Aug 13, 2010
It sure does feel strange to be graduated from the School of Discipleship and right between coming back on staff with GFA, and not gone yet. I’m glad for the chance to stay here longer to help out in the office during the craziness of the new data change, and to help train the new student that will take my place in the Volunteer department. But it doesn’t leave much time for processing all that has happened this year and the last few hectic weeks of class. So I was re-reading my latest Owley Report (Newsletter) and here are the things I wrote about.
- The Bonsai House! This is my last newsletter while living in the Bonsai house. I’m going to miss my roommates that became like sisters. I’m sure glad we will spend eternity together! Check out some stuff we did on Youtube! Just search “Ninjacat12890”
- We went evangelizing for the third of July.
- My entire School of Discipleship class. We had a bunch of fun together and learned a lot from God this year. I’m glad I got to go through it all with them. I’m never going to forget this year that we spent together.
- We got the chance to challenge ourselves by participating in a ropes course together. Some of the challenges were trust exercises, jumping off a 25 foot pole onto a trapeze bar, and climbing a 30 foot rock wall followed by a zip-line. It was awesome! Not to mention the fact that we saw an armadillo! Alive!!!
- We have one more week of classes left! Recently we finished the book Stoked, by Danny Lehman. It was very challenging, and I enjoyed it. Next we go through one of Uncle KP’s booklets called Stay Encouraged. Before we go through that though, we had to give 10 minute speeches on a verse or passage in the Bible that God used in our lives this year. I gave mine on Romans 8:28.
- On July 20, 2010 the August School of Discipleship class of 2009 graduated. It was an amazing ceremony, Uncle Gayle Erwin, author of The Jesus Style spoke, and the students each shared a parting gift of encouragement and thanks to the staff and families of GFA. This has been an amazing year full of growth, laughter, and love. Four of us are coming back on staff after we go back for support raising. The other three are all going home to see what the Lord’s plan is for them. Please be praying for each of us in our journeys with God. 🙂
Even though those last weeks were packed full of lessons from God, fun activities, and lots of cleaning, it was awesome to spend it with my class. Our class really did become like a little family unit within the GFA family, and I will continue to pray for my amazing friends/brothers/sisters.
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Aug 1, 2010
Bathrooms are horrible! They are my least favorite thing to clean in the whole wide world. In fact I don’t like any type of cleaning, but bathrooms are by far the worst. That was, until something very strange happened this past month.
In the month if July it was my turn to clean bathrooms. It just so happened that the last two weeks of this month the August students were leaving and so it was time to deep clean the house in preparation for the new August students. So I scrubbed and I scrapped applying lots of fancy chemicals to the shower and bathtub to remove all that nasty mildew build-up. I also got to get down on my hands and knees and clean the toilets, those lovely toilets that get rid of all our sweet smelling wastes (ha, yah right!). The floorboards, walls, counters, mirrors, etc… also had to be cleaned.
At the beginning of the month I was not excited one bit, but as time went on I actually started to enjoy the bathroom cleaning. It felt humbling and like I was serving my fellow house mates in doing this. It became a joy and I would now gladly clean the bathrooms every week, for the rest of my life.
It is funny how God works. It seems like all the things that I used to hate are now becoming things in which I love. Other things like sharing a room, going to church, reading my bible, writing, speaking in front of people etc.. have all become things that I deeply enjoy. Although speaking in front of people is nerve racking it is always a pleasure to do. I never thought that I would enjoy any of these things. Haha, God is good!
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Jul 25, 2010
Hello all! This blog post is dedicated to the Bonsai house (Bethany, Chantelle, Katie, and me!)
It is Sunday July 25, 2010 and we are seated at Panera’s about to start our 3 PM devos. Our theme for our last house devotion this year is: Things God’s brought us through this year. We took turns expressing the various stories of God’s faithfulness, but I won’t list it in the order that we did it because it would take a while, and it’d be super long. So I’ll just list what each person said in list form. 🙂
Katie:
Gave me a house that I can laugh with, a nice Christmas even though I was away from family. Grace to learn and transition to my new role at work. God gave me a lot of grace this year to handle the pressure of not being around my family; my nephew, Wesley, was born this year!!
Gave a lot of grace with Susanna and Pam gone in February. Shook me from my apathy and showed me where I needed change. He was really clear with me when I needed it. He gave me a lot of opportunities to trust Him, and has been patient with me. We have a quote book!!
God gave me the grace to follow someone’s lead even when it didn’t make sense. He gave me wisdom and discernment through this year. Gave me people I can talk to, and helped me be more open. We have some house videos! He gave Alley, Bethany, and Chantelle grace to follow my lead, and gave me family to take care of me when sick. He helped me keep Bethany and Alley from killing each other.
Bethany:
Healed me (health). He gave me sisters (House mates). My family has changed in the Lord. We got to go camping! He helped me to not be depressed and taught me to take control of my thoughts. Gave us grace in public speaking, raised all our support, and helped us in time management. He gave us interns!
Let us go to Asia, I got to go to FL with Chantelle. He helped me be more open, and we were able to bond as a house quickly.
Chantelle:
Healed me (health). Made me happy by giving me free decorations for Christmas. He taught me to trust Him and be gracious when I’d been hurt. I have freedom in knowing that Jesus is the only thing beautiful about us. Brandon accepted the Lord!
I survived without my family, and God took care of them in relationships, church, and in growing them. He also gave me a whole family outside of home that I can go to whenever I need to. He showed me how prideful I was in the beginning of the year and began to break me. In my hour of need He gave me Psalm 31. Helped me to be depressed…
Taught me that romance is not the center of my life. He made me love heaven more than earth. Gave us grace in public speaking, raised all our support, and helped us in time management. He gave me a fiancé even though Katie said I couldn’t have one (hehe). Allowed my family to come to graduation and let us go to Asia.
He gave me new supporters throughout the year. Gave me grace when Stephanie left, and leaders I can talk to. Gave me a great church to go to (AKA: the Village with Matt Chandler)
Alley:
He taught me how to trust people, and healed my heart. Taught me to trust Him through every situation (AKA: Ducky), and took over for me with my family… they’re alright! 😀
Gave me a whole family outside of home that I can go to whenever I need. I’m not as concerned with my self-image. He intensified my discernment and made me more intense and passionate. I came to the point where I’m not afraid of my future. Gave us grace in public speaking, raised all our support, and helped us in time management. He made me more transparent, and gave me more of an appreciation for the body of Christ.
He gave me IT guys that could save my computer multiple times. We went to Asia. I got to be my aunt’s maid of honor, I joined staff. We got new supporters throughout the year. He gave me someone to go to when Stephanie left, and future apartment mates that I can be open with, gave me a tan!! The Village Church that I could go to and be challenged.
House:
Snow Days! Sick buddies.
I hope you enjoyed reading a bit of the Lord’s faithfulness with us through this year. 🙂 Remember, He is ALWAYS faithful.
– Signed,
The Bonsai house
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Jun 18, 2010
So last night I set my alarm and went to bed at 10:00 pm. I frantically woke up thinking that I over slept. I ran in to the closet and got my tennis shoes and began to put them on. Then I happened to look down at my watch and found to my suprise that it was only 11:30 pm! I had only slept for an hour and a half, and if this wasnt enough I did this 3 other times through the night and each time realizing that I still had a long time to sleep!
I am trying to decide if I was fully awake or asleep!! What do you think?
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