Ranch Camp and IMO

steph, jana and catherine

the inside of our cabin

my beautiful outreach leader, Kerry

Julia and I at the Bison Ranch

Hi Everyone.

This past week has been flying by and I cannot believe that in two weeks i will be in Nepal. It is coming up so fast but the excitement is growing in me and my team and meeting after meeting has been awesome-in talking and learning more about Nepal and what we will be doing there.

This past weekend was really enjoyable, as a whole school we went to a Bison Ranch a few hours away and spent one night there. It was in the middle of nowhere-and looked similar to alberta flatlands. All the girls stayed in a beautiful log cabin with a loft on top and Bison blankets were covering each bed. They had acres of land and I was able to walk wherever i wanted, they also had horses that we were all able to ride. It was such a great time to relax and enjoy the beautiful creation as well as working on preparing my first teaching that i did on Monday which was teaching the Inductive Method Overview. While at the ranch the Lord gave me a lot of peace of why I am doing Titus and that I belong there and that God has a very specific purpose for me and what I am doing.

Monday morning I did my first teaching which was a forty five minutes teaching of the inductive method. I taught about types of Bible study, the importance of prayer, different between inductive and deductive, and then the three steps-Observation, Interpretation and finally application. I really enjoyed this teaching and got a lot of great feedback of things that worked really well and also advice on how to better my teaching. It was great to teach to people that truly care about my teaching and that want me to be the best that i can be. But what I really enjoyed was the fact that i had to do a self evaluation after and in doing that I pray about what God thought about my teaching and it was something really healthy and good to do.

I was reading in 2 Timothy today about what Paul wrote to Timothy just before he was about to die and he was passing the torch on to Timothy. And he was reiterating the fact of what it means to be a teacher and how he needs to make sure he is teaching sound doctrine and being humble.

I charge you in the presence of GOd and of CHrist who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and and wander off into myths. As for you always be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

This was really encouraging to hear and read--to know that I am going to Nepal and will teach the truth, and i cannot to pray that I can go with a humble spirit, and realizing that yes i am the teacher but my job is to make sure that the students learn--and to really take that seriously and take it to heart.

I have been also learning a lot about myself and who I am. We have been doing different character tests-learning how we communicate, which side of the brain we use more, are we divergent or convergent and it has been really crazy learning these things. It just makes a lot more sense that school was difficult for me because i am a divergent learner-and i am visual and kinesthetic, that my mode of intelligence is interpersonal and musical. Most schools do not cater to those people and as a teacher I want to make sure i am catering to my students need. THat i am creative in teaching-and that everyone will learn-and that i can teach it to them in a way that they will understand.

Currently I am working on my preaching--for friday so if you think of me on friday could you pray that I will be led my the Lord and that he will guide my words and my preaching and that he will be glorified in all that I do.

Thanks for all your prayers, i love you so much--and please email me and let me know how you are doing.