Jovial July's Update...and tomorrow is my birthday.

Hello my friends.

I feel like I have not updated you all in so long. Actually, I am on time though. Maybe things are just moving at accelerated speeds here in Perth. 16 students. 7 nations. So many visions growing. So much radical, concentrated development of character.

Although we are the Birth Attendant School (BAS), we are only the eyeball of a much larger body. Currently there several happenings, including a music and mis*sions school, 2 entry-level disc*ipleship schools, a Bib*lical core course, English for mis*sions, teaching English and then us. Not to mention many separate mini*stries cultivating at the same base. We are one small piece of the mosaic.

This week launched a vision that G*od has been speaking to our base leader about. Perth's base has been here almost 25 years and she and her husband were the ones to pioneer it. Shirley is our leader's name, and on Monday presented us with the debt that the base's staff owes. 306,708 dollars. G*od has been leading us as a base into greater things, and part of it is corporately trusting G*od for the provision of the staff debt. Not everyone at the base has monthly supporters, we all come from different countries involved in different ministries, but we're all expected to make monthly payments like the rest of human beings on this earth. Anyway, the base has grace on those who can't pay their monthly fees and always is discipling in finances, but Shirley felt that this season is specifically to see the accumulated debt erased. The strategies for this begin every morning at 7am until 8am for those in debt to pr*ay together. Then each day at 3:15 for 15 minutes, no matter what we are in the middle of, everyone stops to pr*ay for the staff debt. In accordance to the action, we are receiving a number of teachings on fa*ith and finances.

On Monday, 7000 dollars came in. Tuesday 14,000 dollars. By Friday the number was down to 250,000 dollars. Thank you Lo*rd.
I think that these are the mountains Je*sus is talking about moving when we have the fa*ith of a mustard seed.

As I have arrived on staff, it is required that I do the basic leadership school (BLS...we love acronyms). Each Monday I receive teaching, really applicable teachings about being involved in staffing a school. I am learning to fuel my gifts into places of leadership and developing the weaker skills. Turns out, you don't naturally become a leader after you complete a school :).

Last week we had a speaker on the character and nature of G*od. If you don't know G*od, your whole life is going to be based on skewed perspectives. You must view the world through the nature of G*od and then peer into your circumstances. The moment we look through our circumstances into G*od's character, we become confused, bitter, dazed, apathetic (you name it) followers or non-followers of Jesus. This is such a necessary principle for life.
To look at the situation of a baby dying at birth... Is G*od unloving? So, I can look at G*od through the situation, which would mean, Yeah, G*od is unloving. But, if I look at "G*od is love" and then view this situation I can recognize, there is evil in this world, there is improper transport for women to get to a local hospital, there isn't always resussitation equiptment, etc. A lot of time, we are the cause of the pain, SIN is the cause of the pain... NOT G*od. I repeat NOT G*od.
We have to know G*od personally. Reading the B*ible isn't going to cut it. Hearing people's stories isn't going to be enough. Talk to him. Know who he is in these real-life tough situations.

Other than that, I am absolutely enjoying my responsibilities of leading the students, caring for guest speakers, learning from my leaders, participating in the life of the base.

Yesterday we shared with the students about outreach locations. In September we will depart for Tanzania until January, from there we will return to Perth for the 25th Anniversary of our base. We will be here for some days before we depart for India (YAY! Megan) and then to the Phillipines in April and back to Perth for our debrief.

Through all the teachings we are receiving, I feel excited for this time of fund raising. You can be including it in pra*yers, for strategy and boldness.

Thank you for reading this months update. Of course feel free to shoot back some questions or comments, I love to hear from you.

As usual, still blogging at www.bekah29.blogspot.com

Bekah