Hi everyone!
My time at Joshua so far has been such a blessing as I have been witnessing the Bible turn to color, the worship convict hearts, and the people become family. Every day I wake up feeling grateful for the opportunity to study the Word of God in such a beautiful place with spirit-filled brothers and sisters.
This past weekend, we all served in various departments from grounds to bakery, and accommodations to hosting. It’s an honor to serve the community of Hume and the public with my Joshua siblings.
After an amazing church service given by Jason Andrews about the importance of Scripture, the Scianna family graciously opened up their home to us. It was so much fun playing games, eating snacks, and laughing together as a community.
I just want to pause and, on behalf of Joshua, thank all those who are praying for us daily, piling us up in their vehicles for trips up the mountain and investing quality time with us. I also want to extend thanks to our speaker, Sam Meier, for always presenting the Word with wisdom and passion. I have been intrigued this week with learning about the reality of the spiritual realm and how it relates to mankind on Earth. A passage of scripture that has stood out to me is Revelation 12:1-17 which explains the imagery of Israel, the Messiah, and the fall of Satan.
I also celebrated my 19th birthday up here at Joshua which was so exciting! I felt so celebrated at work when all my coworkers sang! And all my Joshua siblings surprised me with brownies and a signed card which was so sweet!
This Thursday we had our first theme dinner which was Western-themed! It was so exciting dressing up and getting to enjoy each other’s company. The whole dining hall was decorated with “wanted” posters, string lights, and a photo booth. Then we all started line dancing which was fun. However, the star of the show was the mechanical bull!
This week has been a blast and I have been extremely blessed in growing in not only my knowledge of the Bible but in my love for Him. Have an amazing weekend!
-Rachel Patterson (Current Student)
The third week up at the Joshua Wilderness Institute has been filled with both highs and lows.
To start, our speaker, Sam Meier has been a huge blessing to have in the building. He has shown us things about the bible that I would have never known, such as the Spirit of GOD floating over the water, (Genesis 1:2), and has helped me get closer to GOD.
It has been fantastic to get closer with my Joshua brothers and sisters as well. Whether that is through hard conversations or paddle boarding on the lake at night (Guys Night!!!), it is amazing to see GOD work in us as a community.
As we get further and further into the program, the stress of both homework and Philippians is catching up to us all. With that being said, It is good to go through it together as a community set on getting closer to the LORD our GOD, YHWH! Excited to see what the LORD is to bring into our lives as we all seek him.
– Noah Brannon (Current Student)
This third week has been a great week of becoming fully settled into our new home and getting into the swing of things.
On Tuesday night the guys went out on kayaks and paddleboards as we had a night on the water, which was a great time to enjoy the stars, to enjoy the hilarious noises we made through loud echoes, and ate some high-quality brownies.
Our speaker, Sam Meier, finished with some great messages this week, regarding the fall of Satan, the different names of God, and their meanings, and shared with us the importance of directions in the Bible and how they differ from our sense of direction today.
On Sunday after church, I got to see the great basketball skills of Dallas Dewitt, as he is a beast in the paint.
On Friday our class had a current events class, going over the presidential debate and some of what is going on in Israel. While both of these situations are looking dangerous, we can remember to pray for both of these problems and trust Yahweh through it all.
-Ty Benevides (Current Student)