Diciembre -- Back from Thanksgiving and awaiting Christmas

Since the last time I wrote there has been much activity and things to write home about, most of them stemming from a trip over Thanksgiving to Nicaragua. The following is a summary of a lot of thoughts that have been running through my head, -- ideas, and realizations….I think I need to share them with you because I’m on the verge of something….not quite sure what yet.

Most of you have been with me on my journey first to Nicaragua and then Honduras so you know how much I love that place and country, but I can’t really describe to you what it was like driving down those roads again, stepping into memorized houses, smelling the same smells, and delighting in the people that first claimed my heart. Nicaragua was most definitely a whole other world, a world I love. Our time was so short, yet so sweet.

We first went to the orphanage in Jinotega that is my favorite and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for them and then played with the kids and watched Elf on the big screen. It was quite the event to be a part of, moments cherished in my heart.

On Friday we headed to Managua and I managed to navigate my way all the way through the city without having a clue where I was going….many many steps of faith on this journey and God came through in EVERY SINGLE ONE.

I spent Friday night with my host family, hearing about what the Lord is doing in their lives. My host dad is a pastor who is highly esteemed all over the country. His sermons are radio broadcasted and he has invitations to speak in dozens of churches every week. He runs all over proclaiming the name of Christ and hardly rests. It was hard again to see the effect this has on the family, but he has a truly amazing ministry. On Saturday we spent the day with my dearest friends Isabel and her son Fran. We tried cone-ing in the mall and then ended up at a cute little coffee shop. I pulled Isabel aside at one point, leaving Trent and Fran to play cards at another table. We talked about everything going on in her life and she took the burden on her shoulders and gave it all to me, it was much. We prayed together and cried together and I could just see relief in her eyes knowing that someone understood, someone cared, someone had taken the time to listen and love her no matter what. When we went back to the boys I was surprised again by the Lord. Trent said that Fran and him had been talking and Fran needed to tell me something. Fran looked at me and said, “It is time for me to accept Jesus into my heart.”

I was astounded, but overjoyed, as this was something his mom and I had just been talking about and something I have prayed for through many years. We decided to go home and pray together. As we sat on that porch, a place where some of the most cherished evenings were spent lifting up praises to God amidst hardship, we all joined hands and ushered Fran into the presence of the Lord Most High.

I had so much emotion running through me as I said goodbye to them. Isabel clung to me, Fran just shone with joy, and my heart burst with love for them and thankfulness to God. Through a few tears on the way home I realized some things. 1.) I loved that time with Isabel and Fran because it was so real. The hardships in their lives were opened and laid bare before me, although I really can do nothing to change them, I partner with them in prayer. I had to specifically take that burden that Isabel shared with me and lay it before the Lord, reminding myself that He will never leave them or forsake them, and they are His children, His sheep. He will constantly care for them, my role is to share, understand, and PRAY.

2.) Missions work is not necessarily this grandiose romanticized idea we sometimes make of it, it is simply getting involved in people’s lives, walking with them where they are at, ministering to their needs, and being Christ’s hands and feet….after all, that is what Christ did in all His ministry on earth and said we would be blessed if we followed His example. We preach the gospel with our lives as living testimonies and then words. We are meant to share our lives, they are not our own.

3.) I have not been living the way I should in a manner that keeps in mind this whole other reality of life. I have been content in my reality and must admit, did not want to carry the burden and guilt that comes along with allowing myself to SEE. My eyes now opened again meant that from now on it is extremely hard to hide from their reality….the reality of thousands who live just as they….wondering where the food on their table will come from, wondering if they will have strength to get up in the morning and work a 14 hour day for pennies that never stretch far enough, wondering if anyone cares or if life will ever get better, wondering if depression will take over or her husband will ever come back….. I am so thankful that God continues to present to me this reality and tugs my heart so fully on behalf of His beloved people.

