winter has arrived...

Flathead Lake

Well the snow has officially arrived-there is so much of it, it has snowed for like a week straight and doesn't compare to the little bits of snow we get at home, and because its so cold here it actually lasts. I really enjoy it a lot, even though we don't leave the base that much in this weather i still am able to go for walks, and sledding of course. So right now it is American Thanksgiving so over half the base is gone, so it is really empty and quiet here, which is lovely. After 9 weeks straight of working its such a blessing to have a few days off just to relax, sleep in, spend time with friends, and just enjoy beautiful montana.

On Thursday me along with 15 other people went over to a couples house for thanksgiving. They have a beautiful home right on flathead lake-(i will put some pictures up) and we visited, played games, ate a lot of food, watched a movie, it was just such a nice day, and felt like home. Speaking of home, i will be home in three weeks today, and i cannot wait. I am taking the train along with 2 girls that are coming home with me. They are both from Korea and are looking forward to coming to Canada and spending Christmas with my family!

So i have been leaning so much and have officially completed 13 books and am working on Psalms (Each week we go through around 6 Psalms)-so that by the end of the year we will have completed them all. Our last few books were 1 and 2 Corinthians-which i really enjoyed. 1 corinthians was probably one of my favorites and then 2 Corinthians-which is really different then first but still i learnt so much. One of the things i like about doing each book is that we do applications--and these are not things that we are going to do in a year or two, but things that we can do now and here. So it has been really encouraging seeing everyone apply their applications, and for me to, its been a real blessing to take what i have learnt from each book at put it into action.

God has really been speaking to me about my future and what he wants me to do. To be honest i don't know what exactly he wants for me, but i know that he has been saying Breanne you need to let go of everything and give it over to Him. I having been working on giving everything to Jesus-my future and i have always had a picture in my head of where i want to be in the future but God is just like breanne dont worry i have everything under control just trust me and give it all to me. I feel like i have reached the point where i can give God my education and if i meant to go back to University i will, but if not i am really ok with that. Just over a year ago God has said so clearly to me that im going to do missions and i feel like being here is helping me with that, knowing God's word and learning how to interpret.

Reading 1 Corinthians was a bit difficult just because it has lots of hard scriptures that are so often misinterpreted and abused. passages about women-head coverings, marriage, women being silent....things like that. BUt i feel like now i have a much better grasp of those things. It still baffles me as to how much i can learn from just reading about the history and what was happening back around 55AD.

I am so excited that my hunger to read God's word has not gone away, i get so excited and feel priviledged to read the word, to observe, interpret and apply it. It is amazing how each book is different and i learn so much more about God's character. A major theme in 2 Corinthians that i noticed were that Paul was writing about the marks of a true apostle. Ultimately Paul was an amazing apostle and even in his weakness the Lord gave him so much strength and that is my prayer, for me that i will strive to be like, to humble myself completely and when i am weak=because i am weak God will strengthen me so much and i will be able to do good works for Him.

God is just so good, and has and is blessing me so much as I am here with amazing teachers, staff, students, and just his beauty. It is snowing a lot again-as usual i think i am going to take a walk and then later a few of us have volunteered to ring the bell for the salvation army.

Have a great day..miss you all, love you

Lakeside Montana

View of Flathead Lake-really close to the base

Gyulnara and I, running buddies.

It is so beautiful here and I am just really enjoying God's creation. The weather is similar to home and i just love it. This lake is huge, its called Flathead lake--its super cold though because the glaciers melt into it.

buns by the lake

there is a really cute coffeeshop that is a logbuilding that is right on the lake. I have gone there a few times to study and its so beautiful just watching the sun burn off the fog on the lake. i love it here....oh and the first time i was talking about this place i called it beans on the beach..but its buns on the lake. They have such good cinnamon buns

...desire to be a humble servant

It has been a really long time since i have last posted a blog, i really am going to try to do a blog weekly but i am not going to promise. These past three weeks have been really intense. I have completed quite a few books: Mark, Luke, 1,2 Thessalonians and currently i am working on Philippines. These two gospel weeks of Mark and Luke were really busy, lots of charting because they are such huge books and so many revelations and realizations, its been amazing and really overwhelming. This week has been better =its called small book week, 1,2 Thess and Philippines, so that has been quite refreshing.

