Spiritual Emphasis Week

Is it funny to anyone else that I have to remind myself that I'm at attending a Christian school? This is a first for me, and when events such as 'Spiritual Emphasis Week' pop up on the school calendar, I have to remind myself that I'm not at UNL anymore! Yes, this week is officially Spiritual Emphasis Week, and in celebration, our teachers are forbidden to assign any homework or exams this week. Hurray! This week the student body is being served by a visiting team from New York State who has come to care for needed upkeep of the buildings and grounds, as well as to pour spiritual meat into the lives of the students. Our gust speaker for the week is a man who attended ILE with his family seven years ago and has since been laboring to a remote Mayan population in Guatemala. This week he will be taking us through the book of Nehemiah, and although Mark took us through a series on the book not that long ago, I'm looking forward to gaining new insight from the text.

This morning he(I'm ashamed to admit I've forgotten our speakers' name), reminded us that we as missionaries, like Nehemiah, have received a special calling from God. But he also emphasized that while our calling may be special, it is by no means superior. I was so encouraged that he began his talk this way, for there are too many that over-spiritualize the life and calling of missionaries.
I'm looking forward to sharing with you as I learn more about Nehemiah, and how God may speak to me through this book. Please pray that He would reveal himself to me this week, and that my ears and eyes and heart would be open and ready for his Spirit to fill me.