He continues in his faithfulness!!

Well, my life the last week has gotten better.  The grief and loss of home, friends, family, and comfort still linger, yet God continues to bring joy in my love for Him.  Let me explain...

Last Thursday I was thrown into teaching my 6th grade class after being here for four days.  It was a shock to have to remember when to take them to specials and what special class they were having that day.  We spent a lot of Thursday and Friday learning Miss J's expectations and procedures.  They are still learning that I don't put with a whole lot.  I think the thing that stressed me out about teaching here the most was teaching Bible.  I had never taught Bible in a school setting and Satan was feeding me the lie that I would never be good at sharing the Word of the Lord in a clear way.  Satan was wrong.  God gave me scripture to connect my expectations to and just yesterday He allowed me to answer some deep and thoughtful questions about how there was no beginning to God's existence.  He even used John 15: 9-17, verses I used in my class, to speak to me while at high school youth group.  He is faithfully leading me through this adventure and providing words to say to my students while using those words to speak to me in return.

As I continue to remain in his love, he has also provided people in my path to lift me up, to encourage, to provide a sense that I am not alone in my loneliness or longing for home, and to feed me :)!  This past week on one of my hardest days, He provided a new friend, Rachel G, that invited me for dinner after school.  Saturday, I was really struggling with being alone and one of the married couples in the compound where I live invited me for dinner, games, and family time.  I do believe it was the funnest day I have had here.  We ate steak sandwiches, fellowshiped, laughed, played a dance game on Kinect, and played uno.  God provided the laughter and fun I needed to enjoy that evening. 

He has also given me a great friend in Rachel Rogers!  She has been here from the beginning with love and support for me.  She is my cheerleader, a constant hug, and my reality check.  She came over for dinner last night and stayed a while getting to know each other.  I can already tell that she will be a friend for life. 

As I sit down and think about the blessings I have gained from these almost two weeks, I am overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord.  He is allowing me to be changed and to be encouraged by those around me.  He also continues to provide friends from home that connect with me in some way to let me know that I am loved and prayed for.  Monday and Tuesday it hit me just how many people were praying for me and the love I felt from so many places.  He is faithful to provide all I need!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
- SCCLC Staff Retreat Friday and Saturday this weekend
- Comfort and healing for my mom and dad as they are both ill or in pain in some way.
- Health and safety for my sister-in-law as she is on bed rest in this pregnancy
- For joy to overwhelm as I continue my time here
- For my knowledge of the culture to grow


Pictures to come...