Last week of Advanced EXCEL
Wow!
Five weeks have gone by so fast.
We had to give our last speech on Monday, and it was about what God taught each of us through AE.
It was amazing to listen to how God led everyone here, but it was even more exciting to hear how God has worked in each one of our lives through the few weeks.
Phenomenal. Broken boxes. Challenging. Deep. Intense.
Unchangeable. Surprises. Friendship. Leadership. Vision. Super power.
So many words can describe my time here.
I was challenged to think outside my numerous boxes that I have been carrying for many years.
I had to face the deep fears and lies that were holding me back from flying.
For the first time in my life I asked God some questions about me and He answered me.
I discovered some signs of my unique super power in me.
God started a great work in me!
Excited. Scared. Happy and sad. Mommy. Daddy.
New life. Reality. Keep. Challenge. Friends. Prayer. Discipleship.
These are some words that are going through my mind as I think about going back home.
I feel the anxiety and fear that leads me to this question: Can I do well? What if I fall again? Am I going to be able to keep everything I learned here?
However, this connects me to the next thought. It is true that I am weak. I cannot do anything in my own strength, but God can work mightily through my weaknesses. All I need to do is abide in Him. Keep His Word. Trust in Him.
“For I know that thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil; to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah29:11)”
It is an indescribably amazing privilege to be a child of God, His beloved princess. I bask in the Truth that my life is in His loving hands.
Lord, thank you so much for the unforgettable five weeks here!
Sarah Kim
Looking Back
As the first part of Advanced EXCEL is coming to a close, I have been looking back at the last five weeks and seeing what I’ve learned. It’s amazing how much you can learn in five weeks. God has taught me so much; that it’s going to take a while to process it all. I want to share a couple things that He has taught me.
The biggest truth that I have learned is the importance of God’s Word and the need to be in it. All the speakers that have come to AE have radiated God’s love and I know by looking at them and hearing about their lives, that they have a deep and lasting relationship with Him. Every one of them is constantly in God’s Word and you can see it in them.
From the first week with the Davis and all throughout Advanced EXCEL the constant theme has been God’s Word. I have always known that God’s Word was important and that I should be reading, memorizing, and meditating on it, but I never realized that my relationship with God depended on how much I spent in God’s Word. Meditation on the Word is what brings me to a close, deep relationship with God that I want. Meditating is the most important thing that we as Christians should be doing.
Even though it’s important, doesn’t make it easy. Meditation is hard work and a constant battle. We are always meditating on something; it’s just training our minds on what to meditate on that is so hard. It is one of my struggles, my battle with my old nature. For me to have that deep relationship with the Lord I MUST meditate, that’s the only way I’m going to get that relationship. But I cannot do it without God’s grace to help me do it. This is one area of my life that God has been working on me, and by His grace and His alone will I win the battle with my mind.
Another area of my life that God has been pounding on is who I am. I didn’t realize that the person I had made myself to be was a person that was built on lies and fears. I was not who Christ had made me to be, I was someone that was trapped by those lies and fears. It has been a hard, hard struggle working through my fears and lies and asking God to show me who I am, who He made me to be.
It has been a long process that has yet to be completed, but I am know that God will continue to reveal who He made me to be. Actually He is showing me right now, but it’s a slow process that takes a lot of time. It’s something that is not done in one day or hour. It is a matter of trust…trusting that God is doing something in my life, even though I don’t see it. As a plant never can grow in one day, I will not fully know who I am in one day. It’s hard, but, in the end it will be all worth it.
These two things are just a few of what God has taught me. It has been an amazing adventure that is going to continue for the rest of my life. It’s exciting; it’s hard; some days you don’t think that you can go on; but life is a race that we must persevere at. We can’t stop running, or we will loss the glorious prize in the end. Life isn’t easy, God never meant for it to be easy, but with God by our side, we can win! God isn’t watching us run; He is running right along side of us, helping us through every step of the way.
So don’t stop running, keep going, even in the tough times, “looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Through Him we can WIN!
Carissa
Thank you Father
There are so many mixed feelings and emotions as we begin our last week of AE. Feelings of excitement that we will be seeing our families soon, feelings of sorrow that will be leaving friends that we have draw close to in these last five weeks. There are feelings of anticipation of how our projects during practicum will go and feelings of hopefulness in seeing God work through our weaknesses.
One feeling that I would like to focus on is the feeling of gratefulness. It is overwhelming me. I am grateful for the all that God has showed me in the last few weeks. I'm grateful to Grace for having Life Vision classes that made us dig deeper and find out who we really are and what makes us tick. I am grateful to God for strengthening me to face the fears I'd been believing and to begin trading truths for lies. The feeling of gratefulness swells as I think of all the work that our leadership team has put into making AE 18 a fantastic success. I will enjoy looking back on the memories, and treasure the friendships that have started.
I'm grateful to Chrissy for the writing classes, even if I still don't understand it, I do understand it better than before and I have a new perspective on writing. I look forward to using the newly learned skills for the rest of my life. Thank you Hannah, for encouraging us in our discipleship class. You gave us opportunities to lead wisdom searches and you gave great hints and advice on the discipleship course we'll be leading during practicum. All three of you have been equipping us to go into all the world and make disciples, and I am so grateful to you for that.
My gratefulness continues to summit as I think of the speakers that took time out of their busy lives to invest in our lives and encourage us to walk closer to our Savior. They have be God's anointed tools in opening up our eyes to truths that God has shown them. I'm grateful to God for allowing them to come and mentor us and encourage us to run that race that Christ has set before us...they are right there along side us cheering us upward, cheering us homeward.
I could go on and on, and fill up page after page of the things I'm grateful for. Instead I'd like to close in prayer...Heavenly Father, you orchestrated each and every leader, speaker and student that was to be in AE18 and I want to thank you for allowing me to be part of it. You have taught me so much, I feel full to overflowing. Thank you for your truth that you desire to teach your children, and help us all to be willing students. Open our eyes to more ways that we can show gratefulness and thankfulness for all the blessing you have bestowed on us. We love you, Father! Amen
Soli Deo Gloria
-Katie
