I realized with a shock the other day that I have now been here in the Dominican Republic a full two months, and teaching in the school just over one month. Looking back, I see God's continued hand of blessing on the work here, and expect many more blessings in the future. This is a critical time for building trust between me, the students, and the people of the village. I have now been here long enough to learn a little bit about them and for them to learn a little bit about me, and they are starting to open up their hearts to me. Please be in prayer as I continue to develop relationships with fellow teachers, students, and the parents, that God would give me wisdom for every situation, that I would be "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," and that above all, I would continually depend on God for each step.
During the last week I saw answered prayer in that some of the young adults here in the church are realizing their personal need for spiritual growth and recognizing their personal responsibility to God to be faithful in prayer, in evangelism, and in service. They are also beginning to understand and apply to their lives the importance of Godly music for spiritual growth. Please be in prayer as they seek to please God in every aspect of their lives, that they, as well as I, would hold nothing back from God. At this point, this group of teens and young adults is few in number, but imagine what God could do in this village and region with just a few completely surrendered to Him!
Thank you for your faithful prayers! I cannot express how important they are to the success of the ministry.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Strong in the Lord
Another week in the Dominican Republic has gone by! I am thankful for God's help and presence this week, and know that many of you have been praying faithfully.
There truly is nothing else like being strengthened moment by moment as one depends upon God. After the reminder last week of WHO is my source of strength, I was again able to step into the classrooms and church work confidently with the knowledge that God would enable me to do the work to which He called me. The students were not "perfect" and neither was my Spanish, but God's hand of blessing was on each class, and over all there was a higher sense of respect for me as their teacher, a greater desire to learn, and wonder of wonders, the classroom did not erupt into chaos when I pulled out Scripture!
I continue to get to know my students and the other teachers at the school better; I am quickly learning their personalities and character, and am starting to learn of their needs and problems as well. As little as I know them, I find that God has already put a great love for them in my heart and long for them to grow spiritually as believers or to open up their hearts to saving faith in Christ.
Two days a week during high school recess, I have students coming to learn more about music, or sometimes just to get to know me better. "Las Fuertes" (a Juan Tomas gang?) once again stayed after class on Thursday afternoon. It seems that they enjoy the class and have chosen to like me rather than intimidate me. This week, they peppered me with questions about my home, family, and what I thought of life here in the Dominican Republic. This, for me, is an answer to prayer, because one of these girls at least has been hard for anyone to reach. Please pray for these 10th grade girls, as they seem to consistently brush off anything spiritual. I am still learning names so do not know them all yet, but two of the four girls in this group are Isabel and Cristina. Pray that God will open their hearts to the Gospel, that they will overcome the peer pressure, and that they will find that true strength comes from God alone.
My work with the church music program seems to have taken off this week, with not only additional young people in the church learning piano, but also learning to sing Godly music in harmony. We will again go on visitation to the village tomorrow to invite people to the evening service (which is the larger service of the day) and for evangelism. Please pray that God will use us tomorrow to reach this village and that the light of the Gospel will shine through us.
Thank you for your continued prayers!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
"The Strong"
As I was gathering my materials and books after the final class on Thursday, a few of my tenth grade students stayed after class asking questions about the piano, about music, and in general making conversation. Reaching for my portable dry-erase board, I noticed that one of the three girls had written their nicknames on the board along with "Las Fuertes" ("The Strong"). Gathering around, they wanted to be sure that I KNEW that they were "The Strong."
Throughout the four weeks that I have been teaching, I have heard the term "fuerte" used to describe an age group, grade, or an individual student. It basically means, "that crowd can be hard to handle." As I prayed for wisdom this week about a particularly hard situation, the answer unexpectedly came after my introduction to the calm and cool (attempting to be unsettling?) "Las Fuertes" of the tenth grade. These students may be "strong," but GOD is stronger yet!
Ephesians 6:10 says, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."
I rejoice in the fact that I serve the Almighty God, who fills me with the power of His Holy Spirit as I depend upon Him for strength.
Although there have been challenges (please continue to pray for the 5th and 9th grades!), there have also been blessings, as I have seen the continued eagerness to learn and grow in many students. Thank you for your faithful prayers!
