Tuesday, September 10, 2013

We're back in MN!!!


TA-DA!!! We made it! :)
It is such a joy and a blessing to be back in Minnesota. We are so thankful for this past summer and having the time to spend back home in Michigan with family and friends. It was just a good time. We love and miss everyone lots. Yet we are also excited to see what God has in store for us in this next season.
Our lovely kitchen
We arrived in MN on Tuesday evening (the 27th of August). We had a very smooth drive through Chicago and up through Wisconsin. We sure were happy though when we pulled into the YWAM drive. We had left Grand Rapids around 10 or so in the morning and arrived around 8 pm MN time.
Our bedroom
The first couple of days we just spent unpacking our stuff and moving into our new cute little apartment. We are living on the base…and kind of off the base. Most of the buildings are located in the same general area. We are only a five minute walk from those buildings. We will be living in the “farmhouse.” The house has been split into two living areas. We are in the upstairs section of the house. We love it already!
Our living room
Nate’s sister and brother-in-law came over Labor Day weekend with a trailer full of all of our “big items.” It was fun to show them around the base and where we live. It’s much easier to explain what we do here when we can also give a tour. (Feel free to come visit us sometime!!!)
Nate breaking in his new lazy boy :)



We’ve already been jumping into life here at the base. Our fall Discipleship Training School begins on the 22ndof September. We will be helping staff that school as we did last fall. Right now we have 27 students signed up for the DTS!!! Last year and previous years before we had schools of 14. We are so excited for what this school is going to bring. We can hardly wait for the students to get here. :)
We are beginning the preparations for the school. These next two weeks will be filled with planning, preparation, set-up, cleaning, and lots and lots of meetings. :) All the fun things needed in order for the school to work. It may be a bit crazy at times, but it sure will be lots of fun.
This DTS has three different focuses:  Justice and Mercy, Dance, and Wilderness. Each student will select one focus and will participate in activities for that focus on top of the Bible training they will be receiving. Nate is going to be helping work with the Wilderness focus while Julianne will be helping with the Dance focus. We are excited for this new experience and being able to work with the students at a closer level.
The lecture phase will last through the first week of December and then the students will leave for an 8 week outreach overseas. We will not be leading a team on the outreach portion of the school. We will be spending December and January back here at the base instead of overseas.
And yes, now the lovely news that you have been waiting for.

We are so excited for this new little person in our lives. This little girl is already so special to us. We are expecting her around the 23rd of January. It seems like it’s still forever away, but we are already half way through this pregnancy. We are so grateful for all your prayers and support as we prepare for her arrival and all the changes she will bring. :) Julianne has been doing well, and we are so thankful.
(The sign says "Baby ---> )
Thank you all again for all your love, support, prayers, and time in our lives. We will do our best to keep you updated on what is going on in our lives. Please keep this upcoming DTS in your prayers. Please pray for the students who are coming: that they will have the financial support they need, that they will know they are supposed to come, and that the transition process between home and DTS will go smoothly. If you know anyone interested in doing work with missions that has graduated from high school, let them know that we are still accepting applications. We would love to have them join us in what God is doing here in MN and around the world!
We love you all lots and lots!!
Nate and Julianne

Monday, August 12, 2013

Facing Fears

Oh wow! Summer seems to have flown right on past us. It has been such an enjoyable time being able to spend some time with family and friends back home in Michigan, yet we can hardly believe that we will be leaving in just two weeks to return home to Minnesota.

This past weekend we spent some time in Grand Rapids for my (Julianne) sister's wedding. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, and we were all so happy for both Hannah and her new husband David.

The lovely bridesmaids and flower girls holding up the groom
It was nice to have everything come to a close but bittersweet as we all had to say goodbye to them. Thankfully Hannah and David will only be living a few minutes away from my parents' home. :)

The past few weeks and months have been spent preparing for the wedding and attending different parties and such to celebrate. It takes an hour and a half to drive from where we live in Howell to Grand Rapids. It has been a good hour and a half of thinking, praying, and simply being with God.

