Jesus Blesses Little Children

"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there." -Matthew 19:14-15

What a busy day!  This morning we were expecting four visitors from another private bilingual school in the city.  They were coming to do an evaluation of our preschool, K & 1st grade English and Spanish classes.  I taught my first class, waiting for the call to come from the front gate to tell me the visitors had arrived.  Second period came and went, and it wasn't until the beginning of third period that they arrived - an hour and a half late!  When they arrived, I gave them a tour of the school, and then served them a snack of banana bread and coffee.  We talked a little about the school, and then I showed them to the classrooms where they would be observing.  They looked at all our documents, lesson plans, etc.  They did not spend much time in the classrooms, and took a long time to write their evaluations.  It made the teachers and I nervous when we had to wait so long.  When we finally sat down to discuss their comments and suggestions, they were very positive.  They told us that everything was well organized and that the teachers had excellent control of the material and students.  Praise the Lord!  The director wants to come back and bring some of their older students to show a different type of school than what they have in the city.  The best part of all of it - I was able to converse entirely in Spanish!  I was thrilled.  I know my Spanish is improving, although I still have a LONG way to go.

The guests left late since they arrived late, so I covered my teachers' classes after lunch.  The high school girls just reviewed for a quiz while I supervised the 1st - 3rd grade PE class.  It was fun watching the younger kids run around, laughing and having fun.  Of course, there was also the occasion fall and tear (they were running and playing freeze tag).  Overall, it was a nice change for me.

I stayed at school and worked until 5:30, and then came home and made dinner.  We had a meeting at 7:00 for about an hour, talking about ranch issues.  It is always good to get all the teachers together (and non-house parent staff) to find out what is going on.  But, it makes for a long day.

So, good day overall.  Tiring, but good.  

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters." -Psalm 23:1-2

The LORD truly is my shepherd.  I know that He is always leading me, and all I have to do is follow him faithfully.  He has met all my needs.  I am comfortable, and I have experienced the peace that surpasses all understanding in my times of difficulty.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

I had a good day.  My students are doing well, praise the Lord.  We had a medical brigade visit today.  I had to do a very quick tour of the school so that one of the team members could do her clown presentation.  She is very talented and the younger kids seemed to enjoy her show.  

After lunch, I went to the city with five of my coworkers.  We enjoyed each other's company as we did shopping and running errands.  Outside the grocery store, I ran into a couple that used to attend my church.  It was nice seeing them and catching up with them for a few minutes.

We got home a little after 7pm.  When groceries were put away, I had to bake banana bread so I will have a snack to offer the four guests that are coming to evaluate the school tomorrow.  There are four people coming from another private bilingual school in the city.  They will visit our pre-K and K programs to report back to the District.  Things have always gone well in the past, so I hope that tomorrow's visit goes well too.  Please pray for us.

The Only Constant

"So the LORD said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth?  Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?  Have not I, the LORD?  Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.'" - Exodus 4:11-12

Things continue to go well at school.  I am still teaching Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and II.  I am glad I have the opportunity to stay connected in the classroom while still being principal.  It has been a good balance for me.

Tonight I helped one of my teachers update her resume.  She has decided to leave in June and go back to the States.  I think the hardest part of being on the mission field is having people come and go constantly in and out of our lives.  No wonder the kids have difficulty creating bonds of trust with the missionaries.  It cannot be helped, but it is still hard.  Although I experienced some of that living in Northern VA, which is a very transient area, it is different here.  Here we live in a close-knit community where the people with whom you live become like family.  However, they are there for a season and then move on.  It is a good reminder that the only constant in our lives is the ONE who never changes.  God is continually teaching me to cling to Him, as difficult changes seem to be a constant presence in my life.  I am thankful that when we do not know what to expect, we can expect whatever comes is God's good and perfect will.

Joseph a Slave in Egypt

"Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." - Genesis 39:20-21

Sometimes we feel confined in the place where we are. It might be where we are located physically, or we may feel stuck in a rut in our lives, unable to move forward. Sometimes we are there as a result of circumstances, sometimes as a result of the choices we have made. Joseph was placed in prison unjustly, falsely accused of going after Potiphar's wife. He remained faithful to God throughout, and God was with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to experience the trials of prison life, yet showed him mercy in the midst of it. Joseph may have been "stuck," but God was moving behind the scenes. Ultimately, it was all part of the plan that God had for Joseph's life.

Joseph received a dream long before being sold as a slave and sent to prison. Do you have a dream? Has God revealed something to your heart that is yet unfulfilled? Do you feel stuck, wondering how in the world God can possibly achieve the end result? Take heart and trust that God is working all things together for good. Joseph eventually became second in command only to Pharaoh, and the dreams he had many years earlier were fulfilled. Just because God has us confined in a place for a time, does not mean He will leave us there and forget about us. He is working behind the scenes, and will use your time in prison to prepare you for the ultimate plans He has for your life.

