November/December Update

Hello Everyone near and dear to us!

We’ve come to the end of yet another semester. God is so good and faithful to keep molding and shaping Shaun and I. Even though we aren’t technically ‘students’ of the Bible College, we will always be students of God’s precious Word and do desire to simply be clay in the Potter’s hands for Him to do with us what pleases Him.

It definitely was a very busy semester, but through all the business Shaun and I were drawn closer to Jesus. I also pray that our students and staff were as well. If you read our last update I, Megan, shared about God’s love and heart towards us. That theme just keeps coming up in my life! I was reminded during our Speaker’s Week here at the college more about Jesus’ overwhelming love for me. John wrote in the Gospel of John about himself as being “the disciple whom Jesus loved," I love that! and I love that we can also say that! And since John knew the love Jesus had for him, he was able to recognize Jesus after He had resurrected. John 21v7 says, “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ ”. Something else we see is that because John saw Jesus Peter was also drawn to Him. One of the pastor’s shared about this and how when we know Jesus loves us we recognize Him and see Him, and point others to Him. But, when we don’t trust in Jesus’ love for us it makes us see ourselves, our works, our performance. The truth is this, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for uswhile we were still sinners,” Romans 5v8 (emphasis mine).

So at the end of the day and at the end of another semester, I just desire and pray that the students would leave here knowing that Jesus loves them, with an overwhelming love, a love they don’t have to work for but just receive. Paul the apostle often wrote in epistles to the churches about God’s love and He prayed that they would know His love for them. This is what Paul prayed over the Church in Ephesus (Ephesians 3v16-19),

“I Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

I’m challenged to start praying this for our students from now on!

Our friend Jeff came out to share at Speaker's week and afterwards we went on a little trip to Salzburg and Vienna to the Christmas Markets. It was such a blessing having him share with the staff and students, and to be able to take him to Austria!

Here is us at our annual CCBCE Christmas party. This year we had an ugly sweater contest.. and yes, that big, furry beauty I'm wearing helped me to win!

Stateside for the break:

Yes, we will be heading to the states this year for Christmas! Last year I was too pregnant to fly so we are really looking forward to this year being with our friends and family in California and then in Colorado in January.

Please pray for safety as we travel to the states and that we would remain healthy while there as we will be doing some traveling during the 6 weeks.

Thanks again for reading this!! We look forward to seeing some of you while we are back... and to those we won't, we pray you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

All the best in Jesus,

Shaun, Megan and Jude