The Great Rescue: Some Christmas Reflections

...I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 

Luke 2:10

At times, I feel like we hear these words so often around the Christmas season that they begin to blend into the background.  They get lost a midst the hustle and bustle of decorating, mailing cards, shopping and other busyness that surrounds the Holidays.

And then in a quiet moment of meditation, or maybe rather, a noisy one of desperate frustration with the sin and chaos of life - a powerful whisper penetrates all of the stress and distraction,

 "God himself has come to rescue us." 

The peace begins to fill my soul again as I am reminded of the truth of Christmas.  It isn't simply about remembering the birth of a baby, but remembering who that baby was and what his birth means to us.  As we reflect on the birth of our savior, we are reminded of the incredible love of our God.  In our sin, brokenness and utter depravity, He made the unthinkable journey to bring us, His lost beloveds back to him.  We celebrate the love of a God who was willing to do whatever it would take to rescue his long lost Love: humanity.  Even if it meant moving heaven and earth to do so.

Now as a mother of my own small children I have a new perspective of the utter humility involved in the act of the God and Creator of all coming to earth as a tiny baby.  There is nothing more vulnerable than a newborn.  When I held my newborn children in my arms for the first time I was overwhelmed by the utter vulnerability and trust I was looking upon as a tiny bundle in my arms.  Babies are defenseless, and completely dependent in every way.  In the culture Jesus was born into children had no rights at all. Almighty God and Creator of all humbled Himself to the status of a tiny, vulnerable, defenseless and completely dependent newborn in order that we might know His love for us.  In order that we might understand who He is, and how far reaching His compassion and understanding of the human experience truly is.

 Jesus could have chosen to be born anywhere: a palace, a wealthy family, a community of status, but instead he came into the world in poverty, with nothing - not even a real bed to sleep in.  He was born in a dark, dirty underground barn (nothing like the nativity scene that we have grown up with in our minds) among the stench of livestock and lay to sleep in a feeding trough.  Could you imagine laying a newborn baby in a germ ridden feeding trough?!  This filthy stinky place fit for animals was the God of the Universe's first stop on His great rescue mission.  This is mind blowing to me, and reminds me once again how much I just don't get it. 

 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah,the Lord. 

in other words, The Great Rescue has begun!

Christmas is not simply about presents and mistletoe but about remembering with prostrated hearts the launching of the greatest rescue mission to ever take place, and the most beautiful love story ever told!  We get to celebrate the boundless love of God as displayed in a baby lying in a manger.  It is in remembering that baby, the God baby, that I begin to develop an even greater understanding of the meaning of these famous words that The Apostle Paul spoke with such conviction:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Romans 8:38-39

This Holiday season, I rejoice in a God who did the unthinkable; who crossed the great divide, walked among us, and moved heaven and earth that we might be rescued.  May you too be reminded of the relentless boundless love of God for YOU displayed in a tiny little baby who was born to take away the sins of the world. 

And now...

A Look at the Last Few Months

Annie:
 I  wrapped up my commitment to the the Dorm 1 Faith Project in September with our final fundraiser- a golf scramble.  The fundraiser was very successful and we as a team were very pleased with how all of our hard work paid off.  I was in charge of the decorating for the dinner banquet which took place after the golfing. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of this project and loved being able to use my gift of hospitality and my creativity in way that expands and supports the work of our mission.

I have also started a blog called Luv U to the Moon... and Back where I share more in depth about my personal journey as a wife and mother.  This blog has been a great creative outlet for me and something that I hope is a ministry of encouragement and inspiration to its readers.

The Lord has been challenging and growing me personally in what feels like leaps and bounds over the past months.  I am amazed at the vastness of His grace and feel humbled daily at His relentless love and patience with me as I learn to grow in and walk out my faith.  I delight in my calling as a mother and am passionately motivated by the importance of my role as a minister of the gospel to my children.

Justin:
Great progress has been made in the construction of the new studio and we are on the final stretch toward completion.  All of the walls are now up and at the beginning of 2013 we will be working on getting our HeatingVentilationAirConditioning system installed and our ceiling up.  Then we will be working away at treating each individual room of the studio acoustically.  As you know this project has taken much longer than we anticipated but God has used this time of waiting to build our faith and demonstrate his power to provide.  We are eager to get into the new studio and excited for how God will use this new facility.

