Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

March has been extremely eventful, so many things have happened in just this past month. Sorry for not posting for the month of February, nothing really happened.

Starting from the top, I turned 22 on March 5th, thank you all for the birthday wishes, I had a great day. The very next day I left for Talkeetna for a mission trip, and stayed there until the 12th. We had a great time up there, it was a lot of work, and it was very cold (-22), but it was fun. I had the opportunity to install flooring as well as paint some ceilings in the church offices. I also got to help out at a food bank, emptying and sorting 2,300lbs of boxes of food, and overall just help the community, and create stronger connections with the church.

We also hosted our 4th annual CFAW (College for a weekend), its an event where senior and junior students from all over the country come to ABI, stay in our dorms with us and get to experience ABI. The student who stayed in my room was from Kodiak, Alaska. I wasn't able to spend much time with him unfortunately, because we had a mountain of homework, I did get to learn a couple really cool things about him. He is planning on coming to ABI this fall after he graduates, he lived with missionaries from Bentheim for over a year on Kodiak, and he is a professional Wiffle ball player. Yes you read that right, he is in the major leagues for Wiffle ball, the game with the plastic ball and bat.

As I mentioned in the newsletter, from the seminarians desk, I am participating in the Homer Winter Kings fishing Tournament, on Saturday April 4th. I am greatly looking forward to this, we probably wont win, or even place, but it's still fun to go out and fish for a day with my friends.

Last but not least, I have been officially accepted as a 3rd year intern. Not entirely sure what that looks like, but I will know soon. My current plan (i'm assuming staff is on board with it), is to teach some of Pentateuch 2 (Exodus-Deuteronomy), and Old Testament 4 (the Prophets), of course I wont be teaching everything, the most I am allowed to teach is up to 40% of a class. And I am greatly looking forward to that.

This school thing has gone by too fast, high school felt like it would never end, and now i'm in my last month of college. THAT IS CRAZY, on one hand I don't want it to end, on the other I can't wait for summer. I'm sad to see it go, but I am eagerly waiting for the future God has for me. 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you, from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

January has been a long month, not saying it was bad, but just long. I went through our Revelation class, that was insane. I hadn't read through the book before, but it was just incredible, I was blown away at every chapter. I am just finishing up my Church History class, and that has been very fun as well. There was so much that I didn't know about history, and I still feel like I don't know anything.

Work has been pretty good, I'm continuing the process of the kitchen remodeling for my boss. In addition to working, I am also volunteering at Waters Edge Pregnancy Center once a week, I'm helping with organizing, gopher work, and keeping the husbands/fathers occupied while the mother is getting a check-up.

Full classes start in 2 weeks, and I am really looking forward to it. Mondays will be Epistles 2, Wednesdays is Acts, Thursdays is Communicating Biblical Truths, and Fridays is the Prophets class. I am greatly looking forward to the Prophets class, so much so, that I am considering help teach it next year, Lord willing I get accepted for the internship.

Even though January went by so slow, the rest of the year went by incredibly fast. I cant believe I only have 3 months of school left. I applied for the 3rd year internship, and I am still waiting for a response. If I get it, I will be teaching up to 40% of a class, and maybe even working in student life. And if I get it I plan on staying up here for the summer, I found very good and cheap housing (the dorms), and I found a job that will pay more than what I was making this summer.

I also plan on setting up my missionary account through Global Outreach soon. That way donations I receive will be able to my school bill and cost of living.

Please continue to pray for me as well as ABI, pray for unity and peace, there were some unfortunate circumstances that arose this month, and we're still working through the pain of it.
Not many pictures were taken this month, I will make sure to get more for February. 

Anchorage trip to Olive Garden

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you, from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

November and December have been fantastic, the last semester has been the best one so far!

Classes were amazing, I have learned so much so far, both head knowledge and heart knowledge. Poetics was particularly phenomenal, I absolutely loved the Proverbs and Psalms. The final for the Psalms project was to create something inspired by a Psalm or a theme in the Psalms. My creation was a wooden structure with the word "Glory" burned into the pillars, and there is a piece of cedar (spruce) shattered and suspended in the middle. Attached below is a picture of the creation. It demonstrates the power of the voice of the Lord from Psalm 29.

