Day 3 & 4 has flown by- we are getting adjusted to the island time now and able to spend some time with friends and making new friends. Can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of lectures already!
Day 3 was amazing! To begin, we taught the students how to do vocal warmups- “My mommy made me mash my M&M’s” they thought it was hysterical. We even had them meow like cats to warm up their lips. This was all so that we could sing and pray together, because warming up your voice helps.
Jeff had the students break up into small groups and each went over passages of scripture that depicted what God is like: Exodus 19, Daniel 7, Ezekiel 1, and Revelation 4- we concluded that God is on fire, glowing like a diamond, with river of fire flowing from Him, has a throne, has 4 living creatures surrounding Him singing Holy night and day, there is a rainbow around Him, and has clouds and thunder and lightning around Him! Jeff wanted them to see how God is worshipped in heaven and how majestic He is. Then Bethany walked them through the Old Testament to show what the Tabernacle of Moses and Tabernacle of David was like- How David in 1 Chronicles actually set up his tabernacle and appointed Levites, musicians and singers, to stand around the raw presence of God to sing and play music to God NIGHT AND DAY. David touched something in worship that has only been equaled by heaven’s expression of worship. Bethany ended with Psalm 27:4, that what drove David to build a house for God on the earth is desire, love and intimacy with Him, and that is exactly what God is looking for today.
It’s been so much fun to see how the students are getting what it means to pray and to worship.
Day 4 we started out with a prayer meeting. The three boys led a prayer meeting with worship all by themselves, and the girls prayed. The two boys had never sang their prayers before, until today and they came up with some amazing choruses!!! They are understanding that praying can be a very enjoyable thing when you add worship. They want to do it the whole time they are in their school here, which excites us:)
Today Bethany taught on How to Pray-Read the Word, and Jeff taught more on the Power of Prayer from different passages that prove that prayer works, as well as how to schedule a prayer time. Jeff was calling them to pray 2-4 hours a day, and they actually think it is doable for them.
We didn’t go to the beach yet, and actually might not get too. Every afternoon while we are free has been time to rest and get Moravia a nap or a bath. It’s been fun swimming in the pool. Moravia is loving the little girls here. She just giggles when they come up to touch her. She usually ends up with hiccups from giggling so hard or greasy hair from the little girls touching her (usually at lunch when they have potato chip hands!). It’s so cute. Moravia just knows that she is going to grow up to be like them!
Last night we got to go out to eat at an amazing restaurant to get pizza with the directors of the YWAM base, Fauger and Ana and their two kids. It was great to catch up (we’ve been able to do this every year we’ve come) and hear more about what is on their hearts for the island, their base and their staff. They ironically are headed to Kansas City for 6 weeks in March to get training from the YWAM base there! (It’s about 2 miles from where we lived when we lived in KC!) We are now thinking about going to go visit KC just to see them.
Tonight we are having something called “Prayer and Worship Connecting the World” or PWCW- where they worship somewhere on the island once a week… and we are going to join them! Afterward the ladies on staff are headed to celebrate their birthdays so Bethany got invited to the restaurant too. All the dad’s are going to watch their kiddos so Jeff will be doing that too.
Hope you enjoy the pictures- we are exhausted but really really enjoying our “vacation” – like Jeff said before this kind of vacation is the best! We feel so excited to be in love with Jesus and for prayer because we are having to communicate it every day. The students have the best questions- so sincere and really desiring to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
The CRAZY thing is two students (not the ones in our classes everyday but the ones who are in their outreach portion of their training) are from SIOUX FALLS! WHAT IN THE WORLD! The one girl actually started tearing up when I told her that we live there and started a house of prayer- she said that Sioux Falls really needed a house of prayer and got so excited. How small the world is.
Ok that’s it for now- signing off!
-Bethany