John Kuperus's Post

John’s blog post April 2011

On this Easter weekend, we are so grateful for our Risen Lord Jesus. He continues to set the captives free and receive praise and adoration from His people. Our Father’s love is expressed so powerfully on the cross that it humbles us. He was rejected, betrayed, mocked, ridiculed and humiliated and He was willing to endure the scorn of the cross for the joy set before Him that we his children could be reconciled to Him. From our perspective Friday looked like a terrible Friday, yet from God’s perspective it was a Good Friday where the blood of His Son was poured out so that His children were again able to enter into the intimacy with their Creator that we were designed for. Hallelujah! I am so thankful that we follow heaven’s perspective and call Friday –Good Friday.

When we were on the mainland, we visited our India team leaders in Albany, New York for a weekend. On Sunday we went to their church to worship and fellowship with other believers. We were asked to fill out a visitor card and so our daughter Karissa did. The one question was “Where do you live?” She wrote “Homeless.” The next question was “What is your phone number?” She wrote “No phone number.” Then in the space for other comments she wrote “We are on our way to Hawaii.” I wonder how that visitor card was processed.

We are back in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where we have lots of wonderful plants, trees, birds and an abundance of sunshine. I was told that the sunsets in Kona are the second best in the world and each evening we are able to enjoy this natural wonder. This place has a natural attraction that is fantastic.

Reflecting back to our previous time at the University, where we had 49 students, 17 have returned to this base to continue education or to serve in other ways. Another 10 of our classmates are working on opening up a base in Trinidad, Colorado. Other classmates are heading to other countries, including China, Cambodia, and Norway to invest their lives for missions. The percentage of students that have returned to plug into missions is higher than normal.

The emotion that is welling up in me is a spirit of gratefulness for all that God has done in my life and in our family. It is difficult to describe all that has taken place although I know it is good. I can say that I have this deep hunger and thirst for more of God and He continues to reveal Himself. The more I receive, the more I want. There is no end to exploring the wonder and beauty and glory of our Lord. In the play of Fiddler on the Roof there is a scene where Tevye sings “If I were a rich man, Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba, deedle, deedle dum ….” Then one of the verses goes like this:

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray,
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall,
And I'd discuss the learned books with the holy men
Seven hours every day--
That would be the sweetest thing of all...
Oy!

I can relate to Tevye and the desire to study the Word of God so intently.

Our new Crossroads School at the University has twenty-one students, coming from six different countries. In addition to our Discipleship Training School (DTS), there are six additional DTS offered at the University. Students come for twelve weeks and then are sent out to the nations to implement what has been taught. While we receive training, incredible healings take place, and we are trained to move forward in the goal to go and disciple the nations.

One pastor had a son who went down the wrong road. He thought if anyone can straighten my son out, YWAM would be able to. He filled out the application forms for his son and sent him to YWAM Kona. His son came to the University high on drugs and had no idea what kind of campus he stepped on. By the grace of God he stayed with his twelve week training and did his outreach. His life was radically transformed by meeting Jesus and today he is involved with church planting and other mission efforts around the world.

As a staff leader, our day starts early with prayer and breakfast is at 6:45. We have a time of worship or intercession from 8:00 – 9:00. Our lecture time goes from 9:00 – 12:00. Our afternoons are filled with small group meetings, outreach meetings and one-on-one meetings. In addition to our school, we have staff meetings for the University and we are taking a leadership class. Helen misses most of the lectures so that she can home school and be with our children. We are finding our schedules are full.

Our commitment to YWAM is for three months. One of the common questions we have to address is, “What is next?” When we first arrived here, a woman on base who is 80 years old came up to me. She said “John, you know you need to sign up for 2 years here and not three months. You get all kinds of benefits for signing up for two years.” What was remarkable is that she had no clue if I was signed up for 3 months or two years. At times I wonder if that was God speaking to me or if that was just Ruth looking out for the base. Regardless, one of our considerations for the future is continuing to work on this base.

This week our speaker, Bill Payne, was from London, Ontario. He spoke on the character and nature of God. He began by establishing Jesus’ claim to be the Truth. Jesus is the straight edge, or plumb line, that everything is measured by. Each of us has a “Truth Box” that is our standard for our lives. Our Truth Box is filled with ideas and thoughts that were planted by our parents, teachers and life experiences. The problem is that some of our ideas are not true because of our fallen world. The process of rooting lies out of our Truth Box is a huge challenge, which takes a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit and our willingness to cooperate. As we receive truth, we decide whether or not to accept the truth. This topic set the foundation for the rest of the class so that we are building on Jesus the Truth and want to align ourselves with Him.

Transformation happens by the work of the Holy Spirit and as students are in a safe place hearing the truth. As staff we have no idea how God will work. Our objective is to cooperate with God as He reveals different things He wants us to address. We are so thankful to be a part of the work that God is doing and to be mentored by our school leaders, Bob & Carolyn Hopkins who have lead 49 classes in the past 25 years.

From a wider perspective, we are seeing a generation of young people that God is raising up that is passionate about God. One sign of this is the number of Prayer Houses popping up around the world which is amazing. A stirring is happening among the nations and we know from heavens perspective that “the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (II Chronicles 16:9). John Wesley is said to have proclaimed that a hundred men who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin could set the world on fire. We are finding people are fascinated with the beauty of Jesus and are giving their lives to see the gospel spread to the ends of the earth. A fire of God is raging across the earth and incredible transformation is taking place.

Thanks for your prayers and support on our behalf. We serve an awesome God! Hallelujah!