Quotes on Global Missions

Posted on 16th Mar 2012 by Alison

The quotes below have been fuel in the fire of my heart, as the Lord leads me out into a new chapter of my life. May they ignite a fire in your own heart. Read on, brave soul!

“‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world. — William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army

“I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. No, it is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!” — Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand in the early 1900’s

Continue reading →

[Update] I’m back in New Zealand (and new Address for Donations)

Posted on 23rd Jan 2012 by Alison

Well, I left wintery Canada a couple days ago and arrived back into New Zealand after 2 months of travel around Turkey and Canada. I was overjoyed as New Zealand’s mild summer weather and fresh air breeze greeted me as I stepped out of the airport in Auckland, and headed down to Tauranga. Ah, I love this land. I will miss it when my time to leave comes… I will be writing a more detailed update in the near future (most likely in February/March) which will share what is around the corner, on the horizon. So stay tuned for that. Until then, here’s some information about some address changes for donations you send to me.

New Mailing Address for Financial Donations:

For those of you who are a part of my Financial Partnership team (or for those of you who would like to become a partner), please take note of the changed postal mailing address for the Project Funding office for YWAM that processes tax-deductible donations for me. This really only impacts you if you decide to mail in donations (ie: cheques, money orders). You can email the funding office (email below) if you want to ask about other options for payments or visit my website Support page to see step-by-step instructions.

Project Funding Office
PO Box 57100 RPO East Hastings
Vancouver, BC
V5K 5G6
Canada

Phone: 604.436.4433
Fax: 604.436.4466
E-mail: admin@projectfunding.ca

If you need to email the Project Funding office that processes all my ministry financial support, here is their new email address: admin@projectfunding.ca

Feel free to email me at hopejoyfaith@gmail.com if you would like to personally ask me any further questions. I’ll be more than happy to help answer your questions.

God bless you and hope 2012 is treating you well so far!

Alison

The Last 3 Years….

Posted on 18th Aug 2011 by Alison

Note: I recently sent this email letter to the staff and students of the Ski + Snowboard DTS from 2008. It’s been 3 years since I led that school at the YWAM Oxford NZ base. It was a very special school, and God did miraculous transformation in all of us. One of the students had the brilliant idea of starting an email chain between all the staff and students of that school asking each of us to share what has happened in our lives over the past 3 years since the school ended, so that we can all hear detailed accounts of what we’ve been up to and what God’s done in our lives. I’ve been amazed how almost every single person has written and shared very openly. I just finished writing my email letter and thought I might as well post it on my website, for those of you who want to hear an account of the past 3 years of my life. ~Ali

We all look funny when we stare at computers

This isn’t short, but it’s my heart laid open for all of you. So here we go : )

Time has flown! Has it really been 3 years since SDTS ’08? It’s so hard to believe! But life, as we know it, ticks on and keeps moving. I’m 32 now! Wowee! But I can tell you that my 30′s have held more dignity, grace and flow than my 20′s and 10′s and 0′s. So you all have something to look forward to, truly. Don’t freak out about the big 3-0. Trust me, it’s good.

After SDTS ’08 wrapped up, I had a Kiwi summer Christmas with Gretchen, Olivia, Rosie, myself and the lovely Inch family! We made fancy schmancy designer Christmas trees and desserts. So fun but still haven’t gotten used to a hot Christmas. Santa in stubbies and jandals lounging on the beach? No, that’s just odd. Continue reading →

Karate Chopping Intimidation

Posted on 3rd Aug 2011 by Alison

Want insight into how I prepare for teaching and preaching? I get my laptop out, I put my headphones (earbuds) in my ears (it helps me block out distractions around me and focuses me in on the job in front of me). And then I turn my music on – but not just any music. I find that I use ONE song. Yes, that’s right. I use one song on repeat for days on end. Over and over again. It builds up my spirit, and speaks truth over me, and sets my mind on things above. Somehow, I’m able to focus better when my soul is being filled with the spirit-filled words of this song, so that my spirit and mind are then free to write, type, study, meditate and compile my thoughts together. As I listen to this song on repeat, the delight of God floods my heart and mind and crowds out all the lies that often bombard me. That’s what happens. Lies bow the knee, and the truth rises up and takes a stand. It happens every time. It’s like spiritual warfare being fought on my behalf, so I can get on with the job of preparing to teach and preach. I find that feelings of intimidation (of the task at hand) or lies of unbelief and insecurity come over me as I prepare to teach. The devil will do anything to stop the word of the Lord coming out of my mouth. I find that this song does something to my spirit and gives me a roar in my heart, a strength to my body and a focus to my mind, so that the word of the Lord is released out of my spirit and onto paper. Curious what song it is? Continue reading →

[Update] The Season of Singing

Posted on 1st Jul 2011 by Alison

A ROOM WITH A VIEW
I’m writing this in my new room! I’ve just moved into a Kiwi family’s home here, friends of mine whom I know through the House of Prayer. It’s a new season for me! I have inherited a lovely view from the second floor of this home. My full-wall length window overlooks a beautiful lush, green valley. God is good. Already my room feels like a refuge for God and Ali to chill out in. He can come into my room, kick up His feet and enjoy the view with me

I also have my very first desk in my bedroom (in my 5 years in New Zealand)! What a treat! I can write updates and compute from a desk, not a dining room table or a lap! I also have a full (huge) kitchen from which I can try out some new recipes. I’ve decided that I will be Intercessory Missionary by day, and Baking Extraordinaire Ninja by night We’ll see how this secondary calling goes!

THE SEASON OF SINGING
So all of you know that I minister in full-time prayer and worship in a community called the Tauranga House of Prayer linked with YWAM New Zealand. Most of the first 6 months of my time back in NZ (Sept 2010 to Feb 2011) were more about serving the House of Prayer in the background to keep the prayer room going daily.

Well, the season of being hidden is long since past, and the past couple months in 2011 have become a season of throwing Ali into the deep end of the vast ocean of mega doses of singing and speaking! They say, “When it rains, it pours” and that is certainly the case now. I’m singing on worship teams 5 days a week, 2 hours a day, in the prayer room (where we have a full worship team with singers and musicians that help to lead the prayer meetings). So, let’s just say that I can’t just go run and hide in the back corner of the prayer room and conduct my “prayer-meeting-for-one” anymore! Continue reading →