4.) Dreams and visions from the past were again stirred in my heart and mind. I want to go to them, to live among them, to be like them, to do ministry on that level such as 2 Corinthians 6 describes – “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

Since this moment of eye opening realizations I have been mulling over a lot of things in my head, bigger things, scary things, God shaped things.

Speaking with my kids at school after getting back from Nicaragua I talked to them about dreaming big and seeking God’s purpose for their lives. We are studying Joshua in bible class and reading in the 1^st chapter of Joshua where God speaks to the Israelites: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The Lord transfers the leadership of His people from Moses to Joshua and it is time to take over the Promised Land. God knows the Israelites need to remember the promises He made to them and the reminders of His power and faithfulness as they face the “giants” of the land and follow crazy commands like walking around the walls of Jericho.

I’m feeling a little like the Israelites right now, stuck in my unbelief, but asking for more faith to know that God can do whatever He wants with me. He’s asking me to meditate on His promises and take courage to believe that God will perform the deeds He has declared. I’ve been very weak in really understanding this for over a week now, but after a day of fasting and praying God has stripped my gaze of earthly things and I can now much more easily gaze at the clarity of the truth God has spoken over my life. I was actually quite selfish in my relationship with the Lord after these things and the great possibility of change coming my way and wanted to run from it, instead of embracing whatever He gently speaks over me. I praise Him as the Good Shepherds who knows exactly how to direct our stubborn hearts, patiently, and beside quiet waters.

Below are a 2 quotes, one from a sermon by Matt Channing and the other an old prayer of surrender by Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. They have been encouraging on this journey, but because I know you’re getting tired of reading this novel, I will bring it to a close with my prayer needs. Thank you so much for your faithfulness. I am delighted to share with you where the Lord has me and allow you to see Him working in and through my life, whatever that may be. May the Lord grip your heart in whatever way He desires this Christmas season, and may you take time to be still before Him and remember that He is God…..it’s all about Him.

Prayer Requests

1.) Today marks 10 days until I get to return home for a short reprieve. I talked with my kids about finishing strong this part of the year and they are struggling. Please pray for motivation, excitement in the Christmas season, and grace to get us through. I’m headed into a meeting this morning with a parent of one of my troublesome students and would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in a behavior plan and in encouraging him and giving him the tools he needs to succeed.

2.) Continued rejection of the ideas the world so easily accepts and a heart surrendered to God’s will, whatever that may be.

3.) An appreciation of friendships in this season and time amongst the craziness to have fun and celebrate and share life together.

4.) Isabel and Fran

5.) My time at home – wisdom in how to order my time and energy and also getting some rest and rejuvenation.

Matt Chandler:

Weaken and destroy the idea that God is ultimately for you. You have got to get over you. You’re not the point. The more you think you’re the point the more you will be enslaved to a million vices. When you’re the point you use others and you will easily be angered and bothered by others. When you’re not the point you’re free, you get to extend grace and rest and breath. How good it is to know that God is for Himself and that all He is doing is for the praise of His glorious name and that He has set us free from ourselves.

“Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of You, only You know what I need, You love me better than I know how to love myself. O Father! Give to me that which I myself know not how to ask. I dare not ask neither for crosses or consolations. I simply present myself before You, I open my heart to You. See and do according to Your will and tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up. I adore all Your purposes without knowing them. I am silent, I offer myself in sacrifice, I yield myself to You. I would have no other desire than to accomplish Your will. Teach me to pray. Pray thyself in me. Amen.” – Francois de la Mothe Fenelon –

News in November

Headed into Thanksgiving and prepping for the intense craziness of the ever ominous holiday season fastly approaching. Ready, set, go......

Honduras is going through a realization of change that has taken place over the last years (maybe decade) as humanity has shifted and a parallel is probably seen across the board. However, I experience the change here in a different, more clear way and that is that Honduras is not a safe place. Tegucigalpa has been transformed into a major stop on the drug trafficking highway and the problems that arise with this are grave indeed.

As a school we dealt with the death of a parent of 3 graduated Pinares students --she was a lawyer, fighting hard against the drug crimes happening in this country. She walked with the power of God and caught and convicted many enemies. On Monday one of them finished her ministry to the Lord, leaving 70 bullets in her body.

