Joy is coming!

                                                     Ben and I at our Training Graduation


Many are asking what we're doing next. First of all, you should all know that we are expecting our first baby September 29th! Yep, that's right! We are going to be parents. Finding out we were pregnant didn't change anything, but it definately was a big day when we found out! Actually, there is a great story to the whole idea of being ready to have children.

Ben and I both decided to wait until we had been married for about 5 years before trying for children. When a speaker came to London, Don Price, our hearts changed. He was speaking on the Father heart of God and when he prayed for us later that day, he began praying about us and our future children and being pregnant and how much of a blessing children are. It made me (Tara) think. So I ha a chat with Ben and nervously told him that I felt ready to have children. I was afraid he would not be on the same page as me. To my surprise, Ben said that he was ready too. God changed both of our hearts on the matter within the same day! Very cool.

As our time in the discipleship training school continued, there were four separate speakers on four separate occasions that didn't  know us or our present situation but began to pray that "Joy is coming. Joy is coming". We thought, "Ok, God. That's awesome! You're going to bring joy into our marriage. We don't have a problem with that!". The 3rd time someone prayed that over us, our 2 friends were standing in the back of the room and each of them had a vision of a little girl behind us...named joy. It was a lot to take in.

                                       Picture taken as we saw our first ultrasound of the baby!


About 1 1/2 months later we find out we are expecting. Expecting JOY! When we told our outreach leader she prayed for us. And guess what she prayed? That JOY was coming! Oh its so amazing. Ben and I have decided that whether its a boy or girl, the name will have a meaning of Joy. We have some girl names picked out, but no boy ones yet. ;)

We told our families and they were ecstatic. I was about 10 weeks when we had to fly to the US from London. I was nervous, because they say to avoid flying in the first trimester, but I trusted God and when made it to NYC safe and sound! After a day in NYC, we took a train to Virginia where our Aunt and Uncle picked us up.

We are staying with Ben's parents until June. His Dad is having both of his knees replaced (one has already been replaced and he is doing really well!). We were able to visit with my (Tara's) family in Hendersonville for 2 weeks. Since my Mom is an OB/GYN Nurse, she asked her boss, a doctor, to do a quick ultrasound for me since I hadn't seen the baby yet. He agreed and I am so glad he did! So at 12 weeks, we FINALLY got to see our baby and the heartbeat. I'll add a photo here but all you can see is the baby's head. On facebook I have uploaded a video of the ultrasound and our baby moves around a lot!

                                            There's peanut at 12 weeks prego! Very big, smart, head :)

During our stay in Hendersonville, we met with our old employers and had fun time with friends and family. I (Tara) kept feeling the tug in my heart to come back to Hendersonville for awhile but I wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or just God speaking to me.

Our original plan was to go to Harpenden, England in June as staff. We would be there for a minimum of two years. Actually, we have already sent in our application and everything. We just continued to pray for God to give us a definite yes or no about moving back near London. But God didn't give us a definite yes or no. He told us to just make our own decision and He will be with us and for us either way.

Which leads us to our decision...to live in Hendersonville, TN for awhile. My (Tara's) parents are going to finish up the garage into a cute little apartment for us. Our previous jobs are available for us. (Well, maybe not the cleaning for Tara unless she can talk her boss into it that its totally safe for her to be cleaning). The honest truth is that we want to try and really hit our student loans hard and get those off our backs. Tara and Ben both have a desire to become health advisors or nutritionists as well. Maybe there's some schooling in the near future. Eventually, it would be ideal to have our home base somewhere (Hendersonville? Nashville?), be free of student loan debt, and be financially able to pack up and go do short term outreaches in the summer. Africa for 3 months? India? Now that we have connections with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) and several other missionaries, the possibilities are endless.

