As I was falling sleep, I started to think about how my Minsi Lake bedroom had three windows facing east and northeast. I rose with the sun; energetic as a bird.
I lived a portion of my childhood in each of the three upstairs bedrooms in that Minsi Lake house. Come to think of it, before I developed the trend of relocating, I recall that I was constantly rearranging my room. One time I even used Daddy's cubed paper to mark my square footage and measure my furniture so everything would fit just right...
I suppose I would have eventually lived in both the barn and the tree house for a while, had we never moved away.
You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book?
(Psalm 56:8 NASB)
17 April, 2012
01 March, 2012
6th Grade Skype Surprise!
After a semester of building relationships with Mrs. Wingert's 6th Grade class at Denver Christian, I was finally able to pop into the classroom and share, in person, what exactly I have been doing with Youth With A Mission. It was such a joy to tell my little brothers and sisters in Christ all the ways that they helped make the past mission trip not only a possible opportunity, but an amazing success!
Praise Jesus! I love these kids :)
Until the nets are full,
Kelsey Maxine Tungseth
Praise Jesus! I love these kids :)
Until the nets are full,
Kelsey Maxine Tungseth
February 15, 2012 – 11am – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
DEAR DiARY,
we flew in last night from Yangon, Myanmar. We’re staying downtown at this Rainforest Guesthouse and it’s pretty cool. Kind of rustic, and a spacious public area on each floor, so it makes up for the rooms having less than one foot between the foot of our bed and the wall. Hahaha.
Where do I start when I begin to process the past two weeks in Myanmar?
Yangon was a great place to finish up our overseas ministry. China was wearing on me- it was cold and all our friends had left Guangzhou. I got sick in the last week and felt useless to the team. Malaysia was a good transition place, and I had really great quiet times. Then I kind of fell apart in Myanmar. We flew in on Tuesday, 31 Jan; were picked up at the airport by Veronica and Christine and ate at a nice Burmese style restaurant.
On Wednesday we had orientation with the staff of Every Nations Church Yangon (ENCY). The pastors go by the names Teacher John, Teacher Kap, and Teacher Mang. These men of faith walk in great humility and love to learn, even though they are each gifted instructors. We got to know one another over plates of sticky rice, and I mean every kind of sticky rice you could imagine: banana sticky rice, prawn sticky rice, coconut sticky rice; sticky rice with peanuts… it was delicious.
As we transitioned into logistics, our new friends continued to open their lives to us, thanking God that two teams had become one; working together for the Kingdom of Heaven. Each of us from YWAM Maui received a welcome brochure and a calendar of events, introducing us to Myanmar; informing us of the practices, goals, and ministries of their church; and phonetically listing numerous helpful phrases such as the cheerful Mingle-aba: Hello!
For the next two weeks we were catapulted into a community of believers who take seriously the Word of God and His desire to see people and nations transformed by the renewing of our minds. We saw them live to disciple new believers in the faith, constantly lowering themselves to be servants of one another, and remaining teachable at all times.
The ministries we were invited to be a part of were excellent and clearly designed by the Lord. I met with one young woman who described their church’s family tree in such a way that emphasized their roles are to walk and model leadership, while remaining anchored to Christ and their own mentor in the Church. That might sound really confusing, but their family is healthy, organized, and diligent. They have a growing desire to reach out to the community and do so by teaching English lessons once a week; centered around God and a lesson from the Bible.
When I arrived in Myanmar, I was exhausted, I did not know how I was going to serve the church. Their generous blessings and Spirit-filled encouragement is what got me through the journey. Our schedule was overwhelmingly full, so much so we took a picture of the calendar at the end of the trip, yet I have never been more refreshed than I was after our last prayer meeting and debrief time. Not by my might, nor by my own power, but by the Spirit of the Living God who continues to “give us today our daily… rice.”
Please continue to pray for Myanmar and Every Nations Church, Yangon!
we flew in last night from Yangon, Myanmar. We’re staying downtown at this Rainforest Guesthouse and it’s pretty cool. Kind of rustic, and a spacious public area on each floor, so it makes up for the rooms having less than one foot between the foot of our bed and the wall. Hahaha.
