#junglelife

I wish I could put into words the beauty we experienced in the past 48 hours.
I also wish I could upload pictures onto blogspot from my iPhone.

Our final outreach day was Wednesday. Of course, the L.ord showed up in amazing ways. We are all still in awe of how much He has done since we've even here. We have since numerous salvations, healings, and received promises from Him about lasting fruit here. We are excited to here what happens after we leave.

To celebrate and relax, we headed on a two day retreat to Bukit Lawang. It wasn't till we got there that we realized how much noise we have been around for the past 3 weeks. It was so peaceful to only hear the sounds of crickets, rivers and monkeys... Yes I said monkeys. Hen we got there, we ate lunch then swam in a river! After that we headed to a bat cave where bats were plentiful and abundant. We felt so adventurous! After, we hiked up some of the most intense stairs to the top of a mountain where three bungalows awaited our stay. There were only 5 total! Showers from jungle water, porches with hammocks and some of the most delicious curry any of us have ever eaten. That night, while sitting in an open-air, dimly lit bungalow, eating and listening to bob marly played by the people who worke there, some of us thought: how did we get here??
The next day, some of us took a 3 hour trek through the jungle seeing all sorts of monkeys and wildlife. It was exhausting and AWESOME!!

Pray for our age travels as we fly home tomorrow at 9 pm Medan time.

Thanks for your prayerful support! We love you!!!

Birthdays, buleks, and becuks

Hello all!
Here are some things you should know (or perhaps that would interest you) about our trip:
1. We have 5 amazing translators with us every day; 3 live at our hotel with us and we are so blessed by them!!! We have all gotten so close to them since they are fairly close to our age. We have all become such good friends, I can't even imagine how sad it will be to leave them.
2. Over 30 people have come to know the L.ord since we've been here!
3. Over 250 seeds have been planted!
4. Kyle Allen and jose got invited to speak at a university...no big... And of course told everyone there about J! They even got a few free meals out of it! #favor
5. Allens birthday was yesterday! He turned 23 and we celebrated by enjoying a fantastic meal out and then performing an impromptu play got him and eating cake. He also got sung to somewhere close to 7 times and got to dance with a random local woman. Expect a video soon.
6. Stacie loves the stray Indonesian street cats and it's possible that she's going to come back with a few :)
7. Indonesians love "bebek bebek ayam!" AKA duck duck chicken (we didn't know the name for goose)
8. We are slowly getting used to the spicy food. "no spice, no taste!"
9. Allen is eating fried bananas with cheese and sprinkles. No joke.
10. I ate buffalo heart
11. People are STILL FASCINATED that we are white. We will walk into a restaurant and the entire place will turn around and stare. Also we frequently get honked at, yelled at, etc. Hilarious and awkward sometimes but mostly we just feel famous.
12. We leave a week from today. Pray against exhaustion and for us to press on in this last week!

We love you guys!

Just Rollin Bulek Style

Oh we are so foreign here. And so much larger than everything around us. Literally everything around us is different. But you know what's the same? J.esus. He's the same here and in America and that is SO refreshing.

He is moving in powerful ways here. We have already seen over 10 people come to know the L.ord. That's insane! We have also seen multiple healings. I am continually in awe of the things He is doing here.

Meanwhile, we often feel like celebrities which gives us a great opportunity to talk to people. Indonesians love buleks (foreigners) and we are often asked to take pictures with random people. We have learned a few words and are trying to improve our Indonesian. The language barrier is crazy here. But one word we do know is bulek. Pronounced boolay. And often yelled by Kyle van Hecke when entering a restaurant, high-fiving a strangers or eating heart, brain or other bizarre food.

P.ray for us! We love you all!

We're HERE!

WOW!
So this is the first time I have had a chance to update the blog since we've been here. And these past 3 days have been so adventurous!

Our flight was awesome - we were blessed with an amazing airplane, nice seats, movies, etc. We felt very spoiled. It was extremely odd being on an airplane for 23 hours, having 2 times where it was nighttime outside and being served 5 meals plus snacks. haha our bodies were VERY confused.
Everything regarding customs and getting our visas went very smoothly and we had no problems. ALSO all of our baggage made it through! YAY!

We found a great hotel thanks to Robbie Hetland, the man from ACC who is in charge of the long term team. He is staying with us as well as 3 of our 8 Indonesian translators. That's right. We have 8 translators!!!! What a blessing because the language barrier here is insane. Most people here speak no English and we are trying our best to learn the basics of Indonesian. (Nama Saya Courtney! - my name is Courtney. Jalan Jalan - just walking around) :) We have gotten to bond with them so much in the time we have been here. It's amazing that the same G.od we worship is the same G.od they worship. He is SO much bigger than we can even begin to imagine! WE have spent many times together worshiping and praying for our time here. Hearing them cry out for their country in their language is truly incredible.

The food here is great! Yes, some of us are having to adapt, especially to the level of spiciness which none of us seem to be used to yet! (Expect a great video of many members eating one of the hottest peppers we've ever tasted. Holy smokes.)

