Hello Friends!


I have been at Holmsted for 11 weeks now and the training phase is officially over. The past 11 weeks have been so full of learning, experiences, and good times.


A couple weeks ago we learned about ‘Identity’. It was basically a whole week of encouragement, they spoke a lot about who we were in Christ, how we were meant to see ourselves, and who as individuals God had made us to be. One of the first things they did in the week was our ‘Original Design’. Original Design is just a fancy name for how God made you and who he made you to be, basically prophecy. Some of mine were new and some were just confirmations. Over this whole DTS, the nature of a mother has been spoken over me several times; from my fellow students and the leaders. So, when one of the speakers was doing my original design she saw me showing moms how to take care of their babies and she saw me showing them basic healthcare. For me, this was confirmation; I’ve known that medical care was one of the callings on my life and ‘moms’ part was just another thing God has spoken into my life several times.

Now that lecture phase is over it’s time for outreach phase and I will be there for 10 weeks. There are 7 people on my team, 2 boys and 5 girls. We range from 3 Americans, 1 Dane, 1 British, 1 Swiss, and 1 Canadian. When I am on outreach I would love to have emails and Facebook comments but please, please, please, don’t mention God or evangelism. That is very important when you are emailing me, neither are safe and our visas could be taken away if it’s found. But please do feel free to email me! I will only be on the internet once a week, so if I am slow in getting back to you please do not feel I am being rude, I am going to try my best to get back to everyone in good time!

We recently just had an outreach simulation day. Outreach simulation it where you spend the whole day with your outreach team and you are “in another country”. Some of the activities included building a fire on wet ground, having 30 minutes to search for the market so that we could have food, only to find the food was not very appetizing but must be eaten, and being dropped off about 5-7 miles from the base and having to find our way back. The whole day we were not allowed inside and nor were we allowed to talk to other people from different outreach teams, if we had to use the restroom we went outside. It helped so much with unity in the team and it allowed us to see how others worked under stress. The whole day we had to work and interact as a team, we had to be one, and really be there to support each other.

Some prayer points for the team:

- Health and Safety: Travel (plane, trains, and local transportation), food poisoning, culture shock, and in ministry.
- Unity: To grow as a team, continue to learn about each other, and to be effective as a team.
- Strength, Encouragement, and Boldness: When we are in ministry, in prayer, in intercession, and in every situation.
- Hospitality: To be able to express full gratitude and thanks to the people who we are staying with and to know the best way to bless them back.
- Hearts: That God would continue to speak to our hearts about India and keep the passion for outreach ignited!

It’s Christmas at Holmsted and it’s so pretty! We had carols last week and we invited the community for mulled wine and mince pies and we sang for them. We had all the fire places going and it was very cozy, like Christmas should be, the only thing missing was the snow!

Well, as I come to a close I want to thank you all for your letters and support. Your prayers have really lifted me up and the letters helped in my lonely times, I was so happy when I got them!

Thanks to all! And I give you my love!
Merry Christmas!

Ruthie **Luke 1:37**

Life at Holmsted.

Hello my dear friends,

I have been at Holmsted for four weeks now and I have to say I really miss you guys; I miss the familiar faces and accents. But I am so glad I came and I am thankful everyday that I am here. These first four weeks having been fun, very challenging, and have brought me much closer to God.

My first week here was basically getting us ready for the coming lectures; it was an introductory and really just a time to get over the jet lag. The second week changed my whole viewpoint on just about everything I have lived for but in such a good way. The second week was on Grace and I learned that grace is not just a word; it’s a whole way of living. I don’t want to say anymore about it for fear of not explaining it correctly. However, I will suggest a book than can explain what I have learned about grace. What’s So Amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey. The third week was a Biblical Overview taught by Mike Beaumont, it was amazing to see how the Bible really is all ONE story and how God keeps his promise to Abraham from Genesis ALL the way to Revelation. It was cool to look at the Bible and look into what was happening around this time and what the circumstances were. This past week was on Intentional Living, we did a lot with learning about ourselves and who God created us to be and what he created us to do. This week has really helped me to learn a lot about myself and who I am in Christ.

