The Harvest Is Ripe in America

Dear friends,

I am filled with such joy as I am able to tell you just a handful of the amazing things that God has done in my life, the lives around me, and in the world over this past summer.  It has been nothing short of overflowing with testimony after testimony of God's love for His children and deep passion for all to know His name an fall deeper in love with Him.  I have never in my life been more convinced that the Gospel really is the good news and the power that the blood of the lamb and our testimony has.  God is alive and moving in the earth, and me & you get to be a part of it.  How exciting!

Exactly 3 months ago (to the day!) I wrote you and shared what the first two weeks of the Summer Quarter looked like.  As I read back over what I wrote, I am amazed that it only got better from there.  Our expectation for the summer as a whole was that the Lord was going to do something out of the ordinary, that he was going to knit our hearts together and bring us somewhere in the spirit that we had never gone before, because of the unity we had with each other, and the holiness and purity we walked as we chased after being fixated with one thing, and one thing only; the man Jesus Christ.  And as I write you three months later, I am more than thrilled to report the summer has been just that… more than we expected and full of promises fulfilled by the Father.

I was so blessed to have many of you invest in prayer & finances as I got to go to Pennsylvania for Circuit Riders this past month!!  One day, we were praying for all of the CR schools going to Fiji, LA, Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Kona, & Norway, something began to happen in my heart unlike anything I had ever experienced as we prayed for the one in Lancaster, PA and I said to myself "I have to be there."  I didn't know how I was going to get the money, or if I would even be able to go…. Housing, food, transportation, and so many things were ahead to figure out but I knew I had to be there.  Something inside of me knew that if I went, my life would be changed forever.  After only one week, I think actually less than 7 days, someone pledged to match $1.00 to every $1.00 that I was able to raise!!  So I got myself in to gear and did everything I could.  At the end of those handful of days, the Lord had provided above and beyond what I needed!  He also got me free housing with some of my best fiends that was walking distance from the school being held and almost all my food was taken care of!  God is the God of abundance!

Circuit Riders kicked off in the heart of Lancaster, PA for a full week.  Every day we would have training with about 500 other students who had signed up for the school.  And every day that number would grow because people would get saved, and immediately want to come to training to learn how to preach the gospel…. and this was a reoccurring story!  Every night we opened up the place to whoever wanted to come as we worshiped the King of Kings, and heard a message from one of the leaders.  And again, we started at around 1400 people the first night, and by the last night we grew to just shy of 2,000 people!!!  In just 2 days of outreach we saw over 320 salvations and 60+ hearings, just on the streets in this small town!!  People are ready to hear the gospel, the harvest is ripe!!!

Every day I could feel more and more fear break off of me as I became convinced at the reality of the Gospel, and the sacrifice of Jesus' life for not only mine, but every single person in the world.  If God send His son to  died for every person, wouldn't He want every person to know about it?  And as Christians, we have the answer and the privilege of sharing it with a lost and dying world in need of a savior.  We all were there at one point, we all have been saved by Grace and not by works, but by a loving Father who is so desiring a world to fall in love with Him…. and now from that place of knowing who we once were, and where we once were, we get to tell the rest of the world the good news.  Hallelujah!!

As Circuit Riders traveled all around the world (but mainly in America), they figured out that there was 1 salvation for every minute of outreach.  Jesus Is Alive!!!  He is awakening His bride, saving the lost, and preparing us all for His great return!!  Being a part of this story is one of the most exciting things in the earth.

We were so privileged in Kona to have held a Circuit Riders two weeks after I returned and it was also amazing!  I got to lead a small group for training of about 14 people.  As we hit the streets all of the outreaches as a whole saw 10 salvations in town and a handful of healings too!  I personally was able to be a part of 3 stories of 2 young women and a teenage boy coming to know Jesus.  It was so wonderful to see things like this happen in Kona, right in our back yard!!

