YWAM Together. Heart Apart.

This is an interesting thing for me.  New Friends.  Old Friends.  The joy of seeing someone.  The pain of saying goodbye.  The excitement of new ideas.  Many emotions and many other things made up the theme of this event for me.  It is times like this that remind me of not only who I am, but who I was and how far I have come.  It is a reminder of why I am living the life I am, and the passion and joy that fills me with this life.

So for those of you that don't know, I spent last week in Kansas City at the YWAM Together gathering (More Info).  It was a great time of community, relationship, and seeing where God is taking YWAM.  It was a seven day event, and on Labor day it was held at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown and open to the public . We spent the mornings talking about the different aspects of the world and how we can bring the gospel to them.  In the afternoons we had breakout sessions and talked more in depth about certain areas (I of coures chose Celebration!).  And finally in the evening we had some sort of speaking or teaching.  And worship throughout the day.  

YWAM Together at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium

It was a very healthy week for me.  I got to see many old friends from my days in England, as well as some of my friends I made while in Mexico.  My friend Luke came to visit me in Wisconsin before traveling down, and it was so refreshing.  Being able to show off my home and where I grew up.  We then drove down to KC, stayed a night there, and traveled to visit our mutual friend Abigail (or O-K-lahoma).  The day we set off was an exciting one!  I was woken up at 7 AM with my bed shaking.  Confused, I went back to bed only to find out later in the day that it was an earthquake!  My first one.  Quite anti-climatic for me!  When we finally got to Oklahoma some hours later, we pick up Abigail and go to eat lunch.  I then try to make a turn a little too liberally and blow a tire.  After that the day was much more relaxing.  

Now visiting Abigail and seeing Luke wasn't just a fun week/day.  It was a reminder to me.  That the relationships we build with people, especially those of us living in close community, matter.  That while I had not seen either Luke or Abigail for over a year, our friendships were just as close as before.  That while we may not talk as much anymore, we still have that close connection from our time together.  That while saying goodbye after a day together can be painful, not caring you never see each other again is unbearable.  

I also got to see these lovely faces!  Someone that staffed my DTS, someone that  I worked with in the kitchen, and someone whose DTS I staffed!  Just like with Luke and Abigail, these friends are very near and dear to my heart and seeing them just filled me with joy.  Seeing that our friendships did not suffer while apart, and that we still had that same love and caring for each other has made me think.  So often we spend time trying to keep the relationships we had instead of focusing on the ones we have.  

Right to Left ME!, J SHEP, Ivy, Man of Steel, Lulu, Nick!?

There have been many people in many different times in my life that have been my closest friends.  Some of them have stayed that close, some have drifted . But the steady theme is that we have both had to pursue the closeness.  Let's take Ivy for example (SHOUT OUT!)  Ivy and I didn't really need to be friends.  We both staffed at Harpenden and worked in the kitchen and DTS.  But we could have just been social friends and not tried to get to know each other.  I could have continued with the people from my DTS or back home.  She could have done the same.  Yet we chose to become friends.  And that friendship runs deep today.  Like a maple tree.  And seeing her in KC was a joy.  

However, had I been too focused and keeping my past friendships to that level, I would have missed out.  I might not have seen the need or the reasoning to make a new friend when I still have my old friends.  I am not saying that keeping in touch with your old friends or not pursuing friendships is wrong.  I know that this comes naturally to me and is a big gifting of mine.  I am just explaining not only why I do it, but why I think it is good for everyone to at least try.  

I also saw some of my new/future friends from Tijuana and Ensenada.  And seeing all of these combined, the past, future, and present, I realized that they are all the same.  That by clinging to my old friends I was saying to my new friends that they aren't good enough.  That instead of growing in relationship with those in proximity to me, I would rather try to deepen my friendship with those far away.  And if someone were to say or imply that to me, it would hurt.  A lot.  So I guess I am encouraging all of you to be with the people you are with now.  Because the friendships and family I have, I know I can go months without talking to (SORRY MOM) and we can pick up where we left off.  

One of the other things that God did while I was there was confirm who I am.  In various ways.  The obvious one is that my love and heart for Brazil hasn't gone anywhere.  Just seeing people I know from Brazil and talking with them made me swell up with expectation of the future.  Of when I will go to Brazil, how, why, and every other question you can think about.  Another thing that happened was God just reaffirming my personality.  That a big part of who I am is bringing joy to others.  I think I'm funny.  And hearing people say that they missed me and my sense of humor may have inflated my ego a tinge, but it also showed that I am having an impact on people.  That my witty comebacks, dad jokes, and horrible puns are memorable and make others laugh.  And that's all I want to do.  Make the world laugh and worship Jesus.  1 bad joke at a time.

There are many other things I could say about the week.  I could go on and on about the fantastic worship and teachings or how cool IHOP was for helping us out, but just know that the week was great.  I will be turning my attention now to the future.  For the next couple months I will be working and support raising to move down to Ensenada and join YWAM San Diego/Baja.  I am very excited for this opportunity.  While my heart pains that Brazil must wait, I would not have it anywhere else that I have to wait.  I have added a couple more pages to my blog about what I have done and support.  Feel free to check them out and answer questions.  And while I will be contacting people to talk about YWAM and supporting, don't hesitate to reach out to me!  I love answering questions.

So that was my week at YWAM Together.  It was wonderful seeing old friends and seeing new friends.  Having dinner at someone's house, bringing people to Popeye's for the first time.  Eating Popeye's again.  Relaxing and just spending time with one another.  But to be honest.  Goodbyes are hard.  Driving 7 hours alone afterwards was not on my bucket list.  But as I have said before.  It proves something.  That these friendships, these people, have impacted me.  That having an aching heart whenever I leave a place proves that something magical happened there.  Whether it be people I have known for years or only a short time.  I always want to be sad when I leave a place.  Because I know that we will always be YWAM Together, even when we are oceans apart.