Europe

So for the last three weeks, my team and I got the opportunity to travel through Europe on outreach. We visited Amsterdam, Paris, Lyon and Barcelona to connect with people who want to start up arts ministries or already have them, and share what we are doing. In each city we were blessed with amazing housing and fellowship, and lots of beautiful places to see. We walked miles of each city, looking for places we could potentially perform and bring the internship next spring for outreach. We also visited key artist places, like the national ballet or modern art museum in Amsterdam, the old opera house and the mountain of the martyrs in Paris, and La Rambla and Gaudi's architectures in Barcelona, to connect with the flavor of the cities and to pray for our passion- the arts.
We connected with several different groups of people in each city. In Amsterdam, there is a team in the YWAM base that want to begin an arts focused DTS. We spent some time chatting with them, showing how we function together as a team and family within the arts, performing and studying and growing together. In Lyon, we were hosted by the YWAM arts team that they have already. We participated in a workshop after church on Sunday, where they had invited some of their artist friends to come and learn with us. We had a word from Chris, salsa lessons with Johy, and a great time of worship and expression. The rest of the week we shared with each other different strategies for cities, learned about the history of Lyon, and spent some time evangelizing in the city. In Barcelona, we met a few young girls who are in university, but also really want to reach their city through their art. They talked with us about their ideas for short films, theatre productions, and art exhibits. It was so good to find so many people who have the same heart and passion as us. It confirmed in all of us that we are going in the right direction, and it reignited our fires. God really blessed us so much and gave us many future opportunities.
Europe is definitely on our hearts. In Barcelona we encountered such a heavy spirit of death. Even the streets on the map made the shape of a coffin! We went to a few different cathedrals and in each I felt like I was suffocating. They all had Jesus dying on the cross, Mary and the disciples weeping. There was no joy. Only death and punishment, no hope of redemption. We as a ministry, as a family, want to shine the light and life and hope of a resurrected Christ into these cities and cultures.
On one of the bus rides in between cities, Chris received a huge revelation from God that we are like the Levites. We are a family set apart by God, artists and musicians and intercessors, who go in front of the battle, spy out the land, and open the doors for the army. We are praying for a new, fresh wave of Christian artists to rise up and join together across the nations, to open doors and lead God's army into battle.
We are planning on visiting many other key cities in Europe, like Berlin, Budapest, Rome, and Madrid just to name a few. But this, I cannot pay for on my own. I know God has called me here to London to be a part of this team, and that He will provide. If you could, please pray and see if God wants to use you to be a part of that blessing for me financially. Thankyou for your prayers and support.
Love aways, Peri

Late Nights

We are full on in for it with carnival preparation. Last night was one of those 3 am working-til-you-drop kind of nights. High on glue, hands sore from spray painting and cutting, legs wobbly from hours on the stilts. But personally, I love working at night. There's something about being awake until the dawn that makes me excited. And everyone is more funny when they are tired. I think there's a point where people hit a wall though. Which was about ten minutes to 3 last night. But we pressed on and in total got so much completed. We started with cutting foam. What else would we be doing? The puppets are almost completed. It is the best thing to see them getting ready to go out the doors on carnival days. We have worked on these things so dang long, I think I'll cry when they are finished. But last night we cut out 15 helmets, cut them in half, glued them together, glued them to the heads. They look so cool. The bodies are starting to be painted with color, the bits we've been cutting to look like viking fur has been put on the cuff links, the mustaches have been glued on to exaggerate the masculinity of these warriors.
And all this causes a lot of attention. Loud music, young people everywhere, late at night, in a church...People stop in all the time. Some stop just on the door step; some are brave enough to come inside the church; kids point and stare and ask if they can take photos. What's this all for? they ask. Carnival, of course! It is the easiest avenue for evangelism. I think we talk to more people in our non-scheduled times than we do in the hours we are sent out specifically for evangelism! Some passerby's stick around to chat, others laugh it off and walk away, some seem really impacted. It's all planting a seed though. Whether it grows or not is up to them and God. Our task is simple- share the gospel, the message of grace and truth that came through Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of God.
Nowadays we just have to be more creative with the ways we share. This generation is so unique. I know that is said about every generation, but really. Our generation, my generation, is so different. A lot of people just don't know what to do with us, or what will become of us. And that is our greatest strength. We are such a passionate and extreme group of people, unable to pin down or define. Imagine if even half of them were on fire for God. How we could change this world! So we attack that head on. We take our crazy giant puppets; and dancers and stilt-walkers; costumes of wind, fire, water. We have to stand out. We have to jar them, get their attention. There are so many other things vying for our attention in this age. What will win out? I guess that's the question, isn't it.

