Boyz 2 Men {A hard goodbye}

We had to say goodbye to a close friend yesterday.  It had me singing this song all day....

Tyler we miss you already!!!!

I met Tyler 4 years ago, at the LAX airport as we both had just flown in to attend our DTSes up here in Pismo Beach.  We took a train up together, got stuck in a bad storm... he was my first friend on the school.

Brandon and I have experienced so much with Tyler at our side... we got to reminisce over lunch yesterday.  It was difficult to realize we had to say goodbye.  We've shared a TON of great times together.

Our DTS....

Tyler came back to Pismo and joined staff at the same time I did.

We spent Christmas in Bonanza together.

Then we got to staff our first DTS together...

Brandon and I got to join Tyler while he was leading an outreach to Nicaragua.  It was my first time in Nica, Brandon's second... and it was great to share that with our friend.

Tyler was Brandon's best man at our wedding.  He was GREAT man!

Tyler visited us in Virginia when we were leading the DTS there... he helped Brandon pick out chocolate frosting for me when my prego cravings were kciking in.  For that alone, I am so thankful for Tyler.  :)

He has been such a great friend.  We are going to miss him.  And how he is always is making funny jokes and faces.  And his musical talents....

But.... its good that he has left... because he is going to Switzerland to attend this school.  YWAM's leadership training school (LTS).

We are SO EXCITED for him.  And cannot wait to see what he learns while there, and where God will direct him afterwards.

You can check out Tyler's blog.   Seriously, check it out.... he is a great guy and is going to be doing some amazing things for the Lord.

Tyler, we miss you!  We love you.

P.S.
ivv8c4rf45ff      .... that spells 'I love you Tyler" in Shiloh language!

Over Halfway into the Outreaches...

Our school from YWAM VA is currently over halfway through their outreach phase. Two teams... one in Angola, Africa... and one team (one student) in Arizona on the Hopi Tribal base. Halfway into the two months, and already we are hearing great things from the teams.

The Angola team has been doing ministry through a local church, as well as venturing into many small villages surrounding Luanda (the capital city) and praying for the needs of the people living in each. Among the reports we've been reading, the photos speak for themselves. Seeing the students laying hands on children, praying for the sick, and speaking to crowds are very exciting. The language of Angola is primarily portuguese, and leading the outreach team are our two fellow Brazilian staff members. Plus one of the students is also Brazilian, so there are 3 available translators for the remaining 7 students who don't speak portuguese.

The team in Arizona, a student named Karine, has been enjoying the tribal reservation of the Hopi people... YWAM Tribal Winds in Arizona works on the Hopi reservation to minister to the natives. Karine has been plugged in at a local school and is mostly working with the young children there. Brandon and I just traveled to visit her, and were astonished at how well she is doing for being on outreach without any of her teammates. The Hopi base is located deep inside the Hopi reservation and there are two women who live there full time at the YWAM house. Karine is assisting them, and they are currently taking care of two foster girls. Karine has been learning a lot, and has been able to join the women as they go out to local homes and help where there is a need. She is enjoying prayer walks, delivering wood to people unable to get their own to keep their homes warm, passing out coats, food and other basic needs... the reservation, while being in the US, almost seems like a whole different country. While we were there, we got to see much of the villages surrounding the YWAM house, but unfortunately the Hopi people many times are offended by outsiders taking pictures, so we were not able to photograph Karine in action. But we did get one of her overlooking the land below one of the mesas!

Both outreaches finish around Feb. 16th, and Brandon will be flying back out to Virginia then to prepare for the returning students, and then spend the following week facilitating their debrief and re-entry week. That is a week that is often ignored, but in our opinion is one of the most important parts of a DTS. The week will focus on allowing the students to process their experiences throughout their DTS, and also to prepare them on transitioning back home. The school will graduated on Feb. 26th... exciting! We can't believe that its almost over... but we are praying that these last weeks of the outreaches, and the debrief will be fruitful and bring glory to God.

West to East

Since our last post, we've packed up our teeny weeny lives into ONE car, driven north to Bonanza, Oregon, gone campin' with the Ekstrom family, washed 4 loads of smokey clothes, RE-packed that ONE car, and then driven ALLLL the way across America to Richmond, Virginia!

It was a very interesting drive... no air-conditioning, through the desert of upper Nevada and Utah... with a very hot and cranky passenger (me... when the temp rises to 90 and you've been in a car for 7 hours with barely any sleep, you'd be cranky too!). Our first stop was in northern Colorado... and driving into it we followed the highways from Salt Lake City, Nevada to Wyoming... and lets just say that surfboards on the top of a car isn't the norm in Wyoming. We received MANY stares. Anyways, one of our dear friends and fellow staff member is from Fort Collins, Colorado, so we stayed at her parents house the first night of the trip. We were able to have dinner with another friend, Mariel, while we were there, before leaving late the next evening to get a head start on the 2nd leg of the trip. The rest of the way, through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois (we got to see one of my childhood homes there), and then into Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and finally Virginia, took us about 3 more days (we didn't do it straight, there were 2 stops along the way, we're not superhuman). Upon arriving at the YWAM base in Richmond, we were two very pooped Ekstroms!

