Nine Days And Counting

On August 9th, 2014 I get to marry my best friend! The past couple years have gone by so quickly, we have grown so deep in friendship and have seen the Lords faithfulness in so many ways. We can't wait to start this adventure of being a married couple and pursuing the dreams the Lord has placed on our hearts. 

-Wedding In 9 Days-

-Moving Back To Kona In 21 Days-

Sara and I met in Kona Hawaii during our Discipleship Training School. Since that time we have been full time staff at YWAM Kona and traveling to serve YWAM globally in places like California, Turkey, South Africa, London and Amsterdam. 

In September Sara will be embarking on her educational journey as she pursues her passion to become a midwife. Sara will be apart of a two year Midwifery school that will certify her as a midwife. With this certification she will be able to deliver babies all over the world in homes and in birthing centers! I am so proud of her for taking this step and it is such an honor to support her as she studies to achieve such an incredible calling. 

I will be serving the YWAM base with the Furnace to Fields community. From facilitating worship in the prayer room,  discipleship training schools, and corporate worship times, Furnace to Fields is a ministry that focuses on taking worship and intimacy with the Lord, out into the streets and the nations. Along with leading worship, I will also be using other skill sets such as discipling incoming staff and students that will be sent into the nations, and using my passion for photography and videography in any area that needs it. It is my desire to continue to make trips into the nations to share the Gospel of Christ in places like Amsterdam, and to continue building connections, serving the incredible YWAM leadership, and keeping relationship with those working overseas.

-Join The Family-

If you are interested in sponsoring us financially and with prayers please email me at theshaws8914@gmail.com. We love our support family and desire to be a prayer team for all who support us. We still have a current need for monthly sponsorship in order to continue our volunteer serves with YWAM. We ask that you would pray and ask the Lord if this is something you would support. Your obedience and cheerful heart of giving is what we desire not your money. We also value a prayer covering. 

-What You Can Pray For- 

-An incredible wedding ceremony, stress free and full of joy

-That Jesus would be the central part our wedding and marriage 

-Safe travels for all who are driving/flying in for the wedding 

-Smooth transition back into serving the YWAM base

-Sara's tuition of $400 a month for school be provided for

-Doors to open where we can serve and love the local Kona community 

-Our Current Need-

-Pledged monthly sponsorship of $2000 which covers: food, housing

transportation, health insurance, cell phone, car insurance, 

Sara's midwifery tuition, mission trip costs and other bills.

(We are currently at $725 a month and need it to increase to cover these costs.)

Feel free to call me at 405-308-3860 or email me at theshaws8914@gmail.com if you have any questions , need prayer or want to join our monthly sponsorship family. 

God Bless

Want To Join Our Sponsorship Team? Click Here!

UK // Engaged

       Over the past 3 weeks I have been living in Harpenden, United Kingdom. I am here with a team of 6 scouting out the land and seeing what God is doing in England. During our time here we have spent time meeting with national leaders within YWAM and Burn 24-7. God has opened up many doors for our team and we are very excited for the future! (Another blog soon with more details on that)

      I GOT ENGAGED! On April 8th I asked Sara Ghiasi to spend the rest of her life with me! It was so joyful and greatest day of my life! I made a little picnic in the near by forest which is full of blue bell flowers. I proposed and we celebrated with the team! They were hiding in the bushes taking pictures!

    During this trip I have had the honor of leading many times of worship for the YWAM base. Before I left for this trip I received a Taylor guitar which was payed for by a many of my friends that believe in the calling on my life. I am so blown away by my friends and by Gods goodness!

 
   We have just a few more days in the UK before Sara and I head to Holland. We will be visiting the YWAM base in Amsterdam and connecting with close friends. If we plant in the UK, Amsterdam will be loved greatly by us and visited frequently. My dream is to send outreach teams to Amsterdam on a regular basis and bless the local ministries within the city.

  Thank you so much for your support and love! Sara and I will be releasing a new website together as a soon to be married couple! We can't wait to share the plans the Lord has begun speaking to us about for our first two years of marriage!

LOVE YOU ALL

Prayer Requests
- Our travels to Amsterdam include an over night stay in an airport (safety)
- Wedding planning continues to stay smooth
- That financial sponsorship would come in for Sara and I as we continue with YWAM
- For Sage and Mariah as they prepare to welcome their first child into the world!


