Wow. I've been at Kauai Bible College for a month plus a week. The time has flown by!
I don't even know where to begin! Ever since being here God has been pulling closer and closer to his heart. Every morning we an hour set apart to be with the Lord in the world and through prayer. God has really been speaking to me through these times. Since I've been here I've learned alot about the grace of God and that apart from him I can do nothing. I need his help to get through each and every day.
The students have all become very close to my heart and great friends. It's so fun living on campus with so many young people who love the Lord. Our living conditions may not be the most comfortable, but they are adventurous and have been stretching our personalities.
As most of you know, I'm living in a tent. It's up on a deck and we have furnishing along with carpeted flooring. Our showers are cold and brackish (half salt water half mineral water). We have a outhouse and that's all I'm going to say about that. So, the conditions can seem at times a little rough but I LOVE IT. The breeze comes right through the screens and the sun rises in my front yard. I've gained a new appreciation for 4 walls and a roof over my head. Showering and brushing my teeth in hot fresh water is like a dream come true.
The church here is incredible. They all show the love of Christ so well to one another. Some of the families from the church have adopted the bible college students into their family while they are here. It's so great that we all get to bless one another in this way. As I write this, I'm sitting in a condo that one of the women in the church blessed us with for the day because of the rain that we have been getting all night long. It's such a blessing to have a warm and dry place to use our computers, charge our phones and do laundry.
I'm enrolled in 2 classes here at KBC. One is Discipleship 101 in which we talk about the great commission that Jesus gave and the end of his ministry which was to go and make disciples of all nations. We are learning that it is not enough to simply share the gospel but the follow up from that transformation is just as vital as their initial decision for Christ. I'm excited for the rest of the semester and the wonderful things that we will be learning through it. The other class is what we call "Chuck Tracks" which are sermons on mp3 from Pastor Chuck Smith that go through the entire bible. I'm going through the first part of the old testament. This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while and it's a blessing to get to take this course.
As far as my duties go on campus, I am leading the Wednesday night worship services and assisting Heather in meal planning and shopping for the schools kitchen.
Wednesday nights have blessed me SO greatly already! (And we've only had two!) When you are given a group of young people and you're not sure of how far along in their talents they are, it can be quite scary. But the first week we got together and the Lord really united us as a team and the music was WONDERFUL. I was so relived and encouraged and got WAY excited for the semester of growth for all of us. I'm excited to push the students to places where they haven't been before but God really wants to use them in. I'm also just bringing in most of my favorite music and that's a HUGE blessing for me. So far, everyone has picked up and been touched by the songs we have sung together. We've had people come up and share that we were used and that they could tell that God was moving while we played music. SO ENCOURAGING.
Like I said, I also help Heather with kitchen stuff. We make Costco runs together and plan out the menus for the weeks ahead. This is a difficult but great job. We get to make sure that everyone is eating healthy and eating enough. My times with Heather are great and I'm so happy that I get to work with her.
So that is a little taste of my life here in Kauai. In our free time we go to the beach, Hoppe Falls, hiking, coffee shops, or just hang out together in each others tents.
Thank you SO SO MUCH for all of your prayers and support! It's been helping a whole lot. Here is an update of prayer requests.
Pray for Pastor Bob Hallman as he returns from his sabbatical and is getting back into the swing of things at the church and also teaching the Discipleship 102 class for the returning students from Fall of 2011. Pray for energy and direction for him and his family.
Pray for the students that they can be focused on their studies and that the Lord can teach them as much as they need to learn this semester, and not only book knowledge, but more about who God is and what he wants for their life. Pray that we would not get distracted by all of the wonderful things that Kauai has to offer but that we could use them to grow closer and see the true nature and goodness of our God.
Pray for me, that I would continue to learn how to be a servant to the others around me. Pray for me to be a good student in the classes that I'm taking. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit so that I can do everything that God has for me here. Pray for focus for me as I am easily distracted. Pray that I will dive deeper into the knowledge of who God is.
Thanks again. Love you all.
-Emily
