.

Week 3 in a blog post...

The sunsets continue to be gorgeous. :)

 Hmmmm....how to sum up this past week in one blog....there is really NO WAY, but I will try. First off here are a couple of pictures from my work duty and team. We are cleaning out the new YWAM buildings and currently clearing land for other buildings to be added in the future. I actually like this job a lot....I have been sweeping out the dirt in empty  new buildings this past week, as well as pulling and raking weeds. My work duty team is a lot of fun to work with, especially because there are a several different nationalities represented. I work with a couple of Canadians, Norwegians, several Koreans and a some from the United States, and I love them all! Learning to work together with some language barriers has been a challenge but is getting better...and I'm even learning some Korean in the process! :)

Here I am sweeping out the building!

Rachael cleaning...in shock I think... :)

Gyuho having a little too much fun cleaning :)

Hong-Jin sweeping up!



HUNGRY AND THIRSTY FOR HIS WORD!!!!
This entire week's lecture topic was on hearing the voice of God and understanding Him as our heavenly father and what that all means. This was taught by John Bills, an exccelent and wise man of God. I cannot put into words all that has been taught this week...it has been so amazing but yet overwhelming at the same time. To have someone come and speak on hearing God's voice in numerous ways, and then practicing that and living it out has been amazing. I was (and am) challenged to really focous on hearing God's voice...to put in an effort to really try to hear Him instead of ignoring or pushing it off as something else. John also spoke on how important it is to get into the word...not only just by reading it to myself but to others, out loud, and memorizing. This has been an ever constant topic in our classroom (something that has never been taught on so much before, I'm told) and has caused me to really sit down and focous on His word. Never before have I had such a HUNGER and THIRST for his word and time with Him!! It is amazing. I have had different small times in the past where I've gone through a hunger and thirst "phase" but never as this before. I am excited to see what happens as I dig into His word more. Also I am challenging myself to memorize a whole book of the Bible (!!!) perhaps Ephesians or 1 John...we shall see.




FAMILY TIME
Now that I have passed my 3 week mark of being gone away from my "home" it has marked the longest time I've ever been away from home on any kind of trip. Needless to say it has been hard. Besides the practical time difference where it makes it difficult to communicate with my family, there are also events that I'm beginning to miss. Last week was my Daddy's birthday, my sister Amy ran a marathon that I would have loved to be there for, and Amy also has decided to join the U.S. Air Force...and to which her swearing in ceremony was also this past week. The wonderfully amazing thing about technology is that we have web-cameras on almost anything now...including ipods, which my Mother has. :) So, I was able to witness Amy's swearing to the United States Air Force as well as talk to all of my family. In fact, there was also a family photo taken to which I was also in!! Please check out the photo bellow to understand what I mean... :) I love them all and am really missing them..as well as missing my wonderful boyfriend...I am so glad for this opportunity and what God has called me to do here for 6 months, but it can be so darn hard sometimes! In these time I wonder how true that phrase is "Distance makes the heart grow fonder"...and continue to hold on to God, that's for sure :)

The whole family here to witness this special occasion! I am smiling on the ipod that my Mother is holding in her hand... :)

Just a shout out pic for Peter and I :)


THE WEEKEND AND FREETIME
This entire week has been crazy with lectures and such (as always) but since Friday I have since taken a little time off and done a couple of things that include yummy food, and the beach. Always a good idea here in Hawai'i.

:)

Rachael at a nearby seaside restaurant.

The view from said restaurant :)

Rachael and I before going to the beach!

At the beach :)

Annnd Sunburn from the sun! Thanks Mommy for the aloe!! :)


As I continue to rest it up this weekend, to prepare for my 4th week here with YWAM, I will be also continuing to dig into the Word as well as working on memorization. I miss you all! 


P.S. I love getting mail....and love writing letters.... ;) here is my address if anyone is interested!
Melissa Birdsong/Compassion DTS
University of the Nations
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy. #432
Kailua Kona, HI 96740
USA

Team Picture!

My team!

Drumroll please.....

Annnnnnd my outreach location is.....THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS!! Ahhhhhh!!!! Who would have thought that I would be assigned here?? From one island to the next...I guess God knows what He is doing....but I still have no idea what that is. My first choice for outreach was actually Columbia/Chili (combined) but I also wanted to be open to where ever God might have need of me...which happens to be the U.S. Virgin Islands. I don't really know as of yet what we will be doing, and don't even know all of my team members, but in time I will. Just wanted to update you all on where I'm going to be spending 3 months on my outreach! Updates soon to follow! Please pray for my understanding and patience with God's plan...Peace out!

Meet my Roommates...please :)

While living here in Kona, Hawai'i I live in a dorm room with 7 other beautiful, wonderful woman of God...who all have their own unique gifts and talents...and personalities. I love them all and would like to introduce you to them...

My wonderful roommates and I!! All 8 of us! :) Aren't we just beautiful? :)

Let me begin with Gabby my "bunk mate" who sleeps on the bunk below me. Gabby  (or G as I call her) is from the island Kuai, on the islands in Hawai'i and is a quite, strong woman of God who is always wanting to know more and more of God and who He is. She is constantly asking questions concerning Him, and is the first to jump forward to pray. She displays the gracefulness of God in every move and action. I love her so much and can't wait to get to know her more in the next couple of months. :)

Gabby and I before volunteering at the Ironman!

