Last Update

So, this will be my last blog update for a while. Hopefully, I'm going on outreach on Friday. We fly to London, then we head to Nepal and India. I won't have much chance to get on a computer, but you can still email or Facebook me. I just won't get it for a while. I still need around $2700, but I'm praying and trusting that God will get it here.

Ciao!

Unimaginable Changes

I've changed so much,
I've become the person
That people want to be with,
The one that's not popular,
But not the one that's unpopular,
I'm right where I need to be,
On my way to
More changes,
Unimaginable changes.

Christmas Break

Christmas break we all thought,
Would be boring,
As somewhere we don't want to go,
But it's not,
We are bored,
But not fully bored.
We bake,
And a YWAM special,
We watch movies.

Outreach

Outreach is only 2 weeks away. I still need $3146 by Friday.  Ryan needs $3449, Kate needs $832, and Lydia needs $1962. Some of us are a little freaked out and worried, but most of us have no doubt that the money will come in. They said the they have only had to send one person home in past DTS's because they didn't have there money for outreach in. We are all getting nervous as the 31st gets closer, which is when we are leaving. But we're more excited than nervous. We'll be flying on the same plane as India A and South Africa are. We'll be in London for 10 hours, on New Year's Eve, but we probably won't leave the airport, since we'd have to go through immigration. But it's still London! Then India A and Eagle Eagle Condor will fly to Nepal together and we'll be staying in the same place for about 2 weeks, then India A heads on to India. We stay in Nepal for another week, then head to India on a train (enter sarcastic 'fun' here). Then we stay in Calcutta for three weeks and then New Delhi for three weeks. Then we come back to LA and have a week of debrief and we have a graduation ceremony thingy and we all go home.

Best Small Group Time Ever

Tonight, my small group went to The Cheesecake Factory. The food there is super yummy. We had to wait for a while before we could get a table, because it's super popular. But when we did get our table, we were each handed a menu the size of a novel. Rebekah, Emily and I all order burgers and fries, Alissa ordered a pasta dish, and Dani ordered a steak. About ten minutes later, our waiter brought out the burgers and the pasta. He also seemed a bit nervous. Someone in the kitchen had dropped Dani's steak, so she would have to wait about five more minutes, which was fine. There was so much food on all of our plates that Dani, Alissa and I brought the last of it home with us. Then we ordered Key Lime cheesecake and Godiva Chocolate cheesecake. The chocolate one was so rich, we couldn't finish it, but the Key Lime was really refreshing, so it was easy to eat, and it tasted like heaven in pie form on a plate. And Dani's food was free, since it was dropped and she had to wait for so long. So it was a great evening, filled with laughter, funny faces, and interesting conversation topics.

Eagle Eagle Condor Team Bonding Time

Last night, Eagle Eagle Condor got to run the YWAM Christmas Tree Lot. It was so fun, although we were there from 9 am all the way to 10 pm. We sold 65 trees and all the tips we made (which amounted to $127) goes towards our outreach. We also learned a lot about each other. Somethings were too much information, but I guess it was good to learn it now, rather than on outreach, where we might not be able to handle it. It got really cold around 6 pm and we were all freezing our tail feathers off. Amyjane and I started penguin huddles. When we didn't have customers, of course. We eventually started a fire in a fire pit they have there. We spent our free time huddled around the warmth, laughing and telling crazy stories. We weren't bored once. Customers came in cluster. One vehicle would show up and before we knew it, it was all hands on deck and backed up, because twenty thousand other people would show up. But around 1 pm we settled into a good rhythm. Some people wanted to be left alone, and then got upset when we said that we weren't allowed to lower the price on a tree. Some of them left, but we are the cheapest lot in the town and we have the nicest trees. When we got home around 10:30, we were all so tired, we couldn't walk straight, so we staggered, all looking like drunks, to our trailers and I'm guessing everyone fell into their bed without bothering to change their clothes. That's what I did. the only thing I managed to go was take my shoes off.

Outreach Funds (2)

Ok...so Eagle Eagle Condor still needs a good bit of money to be able to do what we need to do. We aren't sure what our special project is yet, but it's will probably involve something at an orphanage. There are a bunch people in the DTS that still need their outreach money, so the school leaders gave us a website to give people. The website allows people to give funds to a single student, or to an entire outreach team, and your donation is tax deductible.