One of the projects we get to do in the current studio is record music that the students in the Discipleship Training School (music track) and School of Worship have written.  I enjoy being able to walk these students through the recording process and getting to see how God has influenced the songs that they've written.  Every day at work I am in awe of the great blessing it is for me to be learning what I am and to be able to use music to influence the world.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend:
Recently a brother in the faith and inspiring leader in our mission went to be with Jesus.  We grieve the loss of our dear friend Don Gillman but feel so privileged to have known him for the time that we did.  He was one of the most inspiring men either of us have ever known and had it not been for his influencing Justin to do SBS when he did, the two of us might never have met.  Don lived with an incredible and challenging sense of eternal perspective.  He loved Jesus and was passionate about missions.  You couldn't know him without being infected by his contagious burden for the lost.  When thinking about Don's life one can't help but be reminded these immortal words:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day... 

2 Tim 4:7-8
You did it Don! 

Thank you Friends:
As we look back over this past year we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you who have invested in us so faithfully with your support, prayers, and friendship.  We are so incredibly blessed by you! We could not be here without all of you who have invested in us and want you to know how deep of an impression all that all you do has made upon our hearts.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  We are truly grateful. Thank you for believing in what the Lord is doing in and through us in this place and season of our lives and for your obedience to Jesus in walking this journey alongside us.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Blessed New Year!

Love,

Justin, Annie, Ella & Bennet

Go Anmol!!!!!

Back in 2009 We posted the following testimony from one of our former SBS students:

"The Bible has opened my eyes to the reality of the living vibrant grace, power and love of God.

The Bible has shown me more of the reality of what Jesus did on the cross and the fact that eternity is on its way.

I want to start a school for the impoverished and poor kids of India. Studying the Bible has ripped open blinds, given me a passion to go out with the love of God. The school for the kids will be founded on the word of God."

-Anmol, India

Back in May, a local paper produced this article about Anmol!  She is goin' for it and we are so proud of her!

"FVCC grad earns prestigious award

By CANDACE CHASE/Daily Inter Lake | Posted: Sunday, May 20, 2012 7:40

pm

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas introduced one

of the college’s brightest and most gracious students as the audience

cheered at a recent dinner to thank donors to the FVCC Foundation.

Anmol Grace Manchala, an international student born in India, was

bewildered as the crowd nudged her forward. Her anatomy and physiology

instructor Sue Justis had taken her to the scholars room that

afternoon for a private talk.

'I thought I was in trouble,' she said with a laugh. 'I thought maybe

I did a really bad job on my lab report.'

INSTEAD OF A scolding, Anmol walked into a surprise party celebrating

her selection as the first student from the community college to earn

a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. Awarded to just 60 students across the

country, the scholarship provides $30,000 a year for two to three

years to finish her degree in premedicine at the institution of her

choice.

Because she had applied last November and hadn’t heard, Anmol said she

assumed that she wasn’t selected.

'I could hardly believe it,' she said. 'Even my parents didn’t know —

that’s why they started crying, too,'

Her parents, Raju and Grace Manchala, work with Youth with a Mission

which brought the family, including son Finney, 10, and Anmol, 21, to

Montana. Raju spoke at the surprise party, struggling to control his

emotions as he explained they had no idea how they would afford to

send their daughter to college when they came to the United States.

Although Raju holds a degree in accounting and Grace has a master’s

degree in sociology, the couple devoted their lives to serving God

through teaching in schools around India and other countries. He told

the group that working for a nonprofit, they raise their own support,

leaving no extra money for college.

OTHERS DOUBTED that Anmol could go to college.

'God worked out every small and big detail,' Raju said. 'My daughter

had one of the best experiences of her life here.'

Anmol couldn’t agree more. She said her parents put her future 'in

God’s hands” from the day of her birth in Bombay, now known as Mumbai.

'I kind of grew up all over India,' she said. 'For the first few years

of my life, I studied in a school that Youth with a Mission has for

kids so that’s where I learned English.'

As they moved to different states in India, Anmol attended Indian

schools. At about 14, her parents moved to Kanpur in the heart of

India where they pioneered a school and she attended upper grades.

In the 10th grade, Anmol found herself drawn to science as a career.

'I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to be until a few years ago,' she

said. 'I took biology as my major but I still wasn’t sure what I

wanted to do with my life. Then I came here.'

HER FAMILY first came to the U.S. in 2006 when her parents started a

Youth with a Mission school in Las Vegas. They then traveled to 42

other states, including Montana.

The Manchalas thought very highly of the Youth With Mission

discipleship training program here while Anmol immediately fell in

love with the beauty of the Flathead Valley.

'That’s why I came back to Montana the following year (2007) to do my

training here,' she said.

