English Class... and other things

So last night Ashley, Kristin and I worked together on our portion of the English Club activies. We've got a lot of visual aides to make up, but we're far more prepared than we were at this time last year. The clock is ticking away though, only 2 weeks from today we'll be flying out of San Francisco! Crazy.

I don't know the team all that well, so I'm looking forward to this weekend. Most of the team is coming down to Santa Cruz to hang out... maybe hike, maybe skim board. Should be great to get to know the team better before we arrive in Almaty... and are with each other 24/7.

Last Saturday we had a meeting after church to just run over random things... packing lists, English preparation, crafts for VBS, and so on. Nothing too marvelous. But, three girls gave their testimonies. I always love to hear how God has brought each of his children into his fold. How I wish we would all share God's work in our lives with others more often, not just sharing our testimony but how God is helping someone with anxiety, or helping someone love, or helping someone out of sin. I don't know. I think it's encouraging to hear people talk about our awesome God beyond just the cliches that people give as one -liners.

We sing "God is good, all the time, all the time, God is good." You know? Why is He good? God is good everyday, every hour, and we should tell of His goodness and mercy.

Mark 10.26-27
“Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

I love this passage. It's one of my favorites in the Bible. When I heard everyones' testimonies, I was reminded how much rebellion is in our hearts against turning to God and turning from our sin. Who wants to give up their 'free' lifestyle? Who wants to turn from the world? Every single believer has been saved only by God's good grace! I've heard some people start their testimony's during our meetings with "I've been saved since I was little," and you know, that person's conversion is just as miraculous! Every child of God, the former pagan or clean-cut kid, has been saved only by God's work. We all look and see people that you think would be so hard for God to change their hearts. But in reality, every conversion occurs only by God's work. We might see some as harder to talk to, harder to get them to understand the gospel, but those that accept automatically have still be saved by God. For none can be saved by man... it's impossible!