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

Closing Chapters & A Continuing Journey

3 years ago (minus a couple days), I arrived in Kona, Hawaii for the very first time to do the PhotogenX DTS.  A year after that I decided to staff a DTS, and one year ago I decided to come back full-time to do the Leadership Development Track.  Talking t a friend about all of this, they summed it up perfectly - "These past few years may have flown by, but I feel like there has been 5 years worth of experienced in them", and I even dare to say that there are more than 5 years worth.
Over these past 3 years, I have fallen in love with Jesus in a way that I have only dreamt of before and I have grasped a hold of His love for me and have only just begun the beautiful journey of walking in the abundant life that He offers us for all of eternity.  I have helped lead people through freedom, and have been lead through it myself.  I have been broken and restored, hurt and healed, died & have become alive for the very first time.

I never would have dreamed of having the life that I live now.  I have been blessed beyond words or measure and feel the beauty of it every single day.  I never dreamt that I could feel this free, or feel so much peace.  I didn't know that it was possible to have a hope that never wavered, or a peace that went far beyond circumstances and wasn't dictated by my situations.  I had no idea that there could be a love that was stronger than death and killed every peace of evil in my heart.  I am on a process, as we all are, and it's beautiful.  It's painful sometimes.  The pruning that the Lord brings sometimes it's all fun and games.  But it's so amazing to be loved by a God who is love Himself and to discover the depths of it more each and every day.
In the beginning of the Track the Lord told me He wanted to do two things:
1 - Completely free me of fear
2 - Teach me how to have endurance & be sustained
I can say without a doubt that this year has been full of these two things.  As you can read over my past blog entries, fear has been erased, and I have found the beauty of the sweet presence of the Lord not being a part of my life... but being the entirety of my life and everything else flowing out of it.  The treasures and gems I have found in this place are worth more than any silver or gold...

And now here I am, in the middle of Amsterdam, Holland.  I had never been to Europe before, but have always dreamed of going.  I told myself that when I went I would never want to leave... I maybe don't feel that strong about it yet, but there has been a love established in my heart for this place and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be returning.
The other night our team sat around and hung out and shared what we felt the Lord was giving us in these 2 weeks.  I began to share how I felt like again the Lord was giving me two things:
1 - I am marked as an intercessor // The head knowledge that Prayer and Intercession flowed outside of Worship is so vital and a pure gift from the Lord has turned into full heart knowledge.  I have seen, felt, experienced, and chased after the beautiful truth that the veil has been torn and we have full access to God.  We have the power to shift atmospheres, to change the world, and to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.  This is a part of our inheritance as Christians and this revelation became so alive in my heart.
2 - My God Satisfies // This is a part of the meaning of my name (along with many other things).  Something that I have always longed for, but never really thought possible when it came down to it, was for God to really be everything that I needed and to be completely satisfied in Him.  I wanted to not desire anything but Him... to find my joy in Him, to find my hope in Him, to find true love in Him, to find purpose and dreams and life in Him.  This was established in my heart over these past 2 weeks.  I couldn't say that there was a "moment"... but as we fasted & prayed, I heard the Lord say that He was giving me this gift.  And the amazing part is that it didn't come out of me freaking out, and becoming exhausted and wrongfully striving after it... it was given out of a place of me rest in Him, seeking His face, becoming enamored by His beauty & power.

Today was our last day here in Amsterdam and it was quite wonderful.  The majority of us are leaving Amsterdam tomorrow and either heading back to Kona, visiting family for a couple weeks or traveling around Europe.  As you know I am traveling to Scotland and London for the next two weeks!!
There are so many other things that I could share about from this trip... but I will close it out for now and share more later.  I do want to thank every single one of you though, that helped me get here.  Whether you gave financially, prayed for our trip, encouraged us, looked at pictures, read this blog... Whatever it was, thank you so very much.  This trip has not only changed my life, but also every one else who came with me.  I could not be more thankful or feel more blessed and very loved.

I will leave you with some pictures from the past week... Enjoy!

 

 [My beautiful friend, Tegan and I near the Dam Square] // [Blake, Shannon, Shiloh,

Aarow & Brave - My amazing leaders & their three kids]

 [Almost all the girls on my team - Molly, Emily, Ruth, Kate, Cammie, Tegan, and me]

 [Our team worshiping in the Prayer Tower and reading the Psalms over the city of Amsterdam]

[Central Station in the middle of the night]

[The view of Amsterdam from the library]

[We took a 20 minute train ride & visited Haarlem for the day!  This is the city where Corrie Ten Boom's
house is, The Hiding Place (I will post another blog about our time there). Needless to say,
it was absolutely beautiful and had such a presence of peace in the quaint downtown.]

