I’m sorry to bombard this blog with so many posts this week, but goodness, there are just so many blessings and praises to share!! It’s too hard to keep it all to myself, so I will keep posting on here and hope that you are as blessed as I am by all that God is doing. It’s so amazing!!!
The first Bible study with the girls was so great. We read in Matthew 13 about the parable of the sower and the four different ways that seed fell. We talked about what it meant and how it applied to them. I also shared my testimony and how at different times in my life I could relate to each of those seeds. The girls seemed to be soaking in all that was being said and really seemed hungry to learn. At the end of the study, I broke the girls up into groups of two to have them get real and honest with each other about their current spiritual state and where they would like to be and then to pray for each other. (For you Austin Stone-ers, this is laying the foundation for LTG groups!) I was incredibly encouraged when: 1) Before we broke into groups, one of the older girls shared part of her journal where she had meditated on and beautifully wrote about God’s love 2) when I heard 7 groups of young ladies sitting around the dorm, all talking about the Lord at the same time 3) when “lights out” time rolled around 45 minutes later, most of the girls were still talking about the Lord and 4) when I heard one of the older, spiritually mature young ladies sharing with some of the younger ones about what it means to give your life to Christ and sharing her personal testimony. All I can say about all of this is….WOW! I give God ALL glory…I know me too well to take any credit at all for what He is doing. I am just so grateful to get to watch it happen!
I’d like to petition your prayers for one young lady who is one of my older boarders. I heard that last year she said she’d go to church and everything, but she just didn’t believe in God. During Bible study I could see a wall up around her, and she seemed almost defensive. She is a beautiful, sweet young lady, and I see such great things in her. I am praying fervently for her heart to be softened and God to do something amazing in her. Although she appeared to have a wall up during Bible study, she definitely is not resistant to building a relationship with me. In fact, she seems to make an extra effort to be around me, volunteering to help me with breakfast, knocking on my door today to see if I was feeling any better…actually while I was typing about her! I know that God is calling her and I believe He is establishing a trust between she and I that hopefully He will use to help draw her to Him. Oh how I pray that I will be a reflection of Him to her in all I say and do. May I be emotionally available not only to her, but to any of the girls who are seeking and needing guidance. This is such a big job and one that I know I cannot do on my own. Thank you for praying with me for Jesus to daily equip me. I can’t wait for the many, many answered prayers and praise reports that are to come!
Lastly, I’d just like to ask for prayers for my health. Thursday night, right after Bible study, I began to feel something coming on, and yesterday I battled a sore throat and stuffy nose all day. I really want to be at 100% for all the ministry opportunities the Lord is giving me. So, I am praying for a complete healing with this illness and protection from sickness in the future. Thank you so much again for partnering with me in prayer for this and the ongoing ministry here in Botswana. You guys are amazing!
2 comments:
Andrea - How wonderful to hear of all that you've been up to the past few weeks. I understand your thoughts and feelings about teens. There are times when I literally look up and ask God "Is this really what you want me to do?" Deeply, I know it is. I compare them this way: they are the same as 1st and 2nd grades just in bigger bodies. They all want love, acceptance, and guidance. You're doing an amazing job! Big Love and Prayers!
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