Week 4-6
November 2025
Hi Everyone!
I hope all of you have had a great past few weeks! Things have been full and busy here in Boston! The last few weeks have honestly felt like a roller coaster in some ways. There has been a lot of hustle and bustle but also God has been moving in ways that have surprised me, challenged me, and has just made me stop and be still for a second. It is honestly hard to even begin putting it all into words, but here is my best attempt to capture what God has been doing.
As you all know from my last post a few weeks ago we went to Philadelphia to partner with YWAM Pittsburgh and YWAM Philly for street evangelism. We set up six prayer stations all across Philly. The prayer stations were tables with PVC pipe frames that held banners that said prayer station. We all wore bright red vests that said how can we pray for you? We served hot chocolate, iced tea, handed out free bibles and devotional books. We shared the gospel using something called the wordless book. It is a small book with different colored pages that have no words on them. Each page tells a part of the gospel. The front cover is gold which represents heaven, the black page is for sin, red for Jesus blood, white for forgiveness, and green for growing with God. All three YWAM bases really love using this book as a tool when we are out sharing. On the first day alone we saw around 10 people give their lives to Jesus and throughout the whole week we prayed with countless other people! Sometimes it was for healing, sometimes for peace, and sometimes for them to be invaded with God's love and presence and to feel seen! There were also several others who rededicated their lives throughout the week! It was so so cool seeing God move over these few days!! (And let’s be real it is cool to see all the time!)
A few sweet moments that stood out to me from the outreaches were a girl that had stopped to talk with us. She stopped with her friends while they were waiting for the bus. When we asked her if she had anything we could pray for her for she mentioned her health and a big test she was on her way to take. The bus came and she sent her friends ahead on the bus while she stayed with us to talk more! By the end she had rededicated her life to the Lord! Then there was a gentleman the day before who had caused some issues at one of our stations. It had actually gotten to the point where the police asked our team to move locations. The next day I was at that same location and he showed up again. One of the guys on our team started talking to him just being kind and really trying to listen and staying calm. At first the gentleman really was not for it but after a while he settled down a bit and really started hearing what was being said. By the end he asked for a bible and said he wanted to follow Jesus! We also met a Muslim women who said she already knew about Jesus but as we shared more of his story she shared she had never actually heard the whole picture and never saw him as her true savior. She was so open to what she was hearing (thank you Jesus!!) she decided she wanted to follow him! It was really humbling to see how God was already working in her heart before we even met her. The last story I will share was with a girl named Cece. She walked past and we asked if she wanted prayer for anything. She essentially asked for redirection back to the Lord. She said she had fallen away a bit and that life had just gotten in the way. Nadine and I prayed with her. After that we talked for a moment and she walked off and was waiting for her friends. After a little bit I felt a strong nudge from holy spirit to go back and talk with her more. I shared how much God truly does love her no matter what. And he craves for that relationship with her. She was so receptive and you could tell she was really taking it in. It was crazy how it just felt like I was seeing God soften her heart! I have been continuing to pray for her since then. If you think of it it would be awesome for you all to join me in prayer for Cece. I know the Lord is working in her life right now and he has such an amazing plan for her life!!
Our speaker this week (week 4) was a gentleman named Doug. He spoke on partnering with the holy spirit in evangelism. We spent time understanding that evangelism and obedience come from intimacy with God. It is not about having the perfect words or way of sharing. It is all about listening and responding to what the holy spirit is already doing in people’s lives. He shared that when we walk with the spirit we don’t bring God to people we actually reveal the God who is already pursuing them!! When we are walking with the holy spirit we move in a place of peace and not pressure. We truly make it so complicated at times. Our role is to be available, to listen, and to love people where they are. We have to get out of heads that we are bringing something to someone when we go into ministry. God is already there waiting and we get to join him!
To end Philly week I will share it was great connecting with the other students from the other bases! It was kind of funny to watch us all interact as the Boston base is made up of different artists and the Philly and Pittsburgh bases were students doing a basketball DTS. It was the art nerds and the athletes! It honestly was a cool blend of personalities and was a really sweet time! Just funny to think about!