 

[Kaashuis Tromp // An incredible cheese shop in the heart of Haarlem, Holland]

 

[The Dam Square]

If We Will Listen, We Will Obtain

It had been about 28-30 hours into this feeling, that hour by hour continued to overtake me.  My kindness began to wear thin, my patience was failing, dis-gratitude and annoyance grew thick, and I was growing weary, quick.  All desire to invest in people was quickly disappearing and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep it away.  I tried everything in the book.  Physically, I drank tons of water and I tried resting, I took a shower to see if that would calm my heart down.  Anxiety just grew, and nothing I was doing was helping.  I broke off, rebuked, repented, asked for prayer from a few close friends.  I filled myself up with truth, and declared the love of God over my heart.

Over the past week, I have been crying out for more hunger.  I have been pressing in for fresh revelation, from the Holy Spirit Himself, not through other peoples revelation.  I am tired of it being easy, and I was getting sick of not having to press in.  So I cried out.  I asked God for hunger; over, and over, and over again.  I desperately needed, not just an experience of God being close, but an awakening in my spirit to the reality of the goodness of God, and the reality of my weak self, so in need of a Savior.  I hate living in a robot mentality... from meeting to meeting, prayer set to worship set, intercession to contending, then a meeting, then worship, eat and sleep a little, have a little fun, intercession, worship.... It was become a routine, rather than a desperate cry for more.

I decided to go home and really get with God.  I needed to just seek Him, with only the sounds of birds and the wisp of the breeze.  So I did.  And in the midst of my wrestling inside, I felt Him speak to me...
"What if every action you did, brought in the Kingdom?  What if you lived a life where nothing hindered my presence?  What if this feeling never left; would you still seek me?  What if fear never entered your heart, and you lived - day in and day out, in that state?  What if you asked me first in every feeling what I wanted to reveal?  Beloved, I am teaching you to fight for yourself."  And in that moment I realized He was answering my prayers, and breaking my box of How I thought He was going to do it.  Hunger is refreshing & beautiful, in all it's messiness.

A dear friend of mine, dealing with somewhat of the same thing, said this, "Sometimes I am always fighting for others, that I forget to fight for myself."  Instantly I had a picture of Jesus, leaving the disciples, to get alone with God.  I believe part of that was Him fighting for Himself, for His own heart, for Truth to be resounding in every aspect of who He was, and that He would have the mind of the Father above His own.
I feel sometimes we get so caught up in believing things are from the enemy, that we discount the fact that, through everything, the Father wants to reveal His heart to His children.  I felt His spirit come upon me and I literally stopped in my tracks as He said "If you would quiet yourself, and listen, you will obtain much."  And even in the struggle within me, I choose to still my heart before Him... And though I did not "feel" still, I knew my spirit was ready to listen.  And a cry within my heart resounded "I will do anything Jesus."

I always want to be broken before Him, and aware of my need for Him.  I never want to be in a place where I think the methods I have used in the past will cure every situation.  I want my heart to be molded by His methods, not my own.  And although He is always constant, His way of doing things changes all the time.  I believe He does this so we don't start thinking it's our own selves alone that bring things to pass, but that He is always above... For we only know and see in part, but He knows the whole - from beginning to end.  And "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion."

I believe He always wants to reveal things to us, but I believe we are on soil ground with the Father right now.  I think it's a very important time to press into His voice, to throw off our own rights and entitlements for things to go a certain way, and really listen to what He has to say for this time.  He has fresh bread, fresh revelation, and fresh wisdom & strategy for the age we are in.  We are being prepared for things far greater than we could understand, and He will be faithful to clothe us with the armor we need, because of our faithfulness and obedience to yield to Him, to His voice, and to His timing for things.

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]

 

Week 1 - Leadership Track

Friends!!!  Oh I am so happy that I get to share a little bit of whats happening around here!  It's already been over 2 (almost 3) weeks since I arrived in Hawaii.  Part of me feels like I just got here, and the other part of me feels like I never left.  With each and every day that passes, the confirmations about me being here have increased so much.  Not only have I had words from people confirming it, but the work that the Father has done in my heart already is unbelievable.  Needless to say, thank you for supporting me so much in coming back - the Lord has blessed it!

