Hey all!
This is going to be a long one because I’ve got a lot to say!
I have my Associate’s Degree in math, so I like to think in numbers sometimes. Therefore, I would like to let you know that we are now about 63% of the way through Joshua. It’s interesting: ever since we passed the halfway mark, I’ve noticed that everyone including myself is thinking about our plans after Joshua. A lot of us are going to be working in the summer, so at least that is planned out, but after that everyone will be going their own ways. It is so sad to think about being separated from my Joshua family, but I know I will have lifelong friends throughout the state and country, and maybe some will even be overseas on missions trips! It’s bittersweet to think about the future, but then again it is still three full months away and we still have some awesome and important experiences ahead of us.
So now, I will bring us back to the present. Last weekend was a three-day weekend. I worked as a cook. It was good work, but it did get tiring to be standing and walking all day. I’m so happy because I clocked just over 27 hours in four days. I’m really grateful for the opportunity we get to work and pay off our tuition.
On Monday evening we met our speaker, Donna Thoennes. She was our first female speaker in the program! She spoke on community and hospitality. It really convicted me.
We had preview students come from Monday through Thursday. Preview students are high school students that are checking out the program to see if it’s something they want to do in the future. They get to see what life in JWI is really like, with all the craziness of the Joshua students and the rigor of the schedule. I love having preview students because it kind of helps me to look outside myself and to reflect on the whole of the Joshua program.
Tuesday was Valentine’s Day. Apparently it is a tradition that the girls in JWI do something for all the guys on Valentine’s Day, so we decided to host a special Valentine’s breakfast. We all got to the kitchen an hour early to cook and set up the dining room. We made pink, heart-shaped, chocolate-chip pancakes with all the fixings. My favorite part of the meal was the whipped cream. It was sooo good!! All of the girls wrote in cards for each of the guys and we let the guys get food first. That was the only time they got to do that. The staff played music and we ate and had great fellowship. I’m really happy that we were able to serve the boys that day. Shoutout to Cassidy and Baylee for being such amazing planners.
Thursday night was our theme dinner and the theme was pirates!! I love theme dinners. They are so fun and something to look forward to. I’m so thankful that the staff plans times of fun for a break in the normal schedule. So, we all dressed up like pirates… Well, mostly. Most of the guys dressed up like chefs because they were bragging to the girls that they had taken claim of the coveted little chef statue (it’s kind of an inside thing). Anyways, after the pirate themed dinner we got the opportunity to make our very own boxsleds!! I was so excited when I heard that we would be allowed to make our own boxsleds and run them down the hill. The girls made a pencil shaped boxsled named, “The Heaven Express”. It is very narrow and hard to get into, but I think our little boxsled will definitely beat the boys in durability and distance!
So that was my experience with the last week. As far as prayer requests go for us, I think it would be great if you could pray for us to have endurance for the last part of the program. Like I said, I think that most of us are really looking forward to the future and I know that for me, it can make it hard to really be present in the present. There are still so many great moments to be had and it would be a shame to not be fully present. Perhaps you could also pray that God would provide for our individual funding. I know that some people have already paid off their tuition, but as we get down to the wire, others are still struggling to scrounge up the funds. I am not so worried though. I have seen God provide in miraculous ways and as the saying that I learned from a church group here goes, “God’s will, God’s bill”.
We love you, friends and family, and we are praying for you, future students. Thank you for supporting us and keeping up with our journey.
-Cambria Gerrits