Preparation Time

Thud! I look over and see one of our male stilt walkers completely laid out on the floor. Evidently the makeshift walls for the girls sleeping area are not very stable. And when you have 4 extra feet of fake legs strapped to yours, it's a long ways to fall. This is only part of the madness. Cardboard and plastered  pieces of armor lay along the tables waiting for a template to paint on fake abs or fake shoulder blades. Soon to come is the neon spray paint that will make us stand out even more. Our warrior costumes are coming together. All the sewing has been finished. Marta slaves away at the iron, making sure there are no wrinkles in the costumes so we can properly decorate them. There's a chainsaw running in the background, cutting apart pallets for who knows what! Johanna and Matias practice tango so that we can perform in the streets and draw a crowd.
It's starting to come together. Everything my internship has been about, all the preparation for the Arise All Nations outreach and it is already over. Now we are in full swing prep for the carnival. People pop into the church as they see the stilt walkers and hear the percussionists practice our war march. Josue is teaching about 10 people a routine that we will all follow in our procession around Notting Hill. Stilt walkers, warriors, puppets 15 ft tall, marchers- all accompanied by a strong drum line, a call to the nations, a declaration of war. We are sure to draw a lot of attention.
This carnival is said to be second largest to Rio's Carnival. It's origins are in the race riots that were held just around the corner at our very own Ladbroke Grove tube station in August of 1958. The carnival came the year after the riots as the "unofficial reply" to the riots. It has been growing ever since. Now people come ever year at the end of August, gets themselves smashed, wasted, stoned out of their minds, and however else you say "completely removed from reality". The shops around board up, the churches close, no one can drive through, and you can barely even walk through on carnival days.
And yet here we are. We have come from all over the world to shine God's light in this place. And we know that light shines brightest in the darkness. This carnival, this whole area, has a serious darkness. People think us crazy, they ask us why we would come to such a difficult area, and our answer is always "Because that's where God is needed the most." When there is only darkness, it gives God the biggest opportunity to do the craziest miracles. And when we pray, God moves.
It doesn't look very glamorous, sleeping on the floor of the church, showering only every few days, getting 4 or 5 hours of sleep, depending on how lucky you are, and working our butts off during the day. But we have the best time of it. What more could I ask for? Working with my friends, my family, to further the kingdom of our God in London. but really the impact is worldwide. All the things we do,  plant seeds. And we perform for an international audience. For His glory, so others may know the joy we have, and the grace we have been given, and the future we get to look forward to.

Bones

Bones.

Dry bones.

Weary bones.

Heavy bones.

Dead bones. 

Son of Man, can these bones live?

Breath was given to dust and it became man.

Ashes and dust, rise.

Be filled with the breath of life.

The Word of the Lord is life, so speak. 

Speak life.

Speak truth.

Awake.

Rise.

Dance.

As life comes to these dry bones,

so hope will come to the desolate soul.

Lift up your head,

Oh you gate.

Be watching for the return.

The bridegroom is coming.

Dead bones.

Heavy bones. 

Weary bones.

Dry bones.

Live.

Ezekiel 37                                                                                                                                    Psalm 27 vs 1 to 14                                                                                                                                             vs 7

A Need

So, you all have been following my journey for some time now. Maybe even from Kenya to now. And the next part of my life is the most intense yet. It is going to require crazy faith, and serious prayer. I will be living here in England for at least two years, if not more. My commitment has been made, and I know it's exactly where God wants me to be. But my financial situation is....struggling. I will not be able to work while I'm here, unless it's a back door, under the table kind of thing. I will have staff fees to pay, rent, and living expenses on top of that. So what I'm asking is that you will pray about supporting me. Whether it be a one time support, or a monthly thing, please pray and ask God, as I will be praying for His faithfulness.
I know this is where I should be, in a huge part because I cannot physically do it on my own. Once again He has to come in and save me. Which I think is the whole point. God wants me to rely on Him, so He puts me in situations where I can't do anything else but cry out. And the best part is, He's always faithful. Whether it's finances, character changes, heart issues, family problems, direction, He always comes through. It might be hard in the getting there, but it so worth it in the end. So please consider and pray about supporting me in this next season of my life, and if God puts something on your heart, even if it's just a prayer, email or Facebook is the best way to contact me (periwinkle228@hotmail.com). Thankyou so much. Love to my family and friends.

