We are now on week 8 of the fall quarter. Time has gone quickly yet seems like it's been a long time. The students are growing and learning a lot about who God is, their relationship with him, and about relationships with others. I think the advice I give the most to students is: I think you should go and talk with the person. That advice may seem really simple but a lot of people are afraid of confrontation. I used to be really afraid of confrontation but over the last couple years have learned that when you confront with the right heart and out of love, the conversation usually goes really well and you learn where the other person is coming from and you get to share your heart as well. One of the best bits of advice I've heard recently is "choose relationship over the issue." A lot of the time we choose the issue over relationship. We choose to be right whether we are or not. We decide that the other person hurt us too much that the relationship is worth walking away from. But if we can let go of all of that and choose the relationship over the issue, that relationship could end up being one of the best in our life. You never know. I'm not saying we'll be best friends with everyone if we choose relationship, but there would be a lot less animosity in the world.

Col. 3:12-17 Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievences you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another, with wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

More of a personal update

I thought I would add a little more of a personal update: I love what I do and I do what I love. This is very much true. It really is a great feeling to be doing something so fulfilling that God has called me to. I am glad that I am able to take this opportunity at this point in my life to do this.

I love hanging out with the students and hearing things that God is doing in their lives and encouraging them. It's the best part of what I do here. I am trying my best to do what God has called me to do. But one thing is that I have been really tired lately. I keep going because I know God will give me rest. But please just pray for me that I would have better wisdom in when to take some personal time. This is hard for me because I love hanging out with the students so much that I often forget that I need alone time every now and then or I get exhausted mentally and physically. Sometimes it's hard being a social introvert...haha, which some people think is an oxymoron, but it is the truth of who I am. I love being with people but at the same time I need alone time to reenergize.

God is amazing and I love him more and more every day. I am so thankful for His love, grace, and patience. I could not serve a better God.

Also, please pray for 2 students that God has really laid on my heart this quarter. Pray that they would be more open to what God is teaching them during this season of their lives and that He would free them of the things they are finding hard to let go of. I believe that these 2 students have so much to offer to their fellow students and friends and family and God wants to do something truly amazing in their lives. But sometimes we have to let go of our rights in order for this to happen.

Romans 12:1 & 2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

May 30th Update

Hey everyone!

So It has been a while since I last sent an update. I have been busy working and spending time with students, and before I knew it a month and a half has gone by. Life here in Denver is good. I love it. While the weather has been a little crazy with the snow in April and all the rain in May, I love being by the mountains. I love driving through them or alongside them. The wide open space makes me feel free in a sense, compared to concrete and buildings pretty much everywhere. I thank God that I get to live in such a beautiful place. My mom was able to come and visit over memorial day weekend and I was able to show her around the YWAM base and the local area. It was nice to see her and spend time together.

The current quarter is coming to an end in 3 weeks and the Discipleship Training School (DTS) will go on outreach to Costa Rica (I am a little jealous, I really wish I could go with them...) and the Phase II leadership school will graduate and move on to various things. Some of the Phase II students will go home and work or go to school, a few are coming on staff here in Denver, one is going to be a missionary abroad, and some are not exactly sure what they are doing yet. I am excited for all the students wherever they are going next. They are all amazing people. There was also another DTS here this quarter called Around the World in 80 days (ATW). They had a shorter lecture phase and a longer outreach. They left a week ago today and went to San Francisco, CA as their first stop. From there they went to Tokyo, Japan where I believe they will be for 2 weeks. Other places they will go is Mumbai India, South Africa, Mozambique, Brazil, and Columbia.

My jobs this quarter have definitely kept me busy. I have 3 different desks or offices which I like so that I am not stuck in one place all day. I like my jobs because I also am not stuck at my desk, I get to walk around and find people that I need to talk to or stop and talk to students. It really is an amazing job to be doing for God. I’ve learned a lot and now I am back to preparing for the new schools to start in 4 weeks. It’s crazy to think that it’s already time for that, but I am excited. The schools for next quarter (a DTS and a School of Biblical Foundations - SBF) are smaller, which tends to happen in the summer quarter. So things will be a little slower this summer and laid back, but I am excited for the students who are coming and what God will do in their lives.