We are gradually figuring out a constant schedule for things. Every day has looked a little different but we are already seeing the kingdom of G.od come to Indonesia in just the few days we have been here. One of our "cousins" decided to follow J.esus yesterday! (Ask me later what cousin means but you can probably figure it out).

Anyways, hopefully I will get to update the blog at least once a week. We have found one restaurant that has computers with internet and are using them now!

Please continue to pray for soft hearts, flexibility, against the language barrier, and for our team to walk in the spirit!

We love all of you!!!

Today's The Day

Currently I am blogging this from the back of the lovely mrs Brooke breed's car. We are on our way to the airport- safe, envisioned, excited, and ready.

Our flight leaves at 5:30 and we will be on that plane for 23 hours. WOO!

Here are some things you can pray for:
1. Safety on the plane :)
2. Against any sicknesses
3. Against any schemes of the enemy - he's been trying to pull out all the stops because he knows something big is about to happen; a flat tire, migraines, $50 being taken away, etc. His attempts are weak and worthless because God is on our team! And clearly we must be on the right track if he's having to pull out these sorry attempts. Lame. Our God defeated death! Who does the enemy think he is??
4. Dreams and visions for Indonesian people - God has already promised much about the supernatural.

Next time I blog, we'll be on the other side of the world!

5 days

I am overwhelmed by the goodness of our community.

Every time I think about the people who have so selflessly given to this trip and who continue to pray for us every single day, I am overcome by gratefulness and humbled that our God would think to bless us with them. Wow.

If I could bake you all one million cookies for the rest of your lives, I would.

Thursday morning, our team will be off to take a retreat for 3 days to Mt. Pleasant, TX, the home of Mr. Allen Lawrence. If any of the Allen's family is reading this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! We are so grateful for your hospitality!

Then Sunday, our flight leaves the Houston airport at 5:30 pm (the 17th). Then with a stop in Moscow and a flight switch in Singapore, we'll arrive in Indonesia on the 19th at 7:55 am.

We are still believing God will provide the remainder of our $2,700 by the time we leave. Right now, we have all of the plane tickets purchased, enough money to pay our hotel bill when we arrive, and are just raising money to eat, travel in the country, and use for any other things that might come up along the way.

Thank you for believing this with us! I know I sound like a broken record but truly, every single one of you has an inheritance in Indonesia.

More updates to come! :)

WOW

With some updated calculations and with money that has been promised to come in this week, we have a new total.

Our team needs $4,216 by Thursday.

Yes, this still is a lot. But this is also INCREDIBLE. It's $6,000 less than what we were aiming for 3 days ago.

PRAISE THE LORD!

He is good!

Please continue your prayers. We are so appreciative of you!

If there was ever a time for a miracle...

Now would be it.

It's a good thing our God is more faithful than the sun. Just like there's no doubt in my mind that the sun will rise in the morning, there's no doubt in my mind that a miracle will occur this week.

As of today, our team needs somewhere close to $10,000 to live on while we're in Indonesia - $1,000 for each member.

By Thursday, July 7th.

And believe it or not, there's not an inch of me that it worried about this. I'm 150% excited to get to witness a miracle this weak! How many people get to pinpoint the actual week a miracle going to happen!? Not many, that's for sure.

I don't think I've ever prayed for anything so much in my life. I'm not sure if our team members have ever prayed for something so much in their lives. And if there's one thing we've been assured of this past week is God's unfailing love for us.

In Luke it says, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's great pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Our daddy wants to give us a KINGDOM! And He has promised we have a kingdom inheritance in Indonesia this summer. He doesn't call us to go somewhere and not provide a way for us to get there.

Thanks for taking care of us, Jesus :)

We're asking you guys to have faith with us. To believe for $10,000 this week.

Because the same God that...

parted the Red Sea

fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish....are you serious. FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE!

cleansed people of leprosy

and not to mention, defeated DEATH and SATAN

yea...that God is going to provide us with $10,000 this week. :)

Almost 3 weeks from now...

We'll be leaving for Indonesia.

How. Crazy. Is. That.

I am continually being blown away by God's faithfulness and provision for this trip.

Around 2 weeks ago, we had our second garage sale. We raised over $800!!! WOW!

Then, another crazy thing happened.

I went to turn in money one week. After counting up how much our total should be after I gave it, I knew I had given our accountant that day around $2,400 or so.

I received an email from one of them 2 days later asking if I knew how much I had given that day. I said I knew what the total was but wasn't exactly sure. She said it was because there was MORE money in the envelopes than I had marked on them. I figured I'd just made a simple calculation error. Left out a five or maybe neglected to count a 20.

That Friday, I received our weekly update. I went back and calculated how much money it said I had turned in, just to see how off I was....it was $1,700 more than I had calculated!!!! I know I can be off sometimes. But let's get real. There's no way I neglected to count THAT much money. It also said I turned in a single envelope with $1,000. I never remember writing that on a single envelope.

God. Is. AMAZING.