Soho Night Live

So, my life is getting crazy. We've been given the keys to a cafe in Soho, and we've opened it up to the nightlife in that area. It has a very heavy spirit of homosexuality and prostitution. the cafe is across from an adult shop, and next door to a brothel. It is heart breaking. We open the doors every wednesday, friday, and saturday with coffee, tea, cakes, art on the walls, and live music downstairs. Me and Jordan have put our artwork up on the walls, in place of some other creepy stuff that was there when we began. We paint outside every night to draw people in and we put people out on the streets to start conversations. The area is Satan's playground.
Right now we have several teams working with us. the DTS from April who spent three weeks in Poland recently; individuals from England, the US, Argentina, the Philippines and Chile; a family from Sweden; a team from Sweden; a team from Norway; a team from Chile; a team from Orlando; a team from Columbia; a team from Korea; and a team from South Africa right now. All these people have come to work with us to reach this area, while it's full of people for the Olympics. Most if not all of them are some sort of artists. It's craziness!
So last night was insane. We had spoken to a prostitute on wednesday, and she had given her life to Jesus and was radically changed. She was saying she could feel the spiritual atmosphere, and that she felt so much better with us than with anyone else she'd been with. We sent her home on the bus with kisses and hugs. Unfortunately she came back last night cussing us out, and telling us she didn't need Jesus, with new scars on her legs and chest. Satan has such a strong hold on this area. There have been many other people we've met who've told us they sold their souls to the devil, that they can't be saved. It's very intense, and sometimes really scary. We always have a guy standing outside with us while we paint.
The best conversation I've had yet started with a young guy coming up and asking if we just saw a prostitute chasing a black guy down our alley....which there had been! It was ridiculous. But we got talking, and he's an Irish guy who happens to be a classical pianist. He was very intellectual and asked all the hard questions about faith, including why God lets bad things happen. For some reason, I put my foot in my mouth and gave the worst answer ever, but Lexie and Heather came to the rescue and he stuck around a bit longer. He was on his way to hang out with some friends, but ended up talking with us for over and hour, and even coming back later. It's always really difficult when you meet people who were raised in religion, whether it be Catholic or some form of Christianity, and have given up on it. But he was very open and understanding of us. He said once that he was so impressed that young women were out there by choice speaking out on their faith, when the whole world is against them right now, and it must be the hardest fight we've ever fought. He is so so so close to getting it, but he's seen so much hurt and can't understand why it happens, and I don't know how else to explain it other than man is fallen, and our world is full of sin and bad things. Hopefully he's coming back tonight to play for us.
It's always really cool to come inside the cafe from painting and see all of my team mates having discussions with all types of people. We had a pair of friends from Latvia come in and hang out for the whole night. They had been on their way to find somewhere to party, but all the clubs were gay, and no one was dancing. So they "happened" upon our cafe. They are wine distributors living in London, one of them a musician as well. So we invited them downstairs, and Rheanne was with them most of the night. When they left, they told her that they felt so accepted, that they didn't have to be anything but themselves with us. I was so encouraged! Because that's exactly what we're going for. To show people that we are not religious, we're not bible-thumping, soap-box screaming people. We are regular people, who live an extraordinary life but the grace of God.
The only bad thing is that we attract the worst people. Like last night, some of the guys were playing on the sidewalk, and someone threw a bucket of water out the window and got them soaking. It happened three more times that night, even though we weren't loud. And one of the guys from the apartments next door came out, swearing like a sailor and telling us to beat it, almost starting a fight with the guys Chris was talking to at the time. The old guy made it down the alley and we let it go, but he came back a minute later with two police officers. They knew that he was not stable (high out of his mind) and so they sent him upstairs to him apartment. They chatted with us for a while, joking about the kind of people we attract because we're missionaries. They asked us to keep the music inside, and keep the wild conversations down, then went and talked to the old man. After they left, he came down and walked the alley twice more, fuming. But we didn't get any more trouble from him.
God really turned the night around for me. On the bus ride there, I was feeling really ill and just wanted to go back home. When we arrived at the cafe, one of the Norwegian team members was actually sick, throwing up and stuff. But once I got painting and got into the spirit of loving the people, Jesus worked on my body and heart and kept me awake and healthy. It's really sad when an early night is 3am, but that's what last night was. Getting back to the church, washing my hair, and getting in my bed by 4am was sweet relief.
In other exciting news, I've made a commitment of two years at this base, in the arts house, being a full part of the ministry and this family here. I've never heard from God so strongly about direction. Thankyou all for your prayers and thoughts during this time. It's continuing to be amazing, as more and more teams come through, reviving our spirits and strengthening our resolve to make God known.

