Bringing You Up to Speed...

Hello and Merry Christmas!

Here's an update on what's been happening in my life these past few weeks...

The wedding of Amy-Joy and Andy Scalas, December 9, 2010.

Amy-Joy is a close friend of mine from DTS.

I had the honor of being a bridesmaid!

The wedding was BEAUTIFUL. Amy-Joy (as you can see) looked absolutely radiant. It was so special for me to be a part of their wedding.

In Class...

In class last week, we had project presentations. In the very beginning of the school, we were split up into pairs and given a world religion to research. Myrriah and I were paired together and assigned Islam as our religion to present. We have been working on this project the entire lecture phase.

What is unique about this assignment is that we actually had to find a person (or people) to interview who are followers of that religion. The point is to get an "insider's" point of view to really understand the culture and religion. Depending on the people we interview, we then narrow down our project to present a specific "people-group" and develop a creative evangelism strategy to reach that people-group. Our presentations were to be 2 hours long and include interactive activities, visuals, etc.

So Myrriah and I interviewed 3 Muslim women for our project over the course of the lecture phase (the past 10 weeks). After gathering all our material, we decided to present on the people group "Muslim Women in Australia". The project went so well- we both really enjoyed learning, then teaching about the culture, religion, and ways to build relationships with Muslims. I found that God really developed a heart and passion in me to reach Muslims in Australia and around the world!

Dressing up the guys in hijabs (headscarves) as part of our presentation. They really did enjoy this! :)

Evangelism Stories...

Update on Genjiro

If you remember reading about my encounter with Genjiro from a few posts back (If you don't, it's worth scrolling down the page to read!), I wanted to let you know what ended up happening with him.

I got the opportunity to meet with him a third time. During the week, I was working on getting a Bible for him in Japanese. I saw a Japanese Bible on the Koorong (an Australian Christian Bible store) website, but it was $34.00, a little too expensive for me to buy (I was still raising outreach fees at this point). I prayed about it, and it was still such a strong burden on my heart to get this Bible for him. So I went to Koorong on Saturday morning, having plans to meet with him that afternoon (I figured God would pay me back somehow). I got to the store, and an employee led me over to the foreign language Bibles. Therein was a Japanese New Testament (not on the website) for only $11.00! It is small and travel-sized, perfect for Genjiro who is backpacking around Australia. I knew in my heart it was God's will for him to have this Bible, that God would reveal himself to him through it and change Genjiro's life forever. I was so excited to give it to him!

I went with a friend to meet with Genjiro that afternoon. He was INCREDIBLY touched to receive this gift- I told him it was a Christmas present :) He looked at the pages in adoration, excited to see it was in his own language. He was most touched by the fact that I cared about him enough to go out of my way to bless him. I had written a personal message to him in the front of the Bible, making it even more special for him. He told me he would read and study. I truly believe he will recognize Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life as he reads about His incredible love displayed on the cross. Please pray with me for Genjiro as he starts his journey to know God!

Divine Appointments

Last Monday, I had a random, but really cool encounter with a woman. I was walking back from Coles (a grocery store) when I saw a group of homeless, Aboriginal people sitting in a park along the way. I was listening to my ipod but felt compelled to try and initiate conversation. So I intentionally walked in the middle of where they were sitting, took out an earphone and said "Hello!" with a big smile on my face. A man who was sitting said hello back and asked if I was ready for Christmas. Delighted that he engaged me in conversation, we began talking.

I noticed there were two women sitting across from him, listening to music (they both had an earphone in their ear, sharing music). One of the women looked up at me and asked what I was listening to. We listened to each other's music and started making small talk. I sat down next to her in the grass, just listening to her, loving on her. She looked at me intently and asked, "Are you a Christian?" I said, "Yes! I am. How did you know?" She said she could tell by my voice, that there was something different about me. THEN, she told me that she just got saved yesterday at church! That she has been going to church these past few weeks and has felt God calling her back, away from the mess she has found herself in.

She asked me to please encourage her. I got to pray over her and God gave me word after word of encouragement and affirmation. It was amazing. She also asked me if I would write in her new Bible that she received from the church, so I got to write an encouraging message for her. We both marveled at the way God is sending people to encourage her in her faith (she told me that I was not the first random encounter that she had that day!).

What an amazing, amazing encounter! From just one decision to take out an earphone and say hello, a divine appointment took place. I love the way God works!

5 days until outreach...

Can you believe it?? I leave for Mexico City on Tuesday, December 28th. We have a lovely, 12 hour lay-over in Dubai, then fly to LA, then to Mexico City. Please pray for smooth, safe travels. We are all incredibly excited!

In the meantime...

Christmastime is here! The stockings are hung all around the base, decorations and lights have been setup for a few weeks now, and everyone is excited for an all-day Christmas celebration. We have a nice breakfast on Christmas morning, then do a base-wide "white-elephant" gift exchange. We all have our own stockings that have been getting filled up this week by fellow YWAMers. There will also be buses taking us to the beach (It's going to be around 98 degrees on Christmas day!). It sounds like a fun day planned.

I have certainly been missing my family this week, but God has been comforting me and giving me deeper understanding of the reason we celebrate Christmas. I've been seeking His face and experiencing His loving presence as He embraces me into His family. He is so good to me. He cares about every detail, every emotion, and takes care of me. What an amazing Father we have!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas holiday. Lots of blessings to all of you!

Love,

Stephanie

Faithfulness

Let me fill you in on what's happening with fundraising...

