Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad and Happy New year!  We celebrated Peru with the other YWAM missionaries here yesterday (Caters, for those of you who know them).  Thank you so much for all your support and prayers, you are such a blessing in my life.  The mission here wouldn't be possible without all of you.  We went to a Christmas Eve service at a local Peruvian church and enjoyed the traditional fruit cake and hot chocolate here.  On the night of Christmas Eve, we were able to hand out around 25 blankets, 200 sandwiches and 200 juice boxes to homeless people in Cusco.  We were able to make contact and see people we've talked to previously and they were overjoyed to get blankets and food on Christmas.

We had some great conversations with people about Jesus on the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu.  We spent 4 days with people, hiking and talking.  Some people were so open and curious about our faith and relationship with Jesus, they seemed so interested in what we were doing and what it looked like to have relationship with God.  After coming back, we managed to be involved in 4 chocolatadas.  A chocolatada is when people go out to a poor village and give them hot chocolate, bread and clothes for Christmas.  We also get the chance to tell them about God and talk with them more if they would like.

We have one more week here in Cusco before returning back to Brisbane.  We've really enjoyed our time here and God has continued to move on our behalf and on behalf of the city.  Please continue to pray for us to finish strong and end our time here well as we continue to seek God's face and everything He has for us here.

Peru!

We have officially been in Peru for 2 weeks.  We are sitting at 11,500 feet elevation; the first couple days we got here I couldn't stand up without panting, I felt so out of shape it was crazy!  The elevation change has been a bit better recently as our bodies have adjusted, but going up 2 flights of stairs still feels like a heavy workout:)  Cusco is beautiful, full of so much history. This city is where the Inca Empire existed during the 13th century-1532.  Mountains surround the city on every side.  The people are so warm, hospitable and welcoming.  Being here feels like taking a step back in time.

The first week we took some time to adjust to the new time zone, climate and elevation.  We have been involved in various kids and church ministries since being here.  Last week we focused on the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to guide and direct us for the week.  We spent time in worship, prayer and evangelism.  Cusco struggles with religiosity.  People have a difficult time understanding God wants a personal relationship with them and this is more important than any amount of money they could ever have.  Cusco is a city in need of prayer, God needs to do the breaking ground work in order for people's hearts to be ready to receive Him and His love.  It's God's kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).  Please pray with us that the people of Cusco would see God's kindness.  "I have loved you with an everlasting love and drawn you in with loving-kindness" Jeremiah 31:3.

Yesterday we had a great cultural experience.  We were able to get tickets to the finals of a Peruvian soccer game.  The stands were packed with over 40,000 people attending.  The tension was so high in the arena it was crazy.  The Cusco team lost 0-1, but it was well worth the experience!

God is doing great things here in Peru, please continue to pray our team approaches this time with a heart of brokenness before God as we continue to love, serve and pray.

Pass it on Tour.

We arrived home late Saturday night after spending the past two weeks visiting two country bush towns (Oakey and Dalby) on the Pass it on Tour.  The mission is to: Pass on the wisdom of God to the next generation.  The tour is a act of intercession and running.  Our teams physically run from town to town as an act of claiming the authority and land back as God's that we have given to Satan over the years.  We do different activities throughout the week we spend in each town including after school activities, prayer walks, lecture nights, free BBQs and island dancers.  Our goal is to promote family and encourage the youth in the various country towns.

Brad's healed ankle with our team!

Our team (Peru-I'm going to Peru in Nov. if I haven't said that yet!!) started running, we ran from Towoomba to Oakey and ran a total of 40km between 7 of us in a day.  We did a couple service projects, then headed to the next town, Dalby, to prepare for the big group coming behind us.  We were able to help out at a Relay for Life festival making homemade donuts and various other projects.

making donuts for Relay for Life

On Sunday we were asked to lead an evening service at a local church. I gave the sermon, a student shared a testimony and another sang a song.  We opened it up for prayer and so many people wanted prayer. We prayed for over 20 people probably and God did some sweet stuff!  Then we prayed for this young guy Brad, he had some pulled ligaments in his ankle and God told me to pray for healing.  We experience some healing that night and praised God for the progress we saw.  Then we saw him at school the next day without crutches walking perfectly normal:)  It was so fun to see what God had done!

Overall, it was a great time of learning, serving and growth.  We planted many seeds and helped the different churches in the community connect with each other.  Thanks for your prayers, we were in desperate need of them.

team Peru!

helping out with the local youth

work projects

there is no security in what God is doing, only in who He is.

Kristina and Meghan at the Gold Coast

Idun and Meghan at the creek

We are one month into the DTS.  Things are heating up quite a bit.  I tried to send out another newsletter today, but had some technical difficulties, so I hope to get one out ASAP.  God has been doing so much in our lives.  He has been taking all of us to deeper levels of intimacy and relationship with Him.  He has been teaching so many student's about His Father heart and what it looks like to receive His love.  It's still so hard for us to believe on a regular basis that God's love is free, unconditional, no strings attached.


