Thanksgiving and Goodbyes

Here is a glimpse of the many, many hours of focused learning and teaching that the students and leaders have been involved with the last couple of months:
Our base has just finished a Thanksgiving celebration! Which, ofcourse, involved delicious food. It was quite interesting with all the nationalities represented at an American celebration :) Here is a glimpse of our feast:

We are also preparing for our outreach to Asia, which we leave for in only TEN days! I have been packing and simplifying my life this weekend, getting rid of items I don't need that have gathered the last couple of years since I have been here. (Note: all my packing and cleaning is being done with Christmas music playing in the background ;) I will then pack whatever possessions I have in a storage tub that will be put away until I return in February.

The students have one more week with a speaker/regular schedule, along with one last weekend to fully pack and clean our house before leaving for Asia. :)) Picture this for our last weekend: 43 students/staff scurrying about packing, skyping friends and family, last minute shopping for outreach needs, last beach visits, putting things in storage, laughing, talking, excitement, nervousness, team meetings, and an abundance of facebook goodbye statuses. :) Good times.

Speaking of what needs to be done, I am off to finish some logistics for my team's outreach! I will be distant from the internet for the next couple of months, but will update once I return in February with details of my team's time in Ch!n@ and also with information on where I feel God is leading me after my time with YWAM Maui.

xoxo

What does a normal week at YWAM Maui look like for Violett? :) :) Well, let me tellll youuuu

*Monday-Friday*

5:30 AM

Rise and shine for running and Jesus time :)

7:30 AM

Breakfast

8 AM

Base Worship (Monday & Friday)/Intercession (Tuesday & Thursday)/Apologetics(Wednesday)-students also attend all of these activities.

9 AM

DTS Staff Meeting

9:30 AM

Student Chapel Talk

10:00 AM-12:30 PM-Teaching time/Different speaker & topic for every week*

(where the magic happens...God+speaker+36 students & staff=awesomeness :)

12:30 PM

Lunch

1:30-5 PM

Staff Fellowship with all staff (Monday)/DTS Staff Growth Group (Tuesday)/

Community Outreach (Wednesday)/Team Growth Group (Thursday)/Laundry Run (Friday)

5 PM

Dinner

6 PM

(Monday) House Cleaning

7 PM

Team Time (Monday)/Outreach Prep (Tuesday)/Town Run (Wednesday)/Night Teaching with Speaker (Thursday)

A glimpse into my world.

Love,

Violet

Asia, Here We Come!

HERE IS MY TEAM!!!! YAY!

I am beyond blessed with the opportunity to help lead this team to Ch!n@*. Our team is double the size of the "normal" size our base sends out, so this team is equipped with three leaders instead of two. God has truly orchestrated the dynamics of the leaders and all of our differences/gifts we bring to the team; and I am so excited to see how He will work through our team of 19 people :)

The weeks are already starting to fly by, and soon the first month of school for the students will be finished. Before the school began, the staff prayed asking the Lord what the main theme was going to be for the school as a whole. We all felt that the theme of this school was going to be brokenness, and how God wants to restore and shine through brokenness for His glory. After getting to know these students, we have found that many of them are broken from difficult circumstances. Yet, it is so exciting to see how God is taking wounds and brokenness in exchange for healing and redemption. As a whole, this school is so hungry for Truth. Hungry to walk in more intimacy with God, hungry to hear His voice, and hungry for heart change...perfect :)

One of my favorite things as staff is getting to know the students, walking with them in life during this time and at the same time challenging them in their relationship with God. For example, I just walked with one of the girls on my team to a little store down the street to buy a snack, and got to hear how God was bringing new freedom in her life. Awesome.

I thank God for His timing with the brokenness He has brought me through, and now able to have better insight with the students that I am honored to work with for the next five months. Throughout my time at YWAM, He has opened my eyes to see the brokenness of my heart from wounds and disappointments in life... to see how I had formed walls toward God and other people from these wounds. And from these places of brokenness, God has been faithful to root out lies and heal wounds. I have never experienced such freedom and healing that has brought new revelation of His unending love, and also brought me into deeper levels of trust that wounds kept me from completely entrusting Him with these areas. Isn't it funny how our mind and heart can say and believe different things? We can know truth about God's character, and scriptures to back it up... yet do we believe it in our hearts? I am believing more and more how we have to fight for our hearts and for the hearts of others.

