Every week on thursday morning we have a base-wide time of intercession for a paticular country or for particular workers from this base that are in other countries. This week we prayed for the Amdo Tibetan people who live in Western China in Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces. This group of Tibetan people are mostly Nomadic people as they herd yak in the mountains. The Amdo are friendly, cautious, hospitable and devoutly religious people. They are and have been difficult to reach because of their nomadic lifestyle. I (Kathy) was able to visit this region of China in 2002. One thing that gripped my heart during this intercession time was a picture displayed that was titled 'Himalayan Art' with the 'lost sheep' scripture written on it. I got a sense of how much God loves these people and just like a shepherd and his sheep, he cares about every one the same and He wants to find every one. I want to share the verse and the picture with you: ""Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he hasfound it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And wen he comes home, he calls together his friends ad neighbors, saying to them, 'rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' (John 15). "All the nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee" (psalm 86:9). God bless you all, have a wonderful weekend.

Dakota is hooked on a new movie right now, lady and the tramp (doesn't sound good, but it's a cartoon with dogs). She calls it 'puppers'. She asks to watch it every morning and every night now for about 2 weeks. :) We (mommy + Dakota) are just recovering from a bout of a stomach bug, mommy got hit a little harder than Dakota. I've been able to go to classes today, but yesterday I was in bed for most of the day. This week we are talking about 'relationships' with Luba Iliyn and I certainly don't want to miss any of it. Carson was busy tonight climbing the climbing wall that they have here on the base, someone got pictures so I will post those soon. Last night he went on the zip line, which is the wire that runs over 400 ft. long and is 40 feet high and goes 45 mph. I think he is looking for a little adventure:) It is hot here right now, it has been over 80 degrees everyday this week, but it doesn't feel as hot on the base because of all of the trees. We miss you all, hope you are all well!!!! (pictures are of dakota watchingher 'puppers' movie and Dakota and daddy watching buggs bunny in the morning)

Kathy

Going Deeper

Hello. Hello. How are you? We are doing well. This past week was an intense week full of inner healing. Our classroom time was led by Jerry and Linda Praetzel. They have been a part of YWAM and this ministry for approximately 15 years. After yet another week of class, I (carson) have to say this about my experience: it is better than I could have imagined. Kathy is also enjoying and learning from it in a great way. God = Wow! So, after a heavier week today our class went to Silver Falls State Park. The waterfalls were beautiful, and the mini vacation was appreciated. Dakota played in water that was not in a bathtub for the first time.
This past weekend we went to Portland to see that city. Along with us went three other teammates. We had a pretty good time walking around the city and "touring" Powell's Books. That place was huge. Somehow four of us ended up in the same aisle, the christian aisle. I have now been officially validated. For the first time in my life I was able to validate my parking garage ticket. I must say, life is fuller being validated.
Dakota has been her usual cute self. Last week she was watched by different people because Carol wanted to sit in on our class. So Desi (see previous pics) watched her for a couple of mornings, Petra (also see previous pics) had her for a morning, and another girl named Marina watched her, too. All three of these girls are wonderful with her. Interesting fact: all three of these girls were orphans as children (they have been adopted.) Has Dakota found her ministry? We'll just have to wait and see.
Have I found my ministry? I, too, will have to wait and see. But God has been stirring me for the past while. As I hear stories of girls/women who have had horrible things happen in their lives because of treatment from males (brothers, fathers, uncles, husbands) my heart is directly hit. Some boys/men have even been mistreated or abused by the same types of men. This is very upsetting. How are these wounded people supposed to find a loving God who is in charge of the universe when they can't even find a loving male in their lives? I can remember a while back that pastor Conrad said a line one Sunday expressing the need for the fathers of this world to be brought back into our lives. Amen! What does this look like for me? I'm not sure, but I do know that God is directing me in this way. You can pray that God would continue to guide me and reveal more of His calling for me to me. If you are a man reading this, then please, go kiss your wife, hug your daughter, or tell a girl in your life how loved she is. Hey, be ambitious, do all three if you can. If you are a woman reading this, then please know and feel that our Heavenly Father thinks the world of you.
We are both still very excited that we are going to Thailand. Tomorrow morning our team will be praying about what specifically we will be doing. A possibility of going into Myanmar for at least one day is still on the table. Please keep praying for us in regards to how we will be most effective on our Outreach.


