The Official Adventures of Jyles

Really Something

2012-01-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

Alright.

First, my apologies for taking so long to post again. There's been a lot of things happening and lots of stuff to process so every time I sit down to try and write something, I end up being overwhelmed by the amount of things I would like to say. As much as I would like to share everything, that would simply end up taking me a number of days to write, so I will share the condensed version.

Today was the start of the second week of classes. Last week we had a guy by the name of Emmanuel Entee speaking on "The Nature and Character of God". The most prominent thing I have learned since arriving here is that things rarely go as planned. Though that was his topic, we didn't actually get around to it till the last day. However all the days previous did end up tying in together and it was really great hearing what God laid on his heart for us. This week we have Jeff Pratt speaking on "The Father Heart of God". Before beginning his work with YWAM and as a speaker he was a writer, specializing in movie reviews, so its fitting that he uses lots of movie scenes as illustrations. Really great though. Gods got a lot in store for me this week I know already, so if you could, pray that he would just break into my heart and make the things spoken about cause real transformation that sticks and doesn't leave me when the weak is done.

This last weekend I got to go home with my friend Spencer who lives about an hour away. Had a great time meeting his family and friends and just hanging out (and experiencing some time off the base). On saturday night we went to hear Francis Chan speak, which was absolutely amazing, especially considering that we went through his book "Crazy Love" in Young Adults (Pulse) in fall before I left. Having this time off the base was really helpful in organizing my thoughts and process everything that has been happening so far.

Honestly, the amount of ideas being thrown at us combined with the business and the rarity of time alone has actually begun to overwhelm me to some extent, which for those of you who know me, is not something that happens to me very easily. Its just a lot to take in, and to figure out how it applies, or if it does at all. Because each of us is from such a different background, I've had to realize that not everything that is said is directed at me. So its a bit of challenge to be a discern, and Im constantly praying for God to help me know what I should be taking away from this all. But overall, there's some really cool stuff happening here.

Something that was really big for the girls, and actually happened twice was that all of us guys stood up in class and essentially asked forgiveness for any wrong doing a male figure in their lives had caused them. It was amazing the affect that had on them.

Hopefully I've managed to to give you a window into my life down here. I am thankful for your thoughts and prayers in a way that I really cannot express to you in words. I know that without them I would not be in the place that I am, so again, thank you. If you could pray specifically that God would speak clearly to me and that he would work in a big way in me this week and that I would be open to it. I'd also encourage you to ask God to show you what to pray for for me and pray for that as well.

Once again, thank you for your partnership with me in this. God's work is, and will continue to be done here, and I praise him for you.

Cheers.

Jyles

On Your Way

2012-01-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

Well folks, here it is. My flight leaves in about 5.5 hours, and I have to say things have finally started hitting me. It's mind-blowing that I will be leaving behind everything I have known for 19 years for a new family, a new home, and a new set of experiences. I have always enjoyed meeting new people and being put in new environments, but for the first time I have some uncertainty about it.
This last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I began having misguiding thoughts, trying to muddle my purpose in going and making me doubt whether I should actually go. I know that these were attacks of the devil and only the first of many. I am thankful for all of you who have committed to praying for me during my time. I ask that you keep my spiritual health in those prayers, asking God to give me strength to over come the roadblocks satan will try to place in my way. Once again, your prayers and support are and have been monumental in my life and I feel so incredibly blessed to know so many people willing to support me in my endeavors. When I think about it, I get this picture, of myself stepping forward to meet the challenges coming my way. They are big, intense, and hopelessly difficult. But then I see an ARMY of people extending out behind me, and I know that I will be able to overcome.
The next time you hear from me, I shall be in sunny California.
Cheers.

Jyles

P.S.
For my musical friends, I decided to make my post titles song names. Check each post for a song I'm probably listening to while writing it. Todays: On Your Way - The Album Leaf.

Los Angeles Bound!

2011-11-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing to share with you what God has been doing in my life the past few months and where he is taking me now. I graduated from high school this spring and with that came the inevitable question: what are you going to do now? At the time, I thought I had the answer. My plan was to stay in Winkler for a year, spending my time working full time, making lots of money, and looking into schools I would like to attend for the following year. I was going to put my plan into action starting in fall, so I was able to spend my summer participating in the Grace Youth missions trip to Los Angeles for a week and a half, as well as the remainder of the summer working at Winkler Bible Camp. Los Angeles was a great experience and speaking to so many different people on the Metro there still stands out as a highlight from the trip. As soon as we got back I began my work at WBC, spending a week and a half as a counselor in cabins, and the remainder as a climbing wall assistant. I also lent my musical abilities through playing with the camp worship team that played at each of the chapels. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to interact with the kids through each of my roles, however, it wasn’t so much what I got to see God do in others this summer that impacted me so much as what he did in me.

Midway through the summer God presented the idea of going to a YWAM program instead of my original plan of working the whole time. At first, I didn’t give it much thought. I thought the plan I had was better, and really, thinking about going to school when my bank account was sitting at 2 digits didn’t make any sense. I continued to brush it off for a couple weeks, but the idea kept coming back. I started to consider it, but the truth of it was, I had heard lots of stories from people who had gone to YWAM, and I really didn’t think it was for me. I began to pray about it, but I didn’t actually think God was going to tell me to go. The more I prayed, the harder it was to shake the feeling I should go. I asked God to speak clearly if he wanted me to go. And he did. I recall clearly sitting on the dock at camp one morning with a close friend of mine, Ty Franz, and I got this feeling of being trapped and I just wanted to go somewhere I could leave behind my possessions, my pride, and my reputation, and just focus on God. I told Ty this and he just smiled at me and said, “Dude…That’s YWAM.” That should have been enough. However I made up excuses to dismiss it as something other than God speaking. I was still holding tightly to my own plans. Then one day, I was reading my bible and the Spirit directed me to James 4:13 which says, “You should know better than to say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!’” (CEV). I was floored by how precisely it described my own plans. But it goes on to say in Verse 17, “If you don’t do what you know is right, you have sinned.” I was cornered. I gave into what God had been trying to lead me to for an entire month.

Currently, I have been accepted to YWAM Los Angeles, and am preparing to attend their 6 month Discipleship Training School (DTS) beginning in January. Preparations are coming along well, however there are couple area’s I’m requesting your help. One of the ways is through financial support. Since deciding to attend this program, I have been working and saving up money, however it is clear that, despite my best efforts, I will not be able to raise the full amount on my own. The portion I am looking to fundraise will be going towards the 3 month mission trip that comprises the second half of the program and will end up costing somewhere between 3 and 4 thousand dollars. I am hugely thankful for any and all finacial support I recieve, however, please DO NOT feel that if you cannot support me financially that you can’t come along side me in this journey. More important by far are your prayers and encouragement. I am expecting a great of deal of challenges and growth during my time there. Your support through encouragement and never-ceasing prayers are incredibly important to me. I will be sending updates back regularly during my time there to keep you updated on my adventures and struggles. If you have any questions, or just want to talk please contact me. I would love to connect with you personally as well! Thank you so much for your support in my following Gods voice.

Blessings,

Jyles Klassen