To Know God And Make Him Known

Next Stop...London

The last 6 months have been so packed with amazing ministry and life giving things. Here are some pictures and videos showing all that I have been up to. 

Visiting Roosevelt Highschool handing out donuts and praying with students. 

We gathered 400 students at Roosevelt public high school in LA. They heard about God creating them as a master piece and how they are beautiful no matter what the world says. This Bible club is going to take over the entire school by showing Gods insane love for everyone! One student started this bible club and now hundreds are being touched by it! 3 girls gave there hearts to Jesus and several others received prayer! So blown away by Gods goodness.

During my last visit in Kona at the YWAM base I got to help with worship.

Here is a picture of the ONE LOVE event that we put on at USC in LA. 1200 students gathered to hear the message of Jesus's love for all and the simple gospel. It was incredible. We spent hours putting up this tent and the Lord was faithful to pack it out!

I was blessed with the opportunity of leading worship at a prayer room that is on Sunset blvd in Hollywood. Radiance International.  

I was blessed helping lead corporate worship for a week in Kona Hawaii.

More leading worship! : )

Me and Steven doing what we know best. 

Isla Vista looks like this EVERY weekend. Packed with college and high school students partying. In the midsts of the wildness God is shining. Watch the video below.

While I was in Isla Vista California I was asked to help create a video of us asking the students what they thought of Jesus. Every weekend thousands of UCSB students are out partying and an incredible ministry called Jesus Burgers is out sharing the love of Jesus in the midsts of the craziness. Honored to spend a weekend with that ministry. We were able to pray with the students after interviewing them. God is on the move in Isla Vista

All of this was possible because of your generosity. My life has been forever changed and I can not thank you enough! God has opened some incredible doors which involve me being able to go back to where my heart longs to be, Europe. Jesus LOVES Europe and I can't wait to go back. 

THIS IS WHAT'S NEXT!!

[Opportunity]

At the beginning of this year I was approached by my leadership at YWAM Kona, to pray about being apart of a Fire & Fragrance Discipleship Training School staff team that would go on a one month missions trip to London. (In case you may have forgotten, I led a team to London just last May!). I will be leaving the start of April and as of now, I am in Oklahoma gathering supporters who will partner with me while I am overseas! This is a very important and exciting trip for our team because it will help us determine what the next few years of our lives in missions could look like if we were to commit to launching long term to the UK this upcoming fall. 

[Why London?]

You might be thinking, of all places in the world, why London? Well, for the past two years, Fire and Fragrance has sent short teams multiple times to the UK, to partner with the workers there, and do ministry at universities such as Cambridge and Oxford. The leaders of F & F and the leaders of YWAM Harpenden (a small town located 30 min outside of London) have been dreaming about what it could look like for a community from YWAM Kona with a heart for worship, prayer and evangelism, to move to London in the fall and join in on all that God is doing there! 

The purpose of this trip is to 'scout' out the land (see what life and ministry would look like if a group of missionaries moved there long term!). We want to see London the way God sees it and get his heart for how he longs to move there. 

The plan is to meet with the YWAM base leaders in London and other leaders around the city, to see what partnering them in ministry could look like! 

(Testimony: During my time in London last spring, my team spent a week at Cambridge University and saw over 60 salvations. We know that the students in these universities are longing to know Jesus and we desire to share the Good News with them!)

[Communities Around The World]

Fire & Fragrance has commissioned a handful of teams to the nations to establish themselves in the local communities and commit themselves to the people of the land.

Rather than a lone missionary venturing off solo, we desire to see whole communities of 6-10 missionaries launch together. This will ensure a much healthier start and help long term vision prosper. 

Right now, there are groups of YWAM communities living in South Africa, Oman, Nepal, Ireland, Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Spain and Japan. God is using them for amazing things in the nations! 

[Be Involved]

Become a financial sponsor by helping me raise approx. $2,500 to cover the costs of flights, housing, and food during this trip. (To give, click the "Donate" tab at the top of the page)

• Partner in prayer: 
• That our team would be unified.
• That we would be led by the Holy Spirit.
• That we would have Gods heart for the city.
• For eyes to see what God is doing in London. 

• Praise Reports:
• I currently have a full time position at Lowe's.
• I have housing and transportation while I am in Oklahoma.
• My girlfriend Sara surprised me with money that she gathered from my friends to buy me a guitar. 
• Good friends Noah and Vanessa Whitnah had a healthy baby boy, Sparrow Levi Whitnah.