Sunday, August 31, 2008

getting ready to go again.

You you believe it's pretty much September already?
Where did the time go?
It doesn't feel like that long ago I was coming home from Orlando and now it's almost time to leave again.

On September 20th I will be flying to Orlando for a School of Ministry and Evangelism. This is a six month school - the first three months are spent in classes in Orlando, and the last 3 months are spent in various major cities through the States telling people about Jesus!
I'm crazy excited for this school and super nervous at the same time. It'll definitely be a few steps outside my comfort zone and I'm still waiting for money to come in.

If you are interested in supporting me please contact me at sj.rinas@hotmail.com.

I'll keep you updated on how things progress.

peace.

Friday, June 27, 2008

south africa!

holla from worcestor south africa!

*this computer will not allow me to do capital letters so i apologize in advance...*

i can not believe i've been here for an entire week. it's been crazy. currently it is winter here and it's actually pretty chilly. turns out my body has forgotten what to do with cold weather and i'm definately sick. pray that no one else gets what i have and that whatever i have would leave!

the last week has been mostly working with kids in various schools and neighborhoods. it has been amazing. we started building a soup kitchen in one of the neighborhoods around here. it's going to be such a blessing to the community i'm so excited.
there are so many kids everywhere, it's incredible and yet heart-breaking. most of them don't have shoes or proper clothing to keep warm. they are all so desperate for any kind of affection, it's really sad.

i really love the kids and could spend all day playing with them. please pray that i will get healthy soon, i'm pretty tired of sitting in bed all day!

pray for worcestor, i really love this town and the harvest is incredibly ripe - people are so ready to hear the gospel!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

on the move again

I leave for South Africa this morning!!
it's been so busy around here it's crazy. This week alone we have sent teams to Russia, Dominican Republic, China, Mongolia, several states, and now Africa!
I'm so stoked!
I will be home in Canada on July 8th - give me a call!
Peace out,
Sarah Jane

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Back again

Holla!
I actually started updating this about a week ago but i must have got distracted because i never finished...oops.

Well, I am back in Florida and I have officially graduated DTS!
It has been really great to be back here, I'm loving it. I've unpacked and settle in for the next few weeks. In my time before South Africa I will be volunteering around the base. My schedule is pretty consistent, I'm in the kitchen in the mornings and in the office in the afternoons. Being in the office is my favorite, the people in there are hilarious and it's tons of fun.

The past week and a bit have been busy and i feel like i havent stopped moving since I got back. Lately God has been reminding me to take time to be still. One of my favorite places to do this is in our 24-7 prayer room here in Orlando. It's a room that has been set up for both staff and students (and those of us inbetween). There is someone in there every hour of every day, it's pretty cool. It's been set up with music, paper, markers, and the walls are lined with white boards telling of what God is doing in peoples lives. It's really cool. I was in there yesterday for the first time since i've been back and it was incredibly refreshing. It gave me a chance to think and process and hear what God has to say. It was definately much needed.

Now it is the weekend and I'm taking this couple days to just chill out. I printed some pictures this morning and this evening I'm going to watch some dvd's I took out of the library.
Wonderful.

I hope you guys are doing great back in Canada!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

a fresh burst of energy

Last night we had a worship service at the church we're staying at. It was so refreshing. One thing I've really been missing is big worship services - ya know, the ones with english songs, and drums, piano etc. We have team worship almost every night but theres something about worshipping in a big loud group of people that I miss so much!
So last night the Thai church had a worship service, with songs in both Thai and English, drums, piano, guitar etc. It was great. It was exactly what I needed to get through the last few days. God really reminded me how much I have to be thankful for and how much He has planned for me in the next year.

It's amazing to me that we've been in Thailand for almost two months. I really feel like God has used us here both to impact other people as well as to grow out own faith. This has definately been a growing experiece that I wouldnt trade for anything.
I'm so excited to be home where i can share all my stories and pictures with you all.

Please pray for safe travel when we leave here as things seem abit crazy with the natural disasters in the area.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Nearing the end

Jeepers. I cannot believe I am almost finished my time in Thailand!
Currently we are staying at a ministry center in Phang Nga - it's really nice. Here we have been working with kids and teaching alot of english, thats been a ton of fun.
On Wednesday night we went to a park to evangelize. It was really good. We had worship and games. We did a few of our dramas and alot of kids (as well as their parents) gathered to observe. A couple of junior high girls were really interested in the gospel message we were presenting them with and asked alot of questions. It was exciting to see them so interested! We're going back tonight, and they said they would come as well, so pray that something sweet happens!
On Saturday night we are moving to a church in a different part of town and we will be there until we leave. As usual i'm not sure what the internet access will be like, so if i dont get to write before we leave thailand i will update when we get back to Orlando.

Whats next??
Well we get back to Orlando on May 20 and graduate on May 23. After that i will be volunteering at the YWAM Orlando base until June 17. On June 18 I am going to south africa with another YWAM team! I will be back in Edmonton on July 8th.

I will continue blogging through my time in orlando and south africa so check it out!

Monday, April 28, 2008

quick update

Wow it has been so long!

I've been on the island now for almost 2 weeks. We have a computer but it's been down for a while and it's so slow! But allow me to give you a quick update.

The island is beautiful! We've been working at a community center here that was built after the tsunami. The center is run by a pastor and his wife and their dream is to have it all up and running and be able to do summer camps and kids programs. They have such a heart for this, they are really a blessing.

So we've been spending our days doing manual labor for the most part - digging 30 foot wells, plastering builings, painting, etc. Initially it was hard to get into it because I expected to be interacting alot more with other people. But God's really been showing me (as well as the rest of my team) that we need to be joyful in where He has placed us. This has been a great opportunity to bless these people in a tangable way.

I had my birthday here on friday. That was alot of fun. The Thai people love any reason to celebrate so they thought this was great. They got a cake with my name on it and everything. It was very sweet of them.

On thursday we are leaving here for our next location.

Pray for safe travel and health.