On Tuesday morning we had interesting breakfast tacos, followed by a really enjoyable corporate morning time. We sang a lot of songs, including “Fill my cup, Lord”, “Since Christ my soul from sin set free”, and “Born of my father, descended from Adam”, which caused me to freshly appreciate the Lord’s plan for us to make us His sons to express Him through the practical church life, the Body life, especially since we got to experience the Body life in so many ways during the trip. After we sang, we also had a sweet opportunity to spend personal time with the Lord. Then, we loaded our cars. It was so sad to say goodbye to the dear brothers and sisters in Arlington. Their portions were so refreshing and they really cared for us during our time in Arlington! Then we drove to Austin. During the car ride, it was enjoyable to listen to hymns and sing along. We also stopped at Buc-ee’s, a very large and exciting rest stop that had a lot of food and gifts and random things. I’m excited to see what other enjoyments and adventures this trip holds!
–Christine R.
Our first stop in Austin was the UT Austin campus where we joined an evening Bible study with our sister club there. It was really cool seeing how their Bible studies here are conducted since the format is quite different from our format in Berkeley. While our Bible studies in Berkeley are typically in groups of about 10-20 club members and cover one chapter of the Bible each week, the UT Bible study we attended had around 30 UT students (on top of all the Berkeley students that joined that day) and covered a topical study on the line of Becoming Useful Vessels to the Lord.
The lesson for this week was The Crucial Need of Patterns for Multiplication. During the Bible study, we split up into pairs and got into a brief reading and accompanying verses, and then at the end there was a short presentation by some of the students to share a summary and their enjoyment of each of the main points.
I was really impressed that the first words that God spoke to man was Genesis 1:2, which says, “Be fruitful and multiply.” This verse reveals that God’s purpose in creating man was for man to bear fruit so that God would gain a corporate expression. In addition, I appreciated Paul’s charge in 1 Thessalonians 4:12 to “be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Since younger or newer believers learn by imitating spiritual patterns, we should seek to grow in the Lord to be patterns that bear healthy fruit.
–Terrie Y.
Praise the Lord for another day! Although Tuesday started out rough, it was an amazing day of traveling and blending with the brothers and sisters in Austin at their Bible study and dinner.
Tuesday morning started out in the ER with a digestive problem. I really appreciated how the Lord was able to be my enjoyment in the most difficult of times. While the doctor and nurse were treating me with needles and NG tubes, they told me to trust them. At that moment, I could not help but think of what Allie told me which was to trust the Lord. She recited Romans 8:28 to me which says that “all things work together for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” This experience really made me turn to the Lord to put my trust on Him and realize the shepherding of the Body to me.
That afternoon, we traveled to Austin by car, attended UT’s Bible study, and had dinner with our host family. Having dinner with them was such a sweet time of fellowship.
Something that I enjoyed was how the family would sing during dinner preparation and before eating and how the father would ask the kids if they have been a pattern today. From the youngest to the oldest, they were all so filled with the Lord in Spirit! We enjoyed a wonderful meal of chicken noodle soup (which was the only thing I could eat–thank you Lord for this arrangement!), corn bread, and pineapple orange juice! After dinner, I noticed a piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator that stated the list of rules everyone should follow. These rules included reading the Word every day and exercising to grow in the Lord! Being with the family at dinner was such a sweet and enjoyable time!
–Ivy Z.
