Mission Minute - 8 SEPT 2019

Hey Everybody!

I just wanted to give another update, I've been on the coast for a few weeks now and am settling in nicely. The students (46 of them) arrived a week ago and have been settling in during their time here. It has been honoring, humbling, and exciting to see them and be apart of their beginning journey's.

Today they learned their outreach locations and they are all VERY excited. We did a super fun reveal where we put them all in the vans and had them put on blindfolds, we then drove around the neighborhood to throw them off a bit and made our way to a local beach were they had to dig in the sand to find letter of the location options. They then had to put all the letter together and spell the country correctly. Then the groups had to guess which locations they were going to and who their outreach leaders were. It was so much fun and was a great way to end our weekend :)

As I shared in the video God has really been teaching me complete dependence on Him, especially when it comes to discipleship. He has been showing me that He walks to talk to each of His kids, and that when we get in the way of that it only lessens people's abilities for themselves. That instead of giving advice, sometimes it is more important to ask them what they think God is saying to them, and let them hear for themselves. Discipleship should always be less about us and more about God.

One of the ways he taught me this was when I got to be part of a SOZO training. SOZO is a Greek word that means to save, heal, deliver, or be made whole. It basically trains people how to help people ask God the right questions so that they hear from God themselves and can have breakthrough in their lives while also getting all the words from God themselves. It also is used to help expose lies that we believe deep down that come from emotional wounds. As I was going through this training it just reminded me how I should be continually pointing people back to Jesus instead of to whatever I think they should do - because God knows much better than I do - thank goodness for that!

Preparation for outreach begins tomorrow and I am very excited to get to go through this incredible journey of preparing for three months to go to a nation that I know God is calling me to be in, for at least a little while (two months for starters) I am convinced that God has such good plans for this time ahead and for the students we are taking with us on Outreach!

I will do another team intro for you all so you can fall in love with my team at least a little bit and can see how beautiful and lovely they all are <3

If you could all be praying for just continued dependence on God as well as for wisdom and humility in this time of leading. Please also be praying for our students, that they would fall in love with missions, the country, and most important of all God!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support,
I love and miss you all!
Allison

Mission Minute - 18 Aug 2019

Hey everybody!
I just wanted to let you all know I have arrived at the Sunshine Coast safely. I arrived this past Thursday and have had a few days of rest and recuperation after my long flights. The past few days I have spent a lot of time with God preparing myself for this upcoming week of staff training. God has been teaching me a lot about how important it is to spend quality time with him. Quality time is important in every relationship and making that time with Him is a priority. He also has been teaching me more of what that time looks like for us as I begin staffing. He has asked me to spend a lot more time listening and in prayer - which has become a beautiful time of learning even more about God and his character. Today in my Bible reading I came across a passage that really stuck out to me which is Exodus 14:14 'The LORD will fight for you, and you need only to be silent.' God is so good and I have spent this week in awe of how perfect he is and how perfectly he knows me and what I need.
Please be praying for this upcoming week of staff training where we will be learning and preparing ourselves to be the best staff be possibly can be.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me, sending me, and supporting me for the past couple weeks. I am overwhelmed with the love and support I have received and am so blessed to have such an amazing community and family supporting me!
With Love,
Allison

What's Next?

Below is a document that goes over what I plan to do next and why along with a partnership form that I would like to ask you to pray about if/how you would like to support me. 

If you would like to support me please email me at afox0297@gmail.com 

TO GO AND TO SERVE: ALLISON FOX

WHAT IS NEXT?

In August 2019 I am committing to going back to YWAM Sunshine Coast for two years to be on staff for DTS (Discipleship Training School), during that time I will be starting an Agricultural DTS which will begin in Sept. 2020.

WHAT IS STAFFING?

One of the major staffing roles is to plan and lead outreaches for the students of each DTS. (There are three DTS sessions a year and each staff is expected to lead an outreach a minimum of once a year) As a staff member I would also be living with the students as they go through their DTS as well as having one on one’s to help them process what they are learning and doing support roles like cleaning, prepping, and planning. Staff also does a lot of community service throughout the year.

WHY AN AGRICULTURAL DTS?

