Michael and Terra in Germany

Can you find us? We're in front of the table on the left. My husband, 11-month old, and I had the privilege of attending the School of Biblical Studies (SBS) International Conference in Hurloch, Germany. About 26 schools were represented and we got to hear from them and share what we're doing with SOBA. SOBA is a unique blend of SBS for the New Testament and elements of discipleship. It was awesome to hear the new international emphasis on frontier missions and the SBS internet courses that we will soon be involved with and hopefully offer for the Vineyard. All in all, it was a great time for reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, spending time as a family in Germany, and being exposed to what God's doing through the teaching of His word around the world!

2009 SOBA students

Ethan, Sam, Nathan, ben
Jenner, Brittany, Sally, & Devin

Jenner makes kids smile in Texas

This was a side of Texas I had never seen. As we came to Galveston for the Vineyard National Conference (SOBA was going to help out while as well as attend the sessions), we drove over a long bridge that connected the mainland with the Island. There were tons of palm trees on the island, although it was easy to see the devastation from last year’s hurricane Ike.
Mid-week, the pastors and conference attendee helped throw a huge outreach for the community. The goal of this outreach was to bring the community that got hit by hurricane back together a bit. On Tuesday afternoon we spent quite a few hours setting up for the outreach day. We built fences to designate the specific booth areas for the event. Altogether there was a prayer station, a medical station, a kids play area, a family portrait site, a hair-cutting area, a grocery station and a food court. I was working in the kids area doing one of the things I love most-- making them balloon animals/swords. The kid zone was so big! I got to go into the haircutting tent and make the kids a balloon while they were waiting to get a haircut. It was so much fun. I have such a passion for kids. At the end of the day, there was extra food leftover, so some of us drove around town and gave it away to the people who were left with nothing from the hurricane devastation. Cars were stopping us to receive the extra food. It was such an awesome day. I have so much fun just loving and giving to those who have so little. I would have to say this was probably my favorite day.
The next day was a very fun day though. Thursday was our day off. We didn’t have to be at the conference center until about 9:20am instead of like 7:30 or 8am. I stayed awake during that morning session, finally. Wes Stafford from Compassion International came and spoke. Compassion International is a children sponsorship program like Worldvision. It was a really speech and he had stories about kids that made me cry. It was a great session. After lunch, some of us went the beach. So the ocean for me is my peace. I love the ocean beyond reason. I want to get married on the beach. The ocean is just where I love to be. The water was perfect. The water off the Baha Peninsula is warm but California is still cold and this was just right and especially in the heat of Galveston. It was me and the 4 guys out in the ocean just having a blast. It was so shallow so I could go out as far as the guys and not be under water. They are all like a foot taller than me. We were riding the waves and just enjoying ourselves. At one point they guys decided to launch me and I got like 10feet in the air by using the momentum of the waves. It was extreme fun!
Worship & prayer during the conference was also a lot of fun. One of our leaders, Eric, came and prayed for me and it was so awesome. Everything he prayed was going through my head at the exact time he prayed about it. It was a dead-on prayer and I needed it so bad. Afterwards, three of us prayed for a pastor and his family who head up a Vineyard church in Chicago, and God moved through my prayers even though I often times feel uncomfortable praying out loud. He has taught me so much about prayer and worship this year, and when he shows me his enormous love for me. It always blows me away. I’ve learned so much this year & really enjoyed the conference.

Ethan enjoys Texas Outreach

My time in Galveston, Texas at the Vineyard National Conference was so awesome. Just being able to hang out with all of the pastors and see them come together and just concentrate on their lives, not having to worry about anyone else, was amazing. With all of the things that SOBA got to do in Texas, my favorite had to be the big local outreach that we helped out with. I got to see all of the pastors come together and really serve the people who were affected by the huge hurricane last year. It was so amazing to see what true servant-leadership looks like because everyone that i talked to really wanted to be there, giving back to these people and helping them out in any way that they could. God really showed me what being a true leader was all about. The pastors there not only were serving others, but they were being vulnerable when they would come up for prayer. Even thought the trip down there and the way back was long and cramped, i wouldn't change that ride for a second because it really brought all of us closer together and God was working right from the start. I thank God that we got a chance to go there because it was truly amazing and also i got to swim in the ocean --so that was a big plus haha. -Ethan James Bennett

Nathan on the Streets

Ok so my name is Nathan. I’m from Washington State and I love Jesus more than anything. He is my main interest. Therefore, I love anything that has to do with him --like running, biking, hiking, camping, swimming, star-watching, playing guitar, I’m sure you have the picture. I’m here at SOBA so that I can get to know him more. It's a long story how I ended up here, so all I will say is that it was divine and I have never been more certain that this is where God wants me. With that said, I have never had so many mind-blowing revelations, a-ha moments, and sweet encounters with my Lover and Creator God, than I have in this school.

We've done so many amazing things this year, but no one has talked about our “Homeless Experience” yet so I guess I will. Our SOBA class has been involved with a church-ministry which feeds the homeless after church on Sundays. So when I heard that our class was going to be spending two days eating and sleeping with the homeless, I was so excited to experience the flip0-side: instead of being the server, I would be served; instead of having a wallet and phone, I would have nothing on me but an ID. But the excitement soon wore off when the rain and cold sunk in and I realized that no one wanted to talk to me because I had dirty holy clothes and shoes and was sleeping on benches and hanging out under bridges.

Out of all the things I learned, one life-changing lesson that God had showed me stands out to me. During our time at the shelter, the guys and I had cultivated a friendship with one of the dudes that was staying at the shelter. We told sweet Chuck Norris jokes and talked about random stuff with this guy. I don’t want to say what his name was, so I will call him Chuck for now. During our conversations with Chuck, I started to see that there was something different about this guy. He would look out for others, was always happy and considerate, and I would always leave the conversation feeling uplifted and smiling. I kept asking myself, "What is different about this guy? Why do I like to be around him? What does he have that others don’t? have" It wasn’t until the last day when we were sitting around the table chatting with Chuck, that my questions were answered. Somehow we had gotten on the subject of a Bible verse, the one about not casting your pearls to the swine. When the discussion was wrapping up, one of the SOBA guys asked “so what one piece of advice would you give us right now?” Now if I was asked a question like that, I would have to ponder for a few weeks-- maybe even a year. Chuck's response was simple yet profound and it poured out of his mouth without hesitation. Leaning in closely, he said, “At all costs, with everything in you, fight for fellowship with your Heavenly Father. That can never be taken away.” Wow. This was something that I had heard all my life, but it didn’t really hit me until that moment. I think it sunk in because it was said by someone who had been through it all; someone who had lost everything, yet was living out this truth. God had hit me over the head with this simple and profound truth that I want to live out of for the rest of my life: the most important thing is to be in an intimate relationship with my heavenly father.