"The Fellowship of the Unashamed"

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace
is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander
in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until
Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes. And when He comes to get
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.

I am not ashamed of the gospel . . . Romans 1:16

God has been really speaking to me a lot through this letter. If you have just read this I even recommend that you read it again sometime, maybe print it out and post it in your room. I was told by Brandon that a 15 year old kid wrote this and shortly after that he was martyred for his Faith in Jesus Christ. Every time I read this I think about my life with God and what I am doing to live out my Faith. I love reading this because it Fires me up for God. It makes me look from a heavenly lens into what I do everyday and it puts me in check of what I am doing. I love it! I thank God for this kids boldness, it is one that we can all learn from. I pray that someday I will be able to stand that way and walk that way with God the way this 15 year old kid did. He has his eyes set on the right prize!

Even when I read this right now it makes me think about having revelation of the Cross. If any of you have ever had a revelation of the Cross then you know how powerful it is what i am talking about. I was having worship one night in the prayer room with a couple of people, we had an i pod and speakers so that was our worship. And as I was sitting there I started thinking about Jesus and what he did for our sins. And you know what, God really spoke to me in that instant. It wasn't like this audible voice that out looked the speakers or anything but it was more a chain of ideas in my mind that played out like a movie. I thought about my Sin... all the things that I have done today and in the past that were hideous in Gods eyes. And I think about the Cross, where Jesus Christ came in my place. First of all He left Heaven his home for us. Imagine that difference. We cry when we have cold water overseas and spicy food that makes us poop a lot. Yes it is true when we travel across the world for others sake and for God we have struggles. But imagine Jesus sitting in Heaven telling the father I want to go there and be one of them. He left his home in heaven and came to a screwed up world FOR US! we didn't have to ask him to come, he came. Even before we knew it he was here for us. so now it is like this. While i was still yet a sinner he died for me. Even when I hated God when I never praised him or gave him Glory for anything he died for me. I basically spat in his face everyday that I was living for myself and he still beared the cross for me. What kind of Love is that? someone please answer me that. Who does that!!!!!! im serious it blows my mind. When I say the statement "There is None Like HIM" it gives me goose bumps because of how he loves us. Who is this God who Gave his ONLY son for us. Let me tell you who he is. He is the Alpha the Omega, the beginning and the end. He breathes stars into creation. He spoke the world into motion. He Died on a cross for me and he gave me LIFE TO THE FULLEST. He has given me a new heart, one that hears his voice and hates what he hates and one that loves what he loves. And there is none like him. And we all need to see who he is right now today, in our lives and we need to look back on our past and see who he was then and how he was there in our lives even when we didn't want him to be. I have to say . I look at the world and how it hurts and crys and is alone. and I think about the fact of people not having God. Not having a savior. I see people struggling and lost and miserable and I think, How can they go through this without God. How do they live this lifestyle and not have Jesus as an immovable Pillar to lean on. It breaks my heart.
- Nick Triola

I AM HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

"Eternal God, this holy night is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light. May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds. May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem this night fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do. May we share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity. Amen. "

-Rev. Richard J. Fairchild

It is so nice to be home. I have a cold from the weather change and am still on Hawaii Time. That means I am 5 hours behind on our schedule, I am staying up late and sleeping in like crazy. I am thinking by the time I get used to our time zone I will be ready to go back to Honolulu.
Since being back it has been so nice to see everyone, it's really refreshing t0 be here especially for the Christmas holiday. I am so excited to get caught up with everyone. I feel like I just got done with something so big and so exciting out in Honolulu. For this time I have at home I want to rest in Gods presence and spend time with him as much as possible and really just get rested up and recharged I guess you could say. This time spent at home is not only for resting and visiting. Someone at our base gave all the Leaders a word the day before we left and it was not to forget about God while at home. It is going to be so easy for you guys to go home and just get caught up relaxing and visiting and just taking time off. Well do not forget about the Lord. You need to spend more time with God than the people around you. So that is exactly what I want to do, Rest in him, rely on him and seek him and get all prayed up and rested up and ready to go for the January school.
One thing that I love about YWAM is the opportunity you have with God. The sky is the limit and if you have an idea, YWAM is a great place to put it into action. But anyways I love Discipleship, there are so many different aspects of it and I think that's why it is so much fun. It's a challenge too and that is also why I love it! Because when you are a leader, everything you do and say represents who you are, so when you love God and he is a priority in your life everyone else sees that and knows what kind of person you are. But at the same time when you are slipping and not spending time with God, people also see that. So for me it is a challenge to constantly be pursuing God A. because I should be anyways and B. because as a leader you have to be setting the pace.

