Financial Need Update

Hello again! I am very happy to be back blogging. I sent many support letters out to friends, family, and OCC church members, but for those of you who are interested in partnering with me in my commitment with YWAM and did not receive a letter, I thought I would post my update/financial need on my blog:

As many of you know, I recently returned from a six month commitment with Youth With a Mission, or YWAM, based in Gold Coast, Australia. I attended a Discipleship Training School (DTS) where I took biblical courses for 12 weeks, then went with a team to the villages of Papua New Guinea for 7 weeks doing various types of ministry in different areas of the country.

This experience was truly life-changing for me. God did amazing things in my life and in the lives of others. I had the honor and privilege with my team to see hundreds of people come to the Lord, receiving salvation and healing. Early on in my commitment with YWAM, I felt God calling me back to Australia for more training in evangelism, stirring dreams, desires, and a newfound passion to reach the lost.

Responding to that call, I will be attending a YWAM School of Evangelism (SOE) in Perth, Australia for six months, beginning in October 2010. Similar to the DTS, I will attend courses for 12 weeks, then go with a team to Mexico City for 8 weeks to do evangelism focused ministry.

After the SOE, I will return to the Gold Coast base where I will take on a staff position on the Evangelism Team, helping to grow the ministries of YWAM Gold Coast and start new ones as God directs. I am making a two year staff commitment.

I am excited to share with you this amazing opportunity that God has presented me with and to let you know how you can support me in this next phase with YWAM. I would like to ask for your prayers as I begin a new journey, following God’s heart for missions. I would also like to ask if you would pray about financially supporting me with whatever God puts on your heart to give (no amount is too small!)

The cost of the School of Evangelism is about $11,000 (all inclusive of course fees, airfare, food and housing, insurance, etc.). I will need a monthly support of $550 over the next two year time period that I staff at the Gold Coast, which includes all my daily living expenses.

If you feel led to give, please make your check payable to:

Orlando Community Church

Write “Stephanie-YWAM” on the memo line

Mailing address:

Orlando Community Church

1067 Rainer Drive, Suite 1003

Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Donations are tax-deductible through Orlando Community Church.

Please visit the “Become A Partner” tab on my website for the PayPal link to donate online! (not tax deductible)

www.stephanieungaro.com

Thank you for your prayerful consideration of supporting me in my mission. I am incredibly grateful for your spiritual and financial support!

Blessings,

Stephanie

Lecture Phase Reflection

G'day!

This week was (sadly) the last week of lectures. Saturday marked the last day of the "lecture phase" part of DTS. We had three days of teaching on Missions and two days of teaching on Destiny. The Missions lecture was very good... we learned about different areas of ministry, people groups, global issues, and our place as Christ's ambassadors "bridging the gap" between the world and God. The speaker was completely inspiring and stirred us up to represent Christ in PNG and wherever else God calls us to go. Kerstin spoke on Destiny for the rest of the week (discovering our plan and purpose in Christ). We spent time writing out our dreams and passions in life. She explained that God places certain passions in our hearts, which can act as a roadmap for finding direction in life. It was amazing to reflect on my God-given passions and see how they all flow together for what I am designed to do. I do not know exactly what my life will look like, but I have purpose and direction found in Jesus that will certainly glorify God if I keep my eyes fixed on Him.

The first three months of my DTS (the lecture phase) has been more amazing than I could have ever imagined. I came to the Gold Coast unsure of what I was getting myself into... I did not know much about YWAM and did not know anyone that would be here. I just knew that God called me here and I came in response to that stirring in my heart for missions. Since I've been here, God has poured out blessing after blessing upon me (too many to count) and has spoken to me in so many different ways, refining my heart and giving me a vision for my future. I have grown so much in my relationship with the Lord by dedicating this time to learn more about Him, immersing myself in the Word, and telling others about the love of Jesus. I could not have asked for a better experience! I feel like God surprised me with it all.

My heart for evangelism has grown so much since I've been here. I am passionate about telling others about Jesus. I have loved all the evangelism opportunities we have had... I have been able to explore different areas of ministry, sharing the Gospel and encouraging other believers. God has been breaking my heart for the lost and I believe He wants me to pursue more training in evangelism, which is something I am praying about.

Well, we are just 5 days away from leaving for Papua New Guinea. This week is Outreach Prep week... packing, shopping for last minute items, practicing our dramas, preparing sermons, etc. I think it will be a pretty busy week! Please continue to pray for finances for 3 of my team members (Alex, Taelor, and Daniel). We are still quite a bit short.

I am praying for the youth group... I know they leave this week to go to Guatemala. It sounds like a really exciting trip! God will do amazing things during their time there :) I look forward to hearing their stories.

Thank you for your continued prayers! Love you all.

Stephanie

My DTS Video

Check out my DTS testimonial on the YWAM Gold Coast website!

http://www.ywamgc.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=7

I'm the first video on the right hand side :)

2 Weeks Until Outreach!

We are officially 2 weeks away from leaving for Papua New Guinea!

