As Kara's Mum she has asked me to write the following blog for her.
"Hi can you make a donation."
How these words often disgruntled our senses, scare us or intimidate us to walk as far away from the asker as possible. We commonly treat these people of charities, shopping centre mini stalls / booths like the Jews and Romans 2000+ years ago treated the lepers. Unclean...Diseased...Dirty... As if one ingle acknowledgement, whether it's a glance, gesture or word is going to stricken us to our death beds. Yet what I've realised, with the tables being turned this is not the case at all!
Sad to say, in Australia- even though we have the rule of charities and stall holders not being allowed to talk to you unless you make eye contact with them first, I was one of those people who walked as far away as possible from the organisation. If they spoke to me, I might softly say 'no thank you' but often I pretended I had never heard them, and after being with Strong Tower Ministries for the past 3 months, I've come to realise how wrong my behaviours were around these organisations. The people that asked for donations or for you to have a look at their products, are people too! They deserve our respect, care and love! All they are asking for is a few minutes of your time to share and represent their organisation. This is their lifestyle - this is their job and it is really no different from a 9-5 job, a shift work job, or a telemarketers job. As much as we often treat each of these people with different levels of respect, purpose and worth, we really shouldn't. Each person has the exact same worth, no matter what their job is, or their background.
God taught me something similar to this 6 weeks ago with James 2:1-13, where it talks about a pauper and a lord being shown different forms of privileges, based on their status and how we should not discriminate or show favouritism, for all are equal in God's eyes and deserve the same love that we show ourselves , which God has shown us first. God taught me on my first fundraiser run, standing outside Walmart 10-12 hrs a day for 3 days straight - doing something I'd swore I'd never do, nor wanted done to me - asking for donations;  that whether the person you ask blesses you with a donation / buying a hand made cross, or blatantly ignores you, gruffly says 'no' or swears at you, you have to treat them the same. They are still valuable and of intricate worth whether they donate or not. They are God's children, his loved ones!
After all these weeks of standing in the rain, hail heat and shine I know I will never treat another donation asker the same way I used to. They are doing what God has asked them to do, or to put food on the table for themselves and / or loved ones. Who am I to judge their worth based on their occupation, body shape, popularity status, disease,vocabulary,religious beliefs (and how they walk them out) or addiction / life controlling issue? I am no one. I have no place to judge and God has blessed me with a valuable worth, so who am I not to see the worth God has placed in every single other person around me (past, present and future). When it comes down to it we are all of equal worth. We are all equal in his eyes. We are his beloved children, adopted into his kingdom, and paid for by the sacrificial blood of His son.
"Father I ask you today to help me see everyone of your children (whether their walking with you or away from you) as you do. Open my eyes to the beauty you have given them, instead of seeing the sooty ashes. Help me not to judge them with my preconceived ideas and world views. Thank you for loving us all so much that you sent your only Son to die for our sins; so that we may have a relationship with you! Let us all grow closer to You and have You as our Strong Tower, rock and refuge; our daily bread and living hope. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Same Direction, Different Location

With only having just arrived back from Houston on Friday, God made it clear to both 'School of New Beginnings' leaders' Christian and Emily, and to me, that I was to be back at 'Strong Towers' Houston, so as of today I will be in Houston under the care of 'Strong Towers'.  It's the same basic rules of no Internet, and minimal phone calls... but in someways it's a lot stricter.  But as I posted on Sunday, God is moving so much there and I am excited to see what He does and how He becomes more of a personal lover to me than a religious leader and to know Him inimately as time goes by and follow Him and the calling He has placed on my life.  This also means my address has changed...

Which is...

Kara Martin
Strong Towers Ministries
7801 Burns Street
Hitchcock, Texas 77563
USA.

I would love to hear from you and I will endeavour to reply as soon as possible.  From what I have experienced, the 'Strong Towers' Ministry is very fast paced and in common terms it would come across as a bit militaristic but it is a God driven base and it is where He's called me to be at this present time.

If you would like to see what the organisation is about, here's the web address...
www.urmystrongtower.org

I would love to hear from you whenever you're free and keep in touch with you.
May God bless you and keep you safe!
GBUG (God Bless U Good)
Kara

Matthew 9:38 - "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His Harvest."