Throughout the four weeks that I have been teaching, I have heard the term "fuerte" used to describe an age group, grade, or an individual student. It basically means, "that crowd can be hard to handle." As I prayed for wisdom this week about a particularly hard situation, the answer unexpectedly came after my introduction to the calm and cool (attempting to be unsettling?) "Las Fuertes" of the tenth grade. These students may be "strong," but GOD is stronger yet!
Ephesians 6:10 says, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."
I rejoice in the fact that I serve the Almighty God, who fills me with the power of His Holy Spirit as I depend upon Him for strength.
Although there have been challenges (please continue to pray for the 5th and 9th grades!), there have also been blessings, as I have seen the continued eagerness to learn and grow in many students. Thank you for your faithful prayers!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Best-Laid Plans...
Throughout the week, I watched with wonder as my best-laid plans went awry with the unpredictability of students, equipment, weather, and even marker boards. Despite the unexpected, it was not a bad week, and just gave me an even greater opportunity to depend on God for strength and wisdom. There were some really wonderful moments, both in the classroom and in my work with the church that would not have happened if my best-laid plans had succeeded.
For various activities, I have been "adopted" by different young ladies in the church to help me get accustomed to the church, community, and school. This has been a blessing and a wonderful source of Christian fellowship. One example of this is the weekly visitation on Sunday afternoons. As my visitation partner and I walk toward the village, we are able to share with each other (in my limited Spanish) and get to know each other better. When we arrive at our destination, she gives me the opportunity to take part in sharing the Gospel with the women of the village. Dominicans, and especially those who have grown up in Catholicism, don't do anything fast, so last Sunday we were encouraged on a follow-up visit that a particular lady had actually been thinking about what we shared the week before and was open to hearing more Scripture verses. She has also visited the church a couple of times now, and we are praying that God will continue to open her heart to the truth of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
In the school, I continue to learn more about my students and made a concentrated effort this week to learn how to pronounce the names. Despite the generally easy nature of Spanish phonetics, this has proved to be a challenge at times. In the older classes, I am currently laying a Scriptural and practical foundation for much of what will be learned later in the semester. In the younger classes, each week is a different variation of the topic, giving more freedom with the curriculum and making it easy to bring the Bible into each lesson with a fresh application.
Thank you for your faithful prayers on my behalf. Please continue to pray for the students, that they would take the truth of God's Word to heart. Pray specifically for the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades, that they would have a calm spirit and be able to receive what I am trying to teach, both in the subject, in Biblical principles, and in respect for others. Please pray for the high school students as well, as they learn new skills (like research!) that are foreign to them. Please continue to pray for wisdom for me personally and a continued dependence upon God for strength. I am looking forward to what God is going to do for each of these students!
For various activities, I have been "adopted" by different young ladies in the church to help me get accustomed to the church, community, and school. This has been a blessing and a wonderful source of Christian fellowship. One example of this is the weekly visitation on Sunday afternoons. As my visitation partner and I walk toward the village, we are able to share with each other (in my limited Spanish) and get to know each other better. When we arrive at our destination, she gives me the opportunity to take part in sharing the Gospel with the women of the village. Dominicans, and especially those who have grown up in Catholicism, don't do anything fast, so last Sunday we were encouraged on a follow-up visit that a particular lady had actually been thinking about what we shared the week before and was open to hearing more Scripture verses. She has also visited the church a couple of times now, and we are praying that God will continue to open her heart to the truth of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
In the school, I continue to learn more about my students and made a concentrated effort this week to learn how to pronounce the names. Despite the generally easy nature of Spanish phonetics, this has proved to be a challenge at times. In the older classes, I am currently laying a Scriptural and practical foundation for much of what will be learned later in the semester. In the younger classes, each week is a different variation of the topic, giving more freedom with the curriculum and making it easy to bring the Bible into each lesson with a fresh application.
Thank you for your faithful prayers on my behalf. Please continue to pray for the students, that they would take the truth of God's Word to heart. Pray specifically for the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades, that they would have a calm spirit and be able to receive what I am trying to teach, both in the subject, in Biblical principles, and in respect for others. Please pray for the high school students as well, as they learn new skills (like research!) that are foreign to them. Please continue to pray for wisdom for me personally and a continued dependence upon God for strength. I am looking forward to what God is going to do for each of these students!
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