For the first couple days I got here I just rested, tried to get over some jet lag, and was getting settled in to my place here.  I thought I was going to have a week to get settled, when all of the sudden I was asked, with another friend, to take on a huge role on the campus.  With the Leadership Track, you have a practical service that you are committed to for 4 days a week about 3 hours a day.  It's part of the Servant Leadership that they value here.  So for mine I was asked to take over as Work Duty Coordinator.  Basically what this means is Erin and I have the job of connecting with every department on base (about 50 different ones), and placing 400-500 students in those departments for a certain number of hours a week for the students community service.  So we took it on!  Now if any of you know me, you know I love that type of work... computer & administration, so I fit right in.  Just yesterday we were able to get everything settled, and man did it pay off!!  It's so good to work hard for something and see the result of it.  So many lessons come in serving not for your own gain, but fully for the enhancement of others.

The Leadership Track officially started Monday!!  About 50 of us are here now, living in community with each other to the best of our abilities.  I have only known these people for not even a full week, and our hearts have grown so close.  That's part of the confirmation for me.  I love relationship, I love community, I love fighting for each others hearts, I love the messy & the reward... It's where my heart comes alive, and the Lord knew that.  So He surrounded me with 50 fired up women & men who want one thing: The fullness of Jesus in every area of their lives and the lives around them.

Before I was a little vague on what the Leadership Track is, only because I myself really didn't know, haha.  I knew the Lord wanted me here, and I knew it was to deeply challenge me, to sift me, and to raise me up as a leader - releasing me into the fullness of what He has.  But I didn't know how they were going to walk that out.  So here is a little bit more in depth of what we are doing.
- Memorizing Scripture (I am memorizing the Sermon on the Mount right now)
- Reading A House That Contends, A Tale of 3 Kings, and Daring to Live on the Edge
- Contending & Intentional Intercession
- Intentional Relationships (Family BBQ nights, coffee dates, Dessert nights, etc.)
- Practical Training & Teaching

With that, here are some of the core values of what makes up the Track:
Flexibility, Zero Entitlement, Ravenous Hunger.
Self-Motivation, Teachable Hearts, Gratitude.
A Heart Without Offense, Boldness, Personal Revival


That is a little of what our week has looked like, and it has been amazing.  I have experienced so much freedom in my heart these past 2 weeks.  One thing that the Lord spoke to me when coming here was that if I allowed Him, He would really ground me in ways I had always dreamed of, but never believed for.  But one of the ways He was going to do it was that everything that I was afraid of, when the opportunity raised, to run fully ahead into it.  So I have started to do that, which has been terrifying and shaking, but SO rewarding & freeing.  One of the ways is that I am singing on one of the teams for the Prayer Room.  Which is basically 2 hours once a week while we have a corporate session of worship & intercession.  I have only done it once, but the enemy is being crushed one step at a time and it's awesome.  It's amazing to see the Lord do some crazy life changing stuff in you, not even when you are seeking it out, but when you're just available and open to Him refining you.  And I really believe that is a lot of what this season is about.

Another part of the Leadership Track is having steady supporters.  When you are in a setting like this, having a lot to do and just serving in so many ways, having a lack of finances can sometimes weigh on you.  I fully believe the Lord wants to pour out and to use many of you in this area.  So, if you would ask the Lord if He is calling you to support me, either one time or monthly, I would greatly appreciate it.  I need a minimum of $600.00 a month to live here and I am very far away from having that settled.
Thank you to everybody, again, who have supported me in prayer and every other way.  You are all such a blessing.  I miss you guys like crazy, but love you so much more and am praying for the fullness of God in your lives!!!

Enjoy some pictures from the past 2 weeks!

[my sweet friend arrow, and an amazing sunset]

 [pool-days & my favorite things]

 [amazing men helping me move into my beautiful little room!]

 [starbucks everywhere i go]

 

[my coffee buddy, arrow]

 [hapuna beach with photogenx dts & holly]

[jonathan.  met in our dts and still one of my best friends after 2 years. so thankful for him]

 [the amazing holly, and my incredible roommates lindsay & lizz]

[some of the track, all eating breakfast together (every morning), and then middle of campus]

I love you all <3!!!

