Hey everyone!
My name is Tay B, and I’m glad I get to talk to you about the week of
October 27th to the 31st! All in all, it has been a very sweet week. It was our
first week of Phillipians testing – for chapter 1 – and praise the Lord that all
50 of us passed! It has been a joy to memorize Philippians; the Lord has
shown up for all of us throughout the process! A standout verse for me
would have to be Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of
the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I
may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind
striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” This verse reminds me that
our faith is not meant to be lived out alone. It is a true call to unity and to
live in a way that reflects the gospel, both when people are watching and
when they are not. We are to stand firm in ONE spirit to pursue Christ with
a purpose. I love the community up here at JWI because of how we are
learning to truly strive side by side for the faith of the gospel.
Onto Chapter 2…
This Thursday was our second theme dinner- Halloween themed. I
will say, I am not a huge fan of the holiday, BUT JWI knows how to have a
good time. My friend Syd and I dressed up as the Lorax. The theme was
spooky, so I’m not sure how we ended up with that idea; however, it was
super fun, a sweet way to celebrate the end of Philippians testing!
One last highlight I want to share is missions class! Our teacher,
David Rimestad, has already had such an impact on the way I view
missions and sharing the gospel. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I
am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The mission God gives us is to proclaim His name among all people and
nations so that He will be known where He is not currently. I felt convicted
one day in class when David shared about a man from the tribe, Maliyali,
who longed to hear the gospel. David couldn’t share it because both he
and the Maliyali people were in the process of understanding each other’s
language. I immediately looked down at my Bible within arm’s reach away
feeling convicted that I have access to the living word of God while so many
others do not. I am grateful that the Lord put this on my heart so that I am
more aware of it now. He has definitely been showing me how deeply He
desires to be known, and I am looking forward to having David as our
speaker next week! God has been so faithful, and I am excited to see what is in store for
us all in the weeks to come!
Taylor Britton 🙂 (Current Student)