My Land Thailand!

            So I am going on week 3 in outreach with my team in Thailand, a lot has happened and for all of you following my journey in my DTS, here is what we have done since the last time I gave an update.

            Our team began our journey on December 6^th 2010 leaving around 4:00 a.m. for the airport. We had a plane from Kalispell, MT to Seattle, WA, a 6-hour layover, than a 12-hour flight from Seattle to Seoul, Korea, another hour layover, than a final flight from Seoul to Bangkok, Thailand. After almost a 25-hour journey we finally arrived at our destination!

            We were in the city of Bangkok for 3 days for a “cultural orientation”. This orientation consisted of going over the various ways Asian, more specifically Thai, culture is different that our culture in America. For example, the bottom of the foot is considered very offensive, and touching the head is very disrespectful, etc. During this time we also went on a scavenger hunt in the city, given certain tasks to complete, all the while using our new Thai words and phrases. This gave our whole team and I a little introduction to what we would be experiencing for the next 2 months.

            From Bangkok, we took a 12-hour bus ride to the city of Chiang Rai, which was an adventure on its own, but for the sake of details lets just say I hate mosquitos! This is the city we currently are in, and for the past few weeks, we have done a number of different forms of ministry. Upon arriving we found out that we would be assisting a local smoothie shop, in their university ministry called “Gin Gang”. The first thing our team did was help put on a weekend camp geared towards university students. This camp was in the wilderness of Thailand, a.k.a. jungle! It was so gorgeous and green; I was totally blessed to have the chance to see God’s amazing creation. This camp was more focused on making relationships with the Thai students, than preaching, but our team was able to share a few testimonies, dramas, and worship songs with students there. During the next weeks, our ministry has been an array of different opportunities. We have taken turns working at the smoothie shop, put on a program for the local school, played with kids at a house for those stricken with AIDS/HIV, had lunch with university students, put on a Christmas party, various prayer walks, and even helped with a wedding! As far as being able to see different things in Thailand, we have gone to different temples, seen the Reclining Buddha, received Thai massages, and rode elephants into the hills and rice fields of Thailand! So far, my journey in Thailand has been extraordinary and God is using our team to plant seeds and grow those that have been planted before us. During our last few days here in Chiang Rai, we will be able to spend Christmas day with the “Ahka” hill tribe, and put on a service for a local church. From here, we are heading off to the city of Chiang Mai to teach English, and do various other types of outreach to the local community.

            As for my SBS plans after my outreach, I have finally completed my application and awaiting a response from Taiwan. I have been given various opportunities of paths to choose for the 2 months I will be on my own, and I am currently praying and seeking God’s plan and heart for which I should pursue. In terms of finances, I currently still need to raise $250 more in monthly pledges to pursue a School of Biblical Studies in Taiwan. God has really been showing me what it means to live by faith and I am excited to see how else He is going to push me not only in the next few months, but afterwards as well. Please keep my journey in prayer, specifically that I would stay focused on what God has for me here in Thailand and now worry about the future, that my team would continue to be a blessing for the people here, and that God would daily give us His heart for His people.

P.S. These are a few links for some pictures of the things I have seen and the things we have done while in Thailand!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=580626&id=904615110&l=a9203067e6 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=585770&id=904615110&l=6ffe96429a 

New Support Letter for a New Adventure!

So this is my updated / new support letter for something I really feel like God is calling me towards...if you have any questions my email is at the end of the letter...

Dear Supporters,

            So far, I am a week and a half away from completing my lecture phase, and in the process of getting ready to leave for my 2-month outreach to Thailand! Already I have learned so much about whom the God I serve is and how much He really is and wants to be involved in my daily life.

