Shoshanna's Current Affairs and Happenings

2006-09-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

More info on Cambodia: A continuation on the Newsletter I sent...

Chain of events:

Remember the Holocaust? Did you know that the four-year genocide of the Cambodian people, beginning in 1975, was the worst slaughter relative to population since the Holocaust? 1/5 of their population was starved, beaten, raped, and brutally murdered, and even more were just imprisoned and tortured. Their target: anyone with intelligence, education, or status, and even those who spoke another language or wore glasses. The Khmer Rouge set out to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and start over in equality. Cambodia today is plagued with poverty, illiteracy, child prostitution, sex-slavery, a lack of quality leadership and no opportunities.

What’s the result? - Beautiful babies, among other things.

Too many orphans to count, merely victims of a chain of events, are orphaned for numerous reasons. But they are so beautiful. I remember every little face being different and completely adorable; even the ones who were born with defects or disabilities. I wondered: How many people ever play with these kids? There are so many faces in the orphanages. Too many. But, they enjoyed life. They appreciated every game, every hug, and every song we sang. It was the little things that made them smile. Their smiles are far brighter than most children here in the U.S.… Explain that.

Coming back to the US:

America is the land of the free and not of the oppressed… right? We have our fair share of issues. But can we neglect our fellow humans? Can we continue ignoring the facts, or putting off caring until we are more ‘financially stable?’ Let me inform you that we are considered kings and queens by many cultures on this planet. WE are the vast minority. I encourage you to look for ways to change this world. God will most definitely use you.

2006-04-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, hello to all! I am still here in Cambodge, of course, and things are splendidly well. God is miving and He is always so good. We will begin our youth center in a couple of days and I will be doing the vocal classes. There are all kinds of other classes as well, such as English, Bible, guiter, art and others. I am so excited about this. I hope to see many people show up on Sunday for registration and sign up for my class. I want to make an impact on the people here in a positive way in the area of the arts an/or things that they might not otherwise be able to pursue for lack of finances, or what not.

Anyway, I am excited about things. We also have a hospital ministry for AIDS patients. I have met a woman there who has begun a new medication that makes her feel sick and cause her to vomit most foods back up. She can only really keep fruit and rice down, so I bring her fruit and pray with her when I can. She isn't a Christian, but I trust in God that He loves her and wants to bring her to Him.

We also work at a government orphanange where we will be teaching as well.

Alright, well that's enough for tosy, but feel free to email me anytime at:

shoshannafeist@yahoo.com

Much love y'all!

2006-04-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

Well hellow everyone! Choum reab sour! (khmer greeting)

Things are so good here in Panom Penh. It is warm, but it is rewarding. The people are simple and genuine. They are a very conservative culture. We are loud abnoxious westerners to them. Well, we do our best to not offend them. They are allowing us into their hearts, let me tell you.

We've been visiting this little orphanage a little outside the area we stay in. It has about 30 children there. We have been teaching them songs, sign language, Bible verses, English, games, and things like that. They're all so smart. They need lots of love, and you can't help but love them. They're adorable.

We might be able to see them again towards the end of our outreach, that's if we can make it back to this city. We head back to Bangkok on the 18th of May. Then we'll arrive in Ozark again on the 26th or 27th of May. (side note, my birthday is May 31st in case anyone wanted to know)

well, I have to go, but you can email me at:

shoshannafeist@yahoo.com

Much love to you all,
Shoshanna Feist

2006-04-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...

I am finally here in Cambodia. In the capital city. It is so hot here, and the food is something to get used to, but I'm not here for my own personal benefit, praise God. I'm not a tourist here, but I am her to get to know and understand the beautiful people here and show tham Christ's unconditional love. "Not to us, but to Your name be the Glory..."

Well I have to go, but I will try to post a new blog again soon.

Much Love from the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Shoshanna

2006-03-30T01:18:00.000-08:00

Sawatdii Kha!!!

It is amazing here in Thailand. The food is great, the weather is so hot, the people are wonderful, the ways of Asia are beyond me. I don't have much time to be as diligent as I would like with this whole regular update thing, but I do my best. They have internet cafes here, but they do charge and we have time constraints.

