One Month in Mistissini

It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been living in Mistissini for one month. The time has simultaneously flown by and dragged on as I’ve laboriously navigated the past four weeks of teaching in this remote community.

For those of you who have been praying for me, I am incredibly grateful and I sincerely thank you; I have felt your prayers. They have given me the patience, strength and wisdom to get back in the fight every time I’ve been emotionally and mentally knocked down, and honestly, that has happened nearly every single day.

The first week here was definitely the most challenging week of my five years of teaching. Thankfully, things have been slowly improving with each passing week, only marginally, but it’s progress and I’m very thankful for every small victory. Here are some updates for those who wish to join me for this ambitious adventure.

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The class:

In my last update, I shared that my co-teacher, Dom and I were cracking down on discipline in the classroom and asked for your prayers. As we expected, this has been a minute by minute struggle since many of the students don’t experience discipline or face consequences of any kind in their daily lives.

With much painstaking consistency, they are slowly coming to realize that we mean business and that their disruption, defiance, and disrespect will not be tolerated in our classroom. Sadly, this has meant that we have already put one student in the alternate suspension program and we are currently working on doing the same for two to three others. Our goal is always inclusion, but when their behaviour is preventing other students from learning and preventing us from teaching, placing them in an alternate program for a period of time ends up being best option for all involved.

Aside from the eight to ten students who are consistently wreaking havoc in class, I have seen a improvement overall. Dom and I been able to establish a clear routine and consistent expectations and it seems to be helping a lot. We are also meeting with our students one on one to build rapport and get to know them better. There is much work yet to be done in order to foster a safe learning environment for these students, but the wheels are slowly turning and we are committed to seeing this through.

The hardships:

I have been experiencing a lot of stress due to the chaos that surrounds me every day. The behaviour of the students is absolutely appalling at best and violently abusive at worst. I have been struggling to prevent this stress from manifesting itself physically.

Here are a few things I’ve dealt with over the past three weeks.

• One of my students  didn’t want to be in detention so she screamed at me, flipped her desk over, and left the class, slamming the door very loudly behind her.
• I tried to break up a bullying incident between two 11 year olds at recess. One girl had the other pinned up against a brick and was yelling at her within an inch of her face. I had to think fast and tried to de-escalate the situation as best I could but the girl wasn’t responsive, blinded by her anger. Thankfully another teacher saw what was happening and came to help me. Sadly, even with the two of us intervening, the aggressor was able to violently punch the other girl in the face. I couldn’t help but feel responsible; I wasn’t able to save the girl from her assailant’s rage.
• Several boys from my sixth grade class were involved in beating up another boy in fifth grade. The boy who was injured was lured behind the grocery store by a girl and was bullied and attacked by 7-10 other students. We are starting a school-wide anti-bullying campaign because things are getting increasingly violent at our school and students are getting hurt.

On top of these larger incidents, I am disrespected, degraded and defied every single day by the students at the school. Whether it is students talking back, making snide remarks in Cree, teaming up against me, pushing chairs and desks aggressively in frustration, or simply refusing to do what is being asked of them, each day is a struggle. It is no wonder that several teachers from this community have had to take mental health leave. As you can imagine, these incidents are very emotionally draining and I am completely exhausted at the end of the day.

The Highlights:

Thankfully, it’s not all bad! There were a few noteworthy silver linings from the last three weeks.

• I got an unexpected hug from a girl who has been quite defiant since I first got here.
• We had a long, positive talk with one of our boys about his choices and his future. He is facing a lot of peer pressure to be ‘cool’ and part of a local gang and we hope that every ounce of truth we speak into his life will help him avoid choosing the wrong path.
• I had a productive conversation with a difficult student’s mother and it was so encouraging to ascertain that we are on the same page in wanting her daughter to succeed at this school.
• I attended the Anglican church last Sunday (one of two English speaking churches here) and it was a lovely service.
• I’m slowly but surely getting into a routine with my teaching  and moving beyond the most challenging part of what has proven to be a steep learning curve.

I’ve also been able to explore the community and the culture a little bit more. The local lodge is hosting a free dinner from Monday – Wednesday for the next few weeks. I was able to attend last Wednesday and it was such an enriching experience. It was my first time eating moose stew and it was delicious!

