Thanksgiving

            The holidays are quickly approaching and as I stop to think about Thanksgiving, I am amazed at how much I am thankful for. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us how to be thankful. It says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Be thankful in everything. That means to be thankful even if something is hard to be thankful for. Thank God for it anyway because He allowed it in your life to help you in some way.

            Western Mennonite School has been going through a season of change. Just as I look out the window and notice the change in the color of the leaves, the chill in the air, the fog resting above the ground, and the frost on the ground, I am reminded of the great change that has gone on at our school over the past month. We approached our annual Fall Spiritual Renewal Week (Nov. 1^st – 5^th) with great anticipation for God to move among our students as there seemed to be a deep hunger inside them. We went into the first day believing God for the unexpected while realizing that nostalgic, skeptical, and “I’ll believe when I see God” thinking sometimes prevails in our student body.

            As I took the microphone that day to announce our speaker, something was different. The students came expecting to meet with God. They came expecting to encounter something beyond themselves that would alter the very foundation of what they held onto before. As our speaker came up we both felt that we shouldn’t talk much today. So what we decided to do was allow the kids an opportunity to experience God for themselves, pray for each other, and receive prayer if they desired that. What happened next can best be described by one of our 7^th grade female students:

           

“I was amazed as we entered into prayer. God truly came and met with each of us students. I was amazed as I sat back and watched the other students seeking God together. How people were praying for people they normally don’t hang out with, let alone talk to. I was amazed how God began to unify His body, how He broke down barriers between people, how He healed hurting people, how He showed love to those who felt so unlovely, and how He chose to meet us in the exact way we needed. There was a standard set at Western during Spiritual Renewal Week and I feel like this isn’t a spiritual high, but a tangible example of how we can live out God’s love each and every day!”

We spent all 5 days praying and deepening our relationships with God. Relationships were restored, bitterness was released, hearts were mended, brokenness was made whole, emotional and physical healings took place, and every student walked away from the week different. The students practiced their theme first hand of “One God. One Love. One People.” The atmosphere at Western Mennonite School lately has been inspiring. The students are walking in His love and shining their light. They are not just talking the talk, but looking how, in every situation, to walk the walk.

            As we embark on this Thanksgiving season I am so thankful for a school that fosters a spiritual environment. I am so thankful that we have the freedom to put our textbooks to the side and dive into the true textbook (the Bible). I am so thankful that we have a staff and faculty that is committed to pouring themselves into the students and mentor them into a relationship with our loving God. I am thankful that our students are more hungry then ever before.

            Greater things are yet to come here at Western Mennonite School. We are only beginning and we are so thankful for it…

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Robby Gilliam

Spiritual Life Director

Western Mennonite School