Training Weekend

I can't believe that I am leaving in less than 1 month! Thank you to everyone for taking the time to follow my journey over the next 7ish months! All of you have played a major roll this journey through financial support, spiritual support and prayer, or just by dedicating time to read my blog!

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a training weekend with my team mate Rose. The weekend was filled with team building, laughs, and most importunately strengthening our relationship with God. 

Throughout the weekend we learned about creating nutrient rich soil for our roots to grow in. Our speaker Chris started off our weekend with a get to know you time line. (or flow chart in my situation) There we had to write four positive times in our life and four negative times. As we listened to each others story's of how they got to this current point in their lives, you could really see how God took even the difficult situations and used them for something positive. 

One of my negatives was when my parents felt called to go into full time camp missions, and how during that time I struggled with anger, and lack of self worth. Through this first exercise I saw how my experience wasn't that different from everyone else. Often during that period in my life I thought that "no one understood how I felt" but in reality everyone faces difficult periods in life, and though we can't compared who has a "worse" period, we can all identify with how they must have felt in that moment.  I found this opening activity very encouraging, even though the reality of life is everyone faces hardships, to have someone openly be vulnerable with what they have faced in life helps you to create a deeper connection with how they got here. 

As the weekend continued we studied the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:36-43) and how the seeds were planted in four types of soil hard-walked on soil, thorny soil, rocky soil and healthy soil. As we read Chris got us to identify the bad soils in our life. All the things holding us back from having rich, nutritious soil to grow our roots in, whether that was; fear, guilt, emotions we thought we have "rights" to and more. I personally had never seen the parable in this way, I had always seen it as making sure you weren't one of the "bad" soils, not that we could have bad soil holding us bad from having good soil. As we identified these bad soils in our life, and listened for God's still small voice, I could almost feel the weight of things I thought were in the past be lifted off of me. I am always still amazed how gracious God is, and how if we really take time to bask in Him, He'll meet you were you are.

Overall this weekend was an amazing opportunity to get to know each other as a team, finding out each others likes and dislikes in order to strengthen our relationship. Not only did this strengthen my relationship with Rose, but with God. I was able to be released from things holding me back from a better relationship with Him, I learned more about how to effectively share the love of God, and most importantly learned how I could strengthen my own relationship with Him.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

Team building game! We could only step on the "lily pads" 

Those "WOW" Moments

   I believe that everything that happens in our lives is part of God's perfect plan. Even when His plan is not what or how we envisioned how our perfect plan would be. He's a God that likes to "wow" you in His own timing. In moments when you start to doubt, and you want to give up, when you are stuck trying to wrap your brain around something that seems so impossible and you start to wonder if you are actually meant to do something, He steps in and you say "wow."

   When I was applying for STEP I 100% felt that was where God had wanted me. I printed off the application, filled in every question, got my references, mailed it, and waited... and waited... and waited and as the weeks went on I came to the realization that I must have heard God's call wrong. It had been weeks and I hadn't heard even a "sorry to inform you" email. When I was about to give up and start looking for the "what's next" my mom said, "well maybe they never got it." I wasn't sure but even so, I contacted the head of the STEP program who replied saying "no we haven't received your application." This lead to the two week search of trying to find my application and getting it re-mailed to the right location. Over all this time I slowly felt myself start to doubt if STEP was where I was supposed to be. I mean if it was why did my application take so long to get where it was supposed to be? Another week went by and the STEP head contacted me saying I had been approved for the phone interview. After all the interviewing process was completed I heard back saying I had been accepted. Again I felt "oh yes this 100% where God wants me." 

   After being accepted I started making plans of how I was going to raise my financial support, I sent out tons of letters, I set dates to speak to churches, I talked to every person I knew and I waited... and I waited, and again I started to doubt that this was God's plan for my life. I didn't understand why I had been accepted if I couldn't raise any funds. So I started to think that maybe I should pull out of the program, because even if I picked up every available shift at work I would never be able to meet the deadline. These are the moments I really believe God enjoys. Those moments when we are totally feel beat down and unsure of whats next when He steps in and we say "wow."
   For me this happened driving home from school and I was set, when I get home I would email the STEP head and tell her I've decided not to go, that this isn't where God wanted me. And when I got home to a letter from two missionary friends visiting from Scotland, and in that moment I realized that God was saying "Hannah your not giving up on STEP." Because in this letter was what extra money these missionaries had received for coming to Canada and they felt it was meant for me, so I could make it to Spain.

   As the months went on slowly the funds started to amount to the numbers I needed to make 50% of my funds, and when 50% was due on October 15th I had it. I have no idea how I got it but God is so good. 