Up to 90% of people living in developing countries use farming as a main source of income and as a source for food for each day. Many of these farmers do not have the basic skills or knowledge they need to be adequately working the land to allow them to get themselves out of poverty. By using agricultural education as a way of spreading the gospel it will allow us to reach a majority of the population as well as leaving the people we go there to serve with a practical gift from God on how to provide for themselves and their families better.

WHAT WILL THE AGRICULTURAL DTS LOOK LIKE?

Students will come in and learn about agriculture in developing countries, what some of the challenges are, ways to help, and how to share the gospel through the lens of agriculture. We will then go into these developing countries and put to practice what they have learned.

WHY AM I FUNDRASING?

Everyone in YWAM, including the founder, raises their own funds to live on every year. NO ONE in YWAM has a paid position. YWAM believes that everyone should have a home church, or a core group of Christians to fellowship with. It is with this belief that they encourage creating partnerships where the church sends missionaries into the mission field, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support to go out to into the world to reach and serve people as well as to bring back faith building stories, lessons learned, and encouragement from time spent wherever God sends them.

To learn more about the foundational beliefs of why YWAMers raise their own funds check out this document: https://www.ywamsalem.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Support-Raising-Manual-FOR-STAFF.pdf

 Pages 2-7 explain, with biblical references, about why everyone raises their own funds

HOW MUCH WILL I NEED?

The suggested amount is to have approximately $1,100 a month in funding. This ends up being about $13,000 per year.

WHAT DO FUNDS GO TOWARD?

 The funds cover the cost of flights to outreach and home, food and board, as well as other basic costs of living which include mandatory health insurance, visas, laundry, etc..

HOW TO GIVE

To Bethesda Lutheran Church – memo line: Allison Fox Fund

Paypal account: paypal.me/togoandtoserve 

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PARTNERSHIP FORM

NAME: __________________________________       

EMAIL:______________________________________________

ADDRESS:_____________________________________________________________________

PARTNERSHIP TYPE

Please pray about becoming a partner with me and return this bottom section once your commitment is decided.

Please let me know if you have any questions!  [Email: afox0297@gmail.com]

     Prayer

     One Time Gift of $_________

     Monthly Partnership of $________

Outreach Video

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to share some of the videos and things I've been up to. I've been trying to type up blogs to explain what I was up to during outreach and I just can't seem to get it down on paper. I type it up and then delete it because it doesn't sound right and then re-type it again and delete it again and it is just cycle of getting nothing done so I've decided to try something different. My aunt Nancy had an amazing idea of doing 'missionary minute' videos where I share a short little video every couple of weeks about what I am up to and what I would appreciate prayer for.
Instead of trying to type everything out I am going to try using videos as a way to share my stories with you all so I can stay connected.

This is a video of my team's outreach so you can see places we stayed and some of the things we did.
Over outreach I went to Papua New Guinea for three weeks and Tanzania for five weeks.

https://youtu.be/cI6POhQBIKw

Below is a video of the trip I went on with the Youth Group from Bethesda after I got back from outreach. We went to Kansas City and worked with many different local ministries there, including working with the homeless, children, and the elderly. 

https://youtu.be/6m6dQrs1GhE

I hope everyone enjoy's the videos and I look forward to sharing more about my trips 

Let me know if you have any specific questions you'd like answered or things you want to know from my trips! 

With Love, 

Allison 

Month One & Two

Hey Everybody!
I've had an incredible first month here on the Sunny Coast! I have learned more about myself, who God is, and who I am in him than I have in the past few years. We have had so many amazing speakers that have really encouraged and challenged us to go deeper into our relationships with God and create an intimacy that cannot be rivaled by anything the world has to offer.

Below are some pictures I've collected as I've been here and a couple short descriptions of what they are of!

The top picture is the backyard I sit almost every morning to read my bible and watch the sunrise.

This picture is from a quick weekend trip I took with one of my roommates where I got to spend some amazing time on the beach hearing from God. 

My Birthday was one to remember! My roommates started the day off by surprising me with decorating the dining room, making me breakfast, and singing me happy birthday when I walked in then later in the day everyone surprised me with a cake a then everyone sang me happy birthday! They then had a time of encouragement and prayer for the coming year and we ended up singing amazing grace as a group. I was a beautiful day surrounded by amazing people! 

These photos are from a sunrise hike we did one of the first weeks. When we got to the top someone had brought a guitar up with them and as a group we lifted our voices in worship.  