I also want to share my financial needs in this blog. I am still about $2,000-2,500 short for this time as DTS staff (depending on the flight ticket to Asia, which is more than expected). If you are interested in helping me financially, please make checks payable to "YWAM Maui" (for a tax receipt) or "Violet Stoltzfus" if you are not interested in a tax deductible receipt. Thank you for your consideration and for your encouragement that comes in more ways than just financially :)

Thats all for now! Thanks for reading!

~Violet

*spelled differently for security purposes

Reconstruction

Three buildings being renovated. Moving our kitchen into a different building. All staff moving into different rooms. Department training. Base cleanup. DTS staff training. Spring school graduation. Fifteen days until our fall students start arriving!!!! AAAAAAAAA! :)

Here is a tiny glimpse of the reconstruction that is happening on our base:

Through this crazy time of reconstruction and other various things that have to be done before our next school, we are discovering on a new level what it means to have Jesus as our source of strength. Stress over time will eventually reveal what our functional source of life is.

Stress + Time = Source of Life.

Also! I was preparing myself to be Kitchen Head again during our school this fall, but was asked by our leadership if I would be one of the DTS leaders instead. A DTS leader is a staff that works directly with the students during their three months of school at our base, along with leading a team of students on a three month outreach to Southeast Asia. It is going to be a huge school for our base :) we have 38 students (and counting)! This responsibility is one of the most demanding and time consuming jobs here, but can also be one of the most rewarding. I am growing more and more excited about being apart of this school that starts in September and will continue with outreach until March. I will happily keep you updated on details, the students, and what God is doing as time continues.

Being a DTS leader also increases my needs financially to an extra $2,000-2,500 (expenses for the outreach to Southeast Asia), and I would love if you would prayerfully consider partnering with me in this need. Thankyou for your support in other ways as well-I am so often encouraged when having a rough day by many of you :) thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!

~Violett

Diving Deeper

Do you ever feel like your heart might explode from dreams and desires that arise? that has been happening to me often, especially this past year. praise God for our hearts...from them flow the wellspring of life! yet, what do we do with desires that seem to grow that have not yet been met...or may never? do we push away our desires/dreams, numb our hearts and by doing so-kill our hearts?

something i have read recently by John Eldredge states:

"As our soul grows in the love of God and journeys forth toward him, our heart's capacities also grow and expand: "Thou shalt enlarge my heart" (Psalms 119:32).

But the sword cuts both ways. While our heart grows in its capacity for pleasure, it grows in its capacity to know pain. The two go hand in hand. What, then, shall we do with disappointment? We can be our own enemy, depending on how we handle the heartache that comes with desire. To want is to suffer; the word passion means to suffer. This is why many Christians are reluctant to listen to their hearts: They know that their dullness is keeping them from feeling the pain of life. Many of us have chosen simply not to want so much; it's safer that way. It's also godless. That's stoicism, not Christianity. Sanctification is an awakening, the rousing of our souls from the dead sleep of sin into the fullness of their capacity for life.

Desire often feels like an enemy, because it wakes longings that cannot be fulfilled in the moment. In the words of T. S. Eliot,

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire. (The Waste Land )

Spring awakens a desire for the summer that is not yet. Awakened souls are often disappointed, but our disappointment can lead us onward, actually increasing our desire and lifting it toward its true passion".

