Done!

I am realizing more every day how much I am OVER this summer season. Mainly because being near the beach means your clothes magically disappear into thin air. They are burned or confiscated, or stolen, apparently, because why else would you walk into a store, or post office, or restaurant in 15 square inches of semitransparent clothing? It MUST be because you have nothing to wear over it, and your money has been stolen so you can't buy new clothes. Oh wait, you definitely have money, because you just pulled a wad of $100 bills out of your size two bikini on your size twenty frame to buy your fifteen dollar beer.

God give me grace.

To distract myself from the borderline nudists that swarm front street, I am daydreaming often of the country we will soon be moving to where boots and scarves and "jumpers" abound. Where modesty is appreciated and necessary to ones survival of all things damp.

35 days! We have 35 days until we wave goodbye to our friends and family here in Avalon. Only 50 days until we fly to Dublin!

We got some GREAT news this week regarding our DTS. They have dropped our tuition again by another $2,000! Holy smokes!!!

As things sit today, we are looking at needing to raise only $5,000.  This counts the anticipated funds we have already raised plus income from our current jobs.  We are looking at two different fundraising opportunities available to us.  Since Justin knows how to handle himself in the kitchen, we are trying to plan a benefit dinner here on the island, as well as one in Oakhurst before we head out.

Please consider partnering with us in this new adventure by supporting us through prayer, and if God leads you, financially. You can visit our support raising site here. Please read our story and the different ways available to you regarding donations.

Justin's birthday was just last week and it was a great week of parties, food and just overall fun.  On Tuesday, we had all of our island friends over at the Canby's and we celebrated his 27th with smoked pulled pork sandwiches, homemade BBQ sauce, on homemade Hawaiian sweet rolls, homemade coleslaw, potato salad and lots of yummy appetizers. Justin celebrated his day eating good food with the people he loves.

A little earlier this week we got an out of season thunder and lighting storm and RAIN! It was glorious and hilarious as we watched tourists, scantily clad,  rush to get their things under cover.  The brief storm also gave us a renewed sense of hope in the power of prayer and our outcry during worship.

All in all, God is still doing really awesome things here in Avalon and we are blessed to be a part of His work while we are here...even if we have endure indecent exposure ;)

A Generous God (plus a little something about you needing to get a free catalina vacation)

"I love you soooo much I'm going to provide enough funds for you to not only pay off your personal debts before you leave for your DTS, I'm also going to place someone in your life who will pay for your flights....but I'm not done yet."

Sligo, Ireland (photo natgeo.com)

THAT my friends is the kind of God we serve! With all assurance and expectation our God is paving the way for us to embark on this exciting new journey. We are experiencing Him in every thread of this amazingly complicated and intricate life. 

Your prayers for us are heard and felt and appreciated! Thank you to every one of you who has supported us thus far in one way or another. The gifts we have been given have been overwhelming and so confirming at the same time. 

As of now we are on track to leave for Ireland in September. We have found out that our outreach location could be either Morocco or Lebanon, both largely Muslim cultures, both steeped in rich history and lively people, both desperately needing to know about the God that pursues them daily and wants to know them intimately. 

Lebanon ruins (photo natgeo.com)

We have been blessed with the plane tickets to get there and we are inching our way to our financial goal. We still need to raise enough funds to cover the rest of our tuition costs but we are remaining faithful in how big our God can be. 

Morocco (photo travel.natgeo.com)

Right now we are looking at leaving the island on the 2nd of September and spending a few weeks in Oakhurst before our departure to work out storing our things and tying a few loose ends. Next month, on a date to be determined, we are going to have a fundraiser dinner and silent auction to go towards YWAM.

Otherwise, things are going pretty well here in Avalon. We are working a lot and serving a lot here at Singing Waters. We are seeing God do a lot of breakthrough in this community. In our time in prayer we have seen people healed, watched people find their spiritual gifts, heard God speak in powerful ways, and gained vision for more long term ministry. 

Plus it was Angie's birthday and we had a "Your Team" party for her. Which subsequently involved all of her celebrity crushes making up "her team" and her getting her own throne for the night and top hat with all of her "team mates" and then this happened...

We are looking forward to the summer season and having more friends and family visit before we leave the country for a little while. Which reminds me....

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VISITING WE WILL HAVE THE HOUSE TO OURSELVES JUNE 14TH-26TH!

All you need to do is get here! Free accommodations on Catalina Island?! Get over here!

