I have to start this update off with an enormous thank you! I am fully paid off for both my South Africa and Switzerland trips and that is due to a number of people giving generously. Thank you for believing in me enough to invest financially into my life, thank you for believing in my dreams and helping me on this amazing journey. It means more to me than I can express properly here and I hope you are blessed as you hear about what happens on these trips.

As you saw in the picture above, Shasta Lake is full! California has been in drought for years and even two years ago the dam was dangerously low, I remember going there and being worried at how low it was. We as a church community have been praying for years for God to send rain and now it’s so full the sluice gates are open and the Sacramento river is even overflowing! What an answer to prayer!

Those of you who have read my updates or know me personally, already know that I have a huge heart for the nations of the world and few things make me come alive more than meeting believers in every corner of the globe and having the opportunity to worship with them, learn from them and encourage them in their relationship with Jesus. Everywhere I have been there is something uniquely beautiful about each group of people that no other place on earth has. I have learned so much from these experiences and it has made me a better person and I am amazed at the richness and diversity that God has placed in His people.  I don’t take lightly the privilege it is to be able to travel and do what I do. For me it is very simple, Jesus, in Matthew 28:18-20 instructs us to go into all the world and so I will. Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM, has been a huge inspiration in this, he has actually been to every country on earth, for the exact same reason. One of my biggest dreams is to travel to every country to share about the love of Jesus and this is another step towards that.

Interning for Bethel’s Creative Arts Director tends to have an effect on you! There’s something about being around someone who is just a full blown creative that you find yourself tapping into your inner weirdo creative and seeing what happens! I will say though, I haven’t started wearing tie-dye, quite the opposite, I wear black a lot now! All this to say that creating in any way, no matter whether it’s cooking, playing my guitar or taking a photo has made my brain think creatively about other areas of my life.  Recently I have found myself dreaming about my future more and more, especially times when I am busy creating. Not in a ‘one day I am going to own an Aston Martin DB9’, (I would actually love that) but more thinking about how I can follow my passions.

There is something about accessing the creative, sometimes irrational part of my brain that sends my mind on all sorts of tangents and I become more inspired than ever to see my dreams become reality. I have been having a lot of fun exploring sound design lately and I’ve really had some fun. A little while ago I was asked to play for a set in School but to make it sound a little more ‘danceable’ than normal so I spent the afternoon having the most fun I’d had in ages designing some fun synth sounds. The set went really well and I had so much fun!

Here’s a quick clip of me practicing for the set. It is full of mistakes but all the sounds in it, I made that afternoon so at the point that I recorded this, I was just happy it all worked! Also sorry about the audio quality, it’s just my iPhone!

I like to think that I am a very logical person. I am quite proud of the fact that my brain can process information quickly and it is truly a gift but sometimes it gets in the way of me dreaming. We are forever seeing people that inspire us on social media that have found a way to make their dreams a reality. My Dad text me a few days ago and said this “Brains aren’t the best sensor/processor for love, it’s a heart job!” How true that is and I believe it applies to dreaming too. If I am not careful I will try and figure out every last detail of how I am going to accomplish everything I want to in my life and I wind up frustrated and sometimes even despondent. When this happens the only way that I start to have hope again is by bringing my dreams to God and asking Him to take care of them. Then I ask Him “Ok God, what do you want me to do right now that is going to make that dream happen in the future. You know how this all works out so please show me.” Without fail, every time I do this I have the most profound peace come over me and and idea pops into my mind about what I need to do. If you are ever facing a situation in your life that doesn’t have hope attached, it’s not God’s plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (my emphasis added) and Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” So if it’s not good, it’s not the end! These trips I am going on are another step on a path that is taking me towards my dreams and my destiny and I’m beyond excited to see what that turns out to be.

Next week I am off to South Africa! We will be in Johannesburg for the first few days running a Creative Conference with multiple teaching sessions and a bunch of workshops teaching people how to prophesy, preach the gospel and heal the sick using creativity. We will also be in Pretoria and then Cape Town where we will do it all over again after some rest/fun days. We will also be out on the streets doing ministry, what’s the point in knowing all this stuff if we’re not using it in every day life! Ministry trips are always extremely full on and most days go from 7 in the morning to after midnight so please be praying for supernatural energy and great coffee!

In my next update I will give a full report my time in South Africa about the amazing things God did.  I have so much expectation that we will see extraordinary miracles and that people’s lives will be changed as they realise their creative potential and encounter God through it. I will also update you on what’s happening with the Switzerland trip. I hope you have really enjoyed this update, I know it’s a little different to all the others but I was feeling really inspired to share what’s been going on in my life on a more personal level.

PRAYER – for if you’re the praying type…

Answered Prayer

• For funds for the South Africa and Switzerland Trips WOO!!!!
• I am starting to gather the information necessary to make tools and resources that are going to impact lives all over the world.

Prayer Points

• For my time in South Africa, that God would move powerfully though my team and I.
• For energy and unity amongst all three teams that are going to South Africa.
• For my 2017 that God would continue to mould me into who He created me to be!
• For wisdom to be able to create tools and resources that are bigger than my ability and that truly bless people all over the world.
• For continued wisdom both in building community and in general as I spend time with God.

God Bless You!