Plus Also, Photography

The mountains of Kingston

Christmas in Jamaica

A glimpse of Mobay

TODAY: Asia Tomorrow: The World

It feels like I'm blowing away. Literally. Not only has the wind been increasing here (that lovely 'island breeze') but I leave TODAY (I leave the 7th). For Asia. For two months. I'm almost in disbelief that these last three months have blown by so fast.

This last week we were focusing on the gospel in all of the Bible. We were shown how God has woven the truth of the gospel into all of Old Testament culture and practices. The gospel is so precise and amazing. It's mind blowing how much detail God put into producing the gospel and the Messiah--Jesus. I really enjoyed it and am inspired to study the culture and practices of the Old Testament.

Other than that, our week has had a notable amount of spiritual warfare. On Tuesday evening we had a security breach and two laptops were stolen and at least one cell phone. Plus also, it has been hard work keeping unity this week in general. I know all this is happening because we leave so soon and I see it as almost a preparation for our outreach in Asia. I'm sure the spiritual warfare will be very real and tangible while we are there. But God is good. All the time. And all the time. God is good. Amen.

I cannot wait to use all the knowledge that I learned during the lecture phase in the midst of outreach. I cannot believe that following God is leading me to the other side of the world. Following God is a really intense and rewarding adventure. (I named my blog "On A Swing and A Prayer" because that's what I feel like my life will be: A whole lot of childlike fun and adventure [on a swing] while relying on God the whole time [and a prayer]). I'm looking forward to see where He takes me after this DTS is over. If you are curious, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing after this DTS. So pray that God shows me by the time I get back stateside.... but if He doesn't, I trust His timing.

However, I do have a few ideas: 

International House Of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) Internship.

Come back to YWAM Mobay and staff here

Staff at another YWAM somewhere else in the world

YWAM U of N school: either worship or biblical studies

Join the Jamaica House of Prayer (JaHOP)

Bethel School of Ministry

Travel the world for a few years just because it would be epic

Now you have an idea of some of my thoughts about where I may go after DTS. Time will tell, and God, as to where I do eventually end up. I trust Him wherever He takes me. Wherever I do end up, in the midst of God's power and glory, I'm assured that I'll end up changing the world.

To let you know, I will not be upkeeping this blog during outreach. In the nation I am going to the persecution has been intensifying. So it would be a potential danger to speak publicly as to what nation exactly I will be going to or to post updates while on outreach in Asia. I hope you understand, and hopefully I can catch you all up to speed once I am back stateside. Until then, continue to pray. Pray that we are protected by God. That God gives us wisdom as to how to share the gospel to a nation that is hostile to His love. Pray also that my team is unified and willing to lay themselves down for the sake of the team and of the gospel. Your prayers are needed. Thank you for joining me in prayer and support! I'm beyond blessed to have a whole group of friends and family urging me on as I seek God's plan for my life. I will return with many stories. I cannot wait to share all that God has done with everyone back home. Until then....

In Christ,

Timothy David Ardent

Kinda Sorta Drowning

It is almost like we leave too soon. It's almost like there is this constant droning in the background that reminds me that I will be in Asia in just over a week. Like I'm slowly drowning in the expectancy and excitement.

But I should tell you about this last week.

The teaching was on Revival and Church History. Sheldon (who is my one-on-one [the dude who keeps track of me during this whole DTS]) taught this past week. Sheldon and I are really similar. Especially when it comes to talking Theology all the time. Basically, there was a whole lot of church history and theology. I enjoyed it a whole awful lot. But what I loved the most was how much Sheldon just focused on truth. The truth must be stood up for at all costs. And I also loved how Sheldon kept telling us that we can change the world. He said that he would use the examples of history to show us, over and over again, that God can use only one man to change the course of history. I may sound crazy, but Sheldon said "you can change the world" often enough that I'm starting to believe it. Besides, with God, all things are possible. So don't be surprised if I change the world. You were forewarned.

Other than the teaching, this week was fairly normal. We "celebrated" Thanksgiving. Which looked a lot like chicken, mashed potatoes and salad. Not the traditional Thanksgiving at all. But I didn't mind. It was a day of thankfulness, and that's the point of the holiday anyway. I didn't miss my family more than usual, so it wasn't disappointing to miss all the traditional aspects. The DTS is really starting to feel like a family, so I'm betting that is why I wasn't too homesick: I am a man of many homes (and I happen to be at my home in Jamaica).

Our dance for outreach is coming along. We still need a LOT of practice, but I cannot wait to do it once we get to Asia. Over all, it's just gonna be hard to not get too caught up in focusing on outreach this last week while we still have classes. But God is good and He will give me the focus I can't manufacture on my own strength.

Thank you for your prayers for unity! The DTS is starting to feel more and more like a family, so I'm excited about that. Continue to pray that funds come in. Most of the students still need funds, but we almost have everything at this point! Pray that God prepares us for outreach and for strength during outreach. 

Thank you so much!

Hopefully, this weekend I will be going into town and to the beach. I haven't made it to the beach as yet, and I'm hoping to this weekend. We shall see. Nothing like fun in the sun.

In Christ,

Timothy David Ardent

A Really Cool Puzzle (aka end-times)

This week we were supposed to be watching a DVD series for the teaching. We didn't. Instead Ricardo from JaHOP taught. And He was awesome. So it was way better than a DVD series.

This week we studied the End-Times and the book of Revelation in the Bible. It was intense, and interesting: intenseresting. I learned a whole lot this last week. Before this week, I had heard so many different End-Times theories that I had assumed that it was all guesswork. But this week I saw that there is a whole lot of text on the end-times throughout the whole Bible. It turned it from an untamable beast into a solvable puzzle. I don't want to fill my blog with end-times theology though. I'll keep it more on what I got out of the whole week's teaching as a whole. A statement I remember that the teacher shared with us is this; "[end-times] reveals Jesus' heart and leadership." I was reminded that how, no matter what we study in the Bible, everything is just there so that we can discover Who Jesus is. And the end-times are no different. We see Christ in Revelation. I mean, it is called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." I also saw how much hope Christians have. We have hope now, and hope for the future. We will get to rule and reign with Jesus. We will get to spend eternity with Him. "What is everything we struggle with when compared to that future glory? For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cornithians 4:17-18).