God has been teaching me so much and healing my heart a lot and renewing my mind. I feel like my faith is so much real, i know what i believe, and i really just want to share it and that is so clearly what God wants us to do. The story in Luke 10 when Jesus sends out the 72 really hit home for me and i was able to relate to it so much, and i feel like my heart is in that. The Lord appointed 72 people to go out before him and said that "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" and Jesus sent them out-with nothing, no money, no sandals, nothing--Except the power of Jesus to heal people, and cast out demons and they had authority. I just felt so convicted reading this, I want to be like them, to leave everything, to be completely humbled and serve Jesus and do mighty things through his name. To be bold and proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth.

I was asked to share at the community meeting last week and i shared about what God has been teaching me here and while i was preparing for that I did not know how to narrow it down to just one or two things. So i decided to talk about fears and how fear had really ruled my life for sometime-the fear of being along, the fear of not having money, fear of not knowing my future..and more. Two weeks ago I broke down and was weeping and crying out to God to free me of this things and he did, it was so amazing--before i was feeling so tight and bound and after i felt so free and i had such confirmation that God is going to do some amazing things through me and it was wonderful. I had a major sense of peace. I shared about this at the meeting as well as the fear of my future and i feel like i have been able to give it up to God and i will go wherever he leads me-no matter where that may be i want to do whatever he asks of me and i know if i am obedient he will make everything work out and i have no need to fear but i must trust and hold onto him for strength.

This past week was a bit frustrating, i got a letter saying that i need to start repaying back my student loans because ywam isn't one of the eligible schools so that was really hard. I do not have money to pay them back, and with me being in the states communication is hard as well. I called and have emailed and i think i will be able to get it down to only paying interest while i am here so that is a bit more doable. I am still not sure how that will all work out but God has really been telling me that i am here in montana for a reason and that he is going to work it all out, i need to trust and seek him, he will be my strength and i don't need to fear or be filled with worry.

There is so much more that i could talk about but i need to start writing weekly so that i can include all these things. Ultimately i can say that i am being changed so much, i am learning to be a servant, a humble servant and in being that--it involves suffering which is a bit scary to think about but its true-persecution and suffering will happen and that is part of being a Christian. Another huge revelation that i have had when reading 1 and 2 thess is the whole idea of the end times and what that looks like. I feel like before coming here i really feared the end times-especially those left behind books and movies that i have watched but by reading Thessalonians it is so clear that we are not to be scared, it will happen fast, we will not know when but its a good thing and we are to encourage people with this and it should not be something to fear at all. Paul wants to encourage the church because they had thought the 2nd coming had already happened but indeed it had not. Everyday new revelations, its so amazing.

To change the subject completely-i have started to run everyday, its so nice here but its going to snow soon so i am trying to get in a routine before it comes. I go with a friend-a girl from the Ukraine and it has been great just to talk and run with her, discuss things, struggles, pray with each other and enjoy the nature that surrounds us. We run to the lake which is gorgeous and often we see deer--no bears yet, and i hope that won't ever happen. BUt it has been so nice to get outside after being inside all day studying and reading God's word.

Also i have been a bit homesick, the people here are amazing, it really feels like home and family but its still hard and i miss people at home and comforts of home and sometimes i get a bit overwhelmed with people everywhere and it is difficult to find and places just to be by myself and reflect on what im learning and what God wants to teach me.

I cannot wait for Thanksgiving, i am going to a couples house on the staff--they live on the lake and we will have a big dinner there in a few weeks so that will be really nice, and christmas cannot come fast enough. I do really love it here, but i just continue to be a bit overwhelmed with everything. Here are a few specific prayer requests:

---Clarity and retention when reading the bible

---sense of peace and not fear for my future, wherever that may be

---that everything gets worked out with my previous student loan

thanks for taking time to read this and i hope it brought you encouragement to read God's work and to make your faith so personal and real.

love you all

Bre