Three words to describe this week are unpleasant, heartbreaking, and emotional. Unfortunately, as a JWI student, I would love to write about how every week is the best week ever. However, the reality is that the bad weeks will come. The good news though, is that communities grow exponentially in the valleys. As Brian Holland, who is our speaker, expressed this week, “Rejoice in the valleys, for that is where you will grow; the mounts are for viewing where you came from and where you will go.”
Discouragingly, we had to say goodbye to a dear friend. As a class, losing someone never feels good. However, there is hope in that God is sovereign and that He has great plans for that person and for the rest of the class. I have found joy in the love that Yahweh provides. Although I say that this week was difficult, I cannot let go of the fact that our speaker was incredible.
Brian Holland, a staple in the Hume community, had been given the privilege to speak for our class. During his sermons, he nailed solid points on faith and a more real perception of God. The Lord is not some “Big Man in the Sky”, He is our Father, whom we get to call Abba. He not only loves us, but he actually likes us!
Brian also revealed how powerful faith can be, sharing stories of healing and people coming to Christ. One of the quotes that really hit me this week was, “If God took the Holy Spirit out of your life for one day, would you notice Him gone?” As you can imagine, that hit hard. As I walked around asking fellow Joshua students to describe this week in one word, many (including me) found it tasking to find uplifting words. That is because it was a gloomy week.
Nevertheless, this week, our community has become more intimate than it has ever been so far. I have seen the love and kindness of my classmates overcome the emotions of this week.
Joshua is a difficult program, but that might be the best part about it! I love my staff, and I especially love my class. Three ways to describe my class are, ever enduring, continuously compassionate, and undeniably loving.
-Ethan Carpenter (Current Student)
Hey, I’m Kylie Malia Tanis, this is my first week writing for the blog and it’s quite a heavy one to start with. As much as I’d love to steer towards the fun things and good times this week, not all of life or this program is just fun and positive. Some very strong emotions and big tears were shed this week. Let’s dig in, shall we?
We’ll start with my Sunday. I had spent the weekend with a Joshua sister, during our long week in Hume SoCal and had got back to JWI Sunday night. I cannot explain the joy I felt walking back in those doors and seeing everyone again, especially since it felt like I had gone a month without seeing them. It was probably the first time I gave many people hugs, so I made a shoutout to Josh for making my night because he was so happy to have everyone back that he gave me the biggest teddy bear hug!:) But going to the actual event that broke our week, though – hard things to write.
Many Joshua students, including myself, are coming out of this week with some heavy hearts. Heartbreaking news hit our classroom when Dallas and Jen told us what was going to happening. Having to say an early goodbye to one of our dear Joshua brothers. After being told this, we had our last lunch with him here. Dreading, the time came when he got up to walk out the doors. Gathering in the great room, we said our goodbyes, gave hugs, and ugly cried. Our brother left us with his bright smile on his face, some personally experienced wisdom and a joke to laugh at. The rest of that day and days after had a somber feel, an emptiness in the room we didn’t know we’d feel, and a sadness we don’t want to feel again in this program. As hard and sad as it is having to write about this, it makes me even more sad that, being almost 50 days in, I couldn’t get to know my brother as well as I would have wanted to. I know many others feel the same. As much as I did not know him, it still feels like a loss close to home, especially when you’re a sympathetic person.
With each day feeling like its own week in itself, that day was the first time that time moved slowly for me up here at JWI.
Our speaker this week couldn’t have come at a better time, Bryan Holland. Bryan talked about being loved by our God. Being loved through the mundane, when you feel like nothing, when you act out of selfishness or when you don’t know what to do. Something that stuck out for me was when he was saying throughout our fast-paced lives,’ We need to stop for people. If Jesus would stop for 1, we as disciples need to learn to slow down and show our care to one another as well, even if it’s out of the way.
I hope the events of this week and the things we heard bring us together as a community and that we grow closer and intertwine ourselves with God’s children. Thanks for listening, toodles, my good fellows…
-Kylie Malia Tanis (Current Student)