CLT --> KOA

This is it.  Here we go.  A crazy, new, unknown adventure about to start.  It's so different leaving home this time.  I don't have as many nerves, the sadness in my heart is more but I feel my heart is so ready for this, so at peace with where I am going, and so excited for what's in store that it's making it a bit easier.  I'm leaving at even more of a crucial time with my sweet niece Abi Liv growing so fast; I got to watch her take two steps today, which definitely made me so joyful.  But the Lord knows all of that, He knows how much I adore my family & will miss them... And His grace is sufficient.
I was talking with one of my brothers the other night about leaving, and I had this realization on how much the Lord had really done in me, how much He had changed my heart, grew me & deepened my roots.  He is so faithful to each and every one of our hearts.  I didn't take on this past six months and think "I am really going to let the Lord grow me and teach me things", although that is not bad, it just hadn't crossed my mind to intentionally make that decision, but by my obedience in the small & big things, He did exactly what my heart desired, even if I didn't know it desired that things.  I love giving the reigns of my heart over to the one who created it, it just makes things so much more beautiful & worth it.
I have such an expectancy in my heart for what's about to come.  I couldn't give you any clues as to what that will look like, because I have absolutely no idea or even a grid to imagine what's going to happen.  But everything inside of me wants to explode because of the excitement I have.  I have no reason to fear, no reason to worry or to be anxious.  I have every reason though to be peaceful, walking with strength & grace, and full of joy.  Those are my inheritance and it's crazy what you'll stumble upon when you allow yourself to look at life through that perspective.

Thank you to every single person who has journeyed with me.  Whether it's been by praying for me, by being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, or by giving financially, or by rooting me on and encouraging me to go after the dreams in my heart.  I could not be more blessed to have the family & friends that I have.  I have never felt so full of abundant life ever before.  My cup overflows.
If you feel led to support me financially one time or monthly, or by praying for me on a regular basis please email me at oceansroar@gmail.com or call me at (704) 724-1175.

I love you all dearly & am so thankful.

Whirlwind!

The only word to describe this past week would be whirlwind.  I couldn't explain to you all thats happened, but I will try!  At the beginning of the week, I was planning on moving to Wilmington NC with my best friend.  Well, I walk into work on Tuesday and receive an opportunity for a promotion, to be one of the Office Managers.  I am sure you can imagine my surprise at this, especially since I have only been employed there a little over 2 months.  I knew this was the Lords favor, so I decided to pray about it.  On Thursday night, I was praying and really just wanted the Lord to only make one thing go right, this way the decision was easy.  But I knew that He wasn't do that, and part of it was so that I would really seek His heart, receive His perspective, and go after His face in this time.  So this past weekend i went to Wilmington with my parents and younger brother.  It was such a fantastic time for all of us, and the Lord really began to speak a few things.  During my time Thursday night & the weekend on Wilmington, the Lord spoke a lot, but it wasn't on direction; it was about my heart.  He brought me back to many journals entries, over 6 months ago, about seeking His face and that He would give me clarity when I had to make decisions.  He spoke about how my heart is the most important thing, to guard it & to go after the things in it with all that I have.  Over the weekend my dad asked me a question, "Lizzie, if you could go anywhere and do anything, if peoples opinions didn't stop you and you really went where you were fully alive, where would you go?" Immediately my heart knew, "Hawaii".  The thought of this scared me a little bit, because I was nervous that I would use Hawaii as my crutch, but then the Lord revealed to me that that was part of the reason I stayed home.  He has used this six months to ground my faith, to stir up my hunger for His heart, and my roots have been brought deep into His soil.  All of the fear was erased and He brought hope to my heart again.

My heart for the nations cannot be described, and when I get around people who have that same heart beat, I come alive.  I was made for something more than the ordinary, I was truly made to thrive in the extraordinary & the supernatural.  I believe the Lord has put a desire in my heart, that for this season, will be quenched while being in Hawaii.   I will be on staff with Fire & Fragrance and will be joining some of my best friends on the Leadership Track they run on campus.  Some of this will include: prayer room staff, ministry into the town of Kona, serving the campus in needed areas, staffing DTS, staffing schools and leading outreaches, participating with another pioneer community, teaching in schools, and ministry trips.  The point of this track is to raise up a generation sold out for the Lord, living a lifestyle of honor and respect, worship and intimacy with the Lord.  It will be an intense season of seeking the Lord for the present and the future and investing in relationships as well as training and preparing for all He has for my life!!  I am extremely excited and expectant of what will happen and all the Father will be doing during this season & I cannot wait to see it all unfold.