But really, come visit us while you can because this opportunity comes once in a lifetime- not to mention we can get you on countless tours for free, we can save on food by eating at our house, all you have to worry about is your boat ticket ;) just sayin'

Alllllrighty folks, till next time, 

J&K

Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid

There is this really awesome story set within Matthew 14 that really portrays how I am feeling lately about everything going on.  The disciples are out on their boat and the water starts to get rough.  They are freaking out and Jesus, who is doing His thing and chillin out on the water, says, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matt. 14:27)  Peter, who was somewhat skeptical was like, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." (Matt. 14:29)  Jesus told him to come and Peter did.  This whole time Peter was walking on the water and then as soon as he took his eyes off of the Lord, he began to sink.  Jesus reached down and grabbed him out of the water.  I love this story because it shows us that Jesus was right next to Peter, just waiting to help him in his time of need.  Lately I have been feeling like Peter; the Lord just beckoning me to "Come".  That is exactly what we have decided to do.

The Lord has blessed us lately with rest and some relaxation.  Just last week we were able to visit Korina's sister Tonia, and her family.  It was such an awesome time for us to catch up, love on them and receive love from them.  Later on that evening, we were able to score some great tickets to a Yankees-Angels game at Angels Stadium.  It was a very close game, but in the end, the Angels prevailed and Korina made sure I knew that she was exceedingly happy.  We were up quite high in the nose-bleed section, but it was still a beautiful evening for some great baseball with my lovely bride.

The following day, we thought we might visit Magic Mountain because why not?!?  Since we have season passes from last year, we didn't have to pay for a ticket and use our friend pass for Rick and some of his friends.  It was such a blast just having some fun and reliving old high school times with Korina and Rick.  Even though we aren't still in high school (Praise the Lord), we are still some pretty cool cats.

 This much needed break gave us some great perspective on our journey.  We just want to love on people and enjoy the blessings God has given us.  We have been blessed in order to be a blessing and we couldn't be more excited about this journey.

We have been officially accepted into YWAM Sligo for DTS and now we are focusing our efforts on support raising.  Much prayer on our part and yours (thank you) has made this not only an exciting process, but a possible one.  Supporters that we did not even expect to have felt the call of the Lord to support us in immeasurable ways.  God has blessed us with lowered school payments and a discounted tuition rate for DTS.  These have all been signs that God wants us to continue to pursue traveling to Ireland and loving on people there.

Although we still need to raise $8,000 total (at least half by September) its looking like our current goal is to raise $1800 by June 15th to purchase our airfare.  Tickets right now are very inexpensive for the amount of traveling that we need to do.  These funds will not only help us purchase our airfare, but also transportation from the Dublin airport to the YWAM Sligo base.  Please pray about your role in partnering with us, because honestly, we need your help.  God has been so good to us and we cannot wait to bless more of those around us through this DTS.  To give online, visit here.

Thanks for catching up.  Let's step out on the water and walk with Jesus.

BAM!....whhhooooaaaaa

 A group of my friends decided that "BAM!...wwooaaaahhh" should be our church slogan.
God shows up in powerful ways and then leaves us in awe every.single.time
The way we have been experiencing God has left me feeling overwhelmed and simultaneously excited. I now expect God to show up. I expect Him to work in powerful ways regarding healing, and prayer and worship.


But one of the areas I so often don't trust God- money.

 (basically my face when God asks me to let go of "my" money)

I claim a great and powerful God who can make mountains move and raise the dead to life....but there is no way He would provide enough money for us to make it.
I don't give God enough credit to take care of my most basic needs but I do trust Him to speak to me and direct me. I have taken ownership of my finances as though I am entitled to them in the first place. Is the God who is God of your children, God of the earth, God of miracles and God of works, also the God of your finances?
Ugh...this one hurts to the bone.
"You can have it all Jesus...except my paycheck"

In the trusting of what seem to be impossible financial hurdles I am choosing to trust that God is big enough to provide for me in the ways I need it. My one prayer is that I would be a good steward of what He has given. Break my heart Father, and make it new.
Prayerfully choosing to go into full time missions through YWAM has been the biggest challenge to trusting God in this way. It was back in 2007 for my first DTS and it is now.  You basically ask God to provide financially in every aspect- including your "paycheck". Relinquishing control of this is ...hard to say the least.

Life on the island is getting busier as the summer season approaches. We soon qualify for our commuter books which will save us hundreds in travel over to the mainland (chipotle here we come!)
My family came to visit for Easter which was SO FUN -obviously

 We are blessed to be sharing in life with the Dominguez family and our church family at Singing Waters. I am working on two things- my fear of man's opinion of me and my financial expectation of God. Justin is working on being trained up as a teacher and being bold in his calling. We are looking out at a landscape full of potential roads in different directions and asking God to direct us along the way. We have many choices and each one is God-filled.

