Awake & Arise
“Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem: loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.”
– Isaiah 52:1-2
Beginning our 21st year of hosting students, we at Gateways Beyond Cyprus have clear vision and much expectancy for this school year. It is our constant desire to point to Yeshua in all that we do, helping to hasten His soon return. With that in mind, we welcomed this year’s students into our community through fellowship, sharing with them about the year to come. God has already begun to move in the lives fo these 15 young people from Europe and America!
“Awake and arise!” we declared to the students, announcing the theme of this year’s school. They have been brought from many nations to answer this call. Our desire remains to see young people rising up into their calling in the Lord, eyes open and fully awake to how He wants to move in and through them. One of our greatest tools as a community to help the students realise their identity and destiny in Yeshua is to walk closely with them in fellowship, stewarding all that God is doing inside them.
This fellowship has begun through times of eating together, sharing testimonies, and working alongside each other. It is truly a joy to open wide our arms and embrace them! The home is the perfect place for connection, and it’s clear that beautiful friendships are beginning to grow amongst people who were strangers just three weeks ago.
Even as our hearts open wide to one another, all of our hearts are expanding more for the island itself. We walked the hills and mountains surrounding the piece of property we own on our first Sunday together and took in the beauty of this island that we have been called to. This high perspective gave us the perfect first look at the land we would cultivate together later that week.
The wind and the rain did nothing to dampen our excitement to worship and work in God’s creation on our first day spent tending the land. We believe that the Father has designed creation in such a way that trending it according to His plan unveils our identity as sons and daughters. He first placed Adam in a garden! Yeshua also, after rising from the dead, first revealed Himself in the garden. Not only are we connecting to the land itself, but we are also touching the heart of God for His creation. Especially in conditions such as the ones we experienced, we have a phenomenal opportunity to build strength both physically and spiritually. Times such as these remind us to press on with endurance and expectancy. It is with this posture that we begin GTS 2020!
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord…”
– Hosea 6:3