Tuesday, May 27, 2008

BTI

Brother Walters wearing my bonnet!
First Term: Samantha, Charity (Me!), Kandy, and Katlin
Tests are over and everybody's having a good time at Cracker Barrel!
Playing Volleyball Friday afternoon
Brother Smith teaching Pastoral Class
We had an absolutely wonderful BTI! I have been stressing the importance of sending our young people to BTI ever since I got home Saturday evening. BTI is a wonderful asset for teaching and training our young people and not just our young people but our older ones too! I think it should be mandatory for every member to go to BTI for at least one term. Because after they go one term they would have a desire to go until they finished! The Lord was with us in a wonderful way at BTI this year. Many of the instructors and staff agreed that this was the best BTI since the first one after BTI was reinstated. There was such a spirit of unity there. We had a small group this year but as the old song goes, "It doesn't take very many it can be just two or three." The services were awesome. The Spirit of the Lord was with us in a mighty way in our services. Three services God took over and the minister did not get to preach. We had several miraculous healings. One of which I will relate here. Bro. Buford Cox Sr. from VA was one of the first term instructors this year. One day he came up the steps and he didn't sound to good. We of course were busy quizzing each other on the tests and didn't really notice. He told us, "I'll be right back," then he turned and went back downstairs. A moment later the prayer bell rang out and immediately voices were raised in supplication to God. We stayed up in our classroom as we were unaware of what was happening. Bro. Cox was having severe chest pain. He was in such pain that he was being doubled over by it. The general thought, is that he was having a heart attack. But the saints started praying and continued earnestly in prayer for several minutes until the power of God fell mightily and when it did Bro. Cox was instantly healed and felt better than he had for quite a while! Praise the Lord!!! Bro. Cox came back upstairs and told us what had just happened and then proceeded to teach our lesson. Praise God for divine healing! No recovery time needed! God still heals His people today! There were four in first term this year, all ladies. It was the smallest first term ever. For being the smallest first term ever we made quite a stir. We were the first term to ever have all their classes recorded live. We were the first term to ever be linked live to the internet while in class. And we were the first term to ever be entirely made up of ladies. I don't know if this is a record or not but when we started BTI only half of us had the Holy Ghost. When we left all of us were baptized in the Holy Ghost and ready to go home and work! Samantha received the Holy Ghost the first Friday night when third term was in charge of the service. I was filled with the Holy Ghost the next Friday night when we had our commencement service! Let me make a statement real quick. If you left before service Friday night you missed out on a wonderful blessing! That was such a powerful service! The Spirit of the Lord was there in a mighty way! I was so blessed to be able to attend BTI this year and I am already looking forward to next year! Anybody reading this if you have not attended BTI you need to go!!! Not only is BTI spiritually rewarding it is also a lot of fun. We have a great time fellowshipping and getting to know other godly young people. BTI gives you hands on training on how to work for the Lord and for the Church. Tomorrow I am leaving for FL. Our family is doing a seminar and a VBS for the Palatka church. We are really excited about it and looking forward to it. Like I said last year we get to spend time with our best friends and minister to others at the same time. Friday we are going down to the Miami area and having a field trip and the next day Bro. Jerry has to conduct a business meeting for the Miami church. We are excited about meeting more of our church folk in FL and we hope to be a blessing to them. We are planning to be back in Palatka in time for church Sunday morning. The seminar will start Monday evening and will end Saturday. Then the VBS will begin Wednesday evening and will conclude Sunday morning with our VBS program. We should be arriving home sometime that week. Then Sunday the 22nd we will be having my graduation. It will be held at The Church of God at Farmville, Va and will begin at 3:00 in the afternoon. Everyone is invited to attend. So if anyone happens to be in the area feel free to drop by. Anyway I'd better go.