Greetings from Arizona,
The Indigenous Bible College (IBC) website now reflects our new name. In addition, through being accredited the .edu is available to the school. Growing and exciting times! Check it out: www.Indigenousbible.edu
Our spring mission conference is referred to as “Spirit Week” when we dress differently each day to show school spirit! On “International Day” staff and students dress according to any International ministry they have been a part of. I’m always delighted to put on my Kenyan jewelry and clothing/shoes. It’s truly a blessing to think back to 2011-2019 and the 7 mission trips I took to serve the orphans and staff at the Community Recovery Center Africa (CRCA) in Naivasha, Kenya.
Freedom Chapel takes place at the end of our school year when some of the sophomore through senior students choose to share about their experience going through Steps to Freedom or Mending the Soul (MTS).
This particular chapel is always such a beautiful celebration and expression of God’s healing power through finding freedom and forgiveness from all sorts of trauma related to past wounds, hurts and abuses.
This year there were 12 Spiritual Formation (SF) Mentors/ Leaders and 2 SF Assistants who came alongside the student body in their small groups with the goal of spiritual growth and life transformation. Below are some examples of what was shared from the student’s Steps to Freedom and Mending the Soul experiences.
Healing and transformation happens in community
These steps helped me to be free from my past and troubles. There was a God moment when God brought up the name of a person I knew that I needed to forgive. Ultimately, freedom is about asking God’s forgiveness.
I hated the idea of steps to freedom because of what I saw I needed to do. I was mad at God, angry and didn’t want to do it. At 1 in the morning I woke up and God led me for an hour of processing through the trauma and addictions that had affected me. I prayed for those who hurt me. It was very hard. It was a lot and yet the reward was great. God’s spirit brought true freedom.
MTS was difficult to talk about. I needed to pray about it in order to push through. I hit rock bottom many times but was thankful for the opportunity to get through it, asking for forgiveness from family members whom I had hurt and who hurt me. I want to walk in freedom every day.
I’m glad I did MTS and was grateful for the impact of my group. I realized things from my past and the ways and how my past has formed my life. It’s difficult to know and talk about family who were enabled as abusers. From my past experience I learned how to hide things and didn’t want to believe it. When I didn’t feel loved by my family, I learned to believe that the Lord still loved me. I didn’t know I needed this healing. The Lord has done amazing things.
I am the oldest of 9. My mom gave birth to me at 16. My biological parents were alcoholics and were never married. My dad left when I was an infant and then my mom abandoned me. I was left with my grandparents who were also addicts (drugs/alcohol). I experienced sexual and verbal abuse from the grandparents and other family members. I learned to shut down all emotions. Once back with my mom I had to take care for all of my younger siblings. I was never given any affection. If I cried my mother would hit me, therefore, I grew to learn that feelings were a sign of weakness. I always felt oppression and many things triggered fear. I never felt safe.
Before coming to IBC, I had never talked about the wounds from my past and the pain I experienced. Mending the Soul brought up SO MUCH. I had nightmares from my past, but battled the enemy with truth from the Word of God. Even with the wounds being opened and festering, I knew the process was important for healing. At one point I thought I was having a heart attack. The pain and pressure in my chest was so heavy that I got into my car to drive myself to the ER. Then the Lord spoke to me and told me to cry. I went back to my room and allowed myself to cry, pouring out my pain. This was the first time in my life that I truly wept about my past. After 3 hours of tears flowing I was exhausted but felt peace and freedom from my past. I rejoiced in the Lord’s work. Through MTS I have experienced restoration, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.
I thought MTS would help to equip me in ways to more effectively minister to others. I didn’t expect to be healed myself. I had an odd childhood. It was a good life with Christian parents. However, through MTS I had to acknowledge the hurt in my life. I struggled with acknowledging the emotional abuse I experienced. God slowly revealed the lies I was facing. Healing is so important.
The MTS experience was really hard, like being torn apart, a spiritual surgery. Through the process it was clear that addictions in my family resulted in abuses from my parents and trusted people. My past seemed hidden but I knew I had to look at it. Up until this point, I hadn’t allowed God to touch my past, to restore, heal and redeem.
God allowed me to find freedom and love. God heals, the MTS book is like a map to guide the healing journey.
Please pray for the continued healing process for all of our students, that the power of God’s love and truth from His Word would move them toward freedom from past trauma.
Through IBC’s Native Mending the Soul ministry there were a number of facilitator trainings completed this past year, resulting in 18 MTS groups all over North America which included the 4 groups that were held on campus with the IBC upperclassmen.
One of the MTS groups was led by a 2025 IBC graduate, Aaron. It’s beautiful when the heart and vision of IBC comes to fruition when a graduate multiplies his/her life into others through the implementation of the tools they’ve been equipped with. Aaron was also recently commissioned as the Senior Pastor of the DZ Bible Church in New Mexico on the Navajo reservation where he grew up. The former pastor was also an IBC graduate (class of ’99) whom had discipled young Aaron. It was a joy to be a part of that ceremony and to celebrate his new journey.
For the DZ Bible Church camp meeting in August, Aaron invited the NMTS team from IBC to be the speakers and introduce the MTS materials. Please pray that those attending the camp meeting will take an interest in being a part of a new MTS group in that community seeking freedom by working through life trauma, fear and other challenges.
Thank you for praying.
United with you in Christ,
Linda
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