Praises & Petitions

Today I want to tell you about three girls that God has laid on my heart, as praises and prayer requests. Their names are Reanna, Merci, and Alba. Let’s start with Reanna.

I met Reanna the first Sunday I attended Calvary Chapel. She’s from California and came for a few weddings of friends (She use to live here as a missionary). Through a mutual friend we started to hang out, and for the last two weeks I think we have done something almost everyday. She left this past Wednesday to return to the States, but she was such an encouragement to me. We enjoy a lot of the same movies and books, which produced a lot of laughs. But more importantly she  has a deep love for God. We were able to have some spiritual and meaningful conversations ,which was such a blessing. Not that I can’t do that in Spanish, but it’s more of a challenge (my Spanish still has a long way to go). Also through her friendship I was able to get to know more believers from the church. Little by little I am getting to know the people of the church better, and I hope that continues to grow. Reanna may have only been here for a short time, but God definitely used her in a great way in my life. God blesses with things I don’t even know how to pray for.

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One of the ministries the English service has is a mid-week Bible study. This study is usually held at a dear couple’s house, Karen and David. They have been another blessing to me. I love conversing with Karen; she definitely has the gift of encouragement and giving. Karen’s maid is named Merci, who is 21.

Side note: For those of you who are not as familiar with South American culture, having a maid is extremely common here. When I lived here as a child, we had a maid. In reality it provides more jobs for women who are usually in positions that really need jobs, and hopefully it is a means to witness to them as well. 

A few weeks ago I was able to sit down with her and get to know her a little bit. She wants to work on her English. As I shared in my last post, God has laid on my heart the importance of discipleship. I don’t have a whole lot figured out yet, but I am praying about trying to give her some English lessons, lessons that will include not just grammar and vocabulary, but the Gospel. Please pray for wisdom and guidance there. So much of life is still new territory for me.

As I have mentioned, I have had the privilege to teach a class the last few weeks. And yesterday God blessed with another opportunity that concretely pointed to His hand. After class my student Alba asked if she could walk to the downtown with me. I gladly accepted! Alba is 26 years old, and she is extremely friendly. We talked about family and school, but then as we were walking, we ran into one of my friends from church. We just said hello in passing, but I mentioned to Alba that I knew the friend from church. That triggered a spark! Alba explained that she had wanted to go to church with me the other week but couldn’t remember the directions. I explained the location to her again, and I made sure she had my number. God uses all things, even just passing by a friend on the street. Please, please pray that God brings her Sunday. She seems to have an open heart. I admit my heart is anxious to know more people at school to be able to build friendships with them. I guess it’s possible I might have more of a ministry with my students than my fellow teachers; I honestly have no idea. However, as I was walking today the Spirit prompted me to pray for protection. It’s a good thing to want to share the Gospel with those around , but that can easily turn into a means of pride. If I am not careful, I could become too concerned with results, with how many people I can share with/bring to church etc. Not that I shouldn’t be excited when I see God produce the results, but my heart must seek Jesus first, not results. My motivation should always be to honor my Greater Father, not to get a sense of accomplishment from “my work.” It’s not my work. God is the one who performs the work; I just have the privilege of being used by God. 

That’s where my heart is at right now, so please pray with me. I will let you know how God decides to answer. 

Call to Disciple

      “...at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the 

prisoners were listening to them…” Acts 16

As of late, I have been studying in the book of Acts. I could mention many things that the Lord has been teaching me from there. For example, the verse above shows the testimony and impact Paul and Silas were having in the midst of being imprisoned; they were Spirit filled.I think there are two main things that God has been pressing on my heart as I have mediated on this book: following the Spirit and making disciples. To be honest, I don’t think those are strong points in my life. I can be a very contemplative person and can over-think decisions.  I confuse the leading of the Spirit and the emotions of my own heart. Thankfully, that’s where the Word of God comes into play. I have to learn to live by what God teaches in Scripture. Living on my own in Cuenca has definitely put that to the test.  I am grateful for the push to know God’s word in a deeper manner, but I get fearful of the mistakes I will make.

Saturday I had the privilege of going to a wedding of a lady I have recently met through church. This was not only my first Ecuadorian wedding but also my first all outside wedding-what can I say, those are not common with the unpredictable weather of Iowa. At the reception, I was having a good conversation with a few friends, and I was asked what God has been teaching me lately. The concept of making disciples came quickly to mind. A huge part of following the Lord is devoting time to make disciples. My dad’s life is a beautiful example of that. However currently,  I don’t think I am making disciples, and I don’t think it’s for lack of opportunities. As I started to pray and ask the Lord to help me in this area, He started to bring certain people to mind. Part of disciple making is being proactive in the process, in seeking people out. 

I guess what I am trying to get at is that I need prayer, prayer for boldness to be a disciple maker. Now obviously this is not founded on my strength or determination-if so I will fail. However, God has called me here, and I want the time He has given me here to honor Him, to make much of Him. I don’t want to waste the time that was purchased with Christ’s life. I am a sinner saved by grace, and that’s the most important truth I can share with others. Pray that God will draw more souls from Cuenca to Himself and that I will play the part that He wants. 

A Good Busy

 Even though I am only teaching one class, life has been surprisingly busy, but in a blessed way. I’ve been able to get to know more people in Cuenca and enjoy a little more of the city as well. 

Last week I went to the zoo in Cuenca (it’s been here for about a year). The zoo was not incredibly large, but seeing and observing the animals reminded me of the beauty and complexity of God's creation. Overall, the afternoon was a blast! I went with some new friends and old friends, Cuencanos and Americans. To make it through the zoo, we had to walk up and down dirt paths. We were able to walk underneath the trees the monkeys were jumping from, and we got pretty close to some of the parrots. Although it does make me chuckle that deer and squirrels are in the zoo here:) What I was really thankful for was the Christian fellowship. God has been so kind to answer prayers! 

Saturday I was able to go to Ingapirca, an Incan ruin site, with two girls. That night I ended up helping serve at a Jewish dinner that La Capilla does every few months. This was part of the Spanish ministry at the church, so I had the privilege of getting to know some more people from the church. I love the idea of doing something like this, to realize a little more the depth of what took place at the Last Supper. Oh and guess what? One of the girls that was helping serve from the church actually studied at St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa. I was quite surprised! She’s the first Ecuadorian I have met that has actually been to Des Moines.

Sunday was another great service, being challenged from John 1. I was reminded of the importance of challenging/encouraging family (stemming from how Andrew brought Peter to Christ). God has placed us all in our families for specific reasons. Even though I am far away from my immediate family, I can pray for them and share with them what God is doing here in Cuenca.And Lord willing, I will meet individuals who will come to the family of Christ through my time here. My dad taught me the