Prayer requests:
The ATW who are on outreach: safety, health, team unity, wisdom
Students who are still here in Denver: They would finish strong and not just “slide by” until outreach or going home.
Schools next quarter: God would lead the right people here for the schools, finances for the students
Staff: health, rest, that we would hear God’s leading on his will for our lives during this time on staff (not saying that staff are not hearing God, but that He would continue to show us his will for the base as staff).
Personal: I am praying about attending a YWAM Conference in Kiev, Ukraine September 7-12. But this requires money that I do not have. Airfare is around $800 right now, the cost of the conference is $140, and housing and food is about $50-60. So the total cost would be about $1000. Please pray for me as I seek God about going to this conference.
Personal: finances. Please prayerfully consider supporting me during this time. It costs somewhere between $600-700 a month to pay for rent, insurance, gas, food, and other personal items such as shampoo, toothpaste, cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. Checks can be sent to Amy Kusta, c/o YWAM, 12750 W 63rd Ave, Arvada, CO 80004. We are still working on the website to sell my photography.

Praise reports:
-A girl on the ATW team prayed for a woman in San Francisco who could not hear in one ear and now she can!
-A girl in the DTS was having back pains and one of her fellow students prayed for her and she was healed!
-God is showing me that he is the ultimate provider and I have been on staff for 3 months and he has provided every step of the way!
-I love what I do and I do what I love! :)

Thank you so much for all your love and support. I pray that God shows himself to you in a new way this week. Please email or write me (the old fashioned way) how you are doing. I love hearing from you all.

In Christ,
Amy :o)

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:4 NIV

April 19th Update

Hey everyone!

I realize it's been a little while since my last update. It has been about 7 weeks since I arrived here in Denver and I have enjoyed it immensely. It is a great feeling to know that you are doing what God has planned for you. I was talking with a friend about how much certain jobs pay, and I realized it really doesn't matter how much you make as long as you love your job. Yes, I realize this doesn't always work for everyone. Sometimes we do have to take jobs that we don't like in order to make ends meet. But I am so grateful to God that He is allowing me to be here working for a missions organization right now.

I have several jobs at the YWAM base. I am the school secretary, I assist with the intercession/prayer team, I work in housekeeping, I help lead a weekly local outreach and am also being trained to be a registrar. I love it. I really do. Even on days that are a little more difficult I don't wish I was somewhere else doing something else.
A) As school secretary I do a lot of little jobs for the school directors that they do not have time to do themselves. I order books, make attendance sheets, put together manuals for incoming students, keep track of speaker evaluations, and a lot of other little things that need to be done.
B) As part of the intercession/prayer team I help plan & implement the times that we as a community pray for other countries or people. This job is challenging for me as intercession was a new concept to me when I came to YWAM. But I am enjoying learning God's heart behind it and figuring out creative ways to pray for others that will also help people see God's heart for others.
C) Housekeeping I do 3 afternoons a week and I just serve around the base cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, emptying trash and recycling, and even sometimes refilling paper towels or toilet paper.
D) The weekly local outreach I help lead is to a place called the Care Center. It is a place for people with disabilities who can not take care of themselves. Many are in wheel chairs, have lost their memory, or have some other handicap. It is an amazing opportunity to be able to go here every week and hear their stories and just show them God's love by just spending time with them. I love to sit and listen to the stories of the war veterans. I feel bad sometimes because I do not know history very well (it was never my strong point in school), but some of them are gracious enough to team me :o) But they are just so thrilled to have someone who will sit and listen.
E) Registrar is a newer job for me, and I am just learning what all is involved with this job, but basically I processing information requests & incoming school applications, answer questions, help with visas for international students, and I am sure there is more, but I am just learning :o) So I do quite a lot as a new staff person, but I am enjoying it a lot and would not want to be doing anything else right now.

