warner's newsletter, june/july 2009
DESCRIPTION
Another exciting Warner update from the beautiful island of St. Croix, in the United States Virgin Islands!TRANSCRIPT
“Love deeply, from the heart!” 1 Peter 1:22
Have you ever asked any of these questions?
Who is God, really? What is
life all about? What is my
purpose, my identity, my
calling?! Why am I even
here? What do I have to
live for?
Well, you are not alone! I
think we all ask those and
many more questions that
often seem beyond our un-
derstanding… even if you
are someone who has known
God for a long time… there
are still questions.
And though the answer to
each of these is simple and
obvious, and perhaps even
cliché to some, it is none
the less TRUE…………….
and profound!
LOVE! That’s it!
Of course you’ve heard it! You
know it! “The Bible tells me
so.”, right?
God is love. Love covers over a
multitude of sins. Love build
up. Love is the fulfillment of
the law. Love your neighbor as
you love yourself. Love comes
from God, etc. etc. etc. In
fact, from the first page of
Genesis to the last one in
Revelation, God has clearly
defined His love for people! It
is in fact why we exist!
To know Love!
Why is it that we are literally
surrounded by this profound
truth, yet we fail to experi-
ence it’s power? Do we truly
believe what the Bible says
about love?
If we did…. If we not only had
the head knowledge, but also
In May of 2008 we set aside two
weeks as staff to seek the Lord for vision and direction for the ministry.
He spoke very clearly to us about
some of the things that were on HIS
heart for the future. There were
three things in particular… one is that
we would host a leadership school
called an “Equip,” which equips leaders
to be even better leaders so they may
have an eternal impact on the lives of
those they touch. Well… Just yester-day (6/19/09), I, Mark, graduated
from the Equip school! It is the
first one within our region, the seed of leadership develop-
ment within YWAM Caribbean!
And WE hosted it! So, that’s
one promise kept! The second
was to re-establish the King’s
Kids ministry here in St. Croix
in 2009. Now, this July, we will
be launching the first King’s
Kids program since 1996! We
are excited to see God’s heart for the children of St. Croix!
Promise two...check! The third
thing God said is that we would be hosting a second DTS program
here by 2010! On Thursday we
spent the day asking God to re-
confirm whether or not we are
still to pursue the second DTS.
The result was a resounding YES!
Now, we are seeking Him for the
HOW! If we look solely at circum-
stances, it seems like a near im-
possibility, but we know that God is more than able to keep ALL of
His promises to us! He always
does! - Mark -
Family Snippets!
• Mark: is trying to learn
what it means to “love
deeply”. It’s difficult!
• Viola: learning that
obedience often means
a lot of personal sacri-
fice! “Not sure I like
that…”
• Hannah: “Can’t wait to
get off this rock for
awhile! OH! And I fin-
ished High School a
year early!”
• Bekah: Doesn’t sleep
much anymore… working
two jobs! One at night
and the other during
the day... That’s
messed up man!
NEWS FLASH! We’re working toward a
trip to Montana and
Canada for the month
of August! Would you help us get there?!
We are really ready for
a break!
We have some money
for the trip, but still
need about $3,000!
There will be 3 of us
going: Hannah, Viola and
Mark. We will be visit-
ing as many family and
friends as possible dur-
ing that time, without
burning ourselves out,
otherwise, what’s the
point?
More details on page two...
GOD SPEAKS,… AND ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES!
exercised the heart
knowledge, I believe the
world would look very dif-
ferent! He has given us a
thread! It runs through
the whole of history… and
we have been entrusted
with the power to create a
beautiful tapestry of
LOVE!
THAT is our purpose, our
destiny, our calling, our
identity….that is what life
is all about! That IS who
God is! LOVE!
If you want your world to
change, learn to love
deeply, from the heart!
No, it’s not easy and it may
cost you everything...
But, there is nothing more
transformational, nothing
more powerful, nothing
more real or valuable in all
the world! Trust me...