Funny story, one of the missionaries here, Andy, was a missionary in Uganda for 14 years, and in the later years, he needed a plane. So he went searching for a plane, and ended up buying it from Dan Smith from Paradise Bound!!! What a small world we live in! After finding this out, Andy took me out flying the next day, the day before he sold it to someone else.

I did some duck hunting, well sort of, we left at 5:15 am, drove an hour and a half to the river, I got out of the truck into the crisp 15 degree winter air, "slipped on" my 15 degree un-insulated waders, and got in the boat. Immediately I discovered that the waders were not as warm as I thought they would be, and as we are driving to the hunting site, it was so cold that my mustache began to freeze, and my toes couldn't move anymore. I unfortunately relay this to the captain and once we were done dropping the decoys he brought me back to the truck, and I sat there for 5 hours while my friends got ducks. It was still fun though, and I got some super heavy duty snow-pants now for next time.

Christmas break is much quieter this year, there are only two of us staying in the dorms, and I work half the day so we never see each other.

Oh yeah, I got a Job! It's part-time and I am sort of remodeling/building someones house. He moved up here with his wife, six kids and mother-in-law, and couldn't afford to hire a full crew to finish the house, so he is paying me to do it instead. I was skeptical at first, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a go.

I greatly look forward to next semester, looking forward to whatever God has in store for me.

I miss you Bentheim, and I wish I could be there for Jonah and the Whales, as well as to hear Pastor Kris preach, but God has me up here fore a reason this Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all, and have a happy New Year!!

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

October has been pretty busy, and some of that busyness has spilled over to November.
It has been getting pretty cold lately, and the snow is starting to come down. A lot of students have been praying for snow, and I think its funny that the ones praying for it are the ones who don't drive! But thankfully, we haven't had much yet.

Classes have been going great, I've greatly enjoyed going through the poetic books the past couple months. I learned so much about wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Missions class has also been really great, just spending time learning about different cultures and what missions is.

I've been working some odd jobs lately, shaving spray foam insulation on the walls and ceilings of houses, so it's been nice to get some extra money. And with that extra money, I was able to buy a car!!! It's a 2010 Volkswagen Routan (Minivan), and I've been able to bless the other students by chauffeuring them around.

October 31st we had the annual Harvest Carnival at Christian Community Church, where we served over 600 people in town with games and candy, and spreading the gospel to them. It was a blast being able to serve with running a game for the youth of Homer. The volunteers were allowed to dress up, so naturally I had to be the best dressed there. I dressed up as Pope Leo X, the one who excommunicated Martin Luther, and the whole reason why we have Reformation Day. Attached is a photo of me, a staff member (Luther) and another student (the door with the 95 thesis).

We also had the ABI Youth Night on November 5, over 120 students from Homer came to campus for a night of games, worship, and a lesson. It was great being able to be a light to the youth of Homer, and pray with those who were struggling to submit to God.

Please be praying for the Smith family, Forrest and Esther Smith (teacher and wife) welcomed their baby Jubilee Violet Smith into the world last week, please pray for a smooth recovery of Esther, and a healthy and Godly life for Jubilee.

Thank you all for your prayers, I miss you all, and hope to see yall next year!

Baby Jubilee

My roommate leading the ABI Youth Night

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

September was fantastic, and I am so blessed to be here.
I've been super busy so far this year, spending a lot of time in nature on hikes, and behind the pulpit at church.

I've been doing a decent amount of hunting, I went moose hunting a couple times, as well as grouse and duck hunting. A couple Saturdays ago I was on a 3 mile hike while grouse hunting, and we decided to make our own trail. Boy was that a bad idea. We didn't bring any water or food, and did not plan the hike out at all. So the 3 mile hike quickly turned into 12. And 8 miles in at 8:30 pm, we stumble across 3 moose, one of them being a legal bull. Once I saw it, I quickly took the birdshot out of my shotgun and replaced it with a slug, and raised my gun to shoot the bull. And right when I got on target I realized I didn't bring my harvest ticket, so it would've been illegal. So, I lowered the gun and let the moose pass. The next day, I was telling my professor about it, and he then took that opportunity and shot the moose that night. I am glad I didn't have my ticket with me, because if I would've shot the moose, we would've had to pack it out in the dark, and it was still 4 miles until we got back to the truck.

Aside from hunting, the local church that I am a part of, offered me the opportunity to teach an adult Sunday school lesson. I eagerly jumped on the opportunity, and it went great, I was then asked to teach the next Sunday, and that one went even better. They were impressed enough that they offered me a spot to become a youth group leader, and help teach the youth group. 
So please be praying for that, as I decide what to do in the church.

