The idea to go to
Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) was first planted in my head when
I was 16 years old when my brother told me of all the incredible things
happening at Bethel church in California . He told me how people with
terminal illnesses come from all around the world to be healed. At this church
they raise up, train, and send out people to truly be the hands and feet of
Christ, and encourage them to be who God intended the body of Christ to be.
They believe in a God who has no bounds and who is more than religion. The God
who has the power to create the world and know each one of us at the most
intimate level. Hearing about the culture this church operates in and how free
they are, I was beyond intrigued and inspired. It wasn’t long until I heard
about their school, BSSM, and even though I was inspired by the idea of it all
my decision about where I was going after high school was already made and it
was going to take a huge impact from the Lord to change it.
From the age of
15 I was so concerned about where my future headed and I had an overwhelming
fear of where I would go and what I would do after high school. It was hardly
ever out of my mind. The burden weighed so heavy on my heart, but as so many of
us do with our burdens, I learned to live with it. I never truly realized how
much it affected my life until the day it left. Because of this fear I began
frantically searching for where I was supposed to go after I graduated and I
thought the answer was Australia .
But even still after my decision was made the fear never ended; I was carrying
a burden for my future. My heart was set on Australia for the entire year of
11th grade. But whether I liked it or not, God had other plans for me.
After that year any
peace that was there to cover up the burden I carried was gone. I had no desire
to do anything or go any where as nothing seemed God given any longer. Bethel was always in the
back of my mind, but I never gave it a chance to be a thought of significance.
I knew if God wanted me there, He'd tell me. But He wasn't telling me, so I let
it go.
With that, new
season of my prayer journey began, filled with questions that my heart desired
so badly to be answered. I longed for the peace He has promised and the release
from the heaviness which rested on my heart. I longed for freedom so strongly,
but I was so consumed with not wanting to wait on God to find any peace. One
weekend, on the way to a conference at a local church, I was talking with a dear
friend about everything -- telling her my struggles, my desires, and what I was
asking God for. She gave me the advice to tell God how I wanted to be told and
to wait for it to happen. So that's what I did. I told God that I wanted Him to
make it evident to me; that in the midst of His presence He would guide my
heart and tell me where to go.
That evening God
took me on an amazing Holy Spirit ride. I tasted for the first time what it
meant for Christ to really rock my world. He was preparing my spirit the hour
or two before the conference began I could tell He was preparing my spirit. My
palms were sweaty, my heart was beating, and I was telling Him over and over
that I wanted anything and everything He had to offer. I wanted nothing to be
held back. A few hours later, as the speaker laid hands on me and prayed over
me, I found myself on the ground completely consumed by the Holy Spirit. In
that moment, in total surrender and peace, I knew I would be going to Bethel . I felt a release
of the burden I carried for so long as God began the process of healing for the
damaged part of my heart. Nothing can explain what happened except the serenity
Christ brings in the sweetness of His presence. I wanted supernatural assurance
and I’m talking about the kind of assurance that goes beyond all doubts, fears,
anxieties, and lies. And that's what I received.
He called, and
I'm following.
Since then God
has taught me so much that my mind cannot hold it all. But I can always
remember one thing. With all the pain, the hard times, and the suffering I have
been asked to walk throughout the course of my life, I would never trade one
moment of it away. It has been the times where I’ve waited to the point I
thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest in anticipation, and the
pain of it all seemed almost unbearable, have been the times God has grown me
the most. I am a person I’m proud to be. My life is in the hands of my true
love, and there’s no place I’d rather it be. Wherever I end, whatever I do, let
it all be done with the end goal in mind; to love God with everything.
So I wait
expectantly for all the things He has for me to be fulfilled. I wait for the
dreams He has given me to come into reality. As I sit and think of what it is I
want to do with the rest of my days, a few answers come to mind; I want to sing
for Him throughout my years, and pursue my passion for worship. I want to live
in many nations and meet the purest hearted people this world has to offer in
the humblest of countries. I want to see the bonds of religion be broken in
this nation. The moments may come where the passion feels all but gone and I
forget who I am in Christ, but even in those times when my emotions and my
decisions may not match, I will continue to choose to love God. For today and
what I foresee as the rest of my life, He is wooing me and taking me on an
incredible journey and in that is an inspiring love story between the two of
us. As I realized recently while I sat and awed over the beauty of my Creator
and Daddy; if all I ever get to do with the rest of my days is completely and
totally in love with God the way I am now, that is a life well lived. When hard
times come and my life is shaken, I’ll stand upon the truth of who God is.
God has called me
to Bethel and I
want to open up an opportunity to anyone who so desires to sow a seed in me. I
have a site on gofundme.com, which all the proceeds will go to my Bethel account. The link
is http://www.gofundme.com/3nhtjs
Blessings to all
who took the time to read this!
