(check out pictures from this semester) This has been a very blessed but emotionally draining week. Honestly, this last semester has been one of the best of our career. We had some wonderful students that were very responsive to God and to their relationship with us. Just this week one student led Bible study the day after he made a definite decision to follow Christ. Another student shared his appreciation for us as his “family” in America. We have also been exposed to some new ways of doing ministry and have really made progress in applying those principles throughout the things that we do. It has been a year of much movement.

Still, this week was very hard… Several dear friends are going home long term this weekend. In addition, several of our staff have had some huge family crises and we are transitioning one of our kids through teenhood and another through being a Webelo… I can’t remember when we have had more “stuff” to do in my life. No I take that back, back in High School, the weeks before I left for New Jersey for the first time, I had just about every hour scheduled with packing, having dinner with someone, etc. It was just as non-stop but the idea that that sort of life style not ending any more can be daunting… Still the exciting thing is that God is showing me through daily time in His word and in prayer that it can be done. We are being forced to depend on Him for every second of every day and it actually works!

One of the things we end each Bible study with every week is “if this passage is true, (which I believe it is) how does it change the way that you live…” I’ve been really challenged this year to make this question a part of every Bible truth that I know and imagine this… THE BIBLE ACTUALLY IS TRUE AND LIVING AS IF IT IS ACTUALLY WORKS! Imagine that…