I will be sending out a few handwritten letters to family, but I will mainly be corresponding via email. My address is fei764@msn.com

Please contact me if you wish. I will be changing my email address soon due to my parents sometimes unintentionally erasing my messages.

Much Love,
Shoshanna

2006-03-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

It is no one else's responsibility to make you seek the Lord. Not your pastor, not the Holy Spirit, not your spouse. It is our individual choice to press on, even when it's hard, find that time alone with Him.

Always put most of your focus on the Lord. Everyday, there must be that desire for God, AND for His written Word. If you don't have enough, you can ask, and guess what? He'll give you a hunger for His presence, and for His Word. It isn't wrong to admit when we've lost passion or enthusiasm, it is wrong to be in denial and make no progress. Whether we admit it or not, God sees where we are. You must seek Him all the time, and on those days where you have even more to do, more on your plate, and you feel overwhelmed, you CANNOT afford to skip it. The choice is yours. God wants you. He longs for your love, your surrender to Him, He loves the sound of your voice, He loves to commune with you. Don't fall into duty, but WANT to want Him.

God has been teaching me these things lately, so I feel like I have first hand experience in thins area. It is so easy to get burnt out, and that's exactly the enemy's plan. Complacency, laziness, defeat, opression, and a HUGE one is letting us think "everything's fine, and good, and alright, and that we don't need or have time for God today." I'm talking to myself, really. These schemes of his are the same old story over and over. He's not creative. We need to learn to recognize them though. That is our defense, our attack against him.

Be excited. Be empowered. You have the Lord God Almighty on your side!!! Rejoice in that, in that He IS good and He NEVER fails you! The Word says everything we need to know, hold on to, live by. Claim it for yourself. It is finished, it was accomplished, it is over, the battle has been won, we have victory in Jesus! Hold on to THAT. Everyday. EVERYDAY. Wake up and make a stand, claim your land, claim that inheritance, claim THE WORDS OF TRUTH that are written for YOU!

2006-03-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

I love you guys and want to say, "hello." Have a good week and God bless you all. Stay focused on Him. Stay connected to the Spirit. Listen for His voice, moment to moment. Pray without ceasing. Ask for more of a hunger for His presence, for His Word, and for a revelation of His Word. He WILL give it to you. We have not, for we ask not. Does lose sight of the bigger picture. Don't give up or give in to the lies from the enemy that would bring discouragement. Keep your eyes on the prize. I pray that the Lord would give you a revelation of His worth to you, to see that He is the prize. Not the calling, the plans He has, the future, but Him alone. Waste your life on Him, just as the woman wasteed her life's wages of ointment on Jesus before His death. Be excited, and in Love, and encouraged. Life is good, God is good. Never forget that. GOD IS GOOD. Circumstances are deceptive, and we should never allow them to change the way we see God. He never changes. His love endures forever. This is what God wants me to share today. No need to over analyze what's been said because of who wrote it, and emotions are often flimsy illusions. Only the truth is reality. God used a donkey. I am only a humble mouth piece. Tears come and go, but something received after thought and after taken through the filter (the Holy Word of God, will last. I want this to hit the core of your hearts, not bring 'feelings.' I am in NO way down playing the moving of the Holy Spirit in tears and joy. I want this to be simple and true. Take it for what it's worth and nothing more, nothing less. It is what it is, and it's humble at that. God will speak through you to bring people to Him, IF there is TRUE sacrifice, TRUE dedication, discipline, work. Yes, discipleship is work. Jesus said it would be. We are called, INDIVIDUALLY, to come and FOLLOW. We have too many 'believers,' but few followers. Even the demons in hell believe. Are we willing to hate everyone, everything, and give it all up for Him? Even our own lives? What challenge is there in accepting a free gift? How hard is that, and what kind of sacrifice is there in that? Now, what does it mean to follow? Anyone can be 'saved,' not everyone is a disciple. Before we can choose to be His disciple, we must first know what it means. Before we can even ask ourselves if we are willing, we have to first be honest with ourselves, and ALLOW GOD, not us, to show us where we truly are. We will be hated, we will struggle, we will HAVE TO humble ourselves many times even in one day, and it WILL REQUIRE SACRIFICE. What do you sacrifice? This cannot be based on the Law, or on religion. You cannot do this on works. This is a question of response. What IS our response to the Call of THE CHRIST? How do we respond? Where is our focus? Never take your eyes off Jesus. Remember Peter stepping out of the boat? Jesus didn't say don't look at anything, He said look at ME.

