An Unforgettable Day

I had two unforgettable converstations today.  One was life-changing, and one was just the beginning of a life change.  Ryan shared a very awesome Gospel message about "tying the knot" with God during chapel today, and he gave an invitation for students to stay after and pray if they felt the Spirit leading them toward starting a relationship with God.  He invited teachers and core student leaders to pray with the students who stayed.  There were several students who stayed to pray, and I'm so thankful and excited to see God working in such a strong and intense way on the SCCLC campus.

One of the students that stayed after was one of my 7th graders. I felt God telling me that I needed to pray with him, so I sat and prayed with him and then we just started talking.  He was shaken up and strongly affect by what Ryan said about God acting as the Bridegroom.  He has already said "I do" and he's just waiting for your answer.  He saw pretty clearly that he hasn't answered back.  He, like most of the students at SCCLC, has learned about God, the Bible, and religion, but he didn't KNOW God.  After a long conversation about the things that have been keeping him from that relationship with God, he surrendered His life to Christ.

This student has two brothers, one older & one younger.  When I asked him about what it is that has been separating him from God, and what it is that he has been holding onto, he said his relationship with his brother.  He prayed for God to forgive him for his fights with his brothers, and the selfishness and anger that he has had specifically towards his younger brother.  I told him that with the help of the Holy Spirit he has the opporunity to lead his brothers by example, and to share the gospel with them.

Which brings me to the second conversation of the day.  The only explanation is a divine one because his younger brother was in my music class today, and to be frank, he had a pretty bad day. Because he wasn't making the best choices I disciplined him by witholding his reward at the end of class.  This devasted him to the point of an intense fury at himself.  He was so angry that he couldn't even function. I attempted to talk with him, but he was unable to control his anger and started beating himself up for making the mistakes he made.  Eventually I was able to convince him to return to class and look forward to a brand new day.

What an awesome picture God painted for me about redemption and triumph over sin.  I see, now, that God patterned these conversations today.  He chose to allow me to have the conversations with these brothers and breathe truth into their lives.  God told me that I needed to speak to both of these boys, and because of these experiences today, I can see that God is doing a great work in that family.  What a blessing it is to be His Chosen instrument for His name to be proclaimed.  PRAISE GOD for our new BROTHER IN CHRIST.  Pray for me as I continue to talk with the older brother tomorrow about showing his younger brother Christ's love.

This is why I came to Bolivia.  This is why I chose to obey God's call.  What more can I do but PRAISE HIM?

Watch the video below to listen to a new song by my recently favorite band The Rend Collective Experiment that I have been listening to on repeat...and caused me to dance around my classroom during my free period today! Maybe it will cause you to dance in the name of Jesus :)

Thanks for faithfully reading, praying, and supporting me!

Rachel

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for the NEW BELIEVERS that are popping up all over campus.  Pray that their decisions will cause CHANGE and for them to be faithful followers EVEN if they're discrouraged by others.
• Friday is All Saints Day, lots of Spiritual Warfare in Bolivia...pray for those who are on the fence of truth that they will be steered the right way
• We have a Middle School Crew meeting on Friday night at OUR HOUSE.  Pray that myself and Rachel Rogers are able to guide these students to be good spiritual leaders to their classes.  Following our meeting, we are having a movie night and I'm super PUMPED that the kids are going to hang out and fellowship at my home.
• I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed with the workload, and I could use prayer for strength and perseverance through the storm
• I have been meeting with Middle School girls for lunch dates.  My goal is to meet with all of the middle schoolers for lunch in order to get to know them by the end of the quarter.  Pray that God allows for this to happen, and I have MEANINGFUL conversations with them all!

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**EXCITING ENGLISH TEACHER GEEK-OUT MOMENT THAT HAS NOTHING IMPORTANT OR EDIFYING TO DO WITH THIS BLOG BUT I LOVE IT SO I'M GOING TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU**

We have been learning about figurative language in 7th grade English and this boy was so excited to tell me how cool it is that Ryan used a simile during his message: "white as snow" and then he was excited to see that "tying the knot" is symbolic of our relationship with Christ.  It warmed my heart that the teaching in my classroom would cause a student to take something vital and necessary out of a Gospel message, and that my student is actually LEARNING something!!  What purpose this brings to my job as a TEACHER and a MISSIONARY.