I was also able to do some craft sewing and even tried my hand at wood carving (it wasn’t for me as the carving tools were very sharp and difficult to use properly, my wrist was cramping!) Hearing one of the elders bless the food in Cree before we ate brought tears to my eyes. There is something so innately serene and profoundly beautiful about this culture; I am so honoured to be able to experience it first-hand living in this community.

Prayer requests: 

1. Please pray for my health as I have been experiencing migraines and stomach issues from the stress that I have been facing on a daily basis.
2. Please pray for Dominique and myself as we strive to find the right balance of love and firmness for our students. Pray also for unity as we get to know each other better and create a thriving teaching partnership.
3. Please pray for my students that God would soften their hearts and allow them to see us as allies and confidants who love them.
4. Please pray for the families in this community. I sense that there are many strongholds here including addictions, neglect, and a poverty mentality. Please pray that these strongholds would be broken in Jesus’ name and that this community would be transformed for His Glory!

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Thank you so much, friends! ❤ Your prayers and support mean more to me than you know. If you want to write me a letter, here’s my mailing address:

Natasha Spiers
368 Mistissini Blvd., Apartment B,
Mistissini, Quebec, G0W 1C0

First Week of Teaching

I survived my first week teaching in the Cree Nation of Mistissini.

To sum it up: It felt like I was starring in a hidden camera documentary entitled: Sixth Grade Psychological Warfare.

Context:

Let me give you a few details so you’ll better understand the structure of my new role. I am team teaching with another sixth grade teacher who has been at the school since last January. Her name is Dominique and she’s a great.

There are four sixth grade English classes at the elementary school (there are also two sixth grade French classes as the students have a choice to pursue their education in English or in French). Two of the English classes are team taught by Elaine an Laura who have been at the school for over five years and the other two are taught by Dom and me.

Team teaching:

Team teaching means that both Dom and I are the teachers of two 15-student classes that were joined together to make one 30-student class. The students are taught some subjects as one large class (science, art and social studies) and they are separated into two classes for math and English according to their comprehension levels.

Team teaching is unconventional and it has its pros and cons but Dom had been wanting to give it a try for a while and I thought it was a great idea, so we are going to test it out until Christmas break to see if it works for us. I think we make an awesome team.

A challenging week:

Here are just a few of the things that took place during my first week of teaching, many of them occurring simultaneously:

1. I was sworn at and mocked in the Cree language.
2. The students defied 90% of the instructions I gave them.
3. They constantly and loudly complained about what they were asked to do.
4. Students threw things at each other during class.
5. They pushed, shoved an hit each other in the classroom.
6. They constantly argued with and antagonized one another.
7. A student kicked the door in anger.
8. Several of them threw objects against the wall in defiance and frustration.
9. They refused to stop talking when I was giving directions.
10. They walked out and slammed the door when they got upset.

As you can imagine, it has been a very challenging week, physically, mentally and emotionally draining. But at the same time, it’s been invigorating because this week has  given me confirmation of why I’m here.

My purpose:

I firmly believe that God called me here to show His consistency, acceptance and love to these students, many of whom have had childhoods wrought with abandonment, rejection, and sometimes abuse. There has been a lack of consistency, consequences and structure in their lives and their tough exteriors are carefully constructed facades meant to protect vulnerable, wounded and hurting 11 year-old hearts.

The students are accustomed to seeing teachers come and go on a regular basis. Many teachers can’t handle the stress of this environment and the dejection of a seemingly hopeless situation, and I can completely understand why. But because of this lack of consistency, the students have learned to not trust authority figures, leading to an outright lack of respect for their teachers.

Love and devotion:

I was talking to one of the women in the community who works as a doctor at the clinic here and she gave me a poignant analogy of the situation. She told me that the students don protective shells because it’s how they’ve learned to survive. They’ve been so hurt and disappointed that they’ve adopted these tough exteriors as defense mechanisms. These shells, equipped with sharp thorns, will pierce anybody who dares to get close enough.

She went on to share that genuine compassion and true devotion is not giving up on them even though it means that I’ll get pricked endlessly. It’s not retracting my affection even though loving them is painful; it is exhausting and overwhelming and thankless in many ways. Their constant anger, frustration, aggression and disrespect is difficult to endure. But, I do love them and I am devoted to them. Because God loves them and I have committed to loving these kids as He does.

