Monday, December 31, 2007

December 2007 newsletter

Exciting, Important Details!

As of December 20, 2007, I was released by EMM to leave for Peru! Lord willing, I will be flying to Peru on January 21, 2008 and will arrive in the capital of Lima on January 22. While there, I will process my paperwork so I can stay in the country long-term (from what I understand, something like having resident alien status). After this, I will travel to Cusco, where I will transition into life there before the school year starts at the beginning of March. These last few weeks have been a crazy roller coaster of uncertainty and faith as I finished the final details and was released to go. It is with many mixed emotions that I leave for Peru. Many thanks to all of you who have stood with me in many ways throughout this time and have helped me to make a smooth transition thus far. You are a blessing!

From my heart: Missing God

The other day, on a whim, I decided to read the Christmas story over again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read that story, but this time it made me think in a whole new way.

We as humans are sense-oriented beings. I’ve learned in my education classes that the more senses are involved in learning, the better and longer the information will stick. As I read the Christmas story over again, I marveled at the way God used this fact

to His advantage as He gave us His own Christmas gift.

Zechariah saw and heard an angel. Elizabeth lived with a mute husband for 9 months. Mary saw and heard an angel. Joseph did too -twice. The shepherds saw and heard angels. The wise men saw a star and, in a dream, an angel as well. Literally, everyone who was involved in the Christmas story had a sense-oriented experience.

As I read the story and was struck by this realization, God spoke to my heart. His Christmas gift of His Son was so significant that He did not want anyone to miss it. He could have spoken in many different ways, but He chose to use experiences that involved the senses so that no one could pass them off as anything but supernatural. He didn’t want us to miss Him.

God hasn’t changed in the last 2000 years. He still wants us to recognize Him in the midst of everyday life. He doesn’t always send angels or write things in the clouds, but He tries to speak to us through the very real experiences we have every day. We can choose to see them as God’s hand at work or we can write them off.

Whether we decide to believe or write these things off determines whether our faith will be strengthened or weakened. If we choose to see God working in the little circumstances of everyday life, our faith will grow and our lives will be filled with joy and the presence of God. If, however, we miss God at work in our everyday lives, we miss out on the blessings and relationship that He wants to pour out on us. In this new year, we will have many opportunities to either see God or miss Him. What will we choose? I, for one, don’t want to miss Him. How about you?

What’s been going on?

This fall was my last semester of school: student teaching. I was blessed to work with two wonderful teachers and really enjoyed my time in both kindergarten and second grade. We did a lot of fun projects together in both classes and I realized that I am in the right career. Though it was a work-intensive semester, it was also very rewarding and enjoyable. In the middle of December I said goodbye to my second group of students and also to my season of life as a college kid. On December 16, I graduated from Millersville University with a bachelor of science in education degree. I am now (finally!) officially a teacher! Since finishing my student teaching, I have been working full time at Berean Christian Store in Lancaster. I will be leaving Berean in early January to enable me to finish up some details and projects before I leave for Peru. It has been and will continue to be a bittersweet time of transition.


What is a Missionary Support Team (MST)?

Some of you may be wondering what in the world this Missionary Support Team (MST) you keep hearing from really is. An MST is a requirement for any missionary serving under EMM. Having had one for 9 months now, I can understand why! I am so thankful for each person on my MST. I have likened having an MST to being in the middle of a parachute with a whole bunch of people standing around the edges holding me up. Practically speaking, they have helped me, among other things, to coordinate several fundraisers, keep track of my financial and prayer support, get connected with churches, send out newsletters and support letters, and discern God’s will and timing for my leaving. In terms of emotional support, they have stood by me through thick and thin and helped take much of the mental strain of getting ready to go off my mind. While I am gone, they will help to serve as an important connection between you and me, bridging the distance and helping me continue to raise support and serve more effectively in Peru. They have been a tremendous blessing to me and will, I trust, be so for you as well.

Kids’ Corner: Feliz Navidad

If you go to Peru in December, you will hear lots of people saying Feliz Navidad, (fay LEES nah vee DODD), which means Merry Christmas. There is no snow in Peru on Christmas. People decorate their homes with manger scenes—in Spanish, nacimientos (nah see me EN toes), but they don’t put Baby Jesus in the manger right away. On Christmas Eve, everyone stays up till midnight. Then they put Baby Jesus in the manger. Outside in the streets, people set off fireworks and families gather to give each other hugs and wish everyone a merry Christmas. Then they go back inside to eat a meal and exchange gifts. The picture at the left is of my tiny Peruvian nacimiento.

Praises and Prayer Requests

Praises:

· A good semester of student teaching

· One word: graduation

· I have more definite plans

Prayer Requests:

· For a smooth and healthy transition from one season of life to another

· For safe traveling and easy processing of my residence papers in Peru

Friday, December 21, 2007

Answers

Many of you have been asking over the last few months when I am planning on leaving. I've been wondering the same thing. I finally have more of an answer than "I don't know for sure". I just received word from EMM this morning that I am officially approved to leave in January. The date is not completely finalized yet, but I will post that as well when I know it. I will also have a commissioning service/fellowship time on a Sunday morning in January at my church. We're working on finalizing that and more details will follow about that as well.
Blessings to all of you and may God bless your Christmas with His grace and love. Thank you for standing with me in this process.