Next is Amber who is on the top bunk when first entering our room...Amber, who is from Alabama, is a gentle, considerate woman of God who, in the past couple of days, has begun to display a slightly sarcastic sense of humor. She loves throw out a comment when you least expect it that will make you smile...her hunger to know God more and grow closer to Him is evident when she talks about Him and worships Him. She has wisdom of Him and His word beyond her years and just longs to please Him. I love her and can't wait to get to know her more! :)

Amber enjoying some Frozen yogurt! :)

Living below Amber is Madisen....Ohhhhhh Madisen. Our room would not be the same without her. Coming from Canada, Madisen is a gorgeous, confident woman of God who knows who she is in Him. She is very open and is quick to encourage me when I'm having a bad day. She displays her gift of discernment in telling people who they are in Christ and building them up...as well as making them smile. Sometimes when I'm having a bad day her goofy smile or random sense of humor will cheer me up and the other girls in the room as well. I love her so much and can't wait to get to know her more! :)

Madison enjoying a mango in the morning! :)

Next to Amber and Madisen is Amy. Amy, Amy, Ammmmmy.......is from Washington and brings joy and laughter to our little room. Her sarcastic humor and different voices she uses when talking make me laugh daily....I cannot imagine the room without her. Amy is extremely gifted in music both with her voice and guitar. I love listening to her play and sing. We had an open mic night here on campus that all of us roommates convinced her to participate in...to which she did...to which she played and sang a song that she wrote and everyone loved it. I am inspired by her desire to know God more and more....to worship Him with everything she has. When she writes music or plays it is to honor Him and i greatly admire that in her. Love her and am looking forward to the next couple of months. :)

Amy...being herself in Wal-mart. :)

Sleeping below Amy is our quiet spirited, beautiful Staci. Staci represents the state of California. This wonderful, passionate woman of God makes me desire to know Him more and more. She displays an ever open mind and heart to the ways of the Lord, and is always wanting to know any and every story that relates to His goodness. Whenever I come back from class or whatever, she is eager to know what I've learned or what God is doing. She challenges me to spend more time with the Lord. Whenever Staci has a spare moment, she uses it to get to know Him more by spending time in the word, praying or worshiping Him. I'm excited to spend the next couple of months with her. :)

Beautiful Staci with the sunset behind her. :)

To left of me on the top bunk is beautiful Kathryn from Texas. Kathryn and I share a wonderful similarity in our sarcastic humor. What I don't say she does, and visa-versa. I love it. Kathryn can be quite most of the time but strong in her beliefs. She is very considerate and will be the first to notice if someone is upset...and quick to comfort and affirm. She is also very random and spontaneous which I love.  The way she is so eager to know God and is willing to let Him change her challenges me to also be this open and let Him change me. I love spending time with her and can't wait to spend the next couple of months with her! :)

Kathryn and I dancing... :)


Last, but certainly not least, is Rachael. Rachael is from Canada and has 10 siblings...needless to say  she and I share several similarities and can relate to a lot of things. Rachael has a quite overall spirit about her and is very observant. I was quick to learn though, that she is not predictable I never know what she's going to say or do...we have a lot of fun together. Her constant commitment to spending time with the Lord and wanting to please Him the most is such a blessing to observe and aspire to be like. I love her sense of adventure and willingness to try new and crazy things. She'll always say yes to doing new things. I love her and am looking forward to the next couple of months with her!

 

Rachael being Rachael in wal-mart. :)


I hope you enjoyed meeting all of my roomies! They are a blast and I love them all!

So It Begins...

Before I begin I first must say that I have never blogged before...fist because I don't like talking about myself and also because I didn't know how...until my new roommate showed me...so here is my blog on my new adventure! :)

WOW. Can I just say it has been a crazy two weeks!! After saying bittersweet goodbyes to my family, boyfriend, and friends whom I will not be seeing for 6 months, I boarded my plane in Omaha, Nebraska. 12 hours of travel later I landed in Kona, Hawai'i!! I then grabbed my luggage and found some other fellow YWAMers, jumped on a shuttle to the YWAM base which was about 30 minutes from the airport. 

A typical sunset in Hawai'i...this view is right outside of my dorm...so beautiful. 

The first week was a complete blur to be honest with you. I don't remember much....something about don't bother the geckos, the bathrooms where this way, there were important papers thrown at me that I had to sign...I had to stand in a hot,long line for 2 hours for my picture ID (that included a picture of a very tired and travel-worn Melissa), and after all this being told to lug all my stuff up to the TOP OF THE HILL where my dorm with 7 other girls would be. Yaaaaaaay....the rest of the week included a lot of different orientations, classes, introductions, getting to know my roommates, adjusting to the time change (5 hour difference) and learning a new schedule that is packed full.

A beautiful tree on the campus. These flowers are used to make leis  mostly...

The Compassion DTS class that I'm in consists of about 100 people, both students and leaders. We have a different speaker and topic each week...which is both interesting and challenges my walk with God. The entire campus is also very worship oriented...which means about once a day (if not 2 or 3 times) we have some sort of worship time for about 1 hour. So far this has been great and God has been teaching me a lot both through the worship and lectures...but it is also very exauhsting. Thankfully our weekends are not scheduled or packed full, we can choose to relax in our own ways and time. One of my favorite ways to relax is to walk to a nearby beach with some of my roommates or new friends...the beauty of God's creation I feel is really really displayed by the ocean....the mighty crashing waves, the colors of the water and sand, the feel of the water around me, and even the taste of the salty water speaks volumes of his awesome creativity. :)

Me at the beach...

The water is so clear and beautiful...