It's been a month!

Hey hey hey friends! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this BEAUTIFUL month of August!! Here is an update on my new life.

I moved out to YWAM Northwoods in Chetek, Wisconsin on August 8th. As you know I am living here as Discipleship Training School (DTS) staf

f. We've been working on contacting potential students, setting up events and scheduling the school. I've been making calls and emailing many potential students, while going over and praying about the applications we have in already.

The beginning weeks were hard. When I got here on the night of the 8th, they didn't have a room for me to live in so I stayed on a friends couch. The next day I found a room and had to clean it all out and then could finally move in! Adjusting to what we do here and living on campus while not being a student was kinda crazy in the beginning. But I am getting more in a groove now and I'm starting to love my new position!

I'm so glad that I'm here. I know that I'm going to be stretched and torn apart for the sake of Christ but I'm so pumped for what God is doing! I really catching a heart for the upcoming DTS! This years but also I have a heart for next years already. I'm really excited for the students coming in. I pray that they experience God in a new way that causes them to grow rapidly in Christ. That God will instill in the students a solid "life style" faith that they continue to walk in the rest of their lives. Of course I am already excited for Nahong Thailand as well. We'll be leaving in January for 2 months to do the ministry in Nahong. My heart breaks for the people there and I can't wait to get back there and work. In October my self and the rest of our Nahong team will start work on setting everything up. From travel to the ministry and activity once we get to Thailand.

I've been very blessed since getting here as far as ministry and finances. I

thank you so much for your support of my mission and pray that God continues to provide. My first week here I met with a pastor at a church about 30 min from base. In that meeting I took the worship leader position for their contemporary service. I'm very excited about the opportunity! The pastor

gave me control of everything to do with the worship arts dept for "The Awakening" which is the name of the ministry. They also offered to pay me for taking the position so I'm very pumped.

Last weekend one of my best friends Tyler married his awesome fiancée Holly! They were both my staff in dts and Tyler was staff in my sbf. It was really great to see my good friends ge

t married and start their new life together. It was a beautiful wedding. The thing I loved most about it was that it was so God centered. Their was a dance and definitely a party but it was an awesome environment and great wedding.

Another event since I've moved, is my state of relationship. My best friend is Cheyenne Clark. We prayed a lot about our friendship on our own without each other knowing and then we came together and prayed about it together. After waiting and praying we truly felt God speaking to us and showing us things about ourselves and each other and us together. We know the call that God has on our lives to be in ministry for Christ and we share a vision and priority for that. It has caused me to grow personally a lot as well. She works along side me, convicts me and encourages me to continue in growth. We love doing ministry together and growing in our relationship with one another but most importantly with God. Growing alongside each other has been an amazing blessing and continues to be. I'm very excited and praise God for His constant

provision in every facet of my life.

Prayer requests and needs: As far as my needs go I always welcome prayer. This job is very stretching. We are servants to everyone as we are to Christ which is how it is meant to be but that can be very hard as you know. Sometimes it can feel as if your always working because of things that come up that you end up doing throughout the day. So pray for strength and a stronger heart of servant hood. Finances. I appreciate so much the support I have received from all of you. It helps me with my everyday needs and strengthens my faith.

I just thought I would share with you the needs of the base as well in case you know someone or God lays something on your heart.

Base Needs: Right now we are looking for a good deal or donation of a 15 psgr van for our DTS to transport staff and students from place to place on group events and outreaches.

We need to redue the roof on the main lodge very badly so we're praying for assistance and finances for that.

We also need to remodel the guys wing of the lodge sometime in the future. A lot of the bathrooms are going bad and we just need to remodel so we can better house students.

Our washer machienes have crapped out on us so all the staff is working with one washer that is working.

I love you guys very much. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. I'm praying for all of you as well.

~Lucas

Blue sky morning

Hello all,

Well this last week has been absolutely CRAZY! It all started when my sister and I left to visit our family in Ohio. It was great to go on a road trip with my sister Brianna and really get to hang out.

It really blessed my grandma as well. She is the coolest lady ever and lives by herself, so it was really great to spend time with her!

I also got to hang out with my awesome cousin Andrew! It was awesome. We've been best friends since berth so it was really great to get down there and hang out. The trip was top off by getting to visit my best friend in Wisconsin on the way home. All in all an amazing trip!

Now I'm back in Minnesota, this will be my last week at home before moving out to Wisconsin after church on Sunday! I'm pretty excited to move but it is still a huge step. I am so excited for what is going to be happening in my life. There will be some big new things that I could not be more happy about and there will also be some crazy stuff that I won't see coming. I am ready for the challenge and privilege to serve.

So I will be spending my week hanging out with friends. Packing my things and figuring out everything for the move! I'm excited for this new time in my life and can't wait to get started!

If you would like to hang out this week, let me know!! Or if you have any more questions about YWAM, my reasons for going, what I'll be doing or just to talk please get a hold of me.

