Hello everyone!
This will be a short post, but I just wanted to express my excitement that we are so close to being finished with SBS! We finished the Old Testament on Tuesday, which felt like such an accomplishment after covering so much text in 5 months! We are now studying Matthew, the final book of the school. It has been helpful so far to see the way saving this book for last helps tie in God's plan for all of history, and the way that Jesus is the fulfillment of his hope for restoration.
We are in the process of writing a final paper that summarizes just that: God's plan for humanity. It has seemed overwhelming at times, for it covers all we have learned from Genesis to Revelation and is supposed to synthesize all that information into a big picture story. However, we are both really enjoying it, as it is helping us to focus on the highlights of what we have studied this year. It is amazing to see that we really have learned sooo much! I am so much more aware of who God is and what that means for people.
We will turn in our paper this weekend, turn in our paper/assignment over the book of Matthew on Tuesday, take a final exam Wednesday morning, and then be done!!!! We will celebrate with a lovely graduation dinner that they host for us at the Hilton in town, and then have graduation next Thursday, June 23. Thanks so much for your prayers, love, and support over these past nine months. We are very thankful for all of you, and we look forward to sharing what God has taught us with you all.
Love, Erika
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
We're getting close!
Good morning friends and family!
These past couple months have been amazing. We have been working through both small and large books, starting from Kings and Chronicles and moving into the prophets, going through them chapter by chapter. It is such an amazing thing to study the Bible like this, and a real privilege for us. Our lives have been changed this year by what we have been studying. Erika has learned a more in depth view of who God is and how big he truly is. This realization has really inspired her to want to speak that truth into other people's lives, and put it into practice by using the gifts that God has given her; I am much the same.
So, with that in mind, we have made a commitment for two years to be on staff for a school here that is one of YWAM's big areas of influence called DTS (Discipleship Training School). The quick version of what it is, is a 3 month lecture phase filled with speakers that come who are either pastors, or have been long-time YWAM missionaries from around the world. They come and minister to the hearts of the students in the school, and give them a foundation for taking this truth into the world. The other half of the DTS is a 2 month outreach that we will be leading, to help the students see how to apply what they have learned, and to continue to solidify God's call of reaching out to the people of the world with his love. Whether they decide to go into missions or go home, this school is an awesome equipping tool for making God known wherever they go. We are really excited to be a part of this.
Along with this, we do have a need that I would like to begin to make known, and that is monthly support. As of right now, we have enough money to finish out this quarter in the Biblical Studies school. We intentionally worked last summer to pay for it, but starting this summer, we're going to be full-time staff members sowing into the DTS. Since YWAM is a not-for-profit missions organization, they ask their staff to raise their own salaries, which means that the donations of others are not spent on overhead and administrative costs. As of right now, we are praying and asking for monthly donations to help us cover our basic living expenses, and to continue to do what we feel like God has asked us to do. If you're interested in how to help invest in missions through us, you can visit the support portion of our blog, on the tabs, and it will give you more information about this and how to contact us.
Anyway, that's what is new in our lives. We look forward to this summer and enjoying what Montana has to offer and to serving here, as many people are coming this summer for building projects and for sending out high-school aged mission teams all over the world. We miss you all, and we're grateful for you.
Love you guys,
Jason and Erika
These past couple months have been amazing. We have been working through both small and large books, starting from Kings and Chronicles and moving into the prophets, going through them chapter by chapter. It is such an amazing thing to study the Bible like this, and a real privilege for us. Our lives have been changed this year by what we have been studying. Erika has learned a more in depth view of who God is and how big he truly is. This realization has really inspired her to want to speak that truth into other people's lives, and put it into practice by using the gifts that God has given her; I am much the same.
So, with that in mind, we have made a commitment for two years to be on staff for a school here that is one of YWAM's big areas of influence called DTS (Discipleship Training School). The quick version of what it is, is a 3 month lecture phase filled with speakers that come who are either pastors, or have been long-time YWAM missionaries from around the world. They come and minister to the hearts of the students in the school, and give them a foundation for taking this truth into the world. The other half of the DTS is a 2 month outreach that we will be leading, to help the students see how to apply what they have learned, and to continue to solidify God's call of reaching out to the people of the world with his love. Whether they decide to go into missions or go home, this school is an awesome equipping tool for making God known wherever they go. We are really excited to be a part of this.
