(March 2026)
We have spent the last five months digging deep into the context and message of the Old Testament. Looking back at the last few months and ALL the information that I have learned, I can never find words to describe this season. I feel humbly blessed that God has gifted me this time. God is showing me His genuine heart for humanity to be in relationship with Him. This has not changed- His heart is for all of us to be in relationship with him. From the beginning, God has been pulling humanity back to His original design and plan – in the ministry of reconciliation.
Our class has been blessed with amazing teachers who care about the intention of each book. My favorite books of the Old Testament are Genesis and Habakkuk. I loved Genesis because it started off showing God’s heart for people and there are so many moments of God stepping into the stories to bring His people back to Him. How do you see God stepping into your story now? Habakkuk was timely and gave me permission and space to bring all my doubts, concerns, and frustrations to the Lord. God is active and engaged with Habakkuk in this book and I saw Him active with me as I brought my complaints to Him. How amazing is it that we have a God who listens to us and speaks to us!!
It is so exciting to follow the history chronologically because I could feel the anticipation building in my own heart to get to the Coming Messiah -just as the original recipients were in anticipation! Stepping into the mindset of the original recipients has changed the Bible for me. Every word and sentence really holds more than we know! A lifetime to study, enjoy, and be changed by!
Because God’s Word is alive, I have had many, many moments of feeling called out. The trick is to not hide and let God do the work 😉 Humbling, right?! It is a blessing to live in the process of sanctification. Lord, make me more willing to be molded and changed by you to become more like you! A constant conversation that I am having with God is “what does fear of the Lord look like in my life today and in this moment?” Thinking about forever scares me, and Jesus tells us to not worry about tomorrow. This perspective shift has been encouraging and impactful- our choices to fear God today will impact our life forever. Start with the little things. And if you mess up, let God walk through the process of making things right. It has been five months of allowing God to zoom in and out of my heart pointing out things he wants to heal and change.
In February, we started going to ministry! I went on a house build to support a team building a house for a mother and her son. Being the youngest person on the build team, I had fun building with the son. I only went to the second day of the build, but the family who was receiving the home was SO welcoming to me. The team that I built with was full of teachers, so the conversations were fun. It was a blessing to be out in the “real world” when I spend so much time in my “Bible class/ study bubble.” God is reaching people in the real world! He never stops working!
I joined the Hope Zone / Street Life team around Valentines Day to give roses to people in the Red Light District of Tijuana. This was the ministry that I was apart of when I did my DTS last Fall. During my DTS, I was so scared to speak and engage. It was definitely out of my comfort zone. A year and a half later, I have returned to this ministry- engaged, attempting to speak in Spanish, and much more confident (but still scared)! I was really in awe of how God has been faithful and grown me in this area. He does not leave us when we leave our comfort zone to follow and obey Him (read that again, Natalie!). I have also had the opportunity to encourage the base volunteers. The Lord really opened my eyes to the volunteers that day and my appreciation has grown immensely for people who serve behind the scenes- always a reminder to thank people doing “little jobs.” Thank you, Dad, for all the little jobs you do for FCC that no one sees. I felt the same about transportation – the people who fill up ALL the gas, thank you.
One Monday, I was going to go to street ministry but I felt like God was telling me not to go. It was weird because the ministry that day was going to be so fun. Instead, he gently sent me to the Library Bus. We went to a school to read and the team needed more volunteers. It was clear that God sent me that way. There is a lot of intention behind this time, even though it is “just reading.” It is exposing the students to reading for fun to show that it is not just a “bad, school thing.” It is a time to be safe and free to explore new things. It is quality time. It is one step closer to being able to read the Bible. It is a time to share the gospel in love and not neccessarily words. We read with a lot of young kids and many did not know how to read. That mean that my poor Spanish reading was better than their inability to read- so I read in Spanish! Rolling the “r” was really hard. They just stared at my face. The Lord really blessed me with this time to love students with no agenda but to read for fun! There was also bubbles- so of course we ran around with the bubble machine! What a gift it is to read with children…so go read for with your child for fun 🙂
We ended the Old Testament with an “old party!”
I got my Global Entry card when I was home for Christmas break. It has been nice to cross the border to San Diego FAST. When I have some free time, I like playing pickleball, going out with Alayna and friends, laughing with Salome, and getting some baby cuddles! I am still working on Spanish. Pray that I do not give up 😉
Reading Matthew after reading the Old Testament chronologically was so beautiful. Wow. Alayna and I were so giddy during the out loud read because Jesus was finally here! Even though I have read Matthew before and knew all the stories, it felt like I was reading it for the first time. Ella, our teacher of the week, shared SO MANY treasures and little nuggets hidden in the scripture that connects with the Old Testament and the mindset of the original recipients. One thing that really stood out to me was Matthew 21:33-46 The Parable of the Tenants – where the master of the house keeps sending servants and the tenants were bad to each servant that was sent. The master then sends his son and he, too, is killed. The servants are the prophets that God kept sending throughout the Old Testament. Finally, he sends his son, Jesus. Wow. Having read all the prophets and seeing how the messages were rejected shows just how significant and amazing Jesus is! We finished class with communion and meditating on Jesus. I just love, love, love when “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom,” (Matthew 27:51). Comparing this to the waters parting in the Exodus with God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt was beautiful. Here, we have another freeing but this time from sin and it is final! Goosebumps. I love that we get to read Matthew, Mark, and Luke right before Easter! Again, I am reminded of the blessing this season is. I do not take it for granted. I wish I could share every detail with you all.
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