The injustice of it all raged in our hearts as we tried to comprehend such a thing that hit so close to our community.

I was at a friend’s house with a Spanish teacher from school and we were talking about this thing that happened as we were driving home on Saturday and having a conversation about the many crimes happening all over. She was in the middle of saying “You never know what could happen anywhere you are, you just have to walk in the protection of the Lord” when two “ladrónes” (thieves) jumped in the back of her truck and began peering through the windows at us. They rode in the back of the truck for a half an hour and waited until we were stuck in hard core traffic and unable to move. At that point the 2 men got out on either side and knocked on the driver and passenger side windows. Laura and I were both praying the whole time for the Lord’s protection and covering in the situation and as it intensified within seconds Laura began yelling, “In the name of Jesus may these men not harm us. In the name of Jesus may they leave us alone. In the name of Jesus may this traffic start moving, may the blood of Jesus protect us…..” and as I expected to see a gun pointed at my head when we looked up, I saw nothing, had no fear, a miracle happened and the traffic started moving and Laura stepped on the gas, leaving the men behind. They did not chase us, and we arrived home with hearts beating rapidly.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, we need to be walking in His presence and peace. We have nothing to fear for He is with us, we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. We have a good Shepherd, we have a mighty Master, lets walk in faith daily in whatever situations present themselves.

Psalm 34 has been such an encouragement to me lately and as I reflected on God’s grace Saturday night in a situation that could have gone so wrong, and yet was miraculously not a big deal I praised the Lord with verses 15-17: “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers then out of all their troubles.”

Below are some more stories, quotes, scripture verses, lessons, and prayer requests. Thanks again for taking the time to listen and enter my world. I hope you are blessed and encouraged.

Disciple making… a bigger vision amidst the mundane day to day.

“Making disciples is not an easy process. It is trying. It is messy. It is slow, tedious, even painful at times. It is all these things because it is relational. Jesus has not given us an effortless step-by-step formula for making disciples. He has given us people, and he has said, “Live for them. Love them, serve the, and lead them. Lead them to follow me, and lead them to lead others to follow me. In the process you will multiply the gospel to the ends of the earth.” (93)

à And thus describes my day to day life as a teacher: relational, messy, slow, trying, even painful at times….but God has given me these children this year, to raise up as His disciples. What a task. What a joy. You could pay me millions of dollars or pennies, it wouldn’t matter, because each day I know I get to fill God’s command by making disciples of all nations in my day to day commitment to the lives of these kids. Their minds are open to deep spiritual truths, their eyes are open to the lost, their tongues ready to utter prayers on behalf of the nations, their hearts desiring to be transformed into the image of Christ. Please pray for this bigger vision of raising up these children in the things of the Lord, though I only get to get my hands dirty with them for a year, God has called me to this ministry, and is doing all things for me.

I encourage you not to get discouraged in the discipleship tasks the Lord has put in your life, especially the ones you’ve labored over for years and still struggle to see fruits and impact. Which brings me to my next lesson….

Hope of a harvest….reminders of God’s work despite the results I see

At church we were discussing James 5: 7-21

The first part of this passage starts out:

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near…..you have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings…that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

The pastor was encouraging us as farmers. He said that a good farmer would never stand at the door to his house, throw out a bunch of handfuls of seeds, and expect to see a harvest months later. A farmer’s job takes patience and endurance, he has to walk the fields and plant each seed step by step in careful rows, till the soil, water it carefully, wait and watch and pray for the early and late rains….then and only when he has completed his hard labor does he expects a harvest.

I have seen testimony of the Lord’s compassion and mercy as I labor to plant and patiently serve as a farmer here in this place – a teacher has no other choice. I get such a short time to influence their hearts and minds, yet it is such as task.

