Hello friends,

I am thinking and praying for you guys every week. I miss you and wish I could be there with you this weekend at city wide and see all your beautiful faces! I carry you in my heart, deeply.

I just wrote an email update and sent it out to friends and supporters, but I thought I would start to post them up on the simplechurch website, for those that dont receive my emails, and would like to know what is happening over here, and in my life.

I am hoping to come to Vancouver for a few weeks in July for a visit with friends and family. So if all goes ahead, I hope to see many of you when I come back. When things are more confirmed, I will write with dates and more details.

So until then... here is my April update, if you want to have a read. Its a bit long, so grab a coffee and take a seat! :)

Bless you and love you. Enjoy.

Dayna

APRIL 08 UPDATE:

Kia Ora from Tauranga! How are you? I Hope you are doing well, and that the sun is warming her way into spring for you! It was raining all week here, and I felt like I was back home in Vancouver. We are quickly moving into winter here, and Im loving it. Its getting really cold in the morning and in the evenings, but there is still a bit of warmth throughout the day.

I received great news today. The Tauranga hospital has given me a date for surgery (to remove my adenoids and take biopsy on growth) and I am stoked to move forward with that. The reason for surgery is my adenoids are abnormally large and there is a mass growing on them, so they are just wanting to be safe, and take them out and do a biopsy. The E.N.T specialist says there is a 95% chance its benign, so Im not worried at all. It's just a day surgery. So on May 9th, I will go in, they will take 'em out, and I will wake up and go home. It should be nice and easy. I am continuing to pray for complete restoration for my voice, and I hope that this surgery helps that process along. I wait patiently for the day when I can sing and lead worship again. There is a time for every season under the sun. And this season has been worth more than gold, because of what the Lord has formed and produced in my heart through His refiners fire. I am so grateful. I am currently having a ball playing the Djembe (drum) and piano for 4 worship teams and leading prayer meetings throughout the week, and that is keeping me plenty busy!

Some more exciting news to share is that I am moving into my own place this weekend! Hallelujah!! My friend Nic and I will be moving into a 3 bedrrom house, that is in a complex where a number of other THOP'ers live in apartments. It's been a wonderful blessing to live with the Walsh's (our THOP directors) the past 9 months, and many others over the past 6 years, but I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to having my own place. Thank you Lord. And so, the journey of faith continues as we move, and we've needed to buy everything from a fridge to a washing machine, couch, chairs, microwave, phone, to every kitchen item you can think of! It's times like these I am blown away with the faithfulness of the Lord. I've been able to buy a bed, and someone has already given us a wooden table with 4 chairs, a toaster and a bread maker they weren't using. We got some dishes at a garage sale for $5, a used fridge for a bargain price, and some great deals at a houseware's sale on some kitchen items. We still need quite a few things, but the main things we still need are a microwave, phone, washing machine, couch and I need a set of dresser drawers. I would love your prayers that God would continue to provide and wow our hearts with his love. He is a GOOD FATHER!

Things have been moving forward with the missions training center, and it is so encouraging to see it unfold. Last week, John and Julie Dawson, the President of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) International, were here with us in Tauranga, and that was amazing. John and Julie are beloved leaders and friends with THOP, and they are well respected leaders in the Body of Christ, worldwide.

The Dawson's have been involved with us from the very conception of THOP/missions training center and are very keen to move to New Zealand, and be more hands on with the pioneering of this base and see it move forward. They see this project at the top of their radar in the nations, and this is front line ministry for them. They brought several words that the Lord has spoken to them, and exhorted us strongly to "despise not the day of small beginnings", because what the Lord has in his heart to establish in Tauranga is significant, and will impact the South Pacific in a powerful way.

As you know the vision and reality we are walking out, is to have a House of Prayer leading corporate night and day prayer/worship, with a full time bible school and missions training center, equipping messengers of the gospel and sending them into the nations. We are seeking to do something that has never been done before. We are marrying the House of Prayer DNA with the Youth With a Mission DNA, and partnering together with the church in the city, and establishing a missions training center that will serve not only New Zealand, but Asia and the South Pacific. It will be fascinating to see how the merging of these ministries and their core values and spiritual cultures will take place, but we know that God is in the midst of this and we are excited to see it come into being.

We currently have 40-50 people in our community, both full and part time staff. About 20 of those are singers and musicians. Just to get a picture of where we are headed, for us to lead night and day prayer meetings, 24/7, we would need 150-200 singers and musicians, intercessors and prayer leaders, to enable us to lead 84 (two hour) prayer meetings a week. 84 meetings X 2 hours = 168 hours. There are 168 hours in a week. So we have a ways to go. Right now we are leading 8 hours of prayer a day, 44 hours a week, 4 prayer meetings a day, 22 meetings a week. The Lord is adding to our numbers, and the greatest thing is that it does not depend on us. He will build his house. He will set his watchman on the walls. He bring his people to his house of prayer, to his holy mountain. Its not our job to recruit and make it happen. The Lord sovereignly leads his people, and he will build his house of prayer. This is in his word, and its in his heart to do. (Isaiah 56:6-7, Isaiah 62)

We are unapologetic about calling a generation to give themselves to prayer and worship, and to minister before the Lord. Whether it be for a short season of 6 months, or for 5 years, or for their full time occupation, we trust the Lord to set his watchman on the walls and to keep the fire on the altar burning. We are calling youth and young adults to come encounter the Lord in the place of prayer and worship, to gaze upon the beauty of God and go deep in the word of God, and from that place be empowered and equipped to live the sermon on the mount and bring forth the kingdom of God in whatever sphere they are called to. We are preparing and looking forward to our next THOP Internship starting in August 08', and we are pioneering our first Discipleship Training School (DTS- a YWAM school) in September 08'. We look forward to see who the Lord brings to us and joins our THOP family for this season.

We have had 2 more young couples (Matt and Korah, Raph and Jenny) move to Tauranga to join us, who were key leaders in YWAM Australia. The Lord sovereignly spoke to them and called them to leave Newcastle and move to Tauranga. Matt is John and Julies Dawson's son, and Jenny is their niece. It is crazy how the Lord has led them here, and how he is calling families together in ministry. When you look at our staff, and see who the Lord has led here and hear their stories, the sovereignty of God is mind blowing.

And as the story unfolds and we move forward, one thing for sure is that you are a major part of all of this. You have an rich inheritance in the Tauranga House of Prayer and New Zealand. You have partnered with me in friendship, prayer and finances and sown seeds into my life, that are bearing fruit here in NZ and are enabling me to serve this ministry. You are the extended family of this community. My prayer is that the Lord would continue to give back to you a hundred fold as you have given so generously to me, and this ministry. Thank you again, for your time, resources, friendship and support. I could not be here without you. And I dont take that lightly. Being a full time singer and musician in the House of Prayer is one of the greatest privileges, and its what I was created to do. To be released to minister before the Lord and to build this House of Prayer in Tauranga, fills my heart with gratitude to the Lord and to you.

For those of you that pray for me. Thank you. Here are a few key prayer points this week:

- For continued healing for my hands (ezcema) and complete restoration of voice (vocal chords)
- That God would provide sovereignly, finances and things that we need for our new place. (specifically a couch, washing machine, dresser)
- Grace to pray and go deep in the word. I want to encounter the fullness of Jesus. I am desperate for encounter and deep communion with God.
- Grace to labor in the prayer room and to build the House of Prayer. Intercession is awesome, and glorious, but its hard work, and I need grace and power on my frame from the Holy Spirit, BIG TIME.

Well I think thats all for now. I'm carrying you in my heart and thinking and praying for you today.

Bless you, Love to you from New Zealand!

Dayna