March Update

 

What do you hope for? 

    Hey everyone! I hope everyone had another month full of God's work and kindness. Thank you all for sticking with me and supporting me through the last eight months, it is crazy it has been that long already. Your generosity and heart for bringing Jesus to the college campus is not unnoticed! Thank you for your faithfulness to, and care for myself and for these students. 

    I want to start by sharing some things I've been learning and thinking about recently. All the apprentices have just recently started one of our final classes, Eschatology. Which is the study of the Eschaton- or the the last and farthest things the bible talks about.  A big theme of this class is that ideas and beliefs have consequences. The connection point being, our understanding of 'the end' deeply influences our time on earth, it radically affects how we live. In eschatological scriptures there are three main themes: a warning, a call to endure, and encouragement that you can endure. This implies that we are in-fact looking forward to something, and that what we look forward to should have bearing on our daily lives.  When we understand that God will one day do for me and for all of creation, what he did for Jesus that will radically influence our mission. When we understand that the Lordship of Jesus is a reality already, and that the powers that enslave this world have been broken, the Gospel of Jesus has won, this will radically affect our mission and how we live on mission. 

    Which brings me back to the question "What do you hope for?". In the picture at the top, if you look closely you can see it written on the white board. This was the question our student leaders chose to ask for outreach at the end of the month. This question was a coincidental but timely reminder of what I am hoping in and the affect that has on my daily life, not some far off future life. So I want to leave you with the same question and thoughts to ponder, what do you hope for? 

New Life! 

Alisa from one of our times together this month

    Alisa, who you all know by now :) decided to get baptized this month! I can't even fully describe how much I've watched God grow her since August. I’ve watched him break her out of anxieties and fears to really love God, love other people and treat them well. I’ve watched her feel conviction and choose to obey God even when it’s really really hard, and  I’ve watched her invest in community and learning even when it would be easier not to. It was an honor to get to watch her listen to the spirits conviction to get baptized. 

    As I was preparing to share at her baptism two things from my homework reminded me of her. First a quote from our New Testament textbook “The real life event of baptism takes the real-life person and etches into his or her personal history the death and resurrection of the Messiah, anticipating the bodily reality of the individual's own future death and ultimate resurrection. What is true of the Messiah now becomes true of the baptized believer." Then second, from 1st Corinthians 12:3 "No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit." While there is surrounding context to these these snippets, they reminded me what an incredible grace and eschatological :) act baptism is, and that no one is able to make the confession that Jesus is Lord except by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. What a praise worthy and celebratory time for us! 

Other Fun Things: 

 My pottery teacher Mr. Melia, from high school invited me up to a worship night with some folks from his church. I was able to bring a couple of our students Jacie, and Emily with me! This was such a sweet time to connect with him, his family, and their church and be reminded of the bigger body we are a part of. 

    Some of my favorite UTA students! Left to right is Emily, Lizzy, Sarah, and Alisa. These girls have become some of my best friends and are so much fun, as you can probably guess from this picture :)

    I hope these stories and reflections encourage you and remind you what good news we have and how it transforms people! Thank you all so much for your faithfulness in sticking with me. I can't wait to update you on how God works in the the last two months of my apprenticeship but also the next couple years! Your partnership and friendship is such a blessing and encouragement to me as I get prepare for the transition out of the apprenticeship and onto long term staff.  

Until next month, 

Sophie