Month two update!

I am now on day 65 of the lecture phase of my YWAM DTS. Just 9 days left until I leave on my outreach to Mozambique and South Africa! So much has been happening, this has truly been an incredible, life changing, totally unforgettable time. Here's a glimpse at some of the things that have been happening here since my last update...

Back at the end of October, our class had a really cool opportunity for community involvement in Kona. We were volunteers for an event called Candyland put on by a local church, which was a halloween alternative open to anyone in the city. There was a turn out of about 6,000 people! We started setting up early in the morning, went back to campus in the afternoon to get our costumes on, then headed back to the event to work there for the night! It was SO much fun, there was tons of candy and everyone was dressed up and having a great time.

Me and my roomates all dressed up:Life size candyland!

Our whole class dressed up:

I was a jungle princess :)

I had the sweet opportunity of spending a weekend off campus in Hilo on the other side of the island in the beginning of November! One of my roommates knows people who live there and they were SO nice and let Madi and I stay in their house for the weekend. They even gave us a car to use for the day on Saturday, so we went and did some sightseeing up at the volcano. It was a wonderful break from the busy life on campus! I've gotta say, sleeping in a real bed was nice too :)

Trying on hats at the Parker Ranch gift store (the largest privately owned horse ranch in the U.S.):

Out for breakfast!!
It was pretty windy and rainy up there, this was at an overlook of a crater in the volcano:
The lava tubes were so cool!
After being taken out for a nice dinner by our hosts for the weekend:
Mauna Loa- I never realized how many different ways you can eat macadamia nuts!
This year was probably my most memorable Thanksgiving ever! I was missing my family at home a lot and wishing I could be celebrating the holiday with them, but it was still such a great day because I love my YWAM family so much! Our class all got dressed up nicely and had a huge, traditional Thanksgiving meal together. We all talked about what we were thankful for, and I didn't even know where to start! I am so insanely blessed and so thankful to God for everything in my life.

I love these girls so much!

Best class ever :)

Our times spent in class have been so eye opening and thought provoking. Our speakers have covered so many different topics, and all of them were so interesting and inspiring. Some messages really hit me and my heart has seriously been breaking for the things that break the heart of God. I feel like I have gained so much knowledge and wisdom when it comes to my faith, and I'm way excited that I am able to apply all of the things I have been learning to my life!

I really wish I had the time to go into more detail about everything that's going on, but unfortunately I only have a few days left of the island life and I want to soak in as much of it as I can!

Please be keeping my team in your prayers as we make our final preparations for outreach this week :) Thanks!

Finances!

I know it's been a while since I last updated, but as I said in my last post, I am SO crazy busy that it's hard to find the time to sit down and type one of these out! I have been spending lots of time just soaking in everything we're learning during lectures and community outreaches and everything else they have us doing. I have made great strides in my walk with God and understanding the Bible, and anyone who knows me well can testify to the growth that's been happening in me during this time! I think it's safe to say that this has been the best experience of my life, it has been so worth every penny it took to get here. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to anyone who has supported me, whether it was financially or through prayer! I appreciate it all so much.

I leave Hawaii and fly to Mozambique on December 13th with eleven other people from my class, all ages 18 to 28. We should be in Mozambique for approximately 5 weeks, and during that time we will be working in a children's center with Iris Ministries. After that, I believe we will be traveling to George, South Africa and staying on a YWAM base there for the duration. We have spent the last few weeks getting to know our outreach team and preparing for our trip, and I couldn't have been blessed with a better bunch of people to embark on this amazing journey with! We will all be living veeerryy close for 3 months, so I'm glad I have a team that is so easy to get along with.

Our deadline for the rest of our outreach finances is November 24th- this upcoming Wednesday. I still owe approximately $2,000. If I don't have this money by then, I will not be able to go on my outreach. I gained the other $8,000 that was due through working two jobs this past summer, various fundraising activites throughout the past few months, birthday and graduation gifts, support from my church, and support from friends and family. God has been SO faithful in the area of finances, and I'm trusting that it will all come in on time!

I am doing everything I can to bring in the funds, but I do need help. I am asking that you would please pray, and see if you are being led to support me financially in this great mission of bringing God's love to the poor and needy.

If you would like to support me, you can make a secure transaction with your credit card using this link to my Paypal Account. Whether it's $5 or $500, every little bit helps!
If you would like to donate by check or cash, you can email me at Bri.Quiggle@gmail.com for details on how to get that to me.

There are others in my outreach team and other outreach teams from my class who are also still in need of their funds. I have seen God work in miraculous ways during my DTS so far, there were days where thousands of dollars would just come in out of nowhere and funds have been multiplied in unexplainable ways! If I am able to raise more than the $2,000 that I still need, I would be able to help my fellow classmates who are still struggling to get it all in.