Our hearts are being softened to people as we have prayed for more compassion and discernment about the hearts of those around us. We long to ease the burdens of those in longing by praying with them and for them and, hopefully, being a little bit of Jesus to them in their day.

Anything could happen in God's economy.
Anything

Let's say 'yes' to the not knowing, the uncertainty, the willingness to let God move in our lives. Let's relinquish control, and say 'no' to fear. Let's have fun.

And before you know it- you'll find yourself saying "God works like this 'Bam! Whoa!'"

Ya'll Ready For This?!

This post is gonna be epic! 

First things first: We are alive and well! This last month we...

Witnessed the "bwessed awangement" of our friends Amanda and Levi

Visited our families in Fresno and Oakhurst 

Our sweet niece Ava Karlyn Nash was born!

Worked our butts off at our jobs (jk- just Justin works hard- I just stare at this all day)

Learned SO MUCH about the character of God 

Discovered more about our future with YWAM (it's still happening- don't freak)

Went on a few Dolphin Quest tours (why not when it's free!- Thanks Mike!)

"Let's get down to the nitty gritty"

I (Korina) have been getting more involved with the worship team here at Singing Waters and it has blessed me so much to see God moving. There is so much for me to learn but just saying "use me" was the best thing I volunteered myself for ...probably ever. I have been using the gifts I have been blessed with to try and help others here discover their purpose in the Lord. Work is keeping me busy in between everything else going on and I am blessed so much to be able to see the ocean every day.

 I am realizing more, as time goes by, that I am eager to expand in the world of hospitality. I want so much for people who are far from home to feel a little less homesick by making them a meal, creating a comfortable environment for them to relax, and share long extravagant stories about our different adventures. I have no idea what that means long term or how it will play out but when I talk about it my heart just about jumps out of my chest. 

I am trying to acclimate to living in a place where most people have a generational history and something I like to call "islander fervor" -which is really just pride in never having lived anywhere other than Avalon, having your whole family here for generations and all the glorious entitlement that encompasses it. Most islanders are hesitant to change and no matter how deep you think your roots go here - someone else's grow deeper. I can respect that sense of pride, but it also makes ministry hard, especially when you are "young and idealistic". Anything that can be suggested is usually taken with a grain of salt on your merit alone as a non-islander. We are prayerfully trying to pursue the hearts of the community here while also maintaining the respect they expect. Its a thin line. 

As in any culture, we are trying to remain respectful to the hard work the ministries here have worked so long to establish while also bringing a fresh set of eyes to the equation. Having an "Encouragement Board" in our room helps too...

Meanwhile, we have been discipled in a way neither of us could expect. Being surrounded by so many mature believers has raised our standards for our own walks with God. We have learned so much about the character of God and really fallen in love with who He is all over again. We are so excited to share more of Him with the unreached people of the world in practical and unexpected ways. We have been encouraged to engage our community with intentional relationships and service. 

Justin has been really blessed by his job lately with plenty of hours to keep him busy but not so much to take away from his work at the church. His chef has taken him under her wing and developed his skills exponentially in just a few short months. He is learning more specifically about creating menus that cater to dietary restrictions while maintaining a respect for the ingredients and processes used. He is being mentored still by Enrique (our main pastor here) and learning more about teaching and leading in the church body. 

We are so excited for the carnival that is the summer season in Avalon! We are really stoked to work a bit more and save some money for our next steps toward doing a Discipleship Training School. Everyone who lives here year round usually have a few jobs and work work work through the summer to sustain themselves for the rest of the year, so we are jumping on that bandwagon with the rest of the locals. Our jobs provide ample opportunity to love on people (even tourists!) and we are looking forward to this next season.

Some things to pray about for us:

Financial coverage for our next step toward YWAM

Wisdom regarding when and where we are doing a DTS

Continued breakthrough with our congregation as we enter into a season of JOY

Our relationships we are establishing here and their continued growth

YWAM Yosemite as they enter into their first DTS in the fall, for a vehicle for them and the property they are actively pursuing- that God would be big and cover their finances above and beyond what they could ever expect.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you as well! Comment here or shoot us e-mails or a good old fashion post is always well received if you feel so inclined :)

Justin and Korina Barigian 

PO Box 1101 

Avalon, CA 90704