There has some serious tension in my DTS that came to a head this past week. It has just been spiritual attack after spiritual attack. Our unity as a team has been suffering and it really became a reality this week. But thankfully the staff has been helping us to work through it and it is getting resolved. But we need constant prayer for unity. The spiritual battle is strong.

Because of the spiritual attacks, we were not able to do evangelism this week. So sadly there is nothing to report there. But we did have a time of prayer from 10pm to 3am Friday evening into Saturday morning. It was good. We were able to begin the process of restoring trust and working towards unity during the time of prayer and worship. We also prayed about our outreach in Asia. (Some people on the team still need funds! Please pray and if you would like to partner with us let me know and I can talk to you about sending funds so that all the students can go on outreach) But after the prayer time is when God struck me. One of the staff was with us in the prayer meeting and her son (named Jay) was there sleeping on the floor the whole time. When the meeting was over (at 3am) she asked me if I could carry Jay home to his bed. Of course I said yes. On the way down I stopped for a moment and Jay opened his eyes and saw the stars. I saw him look in wonder at the stars and said, "the stars are cool, huh?" He just nodded in response. Then I took him to bed and left to go back to the prayer room. On my way back up God spoke to me and said, "You know how you were carrying Jay down and he saw the stars and just looked at them in wonder? Thats Me and you. I'm holding you as you look at My stars in wonder." When God showed me that, I just lost it. I was sitting on a step at three in the morning crying because God showed me how He is just holding me. It was a really amazing moment I got to share with God. I love how God moves the most powerfully in the smallest moments and brings His to light in the darkness.

I keep realizing that it is all about the love of God. I think it is a worthy endeavor to spend the rest of my life constantly discovering God's love all the more.

Also, God showed me that fasting (food, or it was sleep in this case) is a way for God to teach us more powerfully. Because fasting is a time of chosen weakness, and in the face of the weakness your walls and resistance are lowered. When your resistance is lowered, you can receive truth and it can bypass your walls. That's why we fast. So now you know.

Then, after God spoke to me and made me cry, I got to Skype Karissa at about 4am my time (8pm her time) and I got to show her my sunrise via Skype. It was really amazing. Long distance relationships does have perks at times. It was also just good to talk to her and pray with her. Even this far away, (16 hours away, if you were wondering) pursuing Karissa is a Joy. 

Random moment when Tim tells just one reason why he likes Jamaica:

I just love warm culture, and Jamaica. I was at church today and a random stranger asked me if I could hold her son as she went to the bathroom. Nothing says trust like allowing a random white person to hold your son.

We are preparing for outreach. It has been fun. We are learning to eat with just our right hand, and learning a song in one of the languages used in the country we are going to. We are also putting together a dance as well. We have had only one practice, but I'm already having a lot of fun with it and cannot wait to do it as part of our outreach. I leave in two weeks from today: December 7th. We have the plane tickets for over half of the students! I cannot wait to see all that God is going to do.

Pray for unity, as I mentioned that before. And also that everyone in the DTS (and the staff too) would raise the funds to be able to go. Pray that God prepares me for outreach and that culture shock won't be too hard to overcome. Thank you for your prayers! It means so much to me to know that I have many praying for me and my team during this season.

In Christ,

Timothy David Ardent

Meeting God

Here are some videos and pictures from last week!!!!

Here are some glimpses of driving through Jamaica.

This is Kingston

As a rule of thumb, I love culture. But what I love more than culture, is getting to know the heart behind the culture. That is what this week has felt like to me. A week of actually begining to understand Christian culture. How there can be one Man who just creates a unique culture where ever People encounter Him. It's like I'm finally getting to meet God after all these years. It is beyond amazing.

This week our speaker, Lenny, was really good. The topic was Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance. I learned that I am a Weapon of Mass Destruction. (#WMD) Because I have the kingdom of God living inside of me. And nothing can withstand the Kingdom of God as I bring it to earth. That's deep stuff. I hope to learn that for the rest of my life. Because what God has been showing me is that my whole life is just getting to learn of His love over, and over, and over, and over again. And then Heaven comes to earth and I get to do it for eternity. In the process, I become who God created me to be and I walk in my destiny. The thing that can transform a man the most is to encounter the love of God, and never lose the hunger to experience that perfect love forever and into eternity.

I could almost leave it at that. That is almost the highlight of my whole DTS. But God did way to many epic things this past week for me to leave you out.

Evangelism was splendid. We went down to the bus station with Lenny and set up worship as before. Right when we first got out of the van Lenny yelled up to three girls standing on a second story balcony and asked if they knew Jesus. It was a moment when I said to myself, "this will be different.... I'm not sure if I'm ready for this." But I didn't see Lenny after that. We set up worship and I lead it by playing guitar for about a hour or so. Then Jule (our German student) took over worship and I went out to declare the love of Jesus. I got to talk to a younger boy, a woman received healing on her leg, and my friend and fellow student Jordann got to pray over a police officer. It was a beautiful time of expressing God's love and seeing healing. I love how I get the privilege of being God's child and being able to see miracles often. Missionaries are spoiled, they get to see miracles really often. This is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to be involved in missions.

this is where we did evangelism:

Wednesday. YO! Wednesday.

