Grab a cup of tea and get ready for a good update...
Dance class by CJ with the Norwegians at Word In Motion.
Norwegians Everywhere
Apparently March is Norwegian Month for us.
There's a particular School in Norway that runs programs for young adults to participate in between High School and University that keeps popping up along our path: - Andreas’ friend from Bible School is staff in the Sports Program. - Andreas’ cousins have participated in various programs at the school. - One of the school’s directors has YWAM Kona ties, and the entire school visits Kona annually. - The school even runs a dance program that visited Ad Deum while we were living in Houston! Needless to say, we were thrilled to cross paths once again this month!
We were contacted by the Director of the Dance Program - Ragnhild, asking if we would help during a trip to Los Angeles she would be leading the dance program on. The team of 11 rented a place near Santa Monica. We were their indirect hosts, helping them drive around the big city, giving a dance workshop, facilitating a worship/teaching/prayer time, and helping them find groceries in our HUGE American stores.
Small Decisions
The team had just come from Mexico where they worked with a Safe House for Sex Trafficked victims & built a home for a homeless family through Homes of Hope. (Also while in LA they visited Dream Center - a powerful LA ministry to the homeless and community).
When we lead a teaching time we really felt God highlighting to them being bold in Christ in the midst of a generation & culture that usually just says “whatever” and simply sucks in all the happenings around - good or bad. We encouraged having the strength to say no to sex before marriage, being a voice for righteousness, not getting stuck in a lifestyle of the culture, even breaking ties with bad influences and making ties with Godly role models. We encouraged making even small decisions for righteousness such as choosing not to buy certain magazines or not to listen to certain types of music. Small, simple decisions and the powerful tool of prayer can lead to big changes. We believe not only big changes in our personal lives but in our society. We believe it could even possibly turn a culture away from the ruts it's dug for itself that has allowed Sex Trafficking to become a norm (not right, but an evil norm) on our societies clock. To turn away from these “norms” that have become so just because we’re all too scared to be bold in Christ for His Righteousness. To make changes in the small ways and the big. It is small changes that seem to be the most difficult at times, yet it is the small choices of our personal lives that shine through on the larger scale shaping the culture of our society.
It was such a blessing to be apart of the teams time here in LA, and share in what God is doing.
Highlights
pilates on the beach
With 11 willing Norwegians who were eager to get moving, I was able to give a pilates class on the beach next to their house.
hosting
Apart from indirectly hosting the Norwegians, roughly 50 people showed up at our house one Saturday this month, as Jordan & our house played host to a Benefit Concert for two ministries, one in Guatemala and one in Romania. http://www.steppingstonemissions.org/ http://www.hopeoflifeintl.org/
national anthem The Norwegian School - Hedmarktoppen - had several of their programs pass through Los Angeles & Mexico before all meeting up in Kona, HI. While in LA several of the groups were invited...and maybe a little forced ;) to sing the Norwegian National Anthem on stage at the Dream Center church - Angeles Temple.
Two years ago I made a two location trip - Kona, Hawaii & New York City. I traveled to both locations to keep ties and relationships. The trip was fully paid for by you!! It was an amazing trip - not only just what the Doctor ordered for me - it truly did aid in keeping ties and relationships strong as well as make NEW connections for our ministry! Not to mention, I truly believe your prayers had a huge effect on Andreas and I in our personal life during that specific time.
Two years later I am hoping to do something similar but only to one location: New York City for Project Dance.
Here's the rundown: It will be a 5 day trip from Thursday, April 23rd - Monday, April 27th. Flight: $350 Project Dance Registration: $230 Food & Transportation: $190 Total: $770
With your help, we can do this again! Donations can be made with the links included at the bottom of this Newsletter.
Project Dance NYC 2011 & 2013
Bridging Ad Deum & YWAM Kona
Our first Project Dance NYC in 2011 is where we finally met Randall Flinn in person. He had been involved with Maria's ministry 20+ years ago, but hadn't been to Kona since and had never worked with our ministry HeartBridge Inc. This single meeting at Project Dance opened up the door for Andreas and I to go to Houston, which in turn has re-opened the door for Randall and Ad Deum to work again with YWAM in Kona, HI & HeartBridge. In fact members from his company are planning a trip to Kona this Spring!
Kona Ministries connect in NYC
I strongly encouraged a new school to the YWAM Kona location called School of Dance Studies to attend Project Dance NYC, knowing how awesome these girls are and knowing they would be fueled by the event. I had't met all of them (except my good friend Crystal) until I attended Project Dance NYC - thanks to you guys - in 2013! We connected there in NYC as well as when I got to Kona for the second part of my 2013 trip. This has built a relationship with School of Dance Studies girls that continues today and in the future! School of Dance will also be attending Project Dance this April.
Andreas has worked so hard at completing this. And just at the start of the year he launched it. Browse around to watch videos of our dances, read the blog and spread the word. Check it out at: www.the2locks.com
Here's us on New Year's, ringing in the year with prayer and worship at the onething 2014 conference. It was a rich time of worship, prayer, and reconnecting with people. With many lectures and words of exhortation to focus on the One Thing we need for the year - Jesus.
Testimony: It has been such a crazy year for me (Tammy) to reconnect with people I haven't seen in 3, 5, 10 years! It has been like one gift after another running into these long time friends, who I never have fun leaving over and over again as we move. But to top off 2014, as the clock struck midnight at onething I run into - of all people - a friend/mentor who really if it hadn't been for her I may not be dancing. She was strategically placed in my life through random workshops starting in 1996 and later introduced me to a company called HeartBridge...and you know the rest of the story. It was so sweet to "coincidentally" bump into Lisa Ross and have her pray for me as the New Year of 2015 rang in.
One speaker at the conference was Reinhard Bonnke. He has spent most of his life preaching across Africa with over 70 million documented salvations. Around 2012 in prayer he heard that he was to come to America to preach the gospel. He didn't want to come at first but he received clear confirmation that it was time!
See a short intro & hear it from Reinhard Bonnke himself:
I completed my 74 hours of lectures with BASI Pilates and passed my final written exam! Now I have to complete my 500 hours of practical observation, practice, and student-teaching. Please pray for a speedy and successful completion of the hours and wisdom for when I should do my final test out. (It only happens twice a year at the headquarters here in California).
We hosted our first Artist Night at our place, it was a small gathering of local artists for a time of worship, prayer, and discussion/encouragement. This single gathering resulted in prayer for breakthrough in addiction, as well as one artist who has now turned in their application for a worship program. Awesome breakthrough from simple obedience. We look forward to hosting and facilitating more of these gatherings.
Another BIG THANKS to everyone who contributed to my MacBook Christmas present. You've made this newsletter possible!! ;)
