New Beginnings

I can't believe it has been over a week since I've posted. I guess that's not completely true. I believe that it's been a week but time has flown by with the intensity of classes, an orientation retreat this weekend, class again Monday and in between it all: memorizing scripture, sharing Jesus, daily Bible readings, daily book readings, Life Group stuff, serving at church, daily quiet times, fasting, and being a wife and mommy through it all!

Besides the intensity of it all, we are loving every minute. God is transforming our hearts and minds and it's only been a week. We have received so much prayer, amazing teachings and encouraging words that we can't help but see God move in this environment.

There have been so many wonderful stories in this last week but I'll only share the highlights for each of us. Otherwise, I'm afraid this would be an overwhelmingly long post:)

First, and most exciting to me, Andrew was at the dump on Monday with a load from work and saw a young man just walking around. He was prompted to go over to him and he started sharing about God's love for him specifically. The young man broke down weeping several times throughout the conversation, touched by the words of God. At one point Andrew laid out the gospel and asked if he wanted Jesus to come into his life? Right there in the Waco dump this man received Christ! Praise God!

Second, we are so excited that on Sunday night Andrew is being baptized! He has been praying about this for a long time and is very excited. We are having our whole LG come to our apartment complex and he's be dunked in the pool. We can't wait!

For me, my highlight happened in class on Monday night. The teaching was on the Father Heart of God. Listening to the speaker talk about how God sees us was like a fresh perspective for me. I've always known God loves me but never really thought about him liking me and wanting to be with me. It's all over in scripture that he 'delights' in us. He's not so far from us that he's shouting just to 'check in' with us every once in a while. He's with us all the time! God is crazy about his kids! He loves, loves, loves me! I can do anything if I know my Father loves me! For me, I've always known these words but realized for the first time that I wasn't believing them. I wasn't living like I believed those words or letting them change me. So my prayer is that my heart is soft enough to believe the words He's spoken and live my life out of that love!

Ezekiel 36:26
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."