16 Days

There are currently 16 days until the Olympics begin. Until the streets of London explode with thousands of extra people. Until the nations assemble in Trafalgar Square. It is crunch time. We have so many costumes to make, giant puppets to build, instruments to buy, and many many hours of prayer to intercede. Last weekend we went to Cambridge to see the Torch come through on the relay. Next week our April DTS friends come back from Poland to help us with our Arise All Nations outreach (Olympics). I can't even fathom what is happening right now. I think it will be even crazier when we're in the middle of it.

Everything So Quickly

It amazes me how time keeps moving. No matter how much we love a day, or a night, or a moment, it passes. And then all it is, is a sweet memory. By now my amazing DTS friends from the other house have made it to Poland. They are already on outreach! Just a moment ago I was meeting them on my first night here at their end-of-one-month love feast. They have the great opportunity to do ministry at the 2012 Euros in Warsaw. And already, my team is cutting and sewing costumes for our parades through the city during the Olympics, which are less than 30 days away. I've been living in England for two months now. Two months! It feels like a week. Me and Jordan are working on our pieces for our show that is centered around light and growth and renewal. The music team is putting together a demo so they can get some gigs in the local pubs. Our dancers are putting together routines to perform in the streets. We are all rising up! This is the call, and we are answering it. In our preparations, God is moving. In our prayers and fasting, God is listening. In our worship, God is laughing. It's incredible to be a part of this. The base here is blessed by God's hand so much. The opportunities they get are wild. I've done more things in 2 months than I could have dreamed of doing in 10 years! We are by no means normal. We are influencers. Here to influence the world. We do prayer walks, around Wembley Stadium, in Hyde Park, in Parliament, at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, anywhere there will be masses of people coming, where we know people are going to gather. We have a giant map spread on our table with circles of all the places we have gone and are to go, arrows directing us everywhere, working out our strategy for performing, planning our attack against the enemy. It's intense. It's heavy. It is WAR.

London

I love this city. Is is so beautiful and teeming with life and with possibility. But then I see all the spiritual bondage, all the places that are held captive, and the people that don't know they are drowning. How do I help them, or this city? How can I show them that which they are missing, that which is so crucial? Through my love, dedication, hard work, time, service, kindness, and humility. Today we walked all around the city. We saw everything there is to see except Buckingham and Westminster. And everywhere we went, we prayed. We reclaimed those places for Jesus. And at the end of the day, we were exhausted, but victorious.

me and friend Katie

the tower bridge

the Globe theatre

St Paul's

St Paul's Cathedral

One Big Family

So this week we had the opportunity to go to the Kings Lodge base and listen to a few key people from YWAM speak. One guy was the founder of YWAM England, and he talked about finances and how we need to be smart and responsible about our money, which is God's money. Then we had the privilege of hearing Darlene Cunningham, wife of Loren Cunningham, visionary and founder of YWAM itself. It was so humbling, to see someone who has so much power and authority, who is so humble and full of integrity. And to know that if she and Loren had not responded to God's call, and if the people who came after them had not, I as a person and missionary would not be where I am today. Of course, you could say that about anything, but this is huge. Our world would be impacted. YWAM is not just "the arts house" where I live. Or the arts house and the station road house here in Notting Hill. YWAM is a huge international family. I say family, not organization. If you want to get technical, it is a Christian organization, but it functions as a family. I am always meeting someone from a country I've never met before. Like this week I met someone from Nigeria, and in coming to London to the internship, I met a guy from Belgium. YWAM is global. And being in a room full of people from different nations who work at different bases, it reminds me why I chose to do this. Why I chose to be a part of this family, and what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. We are the body. We are the Bride. And we want to bring the whole world into this relationship, as a pure and spotless bride to be presented to Christ on the wedding day. I am so blessed.