Speaking truth:

I was able to have a meaningful conversation with one of my more defiant female students this week. With all sincerity, she asked me, “Am I always bad?” My heart broke. I responded emphatically, “No! You are not bad, you are good. You are smart, capable and good. But sometimes, you make bad choices.” I went on to talk to her about how all of our choices, good and bad, have consequences that affect us, others and our futures.

She listened intently and I could tell she was absorbing the truth that I was sharing: her behaviour is separate from her identity. Many of these kids have been taught either implicitly or explicitly that they are bad and cannot change. It will take a considerable amount of time and effort to help them unlearn the lies that have been spoken over them and replace those lies with God’s truths regarding their identity. They are not bad, they can change, there is hope.

This small victory made the entire arduous week worth it. It strengthened my commitment, bolstered my courage and ignited my conviction. I will withstand the insults to show them God’s consistency. I will endure the hostility to show them God’s acceptance. I will suffer the thorns to show them God’s love.

Jesus did.

Prayer requests:

1. We have cracked down on discipline to bring structure, accountability and logical consequences to the classroom, please pray that we are able to uphold these rules and procedures fairly and consistently.
2. Please pray that I would have the patience, compassion and firmness to love and teach the students well.
3. Dom and I spend a lot of time together, planning, preparing and teaching the class. Please pray that we would continue to build a strong and effective partnership.
4. Please pray that I would have an overflow of God’s strength because there is no way that I can do this in my own strength.

Thank you so much, friends. I love and appreciate you! If you want to write to me, I’d love to get your letters! My address is:

368 Mistissini Blvd, Apt. B, Mistissini, QB, G0W 1C0.

xo Tasha

 

Moving to Mistissini

If you had told me one year ago that I would be moving to a small reservation in the remote terrain of northern Quebec to teach 6th grade in the Cree community, I definitely would have given you an ‘you’re joking right?’ look and walked away swiftly. But, as is often the case, God’s plans are very different from my own and well, here I am, all moved in and ready to meet my new class of Cree pre-teens tomorrow morning.

I want to keep my blog updated to give you a first timer’s perspective of life up north. Here are a few things that you might find interesting about the adventure so far.

The journey here:

In order to get to Mistissini (which means Big Rock in Cree… possibly a foreshadowing of my future engagement ring? Hehe.) I had to travel first from Toronto to Montreal and then from Montreal to Chibougamau (the city with the nearest airport.) From there, I had to get a taxi for the hour and twenty minute drive to my new community.

The community: 

Mistissini is technically a reservation and a dry community, which means they don’t sell alcohol anywhere on the reserve. The community size is around 5000, a huge change from the hustle and bustle of life in Toronto and Seoul. The community includes a grocery store, a community center, a post office, three schools (pre-school, elementary and high), four small churches, a health clinic, a hair salon and two gas stations. They even have a Timmy’s and a Subway!

The apartment:

I have my own one bedroom apartment that is small but starting to feel cozier every day. I am in a fourplex so I have three neighbours who all seem quite friendly. The apartment is only a ten minute walk from the school, which is great since I don’t have a car. We even have a fenced off backyard with a shed and a deck for enjoying those warm-ish summer nights.

The landscape:

Mistissini is located on Quebec’s biggest lake named Mistassini, which makes for many a beautiful and tranquil view. People here live in small houses and trailers, and the ‘town’ isn’t very spread out so you can walk from one end to the next without much difficulty. There are many trees and the air is beautifully fresh. The average winter temperatures drop to -25 degrees C with several feet of snow from December – March!

The school: 

There are two main schools in Mistissini, Voyageur Memorial Elementary School and Voyageur Memorial High School. There are two streams in the Elementary School, so students can choose to pursue their education in French or English. There is also a pre-school that is taught in Cree. All students take classes to learn the Cree language and Cree culture which is very important to the community as it should be. High school students even learn how to hunt and prepare animals such as moose for food!

The Cree Nation:

The Cree are the largest First Nations group in Canada. Most Cree people live in the plains and the subarctic regions of the provinces spanning from Alberta to Quebec. Cree is also the name of the spoken language which belongs to the Algonquin language family. Maintaining their language and their cultural traditions is very important to the Cree people and many time-honoured ceremonies and rituals are still practiced today.