I have been thinking a lot about fears lately. As we have been planning, preparing, and packing for our move to Minnesota, we have had plenty of time to worry or be afraid. Everyone who works for Youth With A Mission lives off of support from friends, family, church support, or however else they are able to raise support. No one in the entire organization is paid. This whole summer we have been trying to raise monthly support yet it feels like we've been getting nowhere. It has definitely been a temptation to sink into worry and fear.

Fear is something that loves to sneak up upon us and keep us from living the to fullest potential. Lately I really feel like God has been teaching me about how to give those fears over to Him. I thought I'd share a bit about what He has been sharing with me and hope that it gives you a bit of encouragement as well.

When I was little I was afraid of three main things: Snakes, the Dark, and not being able to have any babies. As I got older, I added another thing to the list: Driving in the Rain or Snow.
These are the things that can make me afraid.

John 4:18 states that "perfect love casts out all fear." God is love. Fear cannot exist where God is. We don't need to live in fear of anyone or anything...then why is it so easy to slip into being afraid or living in worry?

2 Corinthians 12:9 reads "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." I used to always read this verse as if it was saying, "Do your best but your failure just makes God look better" or "God already gave you all that you get so if you can't do it, you just won't be able to." Yet neither of those two really match up with the character of a "perfect love casts out fear" God.

I heard this illustration a year or so ago that really helped me better understand God's concept of grace. I used to believe that when I needed to do something, God would first give me His grace and then it was up to me to complete the task. My task is represented as a cup. God would pour in the water He thought I needed, and I would then have to fill up the rest of the cup.

But what if those roles were reversed? What if what the verse meant was that WE were to give it all we had, all 100% of who we were knowing that we would fall short of what we needed? And then after we had nothing left to give, it would be God's grace that would fill our cups up to overflowing.

That's what I think it means when our weakness displays God's glory. When we are willing to give it everything we have knowing that we will never have what it takes, knowing that unless God steps in to help us, we will fail.

How does this all play into fear? That's what I feel like God has been trying to teach me over the past year and over this summer.

The past three times I've had to drive back to Howell from Grand Rapids it has rained. Seriously. And not just little sprinkles but down pouring. Remember my list of fears? Driving in the rain or snow was right there on the list. Once the first drop starts to hit my windshield, I can feel fear creeping into my hands on the steering wheel. I can then decide to become so afraid that I have to pull off the road. Or I can decide to use my weakness to display God's glory. Does God purposely make it rain when I drive just to test me? I don't think so. But it is an opportunity for me to put my trust in God. Driving in the rain may seem like a silly fear. And I'll admit it, it is quite silly. But it is also something I am allowing God to use in my life to make me into the person He has created me to be.

As I said earlier, when I was little one of my biggest fears was that I would not be able to have any children. While Nate and I were in Nepal, we became pregnant. We were really excited at having the opportunity to bring life into this world. I admit I was a bit nervous and fearful but my excitement overcame my fear. When we came back home to the States, we visited a doctor for our first prenatal appointment. We sat in the examination room for our ultrasound and heard the doctor tell us that our little baby didn't have a heartbeat. We lost our baby a week later.

In that moment and in the days and weeks to come, it would have been quite easy to slip into fear and into frustration at God for what had happened in our life. Would you have blamed us if we did? Having something so precious seemingly snatched out our lives and not knowing quite what to say or do. Fear would have been something easy to hold on to.

But just like I know that when it rains while I'm driving is not God trying to test me or punish me, we knew that this heartache and trial was not something used to test us or to hurt us. But yet we could see this as just another opportunity for us to put our trust in God and our lives in His hands.

We are really excited to let you know that we will be expecting a little baby to join our family in January of this next year. Everything seems to be coming along fine with this pregnancy. We still have to trust God every single day and not let some form of fear slip into our lives. We want to choose to live in the fullness of the life God has for us.

