I love blogs. I follow tons of them and love reading about people's thoughts and life experiences. Recently my friend, Susan, started a blog to document her road to being a full-time missionary in Guatemala. I am loving following her journey, so I wanted to pass on her blog to you. You can find it here. (For other missionary blogs, scroll down on the right side of my blog to find links. I especially love Maureen's in Israel and Matt and Kelly's site from Botswana.)
Also, a couple in my home church in Austin has been in the process of adopting two children from Haiti for the past two years. It's been a long, grueling process that unfortunately isn't over yet. BUT, one of their children, Story, was finally able to come home a couple weeks ago. You can read about this exciting time for them (and be really inspired by adoption) on Jamie's blog or Aaron's.
For a giggle, check out Leah's blog with all her pregnancy adventures. I love it! Or check out Tisha's for some great inspiration.
These are just a few of my favorite blogs that I hope you enjoy, too. Happy reading!
The Latest
I have so much to update everyone on, but unfortunately it just seems that I don't have the time to sit and write it all, especially since the internet isn't working at the mission again. We are having to rely on the internet at a local restaurant, (which is thankfully free!)
Anyway, here is the short version of things lately:
Anyway, here is the short version of things lately:
- With the internet being down, I've had lots of time to read, which has been fun!
- I've also been spending loads of time with a few of my teenage girls. We chat, watch movies, watch Glee episodes (we're loving that show!), and just enjoy each other's company.
- Bible study is still going strong with our current topic being, "Intimacy with God" and working on developing a strong personal relationship with Jesus.
- I love my class so much and am so very proud of them. I love the recent Bible study time we've started together and rejoice at seeing them mature in their faith and their understanding of scripture.
- The deaf ministry has really grown! The past two weeks we've had nine deaf adults and teenagers at church to sign for. It's been challenging and has stretched me, but it is also a great blessing!
- My emotions have been all over the place lately. I can't wait to spend Christmas with my family and just enjoy time with them again. I also feel extremely sad to be nearing the time of saying good-bye to these kids, teenagers, and adults who I've grown to love so much. I feel pretty lost for direction, still, and covet prayers for God's will to be shown clearly to me, whatever that may be.
I miss keeping up with all of my friends and family via the internet and apologize for my lack of communication lately. Thank you for your patience and prayers. Sending love to you all!
Today's Unexpected Blessing
Today I had a very unexpected blessing. Although, it didn't really start out that way...
For some reason I always seem to be rushing on Sunday morning. It just never fails that I find myself running late, no matter what great intentions I have. This morning was no different. On top of running late, though, I was also feeling anxious because I knew I would be signing the whole church service since Keturah (my signing partner) is no longer here. This always makes me feel anxious and nervous.
About ten minutes before I rushed out the door, I received a phone call from Jana to say that there would be several more deaf adults and teenagers joining us for church today. My initial reaction was a quickening heartbeat and feeling a little shorter of breath. I know that I am so not qualified to interpret the church service for all of those people. Thankfully Jana said she would be helping me, which was a relief, but I still found myself leaving without the best attitude.
All of this changed when I actually arrived at church. First of all, there is something that seems to happen to me once I get in front of the people I am signing for. God just takes over and blesses me with extra energy and knowledge of the signs I need. I actually find it to be a real joy to be able to interpret once I get up there. But added to this is the fact that these nine people we were signing for were amazing to sign for! They were so attentive, focused, and involved with what was being signed. I ended up taking the three teenagers to youth and interpreting for them there. Oh my gosh! I never expected these young ladies to bless me so much! I told them I absolutely LOVED signing for them and can't wait for next week!
God reminded me of some important lessons today. If He calls us to it, He will help us through it! He will provide all we need. Also, when we are doing something for Him, it will inevitably end up being a great joy and blessing to do. I mean, we get to partner with Him in ministering to people He loves. That's pretty cool. Praise God that He will use us in spite of ourselves, in spite of our limited abilities and negative attitudes, and bless us abundantly in the process. What a great God we serve!
