May 20
hello prayer team and friends,
Things are going well here in Arusha. Today we took our class to a Mzungu church (a Western style church: in English, lots of white people, Western songs). I met a family from Santa Barbara which was fun! They have a son at Westmont and they are on the mission field with a family from my church, Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. It's really great to see well-adjusted missionary families. Their kids seemed really happy, really comfortable with my African students, and really open with one another. Their dad assured me they have their share of rebelliousness, but I was still encouraged to observe their dynamic.
After church a group of us went to the Maasai Market, which is a shopping area in town where the Maasai sell things they make. I was commissioned by my friend to help him buy jewlery for his girlfriend at home. I think we were successful (:
Class was challenging this week. On thursday morning my class gave way to massive confusion: everyone had forgotten the lesson i had taught the day before and were confusing one another with false instructions that they themselves didn't understand. So after calling a break to prevent my breaking down in tears of frustration, we came together and i got to disciple them on "order." I had been reading through 1 Corinthians and God applied it to my class for me. So I shared with them about using our gifts, and how God has given us each strengths in order to edify the body. But we have to use our gifts in an orderly way so that there isn't confusion: "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." (Praise God for that!) So i encouraged them that they are each so important to the class, each is a hand or a foot or the eyes, but we need to follow order in our class so that we can build each other up. I told them that God gave me and Mama Joshua (my translator and helper) authority of the class so that we could create structure for them to learn. So they need to trust us and ask us questions, instead of confusing one another. I was encouraged by God discipling us, and i think we have been much more unified since then.
On Friday we had worship/intercession as a class. Claude, my student from New Caledonia who is basically fluent in english, taught on "desires." He had us each write down our desires for after ELS on a piece of paper and then put it in a bowl at the foot of a big wood cross he brought into the classroom. In this way, we were giving our desires back to God and trusting him to fulfill them. It was very powerful and very moving. Then God spoke through Becka, my fellow ELS teacher. She told us that God had put a burden on her heart for someone in our group who had given up on their dreams. Then she shared with us how she had walked away from the Lord for seven years, and in the process had completely given up on her dreams. When she came back, God told her that He was going to give those years back to her, that those weren't lost years. And the blessings that she had missed during that time, He would give to her! How amazing is that? God doesn't withhold one good thing from those who love Him. This concept is something I have been struggling with recently: feeling like i have all this wasted time in the past years of struggling with this sin and that sin, time that only amounted to being ineffective and destructive. But God desires good things for us. So much so, that the years we haven't been obedient to Him, He will still give in full to us! That is just beyond my comprehension.
So the week ended well. We finished another unit, and we are right on track with where we should be. Praise the Lord.
Continue to be in prayer for unity on our base. That has been the main theme God has given us in our prayer time. I have noticed disunity especially between some of the Westerners and the Africans. Our cultures are so different, and the Westerners are the ones who are out of their comfort zone, so some Westerners start thinking their way of doing things is better. Instead of just observing cultural differences, they start judging the cultures and the people within them. They complain, get frustrated with differences, and put on negative attitudes. This is so frustrating to me because this is why we came to Africa! To experience a new culture! We can learn so much from their way of doing things, even if we don't learn, or agree with, every aspect of it. This was heavy on my heart today, so this morning God showed me Phillipians chapter 2. Paul is discipling the church on not grumbling and having humility. I think Satan can use cultural differences as an obstacle, a barrier in our really connecting and gleaning things from one another. If any of you are called to travel or called to doing mission work, I would encourage you to start praying about these issues ahead of time. That God would give you a heart for other cultures, that He would open your mind and understanding to take in things outside of your realm of comfort. Pray for this even at HOME! We operate among so many different cultures in America. Even between families we have different cultures. People approach things differently, one family may communicate differently, some people live fast paced lives some are slower, and so on. Pray that differences would not hinder you in loving one another, communicating with one another, or spiritually building each other up. Cast out all judgement! Stop trying to make people like you, and stop only befriending people who have your beliefs and your customs! Consider others better than yourselves, and make yourself a servant to everyone. there's your sermon for the day (:
So, there is the update for now (: Continue to pray for PATIENCE in everything, as this a daily need. Pray that I would be encouraged, as it is easy to become discouraged as a teacher. Pray that I would have a lot of grace with myself, as i am far from perfect in what i am doing and need to continually forgive myself for short-comings. Pray that everything would be done on God's strength alone, and that I could be completely removed from the equation.
Blessings to you all at home! I am so encouraged by your love and support! Your prayers give me so much strength and such a firm backing in my ministry here.
In Him,
Christina
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