Author: hannahyoung810

In the golden beauty of the arid desert, God speaks.  

[May 8, 2024] The gentle wind whispered through the brush, and the subtle cool of the evening was beginning to settle as the sun set over the Jordanian hills. Camels dotted the landscape in the distance as the last orange glow of light cascaded over the sandy earth. Here, in the stillness of the desert I was suddenly overwhelmed by the astonishing power of God’s presence. This prayer walk was different. I was standing in the very dessert where David wrote his Psalms. 

In a land with a long history of unrest, currently in the midst of war — the desert is quiet, peaceful. As if not much has changed in the last 3000 + years since David penned his songs of praise. 

I had a new understanding of Psalm 63 where David describes: “A dry and parched land where there is no water”. 

Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.” 

If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to this version of Psalm 63 put to music. God used this Psalm to speak to me on that walk.

A Parched and Weary Land

On even the shortest of walks during my trip to Israel, my body easily grew weary under the heat of the direct sun. So much so that I got heat exhaustion just from being out for an hour after our early sunrise hike.

In the desert, even the slightest speckle of green on the landscape indicates one thing: WATER. A spring feeds the sparse vegetation around it, and even the tiniest lick of water produces a small oasis. This green had been visible when I stood in the desert the day prior and looked toward Ein Gedi (the spring where David presumably wrote this Psalm). 

To think that my longing for my God should be like that parched feeling of thirst. To long for Him so desperately above anything else. To seek out a splash of green in a desert land. 

If my body craves water after only a short hour, how much more should I crave God in every moment? It was as if for the first time I clearly understood the symbolism behind David’s metaphor in Psalm 63.

Memorial Stones

From my view overlooking the vast desert, a distinct outline stood out on the ground below.  It was a long line of stones, spanning across the hill. My friend had earlier told a story about this “stone man”:

A devout woman in their town used to walk in the desert almost daily to pray. Whenever a prayer was answered, she placed another stone on her “stone man”, as a way to signify God’s faithfulness. Over the years, the stone monument grew and the “arms” of the stone man now stretch nearly 400 meters long. 

I love the symbolism of the stone man. In the Old Testament, stones were often used as monuments to signify God’s faithfulness. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan (not too far from the desert where I stood), they erected stones as a symbol of God’s faithfulness to the 12 tribes of Israel.

See Joshua 4:21-24: And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, ²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

That their children and all peoples would KNOW of God’s faithfulness toward Israel. This made me think: how am I commemorating God’s faithfulness in my own life? Do I give the credit to God when things go well with me? I love the idea of using stones to represent significant moments where I’ve seen God’s work in my life. This gave me the idea to create my own version of the stone man — a way to physically represent answered prayers. I plan to start doing this tangibly with stones on my own prayer walks! 

Reflecting on God’s Faithfulness One Year Later

Faithful. It’s a word that often comes to mind when reflecting back on Gods work in my life. 

One “stone” I’ve been reflecting on recently is God faithfulness during my year in New Zealand. 

This week, it’s been one year since I left New Zealand. God worked so intently in my desperate heart that year. He brought me closer to himself in a way I never would have imagined. In a personal, intimate way. 

In that year, He showed me that the Christian life is not about religion. Far from it. It’s about living with God: my Lord and Savior Jesus himself. 

I have my doubts and struggles. I fall short daily. But God. The One who knew no sin freely gave His Son to redeem me, a sinner. In his RICH mercy he has given himself— wholly and fully to me out of GREAT love. That we might have access to life together with Christ! Only by His grace.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved [Ephesians 2:4-5]

With steadfast confidence I can say that God did a refining work in me that year. I am continually grateful for his faithfulness and for the ways he has so intentionally humbled me (and continues to do so).

Some Little Life Updates…

While I am on the topic of God’s faithfulness and blessings, I wanted to share a few life updates from this spring!

As previously mentioned, I visited friends in Israel last month. God blessed this trip immensely. It was an honor to be able to be there to support my friend for one of the biggest moments of his life! Some highlights were the Dead Sea, hiking Masada at sunrise and visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Above all, it was a joy to spend quality time with my friend & his family and make many new friends as well. To top it off, attending a Messianic-Jewish wedding in Jerusalem was a 10/10 experience. I might already be planning my next trip back… 🙂

At the end of May, I hosted a very large bridal shower for my sister, which turned out so lovely. This marked the first event in the oncoming wedding craziness with two siblings getting married this summer.  

I’ve continued nannying for the same family who have 3-year-old & 17-mo-old boys. The sunnier weather has meant more trips to the zoo, playgrounds and a week-long trip to Victoria, CA earlier this spring. 

Among other events this spring I’ve filled my days with quality time with friends, climbing outdoors, and hanging out with family (who are now all officially home of the summer!) 