To my church family at Orlando Community Church: Thank you so much for your continued financial support. Quite a bit of money was raised at the Pancake Breakfast... I am so thankful to you all. It is amazing to see God's provision through my OCC family. Thank you also for your e-mails and keeping in touch with me... I miss everyone so much.

I am creating an e-mail list for my outreach team to send updates once we are in PNG. Please e-mail me your e-mail address so I can add you to the list to receive updates! My e-mail is stephanieungaro@hotmail.com.

These past few weeks of lectures have been amazing. We had a week on Spiritual Warfare two weeks back, and this past week our topic was Covenants. I have been meditating a lot on my position with Christ. During spiritual warfare week, we learned all about the authority we have in Christ Jesus against the enemy. This week, we learned about our covenant relationship with God through the blood of Jesus. We studied the covenants in the Old Testament (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel (Sanai), David) and saw the fulfillment of God's promises through Jesus- the New Covenant. This was an incredible topic... I have such a deeper understanding of God's faithfulness and the fact that I am secure in this new covenant with Him. God is so amazing!

I have a few prayer requests this week as we prepare for outreach:

• Taelor and Alex are still in need of funds. The money is due this Friday. We are confident that God will provide, but would appreciate the support of your prayers.
• Pray for team unity throughout our time in PNG.
• Spirit led planning as we prepare sermons and make last minute arrangements.
• That God will prepare hearts of the people we will encounter.
• Please pray for our health: Sickness from mosquitos and stomach sickness from food and water is common in PNG, especially in remote villages.
• Pray for our safety and protection.

My outreach team: Daniel and Carly (outreach leaders); Taelor, Alex, Paivi, and me.

I am so excited about outreach. I feel confident and ready to minister to the people of PNG. God has been stirring my heart ever since we found our outreach location... I just can't wait to see God move in this nation!!

I will update you before we leave. To receive updates once we are in PNG, please remember to send me your e-mail address :)

Lots of love,

Stephanie

It's ALL about Him!

The week of 03/29/10-04/04/10 was "Fear of the Lord" week.

This week was by far the most amazing, freeing, and challenging week of my DTS. Our speaker, Mark Parker, is an extremely passionate (and loud!) man of God. We went through an abundance of notes and scripture during the week, which all led up to a day of ministry on Saturday. We spent all day Saturday (9am-9pm) worshipping God, surrendering all aspects of our life to Him, repenting of our sins, declaring God's character and truth, and just experiencing the power and freedom of God's presence. I will never forget this day... God spoke many things to me and I felt the Holy Spirit like never before. It was incredible! God is so good.

Amazing revelations from the lectures this week:

• It's ALL about Him. He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less (John 3:30).
• Love and fear MUST be in balance. It's not just knowing the Lord, it's knowing His will and obeying it (Matt 7:21).
• Fear of the Lord is: (1) Awe of God: He is God, you are not, Respecting God; (2) Holiness: Being set apart- love what He loves, hate what He hates; (3) Continual awareness of the presence of God; (4) Wisdom (Prov 2:5)
• The opposite of fearing the Lord is fear of man. Prov 29:5- Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
• Characteristics of "fear of man": 1) Self doubt; 2) Focuses on "safe option", takes no risks for fear of failure; 3) Blocks affirmation; 4) Justifies a lack of personal responsibility; 5) Develops out of discouragement; 6) Defensive and unteachable(Prov 1:7 and Prov 18:1-2; 7) Keeps you locked in the past and under its control; 8) Causes you to compare yourself with others and pass judgement; 9) Resists connecting relationally; 10) Has to control or be controlled; 11) Compromises.
• We have ALL of the Holy Spirit, but does the Holy Spirit have all of you? Is the veil really torn in your life?
• The Word of God cuts through and exposes all. You must decide if you want to be "cut through"- vulnerable with God. This is true sanctification. The power of God is released through our vulnerability.

The most significant thing I learned this week was about true humility before the Lord. I laid down the things that I was still holding onto at the foot of the cross and experienced the freedom of God's presence. The Holy Spirit convicted me that fear of man and fear of failure often hinder me from fully obeying God's voice: Am I seeking the approval of man or of God? This is a challenging revelation, but one that will allow me to live in the fullness of God's will. I have found that there is such power in bringing out sin into the light- once it is out, it gives God a chance to heal and restore, bringing us closer to Him. This is something I will practice throughout my life.

Happy Easter!

The following week (03/22- 03/28) was Holy Spirit week.

We spent a lot of time in intercession this week for Papua New Guinea. The Spirit is stirring in us His heart for PNG. I felt God continually reminding us to keep His perfect love as the highest goal of our outreach. Please join with me in prayer for a new revelation of God's love for the people in PNG. It says in 1 Corinthians 13 that love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Even if we do "good" things on our outreach, if we do not have love, it is all for nothing. Please pray for unity in our 2 teams- that the enemy will not gain a foothold. Also pray for the direction of the Holy Spirit- we want God's will to be done, not ours (I think there are a few more details they are waiting on God to confirm). I am getting so, so excited to share Jesus with the people in PNG!!!

