Graduation!!!

After 9 months, the students of the School of Biblical Studies have graduated!!!! Their graduation ceremony was held on Thursday the 25th of June, and this weekend has been one of many goodbyes; sending students off to what is next in their lives.

While one of the more challenging, this has been one of the most rewarding years of my life! During times of sharing, students have talked about how God has changed them in this school. I heard comments like:

"This school has unequivocally been the most important thing I have ever done in my life" -Marcus

"This school has helped me to know God" -Winnie (age 72)

"Before I came here, I was jaded and skeptical about Christianity; wondering, is Christianity really worth it? I had been hurt by the church and did not trust...God has broken those walls down; If I take anything away from this nine months, it is that Christianity is absolutely worth it!!! And there is no greater destiny for a person, than to be called a friend of God!" -J

"Before I did SBS, I was so self focused. Yes I was a Christian, but I was not passionate. All I really thought about was me. I was me focused, now I am Kingdom focused...the way I think has completely changed." -A

(In order to respect students' privacy I have kept some of these quotes anonymous)

Hearing things like this, all I could help but think was, "This is why I do what I do!! It is so worth it!!!!"

Lives have been changed!!! Lives that will touch other lives all over the world, in every sphere of society!!! and you have been a part of that through your prayers and support!!!!

The SBS students are now off to face the next season in their journey with God. What a blessing it is to send people out into the world with deeper faith, and greater understanding of God: who he is and what that means for their lives.

what is next for the students?

We had 41 students complete the school of biblical studies. These 41 will take what they have learned to 41 different places in the world.

Some students will take what they have learned on a three month outreach called Titus Project. They will be going to different countries around the world where bible training is lacking, to teach inductive bible study. Outreaches will go to places like Nepal, Thailand,and South America.

We have students going both long and short term to places like: China, Romania, Thailand, India, Australia, Taiwan...to name a few.

Some students are going to pursue further studies at different colleges and other YWAM schools.

Some students are returning to their homes to minister to their families, churches and workplaces. They will be returning to places throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

What a privilege to be used by God, in His preparing these individuals to be firmly rooted and strong bearers of his love and truth; throughout the nations.

Please be praying for the students as they go out...

Also, Please be prepared for transition, as my blog is transitioning from Annie Bol to Justin and Annie Frase. A formal "Frase" newsletter will be coming in the mail in the next few weeks. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please let us know.

Thank you for sharing in this very special season with us. We Love you all!!!

Justin and Annie Frase

Esther lecture

Thanks to all of you who prayed for my lecture on the book of Esther. It was my final lecture of the 08/09 school year, and it was a success!!!

My main application points for the lecture were:

• value and identity: surveying the different characters in the story, and noticing where it seemed they got their value and identity. Was it from what others thought? power? wealth? God? etc and how their actions were a resutl of this - pride? humility? strength? wickedess? -- which leads to an examination of our own hearts - how do we value ourselves and where do we get our identity? how do we treat and/or interact with members of the opposite sex in light of this?
  
• steppping out: Esther and Mordecai were able to do incredible things because they identified with God, rather than their circumstances, and they took strength in him...I encouraged the students that they too are capable of doing things that are beyond them if they truly stand firm in who they are in God, and who God says they are...they are capable of changing the world, just as the hero and heroin in the story were...what is your "such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
  
• Remembering: we had some fun learning about the Jewish Holiday of Purim (which remembers how God used Esther to save his people from total annihilation) and then celebrated it ourselves at the end of class - this was a fun and interactive time for us...and was a challenge for us to be a people who remember who we are in God and what God has done for us

This was probably the funnest lecture for me to this year, and I know first hand from the students that God is doing alot in them through this book.

students talk: one student, a girl name Abby, told me that God is using this book to speak into some very specific situations in her life, as well as other students. She explained that this is a book that they as a class really needed, to study during this specific season in many of their lives, and that this is likely a favorite book for many, including her self. I say this is entirely to God' credit, and not mine, but to encourage you, that God is using SBS to change lives. Many of you are a part of that change. Thank you for choosing to be a part.

I have absolutely loved teaching this year! It has been one of the biggest stretches for me thus far, but incredibly rewarding, and worth every second of it!!!!!

What does the rest of the Year hold? While my teaching portion of the school has concluded, I am far but finished with my SBS duties. I will continue doing everything else that I already do: Attending classes, hospitality ministry, student discipleship, grading etc. I will take the week before my wedding and the two weeks after my wedding off and will be back in time to see the students finish out their career as SBS students. The school year ends June 28th...but us staff will stay on for another week or so. Then we will have a little bit of time off in the summer, and its back in August to prepare for next year's school. Whew!

Well, that's it for now!

How can you pray?

please pray for the students: that they will finish the year out strong!

Please also pray for my finances! Please pray specifically for at least two hundred and fifty dollars more a month to come in. This is my minimum financial need at this point. I also appreciate if you could pray about how you could be a part of meeting this need through giving.
Please see the top of this blog page for more info on how you can give, or contact me with any questions.

Love ya!

Overdue update!

Hello dearest friends and family!