In the end, our heart is to "refine soil" no matter where we are. To minister to people. To hear and seek God and encourage others to do so. To be missionaries no matter where we are. After a long talk with a married couple of ours, they thanked us and told us how therapeutic our conversation was to their marriage. They simply needed some encouragement and affirmation that they're not the only ones being attacked by the enemy as a couple. I was reminded at that moment how God works in and through everything and everywhere.

So that's where we are now. Moving, yet again, to Hendersonville TN in June (when those annoying Cicadas will be here!) and having our first baby in September. We really don't have anything to worry about. We know that JOY IS COMING!

                                                Joy is coming! My baby belly at 12 weeks

The End of the Beginning

                            We were doing face painting and I gave Ben a tattoo. Do you like it?




We have 5 more days in the UK before we come "home" to the U.S. for a few months. But before I get all sentimental on you, I think I should give you a little update on what has been happening in our last 2 weeks in Rotherham, England. Have you ever heard of Rotherham, England? Me neither...

                          The church building where we stayed. The people were so awesome!

Honestly, the last 2 weeks of outreach were the hardest for me. A lot of comfort that I take for granted (like hot showers, a bed, heat, etc.) were taken away in Rotherham. Once we arrived, they showed us where we would be staying: in the basement in the church. Without heat. On an air mattress. Ben and I actually got a good deal and slept in the flower closet! And there were a few heaters we were allowed to turn on at night, so things got a bit better in the comfort area. I also like to be clean...and the shower broke the first week we were there. I went 6 days without a shower! 6 DAYS!!! I ended up buying baby wipes the 3rd day because I was starting to feel hopless about the situation....

Now you see that people really DO suffer for Jesus in a country like England. You never know do you? Ok...now to get to the real stuff we did while we were there....

We had a crazy busy schedule and were involved in so many things  that my head felt like it was spinning most of the time we were there. We did dramas that we had prepared at several different places: Salvation Army, Kids Club, Church services, etc. There were lots of testimonies and preaching, etc. Actually...I preached for the first time in my life! Growing up, this wasn't something I was familiar with but I quite enjoyed it!

A favorite outreach moment in Rotherham
My favorite thing from the outreach was a conversation I had with a new friend, Paul. We met at Shiloh ministries, a feeding ministry for the poor/homeless. Paul had been sober for 3 days when I met him, and was seriously considering going back to the drugs/alcohol because his life was looking rough. No heat or electricity in his house, no food, that sort of thing. He has several piercings and tattoos. Maybe some would have been fearful to talk to him but the moment I saw him I knew that me and my friend Andrea would be a good team to talk with him.

Lucky for us, the Lord had already been working this past week in Paul's life and speaking to him. Some others had already planted some seeds in his life. I love it when the harvest is ready! When I meet someone that desperately needs the Lord but someone else has already done the hard work. Its refreshing, isn't it? Because usually we are the ones moving rocks, pulling weeds, getting the soil ready to receive the truth. Ahhh....love it!

Paul shared his life story with us and Andrea was able to relate to him with her testimony. He sat and listened to every word, which surprised me. I really felt the Lord telling me to give him a specific verse in Galatians so I told him about it. He was really astounded. So much that he said, "Wow, I really need to read my Bible. There's some good stuff in there". Anyway, it was really encouraging and I ask you to be in prayer for Paul. We also reminded him of Paul in the Bible and his story....which he really related to!

What now?
Now we have arrived back in London for our last week before graduating from our training. Friday night is graduation night! Whoo hooo! On Monday we will be flying to Iceland and then to NJ. We decided to spend the 2 nights in the hotel near the airport in NJ to rest (yay for some points I had earned for free hotel stays! What a blessing.) If we feel up to it, we might take the train into NYC for the afternoon since Ben hasn't ever seen NYC. We will take the Amtrack train on Wednesday from NJ to VA where Ben's parents will pick us up. We'll be in VA until the end of May and hopefully coming back to the UK in June. We will be coming to Nashville March 15-24 so mark your calendars! And I get to go see my sister in Venezuala (again...thank you frequent flyer miles!) on my birthday which will be fun. We have a more concrete idea about what we will be doing but are still waiting on some things to be confirmed. We'll keep you updated....

