Old Dreams, New Places, New Seams, Old Spaces: March 2013

Hey, guys!

Well, I just received another $100 today and an AMAZING first check for $735 yesterday! The Lord is so good!! :D I still need about $5000 though, so please pray about partnering with me financially for this school! It's really cool, because one of the things I feel like the Lord has been speaking to me is that I am going to get a couple $1000 checks, and even though the above amount was not quite there, I think it was a little teaser for what's to come! Isn't He so awesome like that? He just continues to build my faith in the most wonderful, stretching ways.
As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, the thing that I am most excited about for this DTS (besides the fact that I feel like I am finally stepping into the Lord's dream for my life, which has happened to just blossom into being my dream for my life, as well) is LEARNING. Not like academically (even though I am excited about that), but Relationally. My whole life I have struggled with relationships even though I LOVE people, due to bullying in elementary school. It really messed me up in feeling like I can trust people or that people really, truly care about being friends with me or that I can do something that is a little out there without feeling like people are going to judge and/or reject me. I have had massive issues with fear of rejection, and, honestly, have been the one to reject first to make sure that I didn't get rejected. It's feels terrible to admit that, but it's the truth. The Lord has been really teaching me about this already, and I feel like I am really coming out of that funk, and moving into how He wants me to be with people. I think this is partially due to going on missions trips, and basically being forced (in a good way) to trust and develop relationships with people, go out on a limb to share Jesus with people, and act in dramas (Which I NEVER would have done or even had a desire to do before that, and now love) and such. Another issue that I've had relationally (due to my very strong-willed, independent personality), is being okay with being under the authority of people that are not that much older than me (less than 5 years, probably). I wouldn't say that I'm a rebellious person, but I do have the tendency to think that I'm right... a lot... (eek!). lol! It's pretty bad, but I think the fact that I actually recognize that is a good thing, and the Lord has really been teaching me a lot in this area, as well. The past 2-4 years have been very humbling years for me, and I can really see the goodness of God in how He's dealt with me and multiple issues in my heart over the past few years. It's been very, VERY difficult, but I can honestly say that I don't regret it. I see myself now and compare me with myself then, and it's a pretty different person. The Lord has been preparing me for this new chapter in my life, and I can't wait for a lot of the issues in my heart to be addressed during this DTS, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will be. Even though I know it's going to be hard, I'm really excited for the challenge and the opportunity to become an even better person! :D

Anyways, that's my shpeel for the day. :) I love you guys! And I love being able to share this journey with you! Modern technology is just so cool like that!

If you want to partner with me for this DTS, you can donate at this link http://www.gofundme.com/IEDTS or you can write a check to YWAM and send it to me. To receive my mailing address, email me at Illuminatetheworld@hotmail.com or contact me on Facebook.

Thank you so much!!
Rachelle

The Time Has Come

Well, Friends! The time has come. After 5 years of waiting, it is finally here! This is the year that I am going to do my DTS (Discipleship Training School) in Ireland with YWAM (Youth with a Mission). I have been on 3 missions trips and gone to 6 countries (Spain, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ukraine, England, and Ireland), and now I finally get to step into what I feel I am supposed to do with my life; full-time missions. This is just the beginning, and I am so thrilled to talk to you about this upcoming journey, and to share with you about what the Lord has been speaking to me about Ireland, this beautiful country with a broken heart. I’m going to share a little bit about what the Lord has been speaking to me about, my history with the Lord concerning Ireland, and then I will go into more details about the DTS.

Me, God, and Ireland

I have loved Ireland since I was a little girl. I have always loved the accents, the idea of Leprechauns and gold at the end of rainbows, the musicality (singing, dancing, fiddles, and drums), the anti-conformist, adventurous outsiders that they are stereotypically portrayed to be, and the hard-headed, fiery redheads that I thought were really cool (even though the red-heads typically come from Scotland). It all seemed so whimsical and different than every other country and people group I’d heard of. As I grew older, these ideas were pummeled by a sober (and moderately devastating) realization that there were some very serious and deep reasons behind these stereotypes. The Lord started really speaking to me about Ireland in 2008, when I was 12 years old. I had a revelation that maybe my “fascination” with Ireland was actually much deeper than I thought. He really began to speak to me about how He wants to see His Bride united in Ireland, beginning with reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics. Throughout my life, the importance of looking at the root of things has been brought to my attention multiple times. This is where I went with Ireland. I began to research Ireland’s history and how it still reverberates in the present. As I have shown in the “A Little History” section, it is very understandable why Ireland is so split up between Protestantism and Catholicism. They were pulled back and forth, until there were severely divided between these 2 sections of Christianity. They were divided by national obligation and doctrinal differentiation, and they still are. There is so much wounding attached to the prejudice and persecution that has happened to both Protestants and Catholics (mostly at the hand of England), that has led to what I believe to be the Irish trying to medicate the pain of the past with drinking, taking their anger out on each other, but at the same time trying to portray their nation as a nation that is carefree and magical. All of this is due to the pain that has never been healed and the lack of understanding of the love of Jesus. There is a true identity crisis happening in Ireland. They have pretty much been kicked while they’ve been down several times over. A lot of the hurt has been caused by those from the inside, though; whether it’s bad leadership, economic troubles, or feuding. Ireland really needs the Lord to break in and heal them.

