The Transition - Newsletter Sept. '10

As promised, here is my newsletter for this month. It took me a while to publish it, but I hope you enjoy it. If you have any question feel free to ask.

If you would like to read the Papiamentu version click here.

Eng_Newsletter Sept 2010_The Transition

Back in Curacao! The reason behind my sudden return

Two days ago my plane from Kingston landed in Curacao. I came on a one way ticket, without any plans to return. Yes, I have chosen to leave YWAM.

When I arrived in Montana I was supposed to get a Jamaican visa in my passport to conclude my work permit process. Nonetheless due to the lack of timing and finances I was unable to do so. After that, my only option was to completely restart the process. So I started praying and asking God the reason why and if He is trying to say something through all of that. It was not until I was about to leave Cambodia that I got the confirmation that what God was really saying is that my time with YWAM Jamaica was over.

So after School of Dance Studies I returned back to Jamaica, where I met with the leaders. As I explained everything to them, they released me and this is the reason I am back home at the moment.

It was not an easy decision for me, seeing that I really loved being a part of the team in Jamaica. I already miss my friends there, but I know that God will work everything out for good. My newsletter with more explanation about my future plans will soon be released so you can be better informed. In the mean time please keep on praying for me as I transition back into living in Curacao.

Cambodia report

Praying and dancing in a park

It was three weeks ago that the days when I used to lie on my bed, in my small Cambodian room where over. Looking back, it was an exciting yet unfamiliar time in my life. The Kingdom of Cambodia is different than anything I have ever experienced before. It is a Buddhist country that only 13 years ago experienced rest after 30 years of wars. As you can imagine, the country is still rebuilding after these horrifying years of terror. Due to their recent past, Cambodia is a very young country with over 80% of the population being under the age of 30. The country is hungering for a sense of direction and many times looking for it in the wrong places.

Teaching dance to Cambodians

During our time in Cambodia, we had the opportunity to teach dance to some young Cambodians in Battambang. These students heard about us through the Youth Center that YWAM Battambang has there where they get the opportunity to learn English and other skills for free. I was in the team that taught Modern dance to about 10 girls. These girls were hungry to learn, not only dance but also more about God. For me it was the first time that I encountered people that were so hungry for God. So after classes and when they had English class breaks, we spoke to them about the love of the Lord.

One of these students in particular really touched my heart. She was the last student to join our class, so she asked us for some extra classes to learn all that she missed. One afternoon after her extra class me and my teammate started asking her about her belief. She willingly shared with us that she grew up Buddhist, but at the Youth Center she learned about Jesus. So she started to pray to Jesus at home, nevertheless she did not really know anything about Him neither did she own a Bible. A couple of days later we were able to buy her a Bible and connect her with one of the YWAM staff that spoke Khmer so that she could learn more about Jesus. When we left, she still did not dedicate her life to the Lord but I am praying that she soon will.

Sanding a door before painting it

Aside from teaching classes, we also helped clean and paint a new building that YWAM just acquired, perform a couple of times at the YWAM base, pray over a new café that they are about to open and minister twice in a church through dance and preaching.

Thank you so much for believing, praying, and supporting me financially. It was a blessed outreach, where I really saw the goodness and faithfulness of God. I fell in love with Cambodia and would love to go back some day. I urge you to continue praying for this country; for I believe that greater things will happen in Cambodia.