Today was day 4 of our spring break trip! We said our bittersweet goodbyes to the saints who opened up their homes up in Porter Ranch and stopped by Perris where we had lunch and blended with some saints from San Moreno.
After refreshing ourselves physically with good food, mentally with good rest and spiritually with good fellowship, we set off for the bulk of the road trip which was roughly 6 hours in total. The sister’s bus was knocked out and when we awoke, we had teleported to Culver’s, a restaurant in Arizona. After eating the yummiest fries and chicken tendies, we set off for another hour on the road until we reached the Church in Tempe.
We joined the saints there for the prayer meeting and it was so refreshing. Whilst praying, I was reminded of Hymn #1107: “There is one body in this universe, and we express it here on earth; we stand as one in each locality for all to see, for all to see.”
Something that has been touching me throughout this trip is God’s heart for us. His desire is that we simply eat of Him. We see this in Genesis when He placed man in front of the tree of Life and again in Exodus, when He reduced Himself to a Lamb. As we eat of Him, we are reconstituted with Him and this issues in His economy to have the church. Simplify us, Lord! That by eating of You, we may become reconstituted with You and become ones who usher in Your second coming!
—Mary H.
Today we read chapter 4 of our Spring Break Trip book, “Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ”. Here are some snippets I enjoyed: The Bible is the word of God and also the embodiment of God. We must search the Scriptures, making the Scriptures one with God (understanding it as both the word and the embodiment).
If we exercise our spirit to touch the “body” of the Bible, we can touch spirit and life. In the Bible Christ becomes tangible, something we can touch and receive dispensing from. There are two methods of touching: the outward way—seeking understanding, and the inward way—receiving life supply. One way to exercise the spirit in coming to the Bible is pray-reading. Pray-reading enables dispensing and enjoyment of Christ. Along with pray-reading, proper digestion of the word is needed. Pray that the Lord would clear a way for proper supply today!
—Emily W.
Today was a particularly long day of driving from Northridge to Perris, then to our grand stop…Phoenix, Arizona. At Perris, the saints from Moreno Valley cherished us with hot dogs, burgers, chips, ice cream, you name it! It was a sweet time of blending with an amazing view of Lake Perris. Then we were able to rest up and take a 5 hour nap where we stopped by the famous Culver’s from Wisconsin. After scarfing down our food, we joined the Church in Tempe for prayer meeting. It felt great to be able to pray for other saints in different localities and be connected to fellow believers in Christ.
Some sisters and I are staying with a family with 3 kids (ages 10, 5, 1) and 1 fluffy dog for the rest of this week. Our hospitality made us feel right at home and immediately offered the food in their fridge, tea, and snacks. I loved playing with the kids and giving them piggy back rides in the living room while the dog continuously asked for belly rubs. The kids played hymns on the piano and even serenaded me! They read the book of Nehemiah with their mom before going to bed, and I felt so encouraged by their pursuit of the Lord Jesus, even at such a young age. Seeing them read their Bible daily helped remind me to read my Bible consistently so that it can be a deposit in my being. If I have any struggles, I am able to recall a verse and apply it to my situation. In fact, a verse I enjoyed and memorized today was Ephesians 1:13, “…in Him also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise.”
—Sarah K.