i know i havent updated this in a while, but we ALWAYS have something to do here so i dont get a lot of free time, and when i do, i dont spend it on the computer. so i apologize!

so last week, the new speakers came and talked about spiritual warfare and the authority we have in Christ. they were two men from california who started kingdom ministries. they basically just go around the world talking about the things they taught us, as well the power of prayer and things like that. as soon as they started speaking to us, i was loving it. i learned so much and got a lot of knowledge about things that i was naive about. like i knew we all struggled at some point in our lives with things, but these guys showed me a new way to look at it. they taught us to get to the root of things, that if we just deal with things on the surface, they are going to keep coming up in our lives, as well as hinder us from knowing and walking with God at our full potential. reading this it might not be a revelation to you, but i really learned a lot this week. they also challenged us to test things we hear around us, like in church or through other believers. not to just automatically assume that what they are saying is true just because of the position they stand in. but that we should go back to the Bible and test it to see if it is Biblical. its not an easy thing to do, it really is stretching me and my faith.

one of their priorities is to see people set free, to help people get to the root of their struggles and wounds. these guys spend the majority of their time praying with people.. i dont know how to explain it very well, but i will try. im sorry if im all over the place and nothing that i say makes any sense to you as you read, its just something i want to share because i got a lot out of it and i believe others can too.

at the beginning of the week the speakers offered one on one prayer with us as individuals. so of course i decided that i wanted to get prayer and hopefully receive INSTANT healing from all the things i struggle with or witness some awesome insane miracle. even though that didnt necessarily happen, i was so excited because they took me through a process. first, they started off by praying for the environment, declaring in Jesus' name that God's purpose would be fulfilled in my time there. and then after that we talked about what i was struggling with, like what i felt was holding me back from knowing God and His will for me, and the all the oppression i felt from my life: feelings, etc. ( like i said, i thought the two guys would pray for me and i would witness a miracle and be set free from all of my problems!) but then they made it clear that they werent going to be praying for me, telling me things that God reveals to them about me. no, they asked Jesus to show ME what was at the root of all my pain and struggles,to reveal to me things in my life that were standing in the way of Gods truth. let me tell you, once they asked God to reveal things to me, it got CRAZY! i didnt think that God would reveal anything, but mannn He did! things that i would have never thought of came to my mind. so after God would reveal whatever memory or thought to me, i would tell the people praying with me, and then we would test it. they would ask God to show me significance to the thought and/or memory that came to my mind,to show if it meant anything,. and for me God revealed memories in my life that had made me feel and think a certain way. He showed me what had happened to make me FEEL the way i did, He showed me the significance of the memory and WHY i felt the way i did. i had based my feelings off of lies that the enemy had told me, which caused me a lot of pain. so once i recognized the issue and acknowledged what had happened to cause the pain, i renounced the power that it had over me in JESUS' name, which allowed me to be free from the pain of that specific thing. it was really cool and powerful for me, im not sure if that story makes a lot of sense over the internet, but i tried my best. the main point is that i learned to get to the root, recognize the problem, and renounce the power of it, all in Jesus' name, and with that authority i have, nothing can harm me or overcome me.

so that was last weeks lecture phase over-view. it was great. on saturday i slept in till 2, and just laid around all day. sunday i went to my official official home church here in hawaii, Christ Fellowship. its the church where the people who started it are from texas. then on sunday night the new speakers who are teaching this week came in and talked to us to get to know us better. we played some team building games , as well as spoons and scrabble. ill have pictures up later. then yesterday, monday, they gave an overview of what they would be talking about all week. the focus is " life happens " its kind of an overview of last week, but this week were focusing more on the actual sin or problem were dealing with, and what the root is. about forgiveness, what it is and how you live it out on a daily basis. about personal sins, recognizing them and allowing God to forgive us. were learning a lot, so ill update later on specific things that spoke to me.

thanks for reading that whole thing if you did. it feels good to know people care about whats going on in my life. i enjoy knowing that :). so thank you. and please continue to pray that God will renew me and just completely pour His truth into me. that HE will open up my eyes to see the world through His eyes. that He will give me His heart for people. also, for freedom. that i will experience genuine freedom. and finally, that i will really understand the reality of the cross, of Christ the Son of God dying for MY sins. i really cant wrap my mind around that and a lot of times i have a hard time believing it.

so thanks again! and if you any of you ever want to feel free to send me letters :) i will write back i promise.

love,

hannah