Fear

Revelation-
I was afraid of not being good enough.
I am no longer.

Complete

Our family is now finally complete! Sebastian has joined from Argentina, having just received his visa last Thursday. We had a long day at the church, Jordan and I sketching a lot of our concepts, in more detail, really starting to get into it. Chris is a really great teacher. He's already pushing me beyond my limits and frustrating me with it, but that means I'm learning. Another thing I'm learning more is Spanish! Since Chris is from Puerto Rico, and Johanna is from Argentina, and Josue is from Ecuador, there's a ton of spanish floating around the house. The kids even are helping me out! Because Melody is only 3, her english isn't that great, and my spanish isn't that great, so we're learning from each other. It's perfect. I love how diverse our house is! We have 14 people, and 8 nations represented. Puerto Rico, Argentina, US, Holland, Canada, England, Portugal, and Uganda. It's amazing. I can't wait until we get our supplies and start our hands on work!

Life Moves

So it's already the second week of our internship. We're starting to find our niches and work out a dance for the house. Thirteen people living in one house has got to be smooth. So for our outreaches, we are going to be doing parades. People in extreme costumes, that we make, walking on stilts, crazy face paint, performing all the way to a designated spot, where we will then minister. Or people will carry chairs, drums, easels, and set up somewhere and minister. "Chair of healing" or "painting for renewal". Stuff like that. It is going to be a lot of work for the build up, and then about 3 weeks of boom boom boom! Done... But it is all so creative! Us interns are going to be doing a lot of leading too, because it's the arts house that is organizing all this stuff. Several teams from different countries are coming to participate, as well as the Station Road house of course, and the arts team is the planners. We make the costumes, organize areas for maximum ministry success, make maps, plan where people will stay, all that sort of stuff. It is going to be so intense and so awesome. Keep us in your prayers!

Heavy

too much time,
too little time-
time is money-
is it really? how much
time do I get
to live out my life
to practice and make perfect
or to fail and learn
and fail again..
how is time measured?
in minutes or years
by
moments and
feelings
in
experiences
or seasons.
is there more time
lost in a year
at school;
or in the embrace of a love...
do we long for lost time
because we feel it
misused
or because
we want to relive
that time.
that moment where everything
felt right
or easy
(or inconsequential)
how is my time best spent.
that is the question
whose answer
I eagerly search for
as I spend
more of my time
looking for the answer
thus is the circle
of my life

Soaking

So last night, we went to the Station Road house, where they do the DTS (discipleship training school) and BLS (basic leadership school). We had a time of hanging out, with a visiting team from Perth, Aust. Then we dove in. Soaking is just a time of being with God, spending time in His presence, really feeling him and listening intently. We did an hour and a half long worship session, where we just sang to God and let him wash over us. I forgot what it was like to be with such a large passionate group as this. It was a room full of people, who love the same God, worship the same Jesus, and live by the same Spirit, raising their voices together to honor Him. We filled the house with our sounds of praise and honor and adoration. Where two or more are gathered, there He is also. Once I got into that setting, I never wanted to leave. Can we not have that all the time? Why is worship not our lifestyle? Because we forget how good God is. Because we leave that room thinking, that was great. But those moments are nothing more than a pit stop. Our life is the race. We should be in that driver's seat, racing towards our Love and Creator, enjoying the ride all the while. those pit stops are when we gather, when we stand together, to awe over his love and mercy. All he wants is for us to trust him. that's really what the serpent stole in the garden. not our innocence, or our purity, but our ability to trust God fully. It was a dirty underhanded trick. And it still plagues us today. We don't trust him to have a good future for us, we don't trust him to love us enough, we don't trust him to provide what we need, we don't trust we don't trust we don't trust. It's ridiculous how easy it becomes when we surrender control and let God have what he rightfully owns...our lives. But when we love him, it's a willing submission. Thoughts for the day.

