Hi friends and family!
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Taylor Gestl, and I’m so excited to share about this past week at Joshua. It was one of those weeks that felt full in the best way—busy, meaningful, and packed with moments that reminded me why this place is so special. We also had the joy of hosting our February Preview Students, which added so much energy and life to the week. I feel incredibly blessed to get to tell you about it.
Our speaker this week was Casey Groves, the senior pastor from Valley Christian Fellowship. He has a deep passion for music, creativity, and exploring the arts through storytelling and biblical truth. His sessions were rich and thought‑provoking, especially as we got to interpret different instrumental pieces and watch clips from a few films together. Those conversations sparked so much reflection among us, and if you’re curious, I highly recommend checking out the sessions on our YouTube channel—they’re definitely worth listening to.
What made this especially meaningful was experiencing it in the middle of our Joshua fast. Right now, we’re choosing to say no to pre‑recorded music, movies, and TV shows so we can say yes to the invitations God has for us in this season. Engaging with media intentionally during Casey’s sessions made me even more excited to see how my perspective will shift three months from now when we finish the program and re‑enter those spaces with fresh eyes.
Alongside all the learning, there were some really sweet personal moments too. I celebrated my 21st birthday this week! Even though it was a long day of classes, it was filled with so many little memories I’ll treasure for a long time.
We also had plenty of fun sprinkled throughout the week. On Wednesday, we put on our new Broom Hockey jerseys and played against each other to prepare for our big game next week against the Hume kids. On Tuesday, we had Girls’ Night, planned by some of our amazing girls. We split into teams and competed in our own version of the Great British Baking Competition. We had 20 minutes to decorate cupcakes however we wanted, and the results were chaotic, creative, and hilarious.
Thursday brought another highlight with Pause. My Pause family surprised me with a birthday cake and special diet‑friendly cupcakes, which made me feel so seen and celebrated. Later that night, we were surprised again by Michelle and Sean—the Catalyst couple who served us back in October. They stayed for a couple of nights, and having them here was such a gift. They bring the best conversations…and the best snacks.
There’s so much more I could say, but I’ll stop before this turns into a novel. Thank you for reading and for supporting us—it truly means more than you know. I hope to write again before graduation!
With Gratitude,
Taylor Gestl (Current Student)