6-8 Day Eleven

 Man! God is good. We had a team meeting this morning that cleared up a TON of confusion and was all in all a super encouraging time. It is not a random occurrence or chance that we are all in Rhode Island for the summer; God has been so clear about that in how things have been going and been revealed. It was super sweet to be reminded of that again after our first week. Our time was super productive, and we got our entire week planned, YAY! 

The second meeting on the agenda was our "Pastor Discipleship" with the head pastor, Jacob Van Sickle. We met as seperate genders with him and it was super cool. We talked about what shepherding is as a pastor, what that looks like with women in the church, and here's the big one: what roles can women not fulfill in ministry. All our conclusions from the conversations were rooted in Scripture, and it was really helpful. Talking through how men and women differ gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding of God's design. It was as if something was further unlocked in my brain, and after reading through Ephesians 6:4, then Ephesians 5:22-32, marriage and a family are just so much sweeter to me now, this was a common sentiment amongst all of us afterwards. Hearing Jacob, a father and husband, talk about his experiences is just so awesome. 

Following our time, I had to journal and pray for a bit. But afterwards, half of the team grouped up again and enjoyed one another's company outside. And I learned how to play speed! We do not have enough decks of cards here to play nertz (I tried). I really enjoyed the downtime, sitting outside after back-to-back meetings.

Tonight we had family dinner in our dorm/house, some of the team made chicken pesto tortellini, a ceaser salad, and garlic knots. Afterwards, we finally got to share all of our testimonies. Over two hours later, it was easily one of my favorite parts of the trip thus far. Hearing the similarities in all our lives, seeing the ways the Lord has moved in all of us, I, without a doubt, feel more connected and bonded as a team. 

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."