Just click on the link below:
https://www.meigiving.com/YWAMLA/form/form.php
If you want to give towards my outreach fund:
B8000-YWAM LA DTS Madeline Hendley (under Special Gift for a Person)
If you want to give towards my team:
B8000-YWAM LA DTS India 1 project (under Special Gift for a Project)

If you want to give to another student or another team, or another student on another team, send me an email and just say which team and I'll find out which student needs money.
The outreach teams are South Africa, North Africa, Chile, India A, and India 1.
My email address is MadelineBHendley@gmail.com

If you know people who want to get involved, let them! Get your church involved! Your youth group! Everyone you know!

Outreach Funds

I found out last night that flying to Nepal and training into India is expensive. We're looking for the cheapest tickets, but even the cheap ones are expensive. Then there's taxi's and food. All together the price will probably be around $3500. This isn't set though. By the time it's actually time to go, the prices could be higher or lower.
I want to thank everyone who has already sent something for my outreach.

A Relationship, Not a Religion

Too many times we don't understand who God is. So many people see him as a demanding ruler, who will do just that if we mess up just a little bit. Of course, none of this is true. God is a caring and loving Father and wants what is best for His children. But then, my generation see their heavenly Father the same as their earthly father, which isn't wrong, but it often gives us a skewed view of who God is. If your father was not in your life, then God is distant. If your father was a huge part of your life, in a good way, then God is close to you, and He wants to be with you. The list could go on forever. God wants to be a part of your life, but He's not going to force you. He wants you to be happy, but now stupid. He doesn't require you to be a perfect person, He'll accept you just as you are. God doesn't think its a sin if you laugh in church, because He has a sense of humor (Why else would He create duck-billed platypuses or naked mole rats). He doesn't care if you show up to church half dressed. He just wants a relationship with you. That's really what Christianity is. A relationship, not a religion. He wants to be in your life and He loves you more than anyone on earth could possibly love you.

Meet My Team

It's officially time for you, my loyal readers, to meet the Super Track and India Team 1.
I don't have any pictures, or they would be up here too.

Super Track:
Terrence from Switzerland. He's a rapper. He has a video on Youtube.
David from Canada. He's one of the leaders, but he's cool. He's also a skater.
Martin from Sweden. He's married, and his wife is on the Justice Track. He's also really funny.
Esther from Denmark. She's quiet, but really cool. She loves RED, which is a Christian rock band that I happen to love.
Elyse from West Virginia. She's one of the leaders. She started the Super Track last year.
Teresa from Virginia. She's the third leader. She's super funny, loves people and is Elyse's best friend.
Jakob from Sweden. He's a leader/student. He's mostly here because he did his DTS last year, but his fiancee is doing her DTS this year. He's totally on fire for Jesus,
Kevin from California. He's actually from South Korea, but he moved her when he was youger. He's one of the oldest students here. He's really quiet, but he's really awesome. He said he was going to make sushi for the whos base someday.
Me. There's not really a need to say much about myself..

India Team 1
Mike from...I actually don't know where he's from, but he's living in Califorina (obvously). He's Leader #1. He's hilarious. Most of us call him Gator, although I'm not sur why. The rest of us call him by his last name, which I should not post.
Danila from Germany. She's Leader #2. She's also my small group leader, which is awesome. She's pretty awesome.
Kate from Wisconsin. She's cool. We don't really know each other that well, as she lives in Trailer 14 and I live in 6. but we did share a room in Mexico.
Lydia from Burundi/England. She's so funny. She's amazing too.
Dinah from California. She's another one of the oldest students. She and I have the same sense of humor, which is scary.
Sam from New York. He's a talented musician. And he had a great sense of humor.
Ryan from Califorina. He's a skater. He's funny.
Amyjane from Oregon. She's a people person, and a morning person. It's really fun to be a breakfast trying to wake up and not fall alseep in your bowl of Cheerios and then she walks by and you're automatically awake.
Kimberli from Oregon. She's really serious, but also really funny. She and Lydia are hairdressers. We'll all have good hair in India.
Rachel from Virginia. She's super quiet, but she's the first to jump into a group project.
Me...once again, not much to tell.

