My Letter to You!

Dear friends and family,

I have some extra time on my hands today so I wanted to update you on what the Lord’s been doing in my life. I know that mere words could not describe all he’s doing here in Kona, but I’ll try to capture it in this email.

The weather here in Kona is beautiful, though sometimes the weather could change quite drastically from having a bright and sunny morning to having a rainy afternoon. Oh, and the vog (from the nearby volcanoes) always make it the sky look like it's overcast. Still, there's great weather to walk around and spend time outside.

The other students here are great! There are about 60 students doing this DTS altogether and we've been able to really get to know one another these past 2 1/2 weeks. It's great because although we may have come from all different parts of the world, we have Jesus Christ as our foundation. Through Him, we have sweet fellowship and have bonded quite easily. Praise God!

I’ve been learning so much about our beautiful Father, or Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the mighty Holy Spirit. God’s been working in my heart, refining me, and making me more like Christ. I have been truly enjoying my relationship with Jesus and learning to walk and talk with him daily. I’ve been learning to listen to His voice and I’m been so encouraged by the speakers who continue to walk with the Lord through many trying times. Our speaker last week, Dan Baumann, was falsely imprisoned in Iran for 9 weeks and even had a few death sentences on his life. But, by God’s grace and mercy, he was released and now shares his stories to encourage other believers to follow hard after God. He shared many stories about how God saved his life as he walked the streets of China and Afghanistan; truly God is good and it makes me so very excited to see how God will unravel miracles in my own life.

I love to worship the Lord through music and I praise God for allowing me to use this avenue to encourage the saints here in Kona. I have been asked to lead a worship team and I have also written 2 songs of my own. It’s only by God’s grace and His prompting that these events came to be. Maybe one day I’ll be able to play them for you. I pray that God will continue to use this growing passion in me to encourage others and share the love of Christ to the lost.

I would love some prayers from you all, knowing that the Father hears your prayers and will answer them according to His will.

- The first installment for the outreach phase of this DTS is due next Friday. This amount is $2500 and will cover the tickets for outreach. I know the Lord will provide and will stir in the hearts of those He wants to stir to give. I know that money is not an issue because where He leads me, He will surely provide.

- The Lord has lead me to do my outreach in Northern Ireland, but there are 2 different groups going. Please pray that the Lord will direct the leaders to where He will use me the most. Please also pray for the people in Northern Ireland and prepare their hearts for the gospel. I know that God has something radically in store for them as we serve Him for three months in Belfast.

- Bugs are everywhere here and I have massive bumps and bruises to prove it! Please pray that the bugs would stop feasting on my body, especially at night I wake up with new bites every day.

- Please pray that the Lord will continue to stir in my heart a passion for the lost and to have a heart like Jesus. Please also pray that I will continue to love and enjoy our loving Savior and keep my eyes focused on Him. Pray that I would gaze at Jesus with no distractions.

Thank you so much! I hope to hear from you soon. Know that you all are in my thoughts and prayers. To God be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.

Aloha and mahalo!

For God's Glory,

Nina Villarin