At the moment, I will be leaving for Hawaii at the end of this month.  I am still in need of a plane ticket so that date isn't sure yet.  I will also need a minimum $600 a month in support.  This will include all of my living expenses; housing & food, gas for transportation, and other necessities.  If you feel the Lord putting it on your heart to support me either monthly or one time, please feel free to call me at 704 724 1175 or email me at oceansroar@gmail.com.

You can hear more about my journey with YWAM by clicking here ---> "Going Deeper"
And you can hear more about how you can be a part by clicking here --> How You Can Be A Part

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers.  God bless you!

Ending A Season Victoriously!

Wow!  I am the worse blogger in the world.  It's been well over 2 months since I have written you, and I am super duper sorry!  I have no good excuse except doing the Lords work ;) haha.
How is everybody?  I feel I need a followers update on your hearts & lives back home and around me.

Things here have been absolutely fantastic & and I am completely filled with the joy, love, and faithfulness of my Father.  I just returned back to Kona from Irvine, California.  A lot of things have changed since I last talk to you, so I will get you updated just a bit!
We headed off to California on the first lovely day of July.  We lost housing 24 hours before we boarded the plane, and really didn't know what to do except pray, so we did!  Within that 24 hours, we received a phone call 20 minutes before we boarded the plane, saying we could stay the whole 7 weeks with a family who are pastors of Newsong Church in Irvine.  We headed out, and soon came to the obstacle of no transportation, but yet again! the Lord provided.  The family let us rent out their van from them for the whole time we were there.  We were blown away and so encouraged for what the Lord had for us!  As the weeks continued, the stories didn't change.  Yes we had our ups & downs, our highs & lows, but nothing could take us down.  We were strong & committed to the word of the Lord to be in California.  About 4 weeks in my co-leader, Kellye, and I felt the Lord nudging in our spirits to stay in California (we had originally planned to finish the 4 weeks of outreach in New York City).  After praying with our leaders, bringing it to the team, we were all in complete agreement this was from the Lord & we decided to stay.  Thank goodness we listened because let me tell you, those last 3 weeks in California were the best of all outreach!
We had the privilege of joining the Circuit Riders for the last 2 weeks we were there, for as much as we could.  We still stayed with our normal ministries, but used all of our free time to be involved in what the Lord was doing in & through them.  To read more about who they are & what they are doing, go to the Fire & Fragrance - Circuit Riders website).  We were able to be a part of over 100 salvations in 4 days, over 50 healings, mass revelation & downpour of the Holy Spirit daily for 2 full weeks!  Every night we ended on Huntington Beach at the Hilton Hotel.  They rented out a big white tent & each night it was bombarded with drug addicts, atheists, the broken, the lost, the homeless & the hurting and all, in one way or another, encountered the love of Jesus.  It was a powerful time.
On September 3rd at 7am we boarded a plane and flew back to Kona, our home sweet home with our big Call2All family.  And man has it been refreshing!  We all spent the first night back together eating pizza, drinking sodas, having a party & sharing stories.

So now it is Monday & tomorrow we are starting our debrief week.  This is where we share even more stories & testimonies, hear each others hearts more in depth, and share in the victory of all that the Lord did on outreach & the past 6 months we have been together.  It's basically like a family reunion for a week straight, super fun!  The students will graduate on the 21st of September and then we are done!  I cannot believe it's already been almost 8 months since I arrived here & 6 months since the school started.  The consistent thread throughout this whole time has been the faithfulness of the Lord over our school. Time & time again He proved Himself worthy of ALL praise & worship.  Something all of my girls said at the end of the outreach was "We have completely fallen in love with the man Jesus, and have no reason not to give our whole lives to Him."  If that is all I saw through this whole thing, it would have been worth it... Because if we do not have that as the foundation, nothing else matters.  But! we saw even more than that... Because we had that foundation everything just began to overflow out of that place of intimacy with Jesus.  HE IS SO GOOD!
I am incredibly encouraged, lifted up, walking victorious in Jesus & what He says.  I am in love & overwhelmed with His goodness to ALL of His children.

