“Where the Spirit of the Father is, there is freedom”“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
“It is for freedom that the Son has set us free.”
What is freedom? The past two years have given me a new appreciation for freedom, but not in a way that I ever expected. I thought I had sacrificed my freedom two years ago, but I have come to realize that freedom is not something that we can attain or forfeit. As “children of a loving Father,” our freedom is determined by him, not ourselves! If the Son has set us free then we are free indeed! Free to enjoy traditions, but not be bound by them, free to adhere to the Law, but not be saved by it, and free to live the abundant life that he has designed for us! We are free,...free to follow the Father because he first loved us.
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
“We love because he first loved us”
We are grateful this week:
1. Newt and Tony arrived on Thursday to start preparing for the upcoming English weeks. All of us went to dinner, discussed the latest news from back home, and both left early the next morning.
2. Yesterday, we visited the Philip Hayden Foundation for the final time this year. We have been trying to visit the children about once a month, and it was sad to realize that Jessie and I might not ever again have the privileged of playing with these children. In the past two years the children at the Philip Hayden Foundation have been more of a blessing for us than we could have ever imagined. For more information on the Philip Hayden Foundation, please visit: http://www.ChinaOrphans.or
3. On Tuesday night we invited about 7 of our students over for an American “Home-Style” dinner. It was a fun evening! Shannon and Shamble prepared the BBQ chicken, Jessie made the mashed potatoes, and I moved everything out of our living room so we could fit everybody around one table.
Please think about us:
1. Tomorrow, we have been invited to a student-run “English Association” meeting. They have asked Jessie & I to give a speech. They have also asked Shannon & I to play a song or two.
2. During the third week in May we will have our annual English Week! About 13 teachers will come from the States, led by Newt and Claire Hetrick. We are very excited about English Week! As of right now, the biggest concern is that the local officials will still allow the trip. There has been a great deal of concern over the Swine Flu, but that concern seems to be subsiding.
3. Our next baby appointment is this Tuesday in Beijing. It is hard to believe this is going so quickly! We have less than two months left before Naomi Faith Distad is born!
Living outside the boat,
Brad
