Hi everyone! I hope you all are doing well and had a great Thanksgiving! And I hope you also have officially recovered from whatever amount of food you decided was totally reasonable on Thanksgiving! Just kidding!! But I seriously do hope the day was wonderful! Boston has been moving pretty quickly overall but the last few weeks have actually been a bit slower which in a way has been nice. I still cannot believe I have already been in Boston for over two months now. Somehow it feels like just a few weeks and also at the same time it feels like there has been a lot that has happened. Here is an update on weeks seven, eight, and nine!

For week seven our topic in lecture was destiny by design. Julie was our speaker and she covered a lot over the week but one thing she kept coming back to was how intentional God is when he creates people! She talked about how every person has a specific way of seeing the world and none of it is random. Some people naturally notice details, some notice emotions, some look ahead and plan, and some live fully in the moment. She shared how these differences were meant to work together instead of clash and how most tension that happens in communities comes from not understanding how the other person or other group of people are wired. One thing Julie said that really stuck with me a lot was how God does not design anyone halfway. He does not give someone a sensitive heart and then expects them to act emotionless. He does not give someone a strategic mind and then expects someone to operate from chaos. She talked about how people can spend years believing there is something wrong with the way they are just because it does not match someone else’s style. We should not feel too much or not enough based on someone else’s expectations. Julie also talked a lot about how our strengths can turn into our struggles when we do not understand them. For example people who feel emotions very deeply can be incredibly compassionate but the flip side is that they can carry things longer than they should. Logical thinkers are amazing at solving problems but on the other hand they can sometimes forget how to slow down and check in with how others feel. People whole bring structure help things run smoothly but can struggle a lot when plans change. People who are spontaneous bring life into a room but also can overwhelm someone who needs more order. She really wanted us to see that these things show up in real relationships. Julie also talked about how to recognize when we are operating out of insecurity instead of design. Insecurity does not always look like fear. It sometimes looks like overcompensating, shutting down, becoming competitive, or trying too hard to fit in. We often operate out of insecurity and we usually misunderstand other people too. Julie encouraged us to instead of assume ask questions and give each other room to explain where each one of us are coming from. We spent some time in class splitting into different groups based on how we process things. My favorite part probably of lecture this week was this because in our groups we shared and explained what helps us feel supported, what overwhelms us, what makes us shut down, what gives us confidence, and how we make decisions. Everyone actually truly wanted to hear the other side out. And it was nice to realize how people that don't think the same might be feeling. Julie ended the week by talking about unity where people choose to understand each other instead of assuming things. She reminded us that personality, fittings, and callings are not meant to compete. When we stop trying to make ourselves match someone else we finally give God space to use what is already in use instead of wishing we were different!

Outside of lecture we also had another outreach along the red line subway stops. It was definitely colder this time so people were moving fast trying to get out of the cold and wind. So it was not the most eventful afternoon and evening specifically for the stop my group was at. But I honestly think that is important to share because the reality is that not every outreach will have big things happen that we see anyway. There will be times that it will be just simple like this and that is ok. I believe the important thing is that we showed up, we talked to who we could and now we are trusting God with the rest! We know he made moves! And even if we did not see it that afternoon still mattered!

Later in the week on Wednesday we had our small groups! There are five of us in the group I am a part of! Which has been such a nice size! We all have enjoyed this time together. During small group this week we got to celebrate my friend Evelyn’s birthday! It was a really sweet time! We also celebrated our base leader Olivia’s birthday during family night on that Friday!

Week seven had a lot of little moments that were sweet but friendsgiving at my place definitely was one of my favorite memories for the week! And honestly a nice way to wrap the weekend up. I invited Nadine, Camillia, and Tianna over. The funniest part of the evening was the cooking situation. My kitchen has a pretty basic set up of two burners and a microwave and very limited dishes. However we still decided on having a traditional thanksgiving meal! It honestly was a fun challenge and the Lord truly helped me piece together things as the cooking was happening. When it was all said and done we had a good chunk of traditional thanksgiving favorites!! And surprisingly the microwave still worked lol! We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green bean casserole, Mac and cheese, rolls, olives, cranberry sauce, a veggie tray and chocolate cream pie for dessert! The sweetest part was knowing that it was the first thanksgiving ever for two of the girls Nadine and Tianna. And for Camillia it was I believe her second thanksgiving ever. She celebrated last year as well. Watching them try everything, especially the dishes they had never heard of before made the whole night even more special! Their reactions were so fun and honestly it just felt like such a gift to share something familiar with them! Other than the food we had really great conversations and lots of good laughs and the whole evening was just nice! I am truly grateful for the friendships God is building in this season! Sitting around the table at friendsgiving was such a sweet reminder that the Lord is really intentional about who he puts in our lives and when! Yeah it just feels like and is such a gift from the Lord!

