Hello from Redding, CA, Cape Town, SA and Cuba. I had high hopes to get an update out before Cuba, but that did not happen. So I am merging together the updates for both April and May. I had high hopes to get a update out yet with two weeks it was not a realistic goal. So spring is here and things are green and beautiful all around us.
So, last month I was preparing to leave on my trip to South Africa. This was a great trip. We departed Redding the morning of the 6th of March. Then traveled from San Francisco to Cape Town, two flights 
one layover and some planes, and automobiles and we arrived there. On the 8th of March. Somewhere along the way we lost a day. We spent the day Thursday seeing a little of the local sights and wildlife. Yes, there are penguins in South Africa. Yet in our travel we had the opportunity to minister to people on the train and yes then later we had a church service on a public 
bus. It was amazing and wonderful. It started with us singing a song to them to bless the people on the bus and by the time we were done the whole bus was singing and they were singing songs to us and thanking us for encouraging unity in their country. It was beautiful and a blessing to them and us. 
Friday we had the opportunity to go to a house that had murals painted on the walls that told the story of the seven days of creation through art, color and people’s gifts. They treated us to a beautiful lunch and pampered us with blessings over our lives as they washed our feet. This was an impactful day for me also. When going on trips like these is that you go with the intent to give and it seems the more you give the more you receive. In Luke 6:38 it says give and it will come back to you good measure pressed down and flowing over. It seems the more we give the more we receive. Crazy, huh? Well that night we began our conference where we were teaching the people there how they can use creativity to minister to people.
We shared the testimonies of how God had worked in us and we demonstrated also through singing and painting. We then taught them how to go out and do what we did. Many people were inspired and we even had some of the local artist join us and paint as well during the worship times. Each service we gave paintings away to random people we chose and each time the person we chose would share how the 
painting or the meaning of the painting. Would be something that they felt the Lord had told them or that someone else had told them the same thing the day before. It was a fruitful time. We had the chance to empower a community to help people in their community with art, music and dance. After a long flight home, it was back to school for the next two weeks.
School did not stop while we were gone and there was much to be done. After I arrived back it was time for me to present my second-year project. This was a painting that began the year with me. The first week of school I started painting the sunflower after I received the scripture from Isaiah 61:11 For as the garden causes the things sown into it to spring forth, So the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. This scripture holds deep meaning to me. I wrote that scripture on the painting before I painted it. For the sake of keeping this brief. The things the painting holds is the Love and blessings the Lord has given to me in my life and what He has yet to bring, it is about how He hides the things he treasures. When the time is right they spring forth from the garden and then they display their beauty, release 
righteousness and praise to spring up before the nations. This painting has emerged as I have this year. It is a picture of what God has been doing over this year of my life. I have been springing forth this year and emerging out of the place I was hidden. Now I am releasing the what God has given me over the nations. Crazy, right? After the flower reveals this beauty comes from spending time in the presence of the SON and being given the right nurturing and given a great place to grow then the multiplication can come.
My school planting team had the opportunity to our presentation of the vision we had for a school. So, it could look like a school. A school that promotes businesses that grows and partners with their community to bring positive transformation to their communities and beyond. This was our idea.. Who knows?? I mean we do say anything is possible with God. I am just starting to really begin to dream again. I have realized that I did not dream anymore because I felt my identity was a part of the dreams. I would dream and when the dream did not happen I was a failure. I realize that is not my Job to make dreams a reality in my life. My Job is to start somewhere and keep trying until something does happen. Disney was not an overnight success. It took him years to reach his dreams and then he dared to dream bigger, bigger and even bigger. I can’t wait to see what God has in mind next. I can only imagine!! Here is something the Lord spoke to me during one of our worship services before leaving for Cuba.
“ It all began with a mouse… there is a reason you have grown up in the day and age you have. You watched the Magic Kingdom arise, which transformed culture. Imagine like they did a world empowered and founded in the truth and power of the foundations you have been learning.Built to bless and bring positive change and solutions that are birthed through prayer and fueled by resurrection power. The power that brings life, truth and freedom to those who experience it. Imagine how people who learn to tap into the limitless resources of heaven could live. What Heaven can imagine is not limited to this world. So imagine what this world could be or look like if heaven is truly revealed here on earth.” 
So my dreams are bringing in ignited again! This is a picture of a mural that I was able to be a part of yesterday… since it fits with dreaming. I thought it would be good to share.
Cuba… Wow there is so much to share. I might and most likely will write a whole blog just about my experience in Cuba. Let’s just say Cuba had deeply impacted my heart. The people there are in some of the toughest conditions I have seen in all my travels. Yet they have such great hearts and attitudes. They are Hungry to know more about God and walk in His fullness in their lives and they have big dreams. Dreams to make their life better. And not only are they dreaming they are doing 
something to make it better. They do this even if it takes them years to see their dreams come true. The cuban people were an inspiration to me to begin dreaming again. Thank you to all those who helped to support my trip by donation or prayer you have helped to make life better for those who don’t have the privilege to be born into a pace like the United States.
As of now all my trips are fully funded. I was blessed by a donation that fully funded my Six Flags trip. So, after Cuba my next opportunity is to ride the rollercoasters for the Lord and spread more unity and blessings over people while we ride them.
As for Next year, it looks like I will be doing another year of school. So after much prayer and the Lord guiding me. I will be meeting with my future mentor on Wednesday at 8 AM. I am already accepted as an intern with her I just need to respond to her request. I will do that after our meeting. I am meeting with her to get a picture of what the next year will look like. The person I am mentoring with is the Creativity Director of the Church and the School. She oversees all the creativity and she has asked me to be her intern. I am honored to be asked by her, yet I know the weight of what I am being asked to be a part of and I do not want to take that lightly. We do not need to raise the amount of funds as we did before. We will only need $800 for our tuition. Yet any trips we go on we are responsible to raise the funds for our travel expenses I went to South Africa with her and I expect I will have opportunity to go on many other trips with her.. They have a great system in place that teaches us to grow and become who God has made us to be. I am not sure what next year holds yet, whatever I do I know I don’t want to go anywhere without GOD.
As Always, your prayers are welcome and anytime I get more info about the next step I will give you the details so we can grow and partner together! Thank you soo much for partnering with me on this journey.
Elizabeth Zinn 