The Twelve Apostles

"Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." -Matthew 10:2-4

The twelve apostles were ordinary men. They had ordinary jobs and ordinary lives. But Jesus chose them to do extraordinary things. He gave them the same power and authority that He Himself had. He sent them out into the world to preach and teach about His love and His kingdom.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we too are chosen to do extraordinary things. Sometimes I get frustrated with the mundane routines of life. Then I am reminded that I am not called to the mundane, but to live extraordinarily! I have the opportunity to serve Him with my life, laying down my pride and selfishness to serve others. I have the power to overcome sin and death, and to share that with others. I am extraordinary because I am in Christ and Christ lives in me. If you desire that same power and do not know if you have it, open a Bible and read it. If God can take regular fishermen and tax collectors and use them for His extraordinary purposes, imagine what He can do with you and me.

Back to School

"When Jesus heard that, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'" - Matthew 9:12-13

Today was the first day of school. It went really well. I only had one minor glitch in my schedules, which was easily remedied. It felt good to be back to the normal routine again. I had my leadership meeting in the afternoon, and then came home and typed up notes. For dinner, the singles had our weekly "family night." We each donated chicken breast and one of the teachers made white chicken chili. It was yummy! My roommate Sara made chocolate cake for dessert, which was also fantabulous.

The Blessings of Faithfulness

"And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." -Genesis 26:4-5

I really enjoyed my pastor's message in church this morning. His main point was this: "Honoring God through a life of faithfulness is tough when we face rejection, but we must keep going - we must persevere!" He said that we are going to experience many different kinds of rejection, and then gave numerous examples from the Bible. I happen to be in the middle of it right now. Without going into details, I can just say that rejection of any kind is painful. But the key to facing rejection is having the eternal perspective. Even when we face rejection by people, God will not reject us when we are faithful to Him! God made a promise to Abraham, and because of Abraham's faithfulness, God repeated the Abrahamic covenant to Isaac. God has made a new covenant with us when we accept Christ as our Savior. We are promised eternal life with Him! Our sins are forgiven and we appear as righteousness before a Holy God. When times of rejection come, we can know for sure that there is One who will never leave us nor forsake us.

(Thanks to Pastor Darren Quilley at Union Christian Church - Honduras. Some of the ideas written above are taken from his sermon notes outline).

A Day in the City

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 8:11

This morning I slept in, and it felt so good! Apparently I was really tired. After I was dressed and ready to go, my roommate Sara, my friend Shelly, and I went to the city. We went to Wendy's for lunch while we waited for Sara's friend. Once her friend arrived, they dropped me at the hair salon. I was long overdue for a haircut. I had my hair washed, cut, blow dried, and straightened - all for about $14! I love Honduras! I love my new look, too. It won't last more than a day, but it is fun to have straight hair once in a while. My hair is finally healthy again, too.

The girls came to pick me up when they finished their errands and we headed home. Sara and I invited Ron over for dinner since I had some business questions for him anyways. A group of us then went up to play poker at the guys' house (using poker chips, not money). Jesse, who used to work as a teacher at the ranch, was visiting for the weekend. He now works at our Mission House on the other side of town. We had a fun evening, although we all talked more than we actually played cards.

Tomorrow is another day in the city. We'll go to church, and then do all of our errands since we will not have an opportunity to come in on Wednesday. We are going to have a full day of school on Wednesday to make up some of the lost time for Friday. We are going to have an all-missionary meeting on Friday, so I had to cancel school for the day. The kids are going to be heartbroken - NOT!!!

May you all have a restful Sabbath Day.

Getting Back Into Routine

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:43-45

I am trying hard to get myself back into routine and get ready for the start of school. I have spent the last two days at school, working on schedules, primarily. I am trying to think through the semester and plan for the events coming up in the next several months. I was thankful to have some of my teachers with me, to bounce off ideas and check for errors in my scheduling. They catch my mistakes all the time!

I also had a chance to talk with the teacher and his wife that are joining us as houseparents. Their son will be enrolling in the school this semester as well. We had a chance to talk about his previous schooling and his English language abilities. I worked with the teacher that will have him to develop an assessment to decide if it is best to put him into second or third grade. We will assess him when they arrive to the ranch on Thursday.

In addition to having a productive day, I also had opportunities to visit with people. Sometimes in the busyness of every day life, I forget to build relationships with the people around me. I was blessed to spend pockets of time with different individuals throughout the day.

Happy New Year!

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice New Year's celebration. I spent mine here at the ranch. My coworker Steve invited my roommate Sara and I for dinner at the House of Timothy. There were nine of us that enjoyed lasagna and garlic bread. After dinner, we watched the movie, "Oceans 13." That brought us to 10:30pm, when we went outside and enjoyed a bonfire until midnight. At midnight, we burned Old Man Year, a traditional scarecrow filled with firecrackers. I came home and read until 2:30, and then slept well after that.

As most people do, I spend New Year's Eve thinking back on the year that has just ended. I realized it has been a year of a lot of changes for me. I also realized that I have struggled a lot recently with my emotions and self-esteem. I know that everyone goes through that at times, and this seems to be my time. But then I read the Scriptures and am reminded that I am created in the image of God. It's never about our self-image, it's always about our God-image. When I can keep focused on that, I can remember that God loves me. I can then share that love with others and point them back to Him, by reflecting His image, not mine.