After going to PA, I was able to go to Washington, DC with one of my best friends, Grace.  While I was there I got a call from my dad saying him & my mom wanted to visit me before I headed back to Kona.  Our time together was so sweet! We were able to just enjoyed each others company, share stories from the places we all had been over the last 8 months apart, and were also able to love on people in the streets of Washington, DC.  It was so fun to be able to share the gospel with my parents by my side.  It made something in my heart come alive and it was so fun!

It's been four weeks since I returned back to Kona and have continued in the Track.   Just two weeks ago we had our quarterly Love Feast.  This is pretty much where we love on each other like crazy!!  We eat good food, we dance, we honor each other, and we have presentations from the electives that we have (Song Writing, Preaching & Teaching, Biblical Studies).  We had such a fun night all together and were able to reminisce about all the lovely things we were able to all experience over these past 3 months.

We are now at the end of the quarter & preparing for next quarter!!  The schools in the Track this past quarter were Compassion Ablaze, Community Transformations, and Crisis Response International and they have all transitioned into Staff Training and preparing for all of their students in the DTS' to come in just two short weeks!

I had the privilege this quarter as many of you know, to lead the Track with Blake & Shannon Casteel for the first time, and it went amazing.  So amazing that they have asked if I would join official leadership of the Awakening Leadership Track, and there was no hesitation in my heart!  In less than 2 short weeks we will kick off everything again for the Fall.  With around 100 staff coming to join us to be trained to staff DTS' this coming January, it is again the largest quarter we have ever had… and it just keeps growing!!  We are so blessed, and quite honestly blown away at how rapidly things are morphing into something that is wanting to be replicated on many YWAM bases across the world.  I don't know how I got into this position, other than the kindness of the Lord.  There are no qualifications on my part, except that He is my strength & qualifies me by His love and mercy every day.  Being in the Track, and now helping lead, my life has been extremely transformed in every way and I am so thankful for God's plans for my life overriding my dreams that I thought would satisfy.  He is so committed to each and every one of this and I am more convinced of it everywhere I go and with everyone I talk to.

In 3 weeks I will be headed home to North Carolina to spend 2 weeks with my family!  I am able to see one of my best friends from childhood get married and to meet my niece Dylan Rose for the first time!! I am very excited for this trip and appreciate your prayers as I am traveling!!

Thank you to every person who has invested in my life on this journey.  I am full of gratitude and thankfulness as I think of how each of you have had a part to play in this wonderful story.  I am blessed beyond belief!!

Have a wonderful day filled with the fullness of all the Father has to pour out on you!

You are very much loved.

-Lizzie Stein




For more information on the history/vision of YWAM and the purpose/heart of The Awakening Leadership Track, please visit another page on this blog:
http://shebegantofly.blogspot.com/p/vision-heart.html

If you would like to partner with me in prayer or be a one-time or monthly support please email me at oceansroar@gmail.com or click the following link: http://www.uofnkona.edu/support/missionaries/5644

My Life In A Week

It's been a little over a month since being back and it feels so good to be in the swing of things again! This quarter we have an AMAZING crew in the Leadership Track.  Right now we have Awaken DTS staff being trained to staff the July school just around the corner, and we also have Community Transformations DTS staff who are leading the school in the Fall.  These are some of the most fun people I've ever met and it was such a joy to come back to a full & vibrant group.

Over the past week I decided to take some pictures of the key things that I do on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis here on campus and then paint a little picture of what it looks like!! I hope this provides you with a good idea of the different things I do & am involved with in the Leadership Track.
Enjoy!

   

Every other Tuesday afternoon we have a staff meeting where all of the staff on campus from every department, which range around 300-400 people, come together and we have a little family time.  We are so privileged to have Loren & Darlene Cunningham, the founders of YWAM, call the Kona base their home and attend these anytime they are here.  This past Tuesday we were able to pray with Darlene & commission out a group of people as well as hear her and Loren share on the goodness of the Lord and His faithfulness all across the world.  It was such a beautiful moment, I am so thankful for these times we get with them!

On Wednesday mornings the Leadership Track comes together at 8am for what we call Contending Hour.  During this hour we take about 30 minutes (sometimes less or more) and pray in the spirit, then from that place we have intercession all together for the rest of the time for whatever the Lord has led us to for that day.  In the beginning of the track over a year ago, this hour was extremely stretching & not extremely enjoyable as I learned to use spiritual muscles I never had before.  But now I have grown to love it and it has even become one of my favorite things we do!