The City

So I'm not really a city girl...I grew up in the country and a small town. But for some reason, I adore this city! Notting Hill is so charming. And though we're not in Central London, I feel like I will enjoy it there as well. today we walked to church because the sun was out. It was a lovely 65 degrees outside. It is quite a long walk, maybe 45 minutes, but not too hilly. My dumb decision of the day was wearing new flats. It rewarded me with a nice blister that eventually rubbed open and began to bleed inside my new shoes, without my knowledge. Only when I took them off later in the afternoon did I notice. After church we walked through town and got some munchies at the grocery store- humus and bread, meat, cheese, and some olives. We had  a lovely picnic in our little backyard. Until the sun hid from us, then we moved inside and watched tv for a while. The dts and bls girls left for the Station Road house, and me and the other girls had some coffee and cereal. I'll give you a nice rundown of my staff and classmates.
STAFF
Chris Vargas- from Puerto Rico, will be leading the art track, does wonderful abstract pieces as well as fine arts, and also is proficient in the art of tattooing and piercing.

one of Chris' pieces in the front hall

Johanna Vargas- from Argentina, will be leading the dance track, is obviously a dancer, has two beautiful kids with Chris: Gimel (6) and Melody (3)

Heather Mann- from England, will be helping Jo with the dance track, has been a dancer and gymnast since she was little
Juliette Soneij- from Holland, is also going to be helping Jo and Heather with the dance track
Jose Maria- from Argentina, will be leading the music track, plays almost every instrument
Marta Serrao- from Portugal, will be leading the music track
CLASSMATES
Rheanne- has staffed in mexico for the last 3 years, has been a dancer for a long while and is doing the internship to learn how to use her gift better for God
Jordan- from Colorado, did her dts here at the Station Road house and is now back for the internship, she is a painter and will be with me
Peace- from Uganda, I'm not sure what track she'll be doing, been involved in ywam for some time now
Justin- from Alaska, doing visual arts and music, he's a rapper I guess
Sebastian- from Argentina, will be doing the music track, he plays drums for a quite popular band in Argentina, right now he's still trying to get his visa so he might be coming a bit late into the program.

our home

the tattoo room

Hello, from England! So my journey was a little long and tiresome. Definitely had some kankles going on for a while. Easy layover in JFK, then landed at London Heathrow at about 6 am our time here. Got through customs very fast (which I guess is a miracle because they've been turning people down, who already have approved visas!). Then I lugged my 70lb suitcase and 20lb backpack aaaaaallllll the way down to the train station, to get on the blue line. Buying my ticket was very confusing, but I got it worked out. I looked absolutely ridiculous with all my stuff. There were 2 guys on my first train who I swear got in a fight just last night. The one guy had 4 stitches in his brow, and what looked like his finger almost torn off, but securely wrapped in bandages now. Needless to say, I stayed very quite. Transferring trains was a cinch. There was a nice gentleman who carried my huge bag up 2 flights of stairs for me. Then we crossed the street to the pink line, and got on another train, for only 5 stops this time. When I got off, I had to push my suitcase down 4 flights of stairs. As I waited on the street, I wondered if anyone remembered they were supposed to come get me. It was quite early still, maybe 745ish? So I plucked up and used the pay phone. Luckily I got ahold of someone, and one of my staff, Chris from Puerto Rico, came in about 15 minutes. We drove for maybe 5 minutes back to our house. It is so quaint! Chris and I sat in the kitchen and chatted about DTs experiences, while we waited for the girls to wake up so I could go get settled. Our cat, Coco, is insane by the way. The girls are really great! They showed me all my shelves and stuff. It took me a while to get unpacked, but now I'm all cozied in my bed ready to crash hardcore.
It is so weird to be at a different location, again. Knowing I will be here for another three months still hasn't hit yet. Being a part of another team feels even more weird. But it'll become one big family, just like before. Well, that's all for now. Bed time!!! Love you all.
Peri

So soon!

It feels like I just got back from Kenya! Which I pretty much did. It's only been about 10 weeks at home, and yet here I go again. I depart on Friday for England, to do another school with YWAM. A short 3 month arts program combined with ministry. I don't really know what to expect, except God. He's about the only constant in my life. But he told me he would be while in Kenya. I'm not sure if I'm prepared or not. But oh well! Here's to another adventure.