Things you can pray about
* our friend Paul in Rotherham. Pray he stays sober and that God continues to speak to him and he realizes it is God and not just coincidence.
* clarity and confirmation on what we will be doing after our few months in the U.S.
* Safe travels on Monday to the U.S. and safe travels from NJ to VA on the train on Wednesday. We are traveling with 5 pieces of luggage and our carry on so it will be interesting...


Important announcement!
Since we are coming back to the states for a few months we will be changing our Paypal back to our personal account. This means if you give us a donation the next few months it will not be tax deductible. We'll let you know when it changes back (probably in June). SEE YOU SOON!

Christmas UK style....

This year's Christmas was probably the most...different Christmas I have ever spent. Check out my facebook page to see pics. Here's how it went...

We had 4 days off for Christmas. And, well, we kind of wanted to get out of London considering all transportation is shut down on Christmas Day. So we went to Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Me.

Ben.

Valerie.

Jordan.

On Christmas Eve eve we journeyed out to Victoria station to await our 9 hour bus ride. Midway there I realized we forgot our passports. Yay. So Valerie and I went ahead to get a good spot in line for the bus (because I was NOT about to sit to a stranger for 9 hours). It was a hilarious sight to see me to attempt to carry 2 massive suitcases up some stairs. I guess there was some Christmas spirit in London because two men stopped to help us carry our stuff.

We managed to all make it to the bus station and after a good fight to keep our first in line spots, we were all set on the 9 hour overnight bus ride. It wasn't a good sleep at all, BUT when I awoke it was to beautiful white snowy Scottish hills all around me!

I was so excited about a white Christmas! 

CHRISTMAS EVE DAY CONSISTED OF: 

Walking a mile to our hostel in the snow, luggage in tow. Checking into our hostel and then exploring the city. This included many Harry Potter sights where J.K. Rowling wrote the books. We enjoyed breakfast at The Elephant room where she wrote the first books. Ben had a full Scottish breakfast.

Haggis. (mix of the nastiest parts of animals and oatmeal)

Black Pudding. (not quite sure but there's blood in it. sick)

The real deal.....

I stuck with a chorizo/egg panini and a beautifully crafted soya latte. 

Then we walked around in a graveyard to try and find the Tom Riddle grave. We finally did :)

By this time we were all exhausted but kept on trucking. We walked down the royal mile, enjoyed watching some bagpipe playing, browsed a German Christmas Market, etc.

Oh, and for those of you who don't know my maiden name is McKinney, which is Scottish. So I found our plaid and bought material to make a blanket. 

We came back to the hostel and I made some Bubble bread and popcorn. Ben and I just stayed inside and watched some Christmas movies. I went to bed a little sad and yes, cried a little bit for not being in the U.S. with the fam...but all in all it was a pretty good day.

CHRISTMAS DAY

I woke up to see a long black sock hanging from my bed and then Ben telling me some elves had come in the middle of the night. (The hostel workers literally came into our room and hung socks filled with goodies on all of our beds. Kind of creepy it sounds, I know, but it was fun to wake up to). 

Ben and I got ready for the day and went to St. Giles, the 2nd oldest building in the city, for a morning Christmas service. It was a conservative Anglican service but we really enjoyed it. The inside of the cathedral was absolutely gorgeous. 

After the service, we walked back to the hostel and it was time for breakfast and presents! I warmed up the bubble bread and made some starbucks coffee (thanks Mom for sending that!) and then we opened presents next to the fire. One of my favorite gifts was an owl hat (pictures on facebook) from Ben!

Ben and I decided to spend the majority of our Christmas day hiking up to the very top of a dormant volcano (Arthur's seat). Keep in mind that it was very snowy and icy. It took quite awhile to get to the top, maybe an hour or so. Getting down seemed to take longer since it was so icy. Honestly, we pretty much skiied down on our boots haha. And we also rolled down the hill (video on facebook). It was fun.

