Keeping the Faith, and Pressing On

The beginning of this month officially marked 1.5 years since I began here at YWAM San Francisco.  1.5 years of memories, of trials, and of joys.  It's been, as I've said before, the most challenging season of my life.  I can certainly say if I never had a work ethic before, I sure have one now.  It's been a tough couple of months in some ways, a great couple of months in others.  I've been stretched, and I've been blessed.  This is to all those in support of me, and to all those also not, and to everyone.  I am so thankful for every path I cross in my days on this earth.  Truly all are the beloved of God.

I'm standing strong in San Francisco.  Our Base Director describes it as this.  In his time in India, he was riding a wave.  He was riding a wave, as he was in India, in the missions field, for 25 years.  The wave carried him in his ministry, and they saw tremendous growth.  Now he is in San Francisco.  In San Francisco, he says, the wave beats against you.  It's not the same wave, but instead in the opposite direction.  And as the faithful of God, often times what it looks like is to stand against the wave.  We may not always move forward.  But life is not intrinsically about forward motion.  Sometimes you have to stand still, and weather the storm.  And when you have, and the waves subside, you are a strong standing stone.  That's how he sees it.  That has been my season.

I've been standing strong in San Francisco.  for the last few months, it's been essentially the same thing.  It's been a season of consistency, and yet a season of challenge and growth in consistency.  I don't know what to tell people when I talk to them on the phone.  A lot of what I do is consistent with what I've been doing.  I'm coordinating for our next event, I'm designing media for our DTS (Discipleship Training School) Department to attract students, I'm readying all of the content as our website is being re-designed completely.  All things I don't necessarily have any training in, it's been the blessing of God that I've been able to carry them.  It's been a good few months, and a good season.

There is someone very special to me in my life now.  Joelle Kidd, 20, of Canada, was here two years ago or so when I was here first volunteering before I came on staff.  I got to know her then, but never thought she would come back after going back home.  Well, she did, and I've been blessed to have been able to get to know her again.  Right now, she's out on outreach with our DTS in Italy.  Please pray for her as she and the team go from Milan to Rome.  They'll be on outreach until mid June, edifying the church, ministering to children, evangelizing to the people in the villages to attract them to local churches, and praying over the various cities they visit in Italy.  I miss her very much now that she's gone, but I get to see her again in June.

I'm not withholding about the fact that this hasn't been the easiest season of my life, and I don't intend to be.  Often times, it seems there's this sense as Christians that if it hurts, it's wrong.  I'm here to stand against that.  Ministry in San Francisco is hard.  I praise the Lord that I'm able to support many ministering here, even though my role in communications limits greatly the amount of time I spend with the individuals they personally are ministering to.  Even so, to walk every day through our Ellis Room storefront, with the populace of the second highest homeless in one neighborhood in all America can be soul crushing if you're not founded in Christ.  I pray every day Christ be with me, and see His peace administered to the hearts in this city and in this neighborhood.  I work to support those who would see broken lives made fresh, and wholeness come to the lives of the wavery, and meek, and the poor.  I thank God every day for my ability to do so.  And I thank you for your concern and prayer.