Fundraising Update

Our finances were due last week, but we were given some extra time for those who were still raising funds. As a school, we did 3 fundraisers: a breakfast, a car wash, and sold sunscreen door-to-door. We raised about $2,200.00 overall to be distributed among those in our class who were still in need. We worked hard, and it was well worth the effort in the end! Praise God!

Cooking for the Breakfast: Moira and Justin

SOE Car Wash

Back home, my sister-in-law, Melissa did a "cookie sale" for me at work. She is an AMAZING baker and really went all out, making all different kinds of cookies for donation. It was a huge success, raising $250!

This is a photo of the cookies that she made. Don't these look incredible?? YUM!

Aside from this, I prayed A LOT, on my own and consistently with my school and as a base. We had countless prayer times for release of finances here on base. God gave me strategies during one specific prayer time when He dropped the idea of doing a Christmas ornament sale at church. My Mom put this into action for me, and it has raised over $1,000.00! I also heard that people are initiating their own fundraisers for me: a craft sale at church, and the OCC Night at Dickens to have some of the proceeds of the tickets go towards the ministry. I can't describe the overwhelming feeling of love and support I feel from people at home who want to partner with me. It's an incredible thing to see God at work. I have come to love the process because it's not just one quick fix to raise the money, it's everyone working together as the Body of Christ.

All together, I raised $2,500.00 through fundraising efforts. My parents sold my Toyota Highlander to Carmax over the weekend and I was able to cover the remaining $2,000.00 with the money from my car. ALL glory to God for His amazing provision! I am so thankful.

So, with all this said... I AM GOING TO MEXICO!!! We leave in just 10 days.

MORE amazing news: Everyone on my school was miraculously provided for in various ways. Justin and Bree were still raising lecture fees, and were told about a week ago that someone covered everything, both lecture and outreach. How amazing is that??

We have two teams, a Perth outreach team, and a Mexico outreach team. Staying in Perth are Stephen, Bree, Justin, with outreach leaders Danny and Amy; Going to Mexico are Nathan, James, Myrriah, Ryan, Moira, and myself, with outreach leader Eric. We will be in Mexico for 6 weeks, then meet up with the Perth team and finish our outreach in Perth.

This next week is outreach preparation, then we celebrate Christmas, then leave on Tuesday, December 28th for Mexico. Please be praying as we prepare to leave! We are all very excited.

Bless you and THANK YOU for all your prayers. Merry Christmas!

Stephanie

Compelled by Love

"Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?"

Romans 2:4 (NLT)

These past few weeks in lectures have been amazing. Within our topic of Cross-Cultural Evangelism (by speaker Ross Tooley), and my own personal times with God, I've gotten such deep revelation of God's love for us.

Here are the main lecture points of the week:

• God loves us into repentance.
• Jesus overwhelmed people with the love and character of God, which then led to repentance. There is a sequence! Examples: John 4 (The Woman at the Well), Luke 19 (Zaccheaus), John 5 (The Pool at Bethesda), John 8 (The Woman Caught in Adultery).
• Jesus shows love and kindness before he introduces repentance.
• Our role in evangelism is to present a true picture of God that people cannot help but fall in love with.
• When you witness, believe that a loving God is already working on them.
• God is already at work, just be diligent in what God gives you. Not your responsibility to lead them to Christ when they are not ready! (Could be an act of kindness, a listening ear, a cup of coffee, etc.)
• LISTEN and LOVE. Lovingly replace the lies the person is believing with the truth. The truth will set them free!
• You can't lead people to Christ if they don't trust you. People trust love. Be genuine in loving the person with no selfish agenda. It is the revealing of God's love that makes a lasting impact.

Jesus is the exact representation of God's character- a God who overwhelms us with His love. People are resistant to God because they have believed in a false representation of God's character, unfortunately many times presented by the church. To see God's character perfectly revealed, we must look to Jesus, the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The character of God is no mystery- He has fully revealed himself in every way through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our speaker, Ross Tooley (who is one of the original YWAMers and has been with YWAM for 45 years!) took us through all the major religions this week: Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism. Having knowledge of these religions and belief systems makes it possible to effectively share the gospel using their own concepts/principles that they can relate to. However, we learned that the most important cross-cultural tool is love. Jesus shows us that LOVE is the power to reach hearts beyond theology and doctrine. Sharing God's love with people is the key to bringing them to the Father.

God's word to me this week is to overwhelm people with the love and goodness of God. I've been asking God to increase my capacity to love. When people experience the love of God, they can begin to accept truth because they have experienced something real and personal to them. God's love is astounding. I will never stop growing in my understanding of His love.

Jesus' whole life of ministry was a compulsion of love. I long to live my life this way.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Some stories from Evangelism:

My Encounter with Emie

On Tuesday, I was walking alongside a park on the way to my dorm and I see this young man in an electric wheelchair just parked in the grass. The Holy Spirit moved me to go and talk to him, so I did, just struck up conversation. I ended up sitting in the grass next to him for about 45 minutes, talking about all kinds of things. He has a condition called Cerebral Palsy where he suffers from loss of muscle control, cannot use his hands, and has difficulty using speech. His name is Emie. He is very intelligent and friendly, you just have to be patient as he speaks.

I came to find that he is a motivational speaker for people with disabilities and has all sorts of passions and dreams! It was the perfect platform to affirm with him the value and purpose of each and every individual. We talked about God, and I shared about how He created us with unique purpose and has a plan for each of our lives- that we are created for a reason. I got to speak so much truth and value over his life- it was amazing!

Then, I invited him over to the base for lunch. I got to serve and feed him, practically showing God's love and value for him. We continued to talk about God, and knowing I'm a Christian, he started asking questions about Jesus. I got to share the gospel with him and shared my testimony. He asked me more and more questions- I got to share so much with him.