I KNOW! :)
Warner’s WanderingsWarner’s WanderingsWarner’s WanderingsWarner’s Wanderings
The spine-tingling adventures of little people with big vision… and a whole lot of God’s mercy and grace! :)
The Choice is hers.The Choice is hers.The Choice is hers.The Choice is hers. She needs only courage at this
point…but will she do it? The
small patch of tilled soil is
poised for her decision…God
Himself is poised for her deci-
sion. Will she only stare at the
patch of ready soil hoping that
something will grow without
her step of faith or will she take
the risk and do the only thing
that God asks…the simple task
of planting one small seed into
the fertile soil? She wonders why this is such a big deal for
her. Why is the planting of the
seed so hard to do and why does
God need her involvement any-
way? Surely He who created the
entire universe should not need
her to plant one measly little
seed. Staring at the soil and
believing that God can grow
something out of nothing shows
faith doesn't it? Isn't this enough
God? Isn't there somebody more
experienced and qualified that
can do this? On and on she ne-
gotiates with God until finally
she concludes that God has chosen
HER to plant the seed. She knows
that she may never understand
why He has asked her to be the
one to plant this seed but resolves
that a true measure of ones faith
demands action…for her it is the
choice to take the small seed that
lay in the palm of her hand and
place it gently in the soil. She
obeys and immediately notices a
shift in her heart. The small seed
may not yet have had even a min-
ute to grow but her measure of
faith…now that was something
else entirely. What had begun as a
“test of faith” had turned into a
“gift of faith”. Like this one soul who is still learning what it means
to step forward and obey God, you
too may feel that God is asking
you to make a small gesture of
faith so that He can provide you
with an even greater portion. We
need this kind of radical faith if we
are to be movers and shakers and
warriors with unrelenting courage.
No, God doesn't NEED us to be
planting the seeds for Him but He
INVITES us to do so because it
reveals our willingness of heart to
obey Him and it increases our faith.
Throughout my life I have been
privileged to stand beside many a
soul who is pondering obedience.
For some the first step has been a
phone call or the downloading of an
application and for others it has
meant saying “yes” to the Lord
when there is not a dime in the bank
to substantiate just a decision. It is
my prayer that whatever your next
step of faith may look like, that you
will be abandoned to God in your
obedience. Don't just stare at the
soil…plant a seed in it!
In Him, Viola
Oh… I could identify a long list
of specific needs! However, I
think I will stick with the basics, so
I don’t overwhelm you. One of our
primary needs continues to be your
prayers for God’s wisdom and direc-
tion for us in this unusual lifestyle
called Missions! Along with your
prayers, there continues to be an
overwhelming need for financial
increase in several areas. Finances
are the single biggest chal-
lenge that we face “on the
field.” And with the economic
downturn it is more difficult
for people to meet their own
needs AND feel that they can
give toward missions. Yet, we
are still fully dependant on
the obedience and generosity
of people like you, who love
us, and validate the call of
God on our lives to do what
we do! We wouldn’t still be
here in St. Croix otherwise!
But once again, we find ourselves
in that place of having to ask…
would you please pray for us, with
us, and about us! And, would you
be willing to be an answer to your
own prayers? :) We need:
• More monthly supporters
• Auto Insurance (renewal)
• Medical Needs
• Travel Expenses
• Pay some credit card debt
You know that we are honest
and accountable about our fi-
nances and that we value stew-
ardship. We will gladly answer
any questions that you may
have!
We are believing for financial
miracles and trust that God is
already working on our behalf!
How could we not… He is such
an amazing Father!
OUR CONTACT INFO!
THE WARNERS
4030 DIAMOND RUBY,
CHRISTIANSTED, VI
OO823
PHONE:
340-332-1978
NEWS FLASH CONTD.
It is rare that we have opportunity to get back “home.” It has been a busy year with no real break! We’re ready for
one…
We are well aware of the economic challenges facing everyone right now, and we
are feeling it too!
Full-time missions is inter-esting… as it makes us fully dependant on God to pro-vide through people! We depend on you, and believe that God will provide.
Specific trip needs:
2 plane fares
Auto rental (1month)
Fuel costs
Doctor Visits
Some other needs:
hannah
Bekah
mark
Viola