So Wednesday night I was about ready to go to bed around 10:30pm. All of a sudden Kyle (a Jamaican student) gets a call, FREAKS OUT and runs out of the room I was in. I just take up my stuff and decide that I'm going to bed. Then Kyle yells out to me to come in to the prayer room. NOW. I come in and Nicky (another Jamaican student) is doing some sort of spiritual battle. Yelling, declaring the name of Jesus, all that goodness. I start praying. Nicky leaves the prayer room and Kyle follows her. Not to long after that I follow them back up to the Rec room. Nicky is talking to Tarik (another Jamaican student) and he is helping her to see that there is a spirit of anxiety that is effecting her. We try and reason with her, but it isn't helping. I pray over her because I have overcome anxiety before, so I found a scripture and prayed it over her. Then we all pray over her. She tells us of pain in her arm. We pray and God brings some healing. We decide that we should praise God for the healing and that is when it starts to get good. The Holy Spirit comes upon her and she starts laughing like crazy. We are all sitting there and just enjoying what God is doing. Then she goes to the other side of the room and it sounds like she's talking back and forth with God. She's doing that for like 30-45 minutes. She finally comes back and is all like, "YO! God is so awesome you guys!" She told us how God had given her new eyes so she could see herself with the beauty God created her with. Then He gave her a new heart a "heart of flesh." She also described God's huggs as "so warm." It was intense to witness just seeing her react to God. We didn't see God there with Nicky, but dude it was so real. Just so much yes.

I also believe that I'm going to be more active with songwriting. I believe that God has given me a gift with words and that He wants me to use that gift to write songs. I'm excited about that.

We got our visas for our outreach location. Also, with plane tickets for outreach, we are going to be leaving a week earlier than we had planned at first. We will be flying out the 7th of December for our outreach in Asia instead of the 13th. We will basically get an extra week for outreach. I'm very excited. I leave in 22 days. It is nuts. I don't know if I'm ready, but I trust God. I'm really excited for outreach. It's just coming up so fast.

I also got a letter this last week. My mom (who is a genius) had my family and close friends write words of encouragement and it even had something from Karissa in it. This week was just a week of only good things. God's gifts just make me feel so loved. I'm amazed at all the people He has put into my life.

Continue to pray for unity in my DTS. Pray that as God shows me His love that I continue to let it define me. Pray as we still need some funds raised for outreach. Testimony: Jule's parents just donated $10,000 out of the blue. We were all in shock. God is so good, but we still need more. Please just continue to pray!

In Christ,

Timothy David

Relearning Everything

I'm pretty sure the whole process of life itself is to learn what you thought you knew all over again. You take what you think you know, and actually learn what it means for real. Over and over again. That has been eighty percent of this whole DTS for me. Taking things I know as truth, and taking them to make them a reality I can now live out of. From possibility to reality. Pulling the dream world into the real world. Because God lives in a "dream world." Us humans just refer to it as the supernatural. I believe what Walter Wink said: "History belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into being."

Last Saturday we spent 7 hours of travel time from Mobay to Kingston. It's almost across the whole Island of Jamaica. We magically fit 17 people into a 15 passenger van. It didn't feel very magical, but we all got here in one piece. We had the joy of staying at a town house on the outskirts of Kingston (which is the Capitol of Jamaica). It is very nice, but hard with so many people inside a single house. Let's just say alone time is more valuable than a trained T-rex who happens to be your pet and a vegetarian. We got to spend our days at the Jamaica House Of Prayer (JaHOP). We learned about using the Bible to pray, how worship is an overflow of our relationship with God, and how to actually meditate.

I cannot use words to describe how much the worship at JaHOP is one of the most beautiful things to enter my ears and exit my lips. It is no surprise to believe that worship will be the currency of Heaven. I especially love spontaneous worship. If you don't know, spontaneous worship is when you simply sing out a chorus to tell God how amazing He is. It is a song you've never heard before and is usually a song God "downloads" into your heart. That is what I believe music was created to be: an outpouring of the heart through the lips; with instruments. That is the worship I am most passionate about. And it was amazing to experience that every day at JaHOP.

The teaching was also very good. It was mostly facts I know, but facts that needed to impact my heart and change my life. The most simple things are the most profound. Like, worship is just an expression of our relationship with God. Prayer is a two way conversation
Or the fact that Jesus loves me. I will never stop being taken aback at those truths. My passion is to allow those truths to grip my heart and never leave my life the same. The glory of those truths is that when they imbed themselves within your soul, your whole life reacts and is changed. Do not expect me to come back to Colorado the same. Because these truths are changing me every day.

Before we left JaHOP for evangelism, we watched this video called Sons of God. It is about healing and evangelism. God still heals people today because He loves them. The purpose of healing is to tell others of God's love for them, and show them that God cares enough about them to actually fix their sicknesses. So we went out into the streets in Kingston with that on our minds. Now, my group didn't heal anyone, but evangelism was still good. We prayed for people and encouraged them to be bold in their faith. Then we worshiped on the streets of Kingston and declared over Jamaica that it would conform to God's purposes. It was also a time to remind me. I was reminded that I know of God's healing power, but I don't act with that knowledge in mind. God gives knowledge and then we are accountable to that knowledge and ought to live out of it. It was a reminder that I have so much, it is foolish and selfish of me to keep it all to myself. If I claim to love people, I will show them the love of God. It is something I need to learn to live in.

One of my favorite teachings was on meditation. Before I came to JaHOP, I didn't know how to meditate. Real meditation is taking a verse and reasoning through it with God. It is basically a Bible study with God. I wish I could tell you all he told me, but that is literally pages full of information. It is one of my favorite things ever.

On Friday we got to help JaHOP with an event they call ignite. We went to Calabar high school and had a time of worship, prayer, and testimonies. I got to share my testimony. Can I just let you know of how awesome God is for a moment? I used to have a fear of public speaking. A real, sincere, can't-keep-my-thoughts-together fear. But God just took it away within these past 6 months and I can now speak to a crowd without shaking and wanting to sit down RIGHT NOW. So it was cool to share my testimony and tell the students of the reason of missions. ("Missions exists because worship doesn't" - John Piper. God wants everyone to know His love. If people don't go and tell others of a God worthy of worship, they can't know God or worship Him. Because they have never heard His name, they are missing the whole purpose of life itself.) It is also amazing to see Jamaicans pray. They pray with such passion, I love it.

We also got to go to a conference called "God Centred." The conference talked about how if we actually believe in Jesus our lives should be changed. We should live radically different life than just a "Good lifestyle" but God's lifestyle. Not to live Christianity on our terms, but on God's terms. A call to Christ, nothing less. Depending on the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to change us. I enjoyed it and was challenged by it.