The Lord also started to speak to me about Ireland’s name, and the name of it’s people. He began to tell me that He does not call Ireland the “land of Ire”. Ire means “Anger caused by a wrong done”. God calls Ireland “Eire” (Air-uh), which was what the indigenous (Celtic) people of Ireland called the place where they lived in their native language (Gaelic). The Lord began to highlight to me the importance of Ireland as a praying people. The Irish people were also called Eireann which, I found, is pronounced the same as Aaron. The name Aaron means “High Mountain, or exalted”. Aaron was also Israel’s first High Priest, which I thought was really interesting, and I knew that was something the Lord was proclaiming over Ireland. He calls Ireland Eire, and the Eireann are His High Priests. He actually inspired me to write a song about Ireland on this exact topic. I really believe that when Ireland becomes united, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with and they are going to be a catalyst to bringing Europe as a whole to salvation. When they realize who they are in God as a people and as individuals, they are going to want to share that with others, and I want to help facilitate that. That’s just in a nutshell what the Lord has been doing. There’s so much in my heart that I could write a book about it. Basically, I feel called to be a full-time missionary to Ireland and the UK to see reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics. This DTS is my propeller.

A Little History:

Ireland’s first notable evangelization was when St. Patrick came and told the Native Irish about Jesus through Catholicism around 433 A.D.

Ireland was a pioneer in the Prayer Movement by continuing a House of Prayer in Bangor for 300 years; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They had 800 people who would split up into 4 groups (200 people each group), each taking a 6 hour block every day. This continued from about 580 AD to 824 AD. After 24/7 prayer discontinued, chaos ensued in Ireland.

In 1536 A.D. King Henry VIII came into power, bringing in Protestantism with force, tearing down monasteries and forbidding Catholicism. His son, King Edward VI, failed to continue his work after he died.

In 1553 A.D. Queen Mary came into power, bringing back Catholicism, killing anyone who was Protestant. There was strong prejudice against Native Irish (as opposed to Anglo-Irish) at this time.

In 1558 A.D. Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary’s sister, came into power, bringing back Protestantism and enforcing strong prejudice against Catholics. She introduced the concept of “Plantation” (much like Indian Reservations).

Ireland became completely divided between Protestant and Catholic, and many wars were fought because of this schism. This struggle continued until 1916, when The Republic of Ireland finally became free from England. They had relative peace until 1960.

The Troubles: 1960-1998 was a fierce time of fighting between Irish unionist (loyalist) Protestants (NI) and Irish nationalist Catholics (ROI).

Fire & Fragrance DTS

This is another part of this wonderful journey that the Lord has been taking me on. I had been planning on doing my DTS in Ireland in October 2013 for their Fall DTS for 2 or 3 years. I didn’t even know what Fire & Fragrance was until October 2012, and then 3 months later, I learn that they are having a Fire & Fragrance DTS in Ireland, starting in July. Fire & Fragrance’s vision is “to join with what God is already doing all over the world in calling His bride to a fiery devotion to Jesus married to becoming the very fragrance of Christ to the lost.” It is basically the House of Prayer and Missions in one whammy. This is so totally me, and even though I knew that, I was very thrown off when I found out about this DTS. The Lord settled it in my heart a few days later nonetheless, and now I know that this is what I’m supposed to do. Just in case you don’t know, a DTS is a 6 month school that consists of a Lecture Phase and an Outreach Phase. The Lecture phase is 3.5 months long, and is where we are taught about discipleship, leadership, relationship with God, and other teachings that will strengthen us in our walks with God while in missions. During this particular DTS, we will be traveling all around Ireland to different places to hear from different speakers and immediately going out and applying what we’ve learned through local outreach each week during the Lecture Phase. The Outreach Phase is about 2/2.5 months long, and is where we take everything we’ve learned in the Lecture Phase and apply it in the missions field abroad in 1 or 2 other countries; walking in signs and wonders, doing street and relational ministry, helping the poor, and fighting injustice. The countries to which we will be traveling have yet to be determined, but I will let you know when I know. During the Lecture Phase and the Outreach Phase, there will be a definite emphasis on prayer and we may be doing things called BURNs, where we will pray in intervals throughout the day and night for Ireland to create an atmosphere that is welcoming to the Lord. Cliche, but seriously, where the Lord is there is FREEDOM! Woo! Ireland really needs that, folks. Anyways, I am so excited for what God is going to do in my life, and in others’ lives during the DTS. I think it is going to be absolutely amazing.

