So, I'm in Tijuana, Mexico doing YWAM's School of Biblical studies! It wasn't what I was originally planning to do this year but God changed my plans and told me to be here. So here I am and I am already seeing why God wanted me here. I've only studied the first 4 books of the bible and I've been brought to tears more than once because of the depth of love that God has for his people.
If you don't know, what we do in the CSBS is inductively study the bible in the order that it is in. So at the beginning of the week we separate into groups and read the book that we are studying, out loud, in one sitting. During the week we have lectures where a teacher or guest speaker teaches the background on the book. And from what we learn in class we have different homework assignments. Most of the time we have to chart out the book, that is where we observe everything we can find in each chapter and then from that we find an interpretation and an application of how it affects our life and how it could affect the church or the people around us.
We also have to do some background information on our own too. We have to find internal and external sources on Who wrote the book, When the book was written, Who the book was written too and figure out the mindset of the author and the mindset of who the book was written to. It can be very tedious but it is required if you want to be able to really dig deep into the the book and gather great insight into the reason the book was written.
When I tell people about the school I'm doing usually the response is "Oh, I could never do that". My response usually is that, I can't either. It's not easy, and the only way I've making it through right now is only with God's grace and revelation. I have a love/hate relationship with my studies. I can feel myself truly growing and creating an amazing foundation in God's word. But it's so much work!!! I know by the end of the nine months I will never want to trade this time for anything though. The relationship that is growing between me and God is becoming deeper and so much sweeter the more I learn about the things he has done and is doing for his people.
Oh! The base I'm at is beautiful. It is located about 15 minutes outside of Tijuana and is about 2 blocks away from the Pacific Ocean. All the buildings here are fairly newly built and done very beautifully. The CSBSers have two double wide trailers that we stay in. We were put in the trailers because they are better long term spaces because they have little kitchenettes and more space than the base dormitories.
So in about an hour our CSBS is leaving on a "wilderness wandering" camping trip. We are doing this to get even more into the mindset of the Israelites, We are studying them at the moment and they are wandering in the wilderness too. Also we are going just to have fun. Not that our group has had a lack of fun. On the coupl of nights that we have had off we have gone into town to karaoke and to dance. It's been a great time of bonding and becoming a great group of friends. There are 9 of us, a girl from cambodia, a girl from switzerland, 2 of us girls and 3 guys from the states and two more guys from canada. Also, my friend Jesse Evans and his wife Becky are the leaders of the school!
Unfortunately because of all the homework I haven't had much time to participate in the different ministries that are going on here at the base. But the base has some amazing, fruitful ministry going on. There is Homes of Hope, where almost every weekend a missions team comes down to build a house for the poor in Tijuana. Also there are jail, street kids, and homeless ministries that are going on every week. I'm sure there are other ones too that I have forgotten to mention. I hope that some time soon I get a good handle on the homework so I can join in a ministry!
Well my friends, I should go pack. Thanks for reading and hopefully I can get an update out more often.
Much Love,
Nicole
The base's coffee shop I love studying in.
Early morning prank us girls pulled on one of the guys.
He had pet turtles and in the midst of the prank war we had the night before we stole the turtles and set them up for breakfast at his desk the next morning.
View from the window of my coffee shop.
Our Trailers.