But I was FREEZING! and it took an hour in the freezing cold to walk back to the hostel. 

When we got back and ready for the evening, I found Jordan was talking to some of the guys from the hostel around the fire. There was a LOT of talk happening. They were basically grilling us about our faith, what we believe in, the Bible and its accuracy, Jesus, etc. It was AWESOME!!!! By the end of the conversation, everyone we talked to left telling us that we were different than "Christians" that they had met. I've decided that I am going to be much more careful about calling myself a Christian because for a lot of people in this world, that is a negative thing. They picture a bible thumping screamer on the side of the street, condemning people. Anyway, it was a highlight of our time there. Some major seeds were planted.

It didn't seem like Christmas at all, truly. But thankfully our friend Rebecca (who lives in Edinburgh) invited us over to her house for a few hours that night and when we arrived it totally felt like Christmas! Her house was so cozy and warm with a Christmas tree. We were served tea and shortbread (very British) and opened Christmas crackers (also very British). It was super fun. And we had jambalaya for dinner.

Thats right.

Jambalaya as my Christmas meal.

Beat that. 

It was so good considering we had only eaten breakfast. 

So this Christmas was different. But it was good. A good time....

Hope your Christmas was good as well. :)

"COME, FOLLOW ME"

Jesus was a Rabbi. 

He asked a few fisherman to "Come, Follow Me"

In Jesus time, all Jewish children would attend school at the age of 6. They would be under the teaching of the local Rabbi (teacher), who was the most respected member of the community. By the age of 10 the students would have the first five books of the Bible (The Torah) memorized. 

Genesis.

Exodus.

Leviticus.

Numbers.

Deuteronomy.

Can you imagine having to memorize the family lines? The Laws in Leviticus? Ugh. By the age of 10!

Maybe it was easier because not everyone had a copy of the Torah. Actually, there was probably only one copy per village kept in the synagogue and only read once a week. 

At age 10, students would begin to sort of....divide into two groups. 

Those who had natural abilities to understand scripture. The "smart" kids.

Those who chose to work in the family business. The "not so smart" ones.

The "smart kids" went on to the next level of education, called Bet Talmud and spent the next four years memorizing the ENTIRE Old Testament.

Genesis through Malachi.

All of it. 

Memorized. 

By a 14 year old. 

Do you have the Old Testament memorized?

I don't...

Believe it or not, there was a next step in the education of these Jews in Jesus time. It was to apply to become a talmidim (disciple) of the Rabbi. The goal was not to be the Rabbi's favorite student, but to actually do what the Rabbi did. 

The student had spent 8 years memorizing the Old Testament, Genesis through Malachi. Wrestling with questions about God and what the scriptures meant. And now was the moment where he would have the chance to be a disciple of the Rabbi. To do what the rabbi did. 

Only one catch.

The Rabbi has to believe that the student has what it takes. 

He has to believe in the student. 

If he believes that the student has what it takes, the Rabbi would say, "Come, follow me". 

Are you seeing where I am going with this? Let's continue....

Fast forward some time, and you see a Rabbi who is starting his teaching and training of disciples at the age of 30 (which is when a Rabbi usually begins teaching and training). 

This Rabbi's name is Jesus. 

And He calls out to fisherman, who hadn't made the cut. Didn't believe they were "good enough" (or were told this) to continue their education. Memorize the entire Old Testament. Apply to follow a Rabbi.

Jesus asks these fisherman to "Come, follow me." 

Jesus believed they had what it took.

Jesus believes we have what it takes. 

Jesus BELIEVES IN US. 

Why don't we believe in ourselves? Why do we choose to believe others (parents, teachers, peers, church "authority", etc.) who tell us we don't make the cut. 

Jesus BELIEVES IN US. 

Jesus asks us to COME, FOLLOW ME.