A Settling Soul

(Saturday, 4th of May, 2013)

It’s been 4 weeks that I’ve been here and I don’t really know what to say… I’m hoping you’ll get to read this sometime soon, when I get access to upload this to the Internet, but let me tell you about the past month that has passed.

This past month has been a road of ups and downs, and a time of a lot of revelation.  Some of which I’ve been able to grasp, but sadly some of it has not been as easy to grasp, which is okay, because it means I get the perfect opportunity to work on it right here, right now, and it’s going to stick this time – for good, with God and the amazing people here that are helping me to smooth out the rough ruts that have rutted in the wrong direction and start new ruts in the right direction!

In the three weeks I’ve already had classes on the ‘Nature of God’, ‘Character of God’, ‘God’s laws’, ‘Satan and his strategies’, ‘Truth verse Lies’, ‘Other Religions’, etc.

This last week was a bit different however, in which we went to a ministry called ‘Strong Towers’ in Hitchcock, Texas and let me tell you… WHAT AN AMAZING WEEK I HAVE HAD!!! It’s a super strict ministry, but it’s a clean ministry and God is doing amazing things there.  As I was only with the women, I can only account for my experience with the women, but they are amazing women of God.  They are so full of fire it is crazy!  A lot of them have had similar pasts of myself, friends and family I have known, but a lot of them have had completely different stories but the amazing thing that God is bringing them back to Himself and the plans that He has had for them before they were born.

Travelling to Hitchcock, Houston.

I only really spent three days with these beautiful ladies (about 12 in total) but it felt like years when I had to leave.  They became my family so quickly and saying goodbye to them was not and is still not easy.  The good news is however, that School of New Beginnings is partnering with Strong Towers and so I should see them more often than not.

Strong Towers is devoted to bringing people out of the world and back into the life of Christ…  so this means that people that have struggled with addictions of drugs, alcohol, homelessness, violence, etc. have a place for them that welcomes them and wants to help them get their lives in order.  They also provide an open door for people with depression, and just people that have somehow found they are walking in the wrong direction, whether these are people that have just gotten out of prison or are lost physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The good thing about this ministry is that it’s Christ centred and truly only in having Christ as the foundation are we really free from the chains of addictions.  They don’t ask for money (to provide for their students, staff or interns), but instead they sell handmade crosses from Cyprus wood, and other woods.  Each day consists of a work duty, which is often making these crosses, or fish, hearts, shield, or a combination of all of them, chopping boards, necklaces, etc. and then on the weekends they go out and fundraise all around America… it also allows the students to evangelise and share with people what God is doing in their lives and also have a physical time to see how God is moving and how they’ve grown themselves.

It is hoped that School of New Beginnings too, will be involved in the cross making industry and fundraising, but as a secondary outlet of Strong Towers, in that students that have finished at Strong Tower, if they’re not ready to merge back into normal civilisation, they can come to SONB and work on the freshly laid foundations for another six months and follow God’s call, whether that may be to do a DTS (Discipleship Training School – like what I have just completed in Denver) at one of the many YWAM (Youth With A Mission) bases around the World, or stay on at SONB or Strong Tower or return to normal life or really anywhere where God opens that door and directs them to step forward in obedience and trust.  But I am so excited to see where these women (and men) go and how God unfolds the beautiful petals around their lives to let the world see their true beauty in Him!!!

My dear sister at 'Strong Towers Ministries' - Robyn! I love her a lot!

I HAVE A POSTAL ADDRESS AND A PHONE NUMBER!!!

Hey all,

So I just found out that you can send me mail and if you need to get in contact with me, in an emergency of something, there's a number you can call too...

ADDRESS:

Kara Martin

4301 FM 773

Canton

TEXAS   75103

USA

PHONE:

If you're from outside of the USA

1-903-279-8547

If you're in the USA

903-279-8547

So here it is... and hopefully I'll hear from you sometime soon!

Updated Newsletter: What I am doing now!

If you missed the email...
Here's the latest newsletter:
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0fde805d5ce7d447204d4d67e&id=d7444fbf80&e=f8254fd023

YWAM YPDTS 2012 (Denver and Colombia)... A Nutshell of a Summary ;)

Where does one begin to explain an experience that was only six months long but felt like 5 years stuck on fast forward?  I guess the only place one can truly begin is at the beginning, but that may take awhile so I guess I’ll start midway.