Praise/Prayer

• Visa Update! Praise God for his hand in the visa process. I’ve officially mailed off my last document to get authenticated, gotten my passport photos, and am assembling final details for my (very thick) application folder. To top it off, I have a very official looking document with fingerprints proving I am indeed not a criminal (whew!) My visa appointment is scheduled for July 16. Continued prayers would be appreciated! 

• Please pray for my family as both Elise & Danny (sister and her fiancee) and Andrew & Sage (brother and his fiancee) are getting married this summer. Being home this summer is a gift that I want to savor. Pray for a fruitful season & quality time with family despite the business of planning two weddings in our household! 

• Pray for closure as I prepare to move at the end of the summer, and that God’s hand would be in all the tiny details that come with making a bigger, more permanent move. Also pray for my mom as she prepares for 4 of us kids to move out within the span of a month. (If you are confused about why/where I am moving, please go back and read my last post 🙂

• Continue to pray for the peace of Israel. Praise: my friend (Yotam) was released from the military in time for his wedding, and that myself along with other guests from abroad were able to travel to Israel safely! God’s hand was really in this. Pray: Continue to pray for the hostages to return home, for those who have been displaced from their homes, and for everyone whose lives have been altered by the impact of the war.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. Be blessed.

In His Grace,

Hannah

Hello friends, 

It’s time to share a bit about what’s next regarding life & ministry. Things have been in the works for a bit and I am thrilled to be able to share about the doors God has opened! 

In order to reach an open door one often needs to traverse through a long hallway. Before I share about the specific door God has opened, I’d like to share just that: what transpired in the hallway.

The Hallway

While leaving my position in New Zealand was tough, the decision was easy. 

Sometimes God just gives an unexplainable peace about a decision. The best way I can describe it was a temporal calling. God had put me in that exact position in that season for a reason. His sovereign purposes are always good, and He knew exactly what he was doing putting me there when he did! 

Even though my role as Domestic Manager was not necessarily one I felt gifted in, the Lord was faithful and taught me so much in both the joys and the struggles of that season. However, there came a time to go.

Like Ruth said to Naomi: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” – Ruth 1:16 Despite uncertainty, Ruth faithfully followed Naomi and submitted to God’s will.

God was clearly calling me on to something else, even if unknown. 

During the short summer months at Tauernhof, I realized that upon going home I would enter a season of “in-between.”  I became fearful of returning home, knowing the transition would be difficult after two years abroad. I was worried about reverse culture shock, feeling isolated after community living and just worried about returning to the mundane nature of daily life. 

A quote that was shared with during that season stuck with me. A friend had seen this quote, framed on a sign in a hallway. It displayed a simple message:

“I’ll praise you in the Hallway”.

This picture of a hallway has really stuck with me. Those who know me personally know that at times I can be a chronic overthinker. I want to make the right decision! With every decision, I repeatedly ask myself questions like:

 “What door should I knock on?”  

“Should I wait for God to open the door?” 

Yet sometimes, it isn’t up to me to ask these questions when God is ultimately the one in control. Sometimes, the calling is to simply praise him in the hallway! To find joy in the waiting.

For me, this looked like going home not being 100% sure what was next. It meant remaining in the beautiful chaos of the in-between. 

The Crack

I was standing in a dim hallway. Only a small crack, a shaft of light leaked through the bottom of a distant door. 

Upon arriving home, I knew I wanted to continue in discipleship ministry. However, I didn’t know what this would look like. Was it full-time, vocational ministry? The mission field? Or maybe simply getting plugged back in with the local church? 

A “crack” in a closed door had appeared. An opportunity to serve in vocational ministry. But the pieces didn’t quite fit together. 

I approached the situation prayerfully, and came away with the conclusion that I didn’t want to force God’s will.  There were several aspects of this opportunity I would have to step back and trust God to sovereignly work out. 

As hard as it was, I knew I had to approach this season with an attitude of surrender. I started my job back home as a nanny – which I have been LOVING! I got plugged in with small group from my church and remained in the hallway.  There were many moments when I doubted God’s plan and struggled not knowing what I should do next. I started reading my Bible cover to cover. I’ve actually spent more time in the word during this season than any season over the past 2 years! 

Just a reminder that God is continually faithful, and he sees us even when we don’t see his purposes!

Double Doors Swing Wide

Then, suddenly the crack disappeared and double doors swung open, flooding the corridor with light. 

It was as if God was waiting patiently to reveal this opportunity in a crystal clear moment, all the while refining me in the in-between. 

God presented me with the opportunity to serve in full full-time vocational ministry! Not only that, this was a position that combines two areas I’m passionate about. 

The first being discipleship ministry. The second being my field of study: my actual vocation. This is something I’ve always dreamed about: using digital marketing/design within a ministry context. 

Every small detail God presented me with fit together. I realized that saying “no” to such an opportunity would be slamming a door God has so clearly orchestrated. 

At the end of the day, we have the choice wether or not to enter a door God has opened. But ultimately, he is the one who orchestrates it. He will open and close doors in my life as he sees fit. 