After almost an hour, I walked with him back to the road and asked if I could pray for him. He gladly accepted, and it was so powerful. God's power moved through me in prayer as I spoke God's love, value, and blessing over his life- that nothing is impossible for those who are in Christ; that he may know God and experience God's grace and power to accomplish His will and purpose for his life. He was so completely touched by our time together; he just kept thanking me over and over. As thankful as he was, I felt that I was the one who was blessed this afternoon. I left feeling so inspired by his life- a true overcomer.

What a divine appointment! Amazing what will happen as we listen and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

A New Friend, Genjiro

James and I led evangelism on Thursday afternoon, leading a group of 100 people from the base. I gave a short devotion before we left about keeping love as our highest motivation, higher above any message we may give.

During evangelism, I met a young man from Japan, Genjiro. There was a strong language barrier, but God told me, "just love him." I kept asking him questions (half words, half sign language... it was quite comical) and got to know some things about him. I found out he is Buddhist, but was incredibly open to hear about Jesus. I told him I would try and get a Bible to him in his language, which he was very excited about. We made plans to meet on Saturday.

Well, Saturday came, and I was unfortunately unable to find a Bible for him on base ( We had Korean and Chinese, but no Japanese Bibles). So on Saturday morning, I got a little creative. He had given me an e-mail address, so I e-mailed him a Japanese gospel tract that I found online and sent it to him. Then, I spent about an hour creating an illustrated gospel booklet using simple English and pictures with the art supplies I have. It's kind of funny that I did that (I am not an artist by any means), but I feel I was being led by God to do this.

I brought an orange and a bar of chocolate for him along with my booklet. He was so overwhelmed with gratitude, smiling ear to ear, bowing and thanking me. It was evident that the act of taking the time to create the gospel book spoke more to him than anything else. We went through it, picture by picture, and he let me know that he has a Japanese/English dictionary to translate the words.

Then I prayed for him. The Holy Spirit was strong; I could feel God ministering to his heart, revealing himself. After the prayer, he told me, "I could not understand all the words you were saying, but I could feel God inside of me" as he put his hand over his heart. Praise God!! He supernaturally touched Genjiro's heart. We made plans to meet again next week, this time (hopefully) with a Japanese Bible.

Everything In Between...

Aside from lectures and evangelism, I am doing very well. I am really connecting with a classmate of mine, Moira. We've been spending a lot of time together and I'm really growing in my friendship with her.

A highlight of my week last week was getting a Birthday package from Anne, Carrie, and Katy! I cried when I opened it (I'm a softie). In it was all kinds of essentials- a Camelback water bottle, a couple tops, a purse, music, toiletries, birthday cards... I was incredibly blessed by them. I love you girls so much!

On Wednesday of this week, I preached the gospel to my class (as an assignment we have to do). We are told to be creative with it- it can be to any location and audience. I decided to make mine a Mexico City open air. I setup a space outside with a mexican blanket, sombrero, and a big sign that said "Bienvenido a Mexico" and ushered my class out of the classroom and preached the gospel to them. It was good practice for the real thing in just 3 weeks from now!!

Friday, I led intercession for our class (we take turns in leading this each week). We prayed over each other in groups, getting our hearts clean before God and encouraging one another in areas of weakness. This time in prayer led to a 2 hour time in worship, seeking the face of God. It was incredible.

Thanks for Reading!

Sending lots of love to you, wherever you are in the world :) Please do not hesitate to e-mail, send a message on facebook, or let me know a time when I can Skype call you. If you get a chance, could you please read the post below? I am in need of prayer in regards to finances.

Love and Blessings,

Stephanie

Partnership and Prayer Request

Hello Everyone!

So here is the finance update: I have 4 more days to raise $3,000.00. God has done miracles for me in the past, and I know this situation will be no different. However, I am in great need of your prayers during this time. Please pray for financial release to bring God's Kingdom to Mexico City and Australia.

Below is my partnership request:

I am currently doing a School of Evangelism (SOE) in Perth, Australia with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I began in October and am in the eighth week of my school.

The SOE has been amazing thus far. We have covered lecture topics such as Evangelism, Cross Cultural Communication, Spiritual Warfare, Holy Spirit, and Apologetics and go out into the community to evangelize three times a week, influencing the city of Perth for Christ. We have seen amazing fruit from these outings as we trust God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am growing in my relationship with God as I learn more about his character and his incredible love for all people.

The outreach phase of my school to Mexico City is just about three weeks away. We leave on December 29^th and return on February 14^th. YWAM Perth has been sending multi-disciplined teams into Mexico City to partner with the local church in reaching their city over the past 9 months. We have seen unprecedented citywide unity and evangelism resulting in over 7,500 salvations and many miracles of healing and deliverance.

My team will work in a region of the city to serve and come alongside churches and existing ministries, as well as equip, mobilize and release local believers in evangelism. We will do this through running evangelism seminars and taking people out onto the streets for ministry.

After leaving Mexico City, my team will return to Perth where we will again partner with local churches through evangelism seminars and impact their region of the city. Our desire and intention is to be a blessing and catalyst for transformation both in and outside the church.

I would like to provide opportunity for you to "go" through me by investing prayerfully and financially in this trip. This 11-week outreach requires a cost of $4,500. God has been providing, but I still have a need of $3,000 by December 10, 2010. My commitment to you is to serve the Lord diligently with all my heart, while keeping you informed of how your gift is building God's Kingdom in Mexico and Australia.