Also, Karissa has been at an evangelism conference in Melbourne Australia. Told White was there and he shared a lot. Karissa shared with me how evangelism should just be an overflow of God's love within us. I've actually learned a lot just by what she told me about it. It complemented my weeks teaching really well. It's really cool to see God work like that. God is awesome. Karissa is doing really well, of you are wondering. She's growing into an amazing woman of God. I'm so proud of all that God is doing in her life. And I'm proud of how she is responding to God's love and living out of it. I'm dumbstruck that I get to be pursuing this beautiful woman of God. There are moments when I find life almost too good to be true. Yet, it is true. Leave it up to God to make things too good to be true the reality I get to live out.

Keep praying for me and my DTS. Passion and pursuit needs greater unity, especially with outreach coming up so fast. I cannot believe it is a week into November. Outreach is coming up so fast. Also pray that the changes God is working in life will not fade but only grow stronger with time. Thanks!

In Christ,
Timothy David

Broken to Wholeness

Sometimes you just need the straight up truth. Someone to look you in the face and tell you that you might be acting out of pride. Straight up. That's what this last week was: the hard truth. It was also inspecting our past to see the root system behind our reactions to pain.

The week was called "Identity In Christ." But it focused more on making us whole rather then focusing on who we are in Christ. If we are broken, it is a lot harder to act out of our true identity. So instead of focusing on who we are, we focused on who we are not. It was not what I was expecting. There was a lot of introspection and processing this past week.

The main thing that we talked most about this week was called "the divine plumb line." There is this verse in Amos 7:7-8 where God shows Amos a plumb line. (for those of you who don't know, follow this link to know what a plumb line is.) God then tells Amos that He will not show Israel mercy because they have abandoned His plumb line. We talked about how God has a plumb line (His word) and how we tend to swing away from His plumb line; either to rejection, or rebellion. We also looked into the ways we have been hurt in the past. And how necessary it is to surrender that hurt to God so that we don't act out of that pain. Instead we give our pain to God and be whole, and wholly His. Which is much better than being broken, and bringing our broken pieces to Him. But it was a crazy intense process and I had to do SO MUCH introspection.

I discovered, over the course of this past week, that brokenness is more of a reality in myself then I had ever realized. I was able to go back to un-dealt-with-pain, and give it to God instead of taking that pain and running away from God with it. It was a long week but a good week. I'm not going to go anymore into depth, because it was really personal.... but I wanted to let you have an idea of what has been going on.

For evangelism we went to another part of Mobay and worshiped. We also went around praying and talking to the people around the shops. It is kinds funny to see people react to random white people worshiping around their shops. You get quite the odd looks. I also believe that I made the day of a random taxi driver who enjoyed my worship. I was able to talk to him before we left and he was really impressed with YWAM being bold enough to simply worship on the street corner.

I got to see my friends Alex and Rachel from the Belize DTS again! The Belize DTS is on their last week of outreach and they are spending it at our Mobay base! They came in Friday evening and I got to talk and hang out with Alex and Rachel. It was really cool to get to see all of the Belize DTS again. We also had a game night with them as well. It was really fun. I always enjoy getting together with other competitive people and having a good time. Sadly, we left Saturday to come to Kingston for the week to learn from the Jamaica House Of Prayer (JaHOP). But it was good to see them for even the short amount of time.

This week was just an opportunity to learn how to become a whole person instead of a broken person. A week with good friends. And now I get to find out who I am In Christ all on my own. Let the adventure begin!

In Christ,

Timothy David 

Worship: Forever

Sometimes, I find compound interest interesting. I believe that these weeks have been building on themselves like compound interest. Or even like a house. A foundation is poured out and hardens. Then the frame is put up, and then the walls eat the frame while you also get all the other "invisible" aspects (like plumbing and electricity) put into place. It's like that. We had the foundation laid: Who God is, and the framework of Who Jesus is. Now the walls have been eating up the framework, as the Holy Spirit becomes the focus. Now, hearing the voice of God is like the invisible inner aspects trucked away beyond sight into the very walls. That was the focus of this last week: Hearing the Voice of God and Intimacy with Him.

But first, we celebrated Hero's Day! Hero's Day is (as far as I'm concerned) the Jamaican version of Labor day. Everyone sleeps in and goes to the beach. And they are supposed to remember various Heroes who brought them out of slavery. It was also Angelisa's birthday! (She is one of the students) We went to pizza hut. I do not think you realize the extent of how much I missed pizza. Pizza, out of all food from home, is what I have missed with great distress.... okay, I missed pizza a lot. So it was beyond delightful to have pizza. And we also had the day off of classes and work duty. So the rest was nice. I approve of rest and pizza. 

The teachers this week were from the Jamaica House Of Prayer (more commonly know as JaHOP). They helped me to understand that to become a voice for God, you need to hear His voice. Otherwise you are just an echo. Need I explain the power of a voice against an echo? I do not believe so. Honestly, without the intimacy of hearing God's voice, being a Christian is difficult. God clarifies His Logos (the Bible) to us via His Rhema (spoken words). But let's not get into the greek right now. I got some clarity on what God's voice really is and how to be open to reconize it. Hearing God's voice is stellar. Hands down. It is rather intense to think we can have intimacy with the very God Who created us.

They speakers also talked about end times. They talked about how Christ is preparing His bride to be spotless. They also talked about how the church must become unified as part of Christ's return. They even talked about an "Enoch generation" rising up. (Enoch is a Biblical character who never died. God simply took him up to heaven. So an Enoch generation is a generation who will not taste death because God will return and death will become eradicated for Christians... but enough theology and end times awesomeness... back to me) All this to say that the teaching stirred up many dreams in my heart. I'm excited to be a part of the Bride of Christ becoming spotless and zealous for His return.

We also studied the book Song of Solomon. It was cool to see it as a love story between Christ and me. It's honestly awe inspiring to think God is passionately pursuing me. He loves me with an extravagant love. He loved me to the point of dying for me. And these are not just words on the internet, they are beginning to form a melody within my heart. God is love. God is enough. He is worth it all.