This is what i feel like is happening to my heart... growing more in love with Jesus, which is growing my heart's capacity to more desires, open to more love from Him and people, open and growing towards the dreams and desires that i hope He has put inside of me...yet, i am realizing that this opens me up to the possibility of more pain, disappointments, and discouragements. i hope my rambling is making sense. i have come to learn that as my heart grows, changes, and is healed by having a relationship with Jesus- it can become more vulnerable. YES, we grow in His truth, strength, gifts of the Spirit, and how to fight the enemy's attacks. this grows our compassion. grows our intimacy with Jesus and love for people. grows our desire for the beautiful things in life that God points to as most valuable. by all of this, our walls fall. our wounds are touched by the Lover of our souls. our rough edges grow to be more like Jesus. our hearts overflow to others. we are challenged to grow into who God calls us to be, and by doing so are opening up who we REALLY are to people around us-giving what we may be afraid is not enough to others and may be rejected.

And through all of this, we are challenged to dive deeper into who He is... to not shrink back with what He calls us to do, or shrink back with who is raising us up to be through His redemption. by not shrinking back from Him as we continually lift to Him our dreams and desires. i am learning what this looks like. i have been asking Him what does it look like to not kill my heart and its desires because i want Him to have my heart that is alive... what does it look like to hold these things in surrender to His will and plans for my life, and live my life so abundantly with Jesus that I will be completely satisfied even if these desires do not happen.

That has been my wrestle with the Lord lately. entrusting Him with all of my heart in those areas, yet longing to fully trust Him as my Father, my Redeemer, Friend, and Lover of my soul... that whatever His plans are in my life-wherever and however long... i long to live in surrendered trust and intimacy with Him.

So i am learning through the times that it feels like my heart is going to explode, that diving deeper into Jesus with these things... allows my heart to rest. i might not see some of these things happen, but can trust that He brings beautiful completion and satisfaction to my heart. His love makes life worth it. my life, after all, is not about me-but about His glory.

Another quote:

The whole life of the good Christian," said Augustine, "is a holy longing." Sadly, many of us have been led to feel that somehow we ought to want less, not more. We have this sense that we should atone for our longings, apologize that we feel such deep desire. Shouldn't we be more content? Perhaps, but contentment is never wanting less; that's the easy way out. Anybody can look holy if she's killed her heart; the real test is to have your heart burning within you and have the patience to enjoy what there is now to enjoy, while waiting with eager anticipation for the feast to come. In Paul's words, we "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly" (Rom. 8:23). Contentment can only happen as we increase desire, let it run itself out toward its fulfillment, and carry us along with it.

It is starting to make more sense to me... how our longings continue to show that we were made for more than our earthly life. these desires, in the end will point to Him. without Him, nothing will satisfy us. the deepest longings, desires, and dreams are nothing without Him in it-without Him as my first love. as i surrender these things to Him, i am beckoned to love Him more deeply-challenged to want Him more than these things in my heart. if He chooses to give me these things, then i can enjoy them to the fullest because He will continue to be first and they will be blessings "on the side".

Hope my thoughts encouraged you :)

Violett~~

Where is Hayden???

Hayden. most lovable, rambunctious little one on our base.

where did he go?

maybe the prayer room?

caught him red-handed!

Hayden...are you planning on driving your parent's car today??
you are just so cool.


oh good heavens. i found him. maybe i can steal a kiss :)


love,

Hayden & Violett

Faithful

Where to start? But to say that God is faithful to my heart.

Ready?

With my heart: Challenging me to grow in areas only He can see. Rooting out fears with His love. Rooting out wrong motivations. Bringing me into situations that grow my trust with placing all my life into His hands.

Revelation of His love is what changes us. What moves us to live for Him.

With my job: Challenging me into job positions in ywam that I wouldn't normally choose for myself, but showing me that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Ephesians 4:19. And there is JOY that comes when we work for Him!

With my finances: Today, as i was going through the process to renew my license, i started to wonder where the money was going to come from after paying my normal bills... and when i reviewed my bank account, i realized there was JUST enough to pay for the renewal. Wow. He knows my needs before I ask Him!!!


whew.


He also provided all my needs on my three week trip to Minnesota! The two weddings i went to were wonderful. The first was of my dear friend from ywam, and the second was of my older sister. Both weddings brought so much joy and richness to life! And i am so thankful i got to spend time with a best friend and with my family :) here are some pictures!