Anyways, It is so good to be home, I am so blessed by everyone here in Hartville I love it. This will be an awesome time of friends and family and God and cookies and pie and treats and good home cooked food!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Today it is 3:07PM

I finished my delicious iced caramel coffee with extra caffeine about 30 minutes ago. I am sitting in the Coffee Bean with wet feet and pant legs. My umbrella sitting beneath my chair soaked and drying while closed! At this very moment I wish I had another coffee because the one I had was amazing... So far better than any I have had since coming here. The flavor was just amazing I wish I could have one for free. So I woke up last night in the middle of the night maybe 4:30 AM to the sound of pouring rain falling from the trees outside my room. It wasn't the light sprinkle or steady drops that I heard. It was the heavy sound of big fat drops splashing to the pavement. So anyways what I am TRYING to say is that it has been non stop raining, down-pouring since the middle of the night. It has slowed down since I came to Coffee Bean but it is still steady rain. The creek behind our property is extremely high. It is rushing above the water line on the sides and there is debris everywhere flowing down through the water, theres big tree branches and plants and trash. So today I want to update everyone on my life.

Today I am sitting here Blessed more than ever because of who God is in my life. There is none like him NONE! Last night some of the students and I and another staff person had prayer and we just spent time In Gods presence. we had intense prayer for about an hour and then we talked for a little bit and then we listened to worship music and worshiped God. To sit in a room with all the lights out and the music blaring loud and focusing solely on God and what the song means to you, it is a powerful thing. I could do it forever it seems like. Even though I would honestly probably eventually fall asleep ha ha. Anyways my favorite thing about last night was first of all, none of it was scheduled... it was spur of the moment people who love Jesus wanting to be with him and set aside what ever they are doing to be with him. and the second thing that I loved is that we did not have anything specific to pray for. we came in to it all open to how ever God wanted it to go. We waited on the Lord and let him guide us. and he did, he told us who to pray for and how to pray he really guided the night. I didn't leave the room until about 1:30 and we started at 10. And the reason I say that is because time flew. it was as if we were only in there for a half hour. and the next thing I know its 1:30. When you are spending time with God time flies! and it was awesome! Times of prayer with the Lord where you make it a point to have no agenda set before hand are my favorite because it submits my wants for Gods. And I always walk away from Prayer feeling full and strengthened and ready for anything that this world could throw my way. I sometimes honestly feel as if I could move mountains or fly like superman. Because when you hang out with God and rest in his presence you realize who you truly are in Christ. And the one truth that I will always stand on and trust in is that With God ANYTHING is possible. Now for you to read that is one thing, but for you to experience this fact with God in your life is a complete other. God told me this sentence when I was in Thailand. Then he put it in my heart, then my mind and then it became a reality that no matter what the task for how impossible something may seem. With God it is fully possible and sometimes more!
I just finished reading the book "The Shack" and I would like to take this time to state my opinion of the book. Opinion number one, read it! ha ! Just stop reading my blog and buy The Shack and read it. I want to say one thing though. I have heard mixed opinions on it and you cannot slam it and say you hate it until you read it. It has given me a stronger perspective of God and how he loves us so deeply. It also shows hod God can take any situation and turn it for Good. I love it! I read the book in 4 days total . And for me that is really good! I never read a book that fast unless its good. So please hear me and read it before you slam it. If you read for what it is, Just a story, you will love it, but if you study and try to break it down and pick at everything in it you will not like it. So I have to say Chew the meat and spit the bones if you know what I mean.
So to update everyone on the school here in YWAM and the current situation. The DTS is getting ready to leave. They are leaving in about one week. And I am sad. I am going to miss them so much. There are 4 teams total. One team is going to Kyrgyzstan with Brandon and his co-leader Katie Miller. Another team is going to Cambodia, the next is going to Bangladesh and the last team is off to the Philippines. I am so excited for them and how God is going to use them and change them and grow them. This school of 34 students is very anointed by God. They are all super hungry for God in their lives and it shows not by what they say but by the way they live. I am so impressed by all of them. They all have grown in so many ways. They are becoming what God wants them to be. They are finding their Destiny in Christ. and I want to say it is a Beautiful thing to watch. To see someone's life transformed by Christ is the most majestic thing to see ever! its better than any beach Hawaii has to offer or any mountain the Rockies could show! its the best thing to watch! If you have never experienced what I am talking about either pray about coming to YWAM or find a young person who is hungry for God and invest your life in them. Pour into them with who you are and what you know! So they are leaving in a week and soon this Base that is more a family than a school is going to be completely empty almost. The students bring refreshment and energy and Childlike Love of Christ. They bring a fragrance that only God can create and I personally will MAYBE cry when they leave because I will miss them so much. I am not prophesying that either. Ok fine I will admit sometimes I cry ok, I'm a man I'm tough ha ha. You know what they say "Real men are not afraid to cry" so leave me alone you can't judge me!
They are going to bring to Kingdom of God to places that have never heard, seen, or experienced before. They have my every blessing and prayer that they would live in the fullness and nothing less!
For me I am going to continue to Base staff and keep the grounds of this base cleaned up and looking nice, also i will continue to keep the vehicles running smooth with problem free rides! Without having all the students here work loads will increase immensely but you know what. I get to do work everyday with the Lord Jesus. He is included in everything that I do and I will get it all done with his help and not on my own strength! About two weeks after the students leave I come home to Hartville Ohio and I am excited! the way I miss my family and friends is deep! I cannot wait to see everyone and catch up and just be with them! Coming home is going to be a good break from here and time of rest and fellowship. And then I will come back strengthened and ready to take on the Yard and Transportation to the fullest of my ability with Christ. And I will also be working with JANUARY DTS STUDENTS WOO HOO! As for right now I am done , It has been a treat to sit here and update everyone on my life. I am so blessed! Sometime I should write a Blessings Blog and let it go for pages and pages because it could and will!