After Contending Hour, from 9am until 12pm we have Practical Training & Teaching.  We have had the privilege of having some of the most amazing leaders of this generation come and speak to us.  Some of the topics that we may learn are on Preaching & Teaching, Godly Confrontation, Worship & Intercession,  Practical studies in the Bible and scripture memorization, Leadership, A Disciplined Life, and so many other amazing topics!  This past Wednesday we had Christian Gonzalez teach us.  Part of what he shared on that really wrecked me can be found in this statement he said while teaching:  "The questions leading us to an "I don't know" aren't naive, they are there so we may have the fullness of truth. The ability to say "I don't know" is the foundation of all wisdom and knowledge. The mystery and romance comes in the not knowing and being able to search it out for the rest of our lives. It's humility to go on the search into finding out the mysteries of God and who He is."

On Wednesday we also have community outreach.  The Leadership Track does a handful of different ones to serve the community but the one that I've been involved with this quarter is Bible Distribution.  The American Bible Society gave YWAM over 8,000 and the leaders of our campus really felt the Holy Spirit leading them to have a Bible in every home in Kona.  So we have taken on the challenge!  Every afternoon we go door to door for 3-4 in hopes not just that they would each have a Bible, but that we would also create relationships with the people in the community.  So far it has been absolutely amazing!! I was a little nervous the first time we headed out, but it has become something that I look forward to.  We are challenged in so many different ways and have not only see fruit in our own lives but have seen the Lord really moved in relationship with people here in Kona.  The picture shown is of me and my friend Anthony (who is staffing Awaken in July) climbing up a driveway to a families house.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday our Leadership Track (as well as some of the DTS' on campus) are in the Prayer Room from 1-3pm.  Each set looks like about an hour of worshipping and then transitioning into an hour of intercession with various topics such as praying for revival in America, Outreach teams to be refreshed (and we sometimes get words for them and send them while they are on the field), praying for our Kona community, leaders on the base, and so much more!  I've never experienced the Lord move in such a mighty way before as I have this past week specifically.  We are seeing so much fruit in our sets not only in our own hearts but as we hear about the people and places we are praying for and how God is doing amazing things through these times.  It really is amazing how God LOVES to give us His heart for things and then answer our prayers!  I have the privilege of singing on two of these 1-3 sets on Thursdays & Fridays.  This is the 5th quarter I've done this and it's an absolute blast.  Fridays are especially fun for me because we get to have Shannon Casteel (leading the Leadership Track) lead the intercession time for revival in America!

   

Last quarter the Leadership Track was asked to pioneer the first ever high-school youth group on Thursday nights for the youth on campus, so we did!!  The first night we launched Youth Ablaze, we were expecting about 15 people to show up, instead we had over 60 high-school students!! We were absolutely blown away and continue to be by their hunger & desperation for more of Jesus!!  This past Thursday we had Isaac (in the track, staffing Awaken) lead worship with Mia & Micah who are high-school students.  Then, Ben Peterson (who is staff with the Prayer Room and does many other amazing things), spoke on the Holy Spirit.  We ended the night with everybody getting baptized in the Holy Spirit.  It was such a beautiful & rich night to watch everyone go deeper, staff included.

Friday mornings we start all being together for Family Time which is an hour of sharing testimonies, hearing people recite their memorized scripture, listen to a word from one of the leaders, and enjoy each others company.  After this, we all break up into our electives.  The two are Songwriting & Worship and Preaching & Teaching.  Last quarter I decided to do Preaching & Teacher, only because it scared me so much.  This quarter I am doing it again for that reason along with me actually starting to love it.  My elective is taught by the absolutely amazing Ashlea Brenenman, but this morning we had Andy Byrd as a guest teacher.  He taught on the importance of not speaking out of insecurity, but walking in all humility and from that place we gain the authority.  His teaching was not only challenging for our own lives, but also extremely practical in how to communicate best.  "We may not all be called to preach for hours and hours to hundreds of people all the time, but we are all called to be communicators.  And the goal of communicating is hearing & learning."