If you feel to contribute (no amount is too small!), here is how:

1. First and foremost we need prayer and covering during our time away. Please keep me and my team in your prayers.

2. Make out a check out to OCC (tax-deductible) and mail to:

Orlando Community Church

1067 Rainer Drive, Suite 1003

Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Write “Stephanie-YWAM” on the memo line.

3. Youth With A Mission Perth's website:

www.ywamperth.org.au and go to credit card payments. Please ensure you send an email with my name, the amount you send, and what it is for "SOE outreach fees”.

Thank you so much for prayerfully considering partnering with me on this outreach!

Blessings,

Stephanie Ungaro

Some Birthday Pictures...

Just wanted to share some pictures from my birthday :)

My class decorated our classroom!

Everyone singing to me...

My SOE Class

From left: Stephen, James, Fred, Bree, Myrriah, Justin, Danny (school leader), ME, Amy (staff), Kersti (staff), Above me from left: Eric (staff), Miles, Moira, Nathan, Ryan.

My birthday dinner! The table was beautifully decorated.

A video of the YWAM Perth Birthday Song! And my amazing cake :)

I had such a great birthday. I felt very loved and special even though I was away from family and friends. What a great day!

Summer in November

Hello Everyone!

It has been a bit of time since I’ve given an update. The summer is here in Perth, as today I experienced my hottest day so far here- right at 100 degrees! I’m told it gets even hotter in January/February... around 110, but thankfully I’ll be in Mexico for most of that time.

The weeks are flying by. I can’t believe I’m at the end of week 7 already. Every week brings so many amazing new things as I gain deeper understanding of God and His purposes. God speaks something new every day. It is incredible to be in this environment of being in the presence of God, surrounded by so many devoted believers, all learning and growing in Him and impacting the places He calls us to go. I recognize that I am so blessed to be here and I thank you so much for sending me out! Your support is what got me here and onto this journey with God.

There is so much to say about these past three weeks. So much has happened! It would be far too much to type all my revelations and everything God has been speaking to me. I hope these summaries give you an idea of what God is teaching me.

Lecture Summaries:

Week 5, we had the topic “Spiritual Warfare”. I learned that prayer is our most powerful weapon against the enemy and therefore must be consistently involved in our lifestyles. We must ask God to open our eyes to the spiritual realm to effectively battle against the powers of darkness, pour in God’s presence, and be vessels to bring God’s Kingdom on earth.

We read "Eternity in their Hearts" by Don Richardson during weeks 5 and 6. This book is INCREDIBLE. Click here to see my book report.

Week 6, our topic was “Holy Spirit” taught by Peter Brownhill, the YWAM Perth base director. The teaching this week brought deeper understanding of the authority Christ gives us as believers and the church. This is the place from which every believer must move from: knowing our identity as a child of God and standing firm in our position with Christ. The more this truth is deeply rooted in our lives, the more effectively the Holy Spirit can move through us to work in the community and in other people’s lives and do amazing things!

This past week, our school leader, Danny Taylor, taught us about Spiritual Gifts and Apologetics. We learned that the gifts of the Spirit are used for the common good, to encourage others and to show the reality of God. Apologetics, or the defense of the gospel, can be used in love to give logical reasons for our faith when faced with unbelief. A good point Danny spoke to us is that “a person’s heart will never accept something their mind rejects.” Using apologetics, as led by the Holy Spirit, opens a person’s receptivity to follow Christ.

New Revelations:

God has been challenging me in my prayer life. He is calling me to become more disciplined, earnest, intensely passionate and committed in my prayer times. I have much growing to do in this area. I must be deliberate in increasing prayer in my lifestyle with the faith that I will see breakthrough as God moves through my devotion.

In light of this understanding about the power of prayer, I have been spending an hour in prayer and worship before evangelism outings. As I put this into practice, I notice my faith and level of expectancy is really increasing. I go into evangelism expecting God to do amazing things. Through the release of God’s power through prayer and the increase of my faith, my times in evangelism have been markedly more fruitful. Exciting to see this Biblical principle lived out in my own life!

God's challenge to me this week has been to step out in the gifts more. It has been a week of building up my faith. I feel that God is pouring more and more into me as a result of greater intimacy with Him and is encouraging me to take greater steps of faith. Putting this into practice, our school has spent time praying over one another to get words of encouragement from God, building one another up. It was miraculous to get messages for each other that were spot-on from God. Amazing that we have a God who looks for all kinds of ways to affirm and encourage us! How awesome is He.

Evangelism...

Amazing, amazing things have happened in evangelism this month. As a base, we have gone out twice (all 300 of us) into the city to publicly worship and share with people who stop and wonder what we are singing about. Through these times, we saw 2 salvations through meaningful conversations, many heard the gospel, and several received prayer. God is moving in this city and it is exciting to be apart of what He is doing!

One cool story from evangelism:

This friday, my school went in pairs to a nearby mall to allow God to lead us to anyone He wanted us to speak with, praying beforehand for words that would direct us to specific people. Okay, you might be thinking this is a bit strange, and I realize it's a bit "out-there" to walk up to someone random with a message from God, but it's amazing to witness the power of a specific message to bring faith and hope to a person's life. If it leads people closer to God, I'm all for it.

