About a year and two months ago I was living with a woman and her daughter in a small condo. I distinctly remember walking into her bathroom one day and hearing, “Papua New Guinea,” in the back of my mind. I shrugged it off as me just being weird, and moved on. This happened about two or three more times, and I began to wonder why in the world I was randomly thinking about this country. Not once taking a moment to acknowledge it was actually God speaking to me through my thoughts.
Right around this time, on August 23rd, 2015, I attended a prayer workshop. This was a time in my life where I was at the brink of recognizing God’s voice in my daily life. In this class, I was told to write down a question and then be silent and listen to His response. Immediately I wrote down, “Where is home?” As a response I wrote things like, “Faith-filled, healthy environment…” obvious types of responses. Then stayed quiet for the rest of the people who were still trying to hear God. I found myself just sitting there with absolutely nothing running through my mind. When all of a sudden I heard, “YWAM.” Reluctantly, I wrote it down, and immediately after that, I heard, “Together.” So I wrote that down as well, and secretly hoped it meant I would one day go to YWAM with my future husband… Then, I just moved on.
Two months later, out of curiosity, I sent out an email to Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Los Angeles inquiring about their Justice Discipleship Training School (JDTS). I simply wanted some information for the potential future; post college degree. After hitting send I completely forgot about it and life went on.
Still, though, the random, “Papua New Guinea,” was popping into my head.
A month passed, and after a year and a half of living with moms who took me in, I finally moved into an apartment with two girls in their twenties. I got my cat back, a new car, a steady job that I held for over a year (that was a first), I was going to school, etc., etc., life was seemingly really good.
Two months after I moved out, though, God rocked my world.
It had been over three months since I had sent the email to YWAM LA (and forgotten I about it) when John Dawson, the President of YWAM and founder of the Los Angeles base spoke at my church.
What struck me wasn’t John’s sermon, although I am sure it was profound. What actually struck me was the short video he played before he spoke. It was about the YWAM Kona Ships sailing to Papua New Guinea, showing facts about the medical aid the country needs and is getting through YWAM students who are doctors, nurses, paramedics, dentists, etc. My heart broke and I couldn’t stop crying, and did not understand why.
After he spoke I approached his wife, Julie, and asked her if she was aware of Art Therapy being used in the healing of victims of human trafficking, as that was the sole reason I was pursuing an education. She affirmed me and mentioned that YWAM would take me now, but I told her I wanted to finish college first. Then I told her, “You know, it’s funny, a couple months ago I asked God where home is and He told gave me the words, ‘YWAM,’ and ‘Together.’” She immediately responded, “Oh, yeah, YWAM Together, it’s an event we have each year, you can go to ywamtogether.org.”
I looked at her in utter shock. She told me, “Yeah, you should start Googling the things God tells you…”
I was dumbfounded. Later that morning I mentioned the story to her husband and he told me to go on YouTube to watch the videos from the last YWAM Together in 2015. Then he prayed for me, he believed I had decisions to make in the next week and prayed God would help me make them.
That night I discovered that the YWAM Together event he was discussing happened to be celebrating Papua New Guinea that year. Shocked and confused. I commenced the video watching, convinced someone would say my name, or something profound would be said that would change my life… or something. After a few hours of this I finally went to bed. The next day I went to work like usual, and opened up my phone on my break so that I could catch another 10 minutes of whichever video I was dissecting.
Instead I found an email in my inbox.
Half a day after meeting the Dawson’s and having this revelation about what God had spoken to me about, I got a response back from YWAM LA. Ninety five and a half days after emailing the base. I couldn’t believe it.
Was this a sign? Or Divine intervention? Because there is a huge difference.
Apparently the “decision” I had to make that week was whether or not I would apply. I remember thinking, “I can’t not apply,” after realizing that this was not a sign. This was God working and moving. THIS WAS GOD!