Once again, if you are not being led to support me financially, please keep me and my team in your prayers. Please pray that we would encounter God in radical ways, that we would effectively portray the gospel and show the unconditional love of Christ, and that we would stay safe! Thanks again :)

"There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered." Proverbs 11:24-25

"He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor." Proverbs 22:9

"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Alooooohhhaaaa :)

So as of today, I've officially been in Kona, Hawaii for 24 days! I have been wanting to post an update on everything that has been going on here for a while now, but as you can imagine, I've been pretty busy and I haven't really been able to take the time to write until now. So much has happened since the moment I landed in Hawaii almost a month ago, I really have no clue where to even start in describing how incredible my YWAM experience has been so far. Well, here goes...

On September 30th, I spent the majority of the day on an airplane (it was a veeerrryyyy long day). At around 8 p.m. I arrived safely and feeling very worn out at the Kona airport with the two other girls that I flew out with from MSP. We were then shuttled to campus for registration and got settled into our rooms that night! I am living in a dorm building with a view of the ocean from our window, as you can see below :)

The day after we arrived was a Friday, and our class of 60 people spent most of the day in meetings and doing orientation related things. On Saturday, our whole class went to Hapuna beach for a bbq, it was BEAUTIFUL. It was so much fun spending the day getting to know my new Ohana (Hawaiian for family) from all over the world! We swam and layed out in the sun and played beach soccer and football, and I even got to go cliff jumping into the ocean!

On Monday we started lectures, our speaker for the week was Don Stephens. He spoke on God's glory and His grace and he taught about the Kingdom of God and worldviews. He was sooo engaging and easy to listen to and he brought so many truths to light that I definitely needed to hear. It was a very eye-opening and informative first week for sure!!

Our speaker for week two was Andy Byrd. He talked about hearing the voice of God and intimacy with Jesus. He was by far one of the most captivating speakers I have ever listened to. He would go up in front of the class without any notes, only his Bible, and he would just talk without pausing for two hours straight. He put so much passion into his speaking and it was obvious that he truly believed every word he said. It was a completely different style from the teaching we had during week one, but they were both so great in their own ways! When Don taught, he had very elaborate powerpoint presentations and I was able to take very organized notes to look back on after the lectures to process what I had learned, and that was super helpful. When Andy spoke, I hardly took any notes because I had to just sit and process everything as I heard it to make sure I didnt miss anything! Having new speakers every week is awesome, and the change makes it easier to focus as we're getting deeper into the DTS.

Our speakers for the past week (week 3) were brothers, Tre and Trent Sheppard. They spoke about walking with Jesus. This week was a corporate week, which means that we met in the Ohana court (the large gathering area for the school) instead of the pavillion (our regular classroom) because we were joined with the other DTS's currently going on at the U of N. Once again it was a really interesting week! I just love everything we've been learning and I feel like I'm growing so much stronger in my relationship with God during lectures. I'm so blessed to be here!!

In general, life here is absolutely FABULOUS :) It's hard not to soak in all of God's glory and remember how great He is when I walk out of my door in the morning to palm trees and gorgeous weather every day! The campus is beautiful and it's in a prime location, we are in walking distance of a few beaches and lots of restaurants and shops down by the shore. A favorite place of mine downtown is Tropical Frozen Yogurt, it's a self serve fro-yo shop with every topping imaginable, and all U of N students get a discount there. I have 6 roomates, and they're all amazing! We get along great and they're some of my closest friends. All of the people in my class are awesome too, it's so great being surrounded by so many spectacular people who are so focused on God.

Hanging out during the dodgeball tournament:

This is right in front of our dorm room, 3 of my lovely roomates and I before going downtown for fro-yo:

Walking around in downtown Kona with some friends after a morning at the beach:

Mile 88 beach is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life!:

Girls Night!

We don't get very much free time during the week, but we have weekends open for the most part. I spend a lot of time at the beach every weekend! Sundays have definitely been good days for relaxing and catching up on reading assignments and journals for class. The first book we were asked to read was Is That Really You God by Loren Cunningham, and it was all about the vision for Youth With A Mission and how it became what it is today. The book we're reading now is Crazy Love by Francis Chan, which I'm SUPER excited about because I've read it once before and loved it! I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to enhance their walk with Christ and realize the depth of His love for us.

During the second week we were here, our whole school was able to participate in the Ironman Triathalon as security volunteers. That was such a fun experience! We worked the 6 to midnight shift and got to see the end of the race. It was another great time of bonding with our group! Here's a picture of our whole class before heading downtown for the triathalon:

On Tuesday of this past week we found out our outreach locations!!!! I was chosen for the Mozambique and South Africa team, I am SO excited. My team is so great! We will leave for outreach sometime between December 14th and 18th and be gone until beginning of March. I still don't know details about what exactly we will be doing or where we will be staying, but I'll try to update as soon as I know!
My outreach team:
There's plenty more that I could go into but I'm done writing for now and I want to go out and enjoy my free day! So please be praying for me on this incredible journey I'm on and feel free to e-mail me anytime (bri.quiggle@gmail.com). GOD IS SO GOOD!