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When the Holy Spirit Takes Over

Grace & Saddie
God has gifted me with the opportunity to develop relationships with these girls

I got the chance to share a little bit about bullying to my 7th and 8th grade students last night.  There has been some bullying going on this year, and Ryan thought it would be a good idea to talk about it with the junior high youth group last night, and lets just say it was a tough night for me.

Have you ever began sharing a story with a thought in mind of HOW you want to share, and then the Holy Spirit takes over and teaches you something in the process?  I was sharing about how I was the bully when I was in elementary school and middle school.  I didn't realize it about myself until I began speaking.

At a high school girl's progressive dinner, we were able to worship and be vulnerable
and share about how God has been working in our lives.

I remember punching a girl in 4th grade for making fun of my Mom.  I remember getting an applause from all of the kids in the school because no one liked her.  I remember that she ended up switching schools because of this incident, and that she went to a Christian school and eventually became a Christian. Now she is married and happy, and I had nothing to do with it.  How different would her life have been had I simply responded in love?  I professed to be a Christian when I punched her.  I made her life miserable all because I cared more about what other people thought of me rather than showing

I was able to witness a dear friend from my church, Taty (center) get baptized

her the love of Christ.  In fact, it was in spite of my failings and my lack of ability to show her Christ's love that God worked in her life.  I didn't help Him at all--in fact I worked AGAINST him.  The Holy Spirit showed me this truth about myself WHILE I was speaking to these Middle Schoolers.  Of course I started crying and being vulnerable, but there is something that I realized--the truth of the Gospel.

God doesn't NEED us for his work to be fulfilled.  He gives us the privilege to help Him.  We just have to choose to let Him do a great work in us and to step aside when its time to step aside.  I'm not an evangelist, and I don't claim to have any answers worth listening to, but I know that God doesn't need me.  What a gift it is to be used by the Holy Spirit; I have no other desire but to be willing to be on His side.  The beauty of grace is that in the end, God's will is going to be carried out regardless of the choices I make.  I know that He will continue to work in my life and the lives of those I interact with.

Friday was "twin day" at school, and I dressed up with Emily
my cooperating teacher from Student Teaching
It has been a joy getting to know her as a colleague.

I do believe that its important to make good choices, ones that are within His will.  Ones that God is going to be pleased with.  Ones that I will be proud of.  The choice to come to Bolivia is one of those choices.  I am so proud of the decision I made to come here, and I know that my path isn't going to be a hard one because I am within God's will.  He has shown me through my time here that I am doing the right thing.  This quarter has been a testament of that.  The photos in this post and below are definite testaments of my witnessing the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
God continues to bless me here in Bolivia, and has allowed me to really find a home here.  God shows me more and more that He is on my side and will continue to protect and love me no matter what, because I am a daughter of the King.  Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support as I continue this journey.

--
Rachel

Prayer Requests for the Week:

• Sunday: Pray for me to have opportunities to develop friendships with the teens at La Restauración church, the Bolivian church I am attending.
• Monday: There is a baptismal service for students who have recently come to know Christ; pray for those who are being baptized to be bold in their declaration of faith, and pray for those who will attend (parents, friends, siblings, etc) to be receptive to the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit's working in the lives of their loved ones.
• Tuesday: I have my three hardest music classes today, and I need to be prayed through the classes as they are difficult and draining.
• Wednesday: Pray for the kids in chapel.  Ryan just started a new sermon series; pray that the students that need to be are receptive to the Gospel, and those that know Christ will commit to following Christ.
• Thursday: Pray for the sports teams that are in the Finals for this year.  Pray that they will be safe, and that they'll play hard, but more importantly that they will be a good witness to the other schools.
• Friday: We have a government mandated holiday because of "Dia de los Muertos" which is All Saints Day; so there will be a lot of spiritual warfare going on today as people use this time to drink their pain away for their family members and loved ones who have died.

I Felt Like a Teacher Today

Someone once told me that in the world of Education there are really good planners, and then there are really good teachers.  Today I felt like a really good teacher.  I'm terrible at planning.  Scope and Sequences, all of the SWBAT's or the Learning Objectives, and the deciding where students should be, setting goals, etc.  I am terrible at it, but as I continue to develop my teaching over time, I am learning that its important to plan, yes (mostly because students can see right through you if you are unprepared), but also it is important to TEACH and that its ok to abandon the plan if it doesn't pan out.  