For some reason I always seem to be rushing on Sunday morning. It just never fails that I find myself running late, no matter what great intentions I have. This morning was no different. On top of running late, though, I was also feeling anxious because I knew I would be signing the whole church service since Keturah (my signing partner) is no longer here. This always makes me feel anxious and nervous.
About ten minutes before I rushed out the door, I received a phone call from Jana to say that there would be several more deaf adults and teenagers joining us for church today. My initial reaction was a quickening heartbeat and feeling a little shorter of breath. I know that I am so not qualified to interpret the church service for all of those people. Thankfully Jana said she would be helping me, which was a relief, but I still found myself leaving without the best attitude.
All of this changed when I actually arrived at church. First of all, there is something that seems to happen to me once I get in front of the people I am signing for. God just takes over and blesses me with extra energy and knowledge of the signs I need. I actually find it to be a real joy to be able to interpret once I get up there. But added to this is the fact that these nine people we were signing for were amazing to sign for! They were so attentive, focused, and involved with what was being signed. I ended up taking the three teenagers to youth and interpreting for them there. Oh my gosh! I never expected these young ladies to bless me so much! I told them I absolutely LOVED signing for them and can't wait for next week!
God reminded me of some important lessons today. If He calls us to it, He will help us through it! He will provide all we need. Also, when we are doing something for Him, it will inevitably end up being a great joy and blessing to do. I mean, we get to partner with Him in ministering to people He loves. That's pretty cool. Praise God that He will use us in spite of ourselves, in spite of our limited abilities and negative attitudes, and bless us abundantly in the process. What a great God we serve!
God's doing such a work in my students!
So I mentioned how one of my students committed his life to Christ Friday. Awesome, right? Well the blessings just keep coming! I met with this student yesterday for a few minutes during lunch and showed him how to easily study his Bible. I recommended he start reading in John and gave him his own journal to get started. Well, first thing this morning, he proudly came up to me to show me his journal with yesterday's REAP done for the first chapter of John. Um...amazing!! On top of that, when he finished his work and had some free time, he stated, "I think I'll read my Bible." SOO exciting to see his growing hunger for the Lord!!
The second great blessing came at lunch time today when I met with seven of my students for our first weekly Bible study meeting. These are the kids in my class who are participating in Project 3:45, and we decided to meet once a week to discuss what we are learning. It was absolutely incredible to have Bible study with my students!! This was definitely a first for me as a teacher and I LOVED it!!! Oh my gosh, I honestly don't even have words for what an awesome experience this was from me. I can't wait until next week!
God is doing so much in these kids and I seriously just can't believe what I am seeing. Please keep praying for them and I'll gladly share more praise reports soon!!
The second great blessing came at lunch time today when I met with seven of my students for our first weekly Bible study meeting. These are the kids in my class who are participating in Project 3:45, and we decided to meet once a week to discuss what we are learning. It was absolutely incredible to have Bible study with my students!! This was definitely a first for me as a teacher and I LOVED it!!! Oh my gosh, I honestly don't even have words for what an awesome experience this was from me. I can't wait until next week!
God is doing so much in these kids and I seriously just can't believe what I am seeing. Please keep praying for them and I'll gladly share more praise reports soon!!
Updates
Goodness, there has been so much going on here lately! Unfortunately, the internet has been down at the mission plot for almost two weeks, so I've relied on quick trips to local internet hotspots to basically just check my email. But yesterday all of us missionaries almost had a party when we realized that one of the local restaurants offers FREE internet! This is a huge blessing, so we are taking full advantage of it whenever we can.
