I'm Here!

Hi friends!
After spending 3 weeks with my sister and her family in South Bend, I made it to Tyler, Tx.
A few things have changed since i last updated my blog. After lots of praying and seeking God, I realized that now wasn't the time for me to come on staff. There is loads of ministry opportunities for me right in El Paso. When i get home I will definitely be perusing some things there, as well as babysitting full time, which i consider part of my ministry towards kids.
As for right now, I am volunteering for a month at the YWAM base in Tyler. Its so nice being back here. The atmosphere is so refreshing and i'm ready to serve wherever they need me!

Thank you for keeping up with my always unexpected life!
-Ana

Hanging out with my 3 beautiful nieces!

Outreach Update!

New Orleans was incredible. Our team went out all over the city talking to people. God wants us to be a light in the darkness, and i believe that's why He had us in New Orleans. My biggest highlight was meeting a homeless man named, uncle Jesse. He was a tall old man with a big white beard, holes in his jeans and a whiskey bottle in his hand. Normally i would have been so intimidated to talk to homeless people like Uncle Jesse, but after listening to this mans story, i realized that everyone living on the street has a story too. They once had parents, brothers and sisters, a job, a home. Uncle Jesse would always ask us to read our Bible to him. He would quote scripture and repeat stories that he remembered. We asked him how he knew so much about the Bible and he laughed and said that he was born on the front pew of the church. The crazy part is...Uncle Jesse never learned how to read. Everything he knows of the Bible is what he remembers from his childhood. I was so encouraged by this man who had nothing of worldly procession to give. Whenever he saw someone in need he would share what little he did have with them.

We also played with kids at one of the housing projects. They were so much fun and full of energy! I got to talk to lots of kids and the thing they wanted most was a friend that truly cared. They have rough family situations and often not having the best role models to look up to. i hope that we made a long lasting impact on their lives.

Connect with me!
My Blog: http://alwaysnewadventuresphotography.
blogspot.com
Email: catch.the.flash@gmail.com
My current Address:
160 B Silver Shadow
El paso, Tx 79912

I can't believe i held that!

Outreach continued....

Thailand was one of the most beautiful places i've ever been. We spent some time in Kao Lak, one of the places that the tsunami greatly effected. We were able to have an English camp with over 50 kids. I had such a fun time learning Thai from these little kids that i was supposed to be teaching English to!
The majority of time we were in cites such as, Bangkok and Pattaya. This is when the heart breaking reality of Thailand set it. These areas in Thailand are known for sex tourism. Our focus was to reach out the people and see them set free from bondage.
One night my friend and i felt led by the Lord to sing worship songs at the park where all the prostitutes gather and wait for customers. While we were singing the girls would stop and listen, some tourists would stop and ask where we are from and what we were singing about. This opened up so many conversations with people in the park. I was able to talk to a girl named Joy, and through broken Thai and English, i learned that it was her first night working there. I didn't see Joy again after that night and its my prayer that she will never go back there again. i know that that place will always be different because God's name was lifted up and His presence was with us. God kept speaking to me the words, "beauty from ashes", over and over. I believe that Thailand can be transformed and that God can make beauty from these ashes.

I'm Home....Now what?

That's the Question that I've been asking myself ever since SOE (School of Evangelism) ended.God has taught me so much the past year about His goodness and faithfulness. When i don't know where to go, He is good to lead me the right way and faithful to provide. The past couple months have been somewhat confusing. I thought for sure i would have a clear idea about what God wanted me to do next. The truth is, i think i already knew what God wanted me to do, but doubts kept coming to mind. What if I didn't hear God? What if i fail? After praying through those doubts, i had to remember the things that God spoke to me during SOE. Sometimes God tells me to do things that i feel so incapable of, but that's what builds my faith. Doing the things that seem impossible. God's ideas are much bigger than mine, and He's calling me to dream bigger with him. God is doing something exciting and He's calling all of us to join with Him!

