alright well im sorry i havent got any pictures up yet... i'll work on that i promise... today we are going to the beach so hopefully get some there... ill show you my room and my roomate shawn... He's awesome..

okay so here during the 3 months in LA we are going to have a focus track that we ha... focus on for ministry in the city.. and its crazy but i think im going to do the create track which is dancing and acting stuff.. get some skits and dances together... it will be really fun... i just hope my knee doesnt limit me to much... but if it doesnt i might have a chance to take professional classes in hip hop and folk or something im not sure i dont really remember i just think that that sounds pretty cool!... lexi will be happy too... =)...

hmm well a few times a week we have worship for at least 2 hours in the morning and its so amazing.. its definitely the best worship ive ever been a part of... and i can see myself up there leading sometime in my life... once i pick up the guitar.. im going to try to get benji (one of the leaders here) to teach me a little... im pretty excited about that...

classes actually start on monday this week... finally.. im excited .. our first speaker is christy wilke... to teach us about hearing the voice of God... exciting stuff...

so this week the schedule finally normalizes after a crazy first week...

ive been running some at night when i can.. and when my knee feels up to it.. playing a lot of sand volleyball with the group... having fun with that...

but ya i have to get some pictures up of this place its really really cool.... =)

Hey well the first actual day of DTS is over... we did a lot of introductory stuff all day so it really wasnt too exciting besides getting to know a lot of the people better... thats always exciting... I am definitely coming across as a bright person to people as I am always smiling... I just cant stop.. you know how i get somtimes...

But there was an amazing worship time last night that really hit me hard and god just was telling me" this is only the beginning" ... So i am really excited for things to really get started... wednesday is when we start real learning about relationships the first week... next week is our first week of speakers coming in... and I will be learning about hearing gods voice ... EXCITING!!!..

But the fellowship is awesome right now and I am having a blast...

I am getting really tired at nights though becuase of the time difference... but Im also waking up really early... kinda weird.. I hope i get used to it soon..

Talk to you soon!

The First Night

Okay so I am currently waiting for breakfast we were told it was at 7:30 but really it's at 8... so I had a few minutes... But the first day was just SOOO cool... the flight was so smooth and easy.. Werner the school leader found me within like 2 minutes...

I got to meet a lot of the people last night... for a long long time.. it was fun.. you guys no I love talking so it was just great... everyone is going to be soo fun... it seems quite free too... like what to do with your free time and stuff.. its cool... But ya I got so busy last night I havent unpacked anything...

I have one roomate shaun... he's 22.. and from Tennessee.. He's got a nice big southern accent it's cool... But we have the first room of the guys house... (there is only 11 guys versus 35ish girls... kinda funny) so all the guys are in the same house...

Okay I'm going to go eat my breakfast with my new friends... I'll update soon.. and get some pictures up... of my tiny room... and the sweet base.. its really cool..

Dear friends and family,

God has excited my life and built in me a passion to live for him for the rest of my life and especially this upcoming year. This year, beginning in the fall (september 20^th to be exact) I will be serving the lord full time until February 12. I am servitng with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and attending the Discipleship Training School (DTS). The DTS consists of two parts, training/lecture for the first three months and then the actual mission outreach around the world for the last two months. YWAM is an organization that makes it possible for young adults to passionately reach out to the world and show God's love, and learn more about it at the same time. The bible says in 1Timothy 4:12 “don't let anyone look down upon you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” YWAM sets out to make disciples of young people, and train them to impact the world and everyone around them for Jesus Christ.

I am so excited to be a part of this organization come september. I can't wait to see how God is going to use me. I can't wait to dive into my relationship with God; to become more intimate with God. I can't wait to learn how to depend on God for everything in life. I can't wait to have stories to tell!!

My YWAM base is located in Los Angeles, California. This is where I will train and learn for the first three months. There is a different topic for each week. The topics include hearing God's voice, servanthood, relationships, spiritual warfare, ministry of the Holy Spirit, cross cultural communication and many more. I just wanted to list a few so you had some idea of what I am going to be studying. Then after my lecture phase I will start the outreach phase most likely in either Thailand or India. I am not entirely sure where I will be headed but it will be put heavily under prayer. If I were to go to Thailand the trip would be focused on justice; mostly for human trafficking and slavery. If I were to go to India it would be focused on reaching the muslim nation. I am not sure where God is calling me yet. You can check out my DTS at transformationdts.org

The base in Los Angeles is one of over 250 YWAM bases. It is a medium sized base and I will probably be with around 50-100 students.

I am explaining to you what I am doing because I am going to need prayer. Matthew 18:20 says “where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” I am going to need prayer for guidance, for safety, for relationships, for anything and everything. So I am writing solely asking for your prayer and support.

Thank you for your time... and prayers...

P.S. I would absolutely love to receive mail while I am there...

Mark Fila (Fall 2009 TDTS)

C/o Youth With A Mission Los Angeles

11141 Osborne Street

Lake View Terrace, CA 91342