God's Blessings Upon You

Carson, Kathy, Dakota

Well, an update is finally here! We apologize that it has been soooo long since the last one. Our excuse is: internet service to our room has been down for a while, and it just became available again today. Not good enough? We just ask your foregiveness. The three of us have been doing wonderful. Classes are going well, and I (carson) will give you a rundown of what has been talked about in a little bit. Dakota is still having a blast with her new friends. Some pictures of the people in her life during this time will (hopefully) be posted with this. It just depends on how severe my computer illiteracy is.

The biggest news that you may want to hear is that we are going to Thailand for our outreach phase! The class is pumped. Specific tasks and evangelism fields are yet to be revealed, by God, to us. But at least we know the destination now. Most likely we will be in the northwest part where trips into Myanmar (Burma) will be possible and likely.

Okay, the topics we have covered in class: Hearing The Voice of God, Spiritual Warfare, and Lifestyle of Repentence. All three were phenomenal! Spiritual Warfare was presented by Dean Sherman, who has written a book with that same title. Did you know that spiritual warfare is going on right now where you are as you read this? It is everywhere all the time. During the lifestyle of repentence the speaker told us amazing true stories of his dad. Why did he do this? Because of all of the horrendous stuff that happened to him, he did not lose his faith in our Father. And the point being that we can see His faithfulness to us, and choose to live our lives to serve Him out of gratefulness for His always loving us and being with us. When we were talking about Hearing the Voice of God I (carson) found a new friend: the Holy Spirit! The Spirit was made so much more real and personal than I ever knew before. It's hard to describe the topic for this week, but we've only just begun. Probably by the next update I will be better able to share what it was about.

Dakota's friends make up a unique group of individuals. Carol is the lady who takes care of Dakota while we are in class. Desi is a student in another program here. She originally comes from Bulgaria. Petra is a worker on the Ropes Course here on base, and she was born in Romania and has lived in Germany for several years. Petra tells us that Dakota reminds her of one of her younger sisters. Leah is a girl from our class who we like to hang out with. One day at a park downtown Dakota had her first carousel ride. She really enjoyed that. One of her semidaily routines is to travel upstairs to Desi's room and waits for her to let her in. Once inside, Dakota climbs up on Desi's bed and eats dry cereal while Desi gets ready. It is very amusing. Dakota is almost like a little mascot running around here.

Happy Father's Day to all dads who read this! I enjoyed the day with my sweet daughter. Sometimes I have to stop and take in the sunshine that she is. Dakota, by the way, is getting better adjusted to life out here. Consistency is slowly starting to make its way into her life. The other children (and adults) on base really draw her in and give her attention. Playing with them is certainly a passion of hers.
Now that the first week of orientation to the other people in our DTS is over it feels like we have had more substance in our lives. The bonds that are beginning to be formed among our teammates are strong. The leadership of our program and the entire base is always right along side of us. We are encouraged to be "students", but at the same time we are made to feel equal because of the Family of God that we all belong to. Highlights from this past week? Nothing really stands out to me (Carson.) Well, there is one thing that I will end this entry with, but allow me a moment while I rack my brain. Oh. Kathy and I have both found our respective exercise routes. Let me tell those of you who don't know: there is a difference between running seven miles in northern IN and in western OR. The geographical surroundings around here are phenomenal. Just yesterday we discovered we could see, off in the distance, what we think is Mt. Hood. The snow capped mountain is majestic, whichever one it is. More highlights? My Act of Service for the classroom phase is working with Michael Beachy on the maintenance crew. Yes, somehow it leaked out that I have construction experience. But my other option was in the kitchen, which is where most of our classmates ended up. Kathy did not get an Act of Service because the powers that be decided that the time she could have with Dakota is more valuable than whatever task would have been (and still is) getting done. The Thai restaurant we were recommended to is great, so we ate there for Father's Day today. For church we went to a Vineyard Church. It was a good experience, and we will more than likely find ourselves there again. I do still want to visit one of the Meetings (Quaker) around here. A couple of the other people are wanting to join me. Overall, what we've experienced and felt during this past week is God's presence here and in our lives. As we continue to learn more about Him and to know Him more personally, we are in a very real way experiencing why we were called here. It is a wonderful sensation.
Now, what I promised I would end this entry with. I'm not kidding, this is going to be heavy. Last night a short documentary was shown here on base about an incredibly horrible practive happening in the world TODAY! In the Amazon jungle indigenous tribes are practicing infanticide! Children, anywhere from newborns to age ten(ish), are being burried ALIVE. Why? Because the village elder states that somehow or other the child is causing the evil spirits to attack their village. Some of the villagers are wanting it to stop and are seeking ways to make it happen. They are just now having their voice even heard in the Brazilian government. What's worse than this practice is that the government is saying that the indigenous people don't really fall under the same laws that the modernized citizens do. And they (the indigenous) are not qualified to receive the same protection that the other citizens do. One politician in Brazil is taking on the fight to have this changed and abolished. Everyone can learn more about this desparate situation by either going onto youtube.com and searching "Hakani", or going directly to www.hakani.org . Hakani is a (now) ten year old girl who survived this practice because of her older brother, who was at the time no more than eleven years old. Please take some time to learn about this story and pray about the coming of the end to this sad practice.
Well, if I haven't bummed you out by now and you're still reading this blog, I'll try to end this on a higher note. I am only beginning to realize the strength and power of the Family of God and how deeply believers around the world are connected to one another through the same Holy Spirit. Awesome!