After finishing her discipleship training, which included a mission to

Ukraine, she enrolled in a School of Biblical Studies for nine months

of intensive biblical studies.

During that time, she said she began to think of the children in Third

World nations. She grew up watching children living on the streets of

India, collecting garbage to resell for a few rupees (a few cents).

Anmol imagined her little brother on the streets without loving

parents, without food or shelter and foraging to live.

'You know, it broke my heart,' she said. 'So during SBS I decided that

I wanted to go to college and use my degree to help start schools,

orphanages and hospitals.'

ANMOL STARTED FVCC in 2009 mainly because she was living here.

Although she said she wasn’t a great student growing up, she found her

dream of helping children changed things.

'I was more motivated,' she said. 'Over here, I knew this is what I

want to do with my life. So I really went for it.'

Anmol started her studies in education, thinking she would teach. But

then she joined the Scholars honors program at the college where

students pursue seminar-type independent research.

As part of one of her Scholars classes, she prepared a 30-minute

presentation on bio-ethical issues.

'During that time, I discovered DNA and I did a lot of research on it

and I fell in love with it,' she said. 'I decided I should probably go

into the medical field because I absolutely love studying biology.'

ANMOL SAID credentials as a physician would open doors for her when

she returns to India to work with families with no access to health

care.

'The poorest people here are rich compared to people (in the streets)

over there,' she said.

Her switch to medicine brought new challenging courses such as anatomy

and physiology. Anmol called it one of her toughest but one of her

favorite courses even though it involved working on cadavers.

'It’s just amazing studying how the body works,' she said. 'Just

thinking how the body is created is mind-blowing — how everything

works with amazing precision. Everything is perfect.'

Each new discovery about the human body’s inner works increased her

sense of awe. She said unlocking the secrets of life through science

did not change her views of creation.

'It really made me thank God even more for how he made us,' she said.

She named the Scholars program Director Ivan Lorentzen and Justis as

her heroes, along with Colleen Unterreiner, executive director of the

college foundation. They believed in her and pushed her ahead, she

noted.

AT GRADUATION, Anmol received two associate degrees and was honored

for receiving the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship.

'Without help from the Scholars program and the college, I wouldn’t

have been able to get this far,' she said. 'You walk on a road and you

don’t see what’s ahead of you, but you just trust and you keep going.'

Along the way, she refined her dream career to pinpoint pediatrics in

line with her love of children. Anmol begins studies at Montana State

College in Bozeman this fall with the goal of attending medical school

at the University of Washington.

She said she would advise others to not give into fear or settle for

less than their dreams. Anmol said she was afraid when she first

decided to come to the community college but she knew God was with her

and would help her through every obstacle.

'He’s really done that — miracle after miracle happened to me here,'

she said.'"

To view the original article click here

Isn't that a awesome! Anmol is such an amazing girl!  Isn't it encouraging when you here about what God is doing through the people you have invested in? We are so encouraged by this article and hope you are too! Thank you to all of you who have invested in our ministry here at YWAM MT!

With love and gratitude,
Justin, Annie, Ella & Bennet

The Faith Project

Hello friends! 
As promised I (Annie) am writing to share with you about my work with the Dorm 1 Faith Project.  The Dorm 1 Faith Project is a committee who's purpose is to lead the charge in raising the necessary funds to renovate one of our dorms here at YWAM Montana. The team is made up of myself and twelve other YWAM MT staff.  The overall goal for this project is to raise $165,000 needed for this renovation. We have seen God move in miraculous ways to so far raise $50,000 of that goal!  Since we began in January, our team has hosted some small fundraisers and a "giving night" here within the YWAM MT community. These efforts, along with some generous donations from outside partners helped us to reach that $50,000. Now we are reaching outward beyond our YWAM MT community as we continue to believe for our overall goal of 165,000. We have a few campaigns going outward right now, which include an alumni challenge, a "sponsor a marathon runner" campaign, a car raffle; and we have just begun planning a larger fundraiser: a golf scramble which will take place in either August or September this year.

What does a dorm renovation have to do with expanding the Kingdom God? I am glad you asked, the answer is Sooooooo much!!!!! Here at YWAM Montana, thousands of people are trained, supported, equipped, encouraged  and sent out to all spheres of life, all over the world to do what God has called them to do.  If the people involved in this had nowhere to live, we could not do what we do here at YWAM Montana! We cannot send people to the nations if we have nowhere to facilitate their training.