Here's the latest:
Here's the latest:
- Most of my students went on a four-day camping trip with the standard 7 teacher and had a wonderful time. I missed them so much and must say that I was incredibly relieved when they safely returned to the school. :)
- Election day has come and gone here in Botswana. This day only happens once every five years, so it was an exciting day! We were reminded again how very blessed we are to live in this peaceful, stable country where, unlike many countries in Africa, we have no need for fear on election day.
- There has been an amazing amount of ministry going on lately, especially among the kids in my class. They have just suddenly become so open about spiritual things, asking some really great questions in class. Several of my students have joined with the teenagers in participating in Project 3:45, an initiative to get the kids reading their Bibles everyday. Last week I taught the nine participating students in my class how to do the REAP method of studying their Bible and we are going to actually meet each Tuesday during lunch to discuss what we are reading and learning. Bible study with my students....incredible.
- The ministry with the youth has lately been going really well! Friday's Fire by Nite was probably the best one of the year. The best part about the night happened after the great worship time had finished, after three of our student leaders had shared powerful testimonies, and after Matt preached a powerful message, when he asked if there was anyone there who had yet to surrender their lives to Christ and wanted to do that now, about 10 to 15 hands went up...including one of my students!!
- This student and another one have been coming to church and Fire by Nite with me for the past couple of months. I've sensed God working on their hearts and have been praying a lot for both of them, so you can imagine my joy when I saw this young man raise his hand. One of the most special moments of my teaching career happened soon after that when he came up to me after Fire by Nite and said , "Miss, I'm ready for a change." We chatted for a bit, I made sure he knew what decision he was making, and then we were able to pray together as he surrendered his life to Christ. Definitely one of the most precious moments of my life.
I wish I could update more, but my computer battery is almost dead! I'll be sure to update again soon, but until then, please continue praying for the youth and specifically for the kids in my class. God is working. He's working in a really powerful way. I love having a front-row seat to watch!
Hook 'Em Horns!
I love football. And I really love Longhorn football. It's hard to miss big games, like today's Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma. Last year I sat with a bunch of boarders in front of my computer screen and watched ESPN.com update the play descriptions. This year I got to actually watch the game! My brother and I had our webcams set up, and he just turned his towards the game on his tv so I could watch. So cool! It wasn't the prettiest game in the world, but I'm so glad I got to be a part of the sitting on the edge of my seat and holding my breath throughout the game. Technology is so cool!
Great day!
Today was such a full and fantastic day! Here are the highlights:
- One of the teenagers came to my classroom with my camera that I'd left at Fire by Nite on Friday, which I presumed was long gone. He saw it there and recognized it as mine, picked it up and held it for me over the weekend. I was so excited to see it in his hands this morning! And so very proud of his honesty and responsibility.
- I had a little send-off for most of my students as they embark on a four day school camping trip. I'm really excited for them, but admittedly sad to see them go. I'm going to miss them! Praying for a very safe trip with tons of fun adventures.
- With only four students left in class, I needed to be creative with my teaching. I don't really want to teach any new concepts to 1/5 of my class, so I decided to have some fun with them with a competitive game of Monopoly! (Hey, there's learning there...economics, math, business skills...) Sadly, I lost. But we had a great time!
- Every Monday afternoon I get to hang out with a bunch of teenage girls as we study the book, A Young Woman's Walk with God. I love this time with them and always feel so blessed afterwards.
- Two of the girl boarders and one of the boys came over to the house after school for a hilarious game of Spades. I love laughing so hard that my stomach hurts...something that happens often with these three. :) Sadly I lost this game too...badly...but at least we had fun!
- Theresa (my housemate), Ashley, Dietra (two of the interns), and I went to Audi Camp for some girl time and cafe mochas! It was such a nice little outing and I really enjoyed getting to know them more.
- Ashley and I hosted "Aerobics Night" in my classroom for a 30-minute workout with any of the boarders who wanted to come. We had a really good showing and collectively burned A TON of calories. So great!
- Now I'm ending my day by watching an episode of 24 before enjoying what will surely be a great night's sleep.
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