Where do I start when I begin to process the past two weeks in Myanmar?
Yangon was a great place to finish up our overseas ministry. China was wearing on me- it was cold and all our friends had left Guangzhou. I got sick in the last week and felt useless to the team. Malaysia was a good transition place, and I had really great quiet times. Then I kind of fell apart in Myanmar. We flew in on Tuesday, 31 Jan; were picked up at the airport by Veronica and Christine and ate at a nice Burmese style restaurant.
On Wednesday we had orientation with the staff of Every Nations Church Yangon (ENCY). The pastors go by the names Teacher John, Teacher Kap, and Teacher Mang. These men of faith walk in great humility and love to learn, even though they are each gifted instructors. We got to know one another over plates of sticky rice, and I mean every kind of sticky rice you could imagine: banana sticky rice, prawn sticky rice, coconut sticky rice; sticky rice with peanuts… it was delicious.
As we transitioned into logistics, our new friends continued to open their lives to us, thanking God that two teams had become one; working together for the Kingdom of Heaven. Each of us from YWAM Maui received a welcome brochure and a calendar of events, introducing us to Myanmar; informing us of the practices, goals, and ministries of their church; and phonetically listing numerous helpful phrases such as the cheerful Mingle-aba: Hello!
For the next two weeks we were catapulted into a community of believers who take seriously the Word of God and His desire to see people and nations transformed by the renewing of our minds. We saw them live to disciple new believers in the faith, constantly lowering themselves to be servants of one another, and remaining teachable at all times.
The ministries we were invited to be a part of were excellent and clearly designed by the Lord. I met with one young woman who described their church’s family tree in such a way that emphasized their roles are to walk and model leadership, while remaining anchored to Christ and their own mentor in the Church. That might sound really confusing, but their family is healthy, organized, and diligent. They have a growing desire to reach out to the community and do so by teaching English lessons once a week; centered around God and a lesson from the Bible.
When I arrived in Myanmar, I was exhausted, I did not know how I was going to serve the church. Their generous blessings and Spirit-filled encouragement is what got me through the journey. Our schedule was overwhelmingly full, so much so we took a picture of the calendar at the end of the trip, yet I have never been more refreshed than I was after our last prayer meeting and debrief time. Not by my might, nor by my own power, but by the Spirit of the Living God who continues to “give us today our daily… rice.”
Please continue to pray for Myanmar and Every Nations Church, Yangon!
29 January, 2012
Slideshow of Asia trip
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers during my trip. Although I cannot describe all that has taken place in these past seven weeks, I hope you can get a sample from the following slideshow!
Currently, I am writing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on a four day transition to the second portion of our trip. We are excited to see all that the Heavenly Father has in store for us. In just three short weeks I will return to the States and hope to have the opportunity to visit with you all! I apologize for the lack of updates, the places I have been traveling had a restricted amount of internet availability.
Blessings!
Kelsey Maxine
Currently, I am writing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on a four day transition to the second portion of our trip. We are excited to see all that the Heavenly Father has in store for us. In just three short weeks I will return to the States and hope to have the opportunity to visit with you all! I apologize for the lack of updates, the places I have been traveling had a restricted amount of internet availability.
Blessings!
Kelsey Maxine
28 January, 2012
A Walk Down Beijing Road
Thank you for praying for our friend, Whitney. We greatly enjoyed her company and were able to share the Good News with her. Pray she will realize what Christ has done is a historical reality and not a Western Legend.
"As it is Written"
“How, then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?”
Last night, we hosted our weekly Bible study; this month our friends are celebrating one year of the fellowship! For the past four weeks, we have been walking through the life of Jesus. I prepared a teaching on what it looks like to be a servant filled with the Spirit of God. A rainy night, and we rejoice in our surprise: six skeptics joined seven of our faithful attendees.
We read from Matthew 4, where Jesus began His ministry “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…”(v.23) and transitioned to John 13, the passage where we see Jesus display matchless humility. Lowering Himself in order to serve His disciples; He washes their feet.