These are just a couple of the amazing sunsets I get to see every morning :) 

This is the whole group of us on one of the first days

This is me with one of my amazing roommates and good friends Meike, she is from Germany! 

This is Sara, one of my really good friends here, and outreach team member (with me in the background haha) When I leave my phone lying around Sara likes to take selfies with it and so I have a beautiful collection of her selfies haha! 

We love to have fun and take weird selfies here so this is from the room we have class in while we were waiting to begin one day 

Here on the sunshine coast we have an amazing coffee culture and since I am one, a lover of coffee, and two, always am in need of WiFi I have become a regular in many of the local shops. 

Two of the leaders here (Karis, seen above, and Sam - they are married!) are also from Wisconsin, down in the Milwaukee area, but it has been really fun to go out and get to know them! This was one time where we went to a small coffee shop out of town and found ourselves looking at a beautiful nature area! 

What daily life looks like in YWAM DTS:
I personally love starting my day with God, so every morning I choose to get up around 5 am, get in my bible and just hang out with God. Sometimes I use that time to journal, pray, or sit and listen to God but other times I do that later in the day. This time is really just whatever I need to connect to God and be filled by him.
Then Breakfast is between 6:30 and 7am
We leave for base (the church were we have classes at) most mornings at 7:30am
We start class at 8am with worship Monday and Friday, Intersession Tuesday and Wednesday, and regular class on Thursdays
We have class lectures until 10:30am when we break for morning tea (AKA tea, coffee, and snacks)
Then start class againat 11am
We then end lectures each day at 12:30-1pm
We then have lunch before going home.
Afternoons are spent many different ways but generally
           Monday: Cleaning duties and Outreach preperation
           Tuesday: Free afternoon often used to work on homework, be in the bible, run to town quick, have one on ones (mentoring), read, hangout together, or take a quick nap every now and then ;) Tuesday Nights we have the SBS Students (School of Biblical Studies: a 9 month program in YWAM where students study the complete bible in five different ways) come and teach on a book of the New Testament that we read the previous Wednesday afternoon
          Wednesday: Cleaning duties and bible reading with SBS. Then on Wednesday night we have night lecture from 7pm-9pm 
          Thursday: BBQ on the beach! As a DTS we go to the local beach and spend some time together bonding, processing the week, surfing, or playing volleyball
         Friday: Cleaning duties and at night we have ministry in the community

For an easier visual of what my days look like here is an example of what my schedule generally looks like!

In three weeks we leave for outreach! It is crazy how fast the time has flown!

Please be praying for the final funds to come in for some of my outreach team, that the hearts of the people we go to on outreach are soft and the the harvest is great (Luke 10:2), for protection of our team from sickness and from man, and that we are overflowing with the Holy Spirit while we are there and have the opportunity to share the gospel that means so much to us with others! 

With Love, Allison 

Meet My Outreach Team!

Hey Everyone! Below is a short video introduction to my outreach team members!

If you couldn't tell in the video my team members are pretty amazing! I am so blessed to have such an amazing team filled completely with people after God's own heart. I know that the two months we are spending together will be filled with laughter, miracles, and bringing God's Kingdom wherever we go!

As a team we have outreach prep every week where we practice skits, bond as a group, go over highs and lows of the week, pray for our outreach's success, pray for our contacts and the places we will be going, and learning a little bit of the language!

Here are some images from when we went bowling as a team! 

We also have weekly ministry (AKA Community outreach/evangelism). Our ministry is working alongside christian skaters at a local skate park. We make either hot dogs (called snags in Australia) or pancakes that we hand out for free to the people there. We then use that to start conversations, evangelize, and have the opportunity to pray for people as well as just serving the people in the amazing community we live in.

My Last Week in America

My last week in America was blessed with being able to spend it at my favorite place on Earth. Many people would probably not say that 5am wakeups, hard work, and manure to be their favorite place but to me it's the closest thing to heaven you can get. Here are just a few pictures from my time where my heart is happy. 

The "boys" (Rebel and Rowdy) are ready to go out for evening  chores. 

This is my super gorgeous work outfit haha - its all about comfort, warmth, and usability on the farm

I am very much a big dog person, after spending a week with the boys I was pretty sad to leave them They are the sweetest labs!

