Week 14

It has been so good to see everyone again! We have been swapping stories, laughing, talking, hanging out, and generally having a great time! Getting to know Joel B. Has been tons of fun and he seems to be fitting in just fine!

This week, Dale taught on the book of Joshua and we started a DVD series by Russell Kelfer (the same guy who taught on Joseph last semester) on “What God’s Word says about God’s Word.” I have posted my journal entry, but here is what I have learned in a nutshell:
This week, there are two main points that have stuck out for me. The first is patience. A verse that really spoke to me this week was Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” Last semester, several things started to make sense for me as God revealed Himself to me and softened my heart. This week, He has been reminding me that walking with Him will take time and patience. He cannot change me overnight, but He is ready to start the slow process of moulding me into who He wants me to be if I am willing to come to Him His way. This means putting Him first and seeking Him only. It means setting time aside to be still in His presence so that He can teach me to discern His beautiful, quiet voice. The second point that has stood out for me this week is the foolishness of sin. The illustration that comes to mind is sin as chocolate covered dog food. It may seem appealing at first, but to consume it would just be dumb. But it is more than just dumb, it is dangerous. Because all sin - whether intentional or unintentional - has consequences. And the consequences may not affect only me, but people around me as well. And any sin compromises my holiness. God has set me apart for Himself (has made me holy) and when I sin, I am putting myself before God and therefore am guilty not only of the sin, but of idolatry, which God equates with adultery!

On Tuesday for family night, we all stayed at the crossing and played volleyball and ‘four on a couch’ and had ice-cream floats. It was fun (although I do think I need to work on my volleyball skills a bit more)

On Saturday, we finally got to go white water rafting at Rangitata Rafts! We were supposed to go towards the end of last semester, but the water level was too high. We had tons of fun despite the cloudy sky! I had no idea what I was getting into and so was slightly apprehensive at the beginning, but with the enthusiasm of the other Capers and the careful instruction of our guide, I very quickly became comfortable. At the end of each set of rapids, we would lift our paddles in a ‘high-five’ and yell “Ou-Ah-Ou!!!” We started out with some grade 1 rapids, which means the water is basically flat with a few waves (but no white peaks) and gradually worked our way up to a few grade 5 rapids. These had waves that basically swallowed up our tiny raft. We just had to dig into the wave with our paddles and pull ourselves through. But we had to make sure that our paddles were actually in the water because with the waves, you may think that you’re going to dig into the water but then you put your paddle down and all of a sudden, there is no water there! To keep ourselves in the boat, we had to ram one foot under the seat in front of us and one foot sideways in the seat behind us. Then we had to brace hard! I almost fell out once! But thankfully, no one fell out (from our raft at least :P). There was even one section where we were allowed to stand up in the boat while we went over one of the rapids! That was pretty cool except that I couldn’t keep my balance and only managed to stand up once we were through the big wave :P. I think the coolest part though was that at one point, we got to jump into the water (which was rather cold!) and float down the river for a section. I got sucked into a whirl pool and had to climb on shore and walk around so that I could get out, but it was really cool to go down the grade 1 set of rapids like that because you could really feel the movement of the water and how it was pulling. The last thing we did was cliff jumping. First, we jumped off a four meter cliff (as a qualifying jump) and then off an eleven meter cliff. It really didn’t seem that high from the bottom! I was soooooo scared to jump!!!!! But I finally did and it was tons of fun!!! Our guide (Muz) was really nice. I think was made this rafting experience unique was that it was a whole day thing. They served us an early lunch before heading out and a barbecue supper at the end (after a nice warm shower!). So we really got to know our guides and have tons of fun with them!

For the Bible study that is due next week, half the group gets to choose what passage they want to do it on, so I chose Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” It’s been a really good reminder for me to just shut up and listen to God. I have been ‘bombarding’ him with worries and questions, and now He has been teaching me just to be still, to stop talking, and to listen.