Our new friends from South Korea!



Jang and Lee with son's Gene and Edward

 One of our best friends here in Kona has been Jang and his wife Lee.  They have two beautiful little boys, Edward (4) and Gene (2).  Those are their American ages.  Koreans use a different year than we do in America, and the boys are older in Korea.  Its fun to ask all the kids here on base, "Is that your age in America or Korea?"

They are attending the Go Asia - DTS.  Another school just like our's, however it is taught entirely in Korean.  Sometimes we share instructors and have it translated in both languages. 

Always thoughtful, Jang dusts me off as we clean the pool area

I love it when Gene calls me Uncle Dave :)

Jang always has a smiling face and a favor to our family.  He gave us a terrific book on the missionary history of Japan and yesterday he had some fresh sliced watermelon for the kids and I.  A few weeks ago his wife Lee made a traditional Korean dish for us for dinner, JaJang Bob!  Yummy!!  White rice with a spicey bean sauce and veggies in the sauce.  David had three helpings :) 

What I most admire about him is his courage and joy in learning English.  He's getting better every day.  I also enjoy watching his son's worship each week in the Prayer room.  They embody true joy and the love of their parents.

Everyone packed into the jeep to head to swim!

Jang is a pastor at a church in S Korea and he wants to continue in the Counseling Field after his DTS.  He may end up attending the terrific YWAM Counseling Schools after going back to S. Korea in August.

Gene and Jang in their shark towel/hoodies

Recently we spend a Sunday at the Sheraton Hotel to swim and have lunch.  What fun!  The water slide appealed to all.  We bought hamburgers and chicken fingers to return the favor of a meal in our nationality :)

Jang left a few weeks before us for his outreach to China.  Crazy that they do outreach in a country where it is illegal to be a Christian!!!  They meet in the basements of businesses and in house churches.  YWAM is very strong in China, though they keep it all hush-hush.  Current estimate is that there are 150 million Christians in China today and in the next 10 years it will be the largest Christian nation in the world.  Pray for Christianity to continue to penetrate this nation.  Can you imagine if China became a Christian country!  How great would that be for the world!!!


One of the reasons Christianity is really gaining traction among the higher-ups is that each time the government gives money to Christian entrepreneurs they find that the employers pay their taxes and treat their employees fairly.  This has not been the case for other investments made in entrepreneurs that are atheists from the Communist strongholds.

Worshipping with Korean and American Families at family prayer room

Anyway, Jang and I are staying in touch since he has left.  However, I am not able to mention prayer, Jesus, or anything spiritual in my emails as they are scanned by the govt.  So we talk in code :)

I have made a spiritual brother for life in this gentle man from Korea.  During our time here our entire family has grown to love the Korean culture and people.






Jang always tells us that he has a vision of us being a river in japan.  A river that receives the Holy Spirit and then releases it.  A river must receive and flow out.  As I was typing this blog Jang sent me this update from China.  What a picture :)

Dave,

How about your parents in kona?

We everyday think you & your family. And I ask to him for your Japan trip safy.

(you Understand What I say.)  I'm sorry  that I wrote without Googletranslate. So broken English. 

But I know that We are one mind.

Dave make river in japan ,

Jang

Three Spiritual Brothers, Jarle/Norway, Dave/USA,
Dongsu Jang/S Korea

a special moment.  Jang and Jessica both baptized me here on the beach.  My third baptism :)
Thirds charmed right?

a few songs and a few pics

here are links to the two songs mentioned in the Father's Day blog:

1.  Awesome God by Rich Mullins.  We call this "David's Song" as we played it as he was born.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJL_bChiTI0

2.  You Are More by Tenth Avenue North.  Check out this really cool video and song.  The end of the video is very befitting a baptism :)  These guys are quickly becoming our favorite band (shh, don't tell Scotty :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA

A few pics from baptism for the ipad users that could not load the videos :)

Our friend DY prepares to baptize JR

Right before the big moment

Maggie embraces Jess after her big moment

Mom and I

Big Daddy and Big Mommy share his moment

Maggie telling us she wants to spend eternity with her Papa in Heaven

The Cheek family has been present for all our baptisms!!!!