YOU GUYS! my life has been RADICALLY CHANGED!!!!!!!!!

i have to write this right now... i have to tell you about God... God is amazing he is everything to me... he is the best thing that ever happened in my life... he is the perfect he is the all mighty God he is everything to me ... he is my passion he is my reason he is my everything... you guys God is longing for you.. he wants to spend every DANG Second of everyday with you... please go to God ... give your life to God let him run your life.. practice hearing his vioce... seek him like your life depends on it cuz it does.... knock on heavens door until he answers dont quit dont give up dont ever quit!!! God is waiting to love you and hold you in his arms and be with you... he sent his ONLY SON jesus christ to this earth from heaven and he killed him on a cross
and jesus christ did this for us so that we can have relationship wthi THe HOLY PERFECT GOD and he did it because he love us and he was the only perfect sacrifice for our nasty piss poor sins .... he did this for us you guys.. if you have any questions at all about what you just read and want to know more you facebook wall me... you contact me however you need to and we will talk! we will answer your questions!
when you encounter the love OF GOD you will never be the same... you will have your life changed forever and ever and it will begin something new in you...
SO i was a senior in highschool and i was having a blast with my frends
we drank alcohol and got blasted drunk and had fun ...we did stupid things and laffed together and had fun... i began to drink because there was no reason to not have fun....and i love it... i was this goofy funny hpyer kid who made everyone laff and brought smiles to everyones face... i brought joy to ppls lives... and i always smiled not sure why... but i just loved life for some moments. i say some momnets because deep deep down i was empty... i woud go to bed every night and wonder and think about why am i here...i wud ask myself these questions over and over... and say why am i here... what was i created for... i told myself i wanted to have a life that meant somthing i wanted to do something important and help ppl and change things and be a leader or something i wanted to make an impact somehow or somewhere! but i ididt know what that meant...
so when i was 19 years old i was working full time making great money.. i had a future with this company and i was getting promoted and i was alredy the yungest person to work for CINTAS.... and i was still lost... money doesnt mean anything to me... i didnt want to be rich i didnt want an amazing car... i just wanted to know what i was here for ... i wanted a a radical life of adventure and amazing times .... and my brother brandon was gone... he was in DTS .... he was finding himself in CHrist..... and let me tell you something that shakes my heart everytime i think back to it... my brother brandon got his life changed... God did work on him and he changed him radically for the better of Gods kingdom i look up to him so much.. if it wasnt for him i woudnt be here today... and he came home from his 6 months DTS and he was NEW... he had passion in his life... he had fire in his eyes.... he had a purpose and he was dirven.. .he had a smile on his face that is undescribable .... he loved jesus.. he had his life changed you guys... God did this he made my brother a new creation PRAISE GOD THAT HE DID... and my brother loved me .. he came home and he cared about me... he wanted to spend time with me... he wanted to tell me about God he wanted me to know God and he was persistant with it.... He told me about God and he helped me to understand... he showed me to the cross.... and one night i had a dream that shook me up,... it gives me goose bumps to this day to think about it... it was a dream that i had that God gave to me and it was the reason i gave my life to God... if you want to know about it please ask me it is too long to type in this note.... God gave me a radical dream while i was sleeping.. .that sunday i gave my life to God i surrendered my every desire to jesus christ.... ised to hom " God i dont know what to do ... i need you lord.... here i am .. .take my life... do what you want with me lord jesus.... use me God .. .send me where ever you want ,change my life God ..." and ever since that day I was "Saved" god transformed my heart and i was a new creation the bible says. THIS IS IN CAPS BECASE ITS AMAZING TO ME.... I HAD PASSION... I HAD A REASON.... OGD GAVE ME A REASON TO BE HERE HE CHANGED MY LIFE.... HE GAVE ME A REASON YOU GUYS.... HE DID THIS TO ME.... HE CHANGED MY LIFE !!!!!!! ahh!! I LOVE IT I had passion i had fire in my eyes and nothing was stopping it... that next few months i went to YWAM i did my DTS and let me say something... I FELL IN LOVE WITH GOD i did.. i fell in love with him... God gave me a reason and he changed me daily .... i have a best frend his name is zack campbell.. he has helped me with God he has shown me TRUE PASSION ..he has given me a reason to keep going he has shown me Godly strength... he is an inspiration to me to the fullest.... when i got home from DTS in march i spoke at church.... it was april 13th 2008

