Heaven tastes like chocolate cake to me

Alas, sadly this lecture phase is drawing to a close, and in 5 beautiful days I will be leaving this paradise in San Pedro, Belize for El Salvador to embark on the second phase of my DTS called outreach! Woohoo! I will be with 8 other gals and one guy along with an amazing leader doing some ministry with kids, the poor and people needing the love of Jesus! We are going to start off our El Salvador outreach partnering with YWAM El Salvador who will be also hosting our team for a good chunk of the time. As the bits and pieces of what we are going to do become revealed one by one, I just am getting so excited. This past week we have really been tackling the question: What is the gospel? It is such a simple question, yet it has taken about 3 hours every day of discussion for 5 days to really explore the topic. I am learning how much more important it is to live and be the gospel and simply love on people than merely try to get converts. Words are important, but they are dead without the demonstration of them in our lives. So this is why I'm getting so excited!

You might want to know if doing this DTS was really worth it? Did it meet my expectations? Would I recommend it? Would I live it again? The answer to all of those questions is absolutely yes! I've learned so much that if I were to write them down, they'd fill volumes.....and I probably have begun to do that with my blogs, huh? I really do enjoy all of my wonderful readers and partners with me on my journey! I appreciate all the support back home so much! Your prayers are doing amazing things. So, thank you again.

Today has been one of those amazing experiences, which if possible I would freeze and relish in the moment. Sometimes it's like I feel like I'm getting a little taste of heaven down on earth, and honestly I believe I have. This morning we had debriefs where we talked about our expectations coming here, and how this experience has been different from that. We also talked about what we could do differently, and shared praise reports of what God has done. As I looked around the room....I couldn't help but smile at every one of the students. We have become so close, so intimate, so trusting....and these relationships are so precious....we've watched God reach into one another's hearts and radically transform them before our eyes. But it wasn't the easiest thing. It was challenging, grueling at times and even exhausting. But it was all worth it. Then the afternoon came along, during which I read The Case for Christ. (great book by the way). However this evening was my favorite part of the day, of the school actually. We all were cordially inviting to a formal dessert banquet, and of course we got all dolled up, and all the guys finally took a shower! Thank Jesus! Yeah all 2 of the male students. Did you guys know that? We have 16 girls to 2 guys here? Ok, done with the rabbit trail. The dessert banquet was amazing, and the staff transformed our dining room to a candle light resuraunt! During dessert the staff read these beautiful letters written personally to each of us students, and it was so....um what's the word? eloquent I suppose fits, but I'm sure I was thinking of a different one. Anyways, you get the point. It was awesome and we listened to Michael Bublea....I think that's the wrong spelling. So, yeah....the day was like a taste of heaven.

Sniffles.....we are leaving Belize....so sad. But I just hope that we will remember nights like this and when outreach gets hard and we just remember that God wants us to bring heaven down to earth to the people we minister to and that it would help us put our all in what we do. So my instruction to all of you devout readers is, thank God for every little taste of heaven, and remember that it's a reminder that He loves you and delights in your happiness, but when things get tough, just remember those moments and let him carry you through it.