Simple Church on the beach beforehand

Matching shirts for the three David's!

The starfish, representative of the Simple Church movement and YWAM.  No head, if you cut off a limb it regenerates

What a Father's Day! What a week!!

Wha' Happened???

My parents, Dave & Kathy Lindsey (aka Big Daddy and Big Mommy) and Jessica's mother, Anne, just left from visiting us in Kona.  It was truly a blessed visit and I think they were able to experience the special "clarity of spirit" that surrounds our campus. 

The highlight of the visit was a Father's Day full of baptisms!  All three of our kids were baptized along with our Big Mommy and Big Daddy!!!!!!  It was beautiful and an answer to many, many prayers.  Big Daddy said with tears welling in his eyes, "I have actually had dreams, real dreams, of this day for many years.  To know I will be in heaven with my family, especially Big Mommy, is an amazing blessing." 

Simple Church on Queens Beach

We traveled to a local, protected beach called Queens Bath and first had a Simple Church service on the beach.  We read from God's word and discussed it sitting in a circle on the beach.  Then we sang along with the ipod while it played "Our God is an Awesome God".  We concluded with communion which consisted of breaking off a piece of a big cookie and berry juice in plastic cups.  Simple yet beautiful.

My Dad and the kids were baptized by our classmate and close friend, DY, who is a pastor in LA and will be leading our outreach team to Japan.  And I had the pleasure of baptizing my mother!  What an honor!!  My first baptism :)  Of course our good friends the Cheeks were there in support and love.

Jackie Ray led us off.  She had Mom speak her prepared words for her, "This morning I prayed and God said, 'Let there be light!  and there was light.' and then God said, 'Let Jackie Ray get baptized!"  and I want to do it!"  (If you can, try to play the videos full screen to see the full love of a mother and daughter's embrace.  Might be too blurry to see the tears in Jess' eyes :)

Maggie followed saying, "Here at our school we learned that God is our Papa and that he will always be there for us...  I want to make sure that one day I'll go up and live with him."

David and my Dad followed doing a double dunk.  All smiles!!

I don't know who is more happy... Me, Big Mommy or Jesus?

Finally, Big Mommy and I entered the deeper water and she pronounced her desire to follow Jesus and make him her savior... and for the first time in her life she let me dunk her.

The sun shined and the Holy Spirit's presence was felt by all as one of favorite songs, "You are More" by Tenth Avenue North played.

And, as if that wasn't enough...  we went from the beach straight to a plane tour of the island and the active Volcano, Kilauea.  Normally folks only get a glimpse of the volcano and the erupting lava from a distance, as the planes have to be careful of the volcanic ash.  However, as we approached the great mountain the pilot declared, "You guys are blessed today, you are going to get to do something only about 1 in 2000 people get to do, fly directly over the volcano!!"  The winds had shifted and cleared all the ash allowing us a direct path.  It was amazing (and a little frightening) to fly very flow and directly over the bubbling lava.  It was like God had left something on the stove and it was violently bubbling over, spilling from bight orange to a shiny silver molten  and streaks of black lava forming as it cooled.  So cool!

We even got to fly over and clearly see the city of Hilo, the second largest city in Hawaii after Honolulu.  It rains almost every day in Hilo (270 inches per year), but we again were blessed with clear skies as we traversed the city.

God was shining down on us all day as we went back to the hotel and rested by the pool.  What a blessed day!!!

And that was just the start of an amazing week for our family...

Big M & Big D join us in class. Speaker spent 25 years missionary in China

We also were able to have our folks join our class lectures and sit in with the kids as they learned about thee Holy Spirit, prophecy and speaking in tongues!  An exciting, moving time for the kids and their grandparents.

