Eternal Destiny

Ok... sorry I didn't post this last night! The wi-fi shuts down at 11pm, and I didn't have time to post.
To change things up a bit, I am going to start out on a more spiritual note. Don’t fret, I will be funny later! J
The last 2 days of classes have been full of profound ( at least to me) revelations. I have discovered that I know so little of God’s love for me, and for the world. I took some time to journal and meditate on my notes last night, and still feel that God is moving them from head knowledge to heart knowledge. My prayer is that He would continue to transform my mind, and then ultimately my heart during this time.
One thing we discussed was eternal life. What is eternal life? Is it something we only experience when we die? Eternal life is simply to know Jesus. This is straight from the Son Himself. John 17:3 says:“ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Eternal life is about relationship with the lover of Your soul. So what is our eternal destiny then? Your eternal destiny = unbroken communion with God. As Beth Moore says, we were created out of fellowship( of the Trinity) for fellowship ( with God and others).We are smack dab in the middle of the Trinity, the most incredible relationship…ever!!! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live and love in perfect harmony. Each is a lover and a beloved. Think about that! The angels are God’s servants, and don’t even get to enjoy the benefits of this relationship. I love what Vanessa said today about the reason behind the Trinity. There is so much in His heart and mind, He had to divide it up! We also learned today that just as God has 3 identities, so do we. Each “person” of the Trinity has a specific function, and each have specific gifts to give. With God as Father, we are His son or daughter. With God as Son, we are His lover/bride. Finally, with God as Spirit, we are a minister of reconciliation. We are called to reconcile the world to God, just as the Holy Spirit is reconciling us to God! WOW!

A few noteworthy quotes from today’s class:

*God is more interested in You and your character, than what you do for Him.

*We need to keep worshipping, because worship brings revelation.

I could share so much more, but I would be typing all night! I’m sure that you will be chewing on these truths for a while anyway, just like yours truly! As you can see, I’m so blessed to be here, learning more about our infinite God. ( Please note all of the truths above were imparted to me from this week’s teacher, Vanessa.) This is only the second week of classes, and I’m already being challenged incredibly. Can you imagine what’s going to happen in the next 4 months? I can’t!!! Just pray that I will have an open heart, open ears, and an open mind to receive all that God has for me. I don’t want to miss a single word!
So I picked up my laundry yesterday, and it appears that the cleaners did a great job.
I haven’t tried on all of my clean clothes yet, but I’m hoping they didn’t shrink too much. I rarely dry my clothes all the way, so I am afraid that some items shrunk. I guess I will find out later. I was a itching quite a bit last night after putting on some clean clothes, so I hope I’m not sensitive to the detergent they use. I could’ve touched something or ate something that didn’t agree with me either. I was talking to Val, one of the staff here, and she said if I had to do my laundry here at the base ( considering the washing machine was actually working, it‘s broken more than it‘s operating), it would have cost me about the same amount. She said I would’ve done 2 loads in the washing machine and 2 in the dryer, because overloading the washing machine is what makes it break. I felt better about spending a little over $7 on my laundry after talking to her.
I had a crisis happen today that I thought you should be aware of: I ran out of peanut butter! I went to my favorite store ( so far), and they hand a small jar of peanut butter, so I read the label to check for gluten. Sure enough, there was “harina de trigo (wheat flour)” listed in the ingredients, and I became frustrated. I asked my friends with me, is there really a reason to put wheat in peanut butter? I couldn’t believe it! I’m going to try another store this weekend, and if I can’t find GF peanut butter, I’m going to ask someone to please send me some!

I was excited yesterday because we had our first small groups yesterday. Since there are 11 ladies, we have 2 groups, and the guys (8) have 1 group. Our leaders took us to a nearby park where we talked about our feelings about the first week or so, what God is teaching us, etc. This is not a structured time, so it will be nice to get away every Tuesday afternoon, and chat with my sisters. Next week, they said we will go for ice cream or coffee. It’s good to get off the base every now and then, according to the staff here. One of the leaders mentioned she was just emotionally exhausted. The other leader, Rosella, said it was so good for her to talk with us. It amazes me that no matter how spiritually mature we are, we still need each other. We are here to meet their needs too, it just didn’t occur to me at first. Rosella is also my “one on one.” We will meet each week for a brief time to talk about what is going on in my life, what God is teaching me etc. I’m really excited to have a “mentor”, and spend some quality time with her. She is a super sweet girl, and I look forward to encouraging her too.
Additionally, I have really been enjoying reading the YWAM story, Is that really You, God, by Loren Cunningham. His story is truly amazing, and God spoke so clearly to him about every aspect of this ministry. I am blessed by how biblical this organization really is, and even though it’s been a difficult transition, I’m slowly getting used to life here. My team is becoming my family. Please continue to pray for me as I transition to life here. God is so good to allow me this time to get to know Him, to rest in Him, and to be healed and restored. I wish you all could see God’s work in my Houston friend Kevin. He is truly a miracle, and has been healed incredibly from his messed up past of drugs and alcohol. God is doing mighty things in this place, and I’m not going to be the exception! Amen!!