Jumping into January

Yes Lord, I know all that I need I will find at your feet …..

The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to see or hear from many of you over my way too short Christmas break, which filled my heart to overflowing…it was amazing stepping back into your lives and witnessing the faithfulness of God and watching Him work in a million different ways. I shared stories of the same in my life and soaked up the fellowship and joy that came with being reunited. I am just amazed at the people God has placed in my life. I love each and every one of you and THANK YOU for partnering with me for the gospel of Christ.

I’ve prayed long and hard about this update and hope that as you take time to read it, the Spirit of the living God will connect with you and encourage, challenge, and bring refreshment through what I have to share.

I’ve been meditating the past couple weeks on Isaiah 26 and wanted to share some key verses first off:

The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

Well, when I got back to Tegucigalpa after Christmas I was hit hard with culture shock and a hard dose of reality. I traveled overnight and school started bright and early the next morning a little before 7am and it was my turn to give staff devotions. The kids were not ready to be back in school, let alone the teachers, and it felt like a downhill landslide after that. I was observed by my principle that week after returning and felt stressed just getting back into the groove of life. I hadn’t expected to feel the attack, depression, and lack of motivation especially after being excited to come back, but the wet blanket settled over me, leaving me no choice but to accept the reality of life when transitions across cultures and worlds happen. Instead of getting frustrated I tried to take it as it came.

In all reality, God was asking me to put into practice the simple truth He’s been pounding into my heart and head this whole past semester….thankfulness.

As I began to turn my bad attitude and heavy heart to hum a tune of grateful praise I realized the amazing transformation that occurs when our mouths are overflowing with thankfulness and our hearts are constantly surrendered to gratitude. It wasn’t anything big, nothing life transforming, but the basic act of taking a grumbling and complaining attitude and flipping it over to thankfulness revealed to me more power than I could have expected in the day to day realities of life. It goes hand in hand with contentment too, and I ask you to pray for supernatural grace in continuing to exchange each complaint for praise. (Only teachers understand how really difficult this is to do in a workplace festering with gossip and complaining)

I pulled together a bunch of sentences from a book called “One Thousand Gifts” that is challenging me a lot.

“We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Thanksgiving is inherent to a true salvation experience; thanksgiving is necessary to live the well, whole, fullest life. As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here, in the messy, piercing, aching now. When we find ourselves groping along, famished for more, we can choose. (Phil. 4:11-12) Learn how to be thankful – whether empty or full, to learn how to be grateful and happy, whether hands full or empty. The only place we need to see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now. God’s in the details; God is in the moment. God is in all that blurs by in a life – even hurts in life. I yearn for the stuff of saints, the hard language, the fluency of thanksgiving in all, even the ugliest and most heartbreaking. I want the very fullest life.”

About a week ago I was finally feeling back to the norm again when I was asked to help with a medical missions team coming from the states to do ministry in surrounding towns outside the city. I gladly joined in, but had no idea what God was about to teach me through his faithful servants on this team. As I translated, prayed with patients, handed out parasite medicine, and acted as nurse for some poor kiddos who got their teeth yanked I saw the hands and feet of Christ at work. Most of the team was retired people, one couple in their 80’s who had been coming down to serve each year for over a decade. Each had over time built relationships with people they visited each year, and themselves did not complain a single moment about any of the inconveniences of a 3^rd world country. One lady just sat next to me for almost 5 hours filling up cups of water as we administered parasite medicine. Every once in awhile she would say, “A cup of water in the name of Jesus.”

This team showed me that missions work, done through committed community and unity could be extremely effective.

I was amazed at the story of one man sharing with me about how he sponsors 3 children through Compassion International. He decided that every time a grandchild was born he would support a child in Honduras. Since he’s been coming down with the medical team each year, he’s been able to visit each of them and build relationships with the three girls he sponsors and be part of their lives. I wish we could do more ministry like this, simply sharing and caring and maybe GOING to be with them, like Jesus came to us, to understand, to be one of us, and to show us His love in a tangible way, not just by sending money and gifts, but a relationship with Himself, which is far greater a gift.

Monday was a hard day back with the kids because I wanted so much to reject the selfishness I saw in the 21 eyes staring at me, wanting to shout, at them “Do you know what you have?” The Lord softened my heart and also brought some neat classroom experiences this week. On Tuesday a team from YWAM was in town and shared with the elementary at chapel that morning. The team was hanging out at the school, so I asked if a few of the students from different countries could come into my class and talk to my kids about prayer for the nations and encourage them. God sent 4 specifically passionate students who shared in a real way with my kids who were completely tuned in to listening the whole time. They talked about praying big prayers and knowing that God hears even though they may not receive results, or feel like only one person….through prayer they can change the world and there is so much value in learning the discipline of prayer. When we finished I gathered the kids in the back of the classroom to pray and one of the YWAM people suggested praying “Korean Style” – all out loud at the same time – my students wholeheartedly agreed and it was the sweetest thing to hear all their voices in unison crying out to the King of the Universe. When the kids quieted down the team kept praying over my class and their beautifully prophetic words awakened excitement and passion to continue in prayer and faith.

Directly after this time of sharing in prayer, the Lord led us into a time of mourning over the people in our lives who have passed on. One student had just reached the two year mark of his brother dying in a house fire and another student recently lost a close grandparent…..from this beginning of sharing and opening up we began talking about death and what it feels like to lose someone close to you. The whole conversation was brought on by the Spirit and we

On two different occasions this past week I had students from last year tell me that last year was the best year of their lives….God continues to answer prayer as time passes and realizations come. I’m so thankful to receive such encouragement as I continue to wait on the Lord.

My next big mountain to climb is chapel this coming week on Thursday morning, which has been overwhelmingly difficult this year. It is a fine balance between wanting the kids to take leadership and ownership, and making sure it’s not a disaster….I told the kids Friday morning that I was feeling like our chapel was going to be one of those impossible things that we can’t accomplish unless God comes in and saves the day, and so instead of practicing and trying to throw it all together, we spent a lot of time praying and surrendering the lesson and the planning to God and asking Him to teach through us. I know that He will do whatever He wants through us, and that it will be better this way, but it is still a little stressful as it comes down to the wire, so please keep us in your prayers. Our main message is about living the active Christian life and not being lukewarm Christians….we want to really challenge the 5^th and 6^th grade students to have a bigger perspective and be prepared for when the battle comes.

Here are my other prayer requests as we head into this next month:

- I am starting a new inductive bible study with my small group and need prayer for the Lord to teach us from His word, and a commitment to studying and growing together.

- I am waiting for confirmation, but am closer to making a decision for my plans for next year, please keep praying for me to wait on the Lord in hearing from Him specifically.

- More opportunities to serve the community and people here as the Lord is opening my heart and eyes more to this

- Relationships living in community as we head into the hardest “realest” part of the year and learn and grow together as we push past boundaries and speak the truth in love to one another and see God shape and change. (1 Pet. 1:22)

- That I would keep believing in faith that God would answer big prayers, and be more faithful in prayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foVRP07WOAg