Weekly Update: Thursday, 03/14/13
Hello from America again!
It’s been a couple weeks since our last update and also the first week of the School Of Apostolic Pioneering in Cascade, Idaho. We’ve just finished the first couple days of orientation and have started working with our first SOAP speaker.
This morning’s lesson has been about what the SOAP project looks like and what are the details that go into it. For an exercise, we read through the first and second chapters of Nehemiah and tried to find information that would be relevant in SOAP project. We asked questions like, what was Nehemiah’s ministry? Is there any background information included? What are the basic operations that will need to happen in order for the wall to be built?
On the whiteboard in front of me are a lot of answers; Nehemiah’s “ministry” was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, his friends had told him the “background information” in the very beginning of the chapters, he would have to see that many “basic operations” would be carried out, such as, who would be in charge of the building supplies?
These are all things that go into a SOAP project, as well as others.
Living in Cascade has been really good for our family. Since we’ve been gone we have friends who have moved into the apartments next to us and below us. It gives us a lot of opportunities to work together, play board games together, and eat dinners or lunches together. We also have high-speed internet at our apartment now, so keeping in contact with our families has become really easy through Skype.
During the last two weeks we’ve worked with our downstairs neighbors to prepare for the SOAP. That means putting in food orders, organizing the welcome dinner, figuring out when people will arrive, reorganizing the furniture at the Depot (our really cool training facility), and writing out ten weeks worth of school assignments. It’s really cool to see all of it come together this week.
Looking forward toward the next three months our days will be pretty ordered around the school schedule. Our son is already fine with taking his afternoon nap here!
We’re looking forward to keeping you all updated!
Thanks for keeping up with us!
Other Updates:
– In the next few weeks several friends and I will be hiking through some of the mountains nearby Cascade. Our goal is to spend the night praying for Cascade, the people living here in the valley, and our ministries that reach out to the people around us. Please be praying for us as we pray about how to do this and get a plan together!
– Another ministry opportunity we are hoping to open up is a Bible study night for young people at our apartment. We are still praying about how to do this, but we are trusting God for the people who will be a part of the Bible study.
Scripture:
Early last week I was praying about what part of the Bible to read and it felt like God asked me to read about Philip, mentioned in the book of Acts. You can read about him in Acts 6:1-7, Acts 8:5-40, and Acts 21:7-14.
He is a character in Acts who was chosen for leadership in a position of service, was willing to be known for Jesus during persecution, was obedient to God’s voice, and was later noted to be a father of several well respected daughters. He isn’t extraordinary, save for God being extraordinary in his life, though, the book of Acts is filled with stories of God being extraordinary in the lives of many ordinary followers of Jesus.
You should read through Philip’s story too!
Perhaps God will do amazing things through your own life as well?
Praise & Prayer Report
– Praise God for our son’s easy transition into the flow of life in Cascade!
– Praise God for our wonderful friends who are on the SOAP team with us! We are really looking forward to working with them over the next several months!
– Please pray for our finances as a family!
Thanks for all your prayers!
In Christ,
The Abiding Kingdom
The Abiding Kingdom 