Along with this, we do have a need that I would like to begin to make known, and that is monthly support. As of right now, we have enough money to finish out this quarter in the Biblical Studies school. We intentionally worked last summer to pay for it, but starting this summer, we're going to be full-time staff members sowing into the DTS. Since YWAM is a not-for-profit missions organization, they ask their staff to raise their own salaries, which means that the donations of others are not spent on overhead and administrative costs. As of right now, we are praying and asking for monthly donations to help us cover our basic living expenses, and to continue to do what we feel like God has asked us to do. If you're interested in how to help invest in missions through us, you can visit the support portion of our blog, on the tabs, and it will give you more information about this and how to contact us.
Anyway, that's what is new in our lives. We look forward to this summer and enjoying what Montana has to offer and to serving here, as many people are coming this summer for building projects and for sending out high-school aged mission teams all over the world. We miss you all, and we're grateful for you.
Love you guys,
Jason and Erika
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Our Room.
Hey, I think we meant to post our room pics after Christmas, but never did, so here it is, for those who haven't seen it. (All credit goes to Erika. I the brawn.) Thank you very much for helping us furnish our home. The wedding gifts have been put to good use. Enjoy :)
Winter Quarter
What a quarter it has been!
I appologize for not updating for a while, for all those watchers and readers out there. (Thanks by the way :)
We have been working our way through the Old Testament. The following is a brief account of that "work through."
It has been life giving, harsh, meaningful, and packed with lots of questions of who this God is that we serve, that can only be answered by maybe the vision of the entire bible, and God's intentions for mankind in history and well, just talking to him about what he meant when he did this, or said this. Erika and I both have had some pretty impacting times of study, and that is largely due to the intense hours, and time that we get to spend with God during those intense hours. To be quite honest, there have been a little more down than up times, and we have struggled through it, and ended up with a better understanding of the faithfulness of God during those struggling times. The struggle is attributed to the way that the Bible is able to tear down walls, and demand change because of who God is, the holy one, the just one, the gracious and loving one. Those are just some of the characteristics that we have been noticing, and have become more and more of a reality as we dive into who he is, and what he wants to do with people, and us.
This next quarter is going to be Kings-Matthew(exclude Psalms and Proverbs). And then we graduate!
On a more personal note: Our marriage is going great, really! We have been able to work through communicating better, and learning how to love each other even when life is quite busy. It seems God has had a large involvement in the way that this has played out, and all the prayers that people have poured out on us for our lives. Thank you.
With love always,
Jason and Erika.
I appologize for not updating for a while, for all those watchers and readers out there. (Thanks by the way :)
We have been working our way through the Old Testament. The following is a brief account of that "work through."
It has been life giving, harsh, meaningful, and packed with lots of questions of who this God is that we serve, that can only be answered by maybe the vision of the entire bible, and God's intentions for mankind in history and well, just talking to him about what he meant when he did this, or said this. Erika and I both have had some pretty impacting times of study, and that is largely due to the intense hours, and time that we get to spend with God during those intense hours. To be quite honest, there have been a little more down than up times, and we have struggled through it, and ended up with a better understanding of the faithfulness of God during those struggling times. The struggle is attributed to the way that the Bible is able to tear down walls, and demand change because of who God is, the holy one, the just one, the gracious and loving one. Those are just some of the characteristics that we have been noticing, and have become more and more of a reality as we dive into who he is, and what he wants to do with people, and us.
This next quarter is going to be Kings-Matthew(exclude Psalms and Proverbs). And then we graduate!
On a more personal note: Our marriage is going great, really! We have been able to work through communicating better, and learning how to love each other even when life is quite busy. It seems God has had a large involvement in the way that this has played out, and all the prayers that people have poured out on us for our lives. Thank you.
With love always,
Jason and Erika.
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