God has been revealing His love, but also the reality of relationship with Him.  He wants every bit of who we are, no more, no less.  He is only satisfied when we are fully relying on Him, surrendering every desire, comfort and security to Him.

We have been having some great conversations with people on our Evangelism nights in the city.  I had the chance to speak with a Hindu man for over an hour about faith and Christianity.  In the middle of the conversation he said faith was a bad thing.  Then after praying with him, he looked at me and said, "it's so good to be around people with so much faith."  Ha!  I love how God can change people so quickly!

We are leaving tomorrow to be part of a running tour around Queensland, called the "Pass it on Tour."  Check out the website for more info. www.gopassiton.org.  Thanks so much for your prayers!

and we're off.

The DTS has officially been running for over a week now.  We spent the first few days in orientation and then we left last weekend for a retreat in the mountains.  It was a great time to get away, get to know everyone and a special time of sharing testimonies.  This week we had lectures on the "Character and Nature of God."  God has so much in store for this school, we can all feel it ready to burst at the seams.  I know I am bursting with love for all the students, they are so hungry for God, so ready to dive in and face everything and anything.

I've been able to have a few adventures of my own over the past couple weeks as well.  I rented a bike a couple weeks ago and headed to the mountains.  I ended up on top of a mountain and a bit tired to say the least, but it was well worth it.  Went rock climbing downtown Brisbane with a few friends.  I went hiking yesterday at a creek and was reminded of how beautiful the Brisbane area is.  Today a couple took us up to Mt. Nebo to view the amazing overlooks in the surrounding areas.

Please pray our students do not go home.  Satan often tries to convince them early on that it's not worth the journey.  Please pray the students would respond to God and not hold back, He's ready for them, but they need to be in a place of receiving from Him.  Love you all!

trust.

Trust is such an abstract idea.  So often it seems it would be easier if trust were more concrete, but really how often are ideas concrete?  How often does God ask us to do anything by following something concrete, like a formula.  Almost never.  I am a logical thinker, that's why I enjoy math and science.  I operate on definite, observable patterns and formulas.  When I follow a formula, I know what the result will be.

I often try to make my life with God into a formula.  I would rather have Him tell me exactly what is required and what the result will be in the end.  But the problem with living life that way is that you are able to remove God completely.  You no longer need Him to direct your steps because you believe if you are following the formula, you are following Him.  I think my greatest fear is a fear of the unknown.  I question where?  Who?  What?  When?  How?  I ask God for the next 20 steps, but He never gives them to me.  He only gives me one step...the next one...the only one I need, then He asks me to trust Him and wait with Him.

One thing I know to be concrete in this life is God and His promises.  I know He has promised His plans are to prosper me and not to harm me.  He has promised to never leave me or forsake me.  He has promised He is on my side and guiding me every step of the way.  Prov. 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

I continue to learn what it looks like for me to trust God more each day.  Going to church all my life it's really easy to spit out 100 definitions, but to tell you what it looks like played out in my life is a much more difficult task.  What does it look like for you to trust God?  Are you?

unexpected blessings.

God is so good.  I love how generous our Father is to all of us children.  I am so blessed by my church here in Australia.  During DTS, I attended a church family called Nexus.  Over the course of my time there, I was so encouraged by the people, worship and teaching.  The teaching is always so challenging, yet uplifting as well.  There was a middle-age couple who decided to be our parents away from home and took us in for home-cooked meals and provided transport to and from church.  Upon returning, we have been able to re-connect with the couple and meet even more members of the church.

The sermon this morning was on sowing, in regards to Luke 6 where the Bible explains we will reap what we sow.  At the end of the service the pastor encouraged giving and had myself and two of my other friends from YWAM stand.  He explained that we do not get paid for our ministry and encouraged people to give if they felt led.  I was astonished at the generosity of the people.  We had so many people come up after the service and place money in our hands and offer us a warm smile.  It was such an unexpected blessing and only a continuation of your generosity.  Thank you so much for being a part of the journey.  May the Lord bless you as you continue to sow good seeds in others' lives.

safe arrival.

Thank you to everyone who is a part of my life.  You are each such a blessing, whether you offered an encouraging word, listening ear, prayer, or financial gift, I thank you.  I arrived safely at the base in Brisbane yesterday morning.  My goal was to stay awake until 9pm, but I was in bed by 8:30pm...jet lag.  The weather is beautiful and it's so good to be here and to see so many familiar faces again.  I feel like I am returning from my home away from home.  Thank you so much for being a part of this journey and I look forward to what the Lord has in store!  I pray the Lord surprises you with His goodness today and reminds you how much He adores you:)

flipping omelets.

A couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to flip omelets.  I shared by goal with a friend at work and we discussed the art of flipping omelets.  We discussed how you cannot try to do a half-flip, there is no 'playing it safe' when it comes to flipping.  In order to get the desired results, you must go all-in, you must fully commit, or you will end up with a giant mess and no omelet.  In order to come out with a good omelet, there is an element of risk involved.