I hope you've enjoyed seeing a little bit more in detail what happens on a day to day basis here in Kona!!  I am so thankful that I am able to be doing what I'm doing.  This past month as been filled with an increase of revelation that God really is as good as He says He is, He really does answer prayers, and He is constantly faithful.  I pray that you are filled with the same revelation and even more!!

If you would like to hear more about these aspects or learn more about something else that we do here, please send me an email and I'd love to talk with you - oceansroar@gmail.com.  Have a wonderful weekend!

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If you are interested in becoming a part of YWAM Kona either long-term or for a short 2 weeks in the Summer by doing a School of the Circuit Riders, please visit these websites for an endless amount of possibilities: http://www.uofnkona.edu   //  http://thecircuitrider.com

School of the Circuit Riders promo:   http://youtu.be/_lJ5pvsDI4M

A New Quarter Has Begun! [July Update]

Oh my dear friends & family and those across the world.  I want to first personally thank every one of you.  Whether you read this blog, support me financially, lift me up in your prayers, or just send a quick hello every once in a while - I am extremely grateful.  I can feel the support of all of you, and it really gives me strength in moments of weakness.  You impact my heart so greatly and I am so filled with thankfulness for your friendship & support.
I come to you with a full heart and good news to proclaim!  In just a short four days, I will have arrived to Kona 5 months ago.  There's a part of me that feels like it has been so much longer, because I miss you all so deeply.  But then there's another part of me that cannot believe it's been 5 months already.  For me to say that my expectations for this time have been exceeded, would be quite an understatement;  I have been swept off my feet by Jesus, overwhelmed by His faithfulness & pure goodness, and I stand with a heart full of gratitude.  I could not have dreamed of this time being as amazing as it has been.
Upon arriving, I felt the Lord say a few things about my time here (I share some of this in my post "Long Time No... Read?" ... and the process of what He has spoken has only continued to go deeper.
Here are a few things that have been going on lately!

Just 3 weeks ago a new quarter started here!  This is such an exciting time when students, from all over the world (literally), come for training in missions;  to be filled up with truth and hunger to see hearts come to the Lord, as their own hearts are encountered.  After 3 months of training, they leave on a 3 month outreach - to reach out to the community, and to release all the Lord has done in their own hearts to the nations, countries, cities, towns, neighborhoods, homes, and hearts, who know and don't know the love of the Father.  So we have just received 150 new students, and the campus has definitely experienced a shift.  I can tangibly feel the presents of the Lord thicken on this base, and as a result the town gets impacted and people get encountered with the love of Jesus.
As part of the Leadership Track, we do a weekly community outreach.  This past Wednesday, we had the privilege of having both of our outreaches with Salvation Army and our friends from the Marshallese community, and also a lot of the kids on campus, come as we hosted an all day Kids Camp here on campus.  We played games, worshiped, performed skits, ate otter pops, and really just loved on them as much as we could.  Then we all finished our time by eating our meals together and really enjoying each other, as we learned about their culture and listened to their stories.  It was such a fun and impacting time.
We also have been spending an amazing amount of time in the prayer room that we have here on campus.  It is such a privelege to have a place here specifically dedicated to prayer, worship, and intercession.  As part of the Track, we have taken on the responsibility of filling the prayer room 24/7, rising incense to the Fathers heart.  As a result, we have seen such a down pour of favor every time we enter.  Each day we have a 1-3pm set where multiple DTS' come in for worship and intercession, and we join them in there and just wait on the Lord to come... And He comes. Every. Single. Time.  We are constantly blown away by His presence, and how willing He is to visit us.  These times in the prayer room have become so precious to me because not only do I get to spend time with Jesus, but our relationships go deeper, and our community is even more solitifide when we set aside time, daily, to enter into His presence together, to ask as a whole what is on His heart for that day, and then to go after those things and see seeds planted, fruit produced, and things changed... and the Father received so much pleasure & honor & glory.
Just as I wrote last time, I am still the Work Duty Coordinator for the campus.  This past quarter was a little difficult since we did not have many students.  On average we have about 500 students, and this quarter only 150 came because the summer usually is a smaller group.  But we pressed through and it has been great!  I honestly enjoy this job a lot.  It can be a little stressful in the beginning and in the end, but it definitely pays to not give up and to see something completed.  I feel honored that I get to do this job, and to walk with so many amazing and influential people on this campus.  As we prepare for next quarter, I will continue to be in charge of this, as we prepare for our biggest quarter in the history of this base!  It's going to be amazing for sure!