A new friend shared in his sermon a few days ago that good does not mean easy, but it is good.  This friend, Gabriel, shared how his journey of obeying God meant uprooting his family from their family home in South Texas and travelling 8 hours north to the YWAM base in Tyler Texas, but it was good, whilst really challenging, because it was God directed. 

I, too, have this same opinion… people have said that it looks like I am having a good time in America and at first I struggled to grasp this concept of “good” because good in my eyes, until recently, meant that I was enjoying my time… when in fact it had been one of the hardest, most life stretching times I have experienced to date.  But when discovering this new meaning of good, I would have to agree with Gabriel.  My time in America has been and is good!  God has been doing so much work… in me and around me!  Whilst I cannot see all the work God is doing at this very moment, I do know He is working!

So going back to Colombia and beyond…

My time was amazing, but challenging.  I, with my team mates (totalling 14 of us) were the last team (from the Young Peoples Discipleship Training School at Youth With A Mission Denver –YPDTS at YWAM Denver) to depart America.  We flew from Denver International Airport to Miami, to Bogota, Colombia.  When we arrived in Colombia, we boarded a bus and drove 8-12 hours north to the city of Pereira.  This city is known as the city of South America, and also the world, that trains up Satanists and produces the most prostitutes from South America.  While we were here we mainly focused on street ministry – evangelism in the plazas, helping local churches, ministering with the children and youth, feeding the homeless and doing a lot of prayer walks. 

We also met some amazing people while we were here.  A few of the special people we met are:

Yury, Sebastian, Steve, JD and Juan Diego, who were the main people ministering with us and translating for us (from YWAM Pereira):

Yury: 

Sebastian:

Steven:

Juan Diego:

Jesus David (JD):

Sara and Tati (two girls that I met at a youth group that have a thirsting love):

Lina is a young lady we met on our first day of ministry, but she ended up becoming more like a sister to us than just a friend:

(Left to Right: Emery, Kelci, Kara, Alex, Lina, Jenna, Maria) 

Lilo, Meir, Carolina, Saudi, Kevin, Josue, Natalia, Laura, and several other people we met (who were from youth groups, churches, YWAM Bogota, etc.) whilst we visited and did local outreaches and evangelism in Pereira and the surrounding cities.

There were plenty of other people who impacted our lives in Pereira, but after celebrating Christmas and New Years, and spending just under two weeks here, we packed our bags, boarded the bus again and travelled back to Bogota, to fly down to Leticia.

The majority of our time in Colombia was spent in Leticia.  This city is the southernmost city in Colombia, the capital of the Amazonas region and borders Peru and Brazil with the Amazon River running through it. 

While we were here a lot of our time was spent helping out with an organisation called Medical Ministries International (MMI).  This ministry focuses on providing medical care to some of the poorest nations around the World and making a long term relationship with the nation and its people rather than just short visits. 

In helping with this ministry, the first week and a half was spent taking fliers out to surrounding villages of Leticia, Colombia, Peru and Brazil and doing a bit of evangelism at the same time.  We then spent a few days cleaning the school up and getting classrooms set up for 1000+ people to be examined daily.  The next two weeks, as we could not speak Spanish, we were put in charge of children ministry… providing activities for the children, whilst their parents waited in line, and collecting them when they (the children) themselves needed to be examined or have surgery. 

During this time, we also got to take a few afternoons to travel over to an island, just a stones throw away from the Leticia dock, in the Amazon River, called Fantasy Island. Here we made friends and spent time playing mud soccer, doing dances, dramas, plays/skits, and just spending time with this forgotten island.  A lot of the villagers here provide for their family by making dug out canoes and providing a taxi service to people wanting to go up and down the Amazon, to Peru and Brazil, as well as fishing and selling their catches.

Our last week in Leticia was spent in a little village, accessible by travelling up the Amazon River only, called Santa Sofia.  Here we spent a lot of time connecting with the locals and building long term relationships.

After 5 weeks in Leticia, we flew back up to Bogota and spent the last few days helping YWAM Bogota with building a sewerage canal and placing the pipes inside the trench, as part of their ‘Children at Risk’ program (http://www.childrenatriskcolombia.org/) and cleaning their facilities where they hold children activities and provide accommodation periodically.