I humbly apologize that it has been a while since I posted an update. I offer no excuses, but rather confess that in the midst of all the busyness of marriage preparations, wedding planning, and my seemingly unending duties as SBS staff, I have failed to do so properly. I humbly ask for your grace as I am still learning the ropes of life as a missionary. You, as my prayer/financial/emotional supporters are all a HUGE part of this ministry that God has me doing here with YWAM Montana. If I have in any way made you feel anything different from that by not writing, please forgive me, and know that is not my heart. During this season as a soon to be maried woman, and SBS staff, I am learning the art of multi-tasking like never before, and sometimes I fail miserabley at it. You are all a priority, please know that.

ok, so... for the main update points:

• I taught Psalms on March 6th, which I feel went well. It was a more difficult lecture to prepare for, as it was a much different style of book, and lecture than I was used to teaching, but God faithfully led me through my preperation and lecture time.

• Main application points for PSALMS: The Psalms were the "hymnbook of ancient Israel." They can serve us, the contemporary readers, as a guide to healthy balanced worship and prayer. They are an example to us of how to be completely honest and broken before God, without being irreverent. The Psalmists often cry out to God in lament, and we see that God deems this as acceptable. The psalmists were crying out to God in hard times and ask him why. It is important to note that they never fail to end their lament with a proclamation of God's greatness; remembering who is, that he is so much bigger than their situations (and/or) understanding. He is always faithful and trustworthy. The Psalms show us how to trust God and worhsip him in both the greatest and hardest of times. I encouraged students to be completely honest and vulnerable with God, whatever they are going through. This is his desire. I also pointed out, that as the Psalms are poetry and songs. They show us that creative expression is something God values. I told them that if being most vulnerable with God for them is to dance for him: dance! if it is to write, or paint or just cry out to him, do it!

• As we always do in an SBS lecture, I explained some of the historical, cultural and contextual elements that need to be understood in order to safely and properly interpret the Psalms, as they are a specific type of literature and should be interpreted thus

• Students ended winter quarter at the end of March then enjoyed a with a week long break. This week started their third and final quarter of their career as SBS students. They will graduate in June.
  

• I am now preparing my final lecture of this school year. I will teach Esther on April 20th.

• I am getting married next month!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Justin will be officialy joinng SBS staff in August and we look forward to staffing next school year together.

• As we are nearing the end of the year, we are beginning to hear about what different students are planning to do in the future and how they want to use their SBS education. We have many students who feel a long term call to the world's 10/40 window. For those of you who don't know, the 10/40 window is a term for the parts of the world that are most unreached by the gospel and often most hostile to it. The nations within this window are often some of the most dangerous and poverty sticken in the world. How incredible to think that you and I have a part in equipping people with the tools that they need to go into those hard places with a solid biblical understanding of God, and an ability to train and equip others to stand on a firm biblical foundation as well. God is doing stuff, and you and I are so priviledged to be a part of it!!!!!
  

Prayer Points:


Please Pray for Students:

• One of my students who is from India has been denied her visa extension and will be deported in 30 days. PLEASE PRAY that God would do a miracle in this situation, and that she will be able to stay and complete the school. Her name is Anmol, she is only 17.

• for all the students: they would give this last quarter their all, and continue to learn, grow and be radically transformed! Please pray for continued guidance as to their futures.

Please pray for me:

• I am so busy! Please pray for God's grace and continued revelation. I am learning so much through this challenging season, but I can't do it without his help. Pray for wisdom in balancing everything that I have going on, and to be Ok with the fact that I am not perfect and that the best I can do, is all I can do. ( I am learning how not to be a perfectionist)

• Please pray for my upcoming lecture

• please pray for my upcoming marriage and for my future Hubby. God has been ROCKING OUR WORLDS as we have been walking through pre- marital counseling and other types of emotional and spiritual preparation, and its awesome! Pray that he would continue to build into our marriage in this season of "pre-marriage."

• please pray for our finances. As with everyone, times are tough, but God is faithful in times of plenty and want.

Love you all! Let me know how you are doing so I can pray for you!!!!!

Please Pray:

Hi Prayer Team,

I am teaching a lecture on the book of Psalms on Fri (March 6th) Please pray:

• for my prep time to be productive
• that I would see and be able to share what God wants to show the students and myself through this book
• that I would understand what I need to about Hebrew poetry and have a confident grasp on the different types of Psalms, paralellism, authorship, structure etc in order to teach them effectively.
• I have to do the lecture in 1 day, (that is roughly 3 hours with two 15 minute breaks in between) so it has to be very big picture. These students are very detail oriented, and very black and white. Pray that I will be able to keep the lecture big picture, while keeping the students tracking with me. This lecture is meant to be an overview of what the psalms are, and how they are meant to be interpreted. Please pray that the students will understand this, and that God will help them to see how to interpret this type of literature, which is a bit more abstract, than they might be comfortable with.
• Pray that even with the short time spent on this book, that they would see the heart of it and indulge in its riches; its beauty; and its intimate and passionate look at an intimate and passionate God. Pray that it would be the beginning for many of them, of a love affair with the psalms; that they would see it in a light that they never have before. I want them to fall in love with this book as I have and to discover the vastness of riches that lies within it.