And now as we are preparing to move to Minnesota to do missions full time and expecting a baby soon, we have to choose to trust God in all that we do. No, we don't have the all the money we need yet. But yes, we know that God is worthy of our trust. It is His love and His character that help us to not live in fear and worry.

Thank you for your time in reading this. And thanks for letting me write about what I feel God has been sharing to my heart.

Julianne (and Nate)
 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Living out today

Oh wow how the past few months have flown by. It does feel like just a bit ago we were across the ocean, living without electricity, eating beans and rice, and enjoying life. But it's been over four months since then.

For those of you reading this, if you are expecting an update...here it is. We are doing lovely. Nate has been putting in 50 to 60 hour weeks working for Haslock and Sons Excavating. I, Julianne, have been working at the local Aeropostale and filling in for a real estate office in town. I also have been taking a couple classes at the community college. And that's what we've been up to.

But my main purpose in writing this I guess is to process some of the things that have been running through my mind lately. And to maybe hopefully challenge you as well.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I've been living these past few months in fast forward. We've known since we moved back home to Michigan that at the end of August we would be moving back to Minnesota. And I think that's caused me to only push towards that in the things I do. Instead of enjoying each day I have here with family and friends, I've been running full speed ahead trying to get the next season of life. And the what? What will happen once I get there? Will I just keep striving towards what's next?

Re-living college for a few days in TN
Nate and I had a chance to have a mini vacation from work about a week back. We traveled down to Tennessee with a couple families from church to attend a Christian conference. It was a refreshing and peaceful time for us. While we were there, we had the opportunity to meet some folks who were doing ministry in China. They have a teaching program set up that covers all expenses while in China plus throws in free airfare. You have to commit to a year of teaching English. Only requirement: a bachelor's degree.

Neither of us have graduated college. We met in college...and that's about the gist of Nate's college experience. I've been trying to take classes here and there. So when I talked to Nate about going back to school, he said, "not now."

I naturally try to plan out my life...like every detail for the next five years. Seriously. And he just says not now. Not because he's totally against college...but because right now he's working. And this fall we will be in MN helping with the Fall DTS. For him, January is a long ways away...something not on the radar.

I think we often criticize people like Nate for not "planning ahead" while we run around in circles trying to get our lives "figured out." Jesus said he came to give "life to the full." I don't think He meant life full of plans...but instead a full life.

I'm not sure what that means yet. But it's something I'd like to discover day by day.

"today is your life" t-shirt I made a couple years ago
So yes, in regards to an update...this doesn't quite fit the bill. We are planning on moving to MN at the end of August to continue working with Youth With A Mission. We do need your help through prayers and monthly support. We'd love for you to join us in this daily adventure.

But right now, we are living in Howell, Michigan, enjoying each precious day we have here.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

And the Journey Continues

Hello dear beloved friends.

We are excited to tell you about the rest of our trip in Nepal and about the two weeks we spent in China. We are finally settled back into life here in the good ol' US of A. So we thought it was about time to catch you all up again.

The "house, church, farm" where the team stayed


Our last blog post left us in Pokhara. From there we took a five hour bus ride followed by a four hour jeep ride up into the hills/mountains to a little village named Bulingtar. Most of our team stayed at the church location while the two of us stayed with a local Christian teacher about a five minutes walk away from the church.






Nate, Jeremy, Julianne, Heidi, and Andrea moving rocks
Our beautiful bricks


We spent a few days helping build a future church. The building site was about an hour's walk away from where we were staying. We would eat breakfast around nine, head out around ten, and arrive at eleven. We helped make bricks and stack them so they could be used later to build the actual building. We also moved rocks into a large pile so they could be used for the foundation. Part of our team mixed cement, others dug out clay for the walls, and still others helped dig the foundation. It was an incredible experience for our team to help physically build God's church.