I was impressed that my parents focus was to serve and learn vs. vacation.  We gave them the option of sightseeing, etc. but instead they chose to work at the Homeless Feeding on the beach and to visit an elder care facility with the kids as they did their weekly outreach project.

We started each day in the prayer room being filled up with Holy Spirit.  Our parents were able to fully understand the power and peace one feels being in this special place that has prayer and worship overflowing 24/7/365.  On the last day everyone in the prayer room, including our parents, were able to pray over us for protection and guidance as we leave for Japan next week.

Another highlight was that the kids graduated from their Foundation School program while they were here.  This was an especially joyful night for Anne as she reveled in the dance show the kids had prepared for us and the slide show of the quarter.

The School verse for the quarter, "The JOY of the Lord is our STRENGTH"

SMILES

It was such a delight to have Anne visit.  She had such a grateful heart and was specially encouraging to Jessica and I.  Anne & Big Mommy were just gabbing away the entire trip :-)

Anne has come soooooooooooooooo far and is growing so much!!  God is soooooo good!  We loved every minute of her visit and can't wait to see her when we return to Indy. 

happy, relaxed Anne.  she loved Hawaii

I could go on and on (I guess I already have :)  It was a blessed week and it gave us a "rejuvenation fix" as we prepare for our outreach for Japan.

Thank you for letting me share our excitement ;)

The Class of 2011

10 Tips for Hearing God's Voice

Please take you time with this blog.  Lots of info here :)
You might mark this page and come back to it.  Or maybe you want to print it out and try a few of these tools over the next few weeks.  Regardless, we love to share and hope it helps!

1.  Don't expect a loud, audible, earth shaking voice to speak clearly to you :)  Yes, sometimes this happens to people but it is in the minority and usually only comes in stressful situations.

Kids on tour

2.  Ask God to speak to you about the little things... then you will familiar with hearing his voice for the BIG things.  For example, try asking God....

   a.  What should I wear today?

   b.  How should I wear my hair?

   c.  Who should I sit next to or talk to at dinner tonight?

   d.  Is there anything in my home that is blocking me from hearing

you God?  Whatever he says, throw it away, maybe even burn it.

Mom and Son enjoying a chat

3.  Pray to Him and use this Easy 3 Step Process:

• A.  SUBMIT to his will.  Say, "God, I submit to your will.  Let mymind, my requests, my spirit honor you.  I submit to your teachings and whoyou are.  My goal is to glorify you."  
• B.  RESIST the enemy.  Say, "I cast out the enemy.  Anything I'mthinking about this topic that is of myself or the enemy dies right now.  I die to myself and my own desires.  I resist the enemies temptation.  My goal is to glorify our Creator."  Sometimes as "MY" ideas come into my mind I announce them out loud and acknowledge they are my ideas and not God's.
• C.  EXPECT an answer.  Say, "Lord I'm listening for your voice, a picture, a word, speak to me... show me.  You already know the answer, just help me to humble myself and hear it."  I'm amazed at how often God surprises me with an answer.  I'm usually debating over X or Y, but God will show me a better way, His way, and the answer he shows is Z!

What a smile!

4.   Sometimes people wonder if they hear God.  My favorite definition is "When my heart and my head agree, that's God speaking."  He will disturb one of the two if he needs to.

5.  You Hear with your Ears, but you LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART.  Often we just get a sense or a nudge.  Also, if it keeps coming back, it may be God.  The point is to start obeying these nudges and honoring them, and slowly God's voice becomes more clear.  Remember, to LISTEN means to also OBEY.  Ask yourself, "Have I obeyed the last thing God told me to do?"  Sometimes our disobedience can lead to not hearing God as clearly.

