VII•XXIX•MMXIX – Day 9 & 10

Saturday, July 27

We not only had our first Survey class, but we spent an entire 6 hours with no interruptions for the first time. My morning began with a coffee date; my leader and I went out to chat about how I’m doing among other things. It’s really nice to have someone who can mentor me through a lot that’s happening while I’m here! When we arrived at the coffee shop she had just finished telling me that not many IHOP people go to this place. Funnily enough right after walking in, I see my Pastor and his family out on the back patio! It was a fun moment, saying hi to them; his daughter was so sweet and gave me a hug. It was a great start to the day! 

Our survey class was also a lot of fun. It’s basically where they go through the history and setting of each book of the Bible; I took classes similar to this at Elim. However, the dynamic of the class is very different than what I experienced at Elim; there’s a lot more passion and it’s much easier for me to grasp information. I think it’s taught in my learning style which helps – plus everyone is very engaged and wanting to learn which also helps. Close to the end of the class I actually knew something more than what the teacher was discussing! 

We learned that Herod was nervous when the wise men and magicians came to his door looking for Jesus because of the army of people with them. BUT – as he taught this I remembered another fact my Pastor has mentioned – the wise men were actually king-makers – not just fancy men with gifts. 

Sunday, July 28

This day lasted longer than I hoped it would, but it was still a lot of fun. After church, my housemates and I had a lot of fun singing and dancing with one another to pass the time. Then during our home group, everyone finished sharing their testimonies. It’s crazy to see how differently the Lord moved in everyone’s lives yet how similar certain points were too! It was also really nice to be able to hear everyone’s story – I feel like it really brought us all closer as a group. 

Then in the prayer room, we had another 6 hours which was long but good. I’ll be honest, 6 hours is not a walk in the park. It’s a struggle to stay awake sometimes, but every once in awhile closer to the end everyone just has to stand up; and if the music is just right we all dance and worship together. We have to be careful not to disturb the room though, which is hard when you’ve been sitting for almost 4 hours and you just had a rush of happy energy. God is faithful and blesses us in those moments though with enough energy to finish strong! 

I’m loving the time I get to just sit in the Lord’s presence, it’s time I’ll never get back again and I wouldn’t want to spend it any other way!

Thank you for reading. xx