I can't believe that a month of this school has already gone by!
Camping was an amazing experience for our school. No phones, in the "wilderness", and sleeping in tents made for a stretching opportunity to grow closer as a family (school 🙂). I was a little nervous to be camping but ended loving every minute of it. We hiked up Pedro Blanca (White Rock) in Ojai, California, as well as swam in the river and slept under the stars. It was challenging, yet relaxing and over all a time to get to know each other. We learned about different ways to pray by ourselves as well as read Judges and 1 Samuel as a school together. So thankful for my SOMD family.
This week's lecture was beyond words. Brad Stanley has a heart to share about Urbanization and how it effects how we fulfill the Great Commission in the world today. It's crazy to think that my generation is the most urbanized as well as the most technologically advanced generation. About 54% of our planet is urbanized (as of 2014) right now, so that means we are able to reach more people than ever before. Urbanization is the moving of people into physical proximity and allowing cultures and diversity exist in unity with each other. This is bringing more unreached, isolated people groups into cities, making it easier to share the gospel to them. Most people from these people groups are forced to move to cities because of natural disasters like famine and drought causing about 80 million people to move every year (about 1.5 million a week!). These developing cities are growing faster than they can provide for, causing urban slums to grow rapidly as well! About 1 in 7 people in the world, live in an urban slum. I've seen these slums in Cambodia, and they are in a desperate need hope. God is bringing these people out of isolation and needs people to meet them in the cities to share his glory.
This is only a glimpse of what this week held in lecture, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotion and processing what this means to me personally. It's exciting to hear that God is bringing people out of isolation and in a different way then ever before. People are leaving home to go to school or get a job and are keeping in touch with their families back in their villages. If we can reach those in the city, then we can reach those in isolation through those in the city! I love that Brad is very passionate about sharing his heart for the cities, but never discredits those who are called to work in the isolated places. I loved this week and I can't wait to see how God uses it to impact my future. I have loved growing up in the LA area and being here at YWAM LA has really grown my love for the city . I love that all the nations are represented here and that this city is so influential to the world.
Sorry if this felt a little more like a lecture this week. I wasn't sure how to share without giving a little bit statistics. 😂
I really enjoyed this week.
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