Since Samantha and I began attending our school on August 15, God has led us through all sorts of new and unexpected experiences. To begin with, neither of us have very high opinions of hot weather (yes, we realize that we did in fact move from Alaska to Florida) so dealing with the Florida heat has definitely brought some newness to our lives. But aside from the heat and humidity, we’ve been very blessed to experience many wonderful days outside in Florida, especially in our location here at Canterbury Retreat Center.
As for the school, we’ve been extremely thankful for what we’ve been able to learn and the overwhelming support and encouragement we’ve received from the staff members here at Emmaus. Going through each book of the Bible multiple times using the IBSM (Inductive Bible Study Method) led to a complete paradigm shift for what we thought we knew about the Bible! God’s story of steadfast and redemptive love for his people from Genesis, the Law, the Prophets, the New Testament Epistles, all the way through Revelation, and even up to our lives today, has been made clear in ways we had never before seen. But despite our excitement, the journey has been a tough one. Study/homework takes up most of the time we spend here, which generally looks like 5-8 hours of study time every day! This has been challenging and at many times frustrating, but the fruit of the labor has been oh, so sweet!
While staying here, the students have been encouraged to visit local churches and find one to get connected with. Samantha and I have started regularly attending a church called “Grace Oviedo,” and we’ve enjoyed it very much! We’ve also been able to get connected with a weekly small group from the same church. And on top of all this, we’re also very much enjoying getting to know our fellow students and all of those who work at Canterbury Retreat Center. Below is a picture of our class at the beginning of the school year.
A detailed account of all that we have learned from this school would be lengthy indeed. To make a long story short, we feel that our understanding of God’s Word has gone leaps and bounds beyond what it was beforehand and we are completely sold on the mission of this school! With that being said, we are extremely excited to announce that the next step in our journey will consist of joining the Emmaus Ministries Staff!
To check out Emmaus Ministries and what we do as a school, Click Here!
To learn a little about what our life as staff will look like, Click Here!
The McRae Family 