Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Random Picture Overload!
I apologize for the lack of order in my pictures...I just posted a hodgepodge of pictures from the past week. I hope you enjoy!
This is what happens when we forget our room key: My roommie breaks in and saves the day! Hurray!
After a long week of lectures and stretching of our minds, we need to be a little goofy. Pictured are Catherine, from the mainland, and Danny from Ghana.
Community Outreach: Meet and Eat! Every Wednesday, a bunch of us drive to a local junior high and serve food to the people in the community. We prepare the food, serve, and eat and chat with them. It's a great time to share the love of Christ with our actions and words. I love Wednesday nights!
This is Alton. He's from Kosova, the newest country in the world! They gained their independence only a few months ago. Praise God from freedom!
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Alish and me getting ready to serve some good grub!
Every Wednesday (after we get back from Meet and Eat) we have "Mystery Fun Night" ....oooo...aaaahhh... this past Wednesday, we played Capture the Flag! This is Team One.....oh ya....
...and Team Two! Since I was sick, I just took a few pictures and headed up to my room to relax.
Every Thursday evening we have our Ohana Worship Meeting. Everyone from the community is invited to come on campus and worship our Lord with us. We're excited and getting ready to worship.
This is what we love to do: Worship our beautiful Savior. I couldn't help but take a picture of Julie as she was worshiping our Lord. She is totally mesmerized by our Lord and enjoying this wonderful time of fellowship with Him. Praise God!
One the right is Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. Praise God for this man and for God granting him the desire to prayerfully and actively press into our Lord and put together YWAM. The woman on his right is his Korean translator.
For Julie's birthday, we went by the beach and chilled. I got to play my guitar...yes!
Last but not least, this is my "spot." This is where I spend great time with my wonderful Father. Just this morning, God woke me up bright and early to spend time with Him. I praise God for this magnificent time and the little surprises He gives me. I love spending time with God; He's utterly amazing!..and yes, He makes me smile!
This is what happens when we forget our room key: My roommie breaks in and saves the day! Hurray!
After a long week of lectures and stretching of our minds, we need to be a little goofy. Pictured are Catherine, from the mainland, and Danny from Ghana.
Community Outreach: Meet and Eat! Every Wednesday, a bunch of us drive to a local junior high and serve food to the people in the community. We prepare the food, serve, and eat and chat with them. It's a great time to share the love of Christ with our actions and words. I love Wednesday nights!
This is Alton. He's from Kosova, the newest country in the world! They gained their independence only a few months ago. Praise God from freedom!
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227440194370235506" />Alish and me getting ready to serve some good grub!
Every Wednesday (after we get back from Meet and Eat) we have "Mystery Fun Night" ....oooo...aaaahhh... this past Wednesday, we played Capture the Flag! This is Team One.....oh ya....
...and Team Two! Since I was sick, I just took a few pictures and headed up to my room to relax.
Every Thursday evening we have our Ohana Worship Meeting. Everyone from the community is invited to come on campus and worship our Lord with us. We're excited and getting ready to worship.
This is what we love to do: Worship our beautiful Savior. I couldn't help but take a picture of Julie as she was worshiping our Lord. She is totally mesmerized by our Lord and enjoying this wonderful time of fellowship with Him. Praise God!
One the right is Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. Praise God for this man and for God granting him the desire to prayerfully and actively press into our Lord and put together YWAM. The woman on his right is his Korean translator.
For Julie's birthday, we went by the beach and chilled. I got to play my guitar...yes!
Last but not least, this is my "spot." This is where I spend great time with my wonderful Father. Just this morning, God woke me up bright and early to spend time with Him. I praise God for this magnificent time and the little surprises He gives me. I love spending time with God; He's utterly amazing!..and yes, He makes me smile!
Monday, July 21, 2008
And the winner is...
drum roll please... (drrrrr.....)
NORTHERN IRELAND!!!! Yes, this is where I'll be going for my outreach! I'm so excited! There are 2 different groups going, but they're both going to Belfast (you can find the city on the map). One team, led by Amy, has a music focus and will be singing songs and doing some artsy-fartsy stuff as a means to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Another team, led by Janet, will be working with children and youth. They will also be running a coffee shop and ministering to their customers. Either way, I'll be in Northern Ireland in about 2 weeks and 2 months. Hurray! God directing me to Northern Ireland makes me smile...
NORTHERN IRELAND!!!! Yes, this is where I'll be going for my outreach! I'm so excited! There are 2 different groups going, but they're both going to Belfast (you can find the city on the map). One team, led by Amy, has a music focus and will be singing songs and doing some artsy-fartsy stuff as a means to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Another team, led by Janet, will be working with children and youth. They will also be running a coffee shop and ministering to their customers. Either way, I'll be in Northern Ireland in about 2 weeks and 2 months. Hurray! God directing me to Northern Ireland makes me smile...
Mailing Address
For those of you who may want to send me mail (I would love to receive snail mail from you!), here is my addy in Kona:
Nina Villarin
University of the Nations
Box 429
75-5851 Kuakini Highway
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
96740-2199
USA
Peace out.
Nina Villarin
University of the Nations
Box 429
75-5851 Kuakini Highway
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
96740-2199
USA
Peace out.
