You're going where, to do what?

Many of you may be wondering what I am learning here in BC. The answer is, a lot. There is no way I could share everything, but I'll try to touch on some things. This afternoon we learned about MBMSI and all that goes into a successful mission agency. It was pretty fascinating. It makes sense why we don't just send money to missionaries- if you know who you're sending money to and what they believe and why they are going to another country, you are more likely to support them, financially and in other ways.
Yesterday Randy Friesen spoke about risk-taking obedience. Things are always better with an element of the unknown. He had 3 points. (This made note-taking easier.) They were salvation, discipleship, and mission. These all have an element of risk. In fact, they are mostly made up of risk. Here are some samples from my notes:
Salvation- Luke 13:22-27; Luke 14:25-35; Luke 18:18-30; and Ephesians 2:1-10. Jesus is asking for everything- all that we have. What are we willing to give up? All of it? If I'm still holding on to things, I am not following Jesus. This isn't necessarily about money or possessions (although we shouldn't hold on to those) but about the heart. Salvation comes through sacrifice. Man can't save people, only God can, so let the Holy Spirit work. It's easier to conform than rebel (against what the world says), but conforming doesn't teach you much.
Discipleship- Luke 19:11-27; Luke 11:1-13. You're not going to get maximum potential from your life if you just hold on to it, if you don't risk you don't grow. You have to be willing to lose what you've got in order to gain something. Prayer is the language of the kingdom of God. To follow Jesus, listen to him. Faith is exercised when asking God for things. God wants to give generously, because it will glorify Him, it will hallow His name. Disciples have to risk being ridiculous.
Mission- Luke 10:1-7. Mission is going to cost something. Deliberately put yourself in a place of vulnerability and need, rely on God to provide. (I've definitely got that one on right now.) The most effective impact happens when we put ourselves in the weaker position. This is counterintuitive but so is the kingdom of God. If Jesus calls you to do something, even if it's outrageous, GO FOR IT! Walk with grace and humility, and say thank you. Have an attitude of vulnerability, humility, and dependency.
This is some of what I am learning and being challenged with. There's no way to get everything on here. The only way to absorb everything is with God anyway. We've also been talking about intercessory prayer and yesterday we went and listened to God for a while, after asking Him what He thought about us. And this is what I got. (I was sitting on stairs at the time.) I'll leave off with it.

The stairs go up, the stairs come down
And I sit listening, distracted again
There's too much in the way
All this to hear You say,
"My Child, I love you anyway
I always have and always will
You're beautiful, you see
And of everything in all the world
Nothing could love you like Me."