september

september

I have been challenged and have really had to lean on God this month. It has been a whirlwind of teaching, excursions, and spiritual warfare. God is working in the midst of the chaos.

We jumped straight into our outdoor excursions, starting by climbing my first 14er, Bierstadt. The mountain was so beautiful and it was another great opportunity to enjoy creation and have some time alone seeking the Lord. The valley was still and quiet and the climb was long and throughout the hike, I was reminded that God wants me to find peace in my relationship with Him. This peace began to become a common theme as we continued on our excursions. Our second adventure was a trip into the Aspen wilderness on the Maroon Bells Loop hiking trail. For my New Zealand friends and family, this hike reminded me so much of the Routeburn Track and I loved every grueling kilometre. We hiked over 4 mountain passes and 30 miles in 3 days, enjoying conversation, sore feet, and stunning views. During this hike, while we were away from the bustle of busy city life, I was overwhelmed with the truth of being still and knowing God. In being still it was refreshing to see God’s beauty reflected in the orange aspen leaves, in the still mountain lakes, and in the ragged mountains dusted with snow. His intentional care for creation is nothing close to the way He sees and knows us. So thankful that we are able to enjoy creation during this program! It is definitely one of my favorite things.

Even though we have been spending a lot of time outdoors, we have also been learning plenty in our classes. My favorite class has been the biblical themes class. In this class, we have been going through many themes and biblical concepts both from a historical and spiritual perspective. Our teacher, Brian Bozarth, takes time to relate everything (and I mean everything) back to the beauty of an intentional Creator who sees us in our sin and chooses to stand with His arms wide open welcoming us home in love.

I have also found that our identity class has really given me insight into deeper things that I have been learning about who I am in Christ. One truth that this class has really helped me dive deeper into is the idea of what I am to be building my life on. I think that I had a general identity established but a lot of what I put my identity in was found in things in New Zealand, my family, social circles, school, and church, and when I moved to America this identity no longer stood firm. I realized that I had to rediscover who I actually was. This is still something that I am working on and praying about and I am so thankful for the ways that I have been broken and crushed to be built up stronger in the Lord, no matter how painful it might have been.

The other two classes have also been great, I am learning a lot about the Genesis story and have been developing a deeper understanding of biblical disciplines and practical aspects of faith and the history behind them.

Amongst all the chaos of classes and adventures, God has still been working in my heart and refining me in personal ways I did not expect. I experienced a lot of turmoil about learning to love and be loved. I realized that I need to be more secure in who I am and let myself find peace in God and who He has made me to be. I am more than what others see, I have small things that only God sees and He smiles. I am more than who others say I am, my identity is not held by the words of others.

I am enjoying every day with each of its challenges and I am always excited to learn more.

Sorry that the September newsletter was sent out in November :///