I greatly appreciate all your prayers and support. Please pray about possibly supporting me in this. I feel called to this as you probably know and I'm very excited about it! People like you supporting me is my means of being able to continue this work and I greatly appreciate every donation that I receive. You are a part of what I'm doing here and my ministry.

If you would like to support me all donations can be tax deductible. For tax refund make check out to YWAM Northwoods- simply include my name in the letter and it will be put in my account. Send all support and mail to mailing address below

Reach me at Facebook: Facebook.com search Lucas Neraasen Email:lukieneraasen@yahoo.com. Mailing address: YWAM NorthWoods W14580 County Highway D, Weyerhaeuser, WI 54895

The adventure awaits

Hello Friends and family!

I apologize for not being able to update you guys during the last few months. I've been beyond busy the last 4 months of my life!


As many of you know, last year I went to Youth With a Mission ( a missions organization that trains young adults to go out into the world as missionaries and followers of Christ). During my Discipleship training school we went to Nahong Thailand for a two month outreach. Once there I felt called to do the second school that YWAM northwoods had to offer, the School of Biblical Foundations (SBF) and that's where I'll start! My latest adventures!

SBF was an extremely intense course that taught me how to study the bible in depth, understand the truths of God's word and teach others from the bible. I feel deeply grounded and firm in what I believe and have a desire to share the word of God and the life it brings to the people around me. At the end of SBF I made the decision to make an outward statement of my faith, by being baptized! I'm very excited for what lies ahead!

In the school we had an intense homework load where I was hardly sleeping in order to finish the projects. Through it I feel much stronger in my faith then I ever have before. I know without God I would not have made it through this intense school and I praise Him and give Him all the glory.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support while I was in SBF!!

I have recently come home and I will be home for a month before going back to Wisconsin. I've been accepted as Discipleship Training School (DTS) staff! I will be staffing the schools and I will also be leading the outreach to Nahong Thailand this winter! I have had a strong calling to the ministry in Nahong ever since I went there last winter.

As of now I am signed on for the next two years! I will be moving back to Chetek Wisconsin in early August.

Reasons for going:

When I was a little kid, all I wanted to be was my dad. I wanted to be just like him! So I would imitate \ him as best I could. Walk like him, talk like him, listen to his music and anything else that was something my dad would do. I had no reason to walk around with a toothpick in my mouth! I never used the thing. But dad did it so I had to do it. It felt so cool. When people would see me with the toothpick they'd always say “He looks just like his dad”. I love my dad and because I loved him I wanted to be like him and make him proud.

In the last year I've gone through many life changing experiences and my life vision has completely changed. The way I imitated my dad when was a child is how I now want to imitate Christ. I've learned much about what's important in life and I've come to the conclusion that everything points back to God and the gospel. I feel called to bring the gospel to Nahong Thailand and the people around me today. I want to bring young Christians the real Jesus and the true life giving gospel so that they can truly live!

In DTS I will be working with young adults for a 3 month classroom phase and a 2 month outreach phase. Doing one-on-ones with the young men and leading some local outreaches as well. I will be one of the people who set up our team transportation, translators and ministry in Thailand. I will be overseeing the English teaching ministry at the school in Nahong as well. It will be a lot of work but I am called to serve at the school in Wisconsin and in Nahong Thailand. It will be a great deal of responsibility but I am ready for the challenge.

Ways you can help:

Prayer: I value all of your prayers greatly. I have felt the power of prayer in my life so please pray. This will be the most challenging thing I've ever done so I greatly appreciate prayers.

Financial Support: I am taking a great step of faith being a missionary with no form of income other then the support of others. It does give me more reliance on God for provision however.
I will be living a normal life with living expenses, basic essentials and gas, plus a trip to Thailand this winter. If it is laid on your heart to give either a one time donation or even monthly support I can not express my thanks enough for that.
I consider you all a MAJOR part of my ministry. Your by my side here and in Thailand, working with me.
If you would like to help me in my mission, have questions or just wanna talk, please contact me! I'm on Facebook: Search Lucas Neraasen, Email: lukieneraasen@yahoo.com, Mailing Address: YWAM Northwoods W14580 County Highway D, Weyerhaeuser, WI 54895

Thank you so much. And God bless

Luke

The Ride

Soak every moment in deeply. Allow it to permeate your senses so as to experience everything in your life to the fullest. The love, the hurt, the joy, the pain, the beauty of life, the darkness in this world and the light in this world. But most of all the GLORY of our AMAZING beautiful Father who without we would have no light, no love, no music or life. Cherish the friends and loved ones that God has blessed you with but also love your enemies. Let the rhythm of His love carry you through fire and allow creation to saturate you in vivid color and splendor! There are a plethora of evils and hardships on this ride we call life. But persevere and do not lose hope. If it was not for hope, then what but death? Hope, Joy and Love even when your world is engulfed by hardship and dismay. Find the beauty in the dark places. Live Sweetly Broken