Class has also been going great, I have learned so much already. One of the coolest things I've learned so far is about the vision of Isaiah in chapter 63, and how it connects with Revelation 19:13-16. When Jesus comes back, He will be in a white robe, dripped in blood, but that blood will not be His own, but the blood of all unbelieving. He is coming to save all those who are eagerly waiting, and to rule with an iron rod over the nations.

Thank you all for praying for me, and all the donations, I greatly appreciate it. 

Today was our day away. We went to ACE Adventures. We had beautiful weather to raft down the New River. This trip consisted of rafting 13 miles down the river which included 22 white waters which consisted of Class 1-5 white waters. Most of us were able to stay on the rafts, while some of us (me included) fell out, safely I should say. This was an incredible experience. The water was the perfect temperature. We could also float down two of the white waters out of the rafts safely. We jumped off some of the rocks into water and enjoyed a great lunch of pulled pork, pulled chicken, and various other sides.
After our rafting adventure, we were treated to Cracker Barrel for dinner. This was such a great treat!
We have cleaned the school we are staying at, and we are so excited to come home.
My apologies, it was brought to my attention that the blog has not been successfully updated. I have fixed the technical errors and it is now updated. 

Yesterday we went back to Honeysuckle Biblical Gardens. Our team there finished the demonstration area's covering. The weeds were removed from Terry's driveway and everything is mulched. She was so incredibly grateful for the work we were able to accomplish there.
Another team went to Gods Way ministry. This ministry helps those in drug recovery. They pack boxes for low-income families and deliver. We were able to deliver these boxes and pray over the residents. One of the workers, Thomas gave his testimony. He was so grateful to do this because he had never vocalized his testimony to anyone. We prayed over him. The only complaint was that our students worked too hard.
The third place our teams went to was New Life. This was a K-12 Christian School. We painted two areas and did various yard work. They were also able to move two teachers to new classrooms. The students also were able to organize their stock area. What we accomplished would have taken the staff years.
We also went to Center of Hope thrift store. The students organized more clothes, take in and log donations, and clean the store. Very much like New Life, what our students were able to accomplish, would have taken the volunteers a long time.
Our students are incredibly hard workers. It is a blessing to work alongside them and show Jesus' love to those we meet. 

Today our teams went to several different locations.
One of our teams returned to Honey Suckle Biblical Gardens. We were able to complete the support to a pergola that was damaged. Tomorrow, we plan to complete the lattice. We were able to cement in doors that formed a fence at the property. We were also able to assist Terry, the owner, with computer support to help her write the important grants that she needs for additional funding for her garden. And of course we were able to weed some more gardens.
One of our teams went to New Beginnings. We were able to organize their stock area. They completed what would take their staff years to do in one day. They sorted and organized thousands of hangers and the guys helped take down a wall. We were thanked several times for the help we were able to give.
Another team was able to go and help more families in Sewell Valley. The families that we have been able to assist are so grateful for the work that our students have accomplished.
The last place we were able to help was Center of Hope. This was a thrift store that is run by all volunteers. The money that is made is all turned into donations. They have an apartment on the second floor that they are able to rent out to those in need. They also help those in the community with their financial needs. They call this Tammy's Second Story. Tammy has been a staple in the community. She was a very giving person. She not only gave her time, but also financially. This location was also incredibly grateful for the help they received.
Our students here at Bentheim are hard workers! I hope you are all very proud of them.
We ended the night with a water balloon fight. Everyone here had a blast and it was a great way to cool down. 
 This week they have all had many opportunities to share the love of Jesus.
Unfortunately, the internet service here is not ideal and I am unable to add photos easily. I can't wait to share pictures with you all at the church service this Sunday. Thank you for your prayers and support this week.
  

