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)