Update

Hello friends and family!

Lecture phase here in Biarritz is almost at a close, very bittersweet for all of us. We are excited for our outreach and getting on the road, but we know it's going to be so hard to be separated! Some have started packing already, and as soon as we leave, the next DTS' students will start arriving, so we will have to pack up all our rooms and everything! It will be weird!

Last week we had a powerful week of teaching on spiritual authority with Mariette Lowe from South Africa! It was a great week and I learned a lot! This week we have another African actually, speaking on Missions! He has worked with different rebel groups in Africa and has pioneered Ywam bases all over Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Hearing some of his stories has been so amazing- stories of how God has turned around many young rebels' lives for his kingdom, rebels and cannibals who have killed and raped too many people to count, but no one is past the point of the Father's love and affection, and it's beautiful how God transforms lives such as these in Africa, as we are hearing about.

So, despite the terrible weather outside, we are doing are best to enjoy the last week we have together as a DTS and hoping that it goes slowly. ;) It's so cool to look at everyone and how much we have changed since the beginning of DTS. I personally have experienced so much change in my own life. At the start/before I came to DTS, I felt as if God was not speaking to me, and nothing was changing. I was going through the motions and I felt stuck. Why does being a Christian seem so hard!? Why is it worth it!? But since then I have had so much revelation, through the Holy Spirit and through teaching. I came to realize that this isn't about me and when I experienced the love of the Father, everything changed. We aren't just slaving away for some God who commands us around and forces us to serve him, but God sent his son for us to be in relationship! We aren't trapped in a religion, but we are set free in this relationship. When we seek God with all our heart, we will find him. That's a promise that I held on to, and I've been changed. Jesus did it all on the cross, and surrendering my life to him and his will for me, is the best thing I could ever and will ever do!

Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever."

Now we are definitely excited to see the ways God will move in and through us as we head off this weekend into different parts of Europe. Sunday afternoon my team will be taking a train to Marseilles! Your prayers are appreciated, just for safety, a smooth journey, and for the team to get along well. I can't wait to see all the ways I am going to be stretched and challenged during the next 3 months. I will try to update as often as I can, and put some pictures and stories up!

Thank you all!

 

 

Update!

Hi everyone! It has been an amazing week once again here in Biarritz and I have many amazing stories to share!

I'll start with last weekend. The sun was shining, and my roommates and I woke up early (for a Saturday morning) around 8am to clear the room for mold cleaning! (We had to take out everything from the shelves, and take out our mattresses, blankets, basically everything so that it would get really clean and nothing would get bleached!) Thankfully the servant hearted staff had a go at the mold and Kirsten bought some croissants for us as we sat out in the sun with some coffee. Word on the street was that we were going to go to a little outdoor market where we could get some good deals! So we headed over there, a van full of us, and we got to an empty lot, where the market was supposed to be. Disappointed, we headed home. Some people went to the mall, but me and some girls had a better idea- rent some scooters and ride around the city and head down to St Jean de Luz! It sounded perfect! So we headed out, and finally found the scooter rental place (after we got a little lost, but then met the most adorable French grandma who helped us.) So I start speaking to this French owner of the shop, who tells me that they only have bicycles...so...another dead end. We talked for a while and he made it clear that he really didn't think it was safe for us to go out on the scooters, he didn't trust us, long story short. (Although I have driven a scooter in Cambodia multiple times, if he only understood the traffic I have been in! ;) Well, thank-you nice man for either caring for our safety, or the safety of your motorcycles, anyways, disappointed again, we thought we would not waste this beautiful day and we decided to take a bus to St Jean de Luz, a city near Biarritz. Turns out we get to the bus stop and there are no busses coming for a while. So we spontaneously hopped on a little bus to Bidart, and the kind bus driver dropped us off at the beach there!

So we hung out at the beach, it was a little windy, so we headed up into town, after stopping at the viewpoint over the ocean, the mountains of Spain in the background, so beautiful. As we walked around Bidart it was like we were in a movie, everything about it was just so perfect! We started seeing these posters for "Carnaval" that was happening, in Bidart, on the very day we were there..and we started hearing some music and as we followed it, we basically stumbled upon Carnaval! There was confetti, live music and dancing, and lots of booths and candy! It was the most bizarre, yet awesome moment! We thought we were in a movie!

We were absolutely starving, and what do you know, we stumbled upon the most amazing restaurant. It was again so surreal and we felt so blessed. It was the most delicious food I have had since coming here, and for totally reasonable prices! It was so awesome. After, we headed back to the carnival and had some crepes, and got some pictures with people, and got our faces painted!

We all felt that God knew that this was happening and he wanted to bless us by leading us there and totally surprising us. And surprised we were! It was such a great day.

Also, another crazy story, was that all my finances have been raised for outreach! I woke up the morning of the deadline, with about 900 euros that I needed. (This was Monday the beginning of this week.) And I wasn't nervous or anxious about it, I trusted that God would provide, just moreso in the next few days or week. Anyways, that day I got a small donation, and that night the teams got together and really prayed and asked God for the money to come, and it came! Through many different people I raised about 1500 euros! Praise God!

The Surf and Snow DTS that our base runs in October returned from their outreach and so we have had lots and lots of people in our little house this past week! On Thursday night they had their "graduation" night and we had a nice dinner and dance party! Meeting them has been so fun, such a cool group of people, wish we had longer to get to know them, but they are all leaving and heading home within the next couple days. It's cool that the different DTSs overlap, so when we get back from outreach it will be the same thing, and the Music DTS that starts when we leave will be there.

Thanks for reading! Until next post! (Some more pics below!)

Steph

 

Cool graffitti in Bidart!

 

Looking out at the ocean in Bidart!

 

The restaurant down the street from Carnaval.

 

Update

Hi everyone!

The sun is shining this lovely morning in Biarritz. This week we were originally supposed to be staying in Madrid for evangelism, but our leader said that God told her that we should stay in Biarritz instead, and have a focus on community. So this week has been pretty relaxed, and we've been having big breakfasts together and sleeping in a bit later. So it has been very nice!

Funny story: Last week Steve Ahern from Australia was sharing on Wednesday night. In the middle of his talk, a mouse started walking up above him on a pipe against the wall! One of the guy leaders who had been hunting the thing earlier in the day jumped up, grabbed a rag, and squished it with his bare hands...so that happened. HAHA! It was actually so funny. But we have been having problems with mice in the downstairs of the house, a couple days ago the boys killed another one. I was also sitting upstairs in the pantry reading, and I heard a strange noise, looked up, and the small light hanging from the ceiling was moving back and forth, and it sounded like a rat was chewing it. So that also happened. haha! Just as long as they stay out of our bedrooms I am fine! :)

The weather these coming days are supposed to be very nice, and we are very excited to get outside as we have been trapped indoors the past week. We will probably go down to the beach and play some volleyball, hang out, and explore more of the city. It should be around 17, 18 degrees and sunny!

Also, I am still trusting for about 1100 euros for outreach fees, due in a few days. If you can support me, it would be such a blessing, you can email me at stephaniebweiss@gmail.com, or facebook me. If you could pray for the finances to come in, and for the rest of the team, it would be so appreciated. Our team made a video, https://vimeo.com/120875397, so you can check that out on vimeo!

Thank you friends!

Steph