So first I have to say that I was initially doing an update letter and then realized that there is too much going on in my brain to actually write in one letter. We are always told that our general update letters are supposed to be shorter and more to the point; and yet I still feel like I wrote a novel. So this is where I have chosen to go a little more in depth about things that have been going on, allowing you to embark on this journey of growing closer to God.
For the past three years at Columbia Bible College (CBC), I have been poured into by some amazing people. Whether these be professors, mentors, leaders, peers, or strangers, I have had my world rocked by some incredible situations. This definitely led to a greater mental knowledge of both the scriptures and the life of Jesus. I studied the scriptures. During these past few weeks of orientation I have been introduced to a poem. It is written by a women named Doreen Kostynuik. I'm not sure if I can write out this poem word for word, but the first stanza speaks to my years at CBC. I followed Jesus throughout the scriptures to see how he responded to certain situations. I saw how he loved the sinners and the lost, and how he reached out and touched the broken. I have also read and seen how He takes time out to recharge in God's presence and pray.
Now I have started to experience the second stanza of this poem. I have started to let Jesus look towards me, now, in this life. I am allowing him to touch me, the sinner. To hold me, the lost. To heal me, the broken. I am allowing God to fully be present to me and letting him work in my life. If I was to only talk about this little bit of my experience so far, it would take maybe a few blog posts. I was given the great privilege to participate in a 48-hour silent retreat that involved me, my bible, my journal, and God — thats it. Many people would look at that and think that it is crazy, a waste of time, maybe even 'hell-like'. I would like to say though that spending 48-hours listening to God (even if you only hear one word) is the farthest from hell that you can be on this earth. There is something about hearing the words "I delight in you" from God himself, rather than just knowing it from studying the bible. I pray that all of you get the opportunity to take time out (doesn't have to be 48-hours) to just relax in the presence of God.
So during this silent retreat, I did hear the words "I delight in you" and it was amazing. Words cannot fully express how you feel when you hear the Almighty, All Powerful God of all nations whisper in your ear that He delights in you. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:21). So this is now my challenge for you, even if you take 20 mins, try to give that to God in silence. You may not hear anything, thats ok. It takes a lot of practice.
I guess I should also mention about my team. This is going to initially be a little jumbled and discombobulated until I catch up. So for the first two weeks of Orientation there were only three people who knew where they were going: these were the global servants. So that left 16 people who had no clue who they were going with and where they would be going as a team. This unknowing caused some people a lot of stresses close to the end of the second week. Tuesday morning of the third morning, we all came in and went through our normal morning routines. This includes breakfast at 7:30 and then life journaling — reading designated scripture, journaling, and praying — from 8-9. Then at 9 we all gathered in the great room where one of the leaders revealed the team make-ups and we moved straight into worship. They have had many years of revealing teams, and they believe that this is the better way. Giving people space and the ability to respond how they need to respond. Some years it is full of smiles, tears, and stunned stares. A range of emotion can be shown during this time, even all by the same person. Well I should move on to revealing my team — which you can see on my prayer card that I am sending out —so here it goes.
Central Asia
Steven Atkinson
Adele Fauntleroy
Anna Brown
Taylor Ewert
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