Merry Christmas from Bolivia!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Christmas season lends itself to a lot of time for reflection and personal application the Christmas story. When Mary first heard the news of her miraculous conception of the King of kings, I’m sure she was terrified, confused and unsure of how she could do it.  But time and time again, she showed her faith through her response to God’s will.  Multiple times throughout the story of Jesus’ birth it says: “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Mary did ask the angel a question, “How could I…” she never questioned God’s power or ability to fulfill His will.

When I reflect on the time I have spent here in Bolivia over the past 4 months, God keeps on showing me that I need to treasure the time that I have here, and cast aside the fear that I find myself holding onto and just have faith to believe that His will is being accomplished—both in my life and the lives I have been privileged to be part of.  God is doing much more than I can imagine in me and through me, and for that I am blessed and celebrate his birth.

Below is a quick slideshow of highlights from the past semester that I have spent here in Bolivia.  I hope you enjoy seeing the faces of the students I have been privileged to get to know this year!

Merry Christmas to all of you and I pray that you have a blessed and joy-filled New Year!

Life Lessons from a Director of an Elementary Christmas Program

I'm risking the label of sacreligious, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway.

If I could relate even a small portion of God's job to something tangible and understandable by a flawed human.  I'd say that an almost acceptable picture of God is a director of a Elementary School Christmas Program.  Something that I have learned an awful lot about.

The Director of an Elementary School Christmas Program might be expected to do any if not all of the following:

Convince a multitude of laughing, joking, screaming, playing, sinning, and downright awnry kids to do exactly what he wants at exactly the time he wants them to do it.

Gather all of the details of the show: time, lights, sound, location, program, props, costumes, etc.

Elicit help from selfless people who are willing to give up their usual things to serve

Encourage the kids who are scared, nervous, unsure, and the ones with attitude, to keep going and try hard.

Sit back, breathe, and believe that in the end they will do their best.

Do you see any of the parallels here?  GOD directed (and continues to direct) the show for me.

He Convinces ME: a laughing, joking, screaming, playing, sinning and downright awnry believer to do exactly what He wants done at the time He wants it done.

He gathers all of the details of my life & flawlessly figures it out without me even having to know about it.

He provides people to volunteer their time and energy in order to love me, pray for me, encourage me, help me, serve alongside me.

He encourages me when I'm scared, nervous, unsure, discouraged or hurt.  

When I have an attitude--he tells me to keep going.

He sits back and waits until it is finally time to tell me, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

I could not have done this directing thing on my own, mind you, but I believe that God could.  Well, to be truthful, He really DID.  Thank you all who were praying for me this week.  I'm blessed beyond blessed to have you all in my life!  GOD BLESS!

And Feliz Navidad!

Rachel

PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAISES

• PRAISE that the Christmas Program went well & that its over ;)
• Pray for FINALS WEEK this week, and that the kids and teachers finish well!
• Pray for all of the teachers and missionaries flying home for Christmas vacation, that they'll be safe and enjoy their time at home.
• Pray for myself and the other teachers and missionaries staying here in Bolivia during vacation.  That we will still find ways to celebrate without family and that we won't miss home too much.
• Pray for the 2013 SAM Mission Conference coming up the 2nd week of January.  That everything will run smoothly and that it will be an edifying and awesome experience for all of the missionaries.

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS & SUPPORT!

Melancholy Missions

There are three things I haven't done since my last post over 2 weeks ago:
1. Blogged
2. Smiled
3. Prayed

I fully intend to explain all of the things above, and I hope and pray that you will all forgive me for them all.
Before I came onto the field I was asked to read a book called Serving as Senders by Neal Pirolo  As senders & supporters, I'd definitely recommend reading it because it gives you a little glimpse into what it is like to be a missionary and how you can intentionally & specifically be praying for missionaries such as myself.  In the book they provide a pretty interesting chart which outlines and explains the ups and downs of a cross-cultural worker.  I pictured it below:

When I first looked at this chart aI was in stages B-C, and at that stage, you don't believe that the other parts are really as accurate as they say in the book.  Up until this point, I have been in stage D: The honeymoon period.  I have been enjoying the new culture, embracing new ministries, loving the newness of my students and even the unexpected adventure as a music teacher.