One morning I was discouraged looking at my kids from last year, the way they would rather ignore me than interact, the way I loved them and prayed for them, and they never ever would say thank you, when I see them love other teachers and realize how deprived I was of their love….my heart hurts as that farmer who is anxiously waiting the harvest and sees rejection instead, roots that did not grow down deep and plants that withered.

My kids LOVE me this year, and every day I feel the effects of that love and I see the appreciation in their eyes. I am so blessed to get to be the teacher I want to be here, and this year they accept me.

But in contrast, I couldn’t figure out what happened all last year, when I labored day in and day out and feel like I don’t see any sort of harvest. I don’t feel like I did anything right, or made any difference. I told God about this, knowing that they were lies, but admitting the doubts nonetheless because of the way I was being treated and what I experienced. I had to come to the point of understanding that maybe the only fruit I would see was in the formation of my own character and what God did in my heart and how He changed me. And that had to be enough for me at this point.

So the words from James were exactly what I needed to hear….”Remember Job and his perseverance? Remember what the Lord finally brought about? Remember that the Lord is full of mercy and compassion?”

Romans 5:5 – Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character, and character hope….and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who He has given us.”

That afternoon, after confessing my doubts before the Lord, He made sure to send some encouragement my way. Another teacher happened to be sitting on the bus next to one of my kids from last year and through random conversation asked her what her favorite year and teacher has been at Pinares. She responded “Ms. Nyhoff’s class last year,” to which the teacher asked why. She responded, “Because we all started out the year hating each other, and by the end we all loved each other.”

(This is one of the kids that will hardly look at me, but the life lesson had been planted and sown in her….producing the fruits of righteousness I had prayed so hard for, completely unbeknownst to me.)

I must say that God and I had another talk, and some more confession time that night. If only I had faith to believe that not only did those trials produce in ME perseverance and character I should know that I would never be disappointed in hope as God, through His Holy Spirit, is working in our hearts, in the hearts and lives of my kids last year, and this year. Those seeds sown in faith DO produce fruit of righteousness. I thank God for this simple and sweet reminder and I want to challenge you as well, all you faithful servants of the Lord ministering in faithfulness, sowing, watering, persevering, praying….the Lord is using you as you wait and hope for a harvest, and as you wait know that God is working on your character in the meantime. I pray that that is enough to fill you with joy in serving Him each day, no matter what the task.

In the meantime…another lesson has been clearly defined:

Thankfulness that transcends…..the Holy Spirit living in us

“Oh how I wish it was enough for you and for me to do something just because God has told us to.”

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17)

God’s command to be thankful is not the threatening demand of a tyrant, rather the invitation of a lifetime – the opportunity to draw near to Him at any moment of the day. If you’re sitting down to dinner, be thankful. If you’re getting up to go to bed, be thankful. If you’re coming out from under a two-week cold and cough, if you’re paying bills, if you’re cleaning up after overnight company, if you’re driving to work, if you’re changing a light bulb, if you’re worshiping in a church service, if you’re visiting a friend in the hospital, if you’re picking up kids form school or practice….Be thankful. God has commanded it – for our good and His glory.” (63-64)

The fact is, we cannot whine and complain and be filled with the Spirit at the same time. When a thankful spirit resides in our hearts and expresses itself on our lips, it’s an evidence that the Holy Spirit lives in us, that we are yielding to His control, and that He is producing His gracious fruit in and through our lives. (71)

As we head into Thanksgiving I am even more clearly reminded of the thankful spirit that should abide in my heart and drip from my lips, overflowing from a heart yielded to the control of the Spirit and turning a cold shoulder to those complaints I so easily latch unto.

Please pray with me:

- That the Lord would continue to give me vision and insight, and not just for the here and now, but open eyes for the work of His Holy Spirit whatever that may be.