Today was our first day of work
We had three groups go out into the community. One of our groups went to the city of Rainelle. Here we helped Linda and Curtis. The students helped out with the landscaping around their home. Linda and Curtis used to live in the house across the street and had to move due to the flood.
After this, half of the students went to the cemetery and helped to clean up around the gravestones. The other half went to a widow's home in the community. They shoveled gravel into the washouts in the driveway. This was a great experience for the students as the Lord commands us to care for the widows. This helped to bring the Bible to life.
The next group went to the Honeysuckle Biblical Gardens. Here a woman names Terry moved into the house in 2002. There was one tree on the property originally, she has added hundreds of plants since then. She has accomplished this all by herself. There is a section in the garden that is dedicated to the Bible. She also had a bambo maze. It was 30x50ft and 30 feet tall. This was an impressive place to be as it was cool on such a hot day.
The last group stayed at Sewell Valley Christian Acadamy. Here we went to the church and took down an old ceiling. They also went through the books in the children's wing. Some of these things were damaged in the flood. We came back to the school and sifted through outdated books.
Our students were able to speak to others and share the love of Jesus. I am so proud of our students here and their willingness to work. Even though it was a hot day, we were able to accomplish much to honor Jesus. 

Today we went to the service at Sewell Valley Baptist Church. The pastor preached about Joshua 14:6-12. He spoke about Caleb's inheritance of the hill country. He talked about the qualities that Caleb had. Caleb wasn't going to allow anyone to take him down and Caleb was steadfast in his faith for God.
We were encouraged to sit with someone from the congregation and get to know them. We shared what we learned at dinner. There are so many friendly and kind people in this community This was out of our student's comfort zone, but they did amazing with this task.
After the church service we enjoyed a delicious lunch. The food has been great here!
After lunch, we went to Babcock State Park. We enjoyed a beautiful day. We explored trails, the Glade Creek Grist Mill, and the beautiful scenery.
After the park, we had dinner and devotions. Tonight, Doug challenged us with thinking about the things that we hold so tightly to. What are the things that we don't want to or aren't willing to give up to in order to fulfill the call that God calls us to.
Tomorrow will be our first day working. I can't wait to see what The Lord has in store for us!

Day one

We started this morning out at 6:30am with a prayer from our Education Elder Jon Patmos. We were off at 7:00am. Our plan was to stop for gas and lunch, but you know how best laid plans work...
We arrived in Rainelle at 7:30pm with a warm welcome from Doug our trip leader. Amy, Ava and Janet are our Praying Pelican Team. Ava is a nursing student, so we are in safe hands! Amy is an outreach pastor in Michigan. She will be leading our teams on our jobsites. Janet will be helping us out with meals.
Tomorrow we will be attending church. Doug is getting us out of our comfort zones by encouraging each of us to sit with the members of the congregation. We are excited to get to know the members here at Sewell Valley Baptist Church.
It's getting late and I look forward to sharing another update tomorrow. 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

March was truly fantastic, I was able to spread the gospel to some kids on a mission trip, and able to teach my fellow classmates.

Starting off, I want to thank everyone for the birthday cards and wishes, I really appreciated them!
From March 8-15 I was on a mission trip in Talkeetna, we led a VBS from Monday through Thursday, and on Wednesday night I was able preach a sermon to the youth group of Church on the Rock Talkeetna. During the VBS there was a 10 year old that had never heard the gospel before so I got to share it with him, and gave him a bible. While in Talkeetna I was also able to see Denali (Mt. McKinley).

On March 26, as a part of my Old Testament survey 2 final, I taught my class for 45 minutes, it involved a lesson, a skit, and Q&A. And I have to say, I completely knocked it out of the park, I am trying to be humble, but it was just insane, the Lord filled me with His Spirit, and I was just on fire, it was amazing. I believe that this is what the Lord is calling me to do, teach or preach in some way.

Then from March 26-29, we had a youth night and CFAW (College for a weekend), and that was fantastic. 8 kids gave their life to Christ during that time! Praise the Lord!!
CFAW is an event where we invite anyone from across the country, typically juniors and seniors in high school to come to ABI and show them what it's all about.

Now after careful consideration, lots of prayer and meditating, I have decided to come home to Michigan for the summer. As much as I want to stay up in Alaska, I think its the best idea financially and logistically. I think I will have much more opportunities to grow over the summer in Michigan rather than Alaska. So, Lord willing, I will be back on April 27(ish)

Here are some of the pictures I have accumulated over the month.

Quick trip to see Denali

James after trying to teach elementary school kids how to finger paint

Trip across the bay during CFAW (I got to ride on the roof of the boat)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

February was quite uneventful, but it was still amazing. Only one adventure this month, I got to drive my discipler's boat for a couple hours while him and some friends fished. The ABI fitness center finally opened, and it's been great being able to pump some iron, and who knows, I might graduate looking like the next Arnold.

