Well, here we are. 2020 has arrived! It has been a pretty crazy start to the year. I’m excited for all that God is doing in my own heart, the lives of the staff and students here at Word of Life, and in the lives of believers all around the world. I will update you on the month of January in a moment, but first I want to share something that really impacted me while I was reading Galatians the other day. You know the feeling when something that you’ve read numerous times in the Bible all of a sudden just hits you? Well, that happened to me. The following verses from Galatians really hit home.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. – Galatians 4:4-7
I am adopted as a son of God. I am also an heir in God’s household. I was thinking about what this actually means. I think if we really knew the implications of what we have in Christ, we would be a lot more willing to give up and surrender the things of this life. But that’s not all. God has given us His Spirit who lives inside us. Think about it. The almighty, powerful, holy, loving God of the universe lives inside of us. He goes with us everywhere. God is always with us. Isn’t that incredible!? We are that close to God. We are that blessed. WE HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE OF US! Praise God!
Academics:
The end of our fall semester just happened at the end of January. This was a particularly busy time for me as I was marking assignments left, right, and centre 😉 Everything got done and now we’re on to the spring semester! It’s crazy to think that the school year is already more than half over! During January, the students learned and experienced how to make disciples, explored missions at our annual Missions Conference in New York, learned some very practical advice during Counselling class, and were taught about the life of Jesus in the gospel of John.
Schooling:
My schooling continues to be busy, but I am thankful for it. I am working toward the goal of getting a degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. My current classes are English and Cultural Anthropology. I learned some very important lessons about the importance of being humble and learning from and with people of other cultures instead of thinking that we know it all. This is good to remember if I do decide to do mission work abroad. My schooling has been good in the sense that I’ve been kept busy which is good for me mentally.
Miscellaneous:
In other news, I continue to go to the gym each week. The exercise has been very beneficial for both my physical and mental health. It almost seems that God intended for us to get exercise. 😉
You may have heard that we had a fire at Word of Life at the beginning of January. Thankfully, everyone is safe. Although there was some significant damage, it has been awesome to see the way God is blessing and growing many people through the process. It has brought the entire campus of staff and students closer together as we have pitched in and helped where needed. People in the community have been willing and eager to help as well which has been encouraging. Please be praying for the staff and students affected by the fire as some people still did experience loss of belongings.
I was able to purchase some tickets to go and see a For King and Country concert with my siblings in March. I am pretty pumped about that as I haven’t really been to many concerts in my life, but it is something that I know is right up my alley as I am quite passionate about music!
Bible Verse:
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” – Galatians 4:6
Again, I find this truth to be incredible and God deserves all the glory for it!
Prayer:
- Please pray for staff and students affected by the fire.
- Please pray for staff, students, and campers as our snow camp ministry, Recharge, is currently happening. Although I am not involved this year, I still like to be around and encourage people when I have the opportunity. Please pray that the gospel would be clearly presented each week.
- Please pray for me as I continue my work and schooling that I would sleep well, be energized, and be enthusiastic for all of the opportunities in front of me.
- Please also pray for me as I make future decisions and that they would be glorifying to God.
God bless each and every one of you! Remember, we as Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside of us! He will strengthen us and help us in our daily lives!