For an update on our base, we just commissioned the spring school off to Asia this morning! So please pray for our team of ten people as they venture where God is going to use each one beautifully with divine appointments.

We are transitioning into our summer seminar quickly (Reformation Generation!), which we are excited about. Starts in less than two weeks!

Also, I am moving from 'kitchen manager' to 'kitchen head' for the summer quarter and will be tackling more logistics within the job such as budgeting, planning meals, grocery shopping, and making sure the kitchen is running smoothly. I would appreciate your prayers as I transition into this :) that I will have a servant heart, creative ideas, make wise decisions, and work with the joy of the Lord :) :)

Thankyou for being supportive and interested in my life!

~Violett

Reformation Generation

Check out this video for our new summer program! We are so excited!

This seminar is designed specifically for students getting ready to go to college (open for anyone 18 and over).

"Reformation Generation Seminar is a 4 week college prep-experience designed to equip high school graduates to stand firm in their faith and make a difference on their campuses. The seminar will focus on thriving in faith and relationship with God in the midst of the moral, intellectual and spiritual challenges of life in the world. July 3 - 29, 2001 Maui, Hawaii www.ywammaui.com"

Statistics show that there is a 50-50 chance of a student staying an active Christian through their college years...don't be a statistic!

This Winter school has flown by! Seems to have gone by faster than any other school for some reason. Tomorrow, the students will be leaving for Asia. Bittersweet! At times it is hard to continually say goodbye after getting to know the students/discipling them/growing with them, but God has been faithful to refresh my heart during those times. Even saying goodbye to staff that leave after their committment is finished can be hard as well. I hope I never stop loving the people around me. The Lord continues to remind me that when I keep Him first in my life, He will be the love that flows out of me to others.


The picture below includes the Fall school (after returning from Asia for their graduation), along with the Winter school that is just about to leave for outreach. During each school's graduation, there is a week of time that two schools overlap...so the base is hopping with lots of energy from so many people! It is one of my favorite times during each quarter :)


This past weekend the staff took the students for one last "weekend activity" before their outreach. Starting at 8 AM on Saturday, we drove an hour on windy roads to a popular scenic area called Hana. The day consisted of cliff jumping, swimming by caves and a black sand beach, hiking through bamboo forests to get to waterfalls up to 400 feet high, eating packed lunches, sharing water when people didn't bring enough :), and driving home to a sunset when everyone is wonderfully dirty and tired :)). Staff try to have several "weekend activities" for each school to give fun options for the students, and saved the best for last this time!



Also, God never fails to teach me new things every quarter! The last few months He has been showing me fears that I have, and helping to root them out of my life. Hasn't always been easy, but I am so grateful to serve such a loving Father that knows me better than I know myself. The verse that continues to come to mind is 1 John 4:18 which says: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love". I continue to learn that His love truly does drive out fear...bring on freedom! :)




The picture below is of the wonderful kitchen staff I worked with this quarter! I also just found out my next job has been changed to kitchen supervisor for the next school. Stoked!




Thanks for readinggggg!

New Students- New Position =D

Aloha!

Being home for Christmas was wonderful. It was great to catch up with family and friends, and I even got the opportunity to speak at several Life Groups (Bible studies)from my church, explaining more of YWAM's mission, along with what God is doing in my life. Woooo! I also had a chance to rest, spend some good times with Jesus and some reading. It helped me feel refreshed and excited about the new school that just started this week! We have 20 students for this DTS and I like them already. =)

I also have a new position on staff, which is in the kitchen department... wooo! I have been in the hospitality department on our base for about a year, so this change of pace is refreshing. So now I help with cooking meals during the day, and will also get the chance to work with the students during their "work duties" Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. This will be one of the chances the kitchen staff can pour into and disciple the students.


What else is new??? Random fact.

It is Winter in Maui, which makes it the rainy season! A fun fact about Maui is that it hardly ever lightnings or thunders here... yet within the past month, stats have shown that there have been over 400 strikes! Just last night most of our base were awakened from their slumber by boisterous thunder and lightning! :D


Thanks for reading! Pictures coming soon.

~Violet