Besides destroying my quads in the gym, my classes have been going great. We just started learning about Christology in Fundamentals of the Faith, I am writing a 750 word paper on 1 John 3:6 for Greek and Hebrew Study tools. In April I will be teaching a class about Elijah and Mt. Carmel for my OT 2 final. And last but not least, Romans is great, we spent roughly 2 hours the past two weeks discussing repentance, and that biblical repentance is to turn to God, and in that process you are turning away from your sin, rather than the common view that repentance is turning away from sin and then turning to God.

In other news, I am going on a mission trip to Talkeetna, and while I am their I will have the opportunity to preach a message to the youth group. I am greatly looking forward for the trip, it will be nice to just get out of Homer, and get a fresh sight.

In some smaller news, I have the opportunity to go to a mormon church in March, but don't worry, I am not converting. Some friends and I have been talking about mormonism recently and wanted to learn more about it, and we got invited to the church. My goal is to learn more about them, and be a light of the true Gospel to them.

Since the month was uneventful, I didn't get many pictures, but I hope I can get some more in march.
Thank you all for the prayers and support, I truly cannot do it without all of you. 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ!

January was an amazing month, filled with adventures, worship, and the love of Christ!

Classes are going wonderfully, I started the semester with an intensive called "Ministry Roles in the Body of Christ" which consisted of planting a church! We had one week to completely plant a church that included: Doctrine, 1-10 year goals, outreach programs, a leadership structure, and scripture references to go along with why we chose what we chose. It was a very difficult class but it was very fun and I learned a ton from it.

The next class was "Apologetics", which is basically how to defend our faith. It was a very fun class because the homework for every night was to argue with another student on different topics, like the inerrancy of scripture and the trinity. The most interesting parts of those debates was arguing as if we were a muslim, Jehovahs witness, mormon, or an atheist. It was very difficult, but yet eye opening to the way those people think.

Currently we are taking "the Writings of John". This class has been amazing, I have never learned so much in such a short time anywhere else. Going of the gospel of John and picking through it with a fine tooth comb is truly astounding. The teacher is going verse by verse through John, and the 3 letters, and it is just phenomenal.

Next week I will be starting the full 12 week classes, the ones I mentioned in the last blog post. I greatly look forward to those classes, especially Fundamentals of the Faith, since we will be diving deep on different doctrine.

Besides class, I have a ton of fun going on adventures, for instance, the day after Christmas, my discipler, Forrest, took me out to Halibut cove on his boat. I got a ton of cool pictures and got to wander this almost abandoned city for the day. During the summer Halibut cove has 70 residents, in the winter there are only 20 people. We didn't see a single person the whole trip. But there was plenty of wildlife, a dozen or so of sea otters, a couple seals, and on the way out of the city, some orca's swam up next to the boat!

Thank you all for praying for the Jackson family, they have fully recovered, God is so good!
I want to thank you all for also financially supporting me through this adventure. I could not have made it this far without the love and support from this congregation.

I will be home to Bentheim for roughly a week in June, I should be there at least on June 15, and I hope that I could share a sermon then too.

Here are the pictures I have taken so far, the first chunk is from the Halibut cove trip

And these are some moose that I ran into on campus

Merry Christmas and Happy New year Bentheim!

December was chalked full of amazing memories, beginning with my baptism! I was baptized in Kachemak Bay on Dec. 10 in 40 degree ocean water. It was cold going in but I was warm coming out, because I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I was baptized by the president of ABI Eric Rozeboom, along with one of the instructors Joseph Collier. And I wasn't alone that day, because I was baptized with my friends Anna and Sayde.

In other news, I took a rode trip to Anchorage with my friends so that I could say goodbye to my roommate Michael, since he was not returning for a second semester. His flight got messed up so he was stranded in Anchorage with me for another 2 days, and I am very grateful for that. He was a very busy guy on campus and we didn't get to spend much time together, so it was nice to spend the whole day together, frolicking around Anchorage.

I also finished all of my classes. Finals week was stressful but that was my own fault, I didn't start on some of my finals until the week of. But I assure all of you, I will be (Lord willing) changing that behavior for next semester. I will start on the finals weeks before they are due.