I am planning on joining staff at YWAM (youth with a mission) Tyler, where i did both my schools. Growing up i was always the "staff kid". This is going to be different for me, but a good kind of different. In order to be on staff, i have to raise a minimum of 650.00 a month. I really have no idea how to do this, but God is faithful and i'm trusting Him!Please pray and consider partnering with me and becoming a monthly supporter of any amount. If you have any questions or would like to support me, please contact me soon. I will have all my information below.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Please be praying for me as i start this new season in my life. I'm nervous and excited to see all that God has in store.Please let me know if there is anything i can do for you. Prayer requests, babysitter? Just get in touch with me! Have a wonderful day -Ana Arnold

Family reunion 2011

Connect with me!

My Blog: http://alwaysnewadventuresphotography.blogspot.com

Email: catch.the.flash@gmail.com

My current Address:160 B Silver ShadowEl paso, Tx 79912

New Orleans..New friends

How can I sum up two weeks of amazing ministry??

We got to New Orleans and i had no idea what to expect.

They say its the most interested city...and they're right!

We met this homeless man named uncle Jesse and that made the whole trip worth it.

Just sitting and listening to his life story was fascinating. Most homeless people weren't always homeless. They had families, homes, a job, and friends.

I used to be intimidated to talk to homeless, but after Talking to uncle Jesse i realized that all he wanted was someone to listen. It takes patience, and time but its so worth it. We made a new friend and met many more amazing people.

I'm leaving for Thailand in 8 hours. Its going to be a wild ride. I'll try to update when i get there!

Please pray for safe travel!

I love you all!

Off to New Orleans!

By God's faithfulness and lots of prayer...I have all my money for outreach!

I can't even fathom that lecture phase is already over. I feel like SOE started last week, but its come to an end and outreach is just around the corner.

The last couple weeks were great. God has been speaking to me a little bit about my next step after SOE...but i'm not quite ready to share that information... more to come!

Wednesday is base clean up all day.

Thursday we head to New Orleans. I'm super excited to see how God is going to use our team. I've never been anywhere like New Orleans. Its going to be interesting!

Please be praying for me and my team!

Love you all:)

The time has come!

Hello everyone!

As most of you know, back in January, I arrived at Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Tyler to attend the School of Evangelism (SOE). Along with 26 other classmates, I have been learning about the power of the Gospel, how to effectively establish church movements in other cultures, the ways God has anointed me to join in His story of redemption, and the principles of transformation. I am passionate about taking these truths and sharing with others, a relevant Gospel in a very real setting. I know that I am responsible to go and apply in practical ways what God is teaching me. God has given my team a heart of compassion for the people of the world.

A couple weeks ago we prayed about where to go on outreach. We heard lots of different things, but they narrowed it down to three countries. India, Thailand and South Korea.

Well, its time to share the big news... I'm going to Thailand! I'm so excited to see what God is going to do through our team as we follow where He leads.

Before we depart for Thailand, we will spend two weeks traveling in the United States and ministering in the city of New Orleans. We will then head to Thailand where we will spend five weeks sharing God’s love and just building relationships with the people. Thailand, a beautiful and hospitable nation in Southeast Asia, is known as “The land of smiles.” Unfortunately, the devastating effects of sin have scarred this beauty. It is estimated there are nearly three million prostitutes in Thailand, many of them children, sold and forced to serve in the sex industry. Drugs, HIV and AIDS are also major problems.