The Nepali missionary team dedicating the new church
We were in Bulingtar for two weeks. Our students helped lead and teach in ten different church services during those fourteen days. They were able to share their testimonies, preform dances and dramas, and teach 25-30 minute sermons. One Saturday we had three different services to go to. Our team had to leave at 5 am to walk two hours to get to the service, over rivers and up hills. They spent three hours there to then walk the two hours back to the next service. We were sick that morning and were unable to go to the first service. As it turned out, the team did not get back in time for the second service, so Nate instead shared his testimony and Julianne shared the message. They all got back just in time for the dance.

Hiking with our packs
Our team had the opportunity to take an hour and half long hike with our hiking packs to another village for some services there. At our first service there, a woman from further up the mountain had heard missionaries were going to be there. She had been demon possessed for almost a year. She and her husband had come to see if Jesus could heal her. She had been to medical doctors and witch doctors, but they could not help her. While our team was singing and worshipping Jesus, a group of Christian prayed for her. She was healed! She became a Christian right then, and her husband accepted Christ later that night. There is power in the name of Jesus! He truly does set us free.
Prayer and Worship Time

Nate watching the sunrise
Nate sharing at a children's program
We left Bulingtar and returned to Pokhara. We were able to watch the sunrise coming over the mountains one morning. It was so beautiful! We spent a week in Pokhara doing ministry there. We helped during a church service for street kids both our Saturdays back. We gave two open air performances of our dances and dramas with testimonies in between. At the end of the performance the gospel was shared and we were available if people wanted to pray with us.



Students preforming a drama
We also did something we like to call a "Treasure Hunt." Before heading out for the day we all get together to pray. We ask God to help us find the person He wants to minister to that day. We pray and ask him for a name, the color of a t-shirt, an age, a restaurant, or whatever else might be a "clue" to helping us find this person. We all compare what we felt God was telling us, break into groups, and search for the person or people on our "list." One day our team found their "person," they shared what they were doing, told them about God, and asked if they wanted to pray with them. He said he was fine, so they went on their way. 
Team praying together before the dance.
Check out the dance at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZFb48pOZvA&feature=player_embedded
A couple days later, a DTS team from Hawaii also did a treasure hunt. They found the same man! This time when that team shared, the man realized that God really was trying to get his attention, and he gave his life to Christ! This story is such a good testimony for us to follow what God tells us and not to give up or get discouraged because God is faithful!

We left Pokhara and returned to Kathmandu with a week left in Nepal. Our first day back we visited an organization called "Beauty For Ashes." It is owned by Americans living in Nepal and is aimed at helping woman who have been trafficked. They offer jobs to these women to try to help them get off the streets and have a job that can that support themselves and their families. They teach the women how to make jewelry that is later sold overseas in the States. All of the proceeds go straight back to Beauty For Ashes. We helped cut and sort cloth for the jewelry, polish rocks, and help cut out earring backings. We also had time to visit a bit with the woman and encourage them. If you are interested in learning more about this organization or how you can help, check them out at http://www.beautyforashesintl.com/wordpress/

The team writing encouraging thoughts to each other
Our last few days in Nepal were spent debriefing our time in Nepal with the team. Helping them process what the Lord had been doing in their lives over the last seven months and what they would now being doing once they got back to their homes. It was a good time of being able to be with this beautiful family relaxing and enjoying each other and Nepal. It was sad saying goodbye to them.

We left for China on the 31st of January. We were just traveling by ourselves. The rest of the team returned to Minnesota a couple days later. We had a HUGE heart for China, and since Nepal is so close, we thought we should take a quick visit while we were in the area. We wanted to see what it looked like living overseas and what ministry opportunities were there.



CHINA!!!