So, I’m thrilled to announce that Lord willing, I will be pursuing a full-time ministry role within Torchbearers International.

The role will be multifaceted: It will be a marketing role, running the external and internal visual media for the Bible School center. It will also be a discipleship role. I have the opportunity to join the Bible School team and invest in the daily lives of the students. 

Should the Lord see fit to keep the door open, I will be moving to Schladming, Austria in September 2024. I will be serving in a long term role at Tauernhof – where I first did Bible School as a student nearly three years ago. God is so crazy faithful and I can’t even describe it. So ready to see what he has in store!

Prayer Requests

• Pray for my resident card application. Since I am not an EU citizen, this makes working and living in Austria a bit complicated. I am applying for permanent residency, which I will need in order to legally stay in Austria long term. I’m grateful for the support Tauernhof has provided in assisting me with this process! 

• Pray that I can continue to remain present in my daily ministry here at home. That I would remain joyful in my daily life and pursue opportunities to serve others here at home while I remain somewhat in the ‘hallway season’. 

• Finances. God has been so beyond faithful thus far, and I am continuing to trust Him to provide in the future. Since this is a ministry role, I will be raising some support. If you have it on your heart to donate, or just want to learn more about the mission of Torchbearers International, please reach out to me! I am in the process of setting up an online donation link through Torchbearers.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Joyfully in Christ,

Hannah

At Capernwray we talk a lot about encountering the reality of God. 

Living among international students here at Capernwray has shown me more of God himself though this place and through these people. But most importantly, I have realized that this ministry is not the place or people themselves. Yet it is Christ, working though this place, working through these people. It is God himself we have the opportunity to worship, serve, and grow in unity together with  — that very person and God himself is Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the challenges here that have grown me severely. I am thankful for the opportunities wherein God has ministered though me into the lives of others, and to be encouraged in return —that is the reflection of only God himself. 

As my final weeks here approach, I wanted to share a powerful reminder a friend told me:  “The same God of Capernwray is still God wherever I go.” 

I know God has great things in store next. Big things, and small. Some known, mostly unknown. Both are equally terrifying and require a great deal of faith. Praise Jesus I have a very REAL GOD who does not measure the amount of my faith. And it is this very God himself who is working within me.

 

Hello Dear Friends. 

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update on here and a lot has happened in the past months! 

I plan to catch up on updates in the form of several posts over the next couple weeks. I’ll start with what I’ve been up to most recently, then work backwards from there. 

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to lead a group of students on a ministry trip to a local church!

Ministry week is a regular occurrence here at Capernwary. For one week a semester, groups are assigned to local churches throughout the North Island. It is an opportunity for students to live out what they have been learning at the Bible School, participate in outreach and serve the local community.

Myself, along with a group of 9 students were assigned to Te Awamutu Bible Chapel. Though the church was located only 15 minutes away from our campus, students were billeted in local homes. This allowed for the opportunity to get connected with people and experience the hospitality from local church members.

Throughout the week we worked closely with their church staff and participated in many of their weekly ministries and outreach projects. The week was “Chock-a-block” (or very full, as the Kiwis like to put it)! In addition to serving around the church, students had the opportunity to teach daily at a school, run an after-school park program for kids, and help with youth and children ministries. Yes, if there could be one word to sum up the week it would be: kids. Lots of kids. 

Shout out to the church’s ministry coordinator (Carey), and our team’s student leader (Jonas) for your organization skills & leadership. Seriously. Without you the week quite likely would have been a disaster. 

My role as the staff member on the team was overseeing the week as a whole, checking in with the student leaders, leading group debriefs, and lots of student drop-offs and pick-ups!  I also did a lot of checking in with the church leaders, school teachers, and parents of the kids. 

A big part of it wasn’t necessarily leading but stepping back to let the students lead.  It was really cool to see them step into different roles and watch them use their gifts within ministry. All of the students were 100% committed and motivated, which made the full-on week quite manageable. Big shoutout to my TABC team! You guys rock.

Many connections were made, good conversations were had, and it was hard to say goodbye at the end of the week. 

For me personally, the learning takeaway of the week is that leadership is hard. Shocker. 

I’ve experienced many challenges in the past months. I’ve taken on new roles which have revealed ugly parts of myself and also grown me severly. 

Finding a balance between being a leader and friend to students who are close to my age is hard. Learning to step back and let students lead, but still be present and contributing is hard.  Responsibility can be overwhelming. Finding support for myself is hard. 

To those who took the time to check in on me during ministry week — thank you. Your encouragement truly means the world. 

Overall I have been reminded time and time again of the importance of looking to Christ. It is his strength working within me that surpasses any striving motive of my own. As much as I want to focus on being a good leader, that is not the point. I’ve recognized serving God can easily become my priority above God himself. 

My prayer is that I would not be working out of my own motives or strength — that only Christ would be working, and that his joy would become apparent to others through me. Please continue to be praying this prayer over me. That I would find my strength in Christ alone.