The Beginning of an Exciting New Adventure!

Hello loved ones!

I am contacting you because I have some exciting (although unexpected) news to share. I have been invited by Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Brisbane to come back to Australia to be a part of a new Worship and Music Production Ministry, and I have accepted! I don’t have an exact date of departure, but it will be some time at the end of January 2015.

As many of you know, I have been leading worship at my home church, Vision of Glory. I have had the most amazing past year in that role: learning, growing, and having an outlet for my passion to worship and lead congregationally. I am inexplicably grateful and have been so blessed by this opportunity. This is why it was so hard to say yes to this new adventure, but as I’ve learned and been encouraged in, the Lord wants our “simple yes” to His call; that is what true worship is. Because of this, I have decided to listen to Him and say yes to this incredible opportunity. Although it is difficult to leave, I am so excited and have come to a place of trusting Him. As Kari Vogt has challenged us as a young adult group: “Do you believe IN God, or do you believe Him.” That has been a question the Lord has been asking me daily. I believe that He opened this door and that He is who He says He is... and that He will do what He says He’s going to do. And because of this, I don’t have to fear!

Simply put, the mission is this: the Lord has been calling the Brisbane base deeper into the area of worship and ministry. Not only that, but creating music and using that as a connection to their community, city, etc. This new ministry has three facets: Worship, Music Production, and Ministry. Time will be spent being a part of a core group of people who are learning about worship, cultivating a culture of worship, bettering music skills, being a part of a resident band, recording in the studio, creating new music, leading worship on base and on the road with discipleship training schools, serving logistically, etc. Ultimately, the vision is to start with the base, create connections with the outside Brisbane community, and eventually overflow into the nations! This is something that has been on my heart immensely, and growing within the past few months. Through many hours of prayer, many conversations with leaders and mentors in my life, and many outside confirmations, I have decided to move forward and join with this mission and call. I am extremely honored and excited to move into this next period of my life; although it is unknown in many ways, I have such clarity and vision.

I have made a one-year commitment and to be there I am in need of $700 per month. This will cover the cost of living and being a part of this ministry.

If you would like to donate, first of all - thank you so, so much. You can make checks out to Vision of Glory Church and instead of leaving my name in the memo, leave a note with it that has my name on it. This way, the donation will be tax-deductable.
You can also make an online donation by clicking the "Donate" button at the top of this page. If you're having problems with that, follow these more specific directions: type the following link into a new browser page http://www.vogchurch.com/ and then click “Online Giving” in the top right-hand corner. At the bottom of this new page, there is a link that says: “Make a donation/payment.” Click that button and you will be redirected to a new page with a list of donation options. My name will be under “Missions.”

I’ll be updating my blog and regularly checking my email, so please feel free to contact me. I would love it.

Blog: http://www.buhlface.blogspot.com/
Email: buhlface@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really do hope you’d join me on this journey: through prayer, keeping up with my blog, or financially if you’re able. Although I’ll physically be away, my heart will always be here.



With love,
Elyssa Buhl

HAITI Support Letter

Friends and family,

Hello loved ones! This July I have the privilege of traveling again to Haiti with my church, Vision of Glory. This time, instead of going as a student myself, I am honored to be co-leading the team of high school students. I am beyond excited for this opportunity to serve and to be a small part of the incredible Mission-Haiti organization that Pam and Mike Plasier (our contacts) have created and sewn their hearts into. To see more information about Mission-Haiti, you can visit http://mission-haiti.org/. 

During our time in Haiti, our team will be serving at the Mission-Haiti base, in the orphanage, and in the surrounding villages. We all have unique gifts and want to bring these individual skill sets into ministry, such as: nursing, athletics, musicality, teaching, etc. During the week, we will travel up the mountain to Bethany church and school for the mornings. There we will teach a week of Vacation Bible School for the children, followed by a full lunch. During the afternoons, we will be doing various ministries, like: bible distribution, house visiting, as well as traveling to different churches and serving there. Because we are staying on the Mission-Haiti base, we get to spend our time on base with the children who live in the orphanage, which will also be so fun to hang out with these amazing people and children.

As Pam has said, the needs in Haiti can seem overwhelming; either we can be burnt out by our efforts to meet those needs, or we can throw our hands up and let the Lord take over, and roll with it... and it’s then that we realize these needs are swallowed up by the vastness of God’s grace and ultimate will. I am reminded of Isaiah 55, the whole passage, but specifically verses 12-13: ““For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”  We can have faith in His promise, and from that we can have such joy to be a light in a dark place! It simply comes from unleashing the light inside, unashamedly and with bravery. When we yield our heart and obedience to Him, He can have His way, and we get to tag along on the ride - dancing and singing!

In order to go on this trip, I am in need of $1,500 total. I have already seen God provide for this trip, and am excited to trust Him with the total provision! I believe He truly called me to be a part of this, and am so thankful for any donation that you can make. Even moreso, your prayers are immensely appreciated. As we are going into a spiritually heavy place, the way will need to be paved in prayer. Without prayer, our ministry will be fruitless and will fade away. But with fervent prayer, the fruit will last forever - into eternity!

Finally, we will be hosting a sharing night on July 30th for anyone interested in hearing stories and testimonies of our time there. I invite all of you to come! 

Thank you again for your support!

With much love, 

Elyssa Buhl

Copy and paste this link into your web browser in order to donate online here: http://www.gofundme.com/9yrko4

OR: donate to Vision of Glory Church (including a note attached with my name on it)