I apologize this is so short, but I would love to tell more of the stories in person.  Thank you to every single person who invested in this time in my life.  Whether you gave financially, or prayed, or just thought about us on our journey, it was all needed & I am deeply deeply thankful for your investment.  The Father will bless you immensely for being a part.

God bless!

-Lizzie

The amazing women that I have the privilege of leading, at

Universal Studios for our Debrief Week of outreach!

Tsunami In Kona, Hawaii

Hey guys!!

I hope you are having a wonderful week and a great start to the weekend. I wanted to officially update you on everything that's happened in the past 24 hours or so.

As you probably know Japan was hit with an incredible 8.9 earthquake, followed by a Tsunami. The damage that was done is immense. It's really sad to watch the videos. On campus we have a lot of students who are either from Japan or have family who live there. The reality of it has been intense with so many people having such close relatives in the midst of it.
Because of what happened there, and Japan having over 12 aftershocks, over 50 countries were given a Tsunami Warning. Hawaii was one of the places. I do not know what the other islands look like, but I do know a little bit about Kona.

Where University Of The Nations YWAM is located is at the top of a hill. We are considered one of the Government Safe Zones. They tell people downtown to come here for safety when things like this happen. So thankfully we were in a safe place naturally & we were surrounded by so much prayer. I walked into the prayer room and so many people were there, interceding for Japan & Hawaii. It was a very comforting environment to be in when people were freaking out. I thought it was interesting how I just posted 2 blogs about fear & the peace of the Lord. It was so good to read back over those in the midst of it all and know that I had no reason to fear, Gods peace was thick in my heart.
I went to bed around 4am. When I woke up at 9am, I didn't know anything had happened until I got into Facebook and there were pictures. I was not able to get downtown because they are now blocking it off, but I will share some pictures that my friends shared. We are fine. Everyone is protected & safe. I do not know of anybody in Kona who was hurt, which is such a miracle of the Lord... He is SO faithful! There was some minor damage done downtown, but other than that we are good. It could have been so much worse and I am so thankful for Gods protection over us.

Thank you so much for everybody who followed what was going on and for keeping us in your prayers. God is good, truly good.
Please continue to pray for Japan & the other places that were hit. I cannot even imagine the sorrow and destruction that is there right now. They need Jesus so much, pray for salvation & for God to sweep in as the amazing comforter, protector, & redeemer that He is. God bless you!

The Lord is my Light

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

Can we just take this out of the Bible for a second? No... I don't mean like literally remove it, I mean can we just throw down all of our past disappointments with reading and not receiving, with trying & not getting anywhere... I want to read this, for what it is, not for what I've always thought of it to be. I have this problem, well... I speak in faith that I've had this problem of reading the Bible and NOTHING happening. I mean lets be honest, we've all been there. It sucks. It's annoying. And it's a curse that I believe has been placed on generations, and needs to be broken. We try to read the Bible and automatically something shuts off either in our minds or hearts and it's just hard to get anywhere. I've dealt with it for as long as I can remember. Well, I've come into a new season where I actually desire to read the Word. Haha, it seems silly when I actually say it, but it's the Truth. So now... Let's pretend you've never heard the Word, you've never struggled with doubt or disbelief. Lets put ourselves as children, before Truth, soaking it up, with no room for anything else but what we are told. This is fact...
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

Jesus says that He is my light. When there is light, there is no darkness. Darkness does not have room where there is light. It is impossible for things to be hidden where there is light. So if I am in a room with light and I am not afraid of the hidden things because there are no hidden things, because I can see clearly everything that may have been hidden before... How much more the light of Christ who is inside of me, who is inside of you. I will not be afraid because Christ, my Lord resides in ME. And He IS light. He is THE light. So wherever I go, that light goes. And where that light goes, darkness cannot. Fear is darkness. Sin is darkness. I am the light of the world [Matthew 5:14] because Christ is inside of me. So with this in mind, fear & sin and whatever else that is not of Jesus cannot have any authority in my life because I have been set free from sin. And I know that who the son sets free, is free indeed [John 8:36]. I abound in full freedom. The Lord doesn't set us half way free, He sets us FULLY free. There are different levels of that freedom, but He doesn't just start something and walk off. Whoever He sets free, is truly free.
So... now that we have the revelation that Christ is Light, and we are the light of the world... We choose. We choose to walk it out. It is my choice to daily believe the truth and to not only agree with it, but to also choose it above anything else - regardless of circumstance or situation. I walk in the light because the light lives inside of me.

