First Week!

Aloha, everyone!

To think the first full week in my new home is in the books is crazy! So much has happened, but I'm going to try and keep this brief :)

The Lord has been working in a variety of ways in the past week, and it's been so cool to see His goodness and grace surround me in this new season. We had the opportunity of having a couple of speakers including Andy Byrd and John Bevere - their messages were so powerful, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was so evident in the time spent with them. The message from John Bevere was in relation to his book "The Awe of God" and was absolutely incredible. (Here's the link so you can listen! Ohana Gathering | January 16, 2025)

My time here has been a big shift, but I've made some amazing friends and encountered the Lord in such fresh ways that I know this is exactly where He called me. My room consists of 7 girls, so that's been super fun getting to know all of them as well. There are 16 different nations represented within the student body which has also been super cool making friends from other countries! I'm also working on creating a video about what the week typically looks like, including shots of the campus, so you guys can see what it's like!

Our weeks are pretty consistent day-to-day. 3 days a week we start with intercessory/worship. From that, we go to training, which we have a handbook that we go through. Last week, we covered topics including the culture of wild celebration, the art of building a devotional life and hearing God's voice. Following training, we have class, which entails hearing from the speakers and fellowshipping in a time of worship. Twice a week we have tracks in the afternoon, which are classes designed for personal interests. I signed up for the media track which includes learning about photography, videography, and other forms of social media to glorify the Lord. We also have work duties during the day, which is a way we can serve the campus. I got assigned to library duty, so I get to be a librarian on campus twice a week which is fun. Nights and weekends we typically have off, except for Monday night worship, and Thursday night community gathering, which is when the bigger speakers, like John Bevere, come and share a powerful message.

The most exciting part of this week was getting our outreach location options! There were 15 different options, and we got to choose our top 3. The ones I submitted included Albania, New Zealand, and Norway! The Lord made Psalm 105 stand out to my heart during that decision, specifically verses 1-5: "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." Seeking His heart in this decision brought forth such peace, and I know that I will end up wherever He needs me. We will find out our outreach teams and locations in the next couple of weeks, so continued prayers for the Lord's hand would be more than appreciated :)

Prayer for financial provision would also be awesome! I'm still about $1,500 away from having everything paid off. If you feel led, here's the link for the payment portal: ywamkona.my.site.com/payment?cId=003Pj00000HX4XkIAL OR Venmo: @ayden_denherder. Thanks again for everything! I absolutely would not be here without each and every one of you :)

That's all for now! I included some pictures with descriptions as well so you guys can stay caught up! PLEASE feel free to respond to this or send anything through the mail! The address is:

Ayden Den Herder

75-5851 KUAKINI HWY # 255

KAILUA KONA, HI 96740-2199

United States

I would absolutely love to hear from you! I am excited to share more about God's work in my life during this new season. Miss you all so dearly!

Love,

Ayden