With You In The Spirit,

Carson, Kathy, Dakota

First day of class...

"Let the one who is thirsty come and drink." John 7:37

Today was our first day of class and we began with an hour of worship with the entire base down in the MPR (multi purpose room), which is right next to our classroom. There are 2 schools starting today, one being our CDTS and the other being a Principles of Christian Counseling school. We shared short testimonies today, a brief history of how God brought each of us to this point of coming to this school and we are really excited about our group and getting to know more about each person that God has brought here. We have 4 single ladies in our school, one from Vancouver Island, B.C., one from New Zealand, one from Eugene, Oregon, and one from Ann Arbor Michigan! We also have a single guy, who is the closest one to our age, from Idaho, along with 2 couples. One couple have been pastoring for the past 30 plus years, most recently in Idaho, and the other have been on the mission field for the past 20 years, he being from Tennessee and she from Germany. You may wonder why people from so many different walks of life, and people who have already been in ministry for over 30 years would want to come here and do a Discipleship Training School, and what we discovered this morning, we are all in a time of transition and all wanting to know God more, to have a time "set-aside" to know God in a more intimate and personal way. We are all thirsty. I realized this morning that no matter what place we are at in our walk with God, whether we have been pastors/missionaries/etc., for years and years, we are all just no more than a child of God and noone is beyond needing refreshment, encouragment, and a time of being built up.

Last night we started off with a big bang. One thing that is unique to the Ywam, Salem base is their ropes course. I can't describe for you exactly what a ropes course is, but I will tell you our experience last night with ONE segment of the ropes course and it will give you an idea of what it is. I guess they have over 6000 people come through the base to do the ropes course every year, including local business people, the air force, army guys, schools, etc. It is used as a team-building exercise and also a tool to help you to overcome your fears. They took us to the 'zip line' last night and gave each of us a 'harness' (even Dakota, who now holds the base record for youngest child to ever go on the zip line). You may ask what a zip line is??? We'll, it is a wire that runs from a platform on a tree that is 40 feet high and runs 800 feet long and you are attached to it by your harness and a metal hook that hooks onto the wire and once you jump off of the platform you can go up to 45 mph. Check out the pictures below. Carson did fine, but I didn't do so well, especially having Dakota with me, once we reached the platform 40 feet up in the air, I began to panick and didn't want to jump off the edge. I began to doubt that the ropes staff knew what they were doing and was just certain that Dakota and I were going to fall. We'll, we did jump, and we did go 45 mph on the wire, hanging by our harnesses, but we didn't fall.
This is supposed to be a lesson on 'trust'. Will we trust God to jump off of that platform that he is asking s to jump off of, even when it seems foolish? I know that I (Kathy) have a long ways to go in trust and I look forward (not to the difficult lessons) but I look forward to going deeper in trusting God during our stay here and our time overseas. Check out the pic's below, one is of the tree we climbed and jumped off of and the other if you look closely will see the zip line that goes between the trees. Oh by the way, mommy screamed the entire way and Dakota didn't make a peep, she just asked in the end to "dain" (again)....:) Oh to be more like a child.