6.  EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.  My wife Jessica has always told us this truth.  However, here our family is learning a deeper understanding of this truth.  Try to see and accept God's plan in your circumstances.  I have found so much peace in recent weeks just accepting that situation I am in is the one that was meant for me.  Instead of trying to figure out, "my own way". 

 
7.  Dreams, Visions, Other People, Signs.  Dreams and visions are another way he comes to us.   Sometimes he will speak through others as well.  Sometimes he will bring someone into our lives for a reason.  You can ask God to give you a sign!  We all hear or see Him in our own way.

The thinker

8. Spend time getting to know God's Story.  Next time you read the Bible, look at it as hearing God's story for you.  Not just a text book you "have to try to learn from".  We especially like "The Message Bible" which is a new, modern translation of the Bible that reads more like a novel.  Devotional bibles are great.  Remember, the Bible is not simply a book to read.  It is God's word and his plan for the human existence. 

9.  Draw as you pray.  Sometimes it just comes out!

10.  Write as you pray.  THIS HAS BEEN HUGE FOR ME.  I find that if I write as I pray, I get into a free flow where God starts giving me words to write.  I start ideas and He finishes the sentences.  This has become huge in my prayer life.  My prayers tend to build and move instead of just floating in circles in my mind.

11.  BONUS!  Volunteer at a soup kitchen.  Learn more about yourself via others.

Maggie and her friend Jaydon

12.  BONUS 2!  Go build a house for the poor in Mexico with your family.  A good friend of mine told me that the Homes of Hope program in Mexico was, "The sweetest taste of God I ever gave my children."

REMEMBER, THE DEVIL (THE ENEMY) HATES IT WHEN WE LISTEN TO GOD.  THAT'S WHY HE TRIES TO FILL OUR WORLD WITH BUSY DISTRACTIONS AND HIS LIES!!!!

There are four voices we can hear...
1.  Our own voice
2.  Voices of others (friends, family, etc.)
3.  Voice of the Enemy
4.  God's Voice

Consider which one you are truly listening to in different situations throughout your day :)

Finally, expect to hear God's voice EVERY DAY.  As the Lord's prayer goes, "Give us this day our daily bread..." We need to fill up on the Holy Spirit every chance we get.

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Getting Closesr to God and Hearing His Voice

YWAM's first purpose is "To Know God..."  To hear his voice.

The other day our family spent some time getting closer to God.  As we started, I asked, "How do you get to know someone better?" 

Jackie Ray quickly answered, "Spend time with them!"

"Yes, I replied.  That makes sense.  I've always been taught that kids spell love, T-I-M-E!  Why would God be any different.  He wants to spend time with us."

Maggie added, "You can tell what someone loves by looking at where they spend their time."

David followed with another idea, "If you want to know somebody better, you ask them about theirselves and what is on their mind."

Again I replied, "Yes!  If we want to know someone better we ask them what is on their mind and what their story is.  We don't come to them with a list of things we want and then ask them to help us.

David added, "Yes, it would be rude to tell someone you want to know them better, but then just ask them to do things for you."

Sometimes kids just make it so simple!!!

We all nodded in agreement, but then we thought of how our prayer life had been for most of our life.  For the most part we only went to God when we really needed something, and all we did was ask God to help us.  "God can you help with our bills?  God can you help us with a tough decision?  God can you make someone feel better or heal them?  God please help the poor people..."

Until we visited YWAM, it was seldom that we would ever go to God with no agenda other than to spend time and to to hear what was on HIS mind.  Here in Kona we feel we are growing closer to God and actually hearing his plan for our lives.  It's pretty cool. 

The three most important things to do to accomplish this are:
1.  Spend time with God.  Worshipping, Singing, Praying, Meditating, Reading His Word!
2.  Ask God, "What is on your mind for my life?  What is breaking your heart God?  How can I help?"
3.  LISTEN!  Be still.  Wait...  When you head and your heart agree, that's God's voice.

This has been such a cool and insightful process for us.  We hope it helps you!!!

