Turning 30!

When I was younger I used to think that thirty was kind of old. Now that I have just turned 30 it doesn't seem that old at all. As I reflect on my thirty years here so far I revel in all the things that I have been able to do and see in such a short time. While any other year I may have felt the old bug a little more but this year I think I have done more "living life" things than ever before, biking across Nicaragua, training for a marathon, celebrating my mom and brother's weddings etc. I feel very much alive!

From Sep 19, 2009

From Sep 19, 2009

Last Saturday started out like any other day. Some of the girls from the missionary community and I have joined a city volleyball league that plays downtown. We had two games that morning. We thought we were just going to be there for 2-3 hours but it turned into 5 hours. Rightly so our team name is the Sunburns. After 5 hours in the hot Nica sun we were all a little rosy. We lost both of our games but went to a third set in both of the matches. We hope to do better this coming week.

From Sep 19, 2009

That evening we went out to Nagarote the home of the delicious quesillos. Quesillos are a corn tortilla with a form on Nicaraguan cheese, onions soaked in vinegar, sour cream and salt. All of the ingredients are rolled up and put into a bag. You tie a knot in the bag and bite a small hole in the other end and eat the quesillo out of the little hole. They are amazing and only cost about $1 US. Afterwards some wonderful friends planned a birthday party for me. I received gifts of 30 things that I might use. Some examples were 30 coffee filters, 30 Q-tips, 30 craisins, 30 pieces of stationary, 30 piggy banks. (yeah that's right I guess that I should start saving up for my retirement, one piggy bank full for the next 30 years.) It was lots of fun and I felt so blessed to have such great friends and family.

Freedom

Freedom carries different significance for so many. Freedom for a prisoner of war is different than freedom for an average person who has never been physically held captive. While I have never been held physically captive by someone or something in my life I have been held captive by a selfish attitude and sin in my life. Thankfully, through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for me on the cross at Calvary I can experience freedom from these captors. These verses have captured my attention today and I want to share them with you.

Romans 8:1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In Nicaragua this week we celebrated Nicaragua’s Independence. The freedom from Spain oh so many years ago. We are free to do so many things in this beautiful country. There is freedom of religion here. Many believers gathered all over the country this week to celebrate and praise God for the freedoms He has granted us here. Believers also gathered to pray for this country that all Nicaraguans would be able to experience the freedom that comes from a life hid with Christ on high. During days, months, and years that see difficult economic hardships, lack of employment, food shortages, small harvest years and so on it can seem overwhelmingly hopeless. Join me in praying for HOPE to return to the hopeless here in Nicaragua. I look forward to the day when we can celebrate HOPE alive and freely abounding in the lives of all Nicaraguans.

At NCA every year there is a gigantic Independence day celebration. All of the elementary classes learn a folkore dance as well as the teachers. It is a beautiful celebration of culture every year. My first graders did an awesome job. They were so cute and really made their parents proud. Here is the only pic I have so far from the special day. Felix stole the show. He did an awesome job and was adorable as you can see.

Life

Life is full!! It is full of highs and lows, challenges and accomplishments, yet through it all the Lord Most High, El Elyon is with us. I have been doing a study during my devotions on the names of God and El Elyon has left me pensive this week as I attempt to grasp God's sovereignty over all and in all things.

As I have returned to teaching full time here in Nicaragua I have had opportunities to see the Lord Most High visibly at work in my life. While I have spent two years outside of the classroom I have learned and experienced many things. God has shown me the importance and value in stopping and spending time in relationship with others. Sometimes the "work" is not the most important thing. Now with the weight of lesson plans, learning objectives, grading and everything else that comes along with teaching I see El Elyon placing people in my path to remind me of the importance He places on people and relationship. My prayer is that I see each encounter as God taking an active role in my learning process as well as that of my students.

Now on to some specifics of the new school year! I have 16 soon to be 17 first graders. Ten active boys and 7 talkative girls. Some things you can always count on. :0)
We are starting our fourth week of school. It has been fun. I've sure been tired at the end of every day though!! Shoooo those 6 and 7 year olds have a lot more energy than I do.

I wish I had pictures to share with you of my class and school but my camera was stolen from my desk last week. Therefore I'm in the market if anyone is upgrading and wants to get rid of their old camera. Praise the Lord I left my computer at home that day and that it didn't grow legs and walk away too. Once again I can see the Lord Most High's protection over even my stuff.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....at least not yet!

