Hey y’all!
Life in the Joshua building for me, so far, now that we’re going on our 5th week, has been pretty great. Of course there’s the struggles, but when will we not encounter it? The weekend was busy with work, hosting is a busy job. Although, I got to see my two aunts and my two grandmas come up for the woman’s retreat. Pause night this past week was super fun, even though I’ve only got together with them twice, I’m really looking forward for the next visit. We did nothing major, it was more laid back (which is always the best times, too). My pause siblings, pause dad Jeremiah, and I put on plaid pajama bottoms (my pause mom Amber didn’t have any plaid pajamas, but it was okay, she still got cozy in her pajamas with us). We had a spaghetti night and played Spicy Uno, too.
-Kali
This week at Joshua has displayed God’s goodness in a myriad of ways. These past few days have been filled to the brim with challenges but I have consistently been reminded that God is not lacking in His provision. From stargazing for our girl’s night to the heart-softening messages provided to us by our guest speaker, God’s gentle love is evident. I worked during the weekend as a hostess at the Ponderosa kitchen for a women’s retreat which turned out to be a huge blessing. At the end of the weekend, multiple women approached me, prayed for me, and gave me Christ-centered encouragement. There are many opportunities to engage with those around me and I am so grateful for that.
-Bethany
For starters, God is so good. This last week was such a learning and eye opening week for me and my relationship with the Lord just sky rocketed. I have never felt so close to God before but He has shown in such tremendous ways His love and His grace for me. We had a moment where we went to “look-out” rock and just looked up at the stars and worshiped. This was for girl’s night and I remember just feeling so captivated by God’s glory in all that He has created and done. I continue to keep my eyes open for what the Lord might want me to be transparent to taking in and understanding but in all of it, being 5 weeks in I feel God has so much more for me to be open and vulnerable with and I am here for it!!
-Melissa
Personally what we are experiencing here will carry with us through the rest of our lives. God has taught us so much already and only in the first 4 weeks! Imagine what He will do for the rest of the year. Guy/girl nights have been incredibly fun and every week we look forward to it. Classes recently have been getting a lot more challenging, we recently had to finish a 5-10 page paper and almost everybody waiting until the last minute to finish it hahaha. Oh well, you got to balance the fun and work. But no matter the amount of work or any stress, it is worth it for the things we are learning about God everyday.
-Nate
It has been one month here at Joshua. We have been so incredibly busy the time has gone by quite fast. Tonight, we got some rest after turning in two papers earlier this week. On Tuesdays we have Girl and Guy Night’s, and for tonight’s Guy Night we went down to main camp for some volleyball. It was nice to get out and have some fun, giving us a chance to relax. Most of the others seem to be doing fairly well with the schedule, but it can be difficult keeping up. Through this busyness and subsequent exhaustion God has really been showing me how He provides for us. In several instances now He has shown me that He provides, and I only need to have faith, trusting in His faithfulness. He has also been showing me and reminding me that His provisions and His will are not always what we want or expect from Him. I try to remind myself to look for Him working in and through me in areas I might not expect. I am thankful to God that He sees me through my challenges.
The Lord is my Rock and Fortress
(Psalm 18:1-3)
Reece Holzer