Update: 12/23
I am planning on leaving on January 21, to get to Peru in time to process my residence paperwork in Lima with the other missionaries before I head to Cusco. I don't have plane tickets yet, but they should be coming soon, Lord willing.
My commissioning service is officially January 6 at 10 AM at Living Hope Community Church. A time of fellowship will follow the service in the church gym from 12:30-3 PM. All are invited for these events. More details will be in an email for those who are on my email list.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

October newsletter

From my heart: Got the heart?

Got the heart? It’s a question that Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) has been asking themselves this year and one that has challenged me many times over the past few months.

Many times I have had to ask myself “Have I got the heart of Christ? Am I living that out right now?” It has been a challenge and it’s still something I’m working on and continuing to learn about as I go throughout my daily life.

This question begs another question: What exactly is this “heart of Christ” that I’m wanting to have? What does it look like? I can’t claim to be anything close to an expert on the subject, but over the last few months, God has spoken different things to me that have helped me to begin answering this question and have challenged me to live more like Him.

The heart of Christ is compassionate. In beginning to reread through the Old Testament recently, I have been amazed anew at the emphasis that God put on compassion in the laws He gave His people. Compassion is to characterize our everyday lives and dealings with people.

The heart of Christ is unconditionally welcoming. Kids flocked to Jesus. He hung out with the despised and the sinners. He ate with those the world rejected. Ironically, it was the religious elite in their exclusive cliques who had problems with Him.

People are at the very core of the heart of Christ, above time or schedules or anything else. Relationship is what drives all that God does and it is also what should drive all that I do. God is, at His heart, a missionary God who reaches out to us and invites us into relationship with Him. How can I do any less?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Having the heart of Christ living in me is more radically transforming than I’m sure I could ever imagine. “Got the heart?” is a reminder I continue to need daily.

A Summer of Training and Equipping

Over the summer I spent 4 weeks in training events with EMM. This time was very much a blessing to me. Three weeks of this time was spent at World Missions Institute, a local training sponsored by EMM for missionaries before they go on the field. This training focused on looking at worldviews and included visits to a Buddhist temple, a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim mosque. These were all very interesting and eye-opening experiences which made me realize in a new way how different my faith really is! During this time I had the privilege of getting to know the Brubaker family, with whom I will be working in Peru.

The last week of training was spent at EMM’s annual Discovery and Enrichment retreat. During this time we received valuable training on using a ministry tool called Agape Prayer Ministry. I also had the privilege throughout the week of getting to know the Shultz family, missionaries to Peru who have been working specifically with PROMESA. This picture is of most of the female World Missions Institute participants with our head scarves on, ready to go to the mosque. (I'm the second from the left in the back).

Currently...

...in a certain kindergarten in Lancaster city, I am known as Miss Geib. I am in my final semester of school: student teaching. The experience so far has been many things—intense, funny, sad, eye-opening, fun, exhausting, frustrating, but most of all rewarding. The children in my classroom are very needy and I have been realizing how far a little love really can go. God has not left Himself without witness in the classroom. He comes up quite frequently in conversation. Like on one foggy morning the other week when one of my students observed that “the clouds are falling”. Thinking that Jesus is up in heaven sitting on a cloud, he then turned and asked me “Does that mean Jesus is falling too?” I have done a lot of explaining about a lot of things in the past few weeks and have really grown to love the kids in my class. I know I will miss them when I go to my second placement in a suburban 2nd grade classroom in the middle of this month.

Kids’ Corner

Did you know…?

The van in this picture is called a combi. Many people in Peru don’t have their own cars. Instead, they ride around in buses, taxis or combis, which are a little smaller than a 15-passenger van. There aren’t rules in Peru about how many people can be in a car, so a really full combi might have 25 people on it!

Many people dress like the lady in the picture. Instead of using strollers, women carry their babies on their backs in brightly colored blankets like this lady is doing.

Praises and Prayer Requests

Praises!

· For the things God did in my life this summer during training

· For the opportunities I have had to talk about my faith during student teaching.

Prayer Requests

· For continued physical, mental and voice strength for student teaching. I’ve already lost my voice once. If possible, I’d like to not repeat the experience. :)

· For continued preparations that need to be made before I head overseas.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Earthquake!

By now, you have probably heard about the earthquake that happened in Peru on August 15. This was a major natural disaster and has resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people in the states of Ica, Pisco and Chincha. Thousands more have been directly affected. Many people are without homes, food, water or any other basic needs. I have been in contact with people from the churches in Cusco. The earthquake was felt there, but thankfully nothing was damaged and no one was injured. My host mom said the movement of the earth felt like a boat and lasted for about 2 minutes. It was a very scary experience for many people throughout the country.
My prayer has been that somehow, through this disaster, God would show Himself powerful and would draw the people of Peru close to Himself. It is also a chance for the churches in Peru to rise up and show the love of Jesus by providing practical help to those who are desperately in need right now. I pray that aid would come to those people and that their needs would be provided for. Let God be exalted over all the earth!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Welcome to my blog!

This blog will be a place where I can post updates of things that are going on in my life as I prepare and actually leave to go to Peru. I will try to update regularly, especially when I'm on the field. If you want to respond to anything I post on here - or just say hi and let me know what is going on in your life - you can leave a comment and I will respond to you. When you comment, please identify yourself so I know who you are - otherwise it will come up on my screen as "anonymous". Thanks. Blessings!