This is very similar to our walk with the Lord.  Jesus asks us to walk on water with Him, to do the impossible.  I think that so often we try to put one foot in the water at a time before we commit to saying 'yes.'  We want to test the water to see how it feels, if it's comfortable and safe, we choose to focus on the water and our own well-being, instead of our Savior.  But Jesus never called us to a safe and comfortable life, He said 'follow me.'  End of story. God says in Revelation 3:16 "So because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  If we are following Jesus, we are either in or out, there is no middle ground.  Yet just as with flipping omelets, the more risk involved, the higher the potential reward.  If we risk everything for Jesus, He promises we will be rewarded, if not in this life, but in the life to come.

This morning, I went for it and my omelet was a complete, delicious success:)

less than 2 weeks.

The date of departure is quickly approaching.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful community to support me, both in Michigan, South Carolina and all over the world.  Thank you for all of you who pray for me and give financially, you are so essential to this journey and I'm thankful for you.  I've had a great time scooping ice cream again at the Junction for the past couple months and catching up with family and friends.  I feel more ready to go as each day passes, but I'm still trying to drink in my last few days of Michigan summer.  The Lord is teaching me so much about learning to trust Him as my Provider.  I am learning more and more how important it is to "take every thought captive" and continually recite scripture to fill my mind with truth.  If our minds are filled with truth, there is no room for fear and anxiety to take over.  This has been one of my guiding verses over the past month.

"The Lord will guide you always.  He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land.  He will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails."  Isaiah 58:11

I am a little over half way with support raising, praise the Lord, but I still have a ways to go. If you're still interested in partnering with me on this journey, feel free to give even after I've left.  If you have not received any information on how to give and would like to, please email me at laurindarapp@gmail.com.

where you lead me i will follow.

After much prayer and soul-searching, I have decided to commit to staff in Brisbane, Australia for 2 years.  I am realizing more and more how much I love young people and have a desire to mentor and disciple them.  The program I will be involved with to staff is called Basic Leadership School.  During this school, we get to practice leadership hands-on, staffing two DTS's and leading outreach teams, as well as serving for a season on base.

All positions in YWAM are support-based, so I am in the process of trying to raise support to head back.  I will be leaving June 15, 2012, until then I am enjoying time with family and working at the Ice Cream Junction...again:)  Thanks for all your support!

unanswered questions.

Hey yall! I'm down in South Carolina visiting friends and family down here. I forgot how beautiful and hospitable Charleston is:) I'm down here until March 30th, then heading back to Michigan to start work at the Junction Ice Cream Shoppe again...big surprise! I found a great quote on my friends' cupboard,

Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live you way into the answer. -Rainer Maria Rilke

As I continue to pray over my next step, and wrestle with the question of "what's next?" I realized a reoccurring pattern in my life. I allow unanswered questions, unresolved issues to paralyze me with fear. It's like I wait to start living again until the answer comes, as if I hold my breath while waiting for an answer, even if that means turning blue in the face and close to the point of passing out. When I do this, I am refusing the freedom God offers me. God has seen the past, present and future, but He is living with us in the present. So often we allow our minds to wander to either the past filled, with regret or we get stuck on the future and what's happening next instead of missing out on the today. "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. So I am going to choose to live in the present, the today, breathing deeply, thanking my Savior for each breath, trusting He has a plan and He's watching out for me and I pray you do the same.

there and back again

Wow, it's hard to even begin to explain the past 7 months. God has exceeded my expectations over and over again. One of my favorite quotes is by C.S. Lewis;

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

I have seen this ring true in my life so many times. We come up to the king's table, not even really sure if we are invited to dine with Him. So, we end up asking permission to eat the leftover crumbs on the ground when God is inviting us every day to dine with Him at the King's table and share a feast. We are so afraid of being disappointed, that we're afraid to hope. When our hope is founded in the person of Jesus, we will never be disappointed; we will never get to the end of His person. God is always giving us the invitation to go deeper to let go of ourselves and sign up for a life of adventure, but it always comes with a cost. There is always a level of risk involved and we must choose to accept the risk and overcome the fear if we are to live like Jesus.

After DTS, I had a chance to go to New Zealand for a couple weeks with Nele and take some time off to process and debrief the past 6 months. It was such a blessing, so beautiful and so much fun! I have been home for almost 2 weeks now. Life is always changing, always moving, like a river and we must choose to adjust and move with the change, or we will be swept away by the current. I am still in the process of trying to figure out how to make Discipleship Training School (DTS) a lifestyle and not an event, but I'm sure I'll be trying to figure that out for quite some time. I am currently in the process of praying over my next step and taking some time to rest and visit with family and friends again. I am looking into doing a Biblical Leadership School (BLS) with YWAM in Australia or New Zealand, which includes staffing the DTS and taking a few classes of my own.

Thanks again for all your love, support and prayers!