Pictures!

Our team went to a Youth Center to hangout and Em and i found some boxing gloves, so we decided to play!


Em ready for the fight!


Me ready for the fight!


Taking some punches!




The champion!

Pictures from the Love Feast!

So, each DTS has a ¨Love Feast¨ and our theme was ¨Circus¨, so we all dressed in our circus best! it was so much fun!


Maria the clown


Marianela and Vanesa getting ready!


All the girls in their Circus Best!


Vanesa, Marianela, Yessica and Maria ready for the Love Feast!


The guys had a little too much fun being creative!
Pablo (in the pink), Leandro (the only ¨guy¨) and Abel


The guys performed a dance.
Lucas (in the hat, with stripes), Pablo (in pink), Leandro (in Tanktop), Daniella (Pablo´s daughter, in green), Abel (in tu-tu and wig), Mike (purple skirt)

Life on the base...

So i thought i´d share about life here in Argentina and at the YWAM Base.
The People:
It was very suprising when i got here, because there is so much diveresity in the appearance of people. There are people with blonde hair, brown hair, blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, short people, tall people, curly hair, straight hair, and they all speak Spanish! it´s crazy, i almost blend in! there was actually a girl on the base who after over a week finally asked if i spoke Enlgish and where i was from, because she had only heard me speaking Spanish! She is from England but speaks Spanish fluently.
The team:
Our team consists of 14 people. 10 girls and 4 guys. We have Marianela from Buenas Aires, Argentina (18), Em from Lynden, Washington, USA (19), Me (19), Abel from Buenas Aires (19), Leandro from San Luis, Argentina (21), Yessica from Venezuela (22), Vanesa from Mendoza (28), Victoria from Mendoza (28), Mike from Alberta, Canada (27), Laura from Mendoza (33), Kate from England (34), Veronica from Mendoza (38), Pablo from Mendoza (34), and Maria from Chile (59). It´s been so much fun! we are like one big happy family(which is normal for me)! i think i´ll be sad when we have to split for outreach, some of us will stay in Argentina and some of us will go to Mexico. We all get along really well! OH... then there is our School Director, Marcela R. and our leaders, Marlon from Peru (26), Laura from Colombia (late 20s), Marcela C. from Mendoza(31), Yanina from Buenas Aires (22), and Belen from Santa Fe, Argentina (22). We also have 3 translators: Bekah from Calgary (20), Trudy from Calgary (31), and Alicia from California, USA (24). And there are plenty of others who live and work on the base!
This week:
God has taught me so much more this week. I am learning to walk in Humility, but with confidence using the gifts God has given me! For example, last night we had our ¨Love Feast¨or La Cena de Amor¨. it was very fun! this past week, we had ïnvisible friends¨ we would leave them notes, goodies and such and then we would receive the same from others! and then last night we all revealed ourselves!!! the theme for the night was Circus! we all had tons of fun dressing up. then we each had to give a presentation. i asked God what i should do, He told me i should walk in humility and use the gifts He´s given me. so i played the piano and sang the song that i wrote last year! i was nervous, but all went well! and although many didn´t understand the words, their hearts were there!

i will upload pictures when i can. i forgot my camera this time. =(
i have taken over 250 already!!! Cass...i think i´m starting to be like you, carrying my camera whereever i go!
(except when i have internet access and want to upload pics...)

well...blessing to you all and i will continue praying for you!

walking humbly, Carissa

Here in Argentina!

Hey Family and Friends!!!!

I am here safe and sound in beautiful Mendoza, Argentina!!!
Life this week has been amazing, one story i would like to share is this.

The first day we had the regional director/Chile base director come and speak, it was amazing!
He spoke about Faith and the power we have in the holy Spirit. One thing he said is that we need to bring all of our desires before the Lord and give up our desires/rights and walk out in faith knowing that God is in control. it was a wonderful word.
The next day while reading my book(we have a new book assigned every 5 weeks)¨Making Jesus Lord¨, Loren Cunningham shared an amazing story. He and his wife were travelling when the got in a wreck and his wife, Darleen, nearly died. he realized that God was realy in control. He had given up everything to walk out and fulfill God´s calling.

He then said, ¨you need to give up all your rights and desires and follow God´s call.
Give up all rights, and surrender to walking in God´s will. i began crying as i thought of one right/desire that i was still holding on to. My soul mate.
i began to pray and ask that the Lord forgive me for holding on. i placed that desire/right at His feet. i then felt great peace knowing that whether i get married or not, i will serve God wholeheartedly...


i have to go now. my time is up. i´ll try and write more next weekend!
love you all, Carissa

*so for some reason this post was never posted last week when i wrote it, so here you go.

The Challenge...who will step up?

Yesterday God challenged me.
I am a small group leader at my church's middle school youth group.
At the beginning of the night, all the leaders gather together and talk about what's happening that night and then we pray together. Well...last night started out like any other night. We all gather, talk, pray, and then go love on kids! Well, when we got together, one of my dear friends and fellow leaders, got a call that our "sound guy" (a friend for quite sometime) Evan, had just raced to the hospital because his mom had just been rushed there. Lynn was an amazing woman of God. she had battled cancer for many years, but faithfully came to church because of her love for God! A few minutes later we got another call...this time from Evan...his mom was now with Jesus. Many tears were shed last night, but we know that Lynn is in a better place with a new, healthy, beautiful body, standing before the throne of God! As the leaders and myself included, got together a couple more times to decided what exactly we were going to do, God spoke to me. "I have something i want you to share with all the kids, Carissa" "Uh, now God? we're all a bit disoriented. Are you sure, God?" "Yes, there is no better time than now." "Okay God, give me words to speak."
i went to a couple leaders and told them what i had to do and then i was "scheduled" to speak right before worship time. So, when it was time, i went up on stage and began to speak. And this is what the Lord brought forth:

"God spoke to me tonight and challenged me to challenge you. As you all know, Evan's mom has gone to be with God. And now God is telling me that i need to live each day to the fullest according to His will. We all need to thank God for the little things. The things like waking up in the morning, having a family, and even for life itself. We need to live like there's no tomorrow. I don't know how many of you middle schoolers
go to church here on the weekends, but we are doing a series right now that's called "Live like you are dying". Are we living like we're dying? you need to tell the people you love that you love them. you need to be the example for Christ TODAY! God does not promise us long life, so we need to live for Him NOW! NOW is the time to make the decision to follow Christ, NOW is the time to be the helping hand to someone in need. NOW is the time to step out and be the example. Many of you have come here for awhile,
you have the heard the Word, you know the truth, now all you have to do, is LIVE IT OUT! Live for God NOW!"

that's the challenge...are you willing to accept it? Are you going to step up?