that night Zack came and heard me speak..... i shared my Testimony of how i got saved ..its a long story and its not fully said here... but i shared my testimony and i shared about my trip to YWAM And i shared about GOd.... and Zack said something to me that will be with me forever.... he told me something that i will never forget.. it brings tears to my eyes because i see the truth in what he seid.... he told me that my smile meant something now... that before when i didnt know God i had a huge goofy smile .... but now it was full... that my life with God has given me a full smile and my smile meant something it was for a greater purpose than myself.... and you guys... for once in my freakin life i can sit here and tell you stories ALLLL DAY LONG ABOUT GOD.... if you do not know god if u are having trouble believing in GOd... talk to me.. ask me let me tell you about JESUS .... there is hope for youe... if u feel alone and abandoned ... if u feel like ur not living for the right things.. if u want passion and purpose and reason for your life because you have none.. let me tell you ! because of Jesus you have hope and you have a life with God waiting for you... a life of crazy adventure and a life that God has planned for you... God is longing for you..... Jesus died for you and you need to know it and repent.... that means seeing how dirty your sin is.... and turning away from it... laying it all down to God and asking for his forgiveness.... its about the fact that we are born sinners... we can not be born a christian..... repent of ur sins.... turn away from the things that u do that God hates... God hates sin.... let me tell you something... when you see how nasty ur sins are and you give them to GOd and u turn away completely from them and you go to GOd and you go to jesus and give him your life and you let God run your life... when you are willing to lay down your life for Gods.... you will find joy... passion...zeal... you will have a new smile and have fire in your eyes for God... you will be changed forever... and let me tell you something... Salvation is the most powerful supernatural miracle that can ever happen to a person... it is something that YOU CANNOT DO ALONE... something that requires God... it is only because of Gods grace and mercy that any of us can even get saved.... so please look for God search for God... please see that God can change your life.... im tired of seeing satan win in this world... im tired of seeing SAtan blind people and make them think that God is not real... did u know the scariest thing to satan is you finding out who you are in CHrist... he will do anything to keep you from that... Satan loves it when people think there is no God because then he has won... he knows that you are not a threat to him.... but let me tell you something... i am a threat to satan because i know who i am in christ and i know that satan was already defeated by Jesus .... you see Jesus beat satan already he has already lost... he is going to go to hell forever... and since he knows that he is trying to take as many ppl with him as he possibly can... well im here to stand against that... if you have any questions at all you ask me and you talk with me.. i do not have all the answers but with God i can find them for you... i can do my best to help you.. im tired of seeing satan win.. .because things that are from satan are emtpy ... they are dark and seem nice when really they are not... like drinkin its fun while you do it.. but at the end of the night you al know its empty and its not something that can go on forever... some peopel love their sin... some people love sinning so much they wud never give it up... let me tell you somethings.... if sinning was NOT fun then no one would do it... but sinning is what keeps you out of heaven... alls it took for adam and eve was ONE Sin.... thats all it takes for hell is one sin.... satan loves it when you stay in your sin... but let me tell you something... is people who are annarexic having fun? no.. .are ppl who are addicted to drugs and HAVE TO HAVE THEM . having fun? ppl who kill for money and drugs and sex... are those ppl having fun ? NO they are so wrapped up in thier sin they cannot get out! the arms of satan are wrapped around them so tight they cannot get out.. .and the only person that can get them out is JESUS because satan was already defeated! .... Jesus is the only and mighty power to save... he can pull you out of any life you are in.. no matter how bad or how deep you are Jesus can get you out...!