Week 8 was relationship week with John and Kiley! They really dove into the heart of what relationships actually look like. Not just in the sense of dating but with friendships, family, and the way we talk to each other. Even the expectations we grow up carrying with us without even realizing it. They talked about expectations and how we pick them up from movies, past relationships, social media, culture, and sometimes even from the way we grew up. It sure opened up my eyes to how much we can let these things shape what we think we should be like or what we think we should expect from others. I knew this already but man how easy our mind can be manipulated. We really do have to slow down and ask if it is actually true and if it is from God or is something we just adopted without even thinking about it. It is really cool to see how much freedom can come from letting God just do his thing and reframe things instead of us putting ourselves under a pressure cooker. Kiley and John also spent part of the week talking about insecurity. They explained how relationships do not suddenly create insecurity. They just bring out what is already there and that is not a bad thing. They talked about how that is actually where God can meet us. They talked about how healing most of the time starts when old patterns get brought up. They also shared on how to love people well without losing yourself and being realistic about it. Loving people takes effort but it should not drain you constantly. They talked about the difference between showing up for someone and carrying things God did not ask us to carry. Healthy love and healthy boundaries can live in the same space. Kiley went into detail about our spirit, soul, and body. She explained how our spirit is made new but our soul which would be our thoughts and emotions are still being healed and shaped. Which makes so much sense why we can love God fully and still have patterns that we are working through. This is also why when this happens it is not necessarily failure. It is just part of the process. One of the last things we talked about was grief, letting go of things, and how relationships shift in different seasons. Grief does not mean something was broken. It means that something really mattered. And it is how God teaches us to hold things with open hands without becoming fearful of loving people in the first place.

Another thing that happened this week outside of lecture was a small performance piece I did. This piece had been on my heart for a couple of weeks and it grew out of things the lord has been showing me especially when it comes to how often I try to carry things on my own. I felt like he kept bringing this pattern of behavior to the forefront and for me creating this piece felt like a way to lay it all back before him. In the piece I carried water only using my hands from one bowl to another that was across the space. Most of the water spilled all over the floor which lined up with the ways I have felt in this particular season. Where I try to do my best but also realizing I can’t hold everything together in my own strength. By doing it in front of everyone for me it was a form of worship. It was a way for me to share with the lord the truth of where I am at and give him my surrender. In the piece there was a small chance for someone to step in and move the bowl closer. This possibility reminded me of how God moves toward us even when we can’t close the gap ourselves. This piece just felt like the right way to honor what the Lord has been working on in my heart and to thank him for meeting me even when things are not perfect.

We had a love feast and that was another big part of the week. We took time to thank God, eat, and just spend time together. And of course in dts fashion it ended with a small dance party. It was fun watching all the dancers!

Friday night we had our family time again and it ended up being really sweet! Each group was asked to put together a Christmas stocking for a local family and my group got a little boy who is about one and a half years old. We went to shop for him and it was so fun picking things out together. We found some fun toys and some good essentials! And after a full week of talking about relationships and how to love people well it was a great way to end the week getting to bless a family!

Week nine was our Thanksgiving break and it ended up being really refreshing. A small group of us got together on Thanksgiving and just spent time hanging out together and eating. It was nothing major but was very sweet! I got to talk with my family which I was really thankful for and It was nice to take some time and catch up with them! In just a couple of days we will be heading into our last three weeks before Christmas break. Which is absolutely wild! I am planning on waiting to send my next update after these three weeks wrap up so I can share everything all together.

Like always I have a couple of prayer requests if you all do not mind!

One of the students here Aprillia has been dealing with a migraine that just won’t go away. It has been weeks now and she has had to go to the hospital a few times because it has gotten so bad. They still have not been able to get it under control. So prayer for complete healing and rest for her would be great.
Prayer for our whole school as we finish out these next three weeks would be amazing.
We have about four weeks left in person for lecture phase before we leave on tour. Prayer for preparations as we are getting ready.

Thank you again for walking with me and all of us through the last several weeks! I really am grateful and I’m praying that the lord meets you in whatever your next few weeks hold!

Best,

Elizabeth Sheeler

Week 7, 8, and 9

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Week 7, 8, and 9

Week 4-6

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