After 8 weeks in Colombia, we flew back to Miami and the rest of the adventure can be found on a previously posted story called On Solid Ground in the USA (http://kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com/2013/02/on-solid-ground-in-usa.html).

This was the five months I spent with YWAM Denver’s YPDTS of 2012.  I have learnt many things and God has shown me so many things and done such an amazing job.  A lot of revelations and a lot of ideas for the future… and now is where I’m starting to walk out in the missions He has called me to.  Missions like making Denver home, doing Phase 2, also known as School of Ministry Development (http://www.ywamdenver.org/school/schoolofministrydevelopmentphaseii), and being a missionary.  I do not know how this will look yet, I don’t know if I will ever know before I get to each phase of the plan God has for me, but I do know He loves me. 

There is so many more stories of that I can share during my time away, and some day I hope to, but for now I am obeying God in what He tells me to do and this involves me getting better in my psychological health.  In doing this, as my update letter describes, I am doing a school called The School of New Beginnings (www.schoolofnewbeginnings.org) and this is just one step in which I’m hoping to know God more, and be restored and able to carry out the full calling God has called me to do, as part of His Kingdom of World changers and Kingdom shapers!

Thank you so much for all your support, love and care.  I love you all and miss you heaps and hope to hear from you all.  Please keep the people of Colombia in your prayers, and may God bless you good. 

Until next time,

Kara

Denver, Colorado and Colombia, Peru and Brazil... A YWAM YPDTS 2012 Slideshow!

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On Solid Ground in the USA!

Hey all,

After an adventurous 33 hours of travel, an extra 20 hours on top of my team mates, I have safely made it back to the United States of America.  Thank you to those who prayed for my travel, and the process of customs and border patrol/protection – I really needed it. 

Being the only Australian, and non-US citizen on my team, I was separated in Miami where I needed to explain why I was there and wait on their approval and decision on how long I could stay in the USA.  This somehow turned into me being escorted to another room, where 80+ people had been waiting from 0 to 6+ hours, without any explanation of why we were there and what we were to do, other than sit down and be quiet.  Thankfully I only had to wait 3 hours, after explaining several times that I had a connecting flight that left within the 2 hours from when I first arrived at the airport, with a group of 13 other people (who they denied being able to contact and inform of my location), and was allowed to leave, with permission to stay in the USA until August 7^th (another 6 months, compared to my original documented departure date of March 26^th). 

My gracious leader Jenna had also missed the flight to ensure that I got back to Denver safely.  Due to a historic severe blizzard in the north east, most flights that went to Denver (layover-ing in Chicago, Dallas, etc.) in the morning were not recommended as thousands of flights were scheduled to be cancelled or delayed (the Africa team, who were supposed to arrive on the same Friday that I was now arriving, were caught in this predicament at their layover in Chicago – they’re now scheduled to arrive in Denver today, Saturday), resulting in us catching the only available flight at 5pm. 

Both of us thankfully had no extra plane ticket fees to pay – I was told I was exempt but I wasn’t sure if Jenna would have a free flight as well and having a bit of team money left over, we were allowed to stay in the Airport hotel and get a good night sleep with a complimentary breakfast.

After a 4 hour flight, I arrived in Denver and Jenna and I were reunited with our team, and some close YWAM friends, one being my small group leader, Amy.  It feels so great to be back and I am truly grateful for all of you who were praying.  I am writing this on the blog as I hope to give multiple accounts of what God did, and what the team did, and what God did through the team, whilst I was in Colombia, what I am doing next, and what I envisage God is directing me to, etc. and I have a feeling it would be too large for a newsletter – because a lot happened! Praise God!!!

But this is my quick heads up and I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Love you all lots and GBUG (God Bless U Good).

Kara

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest”.  ~Matthew 9:38

Colombia Team - Outreach Preparation Week

Just a short snippet of the Colombia team preparing for outreach with the drama 'Shackles'.  This was when we were still learning the dance moves...

Hot Cheetos and Takis - YPDTS Staff Represent!

The crazy things that happen when you have a group of young people and a group of young-at-heart staff (who are still young) that are challenged to come up with a presentation from each of their rooms.  This one is the YPDTS Fall 2012 Staff presentation of 'Hot Cheetos and Takis'!

(Video by Maria)