I want to encourage you today, this next week, this next month... Choose the Light. Choose light above every other choice. In you choosing light, you are choosing Christ. In you choosing Christ, you are choosing Light. And there is such freedom awaiting you in this!

The 4 F's...

Free Freedom From Fear

Today I was hit with a revelation....

Throughout this past week, the Lord has been doing a lot in my heart (which I pray will be the case from now and always).
As some of you know (if you go to my church and/or get the prayer chain), I was experiencing some really intense attacks from the enemy through my dreams. I won't go into much detail, because my intent is not to make satan intriguing at all, but rather tell you of how powerful the Lord is, over any situation. The things occurring in the dreams were things that I've had fear of, as long as I can remember. Things that have haunted me, and been placed in deep deep places of me and couldn't break free of. It created a root of fear in me, that no matter how I tried always seemed to linger in me wherever I went, whoever I was with, whatever I was doing. I've had ideas of what the fear could have stemmed from, but I didn't care... because the bottom line is I knew that Jesus is King, that LOVE casts out all fear, and that God IS love... so if I have Him dwelling inside of ME, then that means fear has no room to reside.
After a couple nights of experiencing these horrifying dreams, of waking up crying and not being able to fall asleep, of shaking in my bed & not being able to shake it... I went to my leaders and asked for some prayer. The prayer turned into about an hour of them breaking off curses (generational and non) and prophesying over me, speaking LIFE & TRUTH into the places that were now freed of death & lies. I cannot express to you the freedom I felt, the joy I felt, the ... I can't even tell you, really. haha. It was so far beyond anything I'd experienced before, it was good... it was purely the goodness of Jesus over me, His delight in me overflowing, and me receiving all that He did through the cross & resurrection, for all that it was worth. Not only did I feel super free & empty of the evil, but FULL of life and full of the truth... and I also got to experience the fullness of what community is suppose to look like, and what family was designed to be. It was incredible. A day that is forever marked in my heart. (If you are experiencing any of this, please write me and I'd love to talk to you more about it and pray with you!!)
Since that day, I have not experienced any fear - ANY. I mean, I really can't tell you how much fear was removed from my life. Things like fear of not being able to figure out what to wear, to fear of being kidnapped... fear of loosing my life, fear of all my friends leaving me, fear of non of them really being friends... I mean it was deep, and it was in everything... NOT ANYMORE! God is good, and He loves to lavish His children with what they were meant to have... and I was meant to live in freedom. I also have not been attacked with any dreams. I have been speaking truth over me, digging into the Word, and covering myself with the words of Jesus. Some of the verses I have been meditating & dwelling on are:
-"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You." - Isaiah 26:3
-"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7
-"perfect love casts out fear." - 1 John 4:18
-"Fear not, for I am with you." - Isaiah 43:3
-"Isaiah 42:5-9"
-"Psalm 91"

It's really amazing what the Lord will do when you immerse your mind in the word.. He totally transforms it, and that's the reality of what this week has been... HUGE transformation & renewing of the mind FAR beyond anything I even believed could happen, it's amazing.

I share all of this to encourage you. ANYTHING you are dealing with, and I literally do mean EVERYTHING, can be transformed by God... and He has something in it. Even if it's awful, His desire is to reveal His goodness through it. He didn't wish it upon you, but He has allowed you to go through it. I believe for a couple reasons (in my own life at least). He trusts us, HE TRUSTS US... Ridiculous right? It's true. He trusts YOU. He knows that you are strong in Him, and He wants you to learn even deeper how to rely on Him for everything. Because HE is the strongest when we are the weakest, and He gets the most glory. And He loves you, and without the struggle, He would get no glory & you would receive no authority.
Press into Jesus. PRESS IN. More than anything else you press in. Because unless we sacrifice something, there is nothing for Him to burn, nothing to set ablaze. And He desires for you to be in fire, to live in the Fire of God, because that's part of our inheritance as children. He's so good isn't He!?

Okay so now onto the revelation that I had today! I'm just going to write out exactly what I wrote in my journal. Eat it, Drink it, Soak it in... let Abba speak more to you in it. I love you all. Miss you. Wish you all could be in Hawaii with me. You are welcome to visit anytime!!

"Jesus treats us based on what He knows about us, based on who He knows we are... Not based on our knowledge of Him. He treats us as children seated in heavenly places, regardless if we believe we are or not. He is constantly calling us into a higher place."