Super Super Track

On Friday night, the Super Track went to the Santa Monica Promenade and Pier. It was so fun. We split into four groups for two. I got Terrence. He's from Switzerland, and thinks his English isn't so great, but it's actually really good. We met this one homeless lady, Ann, who was actually in the process of getting an apartment and a job. She was a Christian and we got to pray for her. Then we met David. He wasn't homeless, but he had a serious problem with his back that caused him to walk with a limp, and be in constant pain. We prayed for healing, and afterwards we asked him how he felt and he said it didn't hurt as bad! The we talked to these homeless two guys, whose names I don't remember. One wasn't a Christian, but had grown up in a Christian home and knew a lot about what the Bible says. The other, was a Christian, but said that because he smoked weed and drank that he didn't call himself a Christian, because he didn't want to put a "smear on Jesus' name." Then we bought them something at McDonald's. On the pier, we met a lady who does healings, but not in Jesus' name. She said that she called in the help of the angels. She had her heart in the right place, but she wasn't getting it from the right place. The we passed a father and son fishing off the pier. We watched for a while, and then we talked with them. We found out that they hadn't really caught anything. So, silently we prayed for fish. A few seconds later, the boy caught a fish! But he was so excited that he jerked the pole and the fish fell off the hook. But it was still so cool!

It was so amazing that we watched a man lose a bit of pain, and a boy catch a fish, when all we did was pray. But God wants us to pray for these things. He said that if we have faith, it will happen.

Outreach Locations (3)

We found out where in Nepal we are going and where in India we might be going. But for security reasons I'm not aloud to say where. Really sorry, as I know you all really wanted to know. And we found out that because plane tickets are so much more expensive than they were a few months ago, that they will cost around $1800.
We will will stay in Nepal aproximately one month. India will be two months.
I'm so excited.for outreach.

Track Experiences

There are 6 Focus Track in this DTS. A Focus Track focuses on on thing.
Skate Track: reaching skaters
Prayer Track: prayer is very powerful
Media Track: yes, movies can reach people
Justice Track: focusing on human trafficking, and homelessness
Create Track: the Arts (dancing, music, fashion, etc)
Super Track: homelessness
 Ryan , sprained his ankle last night. I think he was at a skate park. He's on the Skate Track, which focuses on reaching skaters and the girls that hang at the skate parks. He's walking around on crutches today.
The entire Create Track except for one person, because he's a guy, is exhausted, because they were at Fashion Week LA.
The Prayer and Media Tracks are fine, because they stay pretty much on base.
The Justice and Super Tracks are tired, because we were out late. The Justice didn't get back until 2 am. Super was back at midnight. The Justice Track was staking out some nail salons and massage places, because of some stuff that might be going on there at night. They also went to the red light district.
The Super Track went to Hollywood and walked around for evangelism and prayer. We split into three groups and my group didn't really talk to anyone, mostly because there were on opportunities, but we did do some serious spiritual warfare. It was so awesome. Everywhere we walked twice, it was so different from the first time we walked down it.

Eagle Eagle Condor

So, India Team 1 (Yes. I'm going to India on outreach) has a name. We are Eagle Eagle Condor. I don't really know why, though. I guess it just sounded cool. We had our 'Icebreaker Meeting' last night. It was fun. We don't know what city we are going to yet, but we do know that we are going to stay in Nepal for a month. We get to wear the traditional clothing. Mostly the girls, which can be awesome. We also found out that we need to have $400 as soon as possible for travel expenses. Once agian, God Trust.

Outreach Team (2)

All the DTS Outreach Teams are having meetings tonight. I'm guessing we're going to find out what cities we are going to. I really hope so, because I have people back home wanting to know so bad. And I'll find out whether I can say where I'm going. I'm so excited. I have some really great people on my Team. I know I said that in another post, but it's so true. And I get to know them a little better, too, since we're going to be so close together for three months. There are three guys on Team 1, and one of them is a leader. Team A only has three guys, and none of them are team leaders. I guess none of the other guys felt called to the location. Then again, most of the DTS students are girls, so...

Well, I have to go to supper now.

Outreach Team

My Outreach Team was so big, we had to split into two groups. I got Team 1. The other Team is Team A. I have some truly awesome people on my Team. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

Outreach Locations (2)

Unfortunately, I can't tell you where I'm going on outreach, because of security reasons, but it's one of the choices I had. You might see an elephant or two and there are mountains. I really wish I could tell you. I do. But, I can't.

The funny thing is, I have no conscious memory of writing that location down, but when it was time to move to that location's particular spot in the room, I knew it was where I was supposed to be. This might not make much sense, but I think God wrote that down.