Also, God has been using the book Simple Obsession to shake me up. It is written by Jamie Zumwalt. It is about making God our simple obsession. Jamie is a part of Heart of God Ministries and equipping Christians in the States to become missionaries. So the book was very missions oriented. God just used that book to show me just how real spiritual ignorance is. There is idol worship where, to appease their "god," men and women sacrifice people to demons. This is a reality in the world today. And I just cannot stand idly by as this continues. This ought not be. I believe God is giving me a passion for those who have NEVER had any exposure to Christ or His love. So many people simply need to love of Christ. And they have never considered that there is any other God than the demon they are worshiping.

"Missions exists because worship doesn't" - John Piper

We bring the gospel to those who do not know Christ so that they may worship Him. I believe God has given me a passion for worship and missions just so that I could have the full picture. I want idol worship to change. I want God to use me to make that change.

I'm not sure how that will happen. But I belive it is where I get the privilage of serving God. Soli Deo Gloria!

Speaking of worship, evangelism was unique this week. We went down into town and brought the guitar and simply worshiped in the midst of people bustling about. The after some worship some of us stayed back while others went about and just talked to the people there. It was cool to just worship in public. Some people just stared, some pretended not to notice, and one danced and clapped from across the street. I'm not sure if he even heard the words we were singing. He just liked the beat. But it was a very good time of worship and evangelism.

Last night (Friday) we had a night of worship which we called 'Facedown.' Some of us in the DTS lead worship for about 45 minutes. Then others lead worship. A noticeable amount of people came to simply worship God. It was a glorious time to simple enjoy God's presence and lead others in worship. In light of that, we had a lot of worship this week. It was a good week!

I ask that you continue to pray for me. Pray that I am able to get rest. I have been extremely tired lately and that has been hard. Also just pray that I am open to what God speaks to my heart while I am here. I need to allow Him to work His change in me. Amen.

In Christ,

Timothy David

Letters and Angels

This last week, the subject we learned about was the Father Heart of God. It was actually a nice change of pace. These last three weeks we would sit in the classroom and get lectures. It was getting really hard for me. I knew a majority of the information that was being taught. Also, I was homeschooled, so that means that sitting down and learning for weeks on end is something I've never actually done. So my homeschooler self was starting to go somewhat stir crazy. Thankfully, this week that changed.

The style of the speaker this week was much more envolving. His name is Michael. Michael purposed to ask us questions, and there were times where we just sat around and told each other about the effect our fathers had on our lives. The speaker actually wanted to get to know each of the students. And we knew that because he learned about us and remembered simple things, like where we were from. I got to have some one-on-one time with Michael. We talked about his testimony and how God continues to show Michael his calling. One of the things from this week that opened up my eyes was just how much we assume our heavenly Father is like our earthly father. Because our parents are broken, and our parents shape so much of our worldview, they even shape how we relate to God. I had to relearn how to relate to God in some ways. I now have a better understanding of Who God is as Father.

I would say that I like the homework here at YWAM. This week our only homework assignments were to: study Genesis 6:2 (Which reads: "the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose") and to write a letter to God and get His response. 

Let's talk about Genesis 6:2. So this passage is highly debated in the Christian community. It is all about the identity of the "sons of God." Were they angels? Were they men? If they were angels, what does that mean today? If they were men, why was God's judgement so severe on the earth to cause a global flood?

Honestly, we can't know for sure. But if you have to know... I see more evidence to support the idea that the sons of God in Genesis 6:2 were angels. But it was a time where we really learned how to study our Bible and dive into wrestling with truth and opinions. I actually loved every minute of it.

Now about the other homework: letters to and from God. Interesting enough, Hearing God's Voice is one of YWAM's fundamental values. So it is actually expected for all the students to hear and recognize God's voice by the end of the DTS. Anyway, so I wrote God a letter with a lot of questions about where He is taking me. He told me (of course He responded! He's not gonna leave me hanging.) that I am called to missions. God even explained to me why He wants the nations to know Him. They need hope, and God is the only hope that is real. He also told me that He loves me. It was really encouraging and I have a few less questions about my calling now. I'm going to continue to write down what God says to me. It is really amazing to be able to hear the very voice of God.

I was able to skype some various friends over the course of this last week: Daniel, John, and Caleb to name a few. It was really good to catch up with them. It's good to hear God moving back home.

I continue to grow. I learned a lot this past week. But I'm also learning a lot just living in community here. God keeps moving and "showing up" powerfully. I am really loving my time here. I'm loving learning about another culture and what YWAM really is.

I would love prayer though! If you can pray that I truly use this time at YWAM to focus on God and not worry about my calling, that would mean so much to me. 

Also, I'm sorry this update is a day late. I'll keep trying to update on Saturdays.

In Christ,

Timothy David

Stone's Hope: More Than A Stone's Throw Away

Last Sunday we packed into a bus and bounced on the road for around three hours to get from YWAM Montego Bay to YWAM Stone's Hope. Stone's Hope is in the Jamaican countryside in the parish Mandeville. The weather was much cooler there and I actually had to wear my hoodie at nights. It actually got that cold. It was the first time in Jamaica that I have been cold. (disregarding every shower I have taken. They only have cold water here. No hot showers for you my friend.) I was very pleased for a cooler take on Jamaican weather. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it looked like.

 This pic (bellow) is of the school that they have at the base. It's an elementary school.

But what made this last week so amazing, was the fact that there were two other DTSes there as well. There was a Crossroads DTS doing their lecture phase there, and a Leadership DTS from Belize who is in Jamaica to do their outreach. The Crossroads DTS has six students and the Belize DTS has ten students and their two leaders as well. My DTS got along really well with the Belize DTS. I really connected with two of them specifically. There was a girl named Rachel, and once we realized that we were both homeschoolers we talked for a few hours. About theater, dance, and books... just the usual homeschooler stuff. I got to teach Rachel some swing dance and she enjoyed it. Also, there was a guy named Alex and we have the EXACT same birthday (same year, day, and we were born about two hours apart). Alex and I have very similar taste in music and we got to talk about some deep theology and suchness. It was really cool to get to know Rachel and Alex. The other people in the other DTSes were really cool, but I connected the most to Rachel and Alex.

