Thanks again for caring about us all the way over there! What with the Olympics and all! So we've been here about a month and a half and have been so blessed by everyday of it. Last week a guy came and talked to us about inner healing, the healing of our souls from such things as control, fear, passivity, addictions and much more. Jon and I really saw the difference it made not only in our lives individually, but our marriage!! Someone asked a great question, "what's the difference between this and a self help book!?!" The teacher emphasized that we're relying on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to heal us whereas a self-help book is based on you fixing yourself. Also, this type of ministry not only relies on God, but the community of believers for accountability and wise advice. Whereas with a self-help book, there's no real accountability and quite often, no real lasting results.
Our school leader always mentions how our DTS (discipleship training school) is like a detox where a lot of people, who come from various backgrounds and maybe struggling with various things, get drastically transformed - healed up, restored and brought into more of who they're created to be. And something that really touched us is the story of one of the younger guys in our class (18 years old). He'd been involved in the gang life back home and by the grace of God, his dad found out about our school and sent him here. It was a drastic change for him and without getting into the details of his story (to protect him), he fell into some trouble that is usually grounds for dismissal from the school. After the incidence and guidance from leaders, this young man had the courage to stand before our class and in such humility, confessed his wrongs and asked for our forgiveness!! We didn't know this, but the leaders had already prayed about it and felt like God wanted him to stay. So he stood in front of us like the prodigal son whose guilt and shame was washed away as people stood up to declare their love for him and who he really is...that our sins don't dictate who we are!! "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
Maybe it's cause we know young guys like him, who have amazing potential and if they could just get out of their negative environment and get into one like this, they could freely go after all God has for them. So we're just really encouraged to see love in action like this, where people are standing alongside him, fighting for him, keeping him accountable in grace and truth...this is true community. Since then, which was just a few weeks ago, he's gained more freedom and healing while being under strict supervision and accountability. He's using his gift of rapping to journal what's happening here and he's hoping to stay for a while to fully get grounded.
It's just nice to know that when we make mistakes, God is never disappointed or angry with us but wants to help us not make the same mistakes. As I've understood God's love for me more, it's opened my eyes to the truth of how He looks at us and has brought me a lot of relief...and joy! And has made reading the Old Testament a lot more enjoyable! So that's a snapshot of life here and now we're getting ready for community outreach tonight, so love ya and hope to hear from ya!
- tami
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