And even more on the plus side, His yoke is easy. 

When Jesus was frustrated with his disciples over the course of His teaching, He wasn't condemning them, telling them they weren't good enough yet. 

Peter didn't sink into the water because He lost faith that Jesus would help him walk on water. Peter lost faith in himself. 

Peter lost faith that he could do what his Rabbi was doing.

JESUS BELIEVES WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. 

BELIEVE YOU CAN BE LIKE HIM.

BE LIKE HIM.

(The idea and main concept of this blog came from a book called "Velvet Elvis", which I highly recommend)

Serbia Here We Come!

Today we found out where we are going on our outreach and the place is...

SERBIA!!!

Serbia is located in Southern Europe and is beautiful (see picture of Uzice above) That's about all I know about it at the time and am researching more. We also know that we will  be in the city of Uzice and helping with a new ministry. We will be making a lot of contacts with the people there, performing dramas, serving in churches, etc. We are basically there to serve and do whatever is needed to help the ministry grow there in Uzice.

We will be in Serbia for 3 weeks of the outreach and then going to somewhere in the UK for the last 3 weeks (possibly Wales)

We are in dire need of funds to be able to go to Serbia. The reality is that if we cannot raise the funds that we need to go on this outreach, then we aren't going. Not only that, we won't have completed our training with YWAM and cannot be on staff or continue on in this organization. We must complete an outreach phase to be considered as completing the training.

YOU CAN HELP IN MANY WAYS, EVEN IF ALL YOU HAVE TO GIVE IS $5 (or less!)
The total amount we need is approximately $3,700, but don't let that massive number scare you! Also, if you donate via the donate button on our blog then it is a tax-deductible donation done online! So easy!  When you donate through paypal button you must write that the donation is for Ben and Tara. Otherwise it will go towards YWAM London's general fund and not to us as there is no way of knowing it is for us if you don't specify.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP


* Sponsor us for one day while we are on outreach- $90 sponsors both me and Ben for one day. We will give you a day that is your day to sponsor us and ask that you pray for us throughout that day

* Support Tara while she runs a race in a Santa Suit and Ben as he does 2,000 pushups per week.  There is a facebook event page for both of these but you can just click the donate button on our blog and give $2, $5, $10, whatever!

* Purchase a calendar created by Tara with photos taken in and around London. Click on the LuLu button on our blog.


****WE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT WHEN DONATING VIA PAYPAL ON OUR BLOG THAT YOU  MAKE SURE TO WRITE THAT YOUR DONATION (BIG OR SMALL) IS FOR BEN AND TARA. *****


***Donations via the paypal button on our blog are tax-deductible***




Please continue to be in prayer for us and thank you for all your support! We will be learning dramas and working out how outreach will really play out from now on. Pray that the Lord would lead us in absolutely everything as we plan outreach.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

I Won't Be Home for the Holidays....

Its true. We won't be home for the holidays. This past Thursday was the first Thanksgiving I have ever spent away from family. Yes, the morning was tough. But as soon as I walked down the stairs and heard my new family (of 20+ mind you) shout, "Happy Thanksgiving!"...I immediately felt better.

We spent the morning of Thanksgiving in class (instead of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in my PJ"s and munching on my Mama's infamous "Bubble Bread). In the afternoon we had an outreach which I was SO thankful for. I was able to do the thing my soul most loves: bringing truth and love to the world through evangelism. It was International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day. Our team went out into our city centre and handed out pamphlets on Violence and how to get help. We had a microphone and music playing. There were 6 of us (me included!) that were human statues depicting violence against women. I looked pretty beaten up thanks to Christian Vargas's amazing makeup job. There were some of us taking survey's on what the people know and think about violence.