Great Worship in the prayer room

American man. Scandinavian woman. Korean woman. African man. Japanese man. All leading us in worship!!! And that's just half the worship team.
Dave
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Jackie Ray's Fun-Raiser!!!

I was so proud of JR today. She raised over $40 for her teacher to buy a ticket to fly home & see his mother before she passes away. She gave her teacher $60 toward his ticket, $42 from her fun-raiser & $18 from her savings of her last 4 wks of allowance.

Wow! The skills the kids are learning here blow me away & inspire me. Entrepreneurship, giving, compassion, sales,....

Her fun-raiser was to offer Color Hair Spray squirts in exchange for donations. She came up with this idea all on her own!!! She averaged well over $2 per squirt!

One person even paid $5 for me to get my hair sprayed with a mowhawk! Anything for charity :)

Such simple joys... The life of missionary living :)

Dave

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Maggie gets served and serves on her 10th Birthday!

Maggie serves dinner to Marshallese families



Jess serves up B-Day to Maggie & friends



Sorry for delay, we celebrated Maggie's birthday last week.  First she had cupcakes with her classmates at lunch, then we celebrated that evening by working the local food kitchen.

Note from Maggie: 

Today I decided to serve at the food kitchen on my birthday. I served pudding, rice and pork. We also met some girls and they sang to us after we ate. They were really good and nice. I had a good time serving on my birthday!!!

Artie and Jeremy who run the food kitchen

Our little Margaret Grace is 10!  She's growing sooo much
in her caring and sharing.  I love reading the Heart
Change journal she keeps each week.



Jess with our Hawaiian Nana that also works the Food
Kitchen with us each week.  (She looks like my Nana!)



While we were serving with half of our class, the other half was in our
classroom on campus, praying for the Marshallese people.  Vintage
YWAM... service, relationship & prayer - simultaneously...



Briana and Alicia, two neighbors from Canada

 Ruth a native of Hawaii in the middle is in our DTS class.  She will
also be going to Japan with us.  She also just graduated HS this
month!  Her and Margo enjoy the Marshallese kids.  Hawaii's under-
privileged minority are the Marshallese who were given gov't housing
in Hawaii when the U.S. took over their island for bomb testing.

BOOK RECOMENDATIONS

If you'd like to get a flavor or YWAM and what our DTS is all about, we recommend "Is that Really You God?" by YWAM Founder, Loren Cunningham.  It is a quick read, and a biography.  It is required reading of all YWAM'ers and really shares the YWAM-DNA.  GREAT BOOK!

http://ywampublishing.eu/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=198

Another book that gets more to the heart of the YWAM teachings and is more about what YWAM is doing in US, is "Making Jesus Lord:  The Dynamic Power of Laying Down Your Rights" -  also by Loren Cunningham.  This book calls the question of who you really are serving.  We have the RIGHT to serve ourselves, however, the example Jesus gave was one of serving God and serving others.  Powerful stuff.

http://ywampublishing.eu/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=560

If you love the Bible, I highly recommend the YWAM 50th Annivesary Study Bible.  This bible has incredible and short devotionals scattered throughout.  These devotionals are very enlightening, especially to the missionally minded.

http://ywampublishing.eu/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=578

Finally, if you are new to the Bible or have had a hard time reading it in the past, Then I HIGHLY recommend The Message Bible.  It is written like a novel and it is in plain language.  Soooo fun to read!  Make sure you start in the New Testament.  I recommend Philippians, Romans and then John.

http://www.amazon.com/Message-Contemporary-Language-Testament-Proverbs/dp/1600061354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307522695&sr=8-1

or

http://www.amazon.com/Message-Remix-2-0-contemporary-ebook/dp/B002S6UNRY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1307522695&sr=8-4

New Testament and Psalms & Proverbs

2.0 Edition includes Old Testament

All of these books are also available on Amazon I believe.  Message is available electronically.