Go in peace & love.



ps. Thank you to everybody who prayed for me during this time, and are continuing to pray. The Lord is so faithful and He hears you!!

Freedom In Christ - Week 4.

This is a recap on Week 4 (which I did not update you guys on!!). I will make another post of what has happened this week (Week 5)!!

Andrew and Faith Dutton, who are two of some of the staff over the YWAM Kona Campus, came to speak to us. Their message was "Freedom In Christ". And that's DEF what the week was!! They warned us the first day to just be willing to let the Lord change our hearts, and be ready to step our in order for the change!! "Don't wait to engage" was one of the first things Faith told us... and it was true. During the week we would go through a book of the bible (we did Colossians and Philippians) and we would pick out things as we went through. Things such as, commands (the do's and don'ts), & the character of the one writing and that person living what they were speaking. It is amazing to see how clear the Lord is on things! As we went through the week we talked about Repentance, Sin & Law, Getting Free, and then we practiced Walking It Out. The week was focused on going to the deep places... recognizing sin in our lives, asking God to renew our minds, and strengthen our conscience to see things and experience things the way HE did... not how the world has created us to. We went to the Lord and asked Him to reveal unrepented sin, and then we would get it right... and we did exactly what I said, walked it out.
We talked about Judging... which was a wonderful thing to touch on for me. People always say "you can't judge me, God is the only one who can judge me." And part of me believes that... But I still had such a trouble with that because people in authority will rightly judge you, and how is that suppose to look. Andrew talked about how judging comes with accountable. And accountable is only invited, you cannot force it. Judging your brothers and sisters come within your community, and ultimately is for your well being (when done the way it was created to be done!). When there is accountability, it creates a community of people, and that creates submission and allows those around you to speak into your life FOR YOUR BENEFIT. This is such a beautiful thing, but it has to be done in completely LOVE and submission to the Lord as well, or else it will not be done rightly. Faith spoke on the second day about Discipline and Will. I think more than ever this has become so so real to me... the importance of it that is. Little things count!! Things that seem like such a little deal to me now, is what will ultimately form my character and integrity. We have to learn to engage our will to do what we know we need to do. It isn't easy, but the reward of the Lord is SO wonderful!!
Another question that came up in this part was "What are you willing to give up to get the fullness of God?" This hit me really hard. I have a lot of stuff in my life, and you probably do too, that doesn't seem like it's bad... and you know what, it probably isn't too awful!! But the point is not how bad it may or not be, the point is... Is it pushing you to go to the Fathers heart, is it challenging and encouraging you in your relationship with Jesus? Is the over all thing in your life bringing you closer to God, or is it bringing you away from Him? I was met with some challenges during the 4th week of things in my life that I knew weren't necessarily bad things, but if I laid them to the side in obedience to the Lord... He was going to meet me! AND HE DID. That was the amazing thing. I didn't let go of something and just wait around hoping to feel the faithfulness of the Lord, it IMMEDIATELY fell on me... and I literally felt the presence of the Lord crash down, hard on me, and for the first time during my DTS I KNEW 100% that I was in the right place, and that God was going to change my life drastically... and that feeling hasn't stopped, it has only grown! We will live with the consequences we make, good or bad. We will see fruit of what we are planting, good or bad. I want to be one that is constantly reaping amazing things... because I am allowing the Lord to plant inside of me amazing things. I want to eat of delicious and healthy food, because I am living in the destiny of what God has called me to live in.
When we began to "walk in the light", we started feeling the benefits of it. We started seeing freedom from shame, guilt, fear. And we started experiencing transparency. We learned that trust is a beautiful thing... and not something to just give to everybody in your life, but to be vulnerable and transparent with your leaders, mentors, and those you know can be trusted - is such a gift from the Father. The week ended beautifully. Some chose, some did not, to make ourselves vulnerable to the class... to express things in our lives that we were ready to let go of... to be transparent with those around us - and what freedom it brought! One by one, we got up and spoke out things in a prayer to Jesus of what we wanted forgiveness for, and we declared who we now are without all of that crap on us. And then we were bombarded (in a wonderful way) by those around us, covering each other in prayer and protection, and deciding to fight for each others hearts. And then, we ended with some worship - All going after the heart of the Lord, rejoicing in each others freedom , standing up and declaring new found joy.

God is good! God is good! God is good!