And it begins...

I've never blogged before so this is super new to me. Hopefully my tone of voice, jokes, emotions, and sarcasm can be translated without anything lost in cyber-translation. Anyway, here it goes...

My adventure began at around 3am on September 21st to leave for the LAX Airport. Cra-zay. (That time seriously should not exist.) At the baggage check, my large red suitcase weighed a hefty 64-lbs (14-lbs over the standard 50-lbs) which resulted in me unpacking my things and repacking them into various other bags in the middle of the bustling LAX. Lovely. Once we finally got onto the plane, we didn't end up departing until longer than an hour later because of a faulty printer. Apparently, giant aircraft rely on ink to lift them into the heavens. Five hours 20 minutes later, we land in Honolulu, HI.

My first day at the base consisted of humidity, unpacking, figuring out how to put that weird scrunchy blanket on my mattress, riding the bus to Ala Moana, swimming in crystal blue water, feeling homesick, some crying, realizing everything (including McDonald's) is so much more expensive than California, getting lost outside the base at night, and some Cheeseburger In Paradise with mom and dad.

My second day (my first official day) in YWAM Honolulu was mainly meeting people and saying, "What's your name? Where are you from? Oh, cool! Ya, I'm from a small city near San Diego. Nice to meet you!" I had yet to feel some deep connection with people that I was hoping for. Morning worship comes and we met in the 'Tin Cathedral'. This is where God started changing me from the inside out... I was crying and feeling like maybe I wasn't supposed to be here and maybe I should go home and work on all my emotional issues and then come back when I am stronger and can get more out of it; not what He had in mind. The leaders came around and were praying for each of the students when the sweetest Korean woman began to pray for me (in Korean mind you) and I felt something inside me when she said  that she was given an image of a glass vase with a beautiful flower in it and that God was the glass vase holding,strengthening and nourishing the flower and that this beautiful, fragrant flower was me. I was blessed that she shared this with me but left it at that, still looking for a sign to stay in YWAM Honolulu. Later that night we had another worship session in the Tin Cathedral and towards the end the DTS leaders came up and began praying for us again. Sara came up to me and prayed for freedom and so many other specific things that I was dealing with and then said something amazing; she said that there was this fragrant flower in a vase and that I was the flower and that God was the vase. (Instant tears.) I'm thinking, "Oh my gosh. What the heck is going on!" I could feel God but I am a visual person and apparently He knows that about me so, after worship they asked if anyone needed healing and I reluctantly raised my hand. Instantly a circle was formed around me and hands were laid on me and they began praying for my shoulder that was frozen and possibly needed surgery and I felt the numbness melt away. They asked if I could raise my arm above my hand (which I couldn't do before) and I raised it all the way above my head. God just healed me. There was my sign to stay here and so here I am, anticipating what other amazing displays of His glory He has to show me. If all this has happened in the first few days, I cannot even imagine what other powerful things He has to show me in the next few months.

I love you all,

Rachael Andersen