In learning about the Holy Spirit this week, God continues to pour in new revelations:

• All fruit flows from intimacy with the Father.
• We were never meant to live for ourselves. We were created to live in intimacy with the Father, living in his will.
• John 20:21-22: "In the same way the Father sent me, so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit." It's nothing we can do, it's all the Holy Spirit. We need only to believe and have faith to see the supernatural power of God.
• Faith is absolute confidence in God. It can only come from intimacy with Him.
• "These signs shall follow those who believe." This is for every believer- not the "gifted."
• Mark 11:24: "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."
• Always seek the giver more than the gifts.

Aside from lectures, our DTS has been spending good, quality time together. One of our favorite things to do on our time off is to play games. We play a lot of card games :) As we become more intimate with God, the closer we as a group are becoming, as well. These friendships will certainly last throughout my life. God is so amazing! I am so thankful for each and every person here.

I heard a few days ago the news about Chris McMahan. Though my heart was grieved, God comforted me and reassured me that she has been lifted up into the light of His presence. I saw her dancing, praising God in His courts, fully restored. She was such a light here on earth, always thankful and blessing everyone around her.

Blessings to you all back at home! Love you all so much. Have a WONDERFUL Easter this Sunday!

Step By Step

Weeks of 03/15- 03/28:

This week, our topic was Evangelism. Sounds a little scary, but it was not at all :)

Our speaker was Allan Kirchen, a pastor at a church in Brisbane. He was HILARIOUS. He had a wonderful sense of humor and had us smiling and laughing the whole time. He had a way of making us feel relaxed and comfortable. He was also very experienced in evangelism and had a lot of wisdom to share with us. He explained that our only responsibility in evangelism is to be obedient. The Holy Spirit does the rest! That definitely takes the pressure off.

Here are some truths that spoke out to me:

• Matthew 4:19 : Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The foundation is to love God and follow him- He will teach us how to evangelize (become "fishers of men")
• Effective evangelism- Being used by God through word or deed to influence a person to take one step closer to Jesus. - It does not matter the size of the step! It is all effective. We often fail to see the significance of the seemingly insignificant. Sometimes people just need you to listen and understand there they are coming from.
• When we talk about Jesus, the Church, Christianity, God, etc. people automatically have a picture in their head of how they define those things. Some people have such distorted perceptions of God (from whatever their past experience has been). We need to meet them where they're at and love and accept them as Christ does. Challenge their "image" with the truth. It is good to ask them how they perceive Jesus and Christians before assuming you are picturing the same thing.

• John 4 (The Samaritan Woman): Illustration of evangelism.
• Jesus was deliberate. He actually did not have to go to Samaria, geographically speaking. He went in obedience to the Father. We need to deliberately choose to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. "Lord, I am available when you're ready."
• Jesus came in humility. He spoke with a woman; She was a Samaritan (culturally, Jews were repulsed by Samaritans); He put himself on her same level; Jesus initiated the conversation and relationship; Jesus avoided arguments- He never told her what to believe. He respected her. (Arguments are pointless. You may win an argument but you lose the person. Always keep the person first in love).
• He led her on a journey of discovery (Her perception went from "Jewish man", to "Sir", to "prophet", to "Messiah").
• Jesus did not judge her- He knew about her sin, but did not judge her. We often prejudge people- We think a person may not be open to hearing about Jesus or being prayed for, etc., but it is up to God to move in them and change their heart.

• It is the kindness of God that leads people in relationship with Christ.
• Be careful as you mature in God that you don't lose your complete dependency on God. Jesus humbled the disciples by telling them to have the faith of a child.
• Salvation is not based on intellect or emotion. It is a heart change based on faith.
• Intelligence will never bring about heart revelation. Emotion is the same way- we can stir up emotions, but without an encounter with God, emotions will fade. Christ is the only one who can penetrate hearts. Only God can bring about heart revelation.
• Salvation is of the heart, not of flesh and blood. Only God saves.

• "Traditional" church model: Behave ~ Believe ~ Belong (If you behave the way we behave and believe what we believe, then you can belong as part of our church.)
• Christ's model of the Church: Belong ~ Believe ~ Behave (It is our responsibility as Christians to create a place of belonging. Once they continue to come, they hear the Word of God, challenging beliefs and changing the heart, which by the Holy Spirit will change that person's behavior.
• Our only responsibility is to love on people and accept them as they are. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to work on behavior and the word of God to change beliefs.

I went to Set Free Care (the homeless ministry) on Tuesday and had some good conversations led by the Spirit. I was able to pray with one man about finding a job, which was encouraging for him. On Saturday afternoon, we did local outreach in a park by the beach at Surfer's Paradise. We gave out free coffee and tea, sharing the love of Jesus with people walking by. I had one deep conversation with a man who wanted to hear the Gospel message of Jesus and we gave him one of our Bibles, which was exciting! It is so amazing to witness the Holy Spirit at work.