My name is Malena Schultz and I am a part of YWAM Kona!
In the past 6 months, God has met me in ways that I have never experienced before. He broke off every insecurity and anxiety that I was carrying, and truly showed me how much I am loved by Him. He restored my view on family and relationships and showed me what a joy it is to be His daughter. I learned what it means to hear the voice of God and respond to what He is asking of me. My mind was renewed with the reality of the Gospel and the cost of our freedom. He, in all of His kindness, pointed me towards what a life fully surrendered looks like. I was able to experience true joy and peace for the very first time in my life. I had mentors and friends constantly pouring into me and showing me what Godly relationships look like.
In this next season, I felt the strong invitation into leadership. At first, I didn’t quite know what that meant, and honestly, I was scared to take on any sort of leadership role. But after many days of praying and seeking wisdom, I got such clear confirmation from the Lord, and I will be going to Kona to staff a DTS! I will be leaving at the end of June to join their leadership program that will prep me for leading a team into the nations! I will be doing a 3-month training school to better equip myself to lead a team! I will get to serve at a summer camp that they host and get a glimpse into what leading a bunch of students looks like. After the 3 months, I will be joining the Fire and Fragrance staff team! This means that I will get to lead students during their time in Kona, and then lead a team to a different nation!
While being a staff is going to be so much fun, it is also going to be very challenging and will require a lot of hard work. It will include making contact calls, coming up with evangelism ideas, dealing with a bunch of money, and leading students into a whole different culture to spread the gospel! While I am a bit nervous about leading a team for 6 months, I know that I am going to learn a new level of dependency on the Lord and I am so excited to see how God is going to move, and how I am going to grow in this next season!
While being a staff is a leadership role, it is also stepping into a missionary lifestyle, which requires funding. While I am staffing, I will not have the time to work, which means I will be fully depending on support from others. I am currently working on raising support for the 9 months that I will be gone! I need to raise money for housing, food, and outreach, which can be up to around $2000 a month. I know this is not an easy task to accomplish, but I know that the Lord will provide in every circumstance!
Also, during this time, prayer is such a beautiful weapon! Our prayer has the power of life and death, and I would be so thankful for any kind of prayer and intercession in this next season! Not only prayer for me and my journey, but also for the students who will be coming, the staff I will be working with, and the people in the nations who we are going to meet!
Thank you so, so much for your support!
Malena