YWAM Rostrevor, Northern Ireland

The YWAM Rostrevor base in Northern Ireland is where I am going to be doing my DTS. Not only is this base absolutely beautiful with it’s Victorian style, mountains in the background, and Carlingford Lough as the view (as pictured above), but this base and it’s location is very strategic to what the Lord has been speaking to me about His plans for Ireland. The little town of Rostrevor is located half way between Belfast (Northern Ireland’s Capital) and Dublin (Republic of Ireland’s Capital). The base also used to be a Protestant and Catholic Reconciliation Center. I just found out that there is also a BURN 24/7 base in Newry, which is the “big” town outside of Rostrevor (about 5 minutes away) and a House of Prayer in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. This is a very strategic move of God to bring me to this base because it is exactly where I need to be if I end up doing long term missions in Ireland (which I really believe I will be). Woo! I’m so excited!

Ireland’s Current State

Ireland as a whole is currently going through a very turbulent time. They have had a severe economic downfall since 2008, and it has been greatly affecting the lives of many people. A few months ago, I heard that 1 out of every 5 children was starving at the time. Northern Ireland (NI) has also been having some pretty intense rioting between Loyalists (those loyal to Britain) and Nationalists (those who want Northern Ireland to be free from Britain) because the predominantly Nationalist leaders of NI decided to only fly the Union Jack (infamous UK flag) 18 days out of the year, as opposed to year-round along with the Ireland flag. These riots have been going on for about 2 months, and have involved thousands of civilians protesting. Riot police have been present in Belfast for almost the whole time that these riots have been happening due to petrol (gasoline) bombs and missiles (glass bottles and other harmful materials) being thrown at known nationalists and police. NI Protestant Loyalist rioters have also been trying to engage Republic of Ireland (ROI) Catholic Nationalist bystanders into fights. This is currently happening, as reports are coming in about men being arrested for assault of a police officer, riotous behavior, possession of offensive weapon, etc. There is also a massive abortion debate going on in the ROI. Despite this somewhat depressing news that clearly shows that the wounds of the past are yet unhealed, there is also a massive movement of prayer that is rising up in the churches of Ireland. Please continue to pray with me for peace in Ireland!

Prayer Points:

That I would raise all the money that I need for this DTS, easily.

That the Lord would continue to reveal His treasures that are hidden in Ireland to me and the rest of the students and staff in the DTS while we’re preparing for this school.

That everyone in the school would get along really well, and that we would all be united in Jesus. That long-lasting friendships would be established.

That I would get understanding of the direction the Lord wants me to go in after I do my DTS.

Please, Partner with Me!

Contact Information:

The Organization I am working with is YWAM Rostrevor

YWAM Mailing Address: 44 Shore Rd. Rostrevor, Newry BT34 Co. Down Northern Ireland

Website: www.fireandfragranceireland.com

My Email: Illuminatetheworld@hotmail.com

My Phone: (925)-658-2947 (Leave a message if I don’t answer, I’ll call you back.)

Please email or Facebook me for my mailing address

All checks can be made payable to YWAM. Please DO NOT put my name in the memo section.

Please send all checks to my address, so I can send them together, in bulk.

Donations can also be made to my GOFUNDME account, please go to this link to donate:

www.gofundme.com/IEDTS or go to my Facebook page, and click on the link there.

Thank you!

This school is going to cost around $10,000 including tuition, airfare, and other things such as getting a Visa and buying things for the trip. I have a job, so I will be saving for about half of it. What I need to raise is about $6000. Also, if any of you have AIRMILES that you would like to donate for my flight to Ireland, that would be absolutely amazing. I will be sending updates to my partners as I get more information. Everyone will be able to see updates while I’m in Ireland, as well as when I’m raising support on my blog “www.velvetclimbingivy.blogspot.com”. The school is going to be July 14th, 2013-January 17th, 2014. You guys have no idea how much of a fulfillment of a dream this is for me. You guys are storing up such treasures in heaven by partnering with me in what I know the Lord is telling me to do. THANK YOUUUU! :)

Rachelle Butow

Old Dreams, New Places, New Seams, Old Spaces

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Lord is FAITHFUL, Isn't It Great? :D

Email Version of F&F Ireland DTS Missionary Partnership Letter