Please pray that:

• My transition to living here would go smoothly
• I would be able to connect well with my students
• I would be able to make friends with others in the community
• I would find a church family to be part of
• This unfamiliar place would begin to feel like home

Thank you friends, I really appreciate your prayers and support! If you want to write to me, I’d love to get your letters! My address is:

368 Mistissini Blvd, Apt. B, Mistissini, QB, G0W 1C0.

xo Tasha

Honour Your Father and Mother

Of the ten commandments given to us by God, I have consistently found this to be one of the most difficult to put into practice. Throughout my life, I have routinely fallen short in my quest to obey the fifth commandment, ‘Honor your father and mother…” Growing up, I was a rebellious and disobedient teenager. Even into my adult years, I struggled to be respectful in my interactions with my parents. I didn’t understand why it was so difficult until I participated in a program that taught on the topic of healing and forgiveness.   

I realized that although I had a deep love for my parents, it was buried under an avalanche of anger and resentment. As a child, I was deeply affected by my parents’ divorce and the tumultuous years that followed. I didn’t know how to deal with my pain at that age, so I attempted to ignore it. But as the years passed, the pain didn’t disappear, contrarily, it festered and grew into hostility and resentment.

As I dug deeper, I discovered that these negative emotions were fueled by unforgiveness; I was unable to move past my parents mistakes and sins. As I remained a prisoner to my own emotions, not only was my disobedience to God preventing me from experiencing His peace and joy, it was hardening my heart toward my parents and prohibiting me from honoring them the way God commands. But how do we honor our parents when we’ve been wounded by their sins? Are we still obligated to honor our mother and father when we don’t believe that it is deserved?

The answer is yes. God uses no uncertain terms in this regard. “Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother….” Deuteronomy 27:16. These are powerful, indisputable words. God doesn’t say, ‘Honor your parents if…’ If they were perfect. If they never disappointed you. If they did everything right. No, God’s command does not come with any loopholes.

As children, we honor our parents through our obedience to them. As we move into adulthood, honoring them takes on a different role. Honor is defined as, ‘to regard with great respect and esteem’. How do we do this when it’s difficult, when we have been hurt, or when we don’t feel like it? Honoring, much like love, is not a feeling, but a choice. Here are three ways that we can practically obey God’s fifth commandment.

1. Forgive our parents. We need to acknowledge that our parents are only human, with their own struggles, sins and limitations. When I made the conscious choice to forgive my mother and father, I was able to see them as broken people just like me, in need of grace. By extending grace and forgiveness to our parents, as God has first done for us, we not only honor them, but we honor God through our obedience.

2. Affirm our parents. Instead of dwelling on the ways in which our parents have fallen short, we can choose to focus on the things our parents did well. We can thank them for the sacrifices they made and the support they provided throughout our lives. This includes not trying to change them, but instead honoring them despite their flaws. A little affirmation often goes a long way.

3. Pray for our parents. We can ask God for His eyes and His heart toward our parents. Repent of the times that you’ve have fallen short of obeying God’s commandment. Pray to see your parents with compassion instead of bitterness and with appreciation instead of as an image of unmet expectations. God wants to heal our hearts and give us the wisdom and discernment needed to honor our parents as He instructs us to.

Our love for God and our desire to bring Him Glory is demonstrated through our obedience. In the Bible, God declares, “If you love me you will obey my commandments.” John 14:15. As we seek to honor our parents through forgiveness, affirmation and prayer, we honor God through our obedience, displaying His power and glory for the world to see.

In Memory of…

My sweet friend, Athena tragically passed away on May 18th, one week after giving birth to her first child. Just 31 years old, she was a beautiful soul, confident, courageous and compassionate. I will especially miss her big, gorgeous smile and the way her eyes glinted when she laughed. She was wise beyond her years and throughout our friendship, she gave me guidance and encouragement that I will never forget. She lovingly challenged me to be a better person and for that I am forever grateful.

Here is a poem I wrote in her honour.

A radiant light shone deep from within,
T enacious and loyal, her warmth drew you in,
H er bubbly laugh was contagious and bright,
E ncouraging others with kind, tender might,
N urturing, loving, a wonderful friend,
A ripple of beauty that will never end.

Christmas in Athens!