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24

fourteen days.

2 weeks.
336 hours.
20,160 minutes.
1,209,600 seconds.

ONLY 14 DAYS LEFT UNTIL I LEAVE!

There were times this summer when it seemed as if the coutdown to my departure couldn't possibly take any longer. However, in these final days at home, I'm finding myself wishing more and more for time to just stop, or at least slow down for a while. Maybe then I would be able to catch up with my life and the crazy ride it's been on lately.



Leaving my home, saying goodbye to my family and friends, and completely abandoning my normal way of life for five months and eleven days is something that will definitely challenge me. I will grow, I will learn, I will have some amazing adventures, and I will be a tool for God to work out His awesome plan. I will make some really great friends. I will be immersed in new cultures and my eyes will be opened to fascinating ways of life that differ from my own. I will probably be pretty homesick from time to time. But through all of this, I am going to be thoroughly transformed.

To say that I don't feel ready would be an understatement...
Back when I was accepted to the Compassion DTS a couple months ago, it seemed so far away. I guess I figured the 6 months leading up to me leaving would give me enough time to prepare for this journey. And I'm not even talking about everything I need to pack, I'm definitely not ready in that sense either! What I am talking about is my spiritual readiness. I know God's timing is always best, and I am 100% sure that I am doing this on His timing. But I've been apprehensive lately, I'm feeling as if my heart isn't in the right place. I have been blessed with such an incredible, life changing opportunity and I guess I just want to be sure that I will be getting the most out of it. However, I know that won't happen unless I utterly surrender my life to Him and His will. That means losing control of myself, and letting God take control. I feel like the thought of that should comfort me, to have an all-knowing and loving God directing my path, but it doesn't. I think it scares me more than anything. What if God's plan doesn't parallel my own? What if I am asked to forget about the future that I had always planned for myself in exchange for a different one? When it came down to it, would I say "Sorry God, I really like how you've taken care of me so far, but I think I'm gonna go my own direction on this one. I'm aware that you are always thinking of what's best for me and all, but I think you're wrong. Thanks for the input though!" I honestly don't know if I have what it takes to put my life completely in His hands. I know He can give me the strength, and man have I been praying for it. Hopefully in the next fourteen days, God will break through my stubborn human way of thinking, and open my heart to everything he has in store for me. I want to be eager and receptive, totally prepared to dive in to this next chapter of my life. I know that I am only capable with His help!

So, as the 30th approaches faster and faster, I will keep trusting. Trusting that everything will fall together perfectly, that I will be ready, and that I will remain safe as I travel. And despite my fears of being unprepared spiritually, I am insanely excited. I obviously can't complain, I mean I will be living in Hawaii for two and a half months before leaving on my outreach :) sitting on the beach... watching the sunset over the ocean... making great memories... I don't think I could be any more blessed!


"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." -Psalm 9:10

happy happy happy (:

Ever been so happy you think you might explode? So completely, utterly, ridiculously joyful that you can't even sit still? It's that amazing feeling where you couldn't be upset if you tried. You find yourself smiling all the time. You don't really understand how you feel so invincible, but you just know that nothing in the world could bring you down!

Well, that is exactly how I feel lately.

I also feel that the word "happy" doesn't seem to cut it.

I'm blissful. Elated. Upbeat. Peppy. Delighted. Sparkling. Ecstatic. Jolly. Glad. Thrilled. Merry. On cloud nine. Cheerful. Perky. Upbeat. Jubilant. Content. I'm walking on air. (←thank you thesaurus.com for helpin' me out with some of those!)

I'm so over the top happy that sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy. Psycho. Insane. Nuts. Cracked. Mental. Bonkers. Wacky. Delirious. Batty. Like I'm losing my mind. (once again had to look up some synonyms for crazy... I should just start carrying a thesaurus everywhere I go, some words are so freaking cool and I forget about them all the time!)

But deep down, I know I'm not crazy. Not even close! It's just that I've finally started looking at life the right way. Recognizing God's glory and his awesome, marvelous plan in everything I do. Actually seeing the good things in myself, in other people, in the whole world. It's pretty sweet how much your outlook on life can change by just switching up your perspective. By choosing to be happy.

However, I know that's definitely not as easy as it sounds. It sure wasn't for me. And I know for a fact that I will go through low periods again where I will feel discouraged. But hey, that's life. Even just this past year has been such an outrageous series of up's and down's for me. But during the past few months, my life has taken a fabulous turn for the better. I made it out of the valley, and I'm on my way back up to the peak of the mountain. As a matter of fact, I like it so much up here, I might just try to stay for as long as I can. Up in the clouds. Floating. Nothing can get to me.