- For wisdom and guidance as I begin praying about a decision for what I will do next year. (reading in Exodus 40 about the Israelites following God’s presence in a cloud by day and a fire by night and where it rested the Israelites stayed, and when it moved they followed….that is what I want, to follow God’s presence)

- For safety and protection as I continue to trust the Lord living in a semi-dangerous part of the world and see the evil and pain this causes all around

- For grace as I seek to live each day completely surrendered to the Lord for each moment (He is making sure to test me on this, and it is hard to trust and simply obey at times)

- rest -- surprisingly still hard for me to find ;)

October Details and Discoveries

Is it already half way through October already?!?!?!

Hello from Honduras again! If the past month has flown by at the same pace it has for me, I assume that this update will come as a surprise, but I am so excited to update you on what the Lord is doing here.

I have been gazing longingly at pictures splashed with the golden rays of fall in Colorado and missing being home for this season. Please make sure you enjoy every falling leaf for me, I am with you in spirit to enjoy the crisp autumn air and pumpkin spiced lattes!

There are some key repeated Spanish words I want to teach you for this update that will help me summarize and communicate better:

Llena (yena)– full

Aprovechar (a- pro-ve- char)– to take advantage of, to make the most of, to use to the fullest

Sabiduria (saw-bee-dure- y-a) -- wisdom

Espiritu (Eh- speer-y-too)– spirit

Agradecida (awe-graw-de-see-da) – thankful

My time has been llena in this season, full to the brim of relationships, laughter, challenging conversations, prayer and worship, joy of the Lord, and peace that passes all understanding. I have been able to aprovechar each day in living it to the fullest.

I asked you to pray for sabiduria in my past update and I have seen the Lord answering in amazing ways – ways way beyond myself. (more on that in a minute)

The Holy Espiritu has been revealing Himself to me in new and exciting ways. I have prayed for a long time to understand this personhood of my God and I am just beginning to feel the drizzle of the downpour that I know is held in the cloud of the presence of the indwelling Espiritu of God.

I have been learning gratitude on a whole other level as I study and allow the Lord to challenge my heart and attitude to be agradecida to the Lord in action, in word, and in spirit….knowing that this transforms circumstances, days, and lives in a big way when lived out in community and challenged by the schemes of the evil one.

I started out with the word llena because of the fullness I am seeing and feeling right now, I know it’s going to spill over in this update, and I hope that it will be encouraging and “filling” to you in whatever circumstances you are facing right now.

(yes, I just hit page number 1 and I’m just now ready to start….you guys are always so amazing to stick with me through the novels I write – Thanks J)

In my care group the past couple of weeks I have noticed a theme that the Lord keeps bringing to my attention involving the Holy Espiritu. There was a quote in the book we are reading about prayer that really hit me.

“Maybe you are going through a struggle in your life. A tragedy strikes you or someone close to you, and you’re hurting. So you go to God in prayer, and you ask him to comfort you. Do you realize what God does? He doesn’t give you comfort, instead He gives you the Holy Spirit, who is called the Comforter. The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell in you and puts the very comfort of Christ inside you as you walk through your pain. Suppose another time you are making a big decision in your life, and you need help. You have a couple of different options before you, and you need guidance to decide which way is best. So you ask God for help. But He doesn’t answer with guidance. Instead He answers by sending the Holy Spirit, who is our Guide. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you. This is the great promise of God in prayer. We ask God for gifts in prayer, and he gives us the Giver. We ask God for supply and He gives us the Source. He puts His very power in us so we might have all we need to accomplish his purposes in this world.” (David Platt – Radical Pg. 58)

Something I have come to realize is that my prayers reflect not the expectation of the Holy Espiritu, but of God’s provision of what I ask. I don’t know or understand the Holy Spirit very well, but as I am learning to seek HIM in prayer, not the things he provides, I am coming to know a whole different God, the one that abides in my heart and is full of every good thing, ready to spill out of me in the confrontation of any need. This is changing me at the very core of who I am.

