Essay: Why I Want to Attend Elevate

So in case you haven't heard, Ryan and I are about to move to Texas to train for 18 months to move to Portugal! In Portugal, we will be working at a place called The Haven where missionaries, especially those living in oppressive countries, can come to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. It is our hope and desire to be a lifesource for those believers who are doing God's work so faithfully. But before we get to Portugal, we get the amazing benefit of a year of discipleship (which is called Elevate) and then six months of church-planting school (called 24:14). Here's the skinny on Elevate:

Elevate is a discipleship training school ready to equip you to live a life abandoned to Jesus and help you discover your God-given purpose. Serving the local church, Biblical instructions, and spiritual disciplines are key elements in this experience. If you hunger for a deeper walk with Jesus, this school is for you!

Doesn't that sound great?! Everyone should do this! Today I was finishing my application to Elevate, and had to write an essay on why I want to attend the training school. Here's what I wrote:

The reason I want to attend Elevate is because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is what the Lord has called our family to do. It is so important to say "yes" to the Lord, demonstrating trust and faith through obedience. This is the only way to experience the abundant life God purposes for His children.
When our close friends were called to be missionaries to the Middle East, Ryan and I began dreaming of ways to come alongside missionaries with support, encouragement, rest, and life. We had a "holy discontent" for God's harvesters returning from the field beaten down and broken. The tugging on our hearts began.
Then in the fall of 2009, God placed a brochure for The Haven in Portugal in our mailbox. My heart lept. This was better than the small, local ideas we had bounced around! Under the recommendation of Pat Murphy, Ryan and I spent thirty days praying, journaling, and listening to God for His will in our lives. By day thirteen, we both had a firm, "Yes! Go!"
So here we are, trying to obey the Lord as He guides each little step. We are excited to grow and learn during Elevate. Twelve months of intense discipleship sounds so exciting, a little scary, but definitely God's plan for us!