Merry Christmas from Athens, friends! ❤

We arrived at our Airbnb at around 2:30am on Wednesday and the past few days have been a blur of jet lag, getting settled in and exploring the neighborhood. The place we’re staying is pretty cozy (read tiny) but it’s clean and the owner is really friendly so I’m happy.

I still can’t believe I’m spending Christmas and celebrating the new year in Greece this year! It’s only the second Christmas that I’ll be away from home so I’m feeling a little homesick, but I know that I’m where God has called me to be in this season, so thankfully, I have peace about it.

We’re starting our ministry in the refugee camps on the 28th. Until then, we’ve been doing some prayer walks and getting acquainted with the area.

I thought I’d post a few pics of the neighborhood so that you’ll have an idea of where we’re staying. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, friends!

Love you, all!

 

Greek sweets for days.

I love the colorful buildings.

The square by our Airbnb.

I ❤ Greece.

Gyros are SO much better in Greece!

Snowcapped mountains in the distance.

Acropolis on the hill.

Olives!

YWAM Adventures – Part 2

Hello incredible friends and faithful supporters!

I can hardly believe that the day has come for me to leave California and head to Europe for my DTS outreach!

After three months of training in LA, I’m boarding a plane this afternoon to Athens, Greece! We will be serving in various refugee camps for four weeks in Athens and then traveling to Paris for six weeks to work in the area of anti human trafficking.

I am not able to bring my phone or computer with me, so I will have very limited access to the internet over the next two and a half months.

Please keep me and the rest of the team in your prayers for unity, protection and boldness as we love and serve the vulnerable in Jesus’ Name.Thank you so much for your support, friends. It really means a lot to me.

Prayer Requests:

Team Unity:

This is so crucial to our trip being successful. Please pray that we would all get along well and be REAL and vulnerable with one another. Pray that we would create genuine intimacy and work well as a team, honoring each other and being kind and encouraging. We want to be marked by our love for one another and how we serve each other and those around us.

Protection/Safety:

Please pray that we would get there safely and have no travel issues or problems (including not losing our luggage, no flights being delayed etc.) Pray that none of us gets sick or injured while we are there. Often, when traveling to another country, we can get sick because we’re not used to the bacteria there etc. Please pray that we don’t have any stomach issues or any other health concerns that would bring us down and get in the way of our work.

Our Ministry:

Please pray that we would be servant hearted and that we would have good attitudes, even when we are not feeling the greatest. Pray that God would bless our ministry and that many people would come to know of His Great Love for them through the love they see from us. May we reflect Christ in all we say and do! 🙂

Personal Growth:

Please pray that we would all allow God to work in our hearts and minds while on this trip. Pray that we would all grow in our character, in our compassion and in the way we view ourselves and others. Pray that by the end of the 10 weeks, we are not the same people that we were in the beginning, that we would be even better at loving, forgiving, serving and sharing God’s Hope.

I’ve included a few photos below as well as a song that  has spoken to my heart while I’ve been in LA. I pray that God will always be the King of my heart, my anchor, my motivation, my peace and my sustenance.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 6:1-3

Love you, friends! ❤

 

My tiny sleeping bag!

Christmas Party!

View of downtown LA from City Hall.

Palm Trees 🙂

My outreach team! ❤

 

No Filter

What do the photos of a magnificent sunset, a perfectly plated piece of cake and your friend’s adorable new puppy have in common? They’ve all been considerably edited before gracing the internet with their artistry. A bit more contrast here, a little less saturation there, and voila! Your picture was just transformed from bland to brilliant in ten seconds flat. In fact, altering photos prior to posting them online is such a common practice that it has become significant to note when no enhancements have been made, hence the popular hashtag, #nofilter.

But what’s at the core of this obsession with picture perfection? Could it represent something deeper than the desire to wow your friends with your phenomenal photography skills? In my experience, the answer is yes. Sadly, it would seem that altering photos and altering ourselves are merely two sides of the same image-obsessed coin.

Have you ever met somebody who regularly changes their personality depending on who they are with? Perhaps he or she acts shy and reserved with one group of people, but suddenly becomes wild and reckless when hanging out with a different crowd. If I’m being honest, that somebody used to be me. There was a time when I was so uncomfortable in my own skin that I felt the need to continually change my personality in order to gain the attention and approval of others. Much like the motivation for editing my facebook photos, I would alter my personality in a desperate attempt to impress those around me.