            In my lectures, our school has covered 9 different topics each geared toward helping us grow not only in our view of who God is, but also in how we further our daily relationship with Him. The topics we have covered thus far have been: The Character and Nature of God, Grace and Holiness, Relationships, Prayer/Hearing the Voice of God, Father Heart of God, Life With Jesus, Holy Spirit, Missions, Spiritual Warfare (our current lesson), and Evangelism (our final lesson). Each week, God has revealed Himself in a completely new way to me, and most of those ways have been a struggle. For me, to accept the parts of God that we as humans will never be able to fully comprehend challenges me to trust in Him and the truths He has given us. One of the greatest truths that I have grown to understand and fully except is that in the morning when I wake, God loves me, and at night before I fall asleep, God still loves me despite anything that happened during the day. That truth alone far surpasses any question that I could possibly have, and it is that truth that has been setting me free from any bondage to an emotional experience that I have been searching to define my relationship with the living God.

            Lately, God has radically been working on my heart in the area of surrender, and things I need to let go of and give Him full control of. Specifically, this has been in the area of my future and my strong desire to pursue full time medical missions. After a lot of prayer and seeking, God finally revealed to me that it was my whole future that I was not allowing Him to move in. It has been a daily struggle, but with God’s strength I have been working toward allowing Him to have His way with my whole life and not just a portion. In doing this, God has really given me a heart for those in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, and aren’t receiving all that God has given us in His word. Not really sure how this heart was going to play a part in my future, I asked God what I should be pursuing after my DTS, and the only thing that I really felt peace about was pursuing a School of Biblical Studies (SBS), specifically in Taiwan. The subject of this school really is something that interests me. It is a 9-month study of the bible, reading it over 5 times and studying it deeper than just the words on the page. Actually taking it apart and looking into the context and background as to why who and where each book of the Bible was written to better understand its meaning for us today really is something that pulls my heart to pursue. I earnestly feel that doing an SBS is something God wants me to do, and in doing that I would be able to gain a foundational knowledge of God’s word that I wouldn’t be able to gain anywhere else, and that I would be able to root anything I do on a biblical ground.

            In pursuing this path, I would not be returning home from my outreach in Thailand, but I would end up staying there an extra 2-months on my own doing various ministries. At the end of the two extra months in Thailand, I would than fly to Taiwan near the end of March to begin my SBS. This schools cost is $3,000 for the 9-month course, but does not include food or various other necessities (toiletries, notebooks, pens/pencils, etc.), which would equal about $250 per/month. Amidst this journey that God has placed before me, I am asking that you would partner with the vision God has given me to spread the good news to those who have not heard His name or had the privilege to know His word. You can be a part of this journey in two ways, by financially making a monthly donation to assist me in making my goal of $500 per/month in various pledges, and primarily, by praying that I would stay God focused and driven through this adventure, and I would not loose sight that above all else, I am called to love others before myself and put all faith and trust in God.

            If you are interested in making any type of financial donation, whether it be a monthly pledge or a

one-time gift, please make all checks payable to Kyle Faris and mail them to 13362 Cabana Way, Victorville, CA 92392. Because I will be attending this school in another country, it is easier to gather my funds at my account in America and wire-transfer the money to my school in Taiwan. If you would like to donate, or have any questions at all concerning finances, donations, or my prayer needs, please feel free to email me at kyle.r.faris@gmail.com and I would be happy to give more information. Thank you so much for your time, interest, and support in the crazy journey and adventure God is taking me on.

-Kyle Faris

 

God's Crazzzzzzzy Goodnes and Love!!!!

            It has been a while since my last post here on my blog, and I’m super sorry about that! Wow, I can’t believe the last post I did was from my first week, and now I’m on week seven! Well I have been keeping really busy here on the YWAM base. Whether it be lectures, tracks, work duties, meals, and even homework, most of my days are pretty filled.

            In my lectures, we have covered 6 different topics each geared toward helping us grow not only in our view of who God is, but also in how we grow in our daily relationship with Him. The topics we have covered thus far have been: The Character and Nature of God, Grace and Holiness, Relationships, Prayer/Hearing the Voice of God, Father Heart of God, Life With Jesus, and the one we are currently on is titled Holy Spirit. Each week, God has revealed Himself in a completely new way to me, and most of those ways have been a struggle for me to accept the parts of God that we as humans will never be able to fully comprehend. It has been especially hard for me to struggle with all this while asking questions that I can’t really seem to find the answers to. One thing that I have grown to understand and fully except is that in the morning when I wake, God loves me, and at night before I fall asleep, God still loves me despite anything that happened during the day. That truth alone far surpasses any question that I could possibly have, and it is that truth that has been setting me free from my bondage to any emotionally need that I have been feeling defines my relationship with the living God. Also, my team and I are in the process of getting ready for our outreach to Thailand, which we leave for December 6^th. I am totally excited for this crazy 2-month time in another country and I can’t wait to see what God does!