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
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
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Music
The Lord has given me this great desire and passion for music. He uses this avenue to speak to me and I absolutely love worshipping the Lord by singing and playing my baby, this guitar. I've only been playing for about a year and a half, but God has given me such a love for playing, and I definitely want to use this for His glory.
I praise God because I've been able to use songs to encourage others. As I pray for the, God puts a song in my heart and I, reluctantly at first, sing this song to them. It's so awesome when God does that! I will be leading (yes, leading!! ahhhh) a praise team for my DTS. There are 6 teams and I will be leading one and playing my guitar in another! Wow! Praise God!
I have also written my first song and can play it on my guitar! Never in my life would I think that I would write a song, but God gave me the lyrics and tune. I love it and it's just another way I can glorify my Savior. Thank you, Lord, for music. Yes...music makes me smile!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
I know...I know...
I need to update more! I'll try to be better, but my days are so crazy hectic sometimes and it's hard to keep up! I'll try to post more though...For the sake of time (and I'm sure you'd all much rather see pictures instead of read) I'll post pictures with a short comment. If you want more details, just let me know! Mahalo!
On the second night, we had a Celebration of the Nations! There are over 40 different nations represented on the U of N campus right now. That's amazing! We had some hula dancers...
..and a 14 year-old boy doing some fire dance.
I got to represent and carry the Filipino flag! It was really fun and exciting! They said they hardly ever have anyone carry our flag. Represent!
These are some of my new friends here in Kona!
I have a roommate from Switzerland and she, along with her Swiss friend, put together a Swiss Chocolate game. It was so much fun and we got to eat some scrumptious chocolate!
This is the front of the campus. Beautiful isn't it? This is where I'll call home for the next 3 months. Praise God!!
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Last Saturday, my roomie, Julie, and I went downtown and had our first shaved ice!
As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This is the first church I attended here in Kona: The Living Stones Church. It had a great service, but I definitely missed my home church!
This is the view from the church. Isn't it beautiful! I wouldn't mind if the Lord gave us a church with this as our backyard!
More posts to come...I promise!
On the second night, we had a Celebration of the Nations! There are over 40 different nations represented on the U of N campus right now. That's amazing! We had some hula dancers...
..and a 14 year-old boy doing some fire dance.
I got to represent and carry the Filipino flag! It was really fun and exciting! They said they hardly ever have anyone carry our flag. Represent!
These are some of my new friends here in Kona!
I have a roommate from Switzerland and she, along with her Swiss friend, put together a Swiss Chocolate game. It was so much fun and we got to eat some scrumptious chocolate!
This is the front of the campus. Beautiful isn't it? This is where I'll call home for the next 3 months. Praise God!!
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222324566481833010" />Last Saturday, my roomie, Julie, and I went downtown and had our first shaved ice!
As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This is the first church I attended here in Kona: The Living Stones Church. It had a great service, but I definitely missed my home church!
This is the view from the church. Isn't it beautiful! I wouldn't mind if the Lord gave us a church with this as our backyard!
More posts to come...I promise!
Friday, July 4, 2008
I'm Here! I'm Here! I'm Here!!
Praise God, I arrived here safe and sound. I even met a new friend who sat across the aisle from me on the plane and felt well taken cared of on the plane. God is good!
I was very excited to land and see Hawaii for the very first time. The first thing that I noticed as I looked out the window were the palm trees swaying in the wind. Then, as I stepped out of the plane, I was struck by the humidity. My goodness is it humid out here! I'm still sweating as I sit and type this blog.
I drove up to the beautiful campus and already met a lot of neat people. And, as I was walking to my room, it started to shower!...just like that! =) After I put my things away and made some phone calls, I joined a group of people singing praise and worship songs unto our beautiful Lord and Savior. It was amazing sitting outside while the rain drizzled all over me. I still can't believe that this will be my home for the next 3 months. God is good!
My home for the next 3 months: Room 94...along with my 4 roomies!
It's official: I'm a student here at YWAM, Kona.
This is my room. My bed is the one on the right with the burgandy bedsheets. Outside the window I look out and see the beautiful ocean. Wow...to be able to see the ocean right outside my window for the next 3 months. God is good and makes me smile!
sidenote...I miss you guys!...i wish you were here with me experiencing this great time with me...taking in all in with me... sharing this time with me...laughing with me and learning more about God with me....
I miss you guys.
I was very excited to land and see Hawaii for the very first time. The first thing that I noticed as I looked out the window were the palm trees swaying in the wind. Then, as I stepped out of the plane, I was struck by the humidity. My goodness is it humid out here! I'm still sweating as I sit and type this blog.
I drove up to the beautiful campus and already met a lot of neat people. And, as I was walking to my room, it started to shower!...just like that! =) After I put my things away and made some phone calls, I joined a group of people singing praise and worship songs unto our beautiful Lord and Savior. It was amazing sitting outside while the rain drizzled all over me. I still can't believe that this will be my home for the next 3 months. God is good!
My home for the next 3 months: Room 94...along with my 4 roomies!
It's official: I'm a student here at YWAM, Kona.
This is my room. My bed is the one on the right with the burgandy bedsheets. Outside the window I look out and see the beautiful ocean. Wow...to be able to see the ocean right outside my window for the next 3 months. God is good and makes me smile!
sidenote...I miss you guys!...i wish you were here with me experiencing this great time with me...taking in all in with me... sharing this time with me...laughing with me and learning more about God with me....
I miss you guys.
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