This is inspiration for you. God is revealing this to me this week through the teaching of our speaker, Jeremy West.

Shoshanna

2006-02-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I haven't been as diligent about this thing as I would like to say I've been. But here I am, posting a some current stuff.

The teachers we've had for this lecture phase have been phenomenal. They have all been influential to me and the other students, as well as the staff. I could go on forever about each topic, but I will spare you all of that, for now. Lately we touched on The Nature and Character of God, The Father-Heart of God, W.A.I.T. Training (Why Am I Tempted) abstinence program for middle school and high school students (for the purpose of being certified to teach this program in schools), and we are currently in the week of The Cost of Discipleship. Heavy duty stuff, let me tell you. I will at another time elaborate on some of the other topics, including the ones not mentioned.

I have just finished the second day of this week 9's topic. I am coming to the realization that all my life I have been a Christian, but not a true follower of Christ. There is a difference between simply believing, and following, and a difference between receiving the free gift of salvation, and become a disciple of Jesus. What kind of sacrifice is there in accepting a gift? Is there challenge? Jesus says to expect to be persecuted, for no servant is greater than His master. He said if the world hates us to remember it hated Him first. It's to be expected that life following Jesus isn't a stroll through the roses, look at His life. This is not to say that this means we must take on a certain form of what people want to say Christianity should look. My questions are these: Are we following Christ completely, entirely, with every aspect of who we are, where we go, and how we live? Are we embodying Christ through our everyday actions, through our conversations? Are we more concerned about ruffling feathers than we are of pleasing God, being obedient to Him, and speaking truth? Aren't we trying to model our lives after Jesus? Who was He, and what did He do? He was a radical revolutionary who brought controvercy everywhere He went. Are we making ANY impact on our world, whatsoever for the cause of Christ? Do people even know we are 'Christians?' These are some things to think about.

There is so much depth to this teaching. It is truth. I am being challenged to be honest with myself, and ask myself where I am. One cannot become a disciple until they recognize in what areas of themselves and their lives that Jesus isn't Lord over. I am willing to allow God to show me the truth about who I am and where my heart is. Am I willing to follow Jesus, at whatever cost? What IS that cost anyway? This is what we are discovering this week.

2006-01-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

Well, hello everyone. I am so excited to tell you about what's going on in my life! I am currently in Ozark, Arkansas, attending a six-month DTS (Discipleship Training School) with an international, Christian missions organization called Youth With A Mission, more commonly referred to as "YWAM." It has been unbelievable so far, although it's only been about a month so far. Sorry I haven't gotten to "this thar new-fangled contraption thangy" a whole lot sooner, but some of us aren't as technlogically inclined. I am new to this, so feel free to send me messages or questions if I have been vague. After telling this story countless times, I sometimes forget that it's me who's heard it over and over, and not the new person who may be inquiring. Therefore, I may leave something you wish to know out. God is so much more than anyone could ever, ever express, so I will try to be as precise, in each moment, when trying to convey my love for him as best I can. He is magnificent! He is also surprising and breathtaking. I have never felt as much peace about anything as i feel in being here, now. I'm exactly where I should be, and I happen to be surrounded by wonderful people who share in my passion for the Lord Almighty, and serve Him fully. I am living with Jesus, with my Father. Could life really be any better... Aah, too much to say, too little room, too little time. I love you all so much. Thank you for EVERYTHING. Get in touch with me please. Comment, questions, concerns? Anything, anytime.

Shoshanna