FIRST WEEK OF CLASS

Hello loved ones! Thanks to all of you who keep up with our family and are praying us through this journey...we are honored by you. It's very humbling to get an email or word of encouragement that God has put on your heart for us. Please continue...as much of a blessing this has been, it's not void of battles. However, God is so faithful to our hearts by blessing us with so many family and friends!
I hope I can put into words some of the highlights from our first week of class. This will hopefully give you a glimpse of how our hearts are being formed, nurtured and matured so that when we are sent into the nations - we will be a refection of the one true Jesus Christ!!
As a class, the Lord has been faithful to establishing authentic community within and among us. And it's been amazing to be a part of. Since we are from 11 countries, we all come from different cultures, values, nationalities, etc. And to watch God bring us together and really form life-long relationships in such a short amount of time is a miracle!
I believe we've also had a revelation of God's character. How can you not, with such a diverse group of crazy passionate people that have one goal of their lifetime...to know God and make Him known!!
We identified as a class that another thing we felt in unity - was grace for intimacy with Him. It is only by His grace that we've been drawn to Him and are getting to know who He is. (entire chapter 2 of Ephesians!!)
Our self identity is being established. We've really been praying for correct identity and how God sees us as His children. We've spent time in the prayer room, in the word and alone time with God to really get deep into Him so that we know who we are.
There has been a community of honor being established among us. That what we see in each other is from the Lord and how He sees each of His children. I gotta tell you, this was a 'God-shift' for me. I so much easier see the wrong in people and their character flaws, then the amazing person God created them to be. I'm so much faster to criticize or correct, than I am to encourage or honor. God really brought me to a place of repentance in this area and it has changed my language with people I'm around. Basically, if you're reading this, I've been critical of you and haven't fully or beautifully shown you God's love for you...and I humbly say, I've been wrong. No more let me speak of nothing but the goodness of God and no more let me see anything but the person that God is deeply, passionately in love with. If you have breath, God is IN LOVE WITH YOU!!! There is nothing you can do to change that! Search the scriptures, it's true:)
The joy of the Lord broke out among our class and and that is our strength! We are free to love the Lord before man without fear or worrying that we might look like a fool! It is a strength growing deep in us that all we do, we do for the Lord and we'll listen for His voice and be obedient to it. We've given it all up to be here and we really are after His heart! It's an amazing thing to be a part of!! Isaac and I will be doing some video interviews of some of our classmates, and I'm sure you'll fall in love with them as we have!
God is giving us great expectation for what is to happen...in class, in our communities, in our families, our outreach, our nations!!
A great desire of all of us, is to hear God's voice...and I know that has been happening. His sheep hear His voice and we're taking time to listen for ourselves and for each other. I've found out, when I stop and listen, God has a lot more important things to say than I do!
As a class and individually, we are getting a renewed trust for the Lord and His plans for us. "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Is 43:18-19
We've also been getting a perspective that is realigned for His kingdom. I have to say, Matthew 5,6, and 7 is really the heavenly perspective being written on our hearts! If you don't know it or haven't read it please do, with the idea that this is the kind of life we feel called to!
This is just an idea of what some of the highlights have been...it's overwhelming and beautiful!
Much love! Deby