Translate

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Another Step Ahead!

Pay Pal Account is up and running.
Email - rakaah@gmail.com

Pay Pal

If you're wanting to donate, but are in another country, I have just applied for a Pay Pal account which should be up and running within the next few days. Hopefully all will work out :)
(Silly quote time...) "Please stand by!" :P

New Posts

I've posted two new posts, which are a bit long and therefore do not fit on the one page, but here's the links:

Months Unspoken, Now Spoken (All about what has been happening since March)
http://kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/06/months-unspoken-now-spoken.html

It's Time to Raise Support (All about raising support - pretty self-explanatory)Linkhttp://kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-time-to-raise-support.html

It's Time to Raise Support :)


Dear Friends and Family,

Wow, another year has almost gone since I last had the chance to write to you. Some of you I see regularly and some of you not so much, which I wish was different but sadly locations and times can make that goal difficult to achieve.

How are you all? What’s been happening? What has God been doing in your life? I look forward to hearing your answers either by email (rakaah@gmail.com), mail (15 Logan St, Gatton, 4343, QLD) or text message (0400909755), but let me tell you my answers in advance.

This past year has been an interesting year. It’s been one of ups and downs on the roller coaster of life, which I know most people ride regularly with me on, whether daily or yearly. It’s been one of trusting God, losing sight of God’s direction and therefore loss of perseverance of finding life’s enjoyments with God. But it has also been one, where I have learnt a lot of things too.

I’ve learnt to persevere through the hard times; to go to God first (or try to), and rely on God to help me get through the hard times. I’ve learnt the importance of regular quiet times with God, and the fact that regular contact, as we do in our friendships, is important to maintain the growing relationship that God programmed us to have. I have also found direction for six months of my life, which is exciting and a totally new step in an area that I would never have considered for myself four years ago.

For the last few months to almost a year, God has slowly been opening my heart to the concept of doing a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission, more commonly known as YWAM. (More details of this catalyst can be found on the blog I have created to share my YWAM experience, or leading up to YWAM experience, which is www.kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com). But one of the more exciting things, which I haven’t actually had the chance to write about on my blog, is that I’ve actually put in an application to one of Australia’s YWAMs AND been accepted, which is REALLY exciting.

In October, this year (2011), I will be travelling down to Newcastle (New South Wales), Australia, for six months, to complete a DTS. What is a DTS you may ask? A DTS is an intensive, residential training course, which is based on the Bible, covering topics like God’s nature and character; building and maintaining Godly relationships; God’s intentions for individuals, peoples, and nations; the value of human life through the eyes of the creator; bringing the promise of hope into a broken world and addressing issues of poverty and injustice, just to name a few. These topics are covered in the lecture phase, which is conducted in the first 12 weeks of the six month course duration, and prepares the students for the following phase, putting the classroom teachings into action, which is outreach.

This year, the Compassion DTS (which is the DTS I am doing), has two team outreach locations. The first team will spend two weeks in Toowoomba helping out in the community, with people affected by the January floods (and yes there is still a lot of work to be done), as well as the general community, followed by eight weeks in Cambodia; and the second team will spend five weeks in Latvia and five weeks in Russia. All three overseas outreach locations will be focusing on ‘children at risk’ and human trafficking groups, which is exciting as it’s a field I was really keen to get into a few years ago, but just didn’t know how to.

Some of you may think that this is crazy, bizarre, and an act of delusion, and maybe I am delusional. But I would rather take the risk and appear delusional for God, and search for the unique plan He has for me, as well as every single one of us, than fit in with every day life; continuing in attempting degrees, spending money, gambling time in trial and error of what I think may be the right direction for my life and losing hope and purpose in living, every time I fall short. So I have decided that no matter what trials, difficulties or challenges I come across in this ensuing journey, I am going to give it everything I have; I am going to trust God with every aspect of my life, and I am going to allow my heart to be open for change. If this isn’t a part of God’s plan, then I will accept it, and seek His guidance for the plan He does have for me, but some help would also be appreciated.

I am looking for people who would be able to support me, whether through finance, prayer, or anything that you think may help. Currently my prayer requests are as follows:

· Raising all the money ($3950) required for the lecture phase (which covers food, accommodation, classes, etc.) before the due date of 4th of October 2011

· That the plans God has for me, would become clear and fall into place, and that I’d be able to let go of the plans that aren’t His.

· Ideas to raise awareness and support for outreach, which is between $2500 and $4500.

· Learning to trust in God 100%; be content with His provisions and blessings, and to know that I should not be scared of anything, as He is in control.

· That the people that God has called would respond, whether that is to do this DTS or to speak or whatever God may have placed on people’s hearts.

If you would be interested in supporting me in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be contacting you personally in July, especially if I haven’t heard from you, to see how you are going and to find out if you can support me in any way, and if you would be interested in getting regular updates on the whole YWAM experience?

Hope you are all well.