Communication Corner of the Classroom :)

SOO needless to say, today was the first time that I actually felt like a teacher.  Up until this point I had felt like I was filling in a role that I wasn't suited for, or that it was just temporary.  I had this underlying feeling that I am not really doing what I should be doing with my life.  I just felt unsettled, unfocused, and simply disorganized and frazzled.  I felt like I was renting space in the room that I am sharing with the other English teachers, because I had been sharing a computer and I just didn't feel like I had a settled down place to call my own.

The week started out with one of my kindergarteners giving me an apple. I don't know where the concept of "teachers love apples" started, but I was overjoyed with this little kindergarten boy giving me an apple.  I'm convinced it was just part of his snack and he didn't want to eat so he thought he'd give it away, but I was so touched and it made me start to feel like a real teacher.

The Reading Corner, and my kids' Projects! :) I'm so proud of them!

I also got my bulletin board up yesterday.  The maintenance guy hung it for me, and I decorated it right away.  My 7th and 8th graders are doing the "reading race" to see which grade can read the most pages in their individual reading at home.  So far the 7th graders are smoking the 8th graders.  But I got to spend time just making a reading corner on the side of the room that I have been sharing.

THEN I got my own computer which forced me to organize my desk and my papers, so I'm all organized and ready for the new quarter.

MY NEW COMPUTER on my newly organized desk!!!

Though all of these things seem trivial, they all play a part in making me feel like a real teacher, a feeling I haven't actually had yet.  But I felt the MOST like a teacher when I experienced something in my 2nd grade music class. 

As we started to work on the song that the 2nd graders are singing (Heavenly Hallelujahs...a medley of all of the "angel carols"). I started realizing that there are SO MANY words in the song that they have never seen/heard/understood before.  They would mumble over them when they sang along with the track, and I was thinking to myself "well this is just not working...time for a new strategy."  I gave them all pencils and asked them to underline big scary words, and they did an amazing job finding the things they weren't sure about.  I had never thought to take MUSIC from a literacy standpoint before, and I was so excited that I can use my experience as an English teacher in the music world.  It was the greatest teachable moment I have experienced to this date.

I'm so thankful that God has sent me here, and that He is beginning to show me that I do belong where he leads me.  I'm thankful that he can give me glimpses of his plan to prepare me for great things.  I'm so blessed to be here in Bolivia, and I am learning to praise Him in the good, and continue to rely on Him during this feasting time.  God is allowing me to really embrace being a teacher and LOVE my job, and see that it IS my job...and my calling.

THANK YOU LORD FOR CALLING ME TO DO SOMETHING THAT I LOVE, ENJOY, AND YOU HAVE GIFTED ME IN.THANKS, GOD FOR GOOD DAYS! :)

My Crazy Rambunctious and AWESOME 7th graders :)

THANK YOU, supporters, for your continual prayers!

Rachel

Prayer Requests This Week:

• Saturday: HS Girls Progressive Dinner (Dpo and I are hosting the main meal) pray for strength and PRESENCE because I have a lot of other things to do (i.e grading) and I want to BE THERE and HOST well.
• Sunday: PRAISE for 5 new believers after Retreat this weekend in the HS! I'm soo proud of these kids and I want to pray that they continue on this Spiritual Plateau instead of plummeting after a "retreat high"
• Monday: BAPTISMAL SERVICE on Monday, November 3 for new believers in the HS and other believers that desire to be baptized...parents are invited: BIG DEAL, BIG STEPS!
• Tuesday: 2nd quarter is starting, and I have lots of planning to do for 7th and 8th grade reading classes; pray for students to desire to SUCCEED this quarter.
• Wednesday: Christmas Program is RAPIDLY approaching, pray for wisdom and attention in the elementary school, so that they memorize their songs, lines, and practice well, pray for parent and teacher involvement
• Thursday: Dpo and myself as we continue to get to know eachother as roommates
• Friday: Middle School youth group and spiritual development: They NEED Jesus to show himself to them; pray that we can continue to develop our discipleship program with the Middle School.

