It has been a while since I wrote to you.
Time certainly does fly by way too fast.
I don't have much time so I will try to make this quick, yet detailed.
I am doing really well and I miss you all so much!
A lot has happened and I'm not sure where to begin...
I was recently able to travel to Boise, Idaho for an Acquire the Fire event.
Acquire the Fire is similar to BattleCry, but smaller.
Anyway, I went there to promote the Honor Academy.
I got to help set up the event and then talk to teens about being a part of the Honor Academy.
It was a lot of fun. I was so close to home, but so far at the same time.
I tried to have the bus stop in Salt Lake, but it was too far out of the way.
We were on that bus for about thirty hours... It was intense... but i had a lot of fun.
I just turned 18 not too long ago. My birthday was February 21st, it was a Sunday.
Here in the Honor Academy, we have Core groups we grow really close to.
We have our own core, a sister core and a brother core, all together, we are a family core.
My family core all went out to the park to celebrate the two birthdays that were happening.
Mine and another girl in my Core, her name is Krystal.
It was so much fun and I was so happy that God blessed me with such a great family.
We had cake, played on a teeter totter, played football and hung out.
We also had a lot of fun with very big bubbles wands.
I felt like a little kid again, which was perfect for my eighteenth birthday :)
The Tuesday after that, we had a very special guest speaker!!
His name was Pastor David and he is the Chief of a tribe in Africa called the Mesai.
This guy was the real deal!!
He told us the story of his life, briefly; he grew up in the completely unreached Mesai tribe where his father was the witchdoctor of the tribe. Because Pastor David was the oldest son, he was the one to inherit the witchdoctor status so he was being trained to do so ever since he was a boy. When pastor David attended a Christian conference because his friend pestered him, he came to know the Lord!! He then faced persecution like we wouldn't believe and even death because of his commitment to Christ. In the Mesai culture, the second oldest boy cannot be trained to be the witchdoctor while the first is still living. Because of this, Pastor David ran!! Before he fled the only home he knew, the Lord had saved Pastor David's life from his own father twice! The culture in the Mesai tribe was so controlling, it brings fathers to kill their own sons. Praise God that he saved Pastor David from this!! I wish I had time to tell you the rest of his story, but I don't. I'll paraphrase instead: Pastor David was at one point levitated by God over a river he needed to cross but couldn't find a way, he killed a lion with his bare hands, he survived two deadly car crashes, spoke perfect English through the Spirit of the Lord while giving a message at a convention when he barely even knew English, and eventually returned to his home village and risked his life to share the Gospel with his family. He has been able to reach thousands of people since then and is continually spreading the Gospel with the Mesai people. He was an inspirational speaker!
Then, we had what was called the Unreached Peoples Group Life Transforming Event.
In short, here is an excerpt from the Honor Academy website.
"This outdoor simulation allows you to experience the mission field without ever having to leave the campus. Become a missionary and evangelize an un-reached people group, or become an un-reached tribe and develop a unique culture, complete with language and customs. Learn how it feels to reach and how it feels to be unreached."
I was placed in an unreached tribe. We worshiped a tree and believed the Earth was in existence for and because of us and that our bodies gave life to the earth. Our god lived on the sun, which was once our home, but because we grew up, we became evil. We believed that babies and children are holy and innocent so a baby was a blessing from our god, whose name was Wiise. The missionaries did very well finding the wholes in our religion in order to shine the light of Christ. Sadly, the event ended 4 hours early because of the rain that completely flooded our tents and the freezing cold. If it would have been about 20 minutes longer, my whole 'tribe' would have come to know the Lord. Well... hypothetically.
This Life Transforming Event really opened my eyes to the emptiness of false religions. In order to experience it to the maximum potential, we had to really get into character. Because of this, I really felt lost and confused. I was so hungry for something more and I actually longed to know more about Heaven and this God that these foreigners were telling me about. When the event was over, I was so relieved. I missed Jesus a lot. :) Although I couldn't wait to be done so I could read my bible and worship the Lord again, I was ready to stay out there for weeks. Living right in the middle of God's creation, stripped of our worldly comforts and sleeping to the sound of nature was so blissfully relaxing. I really enjoyed that part.
As I sit here, typing this up, I am trying to prepare myself for yet another Life Transforming Event (LTE) that begins tonight. This is called World Awareness, and there is no online description because they usually don't tell interns what is going to happen. This year, they have. This LTE is going to simulate what living under an oppressive, Christian persecuting government would be like. We will actually be forced into a 'refugee camp' and we will be taken 'prisoner' and put into 'jail' if we are caught. There is also going to be a 'work camp.' I am very excited for this LTE and I can't wait to learn from it. It starts tonight, at 9:30 pm.
Next week is Easter. I'm sad I won't be home for this time, but I do have rather exciting plans. A very good friend of mine lives in Dallas, Texas. Her name is Laura and we are roommates. We plan, along with another one of my roommates, Evelyn, to go to Laura's house for Easter weekend. It should be very fun.
But! Before that wonderful time of rejoicing about Jesus' resurrection comes, it will be a special day for my family. My mom's birthday is almost here!! She will be... well... I'll let her tell you... I don't think she'd want me announcing her age to the world. Anyway! Her birthday is April 1st! So don't forget to tell her "Happy Birthday!" Horray!
I believe that is all the updates I have for you at this time.
I will do my best to send them more often.
I Love you all in the Lord and I can't wait to see you again.
God Bless!
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