I was paired up with my classmate Miles. He got the word "fountain" so we went in search of a fountain in the mall. We finally came across a fountain and saw a woman sitting on a bench right next to it. We walked away to pray about the message God wanted to give her. We prayerfully agreed that God wanted to encourage her that He is taking care of her family. I approached her alone in case she would be uncomfortable with two people coming up to her. I told her that I'm a Christian and I was praying in the mall and felt that God had a specific message for her that He is taking care of her family, and not to worry because He loves her and will take good care of them. She looked at me with wonder in her eyes. She asked, "God sent you to me to tell me that?" and went on to tell me that she has been struggling to provide for her two girls because she is unemployed and is constantly worried about the future of her family. In fact, she had a job interview at a store in the mall in just 30 minutes and told me how nervous she was because she really needs the work. We agreed of how much God must love her to send someone to let her know that she doesn't need to worry, that He has it all under control. Then I asked if I could pray for her, which she gratefully accepted. I thanked God for his care and provision for her family and prayed for her interview- that peace would come over her and for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide her through each question. She started weeping as I spoke of God's love, faithfulness, and tender care over her life and His promise to never leave her. She was so touched by this encounter with the Lord. Isn't God amazing??

Everything in between...

So, Friday, November 19th, was my birthday! I had a WONDERFUL day. My friends on my school decorated our classroom and we had a fun time celebrating. I felt so loved all day long.

My friend Nikki who staffs at the Gold Coast base came to Perth this month to visit her family. We were able to spend time together a few times this month, which was such a blessing. It was so nice to see a familiar face.

I gave a devotion this week in front of my class, teaching about Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. I feel I am growing in a gift of teaching... I really enjoyed this and would like to pursue teaching more.

Concluding words...

OCC, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your continued support. To my beloved family and friends- I miss you so much it hurts sometimes. I know I am in the center of God's will, which gives me great joy, but not a day goes by when I do not think of you. Thank you for your prayers, support, and unconditional love for me! I love you all very much.

Thank you for reading :) God bless.

Love,

Stephanie

Photos!

Outside of my dorm building...

Down the street I live on that leads to the base...

Inside of my dorm from my bed...

City of Perth!

The girls on my school

From left: Bree, Myrriah, Me, and Moira

I will post a picture of my whole school soon! (There are 7 guys)

More pictures soon to come :)

Praise Report and Financial Update

God provided the rest of my lecture fees this week! PRAISE GOD! He is so faithful. Thank you everyone for praying!

Another praise report is that my health is fully restored as of yesterday. I had a very fast recovery from a terrible head cold due to all the prayers that I received. I am very thankful!

I do have just one month to raise my outreach fees ($4200). I am trying to sell my car at the moment, but have not had a single person interested yet. Please pray for financial breakthrough however God wants to raise these funds. Please also pray for my classmates, Bree and Justin, as they are still raising both lecture and outreach fees.

Thank you so much for your consistent prayers... they are certainly making a huge impact and I am so appreciative :)

Blessings,

Stephanie

"Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep"

Hello and G'day!

Hope you are having a fantastic week! It is definitely warming up here in Perth. We've had some very hot days this week.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've been a bit behind in posting my blog updates. This post is from last week. Our topic was Cross-Cultural Communication by YWAM Lausanne base director, Markus Steffen, a Swiss-German, who we had the tremendous honor of learning from this week.

Click here to see my lecture notes :)

Cross-Cultural Communication is an essential teaching for the evangelist. It all starts with loving the person, considering them and their interests above our own, and taking the time to fully engage them. Once the connection takes place, our message can come alongside this loving connection.

I was personally challenged this week in the area of controlling my tongue. In times of frustration, I too often let my flesh speak negativity. I realize that I have self control available from the Holy Spirt to help me through frustration, but God took me a step further in this teaching. My tongue should be set apart for the glory of God to bring fruit and life into the world. Our words matter all the time. I want to submit my words to Him, speaking only the truth onto myself and others, despite how I feel. God has given each of us the powerful responsibility to use our words wisely. It is the power to bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21).

A base event...

This Thursday evening, we had a event at Scarborough beach, run by a YWAM Perth ministry called Island Breeze. Island Breeze is a Polynesian cultural ministry that shares the Gospel through music and dance. They do an AMAZING job! Very talented men and women, and it is fun to watch. In the event, they had musical performances by the Island Breeze dancers and had a few testimonies in between the performances, with a Gospel invitation at the end. Earlier in the day, Danny asked if I would be willing to share my testimony. I was nervous at first, but once I started speaking, the words just flowed out of my mouth. It was amazing to share with so many people and I pray that God used my words to stir hearts and bring others closer to Him. The night was definitely a memorable one for me, and a tremendous opportunity to share with the people in the community.

One story to share from evangelism this week:

Before evangelism on Friday, Danny got the words "lost sheep" from God and felt to send us out in pairs to find one person that God leads us to minister to.

I partnered with a guy named Jeffrey from Indonesia. We both felt led to go to a nearby park. In the park was an aboriginal woman who was sitting alone in the grass. We walked over to her, introduced ourselves and started making conversation, then asked if we could sit down with her to continue to talk. We spent time getting to know her and had the most amazing conversation. There seemed to be a lot of pain in her life as she copes with it through alcohol which has gripped her for many years. She recognizes the destruction of it and had stopped drinking for about a week now, so she is in a place where she desires to make things better. Jeffrey shared his testimony with her and it was so powerful- going from the depths of despair to finding hope in Christ. After this, she started opening up to us about her past, and sharing her story with us. We listened intently for 10 minutes and as she cried and told us her pain. It was a beautiful and amazing thing to speak truth into this woman’s life and tell her the hope of the Gospel. We spoke of the redeeming and healing power of God with the hope that these words will take root in her spirit. We prayed over her and by the look of her eyes, she was completely touched by the love of God. She received a Bible from us and I pray that God continues to gently pursue her.