This is not God’s purpose for Thailand. Our desire is to help bring hope and healing to this nation. The kingdom of heaven is not complete without the Thai people. We will be working alongside established ministries in Bangkok and Southern Thailand that minister in areas of anti-human trafficking. The bar girls/prostitutes of Bangkok and Pattaya are caught by a web of manipulation and deceit. Many girls and their families do not truly understand what they are throwing their daughters into when they send them to the city to find work. By the time they do understand, if they do, it is too late and the girls have been devastated in every way. Jesus is their only hope. We will also be involved in ministry to children and their families. Child development centers in Southern Thailand were born out of the chaos of the 2004 Asian Tsunami and are now firmly at the core of community development. For any nation, children are the future. We will be involved in teaching English, evangelism and working alongside community development projects. Like each of my classmates, I am responsible to pay for my own airfare and living expenses. Would you consider playing a part in impacting the people of Thailand by helping financially? The airfare and living expenses per person for this YWAM trip will total $2,850

Whatever amount you can give toward this will be gratefully received, however the Lord leads you. Your gift is needed by February 28th. As you give, the people of Thailand will be challenged by God’s blessings as we work together to bring compassion and hope.

Thank you so much for working with me through this. Please be praying for me!

I love you all

-Ana Arnold

My Address:

YWAM Ana Arnold-SOE

PO Box 3000
Garden Valley, TX 75771

All gifts towards outreach are tax-deductible.

Please remember to make checks payable to YWAM.

Please DO NOT put my name on the check.

Attach this separate note designating it for me

My mission

One minute i'm being picked up at the airport, the next i'm starting month two!

The past few weeks have been amazing. God has been teaching me so much inside and outside the classroom.

God is showing me how to make the most of my time. Its so easy to get wrapped up in friends, homework and life. So everyday i try to make God apart of everything. Work duty becomes worship time, walks around the loop become quiet times. I'm loving this.

This week we are doing a financial seminar. They are taking us through verses in the Bible that deal with finances.

This morning we wrote our Missions statements. They took us step by step and we had to answer a lot of crazy questions. somehow it all boiled down to one main thought.

my mission statement is the heartbeat behind the reason i'm alive, doing what i'm doing. Are you ready to hear it?

My Mission Is:

To redeem, nurture and release the creativity and imagination of orphaned youth to change a generation.

Thats it, plain and simple. That is what God has called me to do. i don't know how its going to happen, but that is my mission.

Thank you all for supporting me in this!

If you want to receive my upcoming news letter, please email me your address.

catch.the.flash@gmail.com

Love you all!

Outreach!

So...

We prayed about outreach locations and we had three options.

India, South Korea and Thailand.

I prayed and God spoke.

I'm going to Thailand!!

Last week was an adventure. The first three days was a short intro on How to study the Bible.

i can never read the Bible the same way again!

The second half we had Scotty Meades. He told amazing stories and explained how important listening is. i learned a lot about myself. How well do i really listen? hmmm... lots of things to think about this week.

Please pray for me as i start raising outreach funds!

Ready or not.....here i come!

Back Home..

Hi friends!

I know its been a while, so let me back up a little...

After DTS I got to go back to El Paso and spend time fundraising, baking, sewing, babysitting and hanging out with my family. It was so great to be back home for a little bit.

From there i went to Kansas City to spend Christmas and New Years Eve with my parents and three younger siblings. They are all taller than me now! Ahhhh!

I'm back in Tyler Texas doing School Of Evangelism. Its only been a week and i already like it more than DTS. God did a lot during my DTS and i know i needed every minute of it, but SOE is going to prepare me for the ministry God is calling me to.

This week our speaker was Ed Sinke. Man, he sure makes you think.

He talked about world view and how its our responsibility to know what's going on in the world so we can pray and intercede on their behalf.

Later he gave us some scenarios and he would play the one that we had to evangelize to. When we were praying and figuring out how we could approach him God really put something on my heart. This wasn't just a made up scenario, but these are real people struggling through life. During lunch a bunch of us got together to pray and cry out for these people that are broken and hurting.

God is doing some amazing things in all of our lives. i am so happy to be here and i'm making the most of every moment. Thank you all for keeping me in your prayers.

We should find out our outreach locations next week...and then i'll need to start fundraising!

God is faithful to provide.

I love you all!