Growing Relationships

I am praising God for the blessings that have come my way over the last week. Apart from the usual joys of working with the children and young people at the school and church, God has blessed my personal relationships with several of my co-laborers and students.

Last Monday evening, as I looked around at an unusually small gathering for a weekly Bible study and realized once again the need for constant intercessory prayer on the behalf of the young people, God worked in a special way among those who were present. As we prayed for God's strength, power, and the desire to grow spiritually for the individuals of the group, both those who were present and those who were absent, God knit our hearts together in singleness of purpose. This spiritual unity has since drawn us closer together in friendship and in service, and since that time I have had especially good conversations with two of the young ladies from that group.

During my free time at the school, students will often come in during their five-minute breaks and speak to me a little or learn a little bit about the piano. These brief conversations are slowly but surely helping me to learn the individual needs of each student. One student told me that I have become "one of them," and have even begun doing and responding to things as a Dominican would! She went on to say that it was a good thing, that it makes the students comfortable around me.

Another blessing this week was that I received boxes from Crooked Creek Baptist Church and my family. Besides all the goodies, necessities, and class materials that were sent, there were many cards or notes from my church family. THANK YOU for your gifts, but most of all for your encouraging words and prayers! As always, these notes came right at the moment I needed them. It amazed me to see how God used the shipping delay just so I can be encouraged at the right moment!

Thank you for your continued prayers. You are also in my prayers and thoughts. May God bless all of you at home who are serving as "senders."