God, you are incredible. Your love is amazing. You are a God that goes after the lost sheep, the One that comes searching for us when we go astray. Thank you for your unfailing love and devotion to leading us in right relationship with you. What an honor it is to be used by you.

A few prayer requests:

• I have been feeling sick this week. Sinus pressure, cold symptoms. Please pray for quick healing, as I do not have finances right now to buy medicine.
• Speaking of finances, please pray for God's provision for the remainder of my lecture fees. About another $500 to go. I also need to raise $4,500 for my outreach to Mexico City in about a month's time. I will give you more details of my outreach needs by the end of the week.

What is happening with you? Please let me know if I can be praying for anything for you or your family, or just fill me in on what's going in your life! I long to remain connected to friends and family around the world. Send me an e-mail at stephanieungaro@hotmail.com, mail me a letter (to the address in Perth on the right side of my blog), or post a comment! :)

Thanks for reading!

Lots of love,

Stephanie

Video Update!

A short video update. I get attacked by a fly at the end :)

Plow, Plant, Water, Reap!

Hello Readers :)

All I can say about this week is... WOW! The topic this week was called Personal Evangelism. I learned so much! Our speaker was actually brought to us via live video through a video conference call system called Genesis (similar to Skype). His name is Danny Lehmann, director of YWAM Hawaii. He has an incredible anointing in the area of evangelism and imparted his wisdom and passion to us this week.

Click here to see my lecture notes on Personal Evangelism.

Something I was most challenged by this week was my need for God to move me into a place of brokenness. God wants to break my heart for people. Realizing that brokenness is a painful position, I choose to love through pain, just as Jesus did, in order to reflect the love of God to others. I lay down my comfort, my whole self, with the knowledge that God moves through a place of brokenness to reach His people. I willingly lay my life down for the cause of Christ, for the beautiful people He created. I pray that God gives me the grace and strength to walk out this renewed mindset in true and faithful obedience.

One cool story from evangelism this week in the city:

I spoke with a young aboriginal girl, 17 years old, who stopped with her family to watch one of our dramas. I started up a conversation with her, which eventually led to asking questions about her faith. She had no real knowledge of Jesus and seemed hardened with indifference, but was very open to hear. I got to share with her the Gospel and told her the amazing impact that God has had on my life. As I was sharing, God was giving me words to tell her- words about her great value in the eyes of God and His love for her. At this, I could tell she was softening, taking in the truth of what I was saying. In the meantime, another YWAMer was speaking with her mother and two little brothers, who were very receptive to hearing his message. The mom asked for prayer and accepted a Bible. I pray that God continues to reveal himself to this family and that they surrender their lives to Jesus as they discover His love and truth.

This week, we had a book report due on a book called Going Public with the Gospel. The book caused me to think of ideas and methods to reach the lost in the context of a city or community. Click here to see my book report.

Every Friday evening, we have a base-wide church service. Peter Brownhill (director of YWAM Perth) gave the message this week, and it was a message that I will not forget. He spoke on the meaning of true servanthood, as seen in Luke 17: 7-10. I realized that I often look to the approval of people when I am working, craving acceptance and encouragement. However, true servanthood is found in obedience and humility, without expecting anything in return. Reaching this place of humility requires us to lay down our "rights" as humans to be recognized, valued, respected, with the knowledge that we are incredibly blessed to be serving the living God. Jesus laid down his rights as he became fully human, taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:5-11). I had a time of laying down my rights and repented of my ungratefulness. My heart moved into a place of sincere, overwhelming gratitude to be in the amazing position I am in to serve in the Kingdom of God. I desire to walk in obedience to the Father without the approval of people, with the knowledge that I will one day be lifted up in honor by God himself in heaven, receiving His ultimate approval- What could be greater?

Definitely a lot of growth is happening in places I did not expect. God is expanding my character. It is challenging, but very good. I feel He is using this time to prepare my heart for the mission field. He is toughening my character to withstand the challenges that life in missions will bring, and breaking my heart to love people with everything I have. With this knowledge, I am deeply motivated to continue to press in to God and walk in obedience to His teaching. God is doing amazing things!

That is all for now. Thank you for reading all that I am learning and processing! And above all, thank you for praying for me. Not a day goes by where I am not thinking about all my friends and family back home. I love you all so much!

Bless you,

Stephanie

Infinite Value

Hello Blog Readers!

Hope you are well. I’ve had another challenging, yet amazing, week in Perth as I continue on with the School of Evangelism. We had the privilege of having Peter Brownhill, the YWAM Perth base director, speak to us on the Nature and Character of God. Though I had this topic on my DTS, this teaching reinforced my knowledge and brought about new revelations on who God is, how others view God, the importance of knowing God intimately, and Biblical understanding of His characteristics. I also found that as I went deeper into learning the aspects of God’s character, it caused me to examine my own character and ask for grace on areas that I fall short.

Click here to see the main lecture points that stood out to me.

Something I was most challenged by this week was the understanding of Paul’s value system in Philippians 3:7-11- Nothing could even compare to the value of knowing Christ. This verse hit me hard and I’ve been thinking about it all week. How deeply I desire this revelation of God’s infinite value! In asking God for more understanding of this verse, He has been opening up my eyes to the ways I can value Him more. I want to show how much I value Him through the everyday decisions that I make, like how I spend my free time or giving full attention in my quiet times, fully engaging in knowing Him more, prioritizing time with God over all other things. I am realizing that these small decisions speak the loudest to God and are what He cares about most. He looks at the heart.

Lord, I ask that you would increase my understanding of how valuable you are in my life- so much so that nothing else matters but knowing you and spending time with you, that I may give you more of the love, praise, and worship you deserve. You are so worthy.