The week's lectures were focused on the Holy Spirit. Honestly, these weeks of lectures have been feeling more and more like review. But I was talking to Sheldon and he reminded me that the lectures aren't all that DTS offers. So I'm deciding to learn humility and that, even though I feel like I know everything, to listen and see what I learn anyway. And that even if I don't get anything from the lectures, that I will still grow, learn, and to keep asking God why He brought me here.

A moment worth remembering from this last week: I was sitting on the wall playing my harmonica and some of the kids from the school came over to me. They acted like they had never seen a harmonica before. One of the kids asked if he could see it. I held it it out to him so he could see it, but he wanted to hold it and I knew that if I gave it to him that he would play it. I decided to give it to him. Then a bunch of other little Jamaicans came over and wanted to play my harmonica. I actually had my backpack with my other harmonicas. So I pulled out my other harmonicas and there were like four Jamaican kids playing harmonicas around me for like five minutes. I gave them a little lesson and they had a lot of fun.

Also, I believe that I mentioned in my last blog post about the fact that my fellow Jamaican students still needed funds for the lecture phase of the DTS. Amazingly, Friday, it was announced that all of the debt that the Jamaican students owed was completely paid for. Someone anonymously covered all of the debt of all of the Jamaican students. Now all that we need is to cover our outreach fees and we will be ready to go. God is so good. 

Thursday (our fasting day), I was asked to speak by Sara and Sheldon about why we fast and my experience with fasting. I shared the scriptures Luke 5:33-35 and Matthew 6:16-18. Then I talked about last Saturday and how God showed up when I fasted sleep. Also I reminded everyone that times of fasting can be wasted. We need to use the times of fasting to focus on pursuing God--even in the face of little energy or hunger. God gave me grace and it was actually easy to speak in front of everyone. Generally, I have a fear of public speaking. Whenever I get up to talk in front of a group of people, I have a fear and it is usually a challenge. However, this time God gave me grace and I was able to overcome that fear and just be myself and share what God had done in my life.

I must admit, after our amazing week in Stone's Hope, it is nice to be back home (Montego Bay). It truly feels like home here. I swear, when I do finally come back to the states I'm going to be homesick for my home back in Mobay, Jamaica. The amazing thing about God calling you out to the unknown is that when you get there, He is waiting for you. Honestly, I'm starting to realize that I can belong anywhere. Because wherever I go God is there, and where God is, that is where I belong.

Also, glorious news:

I am Fully Funded for outreach!!!

Praise God!

Thank you again for all your prayers. It is getting easier for me to focus and I know that your prayers and helping me to be using this time as God wants me to use it. I would like to ask that you pray that my DTS just gains a complete unity. We still have times where we are ununified and that needs to change. 

Thank you!

In Christ,

Timothy David

Fasting and Prayer: Just The Highlights

Jamaica continues to be an amazing adventure!

This week the teaching was focused on: the Person, of Jesus Christ and His Cross. The guy who taught (his name is Gary) taught with such zeal that it was really impactful. Sure, I've heard almost everything Gary said, but the fact that he delivered the truth with zeal made the truth come alive. It was also good to see the message of the life of Christ and then all that the cross accomplished. Not to even mention the resurrection. It was just packed full of deep theology and I loved it all.

Outreach went well on Tuesday. We came together and shared our strengths and talents so that we can know what we are comfortable with preforming in front of others. Then we spent some time in prayer and worship as well. Then as we went out we bathed the areas where we were going to minister in prayer and praise. We were able to stop and pray for (and with) some in the community. There was this one man who came down from his house to talk to us and he just shared his heart. It reminded me of when I have ministered to the homeless back in the states with my best friend (Daniel). Usually, when we would go out to minister, there was at least one homeless person who would minister to us. It made the ministry a real blessing to everyone involved. But the guy who we talked to in the community here in Jamaica was like that. We talked to him and he shared his love for the community, his testimony, and he prayed with us. It was a real blessing.

Thursday we got the joy of fasting. We spent much time worshiping. It was a time where we got to focus on God's presence and just enjoy Him. Like I have said before, there is a culture of worship here. And I love it. It is something I want to live in everyday.

This past week I have gotten to know the staff and students better. Just general interaction has been growing and there are even times where we feel like brothers and sisters. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better and better.

Now we get to the good stuff: Saturday morning from 12am to 6am. We did an “all night” of prayer. At first I was tired, but as the night progressed I wasn't tired anymore. As the night progressed sins were confessed, and bonds were built as we broke down and opened up. We are starting to decide to always be truthful with each other and to truly have each others' back. I honestly couldn't get enough. After everyone left I went back to the prayer room to just continue to bask in God's presence. One of the staff came in after everyone else had left and when she saw me she was like: “you're still here? You're so...” and I said “I believe you mean 'in love.'” I hope that I learn how to constantly treasure God's presence and live in it all the time. It is the most amazing thing I shall ever experience. I'm looking forward to an eternity filled with it.

Regarding prayer: please pray that I can focus. I miss my family and Karissa. At times it is hard to stop thinking about them. Also pray for my fellow YWAMers. My fellow Jamaican students still need funds for the first part of the school. Not to mention outreach. Pray that God proves faithful and provides. Pray also for unity between the students and the staff. The enemy has come against us many times attacking our unity, so just pray that we watch for that and that God helps us to guard our unity.

Thank you for your prayers!

I cannot wait to see how God continues to move!

In Christ,

Timothy David

All that Goodness!