-Nick Triola

Coffee Bean, The Ocean

Here it is the first Blog post I have ever done. I titled this "Coffee Bean" because I am sitting the Coffee Bean right now to write this. It's actually a pretty cool, chill place. Its a coffee shop with couches and tables and if you buy a coffee or tea you get a little card that gives you free internet for a hour, but if you set it up right on the website you can get free internet as long as you need. And also since the YWAM Base does NOT have wireless internet, this is the place to go. Usually every single night of the week and weekend this tiny little coffee shop is overtaken by YWAM'ers, its hilarious. Anytime I come in here I know that I will not be alone. IF I wanted to be alone I would walk a little further and cross the street to Star bucks, but its a longer walk and more money for less internet time.
So it has been almost 4 months since I left Hartville Ohio to Find God in many new and exciting ways. These past 4 months of my life have been quite life changing for me. If anything at all though they would be strengthening for me most of all. Finding out more about myself and seeing how through Christ ANYTHING and truly ANYTHING is possible. Being on Base staff I am busy all day until dinner with work duties. This area of Staffing has given me a huge heart for Serving and Doing things unto the Lord. It has opened my eyes to see how powerful and amazing it is to serve. It has brought me so much Joy and has strengthened me for those days where alls I feel like doing is sleep. The way that I am learning is totally different than if I were on DTS staff. You see on DTS staff you get the opportunity to sit in lecture and have very wise people speak and council. For me I don't have that opportunity as much so I am learning with God on a personal level through revelation and the word. My favorite thing to do is read the word and have it apply to my life and speak directly to me. It inspires me so much and causes me to change my heart at any moment to wanting to seek God and just be obedient.

These past few weeks have flown by super fast and have been crammed with activities. Just this past weekend the DTS students and staff went camping at the North Shore and I also went along. I would never turn down an opportunity to swim in waves twice my size. Let me tell you it was a blast! First of all let me give you a little background about North shore. It's the most popular place in Hawaii. They have Pipeline, It's a beach where all the Pro surfers live and surf because the waves are always huge. In the winter season they are around 30 feet tall. So there is usually a lot of competitions going on. Also at the North shore they have a beach called "Sunset Beach" because it is the most beautiful spot to watch the sunset, its like in the movies literally. Also there is Waimea Bay. This is where it all goes down. This is the beach with waves for body surfing and body boarding. There is no surfing because the waves break and crash right on the shore into the sand. When we were there this weekend the waves were 10 feet tall on Saturday and then on Sunday they were 15 feet and got to 20 feet. This is the biggest rush ever, I love it. If I could I would go there everyday to play in the waves. Well we all got blasted by them and had a fun time. On Saturday all the DTS was at the beach so it was a lot of fun to see everyone get thrown around and sometimes nearly drowned because the ocean is so powerful. And then on Sunday just a van full of us stopped at the beach again on the way home and let me just say What a Treat that was. The waves were even bigger and more powerful. They grew to 20 feet tall and were so powerful we had to get out of the water, it was too dangerous. When a wave would crash on the sand the whole ground would shake and rumble the sand. It was so awesome. For me the fun part was sitting and watching tourists get blasted up shore by the waves because they had no idea how big and powerful they were. It was great! so this weekend was a very good break of getting blasted by the ocean! Also I learned how to really body surf. Growing up and going to Myrtle Beach I always thought you just jump in front of the wave and let it take you. Well if you were to try that here in Hawaii you would die. So what I learned is that When the wave begins to take up turn like a surf board and you will go sideways through the barrel of the wave and you can see down it as it carries you, Its really awesome. So I put up a few pictures of this weekend for everyone to see.