It’s amazing to me the ways God is calling me to go deeper. It shows that He really does want more intimacy with me. It’s not to make me feel guilty about choices that I make, it’s to make me more aware of the ways I can become closer to God, simple things that make a significant difference in my relationship with Him. He is pursuing me, calling me. I will listen, obey, and respond to the call.

Evangelism this week…

God did amazing things in our time in evangelism this week!

One cool story:

On Monday, we did outreach in the city with the Art Evangelism students. The exhibited their art and we did public worship. I spoke with a young guy from Thailand, a student, 19 years old, who was so open to hear about Jesus and asked me lots of questions. Growing up around Asian religions, he had never heard the gospel in its fullness, so that was exciting to be able to share with him. He said he went to church for the first time 2 weeks ago because his dad was hospitalized due to an illness. He prayed to God that if his dad recovered, that he would believe. I saw he was wearing a cross necklace and he said he bought it as a symbol of that prayer, kind of a promise to God. I asked, well what happened?? And he said that his dad is at home, doing well! Praise God!! We talked about how it was no coincidence that we met and that God was confirming to him once again of his reality, by lovingly pursuing him. I encouraged him to invite Jesus to be a part of his life, that it would change his life forever. I have full confidence in this young man’s salvation. It was exciting to be a part of his journey.

The lecture material was very helpful to use in evangelism. Particularly useful are the “three views of God” that Peter shared, which help to identify with people who have come from painful backgrounds, which can alter their view of God. I also found the explanation of the trinity very helpful to paint a clear picture of God’s oneness- I used this explanation to a Muslim man this week.

We do evangelism three times per week, twice in the city, and once a week at various locations in Perth, such as different beaches, parks, neighborhoods, etc.

Everything in between...

I am very much enjoying my time here in Perth. It is beautiful. It is springtime here, and has been somewhat cold, but it is starting to warm up as it gets closer to the summer. An interesting fact about Perth- the heat brings TONS of flies… yuck! They are everywhere.

Well, that is all for this week. About to do my work duty- dinner dishes (for 300 people). It is hard work!

Thanks for reading!

Love and Blessings,

Stephanie

Love God, Love the Body

Hello Friends!

I have reached the end of my first week of lectures. Hard to believe it's only been a week, I feel like I have been here much longer!

What an incredible week it was. Our topic for week one was called "Bible Unity and Evangelism" taught by Shirley Brownhill, the YWAM Perth base director. We were SO blessed to have her as a speaker- it was amazing to start the School of Evangelism off with Shirley's teaching. Wisdom flows from this woman. I spent the week just trying to soak in drops of wisdom. Here are some of the lecture points that brought revelation to me:

• When God talks about advancing his Kingdom, he talks about the body.
• God's dream: that every tribe, every tongue, every nation will stand before the throne (perfect unity). Our unity and actions give people a taste of what heaven will be like.
• God has not asked us to do anything that is not possible by his grace and his power.
• We must find our security in Jesus and let his love, grace, and power bring unity in our relationships.
• The Acts 2 Church models perfect Bible unity. Blueprint to bring God's presence into a community.
• We, the church, have the opportunity to show people, communities, nations, how to live in communion with God and with one another.
• The Acts 2 Church opened doors in their community. People are attracted to communities united by the love of Christ, because it is reflecting the character of God. When people see Jesus, they will love him!
• The anointing and the blessing comes with unity (Psalm 133).
• One of the biggest lies of the enemy devised to bring disunity is that the basis of commitment is mutual perfection. He knows how powerful unity is, and he is out to destroy it.
• The most powerful form of warfare we can do is to commit ourselves to Bible unity.
• If we truly love God, we should also love the body of Christ.
• There is no reserve in the character of God. He is a communicator. He will never remove himself from us- He is committed to the absence of reserve.
• Forgiveness is our source of life!
• Always find yourself in the context of team. Unity=power. Power to see exponential change in communities, to see breakthrough in the ability to spread the gospel, give healthcare, whatever God's will may be.
• God uses every trial or difficulty we face as a shaping mechanism to make our character more like His (James 1:2-4).

I felt very challenged this week in multiple areas of my walk with God. God was speaking to me about areas of my heart where I haven't loved the body of Christ in the fullness that he calls me to love. Loving the body is not an option, it is a command. Reflecting on God's command to love the body and become one with the body, I felt God say "Let me transform you by becoming more deeply committed to the body."

Leading up to this school, I have been praying and praying for deep transformation to be God's hand to reach the lost. I feel like God has been answering me this week- that he will provide opportunities for the transformation to take place, but it is up to me to obey him in the small things. Deep commitment requires obedience when it's uncomfortable, when I don't "feel like" reaching out to someone, or even when that decision will go completely unnoticed. I know exactly what God is talking about. It's the times where I feel led to pray for someone I don't know and ignore it, when I feel led to write a letter of encouragement and forget, when I avoid someone I don't have the energy to speak with... the list goes on. These decisions can seem very small and insignificant at the time, but truthfully, they impact the body and my own relationship with God from truly flourishing.

Not to live religiously, but God sees my heart. He is calling me to go deeper. If I truly want to be used by Him in extravagant ways, I need to start loving people in extravagant ways, especially those within the body of Christ.

I have been praying for God to renew my mind to become more ministry-minded and Kingdom-focused. I want to see communities transformed for Christ. I think the renewal of my mind will take place when I take my eyes off myself and focus them solely on Jesus, pouring the love that He gives me onto people. The heart change happens when I repent of selfish thinking and actions and make decisions to love people out of obedience to God.