They are extremely hospitable here, I like to attribute it to the Southern Charm ;), and they have given us a great room to stay in while we are here. Its much larger than our bedroom in California, and they've even furnished it, AND DECORATED it for us! How kind! Guess it is to make up for the fact that we get to live above the boys dorm! Ha!

We have been adjusting to their base, and getting to know the staff here. Although we miss our YWAM family back in California (and the beach too), we are so busy preparing for the DTS to begin that the days are flying by.

You can pray for us this week... we have about one whole month worth of work to accomplish by the next weekend... the school starts on the 21st!!! So pray that we can get as much done and that God will take care of the rest!

We'll keep you posted!

Kirsten (and Brandon)

Crazy days :)

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. ~Psalm 145:13b

We are smack in the middle of crazy days... those kind of never-ceasing-craziness days that you actually LOVE because you feel so energized by God, and there is never a dull moment. At least, I love it, and I know Brandon thrives on days like that.

We've been getting everything taken care of here at our home base. Wrapping up little loose ends, and departmental work. Also we've almost finished setting up the 2010 Surf DTS, well, in the sense that we've gotten the "planning" side out of the way. You can even check out the website for our base.... www.ywampismobeach.org We've begun to change all the surf info... and over the next week or so, it should be completed. (Thank you Will!!!)

Our days this week have just been a hodge-podge of praying for our transition to the Richmond base... the DTS there, and making sure we've got our ducks in a row. Even today we've pretty much cleaned out the whole car, detailed the inside of it... let me tell you, whew! It was diiiirty! And we are just going through our garage and apartment, clearing out, cleaning out, and throwing out.....so that when we are gone, we are leaving things in order. Next step: packing! Yea! If there is one thing about our lives.... its that just when we've unpacked and begun to settle in, God gets our suitcases back out and here we go again!

We have already seen the enemy trying to bring us down.... just small things that are coming up, so please keep these things in your prayers...

1. I've managed to lose my cell phone (small deal, but when its gone, you realize how much you need it!)

2. Also, keep our families in your prayers, we are having some issues there.

3. And then for finances, we just lost some support, and we need to see God provide in the other direction...haha... we are trusting him for at least $300 more a month.

4. Lastly, we are driving my good ol' car all the way across the nation... so PRAY SHE MAKES IT!

Announcement!

Well, Hello friends of ours (who read our blog)!! We have an exciting and very cool announcement for you!!! Brandon and I will be going to YWAM Richmond in Virginia to lead a DTS for their base for 5 months. (No we are not leaving staff with YWAM Pismo... just going to lead this school and then come back here).

Last week, the base director from YWAM Richmond, Chris, called our base with a huge request: His DTS leader for the upcoming school had to return home to Korea due to a family medical problem, leaving the school without a leader... would our base help?

He had been on his knees before God on what to do, cancel the school, lead it himself, or find another leader? God told him to wait, and promised He would provide. That is when a friend of YWAM Pismo (and DTS speaker), Daniel Susenbach, ran across Chris, and after hearing the need for a leader, Daniel recommended our base as having run very good, quality DTS's.

With humility and many nerves, Brandon & I contacted Chris over at Richmond, and we prayed together about filling the need. In the end, we felt willing, and our base is fully behind us going, and the Richmond base has been asking God to bring a young, American leader... so, WE ARE GOING! As a couple we prayed and really felt God's hand guiding us to go, and that we could really serve their base by helping fill this position. Our only hesitation was how young we are... but then, they've been praying for a young leader, so I guess we fit that description! As newlyweds, we are looking forward to the natural bonding and closeness that leading a school results in... and their base is excited to support our new marriage. Also both Brandon and I have family in that area.

The school runs from September 21 through the new year and ends February 26. We'll be packing up at the end of this month (whew, so soon!) and traveling to their base in order to spend several weeks acclimating to the area, the base, their staff, and to have the time to do some school prep work. What an exciting opportunity!!! We absolutely love DTS, and it has been Brandon's passion to disciple as many people as God brings him, so we are joyed to be given this chance to run a school at another base.

As far as we know, there are currently 15 students, and 3 other staff.... and apparently 2 of the staff are Brazilians!!! Yay! The Richmond base will be very different than ours, and we hope to glean wisdom and experience while we are there, and then bring it back to Pismo. We don't have official details to share about the outreach phase... or if we'll even be going on outreach... but we'll know soon enough. Richmond allows a long Thanksgiving holiday, as well as a break for Christmas in between the lecture phase and the outreach phase in which the students can go home, and Brandon and I can go visit family.

We are just super thrilled to lead this DTS!!! It means a lot of change, and hard work, but we love both, and have a fire for trusting God with new and different things!!!

Please pray for us.... we have about 3 weeks to finish up some necessary work here in Pismo. Also we are in need of increasing our monthly support by $300. Then just be praying for our travel arrangements there, God's wisdom, and the such.

Check out our fun lil' video... the joys of having a mac.

As always... we love having a way for people to read what is going on in our lives... so keep checking back with us as we post more! (hopefully I can get some wedding photos up soon)

Kirsten (and Brandon)