We spent two weeks in China visited with other American couples and families that were living in China doing work there. We were able to explore the city a bit and just have time for the two of us to recharge before coming back home. It was our first trip together overseas with just the two of us. It was such an incredible time. We fell in love with the city and the people there. We really hope this is place where God is calling us for the future. We're not sure when we'll be back...but hoping soon. :)

And now I'm sure you're wondering, now what? I think we ask ourselves that every day. Now what, God? For now, we are currently living back in Howell, Michigan with Nate's family. He is working with his brother-in-law again, and I will be starting my new job at Aeropostale this week. We will be living in Michigan up until August visiting with family and working to pay off my silly student loans.

We are hoping to go back to Minnesota and join the staff team there. We will be helping again with the upcoming fall Discipleship Training School. Our long term goal is to get back to China, either for a couple months with a team or for a longer term with just the two of us. In order for us to come on staff, we need to have monthly support. Even being on staff isn't a paid position. We need to raise our own support to live and work at YWAM. We hope you prayerfully consider becoming a part of our financial support team. We'd love to get a great team together for monthly support but we also love any gift you have that you can give us.

We are so grateful for all your love, prayers, and support you have shown us over these past almost nine months. We honestly could not have done what we've been able to do without all of you. Thanks. Thanks. And Thanks.

So much love,
Nate and Julianne Gibbons

Friday, January 4, 2013

The long overdue post...we're in NEPAL!!


Hello dear friends and family!
We are so terribly sorry for our lack of updating recently. We were so busy with the wrapping up of the DTS lecture phase, Thanksgiving back in Michigan, packing for Nepal, and now we are in Nepal!!

So, we'll try to fill you all in as best as we can.

We traveled back to Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent a couple days in Howell and also in Grand Rapids. It was super great to catch up with family and visit with some friends. We are so thankful for all of you in our lives!

The first week of December we had our DTS Outreach Prep week. We spent the whole week learning more about Nepalese culture, bonding together as a team, and purchasing last minute supplies for the trip. 




All packed and ready to go, we lef Minneapolis, MN Monday night, December 10. We flew to Las Angeles and spent the night there. We left LA Tuesday morning and landed in Shanghai, China late Wednesday afternoon. We flew out that night to Kunming, China and arrived very early Thursday morning. We spent that night camping out in the airport until our 2 pm flight. From there we flew to Kathmandu, Nepal!!

The first couple of days were spent adjusting to the altitude and culture. We visited a few Hindu and Buddhist temples. There we were able to pray to JESUS and reclaim the land for Him. We attended our first Nepalese church service Saturday morning. Some of our students preformed a drama, and another student shared her testimony. They had such a good experience worshipping with other believers in another country. We held a couple Open Air performances with our various dances and dramas. At the end of the performance, the gospel would be shared and prayer would be offered. These events really made us "feel like Jesus," as people would climb into trees to better be able to see us.

We left Kathmandu on December 21 to head to the village of Tistung, Nepal. It was about a three hour bus ride to the village winding through the Himalayan "hills." The following day we attended the local church services. They had a service at 9 and another at 11. We preformed a dance and sang a couple songs. Two of  our students shared their testimonies, and two others gave the sermon at the different services. It was an incredible opportunity 
for them.
      
On Sunday and Monday our team visited a local English school in the village. On Sunday each of the students was give a classroom of students to teach for one hour. They could teach anything. The 8th graders learned Spanish from our Ecuadorian; 7th grade learned Porteguese from our Brazillian; 6th grade learned origami; 5th grade learned basic dance from two of our dancers; 4th grade made balloon hats and animals; and 3rd grade played an English learning game. It was fun for our students and the children in the classes. On Monday we returned to the school and gave a Christmas program with some of our dances and dramas. Near the end the true story of Christmas was told, offering the children to accept Jesus as the ultimate gift.

We celebrated Christmas in Nepalese fashion! We had our daily tea a 9am while the students opened small presents from us on staff and from our school leader, Deb, back in MN. The Christmas service started at 11am and went until 2:30pm. It was a long while to sit crossed legged but was a treat to see how the Nepalese celebrated the birth of a Jesus. It certainly was not like an American tradition. We had rice, veggies, and Christmas curry for lunch! What a beautiful day.