But as time has continued, I have begun to get annoyed with the fact that I have had to rely on others for rides or take crowded micros or feel uncomfortable when taxis honk at me as they pass.  Or shake out dust from the bottom of my sandals countless times during the day or address disrespectful students or navigate politics of a school or listen to another groaning missionary, and the list goes on.  Everything about Bolivia has started and continues to annoy me.

I want to be able to wear a coat and make snow angels.  I want to be able to drink hot chocolate without sweating; to drive my car to meet a friend for coffee.  I want to roll my eyes at people frantically shopping at the malls.  I want to be able to experience a new Christmas with Dave with my family & friends.  I want home.

I have officially entered into stage E: Cultural Stress.

Serving as Senders puts it this way:

The time that passes between these identified stages will vary according to circumstances. But as surely as night follows day, this next stage is inevitable. One morning your missionary rudely awakens to the reality that the single handle will never produce hot water! He realizes he has committed himself to circumstances that are no longer quaint; they are now weird even barbaric! The adventure of discovery has turned to the dread of "What's next?" The first bugs of dysentery keep him up all night. The fact that this is the most difficult language in the world to learn has him looking for a permanent interpreter. The first hints of persecution or the awareness that people are not going to change as easily or as rapidly as he had hoped have him asking God to "Let this cup pass from me...." The pinnacles of ecstasy have plummeted to the depths of despair. Culture stress has set in. 

Most missionaries don't want to talk about this stage of missionary life because the people back home won't think of them as "spiritual" enough if they admit to some of these trying times. It is at this time that your cross-cultural worker needs your support. Many—too many—crash here. Of course, some turn back before they leave the airport! 

I am not leaving for the airport, and I am not like most missionaries: I have vowed to be honest and forthcoming about my weaknesses and struggles, otherwise there is no reason to pray.

Simply put: I have become a melancholy missionary.  I haven't been praying or smiling for the past two weeks, and it has been absolutely miserable.  This is my time to apologize for the selfish person that I have been in the past few weeks.  I have physically been here, but my mind and my heart has not been here.

I have been reading My Utmost for His Highest since I have been here, and in the book Oswald Chambers wrote: 

We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion.

I have not been allowing my faith to get me through this season of my life that I have read about in Ecclesiastes 3.  I have not been allowing God to get me through; I have been relying on myself, and through relying on myself I have been so self-involved that I don't have room for God in my thoughts or alone-time.  I have been sleeping more and praying less; I have been faking smiles, and haven't found the time, will or energy to blog about things I have done.

1 Corinthians 7:24 says "So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God."  I have not remained or drawn near to God in this hardship that I have voluntarily been placed in, and there are so many things to be thankful for.

One of my college professors addressed all of the female college students one day when he spoke in chapel saying, "Have you ever thought that if God believed you were ready for a relationship, you would be in one?"  I feel like you could fill this statement of wisdom in with a number of things. For the season I am currently in I choose to fill in the statment saying "If God believed that I were ready to be home, I would be home."

God is not through with me yet, and I just need to draw near to Him and He will draw near to me (James 4:8).  Please pray that I will do so as I continue to search for my next steps in this ministry, and as I seek God's wisdom in order to fall in love with this ministry and Bolivia once again.

Thanks for Reading!

Rachel

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. The Christmas Program is on Friday, and we will be prepping this entire week.  Please pray for strength, patience & perseverance for both myself and the kids.
2. Monday after school we have a Middle school crew meeting.  Pray that both Rachel Rogers and I will seek the Lord's face as we continue to iron out the details of Middle School Crew.
3. Middle School youth group i son Friday, and they will be doing things one-man short.  Pray that the kids and leaders continue to build relationships.
4. Pray for my attitude towards other missionaries & that I will find a mentor as I continue to seek one out.
5. Also pray that I will continue to seek the Lord as I continue to navigate this season of my time here in Bolivia.