   And now after a rollercoaster of doubt, I am going into my last two months before starting this journey, and God is still showing how good He is and how this is truly His plan for my life. Even though I faced a lot of doubt during this period, I can see how God was teaching me so much more, that with Him you can do all things, and that He knows what you need more then you do, and sometimes He's going to make you wait because He wants you to fully trust in Him and trust in His timing. 

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   I'm so thankful for everyone of you who has contributed to my journey so far, both through prayer and financial support (and for those who took the time to read my amateur blog!). I truly feel that each one of you have played an important role in planting and caring for this seed in my life. I look forward to sharing my experience with each one of my readers over the next 8 months! If you would like more information on how to get involved through prayer and financial gifts you can contact me at hannahhoover.STEP@gmail.com or click here! And select Hannah Hoover from the drop down tab.

The Who, What, Where, Why and When

Welcome to STEPping out with faith,. Let me introduce myself, Hi I'm Hannah and this blog will be following my journey over the next year of participating in BICWM STEP Team 2017.

To start this blog off I thought I should fill you in on the Who, What, Where, Why and When of my journey and STEP.

Who: Me! This 2017 STEP team consists of myself as well as another young women.

What: You may be wondering what STEP is, so let explain. STEP is a 6 month missions trip from BICWM (Brethren in Christ World Missions) that focuses on different aspects of learning: including discipleship training, missions, language and cultural studies. During the duration of your time in the program you work along side the based missionaries from the country you are stationed in. What that entails I'm still not 100% sure! but what I know from previous "STEPpers" is you not only help out in local churches but also participate in local organizations. Overall we are telling people about Jesus and what else could be better!

Where: I am very excited to be going to Madrid, Spain during the duration of the program!

Why: Why am I excited? Because I get to show and spread the love of Jesus, plus how cool is an opportunity to live in Spain.
But in all seriousness why am I going? In order to fully understand we have to start from the beginning.
   The beginning starts with my parents and their calling to help with Latin American Missionary retreats there my sister, parents and myself helped to put on children programs for the missionary children attending the retreat, this is also where I was introduced to my first "STEPper." At the time I was only nine but the idea that maybe one day I could be part of the STEP team was planted.
   After that first year we continued to help at the retreat until I was 15. Every year I was able to meet more people from the STEP team and continue to hear all the stories they had from there time in the program. Including every single details about digestion problems they had had.Some things you wished you didn't have to hear.
   Now the seed for STEP had been plated when I was nine, it was watered throughout the years helping at a retreat but it wasn't until I truly experienced change that I was able to realize I could do STEP. At 14 my parents felt they were being called into a new missions opportunity, but instead of a fun trip to tell bible stories I was being forced to move.. onto a camp grounds... WITH BAD WIFI!! Yes, you can say 14 year old Hannah was not impressed with having to leave her entire life behind. During the first year in the new house I battled daily with extreme anger, not only towards my parents
but towards God as well. In my new school I struggled to make friends, I felt like I was trapped and I considered suicide multiple times, something before the move I would have thought was crazy! After a year battling with acceptance about the entire situation I started to see a silver lining on my new life. I made friends with a strong christian who worked with my parents. She, no matter how hard I tried to get rid of her, stuck by me and literally smuthered me with the love of Jesus. Slowly she helped me  come out of what was a depression and see the positives of the move, and how though it was hard it was more importantly God's will. In this I learned "Change is not easy, but change allows for new beginnings."
   All this lead me to grade 12, starting in September of the school year I focused on praying and asking God to show me where he wanted me to be next year; in school, working, traveling, STEP, etc. During this month I was reading through Romans, and Romans 12:2. The verse said NOT to conform to the patterns of this world, to me the pattern of grade 12 was graduate and go to post secondary. Its what everyone did, its what my teachers expected. This verse continued to say instead of conforming to be transformed, I wanted to be transformed. The sudden realization that I was called to be a change, to be transformed brought me to tears as I printed off the STEP application form.
   Through all these things we are finally up to date with the journey that got me here, now I am actively fundraising and praying. I have come to terms that if this is truly God's will He will supply my every spiritual and financial need.
    Therefore this has been the "why" of STEP.

Finally...
When: So when do I leave, I leave on January 9, 2017, which is exactly 161 days away!! After I leave I'll be coming home June, 25,2017. And I truly believe I'll be returning home changed.

I am so excited to experience this leap of faith, in STEPping out of my comfort zone and more importantly becoming more like Jesus. I hope you enjoy this blog as I prepare to go and as I'm away.

If you have any questions I can be reached at hannahhoover.STEP@gmail. com
and if you wish to donate you can online you can click here