Some of the people on our team gave testimonies over the mic, one including my friend who was a victim of domestic violence. This was a big deal considering a large percentage of our area is Muslim and the men are known to beat their wives. They weren't so happy with us that day. In the end, it was an amazing time because the people in our community are realizing and recognizing who we are more and more. They know we are Christians. They know we're against violence. They know that we pick up trash in the streets everyday without being paid. They know we say hello to them and care about them. Progress is being made and the enemy is losing his battle over Harlesden, London. That is for sure.

UPDATE ON OUTREACH
* We are waiting to hear where we will be going for outreach. We should know by the end of next week for sure. As soon as we find out we will let you know!
* The possibile places for outreach (so you can be praying) are: United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Serbia, Israel, Romania, Spain
* We need to raise $3,000 for the outreach phase and are also starting to think about getting monthly support. (We raise our own living expenses/salary/etc.)
* We leave for outreach January 4th

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT US FOR OUTREACH
* Donate a small donation via paypal on this block. Click the donate button
* Sponsor us for one day or week through prayer and finances. $50 will sponsor us for one day
* Purchase a calendar we created with photos we have taken while we have been here. Great Christmas gift! Click on the LULU button on this page to check it out. Its all done online
* Purchase a CD on LULU.com (we will be finishing this soon)
* Send us a tax-deductible donation by making the check out to YWAM London with Ben and Tara in the memo line. Send it to:
Tara and Ben Tioaquen
17709 Bowling Green Rd.
Smithfield, VA 23430

We Have Won!

It is Finished

I have seen the Passion of the Christ twice.  The first time was when it came out in the theatres when I was in high-school. I remember my heart hurting, sobbing, and watching the screen with my mouth wide open in utter horror. And then of course at the end, crying tears of joy and wanted to shout Hallelujah when Jesus stands up in the tomb and you see the holes.  After the movie I decided that one time was enough and I never wanted to see it again.

Today, instead of having our class, we watched The Passion of the Christ. I really didn’t’ want to. This week of classes has been so intense spiritually, and I was secretly hoping for a lighthearted missions documentary or something. Nope. The Passion of the Christ.  So now I am completely drained spiritually and just a complete mess. Jesus has made me a mess because He’s got to put me back together again and make me more beautiful than I was before.

This week we have been studying about how the enemy attacks us, deceives us, and how we must surrender our entire life over to Christ.  Its been really challenging and I’ve learned some things that I never knew. Yesterday the Lord really broke me and spoke to me. My Lord. My Jesus.  Sometimes I forget what He did for me. What He CHOSE to do for me. He chose to surrender His OWN will to the will of God. Even though He was equal with God, humbled Himself and made Himself a servant so that I might have eternal life. Abundant life. And moreover, a life with Him. With my God. My Savior. My Jesus.

Have you seen Saving Private Ryan? Near the end, the soldier Ryan goes to the gravesite where  the Captain who died for him is buried. The soldier looks at the Captain’s tombstone and says, “I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me.” In otherwords, “Is the way I have lived my life worth the sacrifice you made for me?  Worth your death in place of mine?” Wow. My question is this: Am I living my life in a way that makes Christ sacrifice, torturous death for me worth it?”  I’m not asking myself this to bring guilt. But to bring about a passion in me to want to live the kind of life that was worth dying for.  

There is life to be had. Abundant life. Freedom. Joy. Grace. Mercy. LOVE. Why don’t we grab hold of these things since they are given to us freely? Why do I continue to live in my own world of fear, distrust, control, independence, etc.  Did you know that when Jesus cried out, “It is Finished” on the cross,  the  greek word is  tetelestai? And one meaning of that word is one  that soldiers would cry out in the streets of Rome after they had won a battle to proclaim their victory! It was as if, on the cross, Jesus was looking up and saying, “Papa…we’ve won!” Beloved! We have won! LETS LIVE LIKE WE HAVE WON!!!

God obviously has a lot that He is doing in my life. And honestly, it a painful and tiring process. I’m so exhausted spiritually and emotionally after classes that I have to take a nap! And if you know me…I don’t take naps.  But, to God be the glory and I can’t wait to see what He continues to do.