This upcoming semester I have 3 intensive classes: Apologetics, The Gospel of John, and Church Leadership. And my extensive classes are: Fundamentals of the Faith, Greek and Hebrew study tools, OT Survey II, and Romans. I greatly look forward to all of those classes, especially Romans, because it is taught by the president Eric Rozeboom, and he's been teaching it for the past 20 years here at ABI.

This new year is going to be amazing, and I am so grateful of my amazing community back home. Thank you all for sending cards, it brightens my day when I see them. 

This is the sunrise view from my room.

This was the baptism. The people in the Picture are: Anna, Eric, Me, Joseph, Sayde, and Andy.

This is the mountain range that I get to see every day.

This was a trip to Olive Garden before saying goodbye to some of the students, and the second picture it when I dropped Micheal off at the airport.

This was the trip down from Anchorage.

Happy Thanksgiving yall!

November has been a great month here in Alaska, filled with snow and a lot of sledding.
Still no hunting or fishing, but I might do a little fishing over Christmas break.

I want to deeply thank all of you who contributed to that HUGE care package, that was amazing. I was reading downstairs one day and my teacher came down and said "Max, theres a giant package for you here" I was bewildered at first but once I opened it I was amazed. Thank you all for that amazing gift.

Classes are going great, I only have two more weeks left of my semester, and next week I will be house sitting at the former president of ABI's house. In the next two weeks for Synoptic Gospels Class, Justin Gibbins from Limitless Outdoors on YouTube, will be teaching those classes, and all of us are looking forward to that.

For Pentateuch 2, I am tasked with writing a 6 page paper over a story from Exodus-Deuteronomy, and I decided to write it on God hardening Pharaoh's heart in Exodus chapters 4-14 and how that ties into Predestination. I really look forward to finishing that soon, it's been fun researching it in Systematic Theology books, along with John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion.

The number of students is dropping unfortunately, but don't worry, I do not plan on dropping out any time soon.

Thank you all for your prayers and gifts, I deeply appreciate them. I won't be coming home for Christmas, but you should all expect me sometime in the summer.

Today marks 2 months being in Alaska, and it's been a wild ride. There's been a lot of Moose on campus, a lot of wildlife out and about. Classes have been fun, we just finished going through Exodus in Pentateuch 2 and we are now starting to go through Leviticus.

The rest of the classes have been good, but there is a LOT of homework for Synoptic Gospels which isn't great but one thing I've learned so far is to rejoice in all things, so I am rejoicing in that I have a teacher who cares about my education, and want's me to learn a lot.

I am pleased to announce that I am the new TA for Discipleship Making one, so far that just entails grading everyones homework, but there may be some more things for me to do.

I will be giving a devotion to everyone on November 5, so far my plan is to do some of my testimony, and give a small lesson on what God has been doing in my life recently and how it can help others.

Not everything has been good during my time though, there has been 4 students that have dropped out in the past 2 weeks unfortunately, but I have to remember that it's all a part of God's plan, and "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.” Heb. 12:2

On a positive note, I had the opportunity to install some windows on a friends cabin, and some student's and I went in together to buy them the rest of the sheet metal they needed to finish the roof. God is so Good!

Please keep praying for me and ABI as we head into winter this next weekend, pray for us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and to lean on Him when we grow weary.

Please reach out if you'd like to know more!

Greetings from Alaska!

It's been a crazy and wonderful experience so far. Thank you all again for praying for me, your prayers are not unanswered. Please continue to pray for me as I go into this semester.

So far I have gone fishing twice, and moose hunting once; but, we unfortunately didn't see anything. This past Sunday I had the opportunity to hike 6 miles in marshland to pack out a moose that one of the staff members got. It was a really hard hike, but it was worth it.

I finished my Christian Living class, and my Pentateuch 1 class already. Christian living was over the fruits of the Spirit, while Pentateuch 1 was going through all of Genesis.
The classes I just started this week are: Discipleship Making 1, Hermeneutics, Synoptic Gospels, and Pentateuch 2.

Everyday is different and the weekends are very relaxed. I haven't found a new church yet, since none of them have Pastor Kris, but I will have to make a decision soon.

These are some of the pictures I have taken so far:

This is the view from my room ↑

We made it home at 9:00 this morning. This has been such a great experience. We were able to Serve the Lord with joyful hearts, learn about those who are unhoused, learn about cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, build relationships with each other and Jesus, and make new friends. My prayer is that we continue to serve the Lord and our community on a daily basis. We are all happy to be home and getting some much-needed rest. Thank you for following along on our adventure. It has been a trip that we won't forget. 