As well as being a part of The Leadership Track intentionally, I am also a part of a bigger family here [Fire & Fragrance] who have been sending out schools called The Circuit Riders all across America, and one in London, for the past couple of months.  Their goal is "Save the lost. Revive the saved. Train them all".  The miracles that have happened have been absolutely astounding as we see every type of person with every condition of the heart encounter Jesus .  In London, in a short 7 hours of ministry, they experienced over 150 salvation's, with over 49 physical healing's.  In Denver (where they are now), they have prayed for 2 blind men, who one was also deaf, and they both got 100% healed.  They have seen an atheist deny God, have lead them to pray for the sick, seen the sick healed, and as a result they turned to believe in Jesus.  The testimonies of the greatness of God go on and on and on, I could write a whole blog about them!  It is so exciting to be a part of a bigger family and to see the Lord reveal His goodness through them.  There is no one like Jesus, and there is nothing like what He does.  I honestly feel honored and totally humbled to be serving and living for such an amazing God.  We always need reminding of our smallness, and His greatness, and the redemption and love He brings to us in the midst of it all.

Although it may seem that a lot of what we do practically here is repetitive, it is all for a goal - and that is to give the Lord glory and honor in all that we do.  I can personally testify that my heart has been radically encountered.  This encounter goes far beyond a one time experience, or a tingly moment in the spirit, it really is the day to day decisions that have created revival in my own heart, and I am seeing the reformation of my life through it.  I just finished up "The Calvary Road" by Roy Hession, and I would encourage all of you to Buy It.  It has changed my life, forever.  The gist of the book is the reality of heart revival being an every day thing, and our lives matching that revival.  It definitely isn't a light read - I get the fear of the Lord every time I pick it up because it is so full of truth, and brings a refreshing sting of conviction that brings you straight to the heart of the Lord every time.  It has changed the way I think, the way I perceive things, the way I respond, and the way I live.  It has stirred up a hunger and thirst for righteousness and purity that I only dreamed about having in the past, and now it's created reality in my heart.

If you would to know more in detail, or even chat with me on the phone about what is going on here, I would absolutely love to connect with you!  Just send me a quick email at oceansroar@gmail.com.
As I am still in need of $600.00 in monthly support, if you feel the Lord calling you to join with me in meeting that goal, you can visit the University of the Nations Support Page for either a one time donation or monthly support

God bless you all!
Lizzie



[For more testimonies or information on how you can be a part of The Circuit Riders School, please visit www.fireandfragrance.com <---- Just click there!  And you can also join the Group on Facebook, or follow Andy Byrd on Twitter]



Enjoy some photos!

[some of my friends from my DTS back in 2010!!

Emily, Jonathan & Dani]

 [We were able to surprise our leaders of the Track, Blake & Shay

and their children, Shiloh & Arrow, with tickets to visit home in NC!]

 

[Ryan and I at the PhotogenX Love Feast]

 [The lovely women I was able to disciple for three months! Sydney, Me, Elle, Sabrina, & Leah]

 

[Myself with Erin Crain and my roommate, Madeleine Curry]

 

[Beautiful Hadassah & Valor - the sweet kids I live with]

 

[Out at The Coffee Shack celebrating my friend Brit's birthday

with some incredible women]

[The sunset from my back porch one night]

 

[Traveling around the island with some friends]

 [Caleb dressed up as a Gekko, ready for the kids to charge him!

And praying for the islands with the 6-8 year olds]