The days can be pretty busy, with waking up at 7 AM and having lectures until 1 PM. In the afternoons we have a variety of activities, anywhere from sports to small groups. Every day we have community care, which is a time where the whole base takes the time to keep Holmsted clean and tidy; we all have chores that have been assigned to us. I, personally, have the job of wash-up, which is cleaning everything up from lunch and cleaning the dining room. If I had to be honest I am quite good at it because it’s much like my Burger King job at home :).
I have been really challenged these last 4 weeks, God has been pulling me out of my comfort zone a little faster than I am comfortable with but it’s so good for me. I am glad to be able to face my fears and trust God with everything I am doing. Some of these challenges are local outreaches around the villages. I, personally, help out with two local youth groups ages 7-11 and 11-15. I am glad to be able to mentor them and help out in any way I can, it’s also a great way for me to learn how to help people younger than me. These local outreaches are ways to get us ready for our outreach phase.
So, some random things happening around here!! There is a very small prayer room on the guys landing, and the last school had a record of 19 people in the room. My DTS decided to change that, we wanted to break the record and got 23 people into the room!

We also have a girl who loves to take pictures and so, some of her work is throughout this blog. So, now you know where the random pictures are from!

I would love to hear from ya'll and wish I could see your beautiful faces!

My first days at Holmsted!

Hello Everyone!!


I am now at Holmsted. It's nothing like I expected and the staff are really nice. There are 17 girls and 5 guys, this is not including the staff, so there are 22 students. Ironically, one of the guys is from Walhalla, SC, about 30 minutes from Franklin.
It's very unique, everyone is from so many different countries: England, USA, Africa, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Canada, Holland, and Switzerland. And it's alot of fun, we've all been delving into how the others talk and our different cultures!


God has been so amazing, a couple nights ago we did worship, the staff have put together a little "band" and they are very good. There was one song we did by Matt Redman called "Shine", if you get a chance you need to look up the lyrics, I will put the chorus but you need to look up the whole song.

"We will shine like stars in the universe, Holding out Your truth in the darkest place. We´ll be living for Your glory, Jesus we´ll be living for Your glory. We will burn so bright with Your praise O God, And declare Your light to this broken world. We´ll be living for Your glory, Jesus we´ll be living for Your glory."


This song really spoke to my heart and I believe that part of God's commission for me on this trip is to grow so much in and through him that His light will shine through me like the stars in the universe.

Alot of people are looking forward to what's to come but I think in someways I am actually scared for it all, some of the requirements are outside of my comfort zone, it's a challenge for me to face.

Well, that's what is going on right now, I can't wait to hear from you guys! Please write me!

Ruthie Gibson

YWAM Holmsted Manor

Staplefield Road

Cuckfield

West Sussex

RH17 5JF

England

Europe.

Hello everyone!

A little update before I am actually at Holmsted! My siblings and I have been to Paris and now we are in London. First of all, Europe as a whole is so different from the United States. Second of all, Paris and London are very different from eachother. Third of all, don't ever travel with more than a suitcase and a backpack, you'll hate yourself if you travel with more! Fourth of all, I really miss everyone.
In Paris, I knew enough French to get by but not have a conversation and it was quite annoying at times. Here... I'm loving the accents.
On Saturday, I am going to Holmsted ad I am very nervous, I know I shouldn't be everyone else is nervous too but I am despite all of that.
So, here are some prayer requests:
1. That this nervousness would go away, it's so not needed!
2. That I would be open to anything God has for me.
3. That I would stay away from the whole homesickness thing.
4. That I could focus wholly on what I am here to do.
Well, I will keep you updated, please feel free to contact me, I really want to hear from you all!
My Love!