So much has happened since I last posted. Let me just express the highlights to you, otherwise this would be way too long.
My week of orientation was a good start to this adventure. I learned why, and what, YWAM believes, and even some of their history. We spent much time in worship. The amount of worship here is very refreshing. They are building a culture that relies on worship. It is a very beautiful and vibrant thing.
This DTS is very unique. It is the first ever YWAM DTS to be in alliance with a House Of Prayer. We are Passion and Pursuit: worship and intercession DTS that is with YWAM and the Jamaica House Of Prayer. It is an amazing partnership and I am delighted that I am doing this school. YWAM and JaHOP just compliment each other so well, I'm blown away.
During orientation week we created our vision statement for this DTS. It reads:We will be a school that Seeks God's Face and Hears His Voice Clearly. We will Encounter God and Be Transformed while experiencing Intimacy With Christ. We will have a Deeper Relationship With God. We will Find Our Passion For Christ, Embrace His Love and Experience The Love Of God Like Never Before. We will stand on a Strong Foundation so we Know Where We Are Going!We will Discover How To Use Our Gifts And Passions To Serve God. The Spirit Of Christ Will Dwell In Us So That We Can Impact The World. We will Surrender To The Calling Of God On Our Life and we will Leave Everywhere We Go Changed!!!
We also all got to share testimonies. That was encouraging to hear how God has come into each other's life and know where everyone is coming from.We had a welcome night on Wednesday night. We ate Jamaican food and had a talent show. I played my harmonica, my ukulele (Lyra), and the foot tambourine. Others recited poetry, had us play soccer, and even preformed a play. It was truly a gold star night of welcoming. Jamaicans know how to make you feel loved.
Our adventures around Mobay (Montego Bay, Jamaica) included, but were not limited to, going into town and taking a test to get a food handlers permit--so that we can work in the kitchen on the base. And on Friday we got a tour of Mobay. We drove all around and learned where we can go to the beach and where the airport is and all that goodness.
That was essentially orientation week.I'm writing this as of Saturday in my first “normal” week of DTS. My previous weekend was good and relaxing. I spent some time in the pool (that is on the base) and the rest of the time I spent sweating. The humidity takes some getting used to. Church was also good. We were there for 5 hours, but the time passed quickly. One of the staff from YWAM spoke at the church and we shared some of YWAM's heart for missions. They prayed for us afterwards and that was a blessing.

We also celebrated the birthdays of two of my fellow YWAMers. It was fun and full of singing. Jamaicans know how to celebrate mon. 

 So far, the classes have been good. This week's focus is on the Nature and Character of God. Honestly, it feels like review for me. But thankfully the speakers have a different perspective than me, so I'm still learning from them. (But the speakers have totally taken the Perspectives class. Which is grand.) Every day the students have what's called “work duty.” My work duty is grounds/maintenance. So I help mow the 13 acre property and I'll also do odd jobs around the base.
Tuesday we got to do evangelism. We, essentially, walked around the community around the YWAM base and talked to the people there and prayed for some of them. I learned a lot about Jamaican culture while doing the evangelism. It was good and I'm excited to do it every week.
I've been holding up fairly well. Physically, I'm tired but can usually focus throughout the whole day. Spiritually, I'm beginning to understand the culture of 24/7 worship and intercession. I'm beginning to see why God wants to see us create that reality here on the earth. Mentally, I'm learning some in the school part of the DTS, but I'm mostly enjoying learning about the new culture around me.
Tuesday our outreach location was officially announced. However because of recent persecution breaking out where we are planing on going, I am not at liberty to declare (with the means of social media) where we are planing on going to for our outreach. If you would like to know where I'm going for outreach, just shoot me an email and I can let you know that way. I just cannot publicly say were we are going because they might not let us in if they know we are with YWAM. Yep, it's intense. But God believes in doing intense things through us. Please be praying for us as we begin to prepare for outreach.
I'm sorry it has been taking me so long to update. I'll attempt to do an update weekly on Saturdays. But, just to let you know, once outreach starts, I will not be able to keep up a blog. But we will find a way to keep you informed and praying alongside me as I bring the gospel to the nations.
God is good. All the time. And all the time. God is good.
Yah Mon!

In Christ,

Timothy David

The Adventures Of Sammy and Tim: DFW edition AKA Now I'm In Jamaica

Boy, has my adventure started already!!

I left on a jetplane Saturday, September 13 to the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) airport. But, because my flight was delayed an hour (and I only had an hour layover) I missed my flight to Jamaica. 

Now, let's pause for a moment for clarification. 

It turns out that another person in my DTS was on the same flight as me. Her name is Sammy. So we were both stuck in the DFW airport together.

Back to the story:

So Sammy and I are (more or less) stuck in the DFW airport. We call our parents and let them know and go and find out when we can get the next flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica. It turns out, American Airlines won't have another flight until the next day (Sunday the 14th). Which turns our 1 hour layover into a 24 hour layover. We begin to look up hotels and make a game plan. Then, I call Joseph because I know he moved from Texas recently and might know someone I could stay with. Well, to make a long story short (but really though, it was a long story) after over 6 hours in the airport, Joseph found me a missionary family to stay with and Sammy ended up staying at a hotel a few miles away from DFW. The family I stayed with are with Gospel For Asia. They are the Johnsons and have 5 kids (ages 14 to 1). So I felt right at home. I had an amazing night sleep and got back to the airport at 7am Dallas time. Security was a breeze and I even played my harmonica for the security people: the guy at the x-ray machine asked if I had harmonicas in my bag  I said yes and then they asked if I would play for them. I did. They loved it. Then I waited around and explored the rest of the DFW airport (Sammy and I had explored for hours on end the day before... when we were there for over 6 hours). I could never find a good bumper sticker for my instrument case. So I bought Mexican Jumping Beans as pets instead. Then Sammy and I met up and boarded the plane. It left DFW at 9:45 am and landed in MBJ (Montego Bay, Jamaica) at 1:20 pm. Then it gets really exciting. We landed and then went to get in line for immigration. While Sammy and I were in the long line, I pulled out Lyra (my Ukulele sized guitar) and my foot tambourine and jammed to make the time pass. Most everyone loved it. Then I got to Immigration.