Week five was back in Boston! Our speaker this week was Randel! This week ended up being one of the hardest but was probably the most needed week for my heart so far. Randel talked about identity and intimacy with God. He also took time to talk about art as a form of worship. He shared how creativity was never meant to be separate from our relationship with God. When we create we are actually reflecting his nature because he is the creator first. Art is worship when it comes from a heart that knows it is loved! This week I realized that I think sometimes I have made art about expression or excellence and even about the meaning or the message but have forgotten that it is supposed to just be a conversation with God. It is supposed to come from being with him and not striving to get to him. All week Randel talked about how easy it is to let what we do become who we are. He shared that ministry, creativity, leadership, etc. can turn into identity traps if we are not careful. The hard truth I realized is that is exactly what I have done. My art and art career has been such a big part of the last several years. I have been carrying it kind of like proof of my purpose. Like I needed to keep producing to stay close to God. I had no idea how much pressure I had put on myself until Randel started talking about it. He shared that when art becomes worship it is not about what you make but why you make it. It becomes a response to God's love instead of an attempt to earn it. (Talk about wrecking my heart.) This has made me really slow down the last couple of weeks to want to create with God rather than for him. I think I have always known that on some level but this week it really sank in. Worship is not just songs on Sunday it is the way we live, the way we love, and even the way we create!
God knew what he was doing! During this same week I was reading The Reset by Jeremy Riddle for a book report for class. The book talks about returning to pure worship. How we need to strip away performance and get back to simply being with God. Between that book and Randel teaching I felt like God was wanting to reset some stuff in my heart. He really started and still is so lovingly revealing and untangling the way I have tied my worth to what I create or accomplish. This week felt rough to process and actually really emotional. But also freeing in ways too. God really just laid the reminder that his love stems from who I am not what I do. That truth has been something I have been processing and receiving the last two weeks so much more deeply.
This led right into week six which was probably one of the most personal weeks so far. Week five was the toughest to grapple with and week six has been the most personal! I felt God was inviting me to take what I was learning and turn it into something tangible. Something just between me and him and no one else. I wanted to create something that embodies the stillness he is teaching me to walk in. Each day this last week outside of class time, intercession, and outreach I have stood silently behind a single chair. I have not been talking and I have been fasting, taking time to listen, wait, and just be in his presence. The chair represents rest and the invitation to sit and trust. But instead of sitting I have been standing behind it asking God to teach me what it really means to rest in him not just in theory but in my posture. There were definitely days this week his presence was so strong that it just felt like peace filling the room. However there were also days it felt quiet and hard. But the awesome thing with it all this week was that every day I knew he was near and it was so sweet and beautiful!
Our lecture time this week was from a man named Nick. It was spot on for me! It was holy spirit week. There was a lot of content but one of the things we learned about was hearing God's voice and growing in intimacy with him. We talked about how hearing God is not about a formula. It is about closeness. One thing Nick said that I loved was God does not shout to get your attention he whispers to draw you close. That has been true for me this week. I have not heard him with loud words necessarily but I have through peace in the stillness and even while I was waiting. We fill so much silence with noise and sometimes the holiest thing we can really honestly do is just stand still and let him be enough.
On Wednesday we did another outreach here in Boston! We partnered with a man named Hugo who had an incredible vision for every red line subway stop in Boston to one day have a prayer station. Each stop would be adopted by a local church or group. We got to help start that this week by setting up four different stations and praying with people who passed by! It was cool to think about that maybe someday every stop on that line could be a place where people meet Jesus!
We ended the week on Friday with a community worship night that was wonderful! As I am sharing right now I just keep thinking about how much God has been doing over these last few weeks! Every single week It has all been him! I still have a lot of questions as he is resetting things in my heart but I do know God is close, he has been present, patient, and so so kind! And that really is enough for me!
If you think of it this week I would love your prayers for a few things!
That I would keep leaning into what Gods are doing in my heart and not rush ahead.
For unity and encouragement in our DTS team as we keep learning and growing together. For strength, rest, and focus as well.
For open hearts during our local outreaches here in Boston and for continued boldness to share.
If you made it this far give yourself a gold star because wow I really cannot seem to write a short update!! Thank you for sticking with me through all my stories and tangents. Clearly the Lord has been doing a lot and I just am so excited and want to share it all! In all seriousness though your prayers and encouragement mean so much and I am beyond thankful for each of you walking through this season with me! I will be back in a couple of weeks with another update!
Best
Elizabeth Sheeler
Nadine and I spending some time together decompressing after a busy week at base!
Prayer stations in Philly!!
Prayer stations in Philly!!
The YWAM Phillidelphia Base!! It was huge and looked like a castle! It used to be an old school actually!