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 :)

The Cycle of Unforgiveness

This week I have been teaching my 7th graders about Point of View.  I used a cup that had liquid filled half way, and asked the students to decide whether they saw the glass as half full or half empty.  The class was pulled in different directions deciding on which was right or wrong.  But the truth is, both perspectives were right, just one might have been more optimistic than the other. Perspective is always a huge part of human interaction.  The same story can be told in so many different ways simply by point of view.  But at the end of the day, the Omniscient One is the only one that knows the complete truth, and we are simply called to seek that truth.

When I was in 5th grade, I got in an argument with one of my friends.  I don't even remember what the fight was about, but I know that it was most likely not worth the hours and hours (which seemed like days in a 5th grade mind) of time that we did not speak to eachother.  Eventually I broke my wall of pride down and apologized, but my friend did NOT want to hear it.  She refused my apology.  I was apalled.  HOW could someone not forgive my sincerest apology?  HOW could someone be so proud and mean!?  How could someone make me feel so small and worthless?

I have always accepted God grace for myself.  I know myself well enough to see that I do not deserve the supernatural grace that God has given me willingly.  Ever since I was a small girl I have learned the truth of His mercy.  Through so many avenues God has taught me about His ultimate sacrfice: the wordless book, diarammas in Sunday School, countless altar calls, bible songs accompanied by intense sign language..and many many more.  But I never really and truly grasped the grace and mercy of God until I saw that I needed it: when it wasn't given to me willingly by those who I desperately wanted it from.

As I look back on the dramatic argument of 5th grade, I'm starting to see it from my friend's perspective.  I see why it might have been that she refused to forgive me.  I see why it is that she didn't want to be involved in my life.  I betrayed her.  I hurt her.  I made her feel small and worthless.  God had already forgiven me for the things that I said and did to her, but all I cared about was the fact that she DIDN'T forgive me.

How often do I see myself on both sides of this scenario.  Wanting desperately for someone to forgive me, and then on the other side: too prideful to forgive.  Such is the neverending cycle of unforgiveness that so many of us fall into, and honestly I have fallen into it.

I hurt so I hurt someone else.
I'm not forgiven, so I don't forgive.

Why is it that my flesh wins time and time again?  Thank you, Lord, for showing me my heart.
God teach me how to see, know, and remember that your grace is enough

Please be praying for me this week as I learn how to forgive as well as how to be far from home.

Rachel

Dia del Amor y Amistad

A bunch of friends in Bolivia celebrating Katie's birthday

Today is National Friendship Day in Bolivia so naturally I should blog about friendship and post some photos of a couple of my friends.
I'm very much an extrovert.  I love people and friends.  People help me recharge.  I admire those that enjoy their time alone and recharge alone, but its hard for me to understand their perspective on life and living.  Throughout my life I have prided myself in my relational personality.  I love to spend quality time with people.  It used to be about numbers.  HOW MANY friends can I have?  Eventually my desires in friends turned into exclusively looking for good quality friendships.

A friend God graced me with: Dpo (my roommate)

As I continue to consider my life and interactions here in Bolivia, I'm realizing how rare it is to have a good solid and real friendship.  A friendship that isn't broken by an ocean.  A friendship that passes by the mundane and pointless conversations and straight to deep heart level conversatons.  God has blessed me with amazing friends across the Globe that I can't even thank Him enough.  But the problem is that I don't thank Him at all.

Instead of thanking God for the people in my life, I put him in the backseat of my life.  I used to have a friend in High School that I would follow around and do things for.  I desperately wanted to be her friend that I would always say yes when she wanted to hang out, and when she'd cancel I'd get hurt time and time again.  I would do anything to hang out with her.  Anything to say that she was my friend.  Eventually I realized that I was HER friend, but she wasn't mine, and I needed to move on.

my best friend, Dave, on one of our skype dates! ;)

Wow.  I treat God the way my "friend" in High School treated me.  I have trouble singing the song "I have a friend in God" because I can't see my relationship with God as a friendship.  I see it as so much more formal and square than that.  But realistically, thats my own fault.  He's the last one that I ask to hang out with.  He's the last one that I talk to when I'm in a crisis, He's the last one I consult for advice when I'm making decisions.  I don't spend quality time with Him like I do with my friends or my boyfriend.  I don't carve out a specific time to skype with Him.  There are so many things in my life...the life HE gave me...that I don't include Him in.

I should be the one chasing God for a friendship, but instead He's the one chasing me.  How privileged am I that I get to be friends with the Creator of the Universe? And the thing is, he won't just move on or get tired of chasing me, but I need to stop making Him chase me and start letting Him walk alongside me in every single aspect of my day. From the simple to the complex, the happy to the sad, the normal to the abstract; God wants and yearns to be part of my life, and I should see the value in that.

Thanks for your prayers & support!

Rachel

Prayer Requests for this Week

• Saturday: Pray for me as I commit to intentionally spending time with God on a daily basis.
• Sunday: Pray for the teachers during this long weekend.  That we can relax and rest, but also catch up on work we might be behind in.
• Monday: At High School youth group, we are having a party for Santa Cruz Day. Pray that its a night of opportunities to build relationships and trusts between the leaders and students.
• Tuesday: Pray for me on my busiest day.  Pray that God will grace me with energy and drive that only comes from Him.  Pray that I will not attempt to do it on my own
• Wednesday: Pray for chapel.  That it would be a time that both teachers and students will be able to meet with God and be edified.
• Thursday: Pray for the sports teams.  That they will be a light on the field (soccer) and on the court (volleyball), and that they will have fun and be protected from injury
• Friday: Pray for the Junior High.  This is the kick off night for youth group.  Pray that they will want to come, and that their hearts will be opened to the Truth.