Lord, I desire this change more than anything. I ask for your grace to help me walk in obedience to everything you ask me to, loving people the way you've called me to love. Thank you for working in my heart with gentleness and truth.

We had our first evangelism outing this week. Every Thursday, YWAM Perth has base-wide evangelism in various locations around the city. This week, we went to Scarborough Beach, about 200 YWAMers. We did public worship in a park, then went off in pairs to pray and make conversations with people. I went with a staff leader named Jenny to pray for the community and we eventually came across this group of teenagers at a bus stop, the young girls publicly intoxicated, yelling and making a big scene. We walked over with a few other YWAMers and stood in the midst of it all. After about 10 minutes, we started talking with three of the sober kids, one guy and two girls, and eventually shared with them why we were in Australia to learn more about God. These kids were so open, asking questions and wanting prayer. The girl I was speaking with said she didn't know much about Jesus and did not hesitate to say yes to hear the gospel. Amazing what God can do! Oftentimes we judge that a group will not be receptive to God, but it is not up to us to judge, only to act in obedience to the Holy Spirit. I know these three were touched that night by something real- the power of God's love calling them to relationship with Him. I pray that they made a response in their heart that will change their lives.

I love the students on my SOE. We have really bonded this week in class and outside of class. I am becoming friends with each person and enjoy all the time we spend together. Unity should be our highest goal and I feel we have gotten off to a great start, loving and supporting one another.

Thank you for your consistent prayers. Please feel free to contact me anytime- I would love to hear from you! E-mail, facebook, mail, blog comments... I long to stay connected with friends and family.

Blessings :)

Stephanie

I'm At Home

"I'm at home when you're with me. When I'm with you, worries fade away..."

I am back in Australia and feel completely at home. A wave of peace came over me as the plane landed, like I was spiritually connected to the ground. There is nothing like experiencing the center of God's will. I know I am right where God wants me and it's an amazing feeling.

I spent last week in the Gold Coast, visiting the base before flying off to Perth. I worked at the base this week, helping them out with anything they needed. Just getting a feel for what staffing will be like and getting things prepared for when I come back after the SOE. I can't even describe to you the joy I felt being back at YWAM Gold Coast. I feel completely part of a family there- peace, joy, security, belonging. I know this base is home, and I am so glad I was able to stop by and be reminded of what God spoke to me about coming back to staff.

I also spent the week in prayer that God would prepare my heart for the School of Evangelism. More than anything right now, I want to remain close to God, hearing his guidance and direction and allow him to work in my heart in whatever way will conform me into the servant he has called me to be. I want to receive each and every thing He intended for me to take from this school. I want to be better equipped to be God's hand to reach the lost, loving them in extravagant ways.

I am also praying for finances to come in. The due date for the lecture phase is this Friday and I am still about $1,200 short. The school leader told me I can get an extension, but the sooner the better. Please pray with me for the funds to come in at the right time.

So yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, I arrived in Perth to do my SOE. This base is much different than YWAM Gold Coast... it is huge! I feel like I am at a college campus. I am staying in a dorm with 30 girls. The building (called the "228") is really nice... it has a nice layout with a living area in the middle, big kitchen and dining table in the back, and two big rooms on either side where all the beds are set up. The bedrooms have a living area and walls that divide the room up a bit. I am on a top bunk and am settling in to my space.

Being YWAM, it is very multicultural in my dorm and around the base with people from all over the world. I met a few of the other students in my school... Moira from Holland, Kersti and Amy from the US (staff), Miles, Moriah and Kyle from the US, and Danny our school leader from Australia, who is amazing and made us all feel very welcome. There are a lot of Americans on my school I am realizing. I am excited to meet all the other students!

Right now, it is Sunday morning and I am sitting at the dining room table with 4 other girls eating breakfast and talking about our experiences with YWAM. This evening, Danny is having the SOE students over to his house for a barbecue so we can all meet each other, which I am excited about. Our school starts tomorrow and will probably consist of an orientation to the schedule and course material. I am looking forward to getting started and getting into a routine.

Well, that is all for now! I will let you know how classes go this week.

Thank you all for praying. It is your prayers that have gotten me here and I am incredibly grateful.

Bless you all,

Stephanie

Fundraising Praise Report

Thank you so much to all who came, supported, and prayed for the Pancake Breakfast fundraiser I had after church today. I am so blown away by God... I raised almost $1,000.00!

I have now approached the $2,500.00 mark since I've been home. My plane ticket and visa are paid for, but I am still in need of my course fees and outreach fees- about $8,500.00 to go within the next few months. I have about $415/month coming in from committed monthly supporters out of a goal of $550/month when I begin to staff. Almost there! I am feeling very encouraged by the way God has been providing for me.

I leave on Thursday for Australia to start the School of Evangelism. I am VERY excited to begin this adventure with God and am ready to take in all that God has prepared for me during this six month commitment. Please pray for the renewing of my mind as I take this time to be immersed in the Word, that God will continue to conform and refine me into the woman He has called me to be. I am hoping to find purpose and direction as I seek God with an open heart to find my place in ministry on the mission field. Please also pray for finances to steadily come in at the right time. I have been trying to sell my car and hope to get it sold by the end of the year (If you know anyone who would like to buy a Toyota Highlander, please send me an e-mail! :)

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on my finances and say a huge THANK YOU to Orlando Community Church and all those who have been lifting me up in prayer. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such a generous, loving, and supportive community in Christ. I love you all and will continue to send updates regarding my needs and prayer requests.

Love and blessings,

Stephanie