I'll Never Forget

I'll Never Forget watching the Spirit move in ways I couldn't even imagine

I'll Never Forget the stories that were shared that affected so many people

I'll Never Forget the long hugs shared after forgiveness was reached

I'll Never Forget the circles of high schoolers praying for the girl who went home sick

I'll Never Forget laying my hands on and praying for a broken new believer

I'll Never Forget the contrast between the laughter shared in the pool with the happy tears shed when kids just started to "get it"

I'll Never Forget listening to the song written by the two High School Boys about change and transformation

I'll Never Forget watching and listening to the students furiously writing in their workbooks and listening to Axis tell them about worldviews throughout the world.

I'll Never Forget observing students praying for other hurting and broken students

I'll Never Forget leading worship and looking out at all of the kids in a line holfing one another: united in the Spirit.

I'll Never Forget the look on their faces when Ryan screamed "______is a believer in Jesus Christ"

I'll Never Forget High School Retreat

CLARIFYING STORY
When we got to the campsite for High School Retreat on Friday, we started setting up the electronics for the Axis team to present their first session.  Right away the projector was broken, and we couldn't get it to work. Axis needed a projector to do their session; so we needed a plan B.  Ryan decided to have us (the worship team) lead worship and open the floor for testimonies (by the students!!!)  I was skeptical from the beginning, thinking that we'd be sitting in awkward silence when he opened it up, but was I wrong!  Student after student came to share how they came to know Christ, and people were broken beyond compare by the end of the night.  I can't even describe how Christ was moving, and I was amazed at the power of some of the kids' vulnerability and love for one another.  All because the projector wouldn't work!  TWO kids became believers in Jesus Christ, and many believers re-dedicated their lives to FOLLOWING Christ.
Oh and I must mention....the projector was working the next morning...I think God WON!!! :D

THANK YOU for your prayers this weekend.  I wish you all could have been there to witness this MIRACULOUS MOVEMENT of the Holy Spirit, and I'm soo excited and thirsty for more!! :)

Until the Next AMAZING story...

Rachel

(ENGLISH TEACHER ADAGE: poem style in the beginning of this is based off of Elie Wiesel's poem "Never Shall I Forget" found in his book Night)

God Always Wins

"I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:8

Its unbelievably crazy to witness Satan's desperation first hand.  This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week at the SCCLC.  It is also a time when day after day we are seeing that God is doing a great work on the campus of our school.  Every day I see that the Enemy is trying to win in the lives of both the teachers and students here, and every day he fails.

This year has been a dynamic year in the spiritual development of our students.  A couple, Pam & Ryan Parsons & their 4 kids have come this year to serve the SCCLC through youth ministry and discipleship.  You can see God shining and radiating out of them as they serve here, and it is no mystery that their fire for God is viral.  I'm so happy that they are here to serve, and that I am able to learn and serve alongside them.

But with true and genuine servant leadership comes a price: the enemy gets ALL KINDS of angry.  Since they have been here, Ryan has had surgery, Pam has been sick, all of their kids have been sick in some capacity or another, and it has been a physical battle throughout their time here.  God is using them, and the Enemy doesn't like it.  Spiritual Warfare.

After a challenge from Ryan for Spiritual Leaders to step up, one of my junior high students was affected greatly and stood up to pray on Monday.  That night he was at a gas station and a group of drunk teenagers threw a rock at his head, he got a concussion, and couldn't come to school the next day.  Spiritual Warfare.

But God cannot be shaken.  One of the senior girls accepted Christ yesterday, and committed her life to following Him.  This girl is one that I have been praying for since I got here.  She's a Bolivian that has a HUGE affect on our campus that up until now has been against Christianity.  Because of her influence, she has the ability to TRANSFORM this school just with her testimony.  She stood up in Chapel today and told everyone that God changed her heart, and another person accepted Christ even today!  Spiritual Warfare.

As he has proven time and time again, GOD WINS. But that battle isn't over. We need prayer for the rest of this week, and I'm asking for you, as my supporters to commit to praying for the students and teachers of the SCCLC.  Romans 12:21 says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  That is what we need to do, so I'm asking you as my supporters and supporters of the students at the Learning Center to start a MOVEMENT of prayer this weekend as we go on High School Retreat, and Monday as the Junior Highers experience their own retreat.

