Hello Everyone! I wrote this letter to thank all of you who have been so full of love and support toward me on my journey this past year and summer!
To my beloved family and friends,
Words cannot fully express the depth of love and gratitude I have in my heart toward you and especially toward the Lord, as you all have walked with me during this past season. I can hardly believe that the summer is coming to a close, and that just a year ago, I was donning a cap and gown for my high school graduation! I don’t know how time has been passing for all of you but for me it has been a whirlwind of the presence and power of God, and now here I sit in the wake of His goodness and glory. To think about all that He has accomplished just in these few summer months, I am left in total amazement and awe at His extravagant love, His mighty power, and the abounding grace and mercy that has flowed over us from His heart! For those of you who aren’t familiar with all the intimate details of my time here at home, it has been my honor and joy this summer to serve in a very active way at my church, Horizon Foursquare in Ventura. From introducing people to the heart of God through the prophetic arts, to leading in creative new forms of outreach into our community, and MUCH more still, there has been no shortage of opportunities for me to pour out all I received during my first year at Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry. (To my pastors, I cannot thank you enough for all the doors you opened to me this summer, and for the incredible blessing of being led and covered by people like you, whose hearts never cease to cry out “yes and amen!” to the Lord.) I could literally go on for hours and hours just sharing testimonies of all that God has done! People have been saved, healed, and set free, both inside our church walls and out in the streets of our community. Individually and corporately, we have experienced deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of that connection has been fresh vision, revelation, and more passionate love for Jesus. Even in recent weeks, the youth group has entered into a completely new level of relationship with the Lord and has been ignited with a hunger for encountering Him and for releasing that encounter to others. I sincerely hope these testimonies make you excited because I could just get up and dance right now from all the joy they bring to my spirit! In light of all of His wonderful works, I must give the glory and honor and praise to our God, who has truly blessed us with a summer that was exceedingly, abundantly above all we could’ve asked for or imagined. Over and over again, I find myself asking the question, “What kind of love is this??” because He never ceases to pour out His extravagant kindness and blessing over us. So, above all others, my highest praise goes out to You, precious Father, for Your unconditional love and blessing; to You, sweet Holy Spirit, for Your faithfulness and zeal to take us deeper into the heart of God than we have ever ventured before; and to You, beloved Jesus, for revealing to us even more of what it truly looks like to live in relationship with You, a relationship that leads to freedom, joy and the victorious reign of Your Kingdom here on earth.
That said, I am excited beyond words for the coming year as I embark on my second adventure in Bethel’s school of ministry. Having already taught us the basics of living a “naturally supernatural” life, their second-year program is all about training us up in leadership, laying a foundation of love and honor in our lives, and empowering us to raise up others in the ways of the Kingdom. I’m headed for an incredible year, full of countless opportunities to serve Bethel as a church, Redding as a community, and the Body of Christ as a whole. In fact, one of the greatest blessings of the second-year program is that we will be given the awesome opportunity to join Bethel’s leadership teams and pastoral staff as they travel around the country and world to minister at other churches! The trips vary in duration and cost but more than anything I am thrilled to be able to serve and minister alongside my pastors in a deeper way, and to see more intimately how God works through them. In addition to those trips and the usual schoolwork, I will also be managing a school of ministry household of 7 girls so needless to say, I’m excited for a lot of stretching!
In all of this, I cannot tell you how much I would appreciate your prayers over my time at Bethel this year, that above all things, I would keep my heart and spirit fixed on the Lord so that I can receive all that He desires to deposit and transform in me. In turn, my prayer for you will be Ephesians 1:17-21, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your hearts being opened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…”
Blessings to you all, and again, thank you so much for all your love and support. Prepare yourselves for a year of deeper revelation of Jesus… I get the sense that soon we will know Him like never before.
Be blessed,
Melissa Cordell
