Hey, Family!
Where
to begin? This year has passed so quickly, and my life has changed so
much! It's hard to believe that in six weeks, my first year of BSSM will
come to a close, but it's not at all a closing, but the door to a new
beginning.
So I'll start at the very beginning. Last
winter, during the foulest part of the Chi-berian Polar Vortex, I was in
a very low place. At that time, I made a list of things I thought
impossible. Three things stood out on my list: attending a School of
Creativity at Bethel Church in Redding, California; attending Bethel
School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM); and perhaps, once I finished the
three-year BSSM program, moving to Malibu, or maybe Israel...(don't
hate...in my mind, it was all impossible...)
Some of you
know the story of last spring, the amazing help and support from
wonderful friends that landed me a spot in the School of Creativity last
April, in the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in September...and
then, in October, a spot on a BSSM missions team traveling to Malibu in
March. (...and a miraculous healing of my spine and chronic pain...if
you want more details on any of the above, let me know!)
It has been a year of miracles, and the supernatural things show no signs of slowing down. Thank You, Jesus!
So
now for our trip. First off, thank you for all your prayers and
support. Every moment of our trip was groundbreaking, heart-rending and
fun! Know that your prayers encouragement and financial support have not
only helped me put my first-year ministry training to use, but have
sown into the spiritual climate in Hollywood, and has helped me touch
and build relationship with ministries, churches and individuals serving
in the entertainment industry.
We went in with a plan, and
with awesome prophetic words spoken over our team, and from the first
moment, so many things shifted, and doors we could not have imagined
were opened to us.
Miracle number one is that I offered to
drive my (new to me but definitely aged, much used and loved, and
not-paid-off) Honda down to LA, with three passengers. My car started
having issues in December, and I wasn't sure it could safely make the
journey. Our team was one car short already, so I was hesitant to tell
my leaders about the problems. (...in hindsight, not the wisest
idea...but it worked out!) A few days before the trip, it was
discovered that someone in the missions department had
accidentally rented us a minivan
and
there was extra money in our budget that would cover renting a second
one! So not only did we not need another car, we had enough room to
accommodate our entire team without any of the students having to drive
our own cars!
A second miracle is that I found out we'd be
staying at a Salvation Army "retreat center" in the hills of Calabasas
(i.e. the Kardashian's neighborhood). I saw the pictures, and the place
looked nice enough, but later received an email instructing us to bring
our own bedding. I immediately knew we'd be staying in a campground. If
any of you know me well, you're aware that my idea of the outdoors is an
umbrella table at Starbucks, so you can only imagine my dismay...
Refusing to be ruffled, I asked a very kind couple in my Revival Group
at school if I could borrow a sleeping bag. They had several, with
varying measures of warmth, and when I explained I sleep under a down
comforter in 90-degree Chicago summers with 100% humidity and no air
conditioning, they lent me the warmest one.
The
day of my departure, I woke up at 3a.m., and picked up a few members of
my team. We all departed at 5a.m. and arrived at our "retreat center"
around 5p.m. You can imagine that without much sleep, and having driven
quite some distance, we were ready for a nap! The center had a lovely
pool, some nice looking cabins and a few lodges for meetings. The camp
ground supervisors met us and said our accommodations were a bit more...
remote. They proceeded to drive us up into the hills, to the wilderness campground.
Ok.
At BSSM, we are taught to be honoring. But at this point, I had been
crammed in a minivan with six other people, was going on four hours of
disrupted sleep, and was informed that I'd be sleeping in a cabin made
of window screens...not WALLS...window screens. And that there were two
bathrooms and two showers (with a small hot water tank), for 17 people.
And the kitchen area was not eat-in, so we'd be dining outside. Oh, and
there were possibly black widow spiders and rattlesnakes. And a mountain
lion...but that if we saw a mountain lion, "...
just make yourself look as big as possible and make loud noises..."
Right.
Um...so...I
wasn't feeling...or looking...very honoring, but we banded together and
made the best of it. (Thank You, Jesus, for my wonderful team!) But
there were no mirrors to get ready, we had very few electrical outlets,
most of us hadn't slept much for days, and the nights in Malibu are
around 35 degrees. Our leaders had not been told we'd be staying in
these sorts of accommodations, so no one (but me!), was prepared for
such extreme temperatures, AND during the day, we were gone from 9 in
the morning to almost midnight, ministering mostly to people in the
entertainment industry, in churches and universities in Malibu, Beverly
Hills and Studio City. We certainly couldn't show up looking...and
smelling... like we were staying in the woods!
[On
another note: In the weeks leading up to my trip, I started seeing
references to Peter Pan EVERYWHERE...art shows in local coffee houses,
placards advertising a local school musical, the new movie remake. At
the same time, I asked several people what we should be praying for in
preparation for our trip, and what we should be praying for the people
we'd be ministering to.
Repeatedly, I was told that people in LA
are lonely, and operate as orphans: independent, self-sufficient, in
survival mode and without a sense of belonging or being loved.
As
the campground supervisors dropped us off in the wilderness, they told
us they called that area "Neverland." And then I knew...it was
prophetic! We needed to call and pray all the lost boys and girls home!]
Stay
tuned for part 2, featuring Azuza Street, upgrades, The Giving Keys,
Judah Smith, UCLA, Paddle Boarding in Malibu and Grammys in the living
room!
Love and hugs,
Amie
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