GBUG (God Bless U Good),

Kara Martin

38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

If you would like to support me in any way, please email me at rakaah@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Months Unspoken Now Spoken

How does one start, when so much has happened since I last wrote? What does one say, that may appeal and not bore those who will read this? I guess there is no better way to start then with what has happened...

In the last few months, almost a year, that I have seriously been considering on going to YWAM, I have been told and also have been telling myself to wait until I was stable, until I was sure that God was directing me to YWAM, before putting in an application. However, this has also added stress on what I can and can't do, as everything is up in the air and I don't want to commit to anything that I could not be certain that I would be available for.

I had already narrowed down the YWAM base choices to Norton Hills, Adelaide, South Australia (Justice and Mercy DTS), Newcastle (Outdoor DTS, Compassion DTS), Darwin, Townsville (Ship DTS), and Byron Bay. With these five bases and six DTSs, I knew it would not be easy to identify which base, if any, that I'd be going to this year (2011). So I started to try and just make healthy choices, or choices that appeared to be fruitful, whether in refinding my identity, building my relationship with God, learning good coping strategies, and conflict resolution strategies and confrontational confidence, amongst other things, and whilst to date (21/6/2011), not all have been completed; some have been undertaken and have also narrowed down the choices in YWAM bases.

One of the undertaken healthy -development for future choices was doing a Life Keys, Care Force, Recovery Program - Woman to Woman course (founded by Allan and Helen Meyers), which in small groups, covered topics like...

  1. The Arena of Healing
  2. Functional and Dysfunctional Family Dynamics
  3. Coping Strategies of the Child and Adult
  4. Denial and Anger
  5. Rebuilding After Grief and Loss
  6. The Influence of Shame
  7. Overcoming Co-dependency
  8. Sexuality and Intimacy
  9. Forgiveness - Letting Go
  10. Stepping into the Future
This was a ten week course, which automatically meant that out of the three short-listed bases
  • Newcastle's Compassion DTS;
  • Norton Summit's Justice and Mercy DTS; and
  • Townsville's Ship DTS,
two of them I could not do, due to the fact that I was engaged in the woman to woman course, which I would not drop out of. This left me with just the Newcastle Compassion DTS.

Even with only one of my short listed three choices being available, I still wasn't sure if God was behind it. I didn't want to jump in, if God wasn't going to be there to catch me, but I also didn't want to be too afraid to get near the water's edge and basque in God's opinion of beauty.

It was the slowly building friendship with the compassion DTS leader, Tessa Meakins, that finally gave me the guts to start filling in my application, and to full prepare the application, in expectation of being fully accepted. Even though I had my doubts and hesitancies, Tessa had been able to answer every question I had, that would've made me reconsider YWAM altogether. So having no mind changing questions lefts, I had nothing else to do except to have a go at filling out the application.


The application process isn't just a simple tick and cross application. It has a few components. From medical history to police checks, children checks, and agreements to answering the following questions:

  1. Please describe your Christian experience and present relationship with the Lord. Give month and year of conversion.
  2. What noticeable changes have you experienced since then?
  3. What areas of your character are you presently seeking God to further develop?
  4. Do you feel God has given you, or is leading you into any particular area of ministry at YWAM Newcastle and in general?
  5. Describe Christian work you have done.
  6. How do you feel you adapt and respond to changes in situations and new environments?
  7. Do you feel called to serve God full-time in ministry/missions? Give details.
I also had to get three references. One being a friend, another a teacher/employer, and then a pastoral reference. Having been diagnosed with depression, I also needed a doctor's reference. All four of the references shocked me with their commendations and support.

With police checks and passport also obtained quickly and easily, apart from being a bit more lighter in pocket, things have come across easily, encouraging me to think more that maybe God is behind this, but there was still some uncertainty.

About a week before I submitted my application, I got an email from Darwin YWAM however, asking me how I was going and that they had been praying for me, as a potential YWAM student (due to interest I'd shown in one of their DTSs earlier in the year). Three things that God had told them was:
  1. Psalm 91
    (
    1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
    2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

    3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
    4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
    5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
    6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
    7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
    8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

    9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
    10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
    11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
    12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
    13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

    14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
    15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
    16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”)

  2. be open to the plans God has for you - don't hold back.
  3. Nothing is impossible with God
This email had caused a bit of fear, as I wondered if it was a warning that I wouldn't be accepted. That this wasn't God's plan for me, leaving me stuck in anxiety and disarray.
However, I knew I could not pull out. That I'd already come this far and there was no point quitting. Even though I wanted to pull out so many times, especially in the time from putting my application in, to being accepted, I had to tell myself, be reminded and still tell myself that God is in control of this all and to trust in Him with everything I had and am still to have.

So now I am at the spot of support raising, trusting in God and knowing His will, will be done. I am no saint among sinners, or a saint among saints, or a saint at all for a matter of fact... I'm just like you, a child of God, just wanting to give everything I have and work for the Lord!