Life is a giant whirlwind.... possibly a cyclone.
Speaking of cyclones, I just went through my first hurricane. Category 5, one of the worst in Australian history. Yay, welcome to "Down Under."
We are into our fourth week of DTS. It is intense. My processing is going to take a long time. Just like when I returned from Nicaragua, I don't think half of this will hit me for months if not years.
Our first week of lectures was on our identity in Christ. Powerful stuff. Learning that we are co-heirs and conquerors through Christ. Why do we fear, what holds us back? Knowing that the God who created the universe is our advocate, we should stand in righteousness and truth. I wish I could give you a glimpse into what God did/is doing in me but am not sure if words are sufficient. I cannot live in the fullness of Christ, if I do not completely believe I am loved and made new through God. I started to realize this and refuse to let fear or anything else bring down what God has done for me and what He plans on doing in me.
The second week of lectures was on Confession/Repentance. Although we are new creations in Christ, in order to live for Him, we need to make sure we have a right heart and clear conscious before Him. If our thinking and actions are convoluted with sin, we allow things into our lives that are not in direct relationship in our service to Him. It is not just important to confess our sins to God, but sometimes we need to confess to others and be reconciled. Ken Mulligan, our base director, gave these lectures and really challenged us in our relationship with God, along with our knowledge of the Word.
We are now in our 3rd week of lectures and it is on relationships. So far, we are learning to have a right, healthy relationship with God. All of our other relationships are a reflection of our walk with God and our maturity in this area.
So far, I have really loved all of our lectures. But, it's not just about learning. If I can't take this knowledge and apply it, then it is useless. Pray my pride is broken and I am open to the fullness of what God wants to do in me. My friend (and staff leader), Maddie, had a word for me the first week. It was "Refinement". God wants to mold and refine me. I pray I am eager and willing.
What I'm saying here is a very pale, simple description of what we are learning. There is so much more depth to it. If you have more questions, feel free to ask.
As far as life goes, we had a blast celebrating Australia Day, a few weeks ago. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!
Then, Australia week was followed by a cyclone which wreaked havoc on Townsville up to Cairnes. Thankfully, there was no loss of life that I know of. Lots of big trees blown over. We waited it out in our powerless, dark, hot, leaking flat. We had a bit of flooding, but otherwise, no real damage to our place. It was interesting running around in the middle of the night with a headlamp, winds blowing outside, trying to find pots, bowls, and buckets for the leaking ceiling.
More on life later. I know this is a really brief synopsis, but my brain is ready to explode so I'm going to go.
With love from Aus, Erin!
Speaking of cyclones, I just went through my first hurricane. Category 5, one of the worst in Australian history. Yay, welcome to "Down Under."
We are into our fourth week of DTS. It is intense. My processing is going to take a long time. Just like when I returned from Nicaragua, I don't think half of this will hit me for months if not years.
Our first week of lectures was on our identity in Christ. Powerful stuff. Learning that we are co-heirs and conquerors through Christ. Why do we fear, what holds us back? Knowing that the God who created the universe is our advocate, we should stand in righteousness and truth. I wish I could give you a glimpse into what God did/is doing in me but am not sure if words are sufficient. I cannot live in the fullness of Christ, if I do not completely believe I am loved and made new through God. I started to realize this and refuse to let fear or anything else bring down what God has done for me and what He plans on doing in me.
The second week of lectures was on Confession/Repentance. Although we are new creations in Christ, in order to live for Him, we need to make sure we have a right heart and clear conscious before Him. If our thinking and actions are convoluted with sin, we allow things into our lives that are not in direct relationship in our service to Him. It is not just important to confess our sins to God, but sometimes we need to confess to others and be reconciled. Ken Mulligan, our base director, gave these lectures and really challenged us in our relationship with God, along with our knowledge of the Word.
We are now in our 3rd week of lectures and it is on relationships. So far, we are learning to have a right, healthy relationship with God. All of our other relationships are a reflection of our walk with God and our maturity in this area.
So far, I have really loved all of our lectures. But, it's not just about learning. If I can't take this knowledge and apply it, then it is useless. Pray my pride is broken and I am open to the fullness of what God wants to do in me. My friend (and staff leader), Maddie, had a word for me the first week. It was "Refinement". God wants to mold and refine me. I pray I am eager and willing.
What I'm saying here is a very pale, simple description of what we are learning. There is so much more depth to it. If you have more questions, feel free to ask.
As far as life goes, we had a blast celebrating Australia Day, a few weeks ago. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!
Then, Australia week was followed by a cyclone which wreaked havoc on Townsville up to Cairnes. Thankfully, there was no loss of life that I know of. Lots of big trees blown over. We waited it out in our powerless, dark, hot, leaking flat. We had a bit of flooding, but otherwise, no real damage to our place. It was interesting running around in the middle of the night with a headlamp, winds blowing outside, trying to find pots, bowls, and buckets for the leaking ceiling.
More on life later. I know this is a really brief synopsis, but my brain is ready to explode so I'm going to go.
With love from Aus, Erin!
1 comment:
A category 5 tropical cyclone is about equivalent to a category 4 hurricane in the United States... not nearly as bad.
There was a bit of loss of life (heart attacks, etc) but not too much.
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