Tessa's Outreach YWAM
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So, last Friday, my MAD DTS school was told our outreach locations. Outreach is the time during your DTS with YWAM where you spend two months doing strictly evangelism. I will be leaving around the beginning of February! Anyways, last Friday, my school was FINALLY told where we would be going. The options were South Africa, Peru, Australia, Malaysia/Indonesia, and one last one.
We were then given the weekend to pray with God about just exactly where he would be wanting us to go. On that following Monday, we told my school’s leader, Maija, our first and second preferences. Then, that Tuesday evening, we found out where we would be going and who else would be on our team!
As opposed to past tradition, my school sorted the outreach teams by what art track you’re in. So, for instance, the dancers could decide between Indonesia/Malaysia and Australia, and it was different for each art track. With this said, each outreach will be slightly focused on our creative skills, which I am just stoked for with photography! Anyways, my outreach team is actually the largest of the entire school!
Now, to the actual location! I would love more than anything to share with everyone publicly on social media where I will be going, however, due to the safety of the people who are already at this location, I am unable to do so. To be clear, me keeping this information from you is NOT for my own safety, but for the people who we will be staying with during our time there. I would love to privately tell you through text message or email, through Facebook messaging, Tessa Marraccino! (if you do not have an iPhone with functioning iMessage please email or Facebook me) If I do tell you this information, I would kindly ask that you do refrain from posting it publicly on any social media site.
Despite me having to keep that information from you, I am so incredibly excited to be going to this country. My team is very close already and are a positive, outgoing bunch, making evangelism exciting! Tonight, we had our first official outreach meeting. For now, we are just getting more of the general historical and factual information on the country. It is beautiful, deep in rich culture, and full of a massive unreached people group (almost completely Muslim).
Tonight we also got an estimate of how much this mission trip will cost: $3,800-$4,000 USD. I would like to foremost thank those who have already donated money to me and have been keeping me in your prayers! I have so far raised around $1,250 USD. I would like to clear a few things up. Many people who received my support letters about six weeks ago (only about 1.5 weeks before I left for Australia), thought I needed ALL the money for my entire YWAM experience just in those 1.5 weeks before I left! Basically, my entire time here at YWAM is costing $11,000 USD. I have been working over the summer and prior school year and saved about $3,500 USD of my own money which all went towards this DTS. After my own money, my parents are paying for the rest of the cost that covers my lecture phase, five months of learning about God, His Word, and how I can spread it. This cost that my parents are paying is about $3,500 USD.
The remainder of $3,800-$4,000 USD is my outreach fund, which is what I am specifically asking money for. I hope this is all making sense! Lots of numbers.
Anyways, I would kindly ask that you pray to God about donating money to my outreach and if you are feeling called by Him, I would rejoice!
1. My outreach team would be at peace with finances, knowing God will take of it. However, that we would also be good stewards of our money.
2. I would continue to see God move in radical ways in my life.
3. I am starting to get quite sick. So far, it is luckily just a sinus infection! However, due to my past medical history, I know that my sinus infections can easily turn into pneumonia, and I am already having a lot of shortness of breath.
Lastly, this week our lectures are focused on identity which has already proved to be really useful and interesting. I am continuing to struggle who I am in this world and who I am with God so I am hoping this week will use as a help way to start figuring that out! Anyways, would love for any of you to contact me (listed above) and talk about just HOW COOL GOD IS. So so so so dang radical how different I am of a person I was just a mere five weeks ago.
Love,
Tessa
We were then given the weekend to pray with God about just exactly where he would be wanting us to go. On that following Monday, we told my school’s leader, Maija, our first and second preferences. Then, that Tuesday evening, we found out where we would be going and who else would be on our team!
As opposed to past tradition, my school sorted the outreach teams by what art track you’re in. So, for instance, the dancers could decide between Indonesia/Malaysia and Australia, and it was different for each art track. With this said, each outreach will be slightly focused on our creative skills, which I am just stoked for with photography! Anyways, my outreach team is actually the largest of the entire school!
Now, to the actual location! I would love more than anything to share with everyone publicly on social media where I will be going, however, due to the safety of the people who are already at this location, I am unable to do so. To be clear, me keeping this information from you is NOT for my own safety, but for the people who we will be staying with during our time there. I would love to privately tell you through text message or email, through Facebook messaging, Tessa Marraccino! (if you do not have an iPhone with functioning iMessage please email or Facebook me) If I do tell you this information, I would kindly ask that you do refrain from posting it publicly on any social media site.
Despite me having to keep that information from you, I am so incredibly excited to be going to this country. My team is very close already and are a positive, outgoing bunch, making evangelism exciting! Tonight, we had our first official outreach meeting. For now, we are just getting more of the general historical and factual information on the country. It is beautiful, deep in rich culture, and full of a massive unreached people group (almost completely Muslim).
Tonight we also got an estimate of how much this mission trip will cost: $3,800-$4,000 USD. I would like to foremost thank those who have already donated money to me and have been keeping me in your prayers! I have so far raised around $1,250 USD. I would like to clear a few things up. Many people who received my support letters about six weeks ago (only about 1.5 weeks before I left for Australia), thought I needed ALL the money for my entire YWAM experience just in those 1.5 weeks before I left! Basically, my entire time here at YWAM is costing $11,000 USD. I have been working over the summer and prior school year and saved about $3,500 USD of my own money which all went towards this DTS. After my own money, my parents are paying for the rest of the cost that covers my lecture phase, five months of learning about God, His Word, and how I can spread it. This cost that my parents are paying is about $3,500 USD.
The remainder of $3,800-$4,000 USD is my outreach fund, which is what I am specifically asking money for. I hope this is all making sense! Lots of numbers.
Anyways, I would kindly ask that you pray to God about donating money to my outreach and if you are feeling called by Him, I would rejoice!
1. My outreach team would be at peace with finances, knowing God will take of it. However, that we would also be good stewards of our money.
2. I would continue to see God move in radical ways in my life.
3. I am starting to get quite sick. So far, it is luckily just a sinus infection! However, due to my past medical history, I know that my sinus infections can easily turn into pneumonia, and I am already having a lot of shortness of breath.
Lastly, this week our lectures are focused on identity which has already proved to be really useful and interesting. I am continuing to struggle who I am in this world and who I am with God so I am hoping this week will use as a help way to start figuring that out! Anyways, would love for any of you to contact me (listed above) and talk about just HOW COOL GOD IS. So so so so dang radical how different I am of a person I was just a mere five weeks ago.
Love,
Tessa
Organizer
Dawn Marraccino
Organizer
Costa Mesa, CA