The truth is, however, no one except God has the power to make us feel accepted, valued or loved. He is the One who created us in His image with a specific purpose for our lives.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Of course, self-acceptance is a continual process and it can be challenging at first to change your way of thinking. But, believe me when I tell you that it is so worth the effort. The first step in this journey to healing is recognizing the lies that are holding you captive. For me, it was believing that I was worthless, unlovable and not good enough. Thankfully, the more time I spent in God’s Word, the more deeply I began to understand that these negative thought patterns were lies from the enemy, meant to keep me in bondage and prevent me from understanding my true identity in Christ.

The next time you are tempted to believe the lies that bring destruction, make a conscious choice to renounce the enemy’s accusations and turn to God instead. Ask Him to reveal His truth about your identity, purpose and value. We will only be able to combat the deception of the enemy once we know who we are and to whom we belong.

We must claim our identity as children of God, reject the lies that we have believed and instead embrace who God created us to be. What does the Word of God tell us about our identity in Christ?

“I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me.” Romans 8:37

“I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus.” James 4:7

“I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

If we believe God is who He says He is, then by extension we can believe that we are who He says we are. Uniquely crafted, creatively gifted and purposefully made. What a glorious day it will be when we are able to fully accept ourselves for who God created us to be and embrace our uniqueness and individuality. #nopretense. #noshame. #nofilter.

YWAM Adventures – Part 1

Hello family, friends and supporters!

Greetings from sunny Los Angeles 🙂 I can hardly believe that I’ve already been here for eight weeks! This update is going up later than I intended (and is longer than I intended!) but I hope that it’s informative and encouraging nonetheless.

The past two months have been a riveting whirlwind of learning, laughing, praying, processing, growing, grieving, wrestling and reflecting. I’m honored and excited to share with you the amazing things that God is doing and the epic adventure that He has brought me on through YWAM LA.

In this first update, I’ll be focusing on four main areas:

1. What life is like here in the Justice DTS program.
2. What God has been teaching me each week.
3. The local and international outreaches that I’m part of.
4. Some prayer requests going forward.

1. Life in LA:

The past eight weeks have been simultaneously exciting, challenging, frustrating, fun, inspiring, demanding and uplifting! As you can imagine it’s been fairly exhausting but also incredibly rewarding.

Here is a typical day at YWAM LA:

7am – Breakfast
7:45-8am – Morning Meeting
8-8:30am – Quiet Time
8:30 – 9:30 – Varied Activities (Monday – Base Worship, Tuesday – School Worship, Wednesday – Small Group, Thursday – Base Intercession, Friday – Processing Time)
9:30 – 10am – Base Tea Time (fellowship)
10 – 12:30pm – Lecture (A different topic and guest speaker each week)
12:30pm – Lunch
1:30 – 5:30pm – Free time/Possible Duties
5:30pm – Dinner
6pm – Dinner Clean Up (only on Wednesdays and Thursdays)
7pm – Varied Meetings (Monday – Family Night, Tuesday – Justice Workshop, Wednesday – Outreach Preparation, Thursday – Community Night once a month, Friday – Free)

We have free time on the weekends. Some Saturdays we have a school field trip. We are able to go to a variety of churches in the neighborhood on Sundays.

Fun facts:

• We live on a beautiful compound with 16 trailers, various common areas, a grassy field, a cafeteria, a prayer chapel, a coffee shop and multiple classrooms.
• My program consists of 19 students (17 girls and 2 guys!) as well as six leaders.
• I live in a trailer with 16 other girls divided into six rooms with bunk beds (we share two toilets and four showers!)
• There are two others schools that are on the base with us; altogether, there are about 130 people living on the base. Although our schools are separate, we eat all meals and participate in several weekly functions together.

Highlights:

• I’ve been able to explore a bit on the weekends and I’ve gone to Sequoia National Park, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Northern California.
• I had the honor of taking part in the A21 Walk for Freedom in Hollywood where hundreds of abolitionists came together to march the streets raising awareness for victims of human trafficking.
• Our entire base went on a nine hour road trip to Chico, CA for one week for a conference. The air was crisp and fresh and the mountains were beautiful!
• I ate at In-N-Out for the first time ever after hearing about how awesome it was for years! It was delicious and I love the special sauce 🙂

Santa Monica Pier.