In Bible times, a person of Jewish culture would consider the foot filthy, disgusting. After walking along dirt roads in sandals, to wash the feet was a disgraceful responsibility. It was a lowly servant’s duty to cleanse the feet of those whom the household valued. Following discussion, we read Matthew 28. We focused on Jesus’ appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary after His resurrection. “…And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.”(v.9) The first reaction these Jewish women have upon seeing Jesus is to hold His feet, displaying they are His servants.
Matthew 28:16-20 is known as The Great Commission. Now, to “Go and make disciples” looks different for a Jewish apostle, a Chinese student, and an American gypsy. Nevertheless, Jesus gives us The Great Promise, He “is with us always…”(v.20) By His Spirit we are empowered to serve this way.
Do we “proclaim the gospel” like Jesus? My friend, wherever you are, I invite you to read from Romans 10:
“For ‘everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
'How beautiful are the feet
of those who preach the good news.'"
Last night, we hosted our weekly Bible study; this month our friends are celebrating one year of the fellowship! For the past four weeks, we have been walking through the life of Jesus. I prepared a teaching on what it looks like to be a servant filled with the Spirit of God. A rainy night, and we rejoice in our surprise: six skeptics joined seven of our faithful attendees.
We read from Matthew 4, where Jesus began His ministry “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…”(v.23) and transitioned to John 13, the passage where we see Jesus display matchless humility. Lowering Himself in order to serve His disciples; He washes their feet.
In Bible times, a person of Jewish culture would consider the foot filthy, disgusting. After walking along dirt roads in sandals, to wash the feet was a disgraceful responsibility. It was a lowly servant’s duty to cleanse the feet of those whom the household valued. Following discussion, we read Matthew 28. We focused on Jesus’ appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary after His resurrection. “…And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.”(v.9) The first reaction these Jewish women have upon seeing Jesus is to hold His feet, displaying they are His servants.
Matthew 28:16-20 is known as The Great Commission. Now, to “Go and make disciples” looks different for a Jewish apostle, a Chinese student, and an American gypsy. Nevertheless, Jesus gives us The Great Promise, He “is with us always…”(v.20) By His Spirit we are empowered to serve this way.
Do we “proclaim the gospel” like Jesus? My friend, wherever you are, I invite you to read from Romans 10:
“For ‘everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
'How beautiful are the feet
of those who preach the good news.'"
Newsletter Update
The friendly greeting is heard across the city. Millions of people live and work here... however, certain days there seems to be a few million at each University!
For the four of us from Maui, Asia is a ready harvest. Every day we meet as a team to pray, read scripture, and worship the One who called us here.
Afterward, we usually split up, riding the bus or metro line to meet with a friend for one-on-one mentorship or a few friends for group discussion.
In this picture , I am visiting a University with some lovely girls I met at a Christmas Party. Most everyone is hearing the Gospel for the first time. Jesus is considered to be part of “Western Culture,” and Christmas means nothing more than “celebration.” In America, Biblical references are often recognized, even by non-believers, but that is nearly unheard of in this atheist nation. Most people here insist on reading the whole Bible before accepting Christ.
It is amazing to see the effort put in to researching Truth, but there comes a time where we know God’s Holy Spirit must speak the Word, making the Bible more than just an outstanding History textbook.
For the four of us from Maui, Asia is a ready harvest. Every day we meet as a team to pray, read scripture, and worship the One who called us here.
Afterward, we usually split up, riding the bus or metro line to meet with a friend for one-on-one mentorship or a few friends for group discussion.
In this picture , I am visiting a University with some lovely girls I met at a Christmas Party. Most everyone is hearing the Gospel for the first time. Jesus is considered to be part of “Western Culture,” and Christmas means nothing more than “celebration.” In America, Biblical references are often recognized, even by non-believers, but that is nearly unheard of in this atheist nation. Most people here insist on reading the whole Bible before accepting Christ.
It is amazing to see the effort put in to researching Truth, but there comes a time where we know God’s Holy Spirit must speak the Word, making the Bible more than just an outstanding History textbook.
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