On Wednesday Nate took the team on a two hour bus ride to hopefully catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest. They couldn't see it too well but had a great time exploring and hiking around that area. Julianne stayed back at the village because she was sick along with the other two leaders and a student.

We returned to Kathmandu Thursday morning. Durning the afternoon the students were free to call their parents and do what they wanted in the city. While they were gone Julianne set up the Christmas tree and played presents from the students' parents under the tree. Before we left the country, each parent sent a Christmas present to our school leader and then we packed them into our bags. It was quite a surprise for our team. We made popcorn and hot chocolate and celebrated. Christmas a bit more of our traditional way.

Friday, December 28, was a team day. We all ventured out into the city to the zoo! We all were able to ride an elephant, see rinnos and hippos, and spend the day together as a team. It was a good day to relax and invest into each other. We took Saturday off as a free day for our team to relax and recharge after the village trip. 

On Sunday morning we visited the international church in Kathmandu. We were all so excited for a service in English! While we were there, we met the YWAM Maui and New Zealand teams. We were able to exchange our contact information with the other leaders. We met up later that afternoon at a local coffee shop to share outreach stories and simply hang out with other English speakers. 

On Monday we were scheduled to do another Open Air, but it was cancelled last minute. So we all went together as a team to celebrate NewYear's Eve by watching The Hobbit in 3D and in English. That night our Nepalese hosts held a New Year's Eve party for us in their backyard. We had hotdogs and fried chicken over the fire. It was a great way to welcome in 2013! 


We left Tuesday morning for Pokhara, Nepal. It took us about 7 hours by bus to arrive at the YWAM base in Pokhara. Wednesday was spent touring Pokhara and picking up supplies for our next village trek. We were scheduled to leave Thursday morning to go to the village, but several people on our team go sick, including both of us. So instead we spent Thursday resting up and interceding for our team and the village. Most of our team left early this morning for the village. We stayed back, however, because two of our students were still sick. We are hoping to join the team as soon as we can. We will be in this next village for just over two weeks. 

We so appreciate your prayers and support. Please keep praying for our team. We need lots of prayers for good help and safe traveling! Also be praying for this next village. We are hoping to be able to hike back further into the mountains and visit villages where the gospel is not known! Pray for open hearts and minds. We know God wants to do amazing and powerful things during this next portion of our lives! 

 We love you all lots! 
Love in Christ, 
Nate and Julianne Gibbons

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Weeks Seven and Eight


Hey everybody! We have had a super busy but great last couple weeks. Our school is getting closer and closer to that time to go on outreach, and everyone is getting very excited.

In the past two weeks between all of the students and staff, we have seen around $40000 come in for our trip! Praise God. He is so good and faithful to his children. The India team has bought their airplane tickets to India now and are all very excited. Our team (the Nepal team) has not been able to buy tickets yet because we do not have enough of our money. We had a couple students who have all of their money but the rest of us are still needing more. As a team, we need around $30,000 still. Just the two of us alone need just under $6000 still. We do not know how we will get the money, but we know God will provide for us one way or another. We would love for you to be a part of that by partnering with us financially. We cannot do God’s work without all of your help.

This past Wednesday we had our first ever open mic night at YWAM-MN. It was fun to watch everyone bust out their talents. It was a night of fun, laughter, and surprises. Julianne preformed two different monologs, while Nate had fun just watching. We are hoping to try to get something together for us both to do for the next one! On the left is a photo of some of the students preforming together. We have a very talented group of students!