Autumn in Chico.

The golden leaves in Sequoia National Park.

Moro Rock, Sequoia National Park.

In-N-Out!

LA.

Walk for Freedom

A fallen Sequoia tree.

Gorgeous sunset.

Hammock Life.

The YWAM LA base.

2. What God is teaching me:

I am so privileged to be able to have this opportunity to focus solely on my relationship with God during this program, free from the distractions of everyday life. I am learning many truths about who God is and who He says I am. God has been revealing to me the many lies that I have believed throughout my life and He is showing me His Truths to replace those falsehoods.

He is teaching me a lot about forgiveness, repentance, grace and healing. He is teaching me to depend on Him for my worth and value. I’m not going to lie, it has been an uncomfortable and sometimes painful process but He is gentle and compassionate. He only opens old wounds so that they can be properly cleaned with His Healing balm. I know that I am being renewed and restored; it is so worth the discomfort.

Each week a new speaker comes to teach us about a different topic meant to help us grow in our walk with Christ. I couldn’t even begin to explain all I’ve learned in this ‘brief’ update, but I will share a few concepts that God has been teaching me each week.

Week 1: Servanthood
God challenged me that there is no such thing as secular and sacred when it comes to service; it’s all holy because it’s for the Lord. Sometimes, I am more drawn to ‘serving’ when it’s exciting or ‘important’; when it’s something that will get me noticed and affirmed by others. I had to check my heart: Would I be as satisfied with serving if I were asked to paint houses or mow lawns instead of help orphans or minister to prostituted women?

Week 2: Character and Nature of God
In order to have a thriving relationship with God, it’s important for me to understand who God is (His Nature) and how He reveals Himself to us (His Character). I am able to learn about God through His Word; the more time I spend getting to know Him, the more I understand who He is and who He created me to be.

Week 3: Hearing God’s Voice
God wants to speak to me and He speaks in a wide variety of ways (dreams, His Word, music, intellect, prophecy, nature, signs and wonders, an audible voice etc.) God wants to speak to me for more than just guidance, He wants to be involved in all the small things in my life. When I learn to recognize His voice, I will be able to discern His voice from that of the enemy and that of the world.

Week 4: Healing
God taught me about the importance of forgiveness and repentance in my healing journey. I learned that the forgiveness process is like a large ice berg slowly being chipped away. It is often a long process but each time I forgive in obedience to God, a portion of the iceberg is broken off until I am no longer enslaved to the pain of my wounds which often manifests itself in anger and bitterness.

Week 5: God’s Heart for Justice
God chooses to use us to fight against injustice on this earth. I can’t just point out what is wrong with the world, I need to pray for change and be willing to be the answer to my own prayers! I bring God Glory by upholding His justice on earth; He will use both my availability and my ability.

Week 6: The Father Heart of God
I learned that many of us subconsciously view God based on the relationship we had/have with our earthly fathers. This is damaging for our spiritual walk because even the most loving, sacrificial and compassionate fathers are imperfect. God is teaching me to understand that although humans will inevitably disappoint me in some way, He never will. He is Good and He is for me. His unconditional love is my strength.

This song is a beautiful representation of God’s incomparable love for His children.

Week 7: Ministering in Refugee Camps
This was the week that we were in Chico with 400 other YWAMers for the Presence Gathering and the Go Conference. We learned valuable insight about cultural sensitivity and sharing God’s love in tangible ways with those who are hurting and destitute, specifically the displaced.

Week 8: Identity
I learned that my identity is directly linked to intimacy with God. The more I connect with Him through prayer and reading His Word, the deeper I will understand my identity (accepted, loved, valued, created for a purpose.) When I am living a life of intimacy with God, I will naturally reflect Him to others through the fruit of the spirit that will be evident in my life. I am not created to work FOR acceptance, I am created to work FROM acceptance.

3. Outreach:

a.) Local Outreach

Over the past eight weeks, our Justice School has been participating in a weekly local outreach with the NGO, Justice 180. This ministry is committed to sharing Christ’s Hope and Love with women in the RDL (Red Light Districts) of LA. Each week, a team of us goes out to the RDL on Friday night between 3am – 6am to hand out care packages and pray for the women we meet. The rest of us stay back in the Prayer Chapel to intercede for the team that is ministering on the streets.

