First Week:Setting the Foundation

WOW WOW WOW!

It is amazing how quickly God is getting right to the meaningful, life changing stuff. Last week the students, staff and our leaders shared about how God brought us here is Kona, HI for the Compassion DTS. The three nights of sharing involved much more than canned answers. All 38 female students and 12 male students opened up to each other. Some told secrets they had been holding inside for years too afraid of the reactions she would receive. Others opened their souls to healing but were unsure how to awaken their hardened hearts.

Alright, let me start with a little more of the basics. When Ericka Smiley and I checked in last on the 24th, we found out that we had been roomed together. This was incredible because the housing department didn't even know that we knew each other! We live in a beautiful room that overlooks campus and the ocean! God truly blessed us and our 4 other roommates. The other girls are from South Korea and they quickly became our sisters! Here are a few pics of our roommates. You can click on the collage to see a larger version. Our roommates are Hyun Min, Yu Hyun, Eun Jung, & Ju Hyun. It took me the better part of the week to learn how to pronounce them, and I believe I've got it figured out now.

Before we had any actual class lectures, our whole school (50 students, 2 leaders, and 10 staff and their families) all loaded into vans and drove to Hapuna beach. We enjoyed an incredibly beautiful day in the sun and playing keep-away in the waves. Guys vs. Girls. Unfortunately, our numbers could not defeat the athleticism of the men. Victory was theirs.

So, as I said, last week was filled with incredible speakers, sermons, revelations and vulnerability. The intense nature and long hours of the first three days made us ready to let loose a bit on Thursday. WATER BALLOON FIGHT! Guys vs. Girls.

We also made human pyramids. The ladies made slight variation on the traditional pyramid. We were much wider that we were tall...

Dawn, one of our leaders, told the class first thing on Monday that she felt that some of us would be baptized this week. My first thoughts were: that's cool for others, but I am just coming up on my one year anniversary of my baptism. It isn't for me. However, after all of the huge changes during the week, by the time we were at the campus pool on Friday afternoon, I was praying about a baptism.

I had just learned that the Jews actually would baptize anytime a person was walking into a significant new chapter in their life. I had given up many past things that I'd been holding on to and had a new song in my heart from the Lord. So, I listened to the prompting in my heart and made a declaration of my desire to follow the Lord for the rest of my life. I give up my plans and my desires and want to follow his will for my life. Oct 2, 2009 marks a first day of my new life! CELEBRATE!!!

A few thoughts and verses that really sunk in this week include:

• All of life is simply responding to God's Love. Life becomes the revelation of God's love for us and us responding to it. Somewhere along the line I missed the lesson on God's love for me. My entire foundation was built on my love for God rather than His love for me. Now, I desire to live my life from the God's love for me rather than from my love for God. God loves me. Therefore, I love God. Therefore, I love myself and others.
  
• Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The word rejoice originally means to spin around under violent emotion and the word sing means to scream in a shrill voice. This lecture gave me an entirely new picture of what God's love looks like.
  
• I need to rest to experience God's love. Relax into his arms

I am learning amazing things already. At this pace, I will be an entirely different person after 5 months and 3 weeks more of this transformation process. Praise God!

Prayer Requests:

• Allowing myself to rest
• Believing and Receiving God's love for me
• Getting to know God the Father. I know Him very well as the Creator, and want to learn his other characteristics.
  
• Freedom to worship Him genuinely. Something is holding me back right now.
• Safety for the class, leaders, and staff. We have had a couple of people get hurt already, so prayers in this area are much needed.
  

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Your prayers too are so much appreciated! Thank you!