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.