Outreach Locations

Tonight we found out what our outreach locations were.
They are:
India
South Africa
Costa Rico
Chile
North Africa

I chose the first two, skip one and forget the last. (If that make no sense, sorry, I can't really say right now, because there might be people that are looking over my shoulder, and they can't know. I will be able to say tomorrow, though).

Thanks to everyone who sent me money for the lecture phase tuition. I will be able to go on outreach for sure. I only need $35 now! God is truly AMAZING!!!!


"I know the plans I have for you,"- This is the Lord's declaration.- "Plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

Lecture Phase Tuition

Good news!!! Out of the $2215 I owed for the lecture phase, I only owe $200. There were several people who still needed money for it, so we did this thing were DTS staff and students could give to those who didn't have all the money. It was so amazing! After that happened, we took a break for lunch. After lunch, we went back into the classroom and they had all the amount on the white board. So much had been given. One guy, Michael, had no money at all when he came and his tuition was completely paid off!

Anyway, I need $200 by Monday night, or I can't go on outreach. But I'm trusting God.

Followers

For those of you who read my blog, but aren't Followers, become one, because it's so nice to see I have so many people who want to know what's happening in my life.

Five Days in Mexico

When they said we were going to a conference in the YWAM base in Tijuana, Mexico, we thought they were insane. But, as it turned out, we were wrong. We had a great time. It was like a huge prayer and intercession meeting. We had amazing speakers. The food was great, the people, friendly. The weather, gorgeous, the views, spectacular. We had a day of outreach, where the LA DTS group went to this village and repainted the inside of a church and a house, taught at an orphanage, and fixed a roof. I met some awesome Kiwis (New Zealanders). Our last night there we went to a base-wide soccer game, where the Kiwis played for the first time. They did a Haka before the game and I almost cried. If you don't know what a Haka is, you have to know, because its amazing. I suggest Bing.
This morning, before we left, they did another one, where I actually did cry.

I've noticed that YWAMers are very emotional. In a good way. We cry together, we scream together, and then cry some more. I don't think I've ever seen so many people screaming together in a 'God setting' before, except at a Chris Tomlin concert and that was loud and a ton of people. But in Tijuana, there were only, like, 250 of us and we were louder. We were totally stoked for Jesus!

The trip into Tijuana was a trip like no other. The van I was on got lost. Yes, it was the van, because I'm not going to blame Shaun. None of us knew Spanish, and all of the road signs were in Spanish. Some guy tried to get in the van, then we drove into downtown Tijuana, which is the most dangerous part. Did I mention that it was night? Then we passed a shootout. Truly terrifying, yet so fun. We arrived safely on base and we were the last of the LA group to get there.  We went into the evening session, but all of us were so confused. It was almost over, anyway. We got into our beds that night, and I was so high on adrenaline from the drive that I had a hard time getting to sleep. The trip home was a little less exciting, but it was still fun. We got to sit at the border for a while, mostly because the line was moving so slow. Then, Eric, Katlyn, Breana, and I laughed for a long time. Actually, I did most of the laughing. Then I fell asleep and had weird dreams. But we got home safely.

It's funny that we all call the LA base home now. We've only been here for three weeks. But it has become home because this has become the familiar. None of us really want to leave.

What Not to Do in Mexico

DO NOT GET LOST AT NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN TIJUANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super Track

The Super Track is just what the name says. SUPER!!! It has a focus only on one thing. Homeless people.
Did you know that 1 % of the American population is homeless? That's about 3.5 million people. Over 1 million childern sleep on the street or in shelters every night. About one quarter of the homeless living  in cities are under the age of 18, making homeless children 39% of the homeless population in America. Adults between the ages of 31 and 50 make up the highest share. 51%. Single men make up about 40% and single women about 14%. About 40% of the men have served in the US armed forces. 11% of the homeless in uban areas are veteran of wars and armed conflicts.
The causes for homelessness vary:
1. The lack of affordable housing.
2. A national increse in poverty.
3. The lack of stable employment that pays a living wage.
4. The inability to pay for medical bills.
5. The inablity to qualify for public assistance.
6. Domesitc violence.
7. Mental illness.
8. Addictions.
Most people think that the homeless are lazy. In most cases this is not true. 13-25% of homeless men and women are employed, but as they don't have a physical adress, they can't get a good job. Most work at temporary labor agencies that offer low pay and long hours.