I feel so blessed to be here and in the community I am in. New schools started three weeks ago and the students are amazing. I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know them and hear their stories. Everyone is so unique and I love hearing where they are at and encouraging them. I also like just hanging out and having a good time with them. Quite a few people enjoy calling me by my last name and just yesterday a couple of the students decided they are going to call me grandma kusta because I am "old." I am not really old, but in YWAM where the majority of people are 17-22 I am considered older. But I enjoy it and love the fact that people are always surprised when I tell them I am 26. I enjoy being goofy and encouraging the students to have fun during this time but also encouraging them to take this time with God seriously. It's a great lesson to learn in my opinion.

Personally God is just showing me more of who he's created me to be as a woman of Christ and to embrace the qualities that he's given me. While God has taught me to forgive, He is now teaching me to let go of things that have been done or said to me in the past that have hurt me. It's an amazing time of my life to be in and God is with me every step of the way. I am also continuing to learn to trust God every step of the way.

It costs about $700 a month for me to be on staff here. Being on staff is a full time job. I work M-F 9-5 just doing my regular jobs a mentioned, but then I also hang out with students and pour into their lives outside of the regular 9-5. This does not allow for me to have a job with an income, but rather trust God to provide through other resources. If you are interested in supporting me during this time on staff there are 2 ways to do this. If you would like it to be tax deductible you can make a check out to YWAM (do NOT put my name on the check) and mail it to Amy Kusta, c/o YWAM Denver, 12750 W. 63rd Ave, Arvada, CO 80004. If you do not need it to be tax deductible you can just make a check out to me and mail it to the same address. We are still working on a website for me to sell some of my photography as a way to raise support. I promise as soon as it's finished I will let you know!

Prayer requests:
1. Health: last I wrote I said I was doing fine and then I got sick twice. First with a sinus infection and this past time I was sick for about 2 weeks with what I believe was bronchitis. There were also colds going around with students and staff.
2. Current students: That students would be open to what God is teaching them during this time.
3. Safety and unity for current outreach teams. There is a team in Thailand, one in Mexico, and another in Panama. They have about 4 more weeks to go before returning to the states.
4. For out outreaches to the Care Center. That the students would be open minded to this opportunity they have to bless these people & that God would help me and my co-leader to be good examples and encourage the students.
5. That I would continue to be open to what God is teaching me during this season of my life.
6. Finances. That God would continue to provide for my time here and that I would continue to trust Him for his provision.

Thank you so much for all your love and support. Feel free to forward this on to people who you make thing are interested in what I am up to right now. Also please keep me updated on your lives and how I can be praying for you right now.

Love & prayers,
Amy :o)

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”- 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

March 8 Update

Hey there!

I hope everyone is doing well! The trip out here was good. My dad and I drove straight through last Sunday so by the time we got here we were definitely ready to be done driving. We had good weather the entire way and nothing went wrong with the car, praise the Lord. Monday I was able to show my dad around the area & introduce him to people I will be working with before taking him to the airport. Tuesday I pretty much just relaxed before staff conference started on Wednesday.

Staff conference was great with teachings on the direction the base is going and what the director and his wife feel the Lord is doing at this time through and in the base. We also had a teaching on our personal ministry and how we need to remember that we are not doing it for ourselves but for the Lord. It was great getting to fellowship with other staff people and getting to know them better.

I can definitely tell this year will be full of growth & I am excited to see what the Lord will do. Please keep us in your prayers throughout this next year.

Prayer requests:
- Health...I am doing fine, but there are some others who have been sick.
- That I would learn to completely trust the Lord, particularly in the area of finances.
- That I would listen to the Lord's leading in everything
- The current students are finishing up their schools in the next couple weeks and most are heading out on outreaches to either Mexico, Thailand, or Panama. Please pray for them as they prepare to go.
- There are several women who are pregnant at the base right now. Pray the Lord would keep the mothers & babies healthy

Praise report: The Lord is showing me how He takes care of me in everything. I now have a mattress & bed frame, dresser, and bookcase all of which I did not have to pay for!