Something I love about our base is that it values the individual. In our schools, people are prepared for hard circumstances. We know that when God calls you to something, you have to be willing to put up with whatever less than ideal circumstances you face in the midst of fulfilling that calling. However, as facilitators we want to bless people while they are with us. We want the individuals serving with us to feel valued. That we care about them and are grateful they are here. We want them to feel at home for the months/years that they are here training and serving with us. We want to keep people here feeling refreshed and cared for so that they can go out unto the world having been filled up enough to pour into others. The sacrifices people make in order to follow God's call on their lives are not always easy.  If we can make it easier and help people stay committed to this call, by giving them a sense of home while they are here, then that is a worthwhile investment.  This is why we want to renovate our dorm. I lived in that dorm for a year and I will be the first one to tell you that while I was grateful to live there, the conditions were less than ideal. It NEEDS repairs! You can read more about some of the needs and plans for the renovation on the Dorm 1 Faith Project Facebook page This renovation is IMPORTANT!!! It is important to God and it is important to those living and serving here. Hundreds of  people have lived in this dorm and gone out unto all the world. By doing this renovation and prolonging the life of this dorm, we are not only being good stewards of what God has given us but are also making it possibe for God willing, hundreds more people to continue coming through this place to take unto all the world the powerful, life changing truth of Gods love for them!

Dorm 1 before renovation began

after renovation began...

current status of dorm 1...as you can see we really need this next push of  $25,000  to keep things moving...

How Can you help? I thought you'd never ask! :-)   The most urgent need right now is for another $25,000 by the end of June, in order to continue the progress in the renovation that has already begun.  PLEASE PRAY that the money comes in!!!  If you feel so led, you can help us reach that goal by making a financial contribution. You can do so by clicking here.  Another way you can help is by purchasing raffle tickets for "Nathan's Car Raffle"...

Nathan's Car Raffle: We are doing a car raffle!!!!! One of my fellow committee members has decided to raffle his car in order to raise money for the renovation. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 per ticket. This is a very easy and practical way to help, and how cool if you could win a car for ten bucks!!!!! Even if you don't need a car, if you win, you could turn around and sell it for a couple grand profit, and if you don't win, the money went to a great cause. Its a "win win" situation :-)   You can find all of the information that you need about the raffle, including how to purchase tickets on the Nathan's Car Raffle Facebook page.

Some Personal Reflections: I am so grateful that God has asked me to be a part of the Faith Project. Not only am I learning about leadership and team dynamics, but  I get to be a part of something  that will reach so far beyond me...

Bennet is often along with mommy for our Faith Project meetings and I sometimes think how cool it will be years down the road to be able to point to that beautifully renovated dorm and tell her that she is a part of that Dorm's God story. She was present when God was moving and using us to make this place a better home to the saints she sees so bravely pressing on to fulfill the great commission. My mommy dream is that my little girl will smile when I tell her this, as God solidifies something in her heart that confirms what she always suspected: that she is apart of something far bigger than herself, and God has far greater plans for her than she can imagine.

Thank you for your continued interest in our work here at YWAM Montana! We love all of you and couldn't do what we do without your support. Stay tuned  as our family continues on our adventure in missions....

"I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day till now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." 

 - Philipians 1:3-6

love,

Justin, Annie, Ella & Bennet

His Grace Abounds: Thoughts From a Mommy on "The Art of Surrender"

It is Saturday morning. Ella is in her high chair attempting to eat yogurt with a spoon, but I think she is doing a better job of getting it all over her face, hair and clothes than it actually making it into her mouth. There is a mountain of neglected dishes in the sink, toys all over the floor and my to do list is a mile long. However in this moment I am completely content and at peace, because I am learning the art of surrender. I know, you would think after ten years of following Jesus I would have figured it out by now, but every time I think I have learned my lesson and given things to God, another opportunity for perfectionism to rear its ugly head appears and the battle begins again.

Since Bennet's birth I have spent most of my time running back and forth between the girls, doing my best to tend to each of their needs. When not doing that I am attempting to throw in a load of laundry, or unload the dishwasher. It is never ending. And it always seems that the moment someone stops by, is the one where it looks like a hurricane ripped through my living room and my hair is in a half falling out ponytail. I think to myself, why didn't anyone stop by yesterday when I had makeup on and the house was clean. It never seems to work out that way does it?.....