How many times have you passed a man on a street corner that maybe just needed a prayer? How many times have you dumped half a meal in the trash bin, when there are so many people in America alone, going hungry?
We take our homes, our beds, our clothes, and our food for granted, not even realizing that so many people don't have that.

10 Tips for the Beach

1. Wear a swimsuit.
2. Take a towel.
3. Take snacks and drinks.
4.Take a camera
5. Don't swallow half the water in the ocean
6. Take some friends.
7. Don't get sunburned.
8. Have fun.
9. Wave jump.
10. Laugh at yourself.

The Shell is Cracking

I actually did it. I danced in public. To awesome music. I am on the lunch and dinner cleanup crews and Eve, Anyjame, and I were mopping the floor.  There was an awesome Group 1 Crew song on, called Movin', and I love, love, love that song. All Eve and Amyjane were dancing and then, before I knew it, I danced. It felt pretty good. I don't even dance at home! I'm always afraid that people will laugh at me. But no one did. I probably could have danced all night, but we had work to do. Right now, I'm sitting in the grass, by the volleyball court, listening to people play their guitars and watching people play volleyball. It's pretty interesting to watch, because we have Europeans playing, so there are totally different rules.  So cool. Ya gotta love new rules.

Revenge is Off

I decided to not take my revenge. Just as long as people don't throw candy corn at me.  And it's much easier for me to be friendly now. I used to be pretty anti-social before. Now  I'm initiating conversation on my own. I used to wait for someone else to tell me something first. It's a pretty big step for me. But I hope at the end of this DTS, I hope to be a totally new person.

Planning of Revenge

I absolutely HATE candy corn!!! Tonight a group of us went to Wal-Mart and Steven, one of my fellow students bought a bag of candy corn. In the bus on the way home, I found out that on a trip to Tokyo, Steven drank stick tea, which is one of my all time favorite things to drink. Apparently, he loves it too. Anyway, several people threw candy corn at me. Just the smell of candy corn makes me slightly nauseous. I threw all the missiles I found at Steve. And now I'm planning my revenge. Nothing violent, or offensive, or harmful. Just something funny.

Early Bird

I never wake up before 8:30. But here I am this morning, awake at 6:30. I woke up at exactly 5:59. Crazy insanity. Unfortunately, it's overcast here, so I won't get to see a sunrise, unless it clears up pretty soon. Which totally sucks. But I don't control the weather. I hope there's a clear sky tomorrow morning. It's a little cool this morning, but it should be nice and warm by mid-afternoon. Which is okay, as long as it doesn't get to 110 degrees.
Can't wait for the day to officially begin. It should be pretty big, since it's the first day of the DTS.

Coming out of My shell

I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time. I never want to play any sort of group game where the player might look remotely stupid. But tonight, I did it. I played, not one stupid game, but three. It was so fun. It made me realize that by being so serious, I was missing out on life. I found out that I won't be as busy as I thought I would be. Which made me happy. I still have to get up pretty early, like at 6:00, but still...

Arrival and Setting Up

So...I got in at the YWAM base for my DTS yesterday at 1:30 pm. It was pretty quiet, because it was Saturday. All the girls from my dorm were at the pool, so I got to unpack and set up my half of my room by myself. I met my roommate, Eve. She's awesome. I had an awful headache. I hope I didn't scowl at everyone I met. I unconsciously scowl when I have bad headaches. I eventually got unpacked, although it took me an hour and a half, even though I only had two bags. I met the rest of the girls in the dorm later at supper. They're all pretty awesome. One of them, Amyjane, had already planned a prank to play on the guys, but somehow they found out, I think. And none of us really wanted the guys' revenge. Our Wal-Mart trip was fun. This one guy looked at our huge group and said, "What is this? A field trip to Wal-Mart?" It was really funny. We bought some necessities that none of us had, if you count sodas and ice cream as necessities.

I can't wait until 3:00, when Registration is. I'm pretty excited for the next 6 months, but a tiny part of me wants to go home, back to the family. I hope to get over my homesickness in the next week. There's a bunch of cool stuff to do around the base. It's a thirty minute walk to a huge swimming pool. There's a polo club and a fencing studio close by. The weather is gorgeous and the people are great. I wonder what great things God has in store for me.