End of the Year Updates and Reflections
Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Years and got to spend it among loved ones with constant reminders of how much God has done this past year.
The semester closed with reminders of God's goodness in so many ways. Seeing all our students celebrating, laughing and enjoying sweet friendship at our Christmas party reminded me of all the work God has been doing both individually in our student's lives and collectively as a community that semester. Each one I have seen experience life to the full in Jesus- John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Additionally, at the end of each semester, our apprentices do a sermon, with this one simply being "My Story", a way for apprentices to share what God has been teaching them not only through this season, but often throughout their entire lives. Here too, I was reminded of God's goodness and how He transforms us, broken creatures that we are, so patiently and with an abundance of grace, but also with real power! Ashlyn, one of our apprentices shared about this transformation with the story of how caterpillars transform into butterflies. Do you know that they will actually completely dissolve in the cocoon in order for the parts of the butterfly to be newly formed? She shared that this process, while messy, painful and often not very glamorous, is necessary in order for the butterfly to form into the beautiful creature we see. Often, Ashlyn observed, the process of God transforming us is like that. Often we too must turn to goo, at least metaphorically, like clay in the Father's potter hands, in order to transform into something even more beautiful. And even though the process may be hard, there is promise of something beyond what we could ever imagine. Ashlyn shared about her experience with God transforming her into something new, and it was another stunning realization of how God is doing something truly beautiful in each of our apprentices, another mark of His goodness.
How have you experienced God's goodness this year? For me personally, I am reminded of God's goodness through the people He has given me, my amazing husband, my faithful family, my thoughtful and selfless friends and the ever growing body of believers and brothers and sisters in Christ who bear my burdens and point me constantly back to Jesus. There was a time in my life that I didn't think I needed others to get by- and now God has shown me that life to the full is found in being fully known by God and others and in being known experiencing the unconditional love only made possible through Jesus! And I can't imagine my life any other way.
What about you? I'd love to hear your reflections!
In closing, I would love for y'alls partnership in prayer this month! We will be back on campus in a few short weeks and I would love prayers that our students would 1) Have a Holy spirit-centered excitement and vision for their faith and ministry on campus right from the start of the semester, and 2) that God would give our staff wisdom as we navigate through the recent spike in covid cases and how to continue to do ministry while also keeping our students and staff safe!
Thank you guys for all your support. I am so thankful that God has put each one of you in my life as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. God bless you and keep you!
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