What Is This Crazy Place.

This is going to be a rough five months.
This is going to be a radical five months.

I barely even knew what I was getting myself into when I applied for a DTS. 

I can't even remember what I said in my last blog post, but here I am now.

Real lectures started this week, and our speaker for this week is Marty.  He has been talking about some radical things, most of which I can't conjure up in my mind right now because of how emotionally and mentally exhausted I am writing this.  But the last day and a half he's been talking about getting freedom through repentance and accepting God's forgiveness.  Today we talked about shame we feel: either for sin in our life, or things people have done to us.  And how shame has turned to sin in our lives, because it is hindering our relationship with God. 

Our lectures go from around 9:30 in the morning until 12:30 when we eat lunch and then head back to the base for work duties.  Marty usually doesn't get done on time, but today was ridiculous. At 12:30 (when we were really supposed to be done) he had us stand up and those who wanted to could go through the process of repentance.  He then opened up the front for those who wanted to go and repent openly, and get things off of our chest and really receive forgiveness.  By the time we got to "lunch" it was 5:45. 

At first people trickled to the front...a few here and there.  And then soon most of us were standing in line. 

I stood there sobbing, feeling God's love and how much He loves all of His children!  The things people laid down were heartbreaking and eye-opening, and I wish I could share them, but they are too personal and I honestly don't have the liberty to tell the online community about them :p

Things people said in response to these people just laying it right out there were so good!  Here's one of my favorite:

"God will never love you less or more than He does right now.  You don't EARN His love by what you do, and being perfect won't make Him love you more"

The van ride to the base at 5:45 was in silence, because we were all processing. 

I'm still processing.  Being able to be open, honest, raw, vulnerable, and real with this many people, and knowing they still love me is crazy.  This community living is definitely growing on me.

God is a God who brings freedom and redemption and He loves us more than we comprehend, and I want to feel that love more and more every day.  Every day!!

P.S. Saying hell in normal conversation in NZ is not culturally inappropriate!  It's not a "swear" word!  Therefore there were lots of pissed off proclamations to the devil to get the hell out of our lives and to stop having the impact that he has had.  I'm liking it here.