Thanks for your prayers! They are changing lives! update coming soon...

2009 starting off strong!

What an amazing year it has already been for me! As you know, I taught the book of 1st John the first week back from Christmas break. It went very well. One of the main things that the author and original readers were dealing with at the time this book was written was false teaching: People were denying the full humanity and Deity of Christ; and believing that one could earn their way to heaven through knowledge rather than faith in Christ alone. The book of 1st John addresses just such issues by facing lies head on with truth and love. My main application point for the book was this idea of truth and love. So often we think of love as pleasing other people but this book demonstrates that true love is modeled by what Jesus did on the cross; in sacrificing himself for the salvation of those who would believe. I believe that we are to follow this model if we are to love properly. True love is not always pleasing others, or doing what they want us to, but rather doing what is best for them, regardless of what it costs us. True love is doing what is highest and best for the other person. That is how God loves: as modeled in Jesus. This is how we ought to love. Often this is difficult for us. We hate to be confrontational, and lot of times would rather not say anything, than to make others upset with us. I think it is unloving to avoid speaking truth to someone out of fear of how they might react. The most loving thing is to speak truth into others lives, no matter what that costs us, or how much they don't like it. Truth and love cannot be separated. Speaking truth to others however needs to always be lined in hope, pointing others to hope in the endless grace of Christ. Jesus is always willing to forgive and we cannot offer rebuke without also offering hope. That too is unloving. At the end of the lecture, I had the students pray about how they can walk this out; whether that means to pray for boldness and opportunities, or to call a specific person that they need to share the gospel with, or confront about something. I stressed that this must be done by the leading of the Holy Spirit and not in ones attempts to prove how smart they are or something like that. This also is unloving. I challenged the students with the fact that as they are gaining great knowledge about God and the bible through SBS, none of it matters if it is not executed in love. No one cares how smart they are, people need to hear that God loves them. As I have been studying this book, God has been challenging me to walk out this application in some specific areas of my life. I have seen God move through that and am excited about what he is doing! Thank you to all of you who prayed for my lecture - My next lecture will be the book of Psalms in March.

The other exciting thing is that Justin proposed to me that evening after I taught! So we are now engaged and are getting married in May! Yay! We are so excited! We have seen God move so much in our relationship, and truly believe that this is where he is leading us next. He has already opened so many doors, including providing a beautiful ring that we did not have to pay for! God is so faithful and we are both so thrilled to serve him and give him glory together in this next phase of our lives.

Prayer points:

1. FINANCES!!!! This is a big one! We are praying for God to provide the money for our so far non -existent honeymoon. Also, we are going to need more monthly support, now that we are getting married. It looks like we are going to have to rent a place off of the base which will be more expensive. All of the couples' rooms on base are full, so unless something opens up in the next few months this is our plan. If you feel so led, please join us in praying that God will provide for us in these two areas. Also, if you are someone who believes in supporting missions, please pray about how you might be a part of our monthly financial support team. You can contact me with any questions you have about that.

2. Wedding Plans: I am going to be juggling alot between SBS staff, time invested into my relationship, and planning a wedding, so please pray for God's grace in that.

3. Teaching: Please also pray for the preparation over the next couple of months that will go into my Psalms teaching.

4. Students: They are finishing up the new testament over the next two weeks and then it is on to the Old Testament. This was my favorite part of my SBS, but they could definately use your grace as they transition into bigger books and a new style of charting.

I love you all, and am always happy to pray for you. Please let me know how you might have need. May God overwhelm you with the abundance of his grace!

Tax Deductible Giving:
Checks can be sent to me, but made payable to YWAM MT
Memo line: Project # 3581
(this is for tax purposes)

Prayer Needs:

Hello to my faithful prayer warriors!

I am calling on you once again for your prayer support. I am teaching 1 John on Fri Jan 9th and am asking you to help me by covering it in prayer. I really felt your prayers for my last teaching: the Holy Spirit did a huge number in our hearts that day! So I ask for you once again to pray for me as I am busily preparing and anticipating the lecture ahead of me.

• I still have lots to do in order to be ready and not as much time as I would like, to do it all in. I cannot do this without totally dependence on God. Please pray that I would accomplish what I need to in the time that I have. Pray that I would have his peace and reassurance in the midst of it all.
  
• Pray that God will use this book to speak something precious and life changing to the students. He has already done this in me since I have been studying this book. Now I just need his grace to be able to effectively communicate what he has laid on my heart to them. Pray that their hearts would be open and ready.
• Please also pray for my hands and wrists. My study and prep involves lots of typing and my hands, wrists, even arms have been getting sore from all the typing. Please pray that this pain and whatever is causing it would be taken away (if it is God's will) and that this pain will not get in the way of my studying.

Thanks you so much for being a part of this ministry through prayer. It works! Your prayers are helping to change lives and touch the world with God's transforming power! You guys are the best! Hope you are having a happy new Year!

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. " - 1 John 5:14-15