This week at school I hit some hard walls with students. One is very argumentative and wants to blame all his problems on me, which works well for him because his mom is a lawyer and tried to sue the school and teacher last year based on the “unfair treatment” of her child and “malpractice” of the past teacher. As I deal with this child and parent I am filled with the knowledge that the Lord is my defender and that He has completely equipped me for the work He has called me to in this child’s life, there is no reason to fear. I have the Holy Espiritu to guide me in the best way to handle this. He gives me grace, patience, sabiduria, and strength to love this child….how exciting to live in this way, and in a way that truly impacts my kids as they see GOD living and breathing in and through me each day, each moment as I call on His Espiritu.

Another student was caught cheating this week and lied to my face 3 times, even though she had revealed herself a liar without even knowing it. She kept falling to the cycle of sin as her lie grew bigger and bigger and eventually trapped her. When I see roots of evil and sin reaching so deeply into a child’s heart is hurts me, but there is also a passion in me that is stirred…a passion to see the truth revealed and the evil one defeated and I have been receiving a vision from the Lord in the work He desires in the heart of His children. As a teacher I get the special privilege to partner with the 20 children in my classroom through joys and trials, through triumphs over the sinful nature and the revelation of sin and the process of overcoming and encouraging, correcting and guiding. I am so agradecida for this task, but I realize the gravity of it as well and desire to take it seriously.

Note: What a picture of every believers daily walk with the Lord in community….I pray for more sin revealed in all of our lives, and more partnering with one another to overcome. We need to lay aside the complacency of accepting one another’s sin and looking past it, we need to speak the truth to one another in love and claim God’s victory with visions of His glory in one another’s lives.

There are so many more stories to share, but these are some I need prayer and want to share with you as I journey. I love the kids God has given me, and I am excited to keep sharing with you all God’s work in and through each of them….and through me.

As I walk through this season I am agradecida to God for each joy and triumph, each hardship and struggle. One of my mentors shared with me that life never really follows the high and low pattern, but more of a “railroad track” analogy of the good alongside the bad, always balancing one another out, but we get to decide which side of the tracks we ride on. A thankful heart truly is a happy heart. God is showing me this truth each morning as I wait on Him to give me perspective and fill my heart with that thankfulness that shines forth, no matter how strong that other side of the track is pulling on me.

So, to summarize the fullness(llena) that I just dumped on you, I am aprovechando this time the Lord has given me, but ask for your prayers to continue in this Espiritu with a corazon agradecida(thankful heart) and the sabiduria that the Lord has given me through the personhood of Himself in my heart and mind.

Thank you for your prayers. Be challenged to weed out sin, call on the Holy Spirit’s fullness in your heart, and choose thankfulness and watch the transformation of the living and breathing God in your hearts and lives to make the most of every opportunity….for the days are evil.

(I hope the Spanish words were not too confusing, but I have to aprovechar every teaching moment -- lets face it, we could all use some more Spanish in our lives ;)

September Update

It has been a long process to finally sit down and write out an update on the first 6 weeks of life here in Honduras. So many things God has been doing and I finally feel at a place where I can take a step back and adequately describe ways I’ve seen the Lord working in and through me. A lot of you have received pieces over the past weeks as I’ve tried to tie everything together, so I will try to be brief and fill you in as simply as possible, but you all know how difficult that is for me.

The last time you heard from me in update format I was struggling with returning to teaching after just finishing my first difficult year and knowing how much I would be needed to pour out my time and energy in leadership this year. When I got here I struggled a lot. Everything was different. I didn’t expect a bad attitude to attack so quickly. My best friends left spaces in my world here when they left the year before and the new people already had a community formed and I felt like an outsider coming to a home I had created, but missing my Colorado home. My flight was delayed a day returning here, so I came in extra late and felt a hug amount of catch-up lay ahead. I became team leader of 5^th grade and was placed with 2 male teachers who right off the bat were excited to jump in, but very needy of my time and attention in preparing them for the year and all the details. I spent a lot of nights for the first 8 days in my classroom till 11pm – something I thought only 1^st year teachers were supposed to do, but as it turned out, I was essentially preparing my classroom and 2 others at the same time.

