Missions trip
I'd like to take some time to go deeper into what this mission trip was for me personally. The last update I had shared was what God was doing in our team and how He has been working in the country through our team, and now I'd like to just talk about personal experience and how God has been moving. I'll just share some short main points.
Submission
During my first days in Italy I was processing what God wanted to do with me during this time. I had recently finished reading a book called “the celebration of disciplines” By: Richard Foster and was really challenged to add more spiritual disciplines to my life. Knowing who God is and that in these disciplines I would grow closer to God was something I wanted to pursue! There is a quote in the book where Richard says “I said that every Discipline has its corresponding freedom. What freedom corresponds to submission? It is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way. The obsession to demand that things go the way we want them to go is one of the greatest bondages in human society today.”. Wow this is powerful, I love this quote but it also means that in submission lots is going to be challenged in me. In this last season, this last DTS God was showing me that exactly - exactly like He said to me in that time of prayer. The freedom He wanted to give me in learning how to submit to Him and to the Holy Spirit in others. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight, Proverbs 3v6. I learned how much freedom comes when I let Jesus truly be Lord of my life. To do life with Jesus, and to discern when I'm trying to get things my way or when it's the way the Lord has. Submission is the one word that I would use to define my experience Co-leading a team of missionaries on a missions trip. Beautiful freedom came from it so I thank the Lord. Every good thing is born out of struggle, learning lessons can be tough but God doesn't promise that it will be easy, but He does say He will be with us through it all. Highs and lows.
Takeaways from Costa Rica
God has done so much in this past season and I'd love to continue to share with you exactly what He has been doing. We as a staff team recorded the takeaways from outreach and for me personally I'm so encouraged to see what has happened. Here are some quotes from the team who went to Costa Rica.
The question everyone is answering is how their perspective/ feelings have changed now that they didn't have before?
To be honest, I never came to DTS to be a missionary. I only came because I wanted to know God better. Being in Costa Rica, I realized that I was doing missions. I was a missionary. We have to go! God wants to reach his children! We have to go, because how else are they going to hear? How can you not go? How can you not make your life a life of outreach? – Markus
I came for the lecture phase. I always believed that God shows up in the big things. But living a life with God, shows God. You don’t need to go to the middle of Africa to build a well to be able to show God! – Everett
In every single prayer I prayed, I thanked God for his faithfulness. Yesterday when I read the questions, I realized that God is perfect in everything. I came with open hands, and I was also clueless. But God had prepared me right from the start. I saw God's faithfulness in everything! He made a way for all of us! – Sophia
A lot of things that we did, it doesn’t make sense. We should’ve been afraid. But we weren’t afraid. We saw other people being really afraid. The crackheads, demon possessed, they really have fear. But through Jesus we can have a fearless life! And we are supposed to share that with those around me! – Lucas
From the first day of DTS, I was waiting for outreach. Lecture phase changed my life, but outreach is what you want. But I realized that outreach is not an experience. Thinking and praying about it, I realized that outreach is the lifestyle that every Christian should live. Seeing people healed in the street should be normal to us. It’s a challenge for us. But outreach is normal. It’s the life you should live when you accept Christ. I will do everything I can to keep this fire and this lifestyle for the rest of my life. And then I will go to heaven. – Alessio
“The juice is worth the squeeze” That’s what I really experienced. Being challenged, and saying yes to everything, is worth it. The outcome is not up to you, but you can trust the Holy Spirit that he will lead you! – Elisabetta
Outreach Stats
People prayed for: 700 + or - a few
Shared the gospel: With everyone we saw
“When does sharing the gospel start?”
Bibles distributed: 95
Going into houses: 30
People baptized: 4
Accepted Christ as Lord: 7
Healings: 7
Deliverances: 1
Preaching & Teaching: 25
Testimonies shared: 60
What's next for Lucas?
I'm happy to say that I will be staying in missions with Youth With A Mission. Sadly my time in Davos, Switzerland has come to an end. My original commitment was for two years and those two years are over now. The ywam base in Davos is going into a season of “taking the boat out of the water” or a “dry dock season” where they will be reassessing what God has for this ministry and stopping all training and that includes DTS.
BUT God has called me into new waters! For the next few years I will be committing to live in Arco, Italy. Serving with YWAM Trentino and building God's kingdom here in Italy and sending missionaries out to the ends of the earth! While being here I'm committing two years to be a DTS school leader. Different from the DTS staff position that I have previously been doing, God is calling me to a different position. To be a school leader is to be in charge of a lot of new things that will be exciting and I'm sure challenging. Calling me into a deeper dependence on God, which is a blessing! God is building in me a new vision for missions and what He has for me in life. What He is calling me into.
Honestly, I'm feeling like I'll be a lifelong missionary….but I'll
keep praying about it and update you more in the next updates.
Thank you everyone for the patience and grace in the delays of my updates. God bless you!
-Lucas K.
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