Currently we have 9 of our 10 plane tickets purchased. We ALMOST have enough money for the 10th one and after that, it's just about raising money for us to live on in the 3 weeks that we're there.

If you are praying for anything, PLEASE PRAY FOR FINANCES!

I know God is moving because every week, more money shows up. It still blows my mind that I have a ticket to Indonesia when I had absolutely no way to pay for it. Indonesia. That country on the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD.

I also know that in these three weeks, because of your prayers, and because we have a faithful God, we're going to see amazing miracles.

As they happen, I will try to keep you updated.

Thank you so much to everyone who has/is financially and prayerfully supporting us. You have a HUGE inheritance in Indonesia.

updates!

Thank you so much for your prayers, friends!

Last week, our finances DOUBLED! :) How amazing! God provides!
And by now, we have enough money for 6 of our team members to buy plane tickets! This is so awesome!

We still have a long ways to go, but God is seriously moving already. Just imagine what it's going to be like in Indonesia!

Our garage sale had to be moved to a later date because of schedule conflicts, so as soon as we know the official date, we will let you guys know.

THINGS YOU CAN PRAY FOR THIS WEEK:
Orphans and widows in Indonesia - God would begin being their comfort and provision.
Bonds of depression - God would begin breaking those bonds and showing people a new life.
Dreams and visions- God would start giving people dreams and visions of himself, of the truth about salvation, of His amazing love and grace for these people.

As you are praying for us, don't feel silly to pray SPECIFIC prayers. God cares about every little detail in our lives and He is a real God! He hears it all and will never hesitate to answer a prayer from His children. Believe that what you are praying for WILL happen! YOU have an inheritance in Indonesia through your prayers!

Thank you so much for your support. You guys have no idea how much we appreciate and are grateful for you!

Just a bit excited

In 1 month and 18 days we will be on our way to Indonesia! Yay!

And for all of you following, I figure it's about time to introduce our team.

Team leaders: Allen Lawrence, Betsy Runnels and Kyle Van Hecke
Team members: Stacie Breed, Meagan Romero, Jose Vallejo, Erin Spencer, Jenny Rowlands, Lavinia Tanasa and Courtney Gilliam.

All 10 of us are beginning an exciting journey of prayer for this trip. Throughout the past month, we have been doing a few fundraisers to help raise money for the trip. In may, we had a garage sale which raised over $400! Praise the Lord! With other fund raisers and promised gifts, our trip is around 1/5 paid for already! On June 4, in the Antioch parking lot, we will be having another!

Please pray that finances will be provided for and that the money raised at the garage sale would surpass our expectations! God still can multiply the 5 loaves and 2 fish when we give Him everything we have :)

We appreciate your support and prayers tremendously. Please continue to pray for the softening of the people of indonesia's hearts! We're excited for what God's doing!

So here's the plan

We're headed to Indonesia!
And we are fully expectant for God to move!

Back in the fall of last semester, our section leaders began praying about where to take a short term trip this summer. For the past two years, we have been to Uganda, but this year the Lord was speaking something different!

The theme of this trip is COME and GO!

That the people of Indonesia would COME as it says in Revelation 22:17 - "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely form the water of life." And then GO as it says in the great commission - We are sewing an inheritance in Indonesia for the people there to hear the Gospel and share it throughout their entire nation.

Some of you might ask why college students, who are basically broke, would travel halfway across the world to tell people about Jesus.

Well here are some reasons:

1) It was one of the last things Jesus said on earth

Jesus said "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:18-20) If that isn't a clear mandate as to what I'm supposed to do with my life, I'm not sure what is.

2) Indonesia is almost entirely Muslim.

Our goal is not to change the nations in vain, for our own glory. It isn't about coming back to America hoping to say, "Hey! We transformed a country!" It's about going to a place where there is a NEED for Jesus. These people NEED a hope, restoration, and rescue. They NEED to hear about a God who loves them unconditionally, and that there's nothing they can do to earn their way to heaven. It's a free gift given by the King of kings. Why wouldn't we want people to know about this free gift? I want to see all of Indonesia in heaven!

3) We desire to be a part of God's plan!

Regardless of if we go or not, God is still sovereign. Somehow He will reveal Himself to these people. But why not be a part of it?! God invites us to take part in His plan of salvation. God is a creative and adventurous God. He LOVES to rescue people from the pits of Hell, chains of their past, and deep sins they thought they could never get out of. I WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS!

July 17th - August 7th are the dates we will be in Indonesia

We need prayers!

Things you can pray for right now:

-Finances: that God will provide completely for every dollar needed to go on this trip!

-That God will start tilling the soil in Indonesia so it is ready for us to plant seeds of hope, restoration and rescue.

-That God will bring healing and restoration to these countries

-That people would start receiving dreams and visions; their hearts would start becoming soft to hearing the Gospel

-SAFETY

-That God would start giving our team boldness even now.

We will be keeping this blog updated throughout the rest of the summer and the trip with testimonies of salvation and God's provision as we are more than confident of seeing those two things during this crazy adventure He's taking us on.

We would very much appreciate your prayers!

-The Indonesia Team