(10/17/2025)
(These will be much different than my DTS updates because life is so much different! I am in the Bible everyday, all day and I am processing a lot)
YAHOO! It has been one month since I arrived to Tijuana, Mexico for the Chronological-School of Biblical Studies (C-SBS)!
It feels so great to be back here at the San Antonio Del Mar YWAM Campus where I did my Discipleship Training School (DTS) last Fall. Seeing familiar faces has been such a gift during this school. I feel loved and seen by the great people here. It has been really fun seeing some of my DTS friends become staff- they are rockstars. And seeing my DTS staff everyday is really special! I have a bottom bunk (YAY) with three roommates – lots of space and respect- so, so nice!! There are 10 students in my class and four amazing staff ready to support us LITERALLY ALL THE TIME- that is very much needed and appreciated. I do not know how they do it.
As for the school, wow this is intense! I knew it would be an intense school before I started, and that has definitely been confirmed every day and every week. I have spent full days studying the Bible and it has been AMAZING and HARD. The best way for me to explain it is a roller coaster. The rollercoaster starts every morning and there are ups and downs, twists, turns, and then some smooth sailing. If you ask me how I am, it changes every other hour. The Lord is constantly showing Himself to me and I am often pausing to recognize what a blessing and dream this is- to dedicate my days to knowing God through the Word. I know this is a dream of many and I am so honored that this is the season that I am in!
I still cannot believe that the Lord made it possible for me to come here- logistically and financially. Thank you for being apart of that miracle and blessing! Thank you for believing in me and this season that God has given me. When I am struggling with homework, I often remember how many people support me and believe in me. You are carrying me through- whether or not you know it!
In case you are curious about what I am doing each week. It may be confusing. Welcome to the club, I am confused a lot 🙂
So far, we have spent a week in each book- Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. There is an order of tasks that we accomplish with each book (We cannot move on to the next step unless the current step is completed) We start the week reading the current book aloud in a small group. This is currently taking three to four hours -depending on the size of the book.
After the read aloud, we read it on our own and choose four words in each paragraph that describe that paragraph. If we were to just see the four words, could we retell what that paragraph is about? Then we insert the four words for each paragraph into an online platform and print out papers that we tape together to make a big chart. We read through the book again and make segments, sections, and divisions based on the four words/paragraphs. We write the main idea of the book, the reason written, and choose one key verse that summarizes the book on the long paper. We turn this into our grader and wait for the feedback.
Next is research! I have been spending quite a bit of time on the research part. This is the basic required information that helps us understand the context. This has been really interesting information, but a hard part for me. We use information from the lectures and Bible Dictionaries. No outside resources. We then read through the book and color coding with specific observation tools. This is my favorite part because I get to really focus on each paragraph and figure out what it is about. The observation tools help me understand what is happening. I also love to color!
When we get our long papers back from our graders, we can start charting- we have a paper for each segment (which is currently 1-15 paragraphs). So far, I have had 30-50 charts per book. We add what we color coded/observed into each chart. Then we choose one thing that we want to interpret/observe. In our interpretation, we are considering context and what the original audience or recipients may be wondering. We interpret based on what we have been learning and observing. Then we apply it to today’s readers (including ourselves)! This is a fun and tough part. Because the Word of God is alive, the Lord is revealing and challenging me in a lot of different ways.
Three days a week, we have lectures! We have had amazing teachers for each book. I don’t know anything, so these are FULL of information and revelation. I am excited to see how much I have learned and how I have grown at the end of the nine months.
When I am not in class or doing homework, I am sleeping, or doing work duties. Maybe playing spike ball/volleyball, if I have the energy! Sometimes, we go on little outings. If I am lucky and have a second, I can facetime family, but my WIFI and data is roughhhhh.
A few of my thoughts and interpretations of what I have learned and observed. I have so many thoughts, but I am still processing them!
(Don’t take my word for anything – read the Bible, do your research, and pray)
Genesis: CONTEXT IS COOL. Learning how the Israelites viewed gods and how our God is different than the gods around them is so interesting. The best thing that God made, that was very good, was humans. Man is the highlight for God in creation!
- 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
- God chooses humans to show and represent who he is. He doesn’t choose to represent himself in a statue or an animal. God chooses to use humans as his image. That is wild. God chose to represent himself through us! How are we doing as his image bearers? How does that change the way you think about yourself and others?
- I always love the story of Hagar (Abraham & Sarah). Something that really stood out to me was that God promises to take care of Hagar and her offspring. Even though Hagar was not God’s way of bringing the promise of nations, they were still seen by God and taken care of. What a kind God.
Exodus: I loved learning that “LORD” in the O.T. translates to Yahweh which is encapsulating the whole essence of who God is…
I AM…character, nature, reputation, authority…I WILL… What a good God.
- I have read Exodus before and never thought to question why the Israelites needed to eat unleavened bread. Unleavened bread is not risen. The Israelites left Egypt in a hurry and did not have time for the bread to rise. So when they celebrate Passover, they have unleavened bread to remember that God rescued them from Egypt as they left in a haste. How interesting! The Bible is not just random words! Everything has meaning.
- 20:5 “I am a jealous God” – God has the exclusive right to the devotion of the Israelites. God created them and chose them, and rightfully should have the devotion of those who belong to him. When our devotion is not given to God, we are giving away the devotion that belongs to him. Yahweh is jealous for relationship with us.
Leviticus:
This book is interesting. It is more than laws and rules and facts! I feel like I am in a video game and God is unlocking the next levels for me as I am learning more about the Bible. Through this book, the Lord has been revealing how everything and everyone belongs to him. He wants his chosen people to be set apart from the pagan nations around them. God gives the Israelites this manual how how to live because they needed to be holy to come to the holy God. Today, God wants us set apart. He wants us holy. Thankfully, we have Jesus now and we do not need to do all the things written in Leviticus!!
Here’s to eight more months of being transformed by the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Prayer requests:
- praise for the Lord providing finances
- learning how to balance study time, sleep, rest, and socializing
- learning how to live in community again
- to be open to let God’s word change and challenge me
- energy, energy, energy – all of us Bible students look like raccoons at night with big bags under our eyes.