carpe diem

Thursday 23 August raps up the third week of the Discipleship school. Today and tomorrow we have teaching on Intercession. Next week we have lectures on Evangelism. On the 2nd of September we leave for the first leg of the running tour. [for more information email me for the videos/with any questions!] 

With lectures on intercession [which is prayer on behalf of another. Or standing in the gap] the scripture in Genesis 18 [about Sodom and Gomorrah] was really interesting because I knew intercession is something God wants us to do, but he first introduced it in the context of fighting for a Nation! He wants us to fight for Nations through prayer.

The lady who was teaching us, Heather, shared about a circumstance in 1994 [I believe] about the inflation rate in Brazil, and after thousands of believers prayed the inflation rate went from 45% to 5.5%. How AMAZING IS THAT? As far as I know it has continued to stay low. 

God is teaching me how to trust him more intimately. He is also telling me to choose and walk out in what he has ALREADY CONQUERED for me. For the first time, I feel like I'm listening. The past does not define but it does shape me. It's a hard thing to choose to be loved my God EVERYDAY for me. I have known for a long time that I  love Him but it's taken me until this past week to ACTUALLY LET HIM love ME! 

We had one student make the choice to leave our centre in Brisbane to do a DTS elsewhere. It was rough to have him leave so early on and it stirred people up, but God's plan is good in this circumstance and I fully believe he will use this student leaving to bring things up in peoples hearts! 

Just a day ago we announced the outreach locations of the school, which are India, Japan, Malaysia/Indonesia, Peru, and Saipan/Guam. We do not have teams yet so not very many people know what staff are going where. The students have until our Friday to tell us where they feel like they should go. [you can pray they have confidence in hearing God's voice!] Hopefully next post I can tell you what the teams will look like a bit more and what ministry we will be doing while overseas! 

A few more prayer things are:

Love in our staff team [how to love each other and our students]

Breakthrough in the school [confidence and faith to know our "crap" isn't worth holding on to]

Outreach locations/ministry [countries and hosts will be rested and blessed when we come. And we will know God's heart for that Nation and how to serve them.]

On a different note; it's starting to warm up! Soon it will be full fledged SUMMER! Heaps of sunscreen any moment outside. (: 

Well, that's really all I have for today. Thanks heaps for reading. Thank you for each of your support of me. I couldn't be here serving and learning more about God without the support of my family, friends, and home church. 

Thank you, děkuji, diolch i chi, शुक्रिया, ¡gracias

Shannon Baxter

671 Samford Road 

Mitchelton Queensland, 4053

Follow the leader.

Okay, peeps! I am going to update you on the status of our new school!

It starts 1 August and it's been a whirlwind since then! We had what is called a "welcome dinner" on Wednesday night, the orientation on Thursday and Friday. We then packed up as a school of 31 to travel 2 hours west to a country town called Toowoomba! 

We spent Friday, Saturday, and half Sunday at camp Toowoomba. This facility we stayed at reminds me of the camp property on the film "the parent trap". I've ALWAYS wanted to stay at a camp like that so it's pretty cool. 

While we were in Toowoomba we shared testimonies (personal stories), play an intense game of capture the flag, and ate. Sharing all 31 stories took about 11 hours? It was crazy! I personally LOVE hearing about where people come from and where God has brought them. 

This past Monday we started lectures on the Character and Nature of God. It's only the second day, but it's been pretty good! 

As a staff team we feel like God wants to redeem families and have us be unified. You guys can pray for that. The first few weeks can be hard for some students. They get really home sick and just feel way out of their comfort zones. But it's TOTALLY worth it and they just need to stick it out and find out themselves! (: 

Right now, I am personal feeling content. God is good. I realise everyday my deeper and deeper need for him. (I think I shared this previously, but it gets more and more real!) I have been teaching a few times recently. I taught on a camp (previously mentioned), and I also shared in Orientation about the wildlife of Australia, and yesterday I shared on Quiet times. 

Yesterday when I was preparing for the Quiet times teaching my heart was feeling overwhelmed. It wasn't that I was nervous about the teaching but more that God is doing stuff with the students and my own heart and my heart was just full. God has been teaching me how to be more vulnerable. 

The other day (in camp toowoomba) after I shared my story I felt so vulnerable. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, but then it dawned on me. God has healed my heart, vulnerability and openness is what he wants so why wouldn't I feel like that! (: It's getting easy for me to share my heart and emotions which is scary but also a testimony to God's grace!!!

The up coming weeks involve more lectures, small groups,and team bonding! We are also reading through the new testament on the first 4 months of the school. THEN we will be going away to a town called Redcliffe and we will be reading through the WHOLE BIBLE in 48 hours!!!!!!!! Pray for us then! 

Please keep us in your prayers! We need them. (:

Also pray for our school leader, Jennifer. Because she's our leader and she carries a lot. (: 

Well, if anyone wants to write me, remember that I LOVE LETTERS! (: And emails!!!

I love you all, thank you for your support. Ask me questions if you want to know anything! 

Peace and chicken grease. 

Shannon