One thing I will mention though- it does help when God blesses you with some wonderful people at exactly the moment when you need them most. Right when I was struggling the most, I met someone who changed my life forever. I still can't get over it, this person knows just what I need to hear and every way to make me smile. I find myself just sitting in awe sometimes, trying to figure out when my life and my dreams decided to merge together to form the fairy tale that I'm living now. It's so hard not to be happy when I have everything I have ever wanted/needed. I really don't know where I would be right now if I hadn't met him, and I bet you 100 bucks that I wouldn't currently be writing a blog about how insanely happy I am! Ahhhh I just really might explode. I don't think I've ever had somebody bring me to the point of happy tears like he can. I'm head over heels. And as cliche as it sounds (I almost wanna gag when I type things like this..) I think my heart might beat out of my chest. Ha wow, I did actually just say all that. Best part is, I'm not even exaggerating :)

WOW. WOW. WOW.
just wow.

Life is good.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."-Proverbs 15:13

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live."-Ecclesiastes 3:12

garage sales are hard work.

Up until a week or so ago, I had no idea how much work it is to put together a sucessful garage sale. But as we all know, hard work pays off. And man does it pay big! In just the first 3 days of my sale I raised about $1,000 (praise Jesus... that was my goal for the weekend!), and I still have lots left for when I set up the sale again next weekend! All of the hard work and stress leading up to the sale and the all-nighter spent pricing right up until the first customer came was so worth it. I was basically running on exhaustion mode for a good couple of days.

Lots of clothes and toys out in the driveway!
We sold a TON of books! This is just what we started with, but by day two we had reloaded this table with a bunch more books.
I counted 82 pairs of shoes. WOW.
To be completely honest, I have a slight aversion to hard work. I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm lazy, but it seems like I always manage to find something to do that's just a bit more entertaining than cleaning my room or mowing the lawn! I suppose thats not too unusual for most people, I mean really, who would choose to stay in and work rather than go out and spend time with friends?

Still, my avoidance of anything that may be more hard work than fun is something I need to work on in myself. When somebody asks a favor of me, I don't want my default thoughts to jump to how much time I will have to sacrifice, or what I may get out of it. Instead, I want to automatically be filled with joy because of the opportunity to work for someone else! I want to be a genuinely helpful person. A hard worker. Someone who is known for their dedication to whatever task they take on. I want to be a person who can look past the present and what I want now, and to be able to recognize that my efforts now will be even more rewarding in the future. I want to be able to take pride in the things I do. My garage sale showed me how awesome that feels, the feeling of accomplishment when you can look back and be proud of what you've done. That good feeling of knowing that you worked as hard as you could and that you didn't slack on anything or take the easy way.

Back in grade school, every Friday during chapel we were asked if we had done all of our work from that week "Neat, Complete, On Time, and To the Best of Your Ability." If we had, then we would stand up. Usually everyone stood up, whether they had finished all of their work that week or not. Personally, I felt like lying and standing up for 5 seconds was better than singling myself out by not standing up if I hadn't worked as hard as I could have that week. But I do remember how good it felt when I could stand up when that time came and I could truthfully say that I had finished everything "Neat, Complete, On Time, and To the Best of My Ability." That's a feeling I would definitely like to have more often, and I'm hoping that God can work in me to make me a harder worker. I know He can change my heart and grant me the motivation to make the most of the time He's given me.

A better work ethic is definitely something I am hoping to develop during my DTS with YWAM in the fall! I am praying for the Lord to do what He does best and change me into a more purpose driven person. Then I will be able to face whatever task He gives me with determination and with the final goal in mind! Now just to tackle all the work I need to get done before the sale again on Thursday... lots left to organize and price!! Wish me luck :)

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."-Proverbs 14:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."-Colossians 3:23

I love my mom!

Since today is mother's day, I feel like it's a fantastic time just to mention how awesome my mom is :)
My mother has put up with so much from me, and I'm soo greatful that she has. Anyone else probably would have given up on me a long time ago, but she always saw the potential in me to be a better person. She saved me from a lot of trouble in the past, and even though I hated it at the time, I'm way thankful for her getting so involved in my life. It would have been much easier for her to just ignore the mistakes i was making and not try to intervene, but she has always been looking out for my best interests. I'm honestly very happy with where my life is at right now, and I owe it all to her. I never would have made it this far without her help!
She works harder than any other person I know to make sure that me and my family are as well off as possible. I may not tell her enough, but I really do appreciate everything she does. I love that I can go to her with any problem or situation, and she can give the best and most practical advice and make me laugh about it. She is smart and loving and has always been here for me when I needed her.
I'm so lucky to have her as my mother/friend!
Love you mom, happy mother's day :) :) :)
<3