This Friday, the 9th of November, we had what we call our Love Feast. It is a special night that we dedicate to the students to show them that we love them, care for them, and appreciate them. Earlier in the day the staff decorate the dinning hall so it looks really nice. Everyone gets all dressed up nice. We all hangout, talk, and take pictures around the fireplace while drinking sparkling grape juice. Each student is then escorted to the dinning hall by a staff member. We serve our students their three course meal. After everyone has eaten, we read to each student individually words from God that we had received for them earlier in the week while we were praying for them. We give them the card that has those words on it and some scriptures along with a rose.  After the dinner, all the students go relax again for a bit while the staff quickly clean up. Once everything is cleaned up, the students come back for a giant dance party. It is just a super fun and nice night that we as staff do in honor of our students. We will try to get some photos up from the dance as soon as we can!

We have been having a wonderful time here as DTS staff. The Lord has really been working a lot in our own lives and in the lives of the students. We really appreciate all of your support and prayers in our lives.

We are looking forward to this next week as YWAM Northwoods, WI will be coming and joining us at our base. It will be lots of fun to have new people to meet and fellowship with. And then the following week we will be heading back home to Michigan for Thanksgiving. We would love to visit with whomever we can while we are home. Let us know if you'd like to catch up with us personally! You can send us an email (nategibbons32@yahoo.com) or message us on facebook.

We hope that you have checked our “Nepal” page at the top of the blog. It will give more information about what we will be doing on our outreach with the students. We would love for you to be a part of what God will be doing there. Please ask God how He would like you to give towards our trip to Nepal. We are so thankful for the blessing you have been in our lives!

Love in Christ,
Nate and Julianne Gibbons

Sunday, October 28, 2012

DTS weeks 5 and 6


Hello everyone! Our school is going along very well. The students are for sure growing in their relationships with God, which is so awesome to be a part of. These past couple weeks have been very intense and have gone by so fast.

The subject we had for two weeks ago was called “the Divine Plumbline.” This class really focuses on forgiveness. It was amazing to see how impacted the students were. Friday for class we had a ministry time where we split up into groups and each student got to talk about some things in their past. The leaders in each group helped walk through the process of forgiving those people. It was a time of deep inner healing and wonderful for the students.

That same Friday night we lead a team of students out on a little field trip. We went to the Marie Sanvick Center in downtown Minneapolis and volunteered our time there. We first started off by helping with some physical things, like making the dinner for that night and helping organize the clothes that would be given away. After that we sat and talked with the homeless people who had come to that night’s service. That was a really awesome experience talking with them, encouraging them, and telling them about how God had changed our lives. We also had one of our students go up to the front and give her testimony and little teaching that went along with it. A few more of us, including Nate, also shared their testimonies. Julianne and another girl named Heidi sang “Amazing Grace.” It was a great night.

This past week’s topic was about Relationships. It has been a good and busy week. Nate has been working hard on creating and finalizing the Nepal team’s budget. He has been planning it all out and making sure we will have enough money for the 7 weeks we are there. Julianne has been working hard on our support letters and on planning team bonding activities for our team to do while we are still here in the states.

This past Saturday, Julianne went with a bunch of students to attend a college aged group with a local church. They had a fun time hanging out with other students and telling them about YWAM. There was a hay ride, scavenger hunt, and a chili cook-off. It was a nice time getting away from the base without having to spend money doing something fun.




We now have a deadline of when we need all of our money for the trip to Nepal in by. We need to raise $6600 by November 5. Crazy right, but we know God can do it easily; and so we are trusting in him to provide for us.  We would love for you to join our team and partner with us by supporting us and our work financially. We ask that you would please just pray about it and then do whatever God tells you to do. If you would like to help be a part of what God will be doing in Nepal, check out our “Join Our Team” page.
                                                             

We hope you have got our newsletter in the mail. If you have not received one and would like to please send us an email saying you would like one to: nategibbons32@yahoo.com. We will gladly send you one as soon as we can. Also if you would rather it be sent by email, we can do that as well.


We hope and pray that you are all doing well and that God is blessing you and growing you daily. We love you all so much. Thank you for all of your support.

Love in Christ,

Nate and Julianne Gibbons