My latest revelation has been, who cares! Who cares if its 4 o'clock and I am in my sweat pants. Who cares if my house looks lived in and not like a cover of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So much of my motivation I think is to have others think I am doing a good job. But I am not simply doing a good job. I am doing the best I can! I am having to revisit the place of finding my value in God and not what others think, and let go of the feeling that others are evaluating my performance at all times. They can evaluate all they want, but at the end of the day, their score is not the one that matters. In this season I am learning more about Jesus than I think at any other time in my life. I am learning to have to lean into His grace every day. I need his grace to help me be patient with my ever demanding toddler, my completely dependent infant, and the reality that my husband and myself fall short of perfection every day.

Despite its challenges, I believe that this is one of the sweetest seasons of my life. I am overwhelmed by the love I have for my children and a desire to do a good job raising them, which sends me straight into the arms of My Father in heaven who's grace for me abounds beyond my comprehension. In those moments when I am begging for His grace to fill in the gaps in my life; those moments of sitting at His feet asking Him to fill my cup, the sweetest peace and gratitude fill me heart, and I am happy to realize how imperfect I am, because that is when I am able to remember just how perfect HE is. It is through these experiences, that I have realized that I am falling in love with Jesus all over again.

Other Happenings for the Frases:

In the Studio

God Story! The Lord provided the special flooring for the recording studio that we have been trusting him for! Thank you to everyone who joined us in praying for this! The flooring is now in the process of being installed. This is a bit of a tedious process because the flooring has to be raised. In the meantime, Justin and the rest of the studio 501 team have been working on the YWAM Worship album. Justin is learning lots through this process and is enjoying the people he is working with.

Community Life

In addition to ministering to my family, I (Annie) have taken some involvement in the Community Life department here at YWAM MT. The Community Life team is mostly in charge of planning events for the YWAM base such as holiday celebrations and other events that bring the community together in fun, fellowship and refreshment. My heart in doing this is to use my gift of hospitality and my love for being creative to bless and refresh the saints who are here preparing to serve in many capacities throughout the world. It is so important for individuals to feel valued, cherished and refreshed if they are to continue on in the ministry for any length of time. Hospitality ministry is an essential component to this, as well as a response to the call given to all of us to love others.  So far I have helped with a base harvest party, sledding party, and currently we are working on some special events for Easter weekend. Our hope is for those who are away from their families during the Easter Holiday, to feel connected to their YWAM family as they celebrate the resurrection of our savior. Below are some photos of events that we have worked on:

Sledding Party:

Harvest Party:

Faith Project

I (Annie) have also recently joined a committee that is commited to raising the necessary funding to renovate one of the dorms here at YWAM Montana. You guessed it, the committee is called the Dorm 1 Faith Project. So far we have been able to raise 50,000 dollars for this renovation through fundraisers, and donations. I would like to tell you more in detail about faith project and why I believe so much in this renovation and the funds needed for it. Please stay tuned for a more detailed update about it which I will give you as time permits. You can also check out the Dorm 1 faith project Facebook page. 

That's all for now from the Frases! We Love and appreciate all of you who follow our blog and support our family with your love, prayers and financial contributions. We couldn't do what we do without you behind us!

Love

Justin, Annie, Ella & Bennet

Welcome Bennet Marie, our Christmas blessing!

She is here!

 Our second beautiful daughter Bennet Marie Frase arrived Christmas morning at 11:06am weighing a healthy 7lbs 6 oz. Mommy and baby are both doing exceptionally well. Bennet is the sweetest, most peaceful baby. She radiates an amazing sense of peace that I think is a quality God has placed in her and will use to His glory as she grows, and shares that peace with others. Even just being around her brings a peace to my heart that I can't explain. As we prayed for Bennet throughout my pregnancy, the word that we kept feeling the Lord impress upon our hearts was blessing. We felt like God said that she would be a blessing to us, our family, Ella, and others as she encountered them throughout her life. As I came to the Lord with apprehensions about having a second baby so soon, I continually felt as thought the Lord was telling me that we needed her. That she would be a greater blessing than we could imagine, especially to Ella. Now, as I am bonding with my new daughter, and growing more in love with her every day, I am beginning to understand what the Lord has been telling me all along, and I am so excited to be able to watch these things take place as she grows. She has not been a burden to me once since her birth, simply a blessing; the perfect addition to our family. My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude that Bennet and Ella have each other to grow up with and I am praising God for my two beautiful, healthy daughters. As parents, our hearts are overflowing with love for our two girls and we as a family we feel more bonded  than ever since Bennet came home.  Thank you for all of your prayers for our family as we have awaited Bennet's arrival.

sending our love,
Justin, Annie, Ella & Bennet