SHANDA

Two. It's been two months I've been serving on the Island of Lesvos.It's been quite the journey.

Late december of 2016 I was asked to come on the Island of Lesvos to Coordinate and help to lead the community and the Volunteers that go and serve at the camp every day. Help people Help people. When I came in Lesvos with my team last August I was able to go to the camp every day to serve and meet with the refugees and love on them. This time around God asked me to do something quite different, prepare the volunteers and follow through with them during their time with us in Lesvos. I've been loving meeting new people every week, give them orientatation, pour into their lifes, envourage them, love on them! Teams and Volunteers from all over the world all gather here to love their neighbor as Jesus called us to. WOW. This is such an exciting season but I can tell you one thing there's NO way we could do that without God. There's absolutely No way I would still be here if God didn't say that it was right. I don't always "feel" like waking up , I don't always feel like I'm doing a great Job , I don't always feel to love people around me. But I don't live my life for the feeling, I live my life for God.God loved me first and that's the only reason why I can love others! When I go to the camp and people are yelling at me because they don't like the food , they want more clothes etc. the only reason why I can stand and still love people is because God loved me first and God is my strength. Not the 7 hours of sleep I had last night, not the cup of coffee I hold in my hand, not my volunteers telling me I'm doing a great job because sometimes you only sleep 4 hours, sometime there's no more coffee grain, sometime people are not happy with me because I'm not perfect and I fail them and at that moment the only thing that stay is God, that's why I'm here. For nothing else but the fact that GOD IS GOOD. If you follow me on Facebook I've been sharing a lot in the last months about the goodness of God, I've been realizing more and more everyday how God is good to me. It's not the kind of thing you study and then come to agreement with but it's actually something that hit you straight in the heart and flip you upside down , the realization that God is good all the time! Last week God provide almost 4000 euros for me to pay off my debt that I had for the last year of being a missionnary full time! I mean COME ON this is my God ! So faithful and so good to provide all the time. But this is not the reason why God is good ! God is good because he cares for me and for everyne around me, God is good because when I don't have anything left in me he is still so faithful to pour out is love over me, God is good because even when I'm not and I fail others and myself he still see me and still love me. God is good because he cares for every single one of the refugees in the camp right now, he cares for the one in Syria, Afghanistan , Irak, Pakistan etc. HE CARES. Have you ever see someone that is hopeless? Have you seen someone that is completely broken? Have you seen someone that lost everything? The refugees we serve in the camp don't need more clothes or food or tents! Ultimately they need hope. And Hope has a name. Jesus. I literally cry everytimes I think about how good God is. A few weeks ago during one of our community meeting one of the refugee that help us translate in the camp gave his life to Jesus. That night one of the volunteer shared her testimony in the front of everyone, then we had a message about Joy. And after that he was sharing that as he heard this girl testimony he was touch straight in the heart, then when he heard about Jesus being our joy and that we are called to live our life not by our own strength but through God strength he said that something felt different in him, that he wanted to say yes to this Jesus that we were talking about. This is my God. Giving hope to the Hopeless and turning people inside out.

So that's why I'm here, I'm here because God put a burden in my heart to give hope to the hopeless. The hopeless are not only the refugees, the people in need Africa etc. because everyone that doesn't know Jesus is hopeless! I'm talking Knowing Jesus not learning about him in school or studying who he is in the Bible. That's called stalking not knowing ! You can only know someone by spending time with him. And after living a hopeless life thinking that I knew Jesus for most of my life I realize that the only way I could actually get ride of the hopelessness that was eating me slowly was to just give him my life, and he called me to be a missionary. Right now i'm in Lesvos but maybe next month he will call me to serve in the brussels in Amsterdam or the jungle in Africa. I don't know but I'll keep you updated!

I know some of you have been following through my adventures praying and supporting me ! Thank you so much for that! As I'm writting this right now I'm still trusting God for 2000 euros to be able to pay for my accomodation and food here. If you would like to partner with me financially or to pray for me more specifaclly send me a message on Facebook or email me at: shandaywam@gmail.com. I'm really trusting God to provide all the finances to come in before next week so if you have a heart to support me even if it's a little amount that would be amazing!

I have no doubt that God will provide!

Thank you for reading this Blog ! Have an incredible week! Be bless!

In Christ,

Ravelie-Shanda Derilus

YWAM Coordinator in the refugee Crisis/ Missionnary/ Orange juice lover/ Follower of Christ

RAW.

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