Settled and studying in Redding, California!

Praises for our new baby granddaughter, born Oct. 27 - little Mesa Leigh Toft. We were so happy to be able to meet her and the family on a short trip to Colorado last week!

Hello Friends,

So many of you have asked for updates. Some of you have received long e-mails from me. A few have gotten hand-written notes. Others phone calls. Still others are waiting and wondering what is happening with us.

I thought this blog would be the best way to reach most of you, and I plan to update it with new posts frequently - so I hope you keep checking back!

We are learning so much and it's taking a while for us to get used to being students again.

It's a full time schedule with 25 required in class or in church hours, and about 21 hours of reading and homework every week. Book reports, tests, written assignments and much reading are all part of the experience...and we are loving every minute of it.

I'll share book titles and authors in future blogs for those of you who want to know what we're reading and read along.

It's hard to know exactly what to put on this first blog because there is SO MUCH. So, I think I'd like to just start with the basic lessons I am personally learning. With all the book work, prayer, intercession, prophecies, worship, soaking and listening, and reading, reading, reading the Bible, history books, text books, books on revival, books on how to study the Bible, books on intercession, and books on the Father's love, and workbooks on knowing ourselves and Him better - the message boils down to two key areas for me that I am still trying to wrap my heart and spirit around:

1. Understanding who I am in God. The daughter of the Creator. A princess! Royalty. Friend of Christ. Co-heirs with Christ - with all the authority and power that comes with that station.

2. Understanding the pure, awesome, unconditional love of Father God for me. It's a relationship and a love that requires no performance from me. He loves me so much more than I can even know. He created me. No matter what I do or don't do, no matter what I do wrong...he loves me fully and desires a love relationship with me. He loves me exactly as I am. I do not have to strive, work, or get everything right to earn His love.

In coming posts, I'll fill in the blanks about our destiny, our place in God's timeline, what He is calling us to, and more. By "us," I mean His children - but more specifically, I hope to reveal what Rick and I are experiencing with this.

It is so exciting, We have met so many people. There are more than 800 first year students, half of whom are from other countries around the world. All have stories of how they came to Bethel. Most are young adults, but many are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. I'll be sharing some of those stories, too.

For now, know that we are praying for all of you as I know you are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Please let us know how we can pray for you. Rick and I need prayers for brains that can hold all this information!  God has been so amazingly good through our church and friends. But we still need to find jobs that will help with expenses and allow us to work around our school hours so as not to take away from what we are trying to learn as that is our first priority for the next six months. I have had some writing and editing work and hope to get more. We are thankful for the jobs Rick had last summer that allowed us to re-settle and re-group. He is hoping to find part time work soon.

Love, Chris