I told them I was only staying for 90 days. But my departing flight was 5 months out... that's not 90 days. So I tried to explain to the (really epic and completely Jamaican) officials that I would leave for 2 months but YWAM hadn't told me where I was going. They didn't really believe me. So, they let me use their computer and look up a cell number from someone from YWAM. That took FOREVER. Slow internet and I looked in all the wrong places. After they called YWAM they finally gave me the 90 days and let me go. Customs was the easiest thing ever and then I was outside in the humidity and saw someone with a sign "Youth With A Mission." Bam! I was so done with airports in general by then that I was beyond happy. The car ride to the base was only like 40 mins and passed quickly. Although, they totally drove on the wrong side of the road... all of them. But I guess it's normal down here. I've been at the YWAM base since and have been enjoying every minute. We have had amazing times of worship already and I have been becoming friends with just about everyone. It was really awesome though: today they prophesied and prayed over each one of us individually. I also have my schedule and everything is looking grander and grander. I'm sharing a room with a Jamaican (named Cephas) and I couldn't ask for a better location or staff. God is good. All the time. And all the time. God is good.

Here's to Knowing God and Making Him Known!

Here are some pics of the plane and the YWAM Jamaica base:

In Christ,

Timothy David 

Packing Up!

Just about all packed up. Charlie Martin II is excited to go to Jamaica and have some Jerk Chicken. We will be bringing some tunes as we go. Thanks for your prayers!

The Final Countdown (insert music here)

Thursday I get my Hepatitis A & B shots and my Tetanus shot. It's a good thing I'm not scared of needles. 

I have been able to Skype with Karissa at least once a day. That has been a grand blessing. It's weird to have her 16 hours ahead of us. I have Sydney time in my watch and kinda have a general idea of her schedule. So I'll look down at my watch at like 9pm and know that she is having lunch right now.... tomorrow. While I am observing my Tuesday, she is in the midst of her Wednesday. No wonder I can't keep track of what day things happen to me. Gosh.

I went to Good Shepherd (our old church. Which I can't but help to consider my home church) on Sunday. I was able to say goodbye to many old friends. It was good to see everybody again. I also talked to Pastor Pete and he said that Good Shepherd is giving me $1,000. So that's amazing. God just keeps bringing in the support. I'm not going to be surprised if I'm able to go to Jamaica fully funded.

At this point in time I only need about $1,500 to be raised. I'm trying to get fundraiser cards from Little Caesars but I have yet to get a hold of them. So I'm hoping I can reach them tomorrow. We haven't been able to get much traction with the Pizza Hut coupons as of yet. We have been trying to contact stores (like Safeway and King Soopers) but haven't been able to gain permission to sell the coupons at their stores yet. So if you can pray for that, I would appreciate that.

Honestly, at this point, prayer is what I am asking for the most. I would be delighted if you would pray that my preparations finish well. Be praying that God continues to prepare me for all that He has in store for me. Also, please pray for my favor with the Jamaican government. There is a possibility that they don't allow me to be in Jamaica for a full 90 days (which is what I'll need). And I may have to pay $120 for an extension of stay. So if you can pray for favor for me in that specific situation, that would mean a lot to me.

I'm so excited for all God has been doing--with providing almost all the funds now--to what He will be doing in my life throughout the course of this DTS. Thank you for your support. It means so much to me.

By the way, this is Charlie Martin II

Chick-fil-A gave him to me so that I could take pics with him to post to the Chick-fil-A Facebook page. You will be seeing more of him in the near future. I'm thinking he will enjoy Jamaica almost as much as me.

In Christ,

Timothy David

Goodbye Karissa, Here We Go Jamaica!

Karissa* left yesterday. I was privileged enough to walk her to the gate and say goodbye. We got to dance before she left. It was probably the hardest "Goodbye" either of us have ever said.  Tears were shed. Now after 24 house of travel, Karissa is in Australia. I leave in only a matter of 10 days. It is all becoming a reality.

As of now I have close to $4,000 set toward my DTS. I still need about $3,000 more at this point. With the funds I have now, I am able to go to YWAM partially funded. I would prefer to go fully funded, but presently, I have the funds to cover the first part of the DTS. The rest of the funds are mostly for the airfare for the outreach (the last two months) and the food/housing of the outreach.

I will be continue to do various fundraisers (I'm working on doing Pizza Hut gift cards and Little Caesars punch cards). If need be, my family and friends will be continuing the fundraisers after I have left. Unless I am fully funded by the time I leave.

The fundraiser at Cafe 180 sounded like it went well. It was yesterday. I was saying goodbye to Karissa, so I wasn't able to be at the fundraiser itself. I came in afterwards and they said about 30 or so people came in. They predicted about $100-$200 was raised. I'll know the details within about a week. 

It is approaching quickly. God has been providing and I am trusting Him to provide the rest. I am so excited to see how God will provide and move before the DTS and in the midst of it. Continue to pray that the funds keep coming, and that God prepares me for all that He is going to do. Thanks for everything!

In Christ,

Timothy David

*Karissa is my girlfriend. (Just in case you didn't know)

19 Days Until I Fly Out!

The Chick-fil-A fundraiser went really, really well. It was amazing to see to see so many friends come in to support me. I had a blast hanging out with everybody and catching up with old and new friends alike. The two hours passed really quickly and were really encouraging. It raised a total of $135.93.

Also, I talked to one of my coworkers the other day at Chick-fil-A and he told me about his church. They seem to be very missions-minded and very generous. It's been hard to get a hold of them, but I'm hoping I will be able to speak at that church this upcoming Sunday. Please pray that I will be able to contact the church and that the congregation is generous.

I still need to raise about $6,000 at this point. I would love it if you could support me. Once again, here is the link to give to me online: Link 
I'm trusting God to provide. I'm looking into doing another fundraiser with Cafe 180. They give 50% instead of just the 15% that Chick-fil-A gave me. I'm going to contact them and see when I can set that up. Prayers for that would be fantastic.

Interestingly enough, my flight down to Jamaica is the same flight as one of my fellow YWAMers. I've been facebook messaging her, and we are going to meet up at the airport before the flight and start to get to know each other. I'm pretty excited about it.

In Christ,

Timothy David