Contact Details

I am leaving tomorrow!! We leave Franklin and drive to Charlotte, then fly to New York City, on to London, and finally take a train to Paris! (For those of you who didn't know, my sisters, brother, and I are going on a vacation to Paris and London for 10 days before they take me to Holmsted!)
The whole point of this blog though is to give everyone contact details. As you will read below, out of all of the ways you can contact me I least encourage phone calls and REALLY encourage letters through the mail. I love each and everyone of you and I know I am going to be homesick, I will really appreciate hearing from all of you! So, until another blog of updates you can contact me through many different ways! Look forward to hearing from you soon! :)

Ruthie's Contact Info:

Snail Mail~ I love to get mail, who doesn't? Please, send me letters! I would love to hear updates and how you're doing!
Ruthie Gibson
YWAM Holmsted Manor
Staplefield Road
Cuckfield
West Sussex RH17 5JF
England

Telephone~ I won't have a cellphone there, so if you want to call me you can but there are restrictions and it does cost an expensive bit. It's also kind of confusing to call out of the country and the time differences can be confusing. I have skype, so if you have skype it's an easy and free way to talk!
There are 2 phone lines to call: (+44) 1444-472-728 or (+44) 1444-450-770
Call between (England time): 1-2 PM 6-7:15 PM After 9 PM

Internet~ This is the easiest way to keep in contact (though not as exciting as snail mail, so if you like to write letters I suggest that one :)!)
Email: babie_ruth91@hotmail.com
Facebook: Deborah Ruth Gibson -If you have facebook, you can see all the pictures I post! Also, just look up that name to add me!
Twitter (Yes, I have a twitter, follow me!): twitter.com/babieruth91
Blogspot: deborahruthgibson.blogspot.com -I have a blog where I will be updating on whats going on! Please visit the site for updates!
Skype: DeborahRuthGibson (all one word!)

Okay, Love ya'll!!

Counting the Days...

Hello Friends!!

So... I leave in 17 days, very soon, yes? I have some updates, prayer requests, and lovely fun things to talk about!
First off, thank you to everyone!! I have all the money I need for the YWAM lecture phase and minimum of the outreach phase (I don't yet know if I will need more and if I will how much...). I also have enough money to get me through the first couple of months at Holmsted Manor (the house where I will be staying), but I know God will continue to provide whatever else I will need! Also thank ya'll so much for the prayer, it has been as important if not more than anything else I have needed. And lastly thank you for all the donations I have gotten, as far as yarn, gloves, and scarves!
Speaking of scarves... I have so far collected about 90 scarves for England, however because it has been such a great success they will not be used for only England. First of all I want to tell you that most of these scarves were made by girls who are part of a blog from rebelution.com created by Alex and Brett Harris, who wrote "Do Hard Things". They have been so helpful, if you want more info you can email me about it! Thanks so much girls!!
Now on to what will happen with the scarves that aren't used in England... When I come back I am going to start a little project called Compassion-Knit. I am going to be selling the knittings on a place like eBay and all the money will go towards an organization like Compassion, Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains, or helping someone with a mission trip. I am very excited about this and several people have exrpressed an interest in continuing to knit so that this project can go on, so please be praying for that!
Some prayer requests: Please pray that God will continue to prepare my heart for what is coming and that it would turn soft for Him to shape! Please pray for the people I will encounter on this trip, that they will be blessed by the Jesus they see in me, pray for my continued support, and please pray for safe travels!

And last of all I have something very exciting yet sort of sad to tell ya'll about! On Labor Day, September 7th my family is throwing me a Bye Bye, Birthday party. It is mainly a goodbye party but it happens to fall on my 18th birthday, so they decided to make it both. It will be at my sister Jami Hina's house, you can either facebook me or email me (babie_ruth91@hotmail.com)for directions. It is from 1-6, it's a cook out, and it's a drop-in, so please, please come by anytime you can!

My love in Christ!

First blog... ever! :)

This is my first ever blog, so hello friends :).

I made this blog b/c I will be leaving for England soon and I wanted a quick and easy way to update everyone on what's going on!

I leave for England in 40 days... it's so soon! This picture is the place where I will be staying, Holmsted Manor.

I ask that each of you keep me in your prayers and I will continue to post, thanks so much!