october letter

Every month I have to write a letter to my home church updating them on how I have been lately. Well its below if you feel the need to read :)

Hello :)

This month has been going by so fast! Looking back, it feels like I just arrived at the school. Each day has a new adventure tied in with it. I have class from 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm on Monday and Tuesday and then 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the end of the class my head aches from overload, but I'm getting used to it now. Every morning we have to do devotions. At the beginning of the year we got given a devotional book, "Culte Personnel". There is a scripture passage that you have to read everyday and then you have to write about what the author is saying and how you can use it in your life. A few weeks ago Psalm 77 popped up and verses 1 - 5 reflected my life.

Psalm 77
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;

Before coming to Bethel, I had hit so many bumps in my walk with God and didn't know how going to bible school was really going to go. Even though I'm not in the bible school, doing the devotion every morning has really helped. After thinking and thinking about this verse, the next day Ephesians 2:8-9 and Philippians 4:8-9 popped up.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

Philippians 4:8-9
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,if anything is excellent or praiseworthy,think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me,put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Like seriously? These 3 passages have seriously made me take a double look at my life and made me really think differently about everything in my life and how I should be living my life and praising God. A few days ago my friend was wondering about God and what God has done for me in my life, and then Philippians stuck out. "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice." I remember how Jesus would go out and speak Gods word to the people and I started to tell her about God and all the wonderful things He has done for me. She started to think about her life and how much its been like mine. She asked me if her life would be like mine and answered her that everyone is different, but if you press into Gods word and talk to God, your life with start to find changes, but it takes time.

Now she is going to church and its super awesome to hear her story. God truely does work miracles in peoples lives doing different things. I never realized it until coming here to Quebec and having to live my own life and see things differently.

What I've done this month so far? At the beginning of the month the students in the dorms got split into 2 groups. One went to Patmos (North of Quebec City) and the other group, the one I was in, went to Villa du Carmel (South of Montreal in Shawinigan). We had speakers come and preach and then we played games, ate food, and worshiped God IN FRENCH! It was such a cool experience. Then we, the choir, sang 2 songs. Combien Dieu est Grand (How Great is Our God) and Temoignage D'Amour (Testify to Love). It was an awesome experience. I didn't understand what was going on, but I got the drift of it sometimes.

We just had a week long break where I went to Kingston and Ottawa to visit friends and a cousin. It was really relaxing, great to see people, but now its time to buckle back down and learn french again. Thank you for the prayers and I always appreciate them.

God Bless,

Erica Braam.