Spiders Teach Lessons?

In hopes to teach the parts of a plot, I shared a personal narrative with my seventh & eighth graders that might have given them a few ideas for April Fools Day this year.  The story was about my first encounter with a spider: an encounter which resulted in my never-ending fear of spiders.

As I was challenging my students to come up with a theme for the story I read them, I started thinking to myself how the theme of fear seems to continue to surface in my life.  Though I tend to have a rough exterior, and can be pretty independent, somehow I have an underlying soft tissue right below the surface, and a cloud of fear lurking over me that manages to block the Son from view.

When I decided to take on the extra job as the Elementary Music teacher at the SCCLC, I was scared out of my mind.  I showed up to the 3rd grade music class with acid in my throat, sweaty palms, and a stomach ache.  But God showed up with Tums, Talcom Powder, 7up & Crackers.  As soon as the cute little 3rd graders hesitantly walked into my class an overwhelming peace came over me, and it was like I had been teaching Music for years.  That confidence could not have come from anyone but my ultimate Protector.

Thats not the only way He has protected me this week. God has given me a lot of grace this week.  he got me through PreK and Kindergarten Music classes to the point where they might have even been the highlight of my week.  He introduced me to the 6th graders & their spunky rebellion that presents a challenge that I am more than willing to accept.  He gave me the chance to have an awesome conversation with one of my students about loving others.  He opened doors to get to know a whole different side to the SCCLC that I was blind to: the Elementary side.  God continues to show up, He continues to be my protector, and He continues to save the day.

Overall I am overwhelmed and overjoyed with blessings straight from heaven.  I knew that I needed to let go of my fears and allow God to take over.  Teaching music class wasn't (so far) as BIG of a deal as I allowed it to be in my mind. I'm being stretched in a way that has brought me joy because I knew from the beginning that I couldn't do it on my own--and I have been forced to let God protect me from my fears.  Maybe I will be able to face my fear of spiders now!
....yeah right.

Thanks for reading, encouraging & praying!  SEE BELOW for specific ways you can be praying this week!

-Rachel

Prayer Requests:

• Staff Retreat TOMORROW & SATURDAY: safe travels, rest, & bonding time w/teachers & staff
• MOVE IN DAY: Dpo & I are moving to our new apartment Sunday but we need beds! (-__-)
• SAM meetings next week on budget & other things: pray for my attention span, and effective time management
• Strength in the newness of music class & ability to develop a classroom management system
• Continued development of my relationships with students: Elementary & Middle School alike
• Wednesday CHAPELS: That God would be overwhelmingly present & kids would respond to Him
• SPORTS GAMES: safety & fun :)

{Dis}comfort Zone

"I feel inadequate."

"I don't know if I can really do this..."

"Why would you choose me to teach this when..."

"How am I supposed to do that if you say that I can't even do this?"

"I have lost all of my confidence in this job"

"I'm obeying God, but I'm not ready to be happy about it yet."

These are all things that I have been caught saying this week as my ministry began to take a turn in a different direction.  I haven't been trusting that God will figure out the details of this ministry.  Details that he genuinely cares about.  Details for which he has already orchestrated a plan.

I have officially accepted the Elementary Music teacher position at the SCCLC.  I will be doing this job on top of teaching Reading to the 7th and 8th grade classes.  Before I left, I was worried that I would have too much time on my hands.  Now I feel like I don't have enough time in my day to completely cross off the things on my endless lists.

When I accepted the job to be the Elementary Music teacher, I couldn't help but think.."what?  I can't even play the piano! I might be able to sing..but that's not enough!" I still have the fear that my students will see right through me when I attempt to teach a subject that I'm not even trained for.  I feel like my students are going to walk all over me because I don't even know where to begin as far as managing classes from Kindergarten to 6th grade.  I have enough trouble dealing with middle schoolers.

I have all of these fears that keep creeping in on me, and my confidence as a teacher is low at best.  I don't believe that I have started this school year off with a good foot forward because I came in late, and I also had a few hard meetings to sit through that shattered my confidence as well.

But I'm realizing that this is not me.  This is not the way that Rachel Gentry does life.  I have always been a "low self esteem, high confience" kind of person.  I've known those weaknesses of myself for a while.  It took coming to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to realize that I am not adequate or qualified.

Tomorrow marks the first day of actually stepping out of my comfort zone.  Up until this point I have been doing things that I am confident in even if I'm not incredible or the best at it, I at least have KNOWN what I am doing.  God is officially telling me to step completely out of my comfort zone and allow HIM to do the work.

PLEASE be praying for me this week as I start this new journey in my {dis}comfort zone.

• Pray for my poor new Elementary students as they wait patiently for me to get used to them & learn their names.
• Pray for time management on my end, so that I can get all of my prep & planning finished
• Pray for the administration as they patiently answer my countless questions
• Pray for myself and my roommate as we continue to grow together and learn about eachother
• Pray that I will lay my burdens down at Jesus' feet instead of having this fear of inadequacy
• Pray for God to continue to show himself across the SCCLC & that His love will permeate through all of us.

Thanks for you constant support, prayers, and encouragement!

Rachel