Pic!

This is some of the people from my Compassion DTS out for dinner!

I'm going to Japan!

Yes, this is the moment we've all been waiting for...Where I'm going on outreach from mid December until the beggining of March! We just had it revealed last night, and I am going to Japan! I do not have all the details yet, but I do know that it will be quite cold while we are there, so it looks like mom and dad need to send me my winter boots! The Lord is so good! This specific outreach will be very close to a redlight district, so we will be able to work with women in the sex trade! My passion!
When we were writing down where we wanted to go on outreach last wednesday, right before they told us the choices I ask my Father where He wanted me to go, and a J popped in my head. "J? Are you sure....?" I began thinking of all the countries that started with J, but I never thought of Japan until they told it was one of the choices, and it was the only one that started with a J. I never ever thought God would send me to Japan, but here we are...I am so excited to see what the Lord will do! The total cost of the trip is 5,500 I think, so that means I have around $2,000 left to raise...And I have no more people to send support letters to and no time to fundraise, so please pray God would provide me with peace and patience! This could turn into a story that is glorifying to Him! I am positive He will provide the money if He wants me to go :)
All is great here on the YWAM base besides that, I have been getting really close to some of the other girls and I have also been hanging out with a couple of locals who have been backpacking and cycling around the island! One of them is an IronMan!
This week our speaker is talking on Hearing the Voice of God. I really like him thus far, he is totally Biblically accurate and never does anything without the Holy Spirit's leading first. His talk yesterday caused many of us to cry, and I do not cry easily. I have a feeling this is going to be a freeing week, I am praying that many chains that are on people lives and my own would be broken this week. Please be praying the same!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Naturally,
Demetria

Prayer, the Kingdom and friendship.

Hello! My first week in Kona has been an amazing one. God has really been calling me to prayer. We have a 24/7 prayer room here on campus and I have been spending a lot of time there praying. I actually get excited to go and pray! I used to think praying was so boring and useless, but I am beginning to see the power of prayer. I will pray something and immediately it will happen! And just spending time in intercession for people and certain issues really puts you in a partnership with God, fighting with Him for the sake of His Kingdom. This week we had a lecture by Don Stephens about the Kingdom of God, it really changed the way I treat daily life. Everything matters! Every single thing we do can glorify our King! It also has taught me to put the Kingdom first and my own desires second, which is a much more fulfilling way to live. I have been going to the beach almost everyday because I am obsessed with the power and majesty of the ocean. But also because at least a couple of my friends are always there. I have been getting so close to people here, everyone just wants to have heart to heart conversations. I have confessed some of my most secret and dark sins to my close friends here and they have done the same with me. It has strengthened our bond in Christ and helps us to hold eachother accountable. I love it here, but I am a bit homesick. I would do anything for a hug from my mom and to see my little brother and sister smile at me again. But the Lord is sufficient for me, so as long as I have Him, I am more than content. I will update on more next week :) Much love!
Naturally,
Demetria

Pictures!

My dorm room that I share with seven other girls! One bathroom and one sink! My bunk is on top to the left!

                                           My view from outside my dormroom door! Our outside cafeteria is just up those stairs.

                                       Outside of the dormrooms!

           Me outside of our YWAM Coffee Shop-it was a stormy day!

Greetings from Kona!

Hello everyone! I have now been in Kona for two days! I had a connection in PHX from OHare, and I arrived in Kona around 2 p.m.(hawaii time). It is around 85 everyday and feels even hotter when you are in the sun, but it gets cool around midnight so sleeping is not so bad. The only place I have been in that has a central airconditioning was a Starbucks! We had orientation most of the day on Thursday, I must have met like 50 people! It was wonderful though, everyone is so welcoming and loving. Also, everyone is connected by the Holy Spirit, so you feel even a deeper bond when you are talking to people.
On Friday we had our first class of Compassion DTS, there are 89 students in the class! It was absolutely wonderful though, I can tell that I am going to learn so many new things! We had worship that night also, with the whole YWAM group (over 500 people) and it was amazing, everyone gets really into it. Today, (it is 7:30 P.M. in Kona right now) our whole Compassion group went to the biggest beach on Hawaii (which isn't actually that big) and spent the day there, just getting to know everyone, but we also cliff jumped! I got sunburnt on my face :( but thats ok! I have been making such good friends, all from totally different parts of the world: Norway, Iceland, Canada, Haiti, Texas, Paraguay and list goes on and on... Tomorrow we have church if we find a local church to go to, I may be going to the oldest one of all of the islands of Hawaii! I really want to  meet a lot locals so I can really get involved here, so please pray that I would make many local friends! Also, that I would really focus on God and glorifying Him! Thanks, love you all!
Naturally,
demetria.

P.s. ill be posting some pictures soon!

(any questions? i would love to email! (demasdemi@gmail.com))