This is the calf feeding system they use at the farm. Its is bottles with a holding tank for pasteurized milk that is fed to the cows. It is a very cool process, any milk that is unable to be sold into the market but is still ok once pasteurized is sent over to the calf barn. It is then put through a pasteurizer and put fed to the calves. By doing this they reduce the waste of milk they are unable to sell, do not have to pay for milk replacer, and have healthier calves since it has all the nutrients in the correct amounts for them. 

This is George. George is the trusty farm pickup that may have a little rust, and leak a little power steering fluid, but he runs well, and starts when asked without too much protest! Fun Fact: I learned how to drive on George! Whew that was a while ago haha 

Here is an outside view of the calf barn (which is where I worked throughout most of the week) and the exterior calf hutches 

This calf was not feeling so hot when the week started but with a fresh warm jacket, some warm milk in its belly, and a little penicillin in her bum she turned around pretty quick.

Rowdy (L) and Rebel (R) like to help with chores, and play around a bit, but when called they are the best good boys and will sit nicely for a picture! 

They may be a little chunky but they also have quite a few "treats" all over the farm just waiting to be cleaned up, so they may or may not have put on a few extra pounds... haha 

This is the bulk tank where the milk is stored and the pasteurization system! I definitely geek out over this system every time I use it and they have had it for years now haha 

Rebel makes sure the bench and my coat stay warm until we are ready to take the 4X4 out and deliver the milk to the calves 

These are part of the girls inside.

Here is the other side for the bigger calves that will soon be weaned. 

I was pretty sad to leave the farm, my heart is so full of joy there, but looking back and I have even more joy here on the sunshine coast, which I didn't think was possible, and I am so amazed at all the  things God is doing here, and has already done in my heart. 

I do have to say I feel pretty sorry for the farm this past week in the -50 degree weather. The cold makes it so much worse. (I am enjoying the sunny and 80 degree weather here though!) 

My Psalm

I wrote this the night that I found out I had gotten accepted into the DTS Program with YWAM. I couldn't sleep because I was so excited and so, deeply, in love with the doors God could open in my life. For awhile now I have been praying to have a passionate love for God like David did, you can see in all his Psalms how honest, and truly in love with God he was - it's beautiful and when I noticed it I thought "I want that kind of passion for Christ" so I started praying for it, and the day came when I understood how David must have felt.

It came pouring out of me with so much intensity I couldn't stop the inexplicable joy that came from getting a tiny glimpse of just how big my God is. You see there is no way that I should have been accepted. The class was full, I had been put on a wait list, and yet even though no one cancelled out of the class I was accepted in through prayer. I knew that this was the journey God wanted me on and I glimpsed the opening of closed doors that God is capable of.

Then unsure of what to do with all the emotions pouring out of me I wrote them down. In counselling I learned the power and love of journaling and so that's just what I did. Here are the results.

I really debated on whether or not to share this since it was such and intimate moment with God but if David can be bold enough to share his innermost love of God, than so can I. I pray that this psalm speaks to someone, as these words are not mine, but are from God. I pray that the love I have for the Lord will burst out through this psalm, and I pray that you are able to see that love for God and God's love of us is not an old testament notion, but a living, breathing, daily relationship with Him.

So this is my Psalm to God:


Oh wonderful God, how great it is to serve you
how amazing you are, oh God.
My Abba, my Father.
You are my rock and my foundation on which I stand
I stand before you in awe of your power and might.
Overwhelmed with your joy and your faithfulness
I fall to my knees in praise,
hands lifted high I sing of your holiness

So loved am I by you my dear God
you call me your precious child
and make a straight path for my feet.

How faithful, oh God, you are.
How glorious and wonderful is your name.
You open doors that should be shut
and lead me down the path few follow
You lead me where I am supposed to be
and pure inexplicable joy comes from being in your will,
From following your path

I am honored to praise your name.
I am unworthy to be called your servant
and yet you reach out to me, my dearest Abba
and you call me your beloved child

How hard it is to fathom your love, my God
Such a sinner am I
and you have plans for each of my days, hours, and seconds.
You make no mistakes, oh God
and I am humbled by your mighty love
and your inexplicable forgiveness.

The joy of the Lord is mine
when you lead my path, precious Father.
All glory and honor to you, oh God
my heart and my path is forever yours.
I boast only in the love of you my Father, oh God
Amen.