School has started. Grading papers, reminding students to turn in homework, tying shoes, buttoning pants, lesson plans, early mornings and late nights are what the last three weeks have been filled with. It is fun, rewarding, fulfilling and exhausting all at the same time.

I've got plans to tell you some stories with a future update, perhaps this weekend of the first few weeks of adventure and laughter in first grade. For now I wanted to ask for your prayers for energy, patience and consistency with my class. One by one we are remembering the rules and learning new things. It is 10 o'clock on Wednesday night and I am feeling ready for the weekend already. Lord please grant me the patience I need to love my students like you do.

Everything in life I learned in First Grade

Yep, that's right I learned it all in First Grade!! Well no not really but I sure have learned a lot by being around 6 and 7 year olds. :-)

Tuesday is the official start of the new school year. As you all know I am transitioning out of the Short Term Team Coordinator position and back into the classroom at NCA. These past few weeks have been busy with finishing up the last teams, sorting, organizing and planning for a new group of 15 first graders.

Nicaraguan dust can do amazing tricks when left untamed for a few weeks over the summer. I have managed to wrestle it down to a minimum in my classroom. As I cleaned I made several interesting discoveries. One- geckos must be mating and reproducing in first grade based on the unknown quantity of gecko eggs I've found. Two- rain is nice when you are hot and are looking for a nice cool off but it is not nice when it leaks all over the books you've stored for the summer. Three- I have so many resources available to me in English that my colleagues can only dream of in Spanish.

Please pray for my new class as we start class tomorrow. Pray that we would mesh well, learn lots, laugh often and share our hearts with each other. My desire this year is to open up the Bible to my students in new ways as they become more proficient readers. My prayer is that they would be hungry for God's Word and would eat it up. I also pray for wisdom in meeting my students needs. There are many different backgrounds and difficulties that my students come from and I want to be able to help them in the best way I possibly can.

Strange and Unusual yet All Under Control

This last week a team came in with some friends from Texas. I was excited to see them and have a few days to work with them before I get back to teaching. Friday morning, Halle took the group out on a tour of downtown Managua while I went to the airport to pick up the last team member.

While the group was at a historical place called Parque de la Paz (Peace Park) a group of youth attempted to rob the group. Upon seeing the thieves surrounding them the team split up and started yelling and screaming for help. Several girls from the team started running away as they were running Sarah tripped and fell into an empty fountain cutting her leg. With one of the thieves behind her he saw Sarah's blood and ran away. The thieves got away with only 1 camera when all was said and done. Though the group was a little tramatized God had been gracious in granting them peace and time to process through what had happened.

So today as I was playing the events of the past few days over in my head I realized that it was Sarah's blood that ultimately scared the thieves away. Often times when we think and pray for God's protection over our lives we think in terms of events like this one not happening at all and there being no accidents or harsh words etc. However we know that God's ways are not our ways. God used Sarah's blood to save her from further injury and theft. Thinking to myself today about the power of not only human blood to save a life or take a life but the blood of a mighty Savior that was shed for us and has given us new life. The very blood that makes the enemy cringe and flee is the blood that covers us as we submit our lifes and service to the Lord.

While we would have liked for this event to have never happened we know and recognize that God was always in control and His mighty blood protected, shielded and will heal Sarah's wounds. Please pray for Sarah's quick recovery. She is all stitched up and is planning to travel back with the team on Saturday. Due to the area where she had to be stitched up her leg has to be kept inmobile and that will make traveling a bit of a challenge so we pray for comfortable travel and on time flights so that she can get home safely.

He is not slow in keeping His promises

Six years ago while working with short term team at Iglesia Bautista Hebron in Managua I stayed with a lovely woman named Amanda. She was a older woman who had been widowed. We spent the week sharing stories about our families, dreams and struggles in life. Amanda shared about her desire to have her son come back home and re-dedicate his life to the Lord. She asked the three of us who were staying with her to pray for her son to return.

Since that summer when I stayed with Amanda I have not seen or talked to her but as the Lord brought her and her son to mind I prayed for them both. When I have visited her church I have looked for her and wondered how things were going. Just a few weeks ago I saw Amanda again. She greeted me with a gigantic hug and was so excited to share wonderful news with me. Her son has not only come back home but has come back to the Lord. He is happily serving in the church by playing the keyboard with the worship team. Amanda was bubbling over with excitement to have her son home and to know that he is now serving the Lord. He has been back in the church for over a year now. He has a beautiful wife and son. There is lots of happiness, rejoicing and laughter that now fill Amanda's house.