            God has also been using the people here to help me in the journey of growing closer to Him. I honestly and fully believe that God placed everyone from the students to the staff on this DTS during this specific time for a purpose, and some of those reasons have become very apparent. Two of my friends, Mike and Josiah, have been guys of accountability and men that God has literally provided at perfect timing. We have been able to grow with each other day-by-day, in our teachings and just living life together. Each day has been a blessing here being able to live in community with a group of 52 people that are here to hear how God is speaking to them, and how He is asking them to serve Him here on earth.

            Lately, God has radically been working on my heart in the area of surrender, and things I need to let go of and give Him full control of. Specifically, this has been in the area of my future and my strong desire to pursue full time medical missions. Each day in my DTS, I had this feeling that God was asking me to let go of something that I was beginning to hold onto more tightly than my relationship with Him. After a lot of prayer and seeking, God finally revealed to me that it was my whole future that I was not allowing Him to move in. It has been a daily struggle, but with God’s strength I have been working toward allowing Him to have His way with my whole life and not just a portion. In doing this, God has really given me a heart for those in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, and aren’t receiving all that God has given us in His word. Not really sure how this heart was going to play a part in my future, I asked God what I should be pursuing after my DTS, and the only thing that I really felt peace about was pursuing a School of Biblical Studies (SBS), specifically in Taiwan. Now, originally I immediately dismissed the thought, especially since the program is 9-months long, but each day the thought grew stronger. The subject of this school really did interest me, a 9-month study of the bible, reading it over 5 times and studying it deeper than just the words on the page. Actually taking it apart and looking into the context and background as to why who and where each book of the Bible was written to better understand its meaning for us today totally was something I could see myself studying and learning about. I earnestly feel that doing an SBS is something God wants me to do, and in doing that I would be able to gain a foundational knowledge of God’s word that I wouldn’t be able to gain anywhere else, and that I would be able to root anything I do on a biblical ground. Now I have the heart for it, and I really feel like this is the path God has for me, but all the logistical issues were getting and still in some ways plague me.

            Originally, I knew that if God really wanted me to go down this road that He would do some amazing things. One of the big things was having the support of my parents, and a few weeks after I decided to go after this journey full-throttle I received both of their blessings! I was totally blown away by the way He moved in both of my parents, and how great it felt to go at this path with their support backing me up. Now, the only thing that stands in the way is finance. I currently still need $1200 to finish paying for my DTS I currently am on, and to pay for my SBS I need to raise a total of $3000 across a 9-month span of time. I also need to have a monthly pledge of $150 to cover food while I’m in Taiwan during the 9-months. I still don’t know how I am supposed to raise money for SBS while I still am in need for my current DTS, but all I know is the heart God has given me to pursue this passion for knowledge of His word, and I am willing to try and go at it any way I can. God has been teaching me amazingly new things everyday and I don’t know exactly how things are going to work out, but all I do know with out a doubt is that I love God with all my heart and He loves me so much more back…

My First Week!