• We NEED to be praying for these kids to really grasp and hold onto the truth of the Gospel.  
• We need to pray that the ones who get it will step up and LEAD our school through service.  
• We need to pray that the Enemy will see that he is NOT invited to this party, and RUN.
• We need to pray for a REVIVAL of Christ's truth on this campus.
• We need to pray for the Parsons to be protected for Satan's attacks.
• We need to pray for the AXIS team coming from the States to share with our students.
• We need to pray for student LEADERS to emerge from the crowd, and start serving

Thanks for your committments to pray, PLEASE comment below and let us know that we are not alone, and that you will be committing to pray this weekend for one or all of the things listed above.

I love you all, and your committments to prayer! :)

Rachel

Parables of the Unexpected

Today was a day full of the unexpected.  One by one, things happened that were simply not what I planned for, both good, and bad, and all of them taught me something...it was a day of parables. So I guess I'll tell them like that :)

Unwholesome Talk?
I had time to attend Elementary chapel today.  Now that I'm teaching the elementary kids, I have been trying to invest in and spend more time with them.  My schedule hasn't permitted it because I have been teaching K-8 classes, but God gave me some extra time to spend with them in their chapel.  They were talking about Ephesians 4:29, and not letting unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.  This was a good reminder for me today, and God actually convicted me to remember to apply this to my classroom.  Sometimes sarcasm with my students can get the best of me, and I needed to be reminded that I should control my tongue.  You never expect to be convicted in an Elementary school chapel, but God was good to me by showing me that I needed to hear what I heard.

Learning how to teach from a 12th Grader
I was BLESSED with an AWESOME (and unexpected) conversation with one of the 12th grade girls today, as well.  She was having a bad day and needed to talk, so I sat down with her and listened to her heart, struggles, and frustrations from the year.  I taught her last year when I was student teaching, and it was unbelievably encouraging to hear her talking to me about her walk with the Lord.  She showed me so much about her heart and helped me see things from a student's perspective rather than just from a teacher's perspective.

Fist Fights & Failures
I broke up my first fist fight today in one of my music classes today.  Though I was shaky and felt like crying, God gave me strength to take it and gain control over my students.  God taught me, also, that I need to start getting to know the ins and outs of upper elementary students.  I haven't figured out what to expect out of them, because I have been learning what to expect out of junior high and high school.  4th, 5th, and 6th graders are a whole different monster, and I just don't know what to do with them.  I'm praying and hoping that these students will be convicted and remorseful for their actions toward eachother, but the whole situation just made me sad.
God also taught me that I need to stop blaming myself for other people's bad choices.  Those boys chose to fight, but I was trying to figure out what it was that I did wrong in order for this to happen.  I felt like I failed as a teacher because it happened during class time.  I had a lengthy conversation with the Elementary school principal about the incident, and she spoke the truth: I cannot control the choices and decisions of others.  Fist fights are fist fights.  They'll happen whether I am there or not.  I'm thankful that God had this happen, because I think these boys will be on their way to mending their relationships, and I am now on my way towards classroom management that prevents the opportunities for these things to happen in my class.

The Perfect Prayer Partner
During prayer meeting God brought me to pray with the PERFECT person.  Ally (another single teacher) and I had both been struggling with similar issues over the past week, and I was able to pray with her about them in a real, open and safe environment.  I am so thankful for her and her heart here in Bolivia, and I can't wait to continue to develop our friendship over this next year.  God showed me through this that I am not alone--not only do I have Him, but I have friends that can come alongside me and pray me through my struggles, and bare my burdens too!

Dog Poo
I stepped on dog poop on my way to the car after prayer meeting.  I felt something on the bottom of my foot, so I put my hand down there to investigate, and got a huge chunk of poo on my hand.  I ran to the bathroom and puked after using a gallon of soap to wash my hand and shoe.  God taught me never to touch the bottom of my shoe. Ever.

Thanks for reading the parables of my day!  Also thanks for your prayers & support!

PLEASE be praying every day this week AND next week for SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK and HIGH SCHOOL RETREAT.  There is a HUGE amount of spiritual warfare going on on the SCCLC campus, and we NEED your prayers to knock down the enemy.

Thanks again!

--Rachel :)