At this point I had to come to a moment of surrender to the Lord where I just gave up trying to have my own time, to have more than 5 hours of sleep a night, and trust the Lord with the energy, wisdom, and joy to get through all that needed to be done….with a good attitude and not worrying about things getting done! This surrender of my time was a key point.

The 1^st day of school was another point that changed things. We were eventually ready after all the initial craziness and the 5^th grade team showed up matching on the 1^st day. (see picture) The moment I saw and talked to my kids my heart and mind were put to ease. The kids flooded in, all excited, all warm and happy, I knew from their faces and the words they wrote in prayer for our school year that this was an entirely new class.I have since been having a BLAST teaching. I can mostly say this because I am constantly comparing to all the feelings of last year and the struggles that were part of my every day. Not to say that there are not struggled with this class, I will soon be writing you home about students that are driving me crazy and difficulties we are having, but as of now, I am enjoying the freedom to be as I am as a teacher and knowing the kids will accept that and that 5C is already becoming a special family that desires to love the Lord and serve Him together. This is the deepest desire of my heart in teaching these kids and already I am seeing fruit in their lives and hearts.

Our community here has been adjusting. My two new roommates are wonderful and refreshing and we are getting along great. Everyone is flexible and accepting. What a change has taken over the apartment! (see picture)

I began leading the small group bible study the 2^nd week of school and praise God for the set apart and beautiful women He placed in my group. We are already spurring one another on to Christ and jumping into the book “Radical” which will be challenging and life changing.

Slowly I have been figuring out where I will fit between the new teachers and the old and I’m letting the Lord fill the empty spaces of those who left last year, although their absence strikes deep down sometimes. God has been answering prayers with relationships and I’ve been spending a lot more time with my Honduran friends and at church, which is a desired change and exciting growth. This always involves lots of tortillas, time spent crammed on some form of public transportation, laughter over Spanish blunders, and watching the Lord orchestrate relationships as He does best.

This weekend we had Thursday and Friday off for Independence Day, which was already a welcomed break. I was initially looking at traveling to an orphanage on the coast, but based on the system of communication we have here in Honduras everything fell through. I was organizing the trip for myself and 3 other teachers and felt horrible that we were stuck with nothing to do on our break. But I have been amazed at how the Lord takes that time that I have already surrendered to Him and directs each moment of each day.

I have never found more joy in living completely surrendered to the Lord in every thought and action. I know that this is the only way that I have seen success in every aspect of my life in these first weeks – because it has been the Lord in and through all things. I refuse to worry about things, control things, make choices apart from prayer, attempt relationships apart from the spirit’s leading, and work ahead of the Lord’s timing or direction.

I was confronted with some hard scripture in which the Lord spoke of His promises and how He wanted to use me and bless the work of my hands as I died to myself and let Him do the living and moving and breathing. I am without excuse to His work and He has equipped me and called me – Yet He still has to accomplish all things for me for HIS glory. I step forth with faith into each day and have been loving this new freedom I have found in my walk with the Lord.

This morning I was camping with some friends on top of a mountain and the Lord woke me up early to see clouds moving through the valley below and the sun peeking it’s head up behind the mountains across from me….it was breath taking. As I sat there and spoke with my Creator and King I read from 2 Cor. 3 and 4 – “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit….for we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal bodies.”

There is so much more to share, ups and downs, and u-turns and hairpin curves…..life has been quite a FULL adventure. I am content, joyful, and pressing onward. THANK YOU for your prayers and for partnering with me. I have been extremely encouraged by the e-mails I have been receiving and just having you all be part of my life here. Love you all and pray for you often and with much desire to see the Lord at work in each of your lives for His glory as well!

Prayer Requests:

continued blessing and wisdom in relationships here (James 3: 13, 17-18)

- That I would be a teacher after the heart of my Teacher and Lord (Ecc. 12:9-14)

- That I would continue to die to myself, my plans, my thoughts and desires, and that Christ would reign and work in and through me in this place (John 12: 24-26)

- That my small group would dive head long into what the Lord has to teach us this year and that we would learn and grow together (Hebrews 10:23-25)