     So by now I have been in YWAM at Lakeside, Montana for a little over a week. In my DTS group there are a total of 52 students taking this journey with me. Our group ranges with people from all over the U.S. and even from Belgium, Germany, Norway, Cosovo, and the UK! We also have 3 married couples joining us, and one of them has a daughter as well. It has been so exciting and refreshing to see the various cultures, backgrounds, families, all here for the same purpose...to know and serve God better!
     The first week consisted of me arriving here in Montana at the YWAM base and getting moved into my dorm living quarters. We began the week with some general classes and lessons on various subjects like: Hearing God's Voice, Relinquishing Your Rights, and The Kingdom of God. Those lessons we absolutely the best way to begin my lecture phase, and prepare me for the work God is wanting to do in me on this journey. At the end of the week, the base held a "Welcome to Montana" night which was basically a big welcome party for all the arriving students! We had barbecued burgers and just got to hang out with each other more and fellowship together as well. As the night was closing, we were able to take part in a square dancing lesson! Overall, that night really kicked off the fun community I know is going to be offered here in Montana.
      Also, during this past week, our DTS was given the choices of locations for the various outreach teams being sent off for the outreach phase. We had a choice of: Turkey, Brazil, Haiti, Guatemala, and Thailand. Each one had various ministries they were planning on focusing on, and our leaders gave us an hour to pray and see which one we felt God was calling us to. After that time, I truly felt the Lord was wanting me to reach the country of Thailand! And just yesterday I found out that I made the Thailand, and we just had our first team meeting. I love my team, and even though I never really saw myself in Thailand, God has blessed me with an amazing peace and sense of purpose for me going there. I know He has called me and everyone on my team to reach that country for a specific reason, and we are going to spread His good and amazing news. I don't know much more about the specifics of my outreach trip, but as soon as I do get more information, I will definitely keep everyone updated!
      All in all, the experience thus far has been more than I could have ever expected. God has moved me in ways that I never thought possible, and has been breaking me down more and more. He has already moved my heart to be broken more and more by Him, so that He may raise me up to have a whole new identity found solely in Him and His gracious love and mercy...I can't wait for God to move and change the hearts and spirits of those wanting to pursue His amazing name and wonderful power.

     Until next post, thanks for reading and keeping my experience in prayer!

I'm kind of new at this thing we call blogging...

....but I thought it would be fitting to start it off talking about some things that have happend to bring me to where I am at right now that have totally showed God's providence and provision, which is the main reason I wanted to start this blog in the first place.
      For the passed year, I have had the privilege of attending Biola University pursuing a major in the sciences, hoping to continue onto medical or nursing school. While at Biola, God provided me to go on an missions trip with a team of 6 guys to Cairo, Egypt and it was there when God completely rocked my world, as He tends to do. During our time there, our team came across another team on their Discipleship Training School (DTS) outreach from the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Lakeside, Montana. This is when I first heard about the program that God would soon place on my hear to attend. 
     After returning to Biola, I had this uncomfortable feeling of being back in the USA. I no longer felt like North America was my home, I longed to be somewhere overseas. During my prayer time, I kept asking the Lord to provide discernment with my feelings, and He did. He gave me wonderful insight on how He wanted me to follow what it was that He had planned for me. God was teaching me what it meant to lay down my future plans and ambitions and trust in His plan. It took a lot of faith on my part, but in the end, how could I not trust in the Lord who holds me together in the palm of His almighty hands. From that moment, I knew that I wasn't called to just work in the medical field here in the comfort of the States, but out among the nations while spreading the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ! That was what God wanted from me, to give all of me, and not just a few months or weeks, and that was what I was now willing to do.
     So during my last semester at Biola, I decided to look into attending the YWAM Fall DTS program at the Lakeside, Montana base. With my application in hand, I prayed that God would use that application and reveal to me whether it really was His will for me to go, and a few weeks later I had received a phone call telling me that I had been accepted into the program! So I made preparations to withdraw from the university and friends I grew to love, to pursue a call from God. It was and still isn't easy but I have been living faith that God's plan is larger than my mind can comprehend and He knows what will glorify His kingdom in the end.
     As for the passed few months and now, I have been raising money to attend the DTS program in the fall, which I actually leave for in less than 2 weeks! I am really close to raising the amount needed for my 3 months of lecture and learning on Missions at the Montana base, but still need to raise the other half for my 2 month outreach in another country. But God has taught me so much during this ride He has taken me on about His provision and grace that I have learned not to doubt Him in any way, shape, or form.
    God has showed up in the funniest of ways, especially in providing through people I have never even met or seen, yet still they feel called to help me follow the path God has called me on. That in itself has boggled my mind! But I am really excited to see where this road will take me and how God is going to use YWAM to bring me across the nations to spread His wonderful and glorious name...


And hopefully by reading this blog, you all will be able to stay updated with everything God does through me and everywhere He ends up taking me.
Thanks for reading!