Wether I am staying back to pray or heading out into the night, it is always a powerful experience. Many times during prayer, we have received a word of knowledge from God, such as a name or a hair color, and later that night encountered a woman with that name or hair color on the street. God is awesome and He cares so deeply for the vulnerable.

When we go out, we give the women small care packages and ask them if they need prayer for anything. Most of the time, the women are very happy to see us and grateful for the gifts. Each gift bag, along with several personal care items, contains a card with a handwritten note of love and encouragement. There is also a contact number on the back of the card that they can call if they ever need help.

These gift bags are simply a physical manifestation of something much more significant that is happening on the streets of LA. Our prayer is that these women would be deeply encouraged because we genuinely care about them despite the fact that they can offer us nothing in return. Unlike their daily experience with pimps and clients, our love isn’t manipulative or abusive; it is offered freely with no strings attached. This is the Love of the Father. It pursues them week after week, month after month. I feel so honored that God chose me to share His Restorative Love with those whom society has rejected.

Care Packages for Justice 180

b.) International Outreach

Our Justice DTS was split into two teams for the international outreach portion of our program. I will be traveling from December 19th – February 25th with a team of nine others to Athens, Greece and later, Montpellier, France. The rest of our school will be going to Thailand and the Philippines.

I am very excited about the opportunity to work in the refugee camps in Athens and care for those who are displaced and poverty stricken. God instructs us to care not only for the widow and the orphan but for the foreigner also. After one month in Greece, our team will head to the south of France to partake in anti trafficking work in the city of Montpellier.

I am very excited about this portion of our DTS because we will have the opportunity to practically apply many of the lessons and truths learned in the first half of the program. I am so thankful for the chance to not just ‘talk the talk’ but to also ‘walk the walk’ – to tangibly love and serve the vulnerable and the oppressed.

c.) Finances 

Thank you SO much to those of you who have generously and sacrificially donated to my outreach. The total cost of my mission trip to Greece and France is $4000 USD. I am still over $1000 away from my goal. If you have not already, I would be honored if you would prayerfully consider partnering with me in this ministry work financially. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and make a significant difference. Moreover, I am sincerely grateful for all of you who have been praying for me. As my previous pastor says, ‘Your prayer support is my life support.’ I truly appreciate each one of you!

4. Prayer Requests:

a.) Team Unity – For our outreach to be effective, it is imperative that we function well as a team. The Bible says that we will be known as God’s disciples by our love for one another. Please pray that we would get along well, be inclusive and accepting of one another and have patience and grace for each other. Pray that we would resolve conflict in a healthy, loving way and that we would honor God by how we treat each other.

b.) Safety and Protection – Please pray that God would protect our team against any injury, accidents or illness. There have been some tensions in the refugee camps recently. Please pray that there would be no violence or uprisings while we are there and that we would bring God’s Peace with us wherever we go.

c.) Servanthood – We want to be a team that’s known for its love, compassion and servanthood in Greece and France. Please pray that we would not seek to be served, but instead, that we would look for opportunities to serve others in love and humility. Please pray that we would maintain positive attitudes, even when things don’t go according to plan, and that we would give God the Glory for everything He accomplishes in and through us.

And that’s my first update letter! Thank you for reading this far 🙂 I appreciate and value each and every one of you. I am so grateful that you have come on this beautiful adventure with me and I praise God for you!

With love,

Tasha ❤

Love in the Midst of Apathy

While I was watching the movie Interstellar, one quote really struck me.

“We can care deeply, selflessly about those we know, but that empathy rarely extends beyond our line of sight.”

How heartbreakingly true this is. I used to think that the opposite of love was hatred, but in recent years I came to learn that in reality, the opposite of love is apathy.

When we turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering of others. When we refuse to help somebody in need because it would inconvenience us. When we cling tightly to our resources instead of using them to improve the lives of those less fortunate. I’ve been guilty of all of these things throughout my life. This is apathy.

I pray that God would continue to break my heart for the vulnerable and the exploited. I pray that He would open my eyes to the suffering of those beyond my normal line of sight. I pray that He would give me the courage to obey His command to love others for His Glory.

Deeply. Selflessly. Sacrificially.

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35