If you would like to support me financially you can make a check out to YWAM and do NOT put my name on the check. Write my name on a piece of paper and slip it in the envelope with the check and address it to: Amy Kusta, c/o YWAM, 12750 W 63rd Ave, Arvada, CO 80004. If you do not need it to be tax deductible you can write a check out to Amy Kusta & mail it to the same address.

Also remember that I am selling photos to help raise support! I lowered the prices for the photos as follows: 8x10 $25, 11x14 $40, 16x20 $55. For now you can check them out at amykphotos.blogspot.com. My dad is working on a website that will make it easier to pay for them with paypal. I'll let you know when that is all set up!

Please let me know how I can be praying for you!

In Christ,
Amy

Rm 2:12 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ok so I was going to post the photos I am selling on this blog, but as I began to do so I realized it would be better to give them their own blog! so you can check them out at amykphotos.blogspot.com! Thank you! :o)

The Next Adventure

Happy New Year!!

It seems 2008 went by very quickly and I can hardly believe it is over. It was an eventful year with my brother getting married and me moving to a suburb of Denver, CO for six months to do two Youth With A Mission (YWAM) schools. The six months it took to complete both schools are ones I will cherish forever. I thank the Lord for the good and challenging times He used to grow me into who He has made me to be. :o)

I returned to the Chicagoland area in October and quickly found a temporary job working for a family friend. Since returning the question I get asked the most is "now what are you going to do?" For a while I didn't have an answer. I knew I wanted to be home for a little while to see my family and wait on God's leading for what is next, but other than that I really was not sure. These past couple months I have been continually seeking after God's direction in my life and feel that He has started to reveal to me what is next.

The next step I feel that God is leading me to take is to join YWAM staff at the Denver, CO base in March. While it will be very hard to leave behind family and close friends I know that God will take care of and guide me. I am very excited about what God is doing in and with my life, and I can only imagine what this next season of my life will bring. While I was in California with YWAM I felt God start to grow a desire in me to staff a YWAM school, but didn't feel prepared. Then, I did a leadership training school and School of Biblical Foundations (read the Bible in three months and learned how to study it in the context it was written) in Denver which have prepared me even more to take on a leadership role in other people's lives. The desire to staff a YWAM school along with my passion to serve in missions has only continued to grow in my heart, and now I feel it is my chance to step into a staff position and encourage and share the love of Jesus Christ with students going through some of the same schools I did! :o)

What does it mean to be on staff? Well, I will get to help out with the day to day running of the base. I will be assigned work duties (e.g. housekeeping, kitchen, or office work) that will change every three months and also get to help disciple students in their walk with God either through working directly with a school or just spending time with students around the base. I will also get to participate in outreaches to the local communities! Once a week staff and students go to different locations, such as a nursing home, thrift store, coffee house for homeless people, or a safe house for abused mothers and their children, and share the love of Jesus Christ with people there. There is even a possibility that I will get to go on an international outreach! I see no end to the things God can & will do during this next year on staff!

This is not a paid position so in order to make this possible I need to raise support. My estimated support needed is about $850 per month. This includes all personal expenses such as rent, food, insurance and gas, as well as, a little extra to be able to do some things outside of work. Will you prayerfully consider coming alongside me in this next adventure God is taking me on either through monthly, quarterly or one time donations and/or prayer? All donations ARE tax deductible (as long as checks are made out to YWAM and my name IS NOT on the check). Remember that no donation is too big or too small, every bit will help to do the work God has set before me. I am also selling some of my photography as a way to raise support. I am by no means an artist, but I enjoy taking pictures of landscape, so please check it out by visiting this website: amykusta.blogspot.com. All proceeds will go toward my missions.

If you are interested in supporting me during this time please email me at the address listed below!

If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me. Also please feel free to pass on this letter to people you know that may be interested in what I am doing and supporting me as well!

I am so thankful for each one of you in my life & pray that God blesses you abundantly in this coming year!

In Christ,
Amy

Contact Information: ack3783@gmail.com ~ amykusta.blogspot.com

For more information about YWAM Denver you can visit their website at www.ywamdenver.org