(pic 1: Me Sailing the Next Wave Ship in the Med.! pic 2: Me with My Small Group Girls.)
Hi All Family and Friends!!!
Yes, I'm outa here again. I'll try you more about it below. But I just want to say my mom is a smart woman! Here I have had a hard time finding the time to finish this update...I was making it all pretty and needed to add a beginning and ending at least, but with going to California June 2-8 and now, today June 16 flying out with the outreach team I am leading to Thailand/Cambodia for 2 months, I just kinda ran outa time! My mom said why don't I just send it as is...so here ya have it...it tells what I am doing and what is up. I apologize for any mistakes or roughness or lack of further info in some spots!
Spring 2009 Discipleship Training School
Training Up New Leaders
I cannot believe that I actually do this, but not only as D.T.S. staff do I disciple students in their walk with God and help train them to be future missionaries, whether on the mission field or in the native country, but by working with new staff, I am able to walk with them through learning how to staff, how to lead small group, one-on-one mentoring/discipling, lead a class, teach, and lead an outreach. This happens in an informal setting through relationship and also formally working with new staff or people that ask for discipleship. I feel quite humbled to be used in this way.
Mini Outreach - Spokane, WA:
This was a week of challenge as well as growth for students and staff! It seemed a jam packed week where we served, served, served! First Evening) Praying for people and evangelism on the streets of downtown; Day 1) Physical labor at a kid’s camp for underprivileged youth (night: optional street evangelism); Day 2) More street evangelism; Day/Evening 3) Cleaning, serving coffee and dinner, playing and singing worship music, talking to the homeless and less fortunate people at City Gate Church; Day/Evening 3) Street evangelism, Working at Union Gospel Mission, talking with the men in rehab there, Running the evening chapel service (leading worship, two students shared their testimonies, one student preached - they rocked it! God totally showed up and led our students!); Day/Evening 5) Worked at World Relief (office work, purchasing items for new refugee apartments, setting up furnishings in refugee apartments, going with a refugee on a bus, teaching English to refugees), debriefed the week as a team; Day 6) Clean the church we stayed at, packed, drove 4 hours HOME!
Shannon & Amy’s Awesome Small Group:
This Small Group I have the awesome privilege of co-leading with new DTS staff Amy. She is a wonderful person with a heart for the Lord, the students, and discipleship! This being the first DTS she has staffed, it's again humbling that she may be able to learn from my small group, one-on-one mentoring, and leading experience. It feels weird to even write this, as she is doing a great job and is such a great friend too!
We have a beautiful small group of girls: Anya (Ukraine), Becca (Washington), and Constance (Montana). It is wonderful to see them grow in knowing God and their identity in Christ! They are so kind-hearted (trouble-makers wouldn’t even be used in the same sentence), and as leaders they bless us so much!
Thailand & Cambodia ~ June 16-Aug. 14
My Outreach Team
Becca and I are so excited about out outreach team! We have a total of 12 people, representing 6 nations: U.S.A.: leaders Becca (Viginia) and I, Jonathan (Texas), Natalie (Washington); Canada: Daniel H. (call Hutch); Northern Ireland: Grace; Australia: Katie; Japan: Mai; 1 family from New Zealand: parents Garry and Annette, 18 year old daughter Tammy (who is a student also), and 12 year old son Daniel S. This is awesome diversity which can lead to various venues of influence but also can lead to many differences which could cause disunity.
*Please pray for our team that we would become more and more united (as we did on mini outreach), becoming vulnerable and laying aside our own rights to prefer and love each other!
Rachaburi, Thailand
For our next 2 weeks we will be 2 hours west of Bangkok, serving local YWAM workers by reaching out with kids' ministry, to university students, and Burmese refugees. Pray that this is a great experience in getting our students feet wet in missions and fully "walking on water" in our trust in the Lord!
Pai, Thailand
We will be spending about 3 weeks in the northwest area near Chiang Mai, serving a local church that doesn’t get much help or have a pastor. We will be sharing testimonies, preaching, leading worship, teaching English in the schools (which leads to more ministry opportunities), going into a hill tribe to pray for people and hopefully do construction.
*Pray that we can serve them, bring refreshing to the Christians, and that people would be open to the Love of Christ!
Battambang, Cambodia
We will be here about 3 weeks, serving through YWAM Battambang. We will be teaching classes at the Youth Center, playing with kids and holding babies at orphanages, possibly serving at prisons and ministering to women who came out of prostitution. We are really excited about developing relationships with people, that they may see Christ in our lives and hear who Christ is through friendships!
*Please pray for deep friendships to form and to recognize and take opportunity of divine appointments with people for God to work in hearts and transform lives!
How am I doing?
This has a several part answer, and it’s hard for me to admit my struggles and weaknesses. At the beginning of this Spring DTS, I was crying to God and said, “I don’t want to be vulnerable!” And God began to tell me that He made me to be vulnerable. God uses my vulnerability to minister to others, even though the process of what I am going through may hurt and be a struggle at the time.
Ever since last year’s mononucleosis (Nov. '07-Feb. '08) and having several colds/flu and walking pneumonia, I have been battling a weak immune system. This means I get sick about once a month. Since December ‘08, I have been ill five times, and most of these put me in bed for several days! From March until Oct. ’08 I felt much better because I began to take several vitamins and supplements. However, in the fall I was unable to keep it up because it of the expense.
This has been an interesting personal season in my life. Asking questions of the Lord, finding some answers, wrestling through alot. But I feel it's okay to wrestle, as in Jacob's wrestling match for blessing in Genesis. I can't go into details right now, but the sun is getting brighter through the clouds.
As we all are holding our breath and struggling in our current economic condition, I am also feeling the squeeze-very tightly. Over the last 6-12 months I have lost several monthly supporters and have not been able to gain any ground. My average income Jan.-May 2009 have been $480 a month, where I would need $600 a month to float more safely. I know I should "cast my cares upon the Lord" and I try, but it is sad to say that worry in this area have affected me negatively. I believe God has called me to D.T.S. staff, but doubts do creep in. This fall I hope to spend some time visiting you, my friends, and my churches, spending time with God, and recuperating/resting - even to visit, I do depend on financial support to get there. If you could please pray about supporting me monthly or even with a one-time gift, it would help me tremendously. I cannot do this without YOU being part of the vision God has called me to! (If you would like to give, you can e-mail me at speppermintz@gmail.com while I am on outreach. Please send gifts to ...
YWAM Montana
Accounting Office
501 Blacktail Rd
Lakeside, MT 59922
For a tax-deductible receipt, do not write my name on the check, but write #3499 or include my name on a separate sheet of paper. Please let me know whether this is monthly support or not. And thank you, really, thank you.)
*Please pray my health to be restored, for perseverance, renewed joy, for truth to replace the lies so I can Listen and Know God and His promises for me and for my future direction.
Here are some quick bullets of how you can pray for me.
* Immune System & Skin Condition (severely dry skin - am now trying to use special shampoos and lotions.)
* My Finances
* Prepartions for D.T.S. Outreach to Thailand/Cambodia, June 16-Aug. 14
* My Outreach Team: team unity; for what’s on God’s heart; love for people; for the ministries/contacts we’ll work with & people we’ll meet - to spread the love & transforming power of Jesus!
* Becca & I as we lead this team with discernment, God’s strength & power!
* My Future... I am praying about what God has next & when. As of now, I feel I am in the right place until God tugs me.
Thank you for listening! Now to sleep for 2 hours until my 3:30am van run to the airport! Blessings! Shannon
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