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.
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