Two hundred and thirty four days later. After brutal conversations, raising seven thousand dollars, quitting my job, moving out, storing all of my belongings, and even flying my cat across the country so that I wouldn’t have to give her away… I found myself at YWAM LA to attend their six month long Justice Discipleship Training School.
Still though, I remember having this conversation with someone just a week before coming to embark on this crazy journey. “Why did God go through all this trouble to get me here? Was He just trying to get my attention with Papua New Guinea and YWAM Together? That is a very elaborate scheme to get me here… but it did, so was that the only reason?”
Here at YWAM, most of the time, a new student knows they will be going on an outreach trip, but has no clue where. In my case, that was exactly it. I believed the Lord told me Thailand, but deep down inside I was hoping it would be Papua New Guinea. If it wasn’t, I would have been incredibly confused… Waiting to find out my outreach locations was brutal. I REALLY like to know what the surprise is before I get it. Always have, always will. Patience is not a virtue I have the pleasure of embracing.
Then, three weeks into my JDTS, to the day, God rocked my world. Again.
My team still had absolutely no idea where we were going. All I knew was that God told me Thailand, but I really wanted it to be Papua New Guinea as well in order to satisfy my curiosity of why God used that strange way of getting me here.
I was getting my lunch and looked over to my right and saw a face I didn’t recognize, then I saw the logo on his shirt and immediately knew who he was. A man who I had been anticipating arriving and getting a chance to ask him some questions. He is the President of the YWAM Kona Ships that sail over to Papua New Guinea. I asked him his name, and told him I really wanted to talk to him, so he saved me a seat and I ate a delicious lunch with him.
I told him my heart for human trafficking and that I would really love to learn about what YWAM does in PNG. He gave me a short answer of what they do there, then asked me how I got to YWAM. I told him it was a very weird story, but I could give him the short version. After I told him what I just told you he got very excited and said I was in the middle of an adventure with God. He said that he believes that I am anointed, and that God has been preparing me my entire life for the plan he has for me, the one I am currently walking in. Then he said, “I am officially inviting you onto the ship to go to Papua New Guinea.”
After my JDTS I am going to be an assistant chef for five weeks on a ship in Papua New Ginuea! I will get the privilege of cooking for brilliant minded missionaries coming from all over the world to go onto little islands and heal the sick!
Some people like to say that the definition of faith is taking risks. How could I not go? I will be apart of the bible coming to life, and I could not be more excited.
A few months after I got invited onto the ship I got the chance to see Mr. Dawson and tell him that he had a part in me being at YWAM. He was actually on his way to Papua New Ginuea the next day! I just found out that he is the ambassador of the YWAM ships. He told me, “I consider it a great honor to be called to that nation.”
I almost forgot to tell you! Two hours after my formal invitation, I found out my outreach locations, Thailand and the Philippines.
I did some research and quickly discovered that women from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, and the Philippines are trafficked into Papua New Guinea each year.
I have no clue what God is doing. BUT, I can’t wait to be there when He tells me.
The second time the Isrealites witnessed the waters split apart before their eyes, the water did not move until they put their foot into the rapidly moving water. They had to take the first step even though it looked scary and sounded crazy, they took that step of faith instead of running away crouched in fear. They stood their ground and trusted in their God. That is the God whom I have chosen to put my trust in. I am choosing to cross the sea, walk on water, and watch God move.
Before Moses died, he told God’s people that they would cross the Jordan without him and have to fight for their promised land. He told them, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6
This small country is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Children as young as 5 years old are being forced into commercial sex and work by members of their immediate family or their tribe. Within the country, women and girls from rural areas are deceived with promises of legitimate work to travel to different provinces where they are subjected to sex trafficking. People are sold for a variety of things including: guns, political alliances and/or favors, votes, to settle debts, peace offerings, support the family, pay for school fees, and more. Government officials are also accepting bribes to allow smuggling to occur and ignore trafficking situations. This is just a small description of some of the things happening there right now. Also, in 2013, despite efforts by the government to put a stop to this, trafficking grew by 30%.
Where I come to be raw. 