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!