Dakota is feeling more 'at home' here and is even eating a little more in the dining hall. She is already really comfortable with her nanny Carol, we call her Grandma Carol, and when we say the word "grandma" to Dakota she really perks up! :) She fell down the stairs here in the dorm yesterday so she has a black and blue eye, but other than that she is doing well and her temper tantrums have lessened and she is now sleeping all the way through the night in her new surroundings!

Thank-you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support, our thoughts are with you as well.

Love, Carson + Kathy +Dakota

Salem, Oregon

We made it to Salem! We drove for 20 hours straight after starting on Saturday night around 9:30 and then stopping for the night in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Sunday night. Then we travelled for two more full days before arriving at the Ywam base in Salem. We ate almost everything out of our cooler and mostly only stopped for gas, diapee changes and potty breaks. Carson drove the whole way, an my (Kathy) job was to ask him every once in a while "are you okay" and to keep Dakota supplied w/ a dvd to watch and snacks to eat and apple juice to drink. She did very well, both Carson and I couldn't have been happier with how she travelled. She was even excited to get back into the jeep after stops b/c she knew she would get to watch a video. We cut her off the last 2 hours of travelling and have since hugely limited her watching time, but we were very thankful for the dvd player to help keep her entertained for the trip.

Carson and I already feel at home here and are trying to enjoy the 'down time' although we are sort of anxious to get into a routine, which will be starting on Sunday. We have met quite a few people on the base already, although we are the only ones from our school that are here so far, the rest will arrive throughout the weekend. They told us when we got here that Dakota would be the 'only' child in the CDTS, which has never happened before and even last year they had 11 or so children, which all went on a outreach to the Phillipines. Luckily though, she has a few other 2 year olds on the base to play with (they can teach each other how to share) and a few older kids as well. She met a little Korean boy named Injin and a little Brazilian girl named Rebecca last night at dinner, they are both 4. She also got to meet little Drew Beachy, who is the 2 year old son of Michael and Nikki Beachy, Michael being from our area. They started fighting immediately over a car and then later over crayons, but the next morning Dakota was asking to 'play Drew'.

We could use your thoughts and prayers regarding Dakota, this transition has been harder for her than we imagined and have had a difficult week. She has had quite a few 'meltdowns', aka temper tantrums, and just hasn't been herself. We are trying to be patient with her during this time of transition, yet also needing to provide structure and discipline for her as well. It is hard to find that balance.

We are staying in a dorm called 'Harvest' and it was designed with families in mind. We have a large room for the 3 of us and then we will share a bathroom with a couple next door. We have a refrigerator in our room and just down the hall we have coin operated laundry facilities along with a microwave. There is a lounge in this dorm along with a t.v. room. There is a playground here as well for Dakota, where we will probably be a lot. The campus is 35 acres, and is a nice wooded area. I will try to post pictures of the campus as we take them. We have been so well received here and feel so at home and welcome, yet it is a big transition nonetheless, so please pray for us as we come to your minds that we would be open to receiving all that God has for us during this time.

Oh, we found out immediately when we got here that there is already 2 ladies designated to take care of Dakota, so we will not need to worry about that. Our school director's wife, Carol, will be watching her for the first 2 months and then an older lady named Mary who has spent 15 years or so in Uzbekistan will be watching her for the last month.

Lastly, the weather here is rainy and chilly, but everything is so green! We've been wearing our fleeces everyday that we've been here. I'm sure it will warm up soon.

Carson has been helping with a few building projects already, and the people here have been very thankful for his help. We don't know yet, but we are thinking that his work duties will be related to construction projects here on the base. All of his experiences in the past 2 1/2 years will really come in handy.

God is showing us that he just wants us to 'be' during this time, that the focus should be on our 'being' and not on our 'doing' and to keep our eyes open to what He wants to show us and what opportunities he wants to bring us. To look for Him throughout the day.

Oh, we discovered when we got here that we forgot a box that was filled with all of Dakota's books, my bible, and our address book. Carson's mom is going to send it to us if she can find it, so if you would like a postcard before we get our address book, please send us your address at hershy414@yahoo.com.

With love,

Carson +Kathy + Dakota