Today we had our day away. We started the day with devotion time. We learned how to keep filling our cups. The students each wrote a letter to themselves. They will receive these letters in the mail within a few weeks. They were encouraged to write about how the week went, what they learned, how did this week make them feel, and how do they want their lives to look different than it did before this week.
We went for a float down the Muskegon River. This was a great time. We were able to see geese, turtles, and God's nature in general. Although it was a little dreary and cold, we still had a lot of fun. We went to McDonalds for some hot chocolate and back to the church.
Our night dinner was an emotional goodbye. We were able to pass out paper hearts to each other and tell one another about how each person had an impact on the other. This was an amazing moment to see the community that was formed in just one week. This week started out as several groups of churches to be one body of Christ. We were able to have a significant impact on each other here this week. It is a week that we will always remember.
There was a volleyball tournament last night and tonight. The last game was a group of leaders vs a group of students. It was a close game, but at the end the students won.
Enjoy some of the pictures of the day.

Today we went to Meals on Wheels, Equest, ICCF, In the Image, another homeowner's house, and AYA. We went to different places all week. I am so proud of the hard work our students did this week. We started this week being complete strangers. At the end of this week, all eight churches are as one family. Tonight, as we started our session, they showed a slideshow of this week. We were all cheering each other on.
Tonight's session was about Peace and Joy. It helped show the students that they can have joy in the pain and hard times. God will give us the peace that passes all understanding.
I am so happy that we came to Grand Rapids this year. This has been such an eye-opening experience. My cup is overflowing with joy here in Grand Rapids. 

Today our teams went to a few different homes (that needed paint, building fences, weeding, staining, and power washing,) Beer City Biscuits, In the Image, Equest, a park (taking care of invasive species), Degage Ministries (doing a homeless simulation,) and AYA (making a meal for homeless youth).
Tonight, for our session, we learned about kindness and goodness. Our students were on the worship team. They were amazing!!!
After worship we headed over to The Vault for milkshakes and games. We are getting closer each day in our small groups. Some of our groups feel like we have been a family for years.
Today was a great day! Enjoy these pictures. 

Today we went to Miss Brook, Mr. George, Adams Park Apartments, Returned pop cans at Meijer for Huggs Ranch, Degagee Ministry, Milda's Club, As You Are Ministries, Love Inc of Allendale, Family Promise and Park Place Apartments. Some of the things we did were build a fence, played with children, Landscape, helped to clean a homeowner's basement, and sort items at resale shops.
It was a little harder to wake up this morning. We all worked hard today and had a lot of fun and great fellowship.
In our sessions, we talked about filling your cup with humility. We must be humble and gentle. Our focus verse was Phillipians 2:1-4.
Enjoy some of the pictures that we took today!

Today we had our first workday of the week. We went to AYA (All You Are), Rosevelt homeowners association, In the Image, Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, Equest Center, Senior Neighbors, and Degage Ministries. We learned about homelessness and the inconveniences and disadvantages that those that are unhoused experience. This was an eye-opening experience for all of us. We ate tacos and taco bowls. The food here has been awesome. We are very well fed!
Jolene spoke tonight about love. We learned about the different types of love we can have. How God has Agape love for us. She passed around a box that held the thing that God loves the most. There was a mirror inside the box. It was a wonderful message for all of us to hear.
Jessica, Avery, and Jamie were in the worship band tonight. They rocked!
The kids have more free time tonight. They are also drinking milk shakes tonight. The cool thing about this opportunity is, the money Thereforego raises with these milk shakes will fund scholarships for students that are unable to pay for future Serve mission trips. The goal is to fund one student for next year.

This morning, we had the opportunity to worship with La Grave CRC. It was a great service. We were able to sing Great is Our God to the congregation. After service we enjoyed Klondike bars with the congregation outside. We talked to many members of the church. It was great getting to know them!
After church we went on a driving scavenger hunt around Grand Rapids. We had so much fun. We were laughing so hard. Enjoy some of the pictures of our scavenger hunt. We went to 3 Mile Project to enjoy volleyball, a ninja warrior course, and arcade games. We had dinner there of BBQ chicken and pork sandwiches, coleslaw, chips and desserts.
We had a night session with worship and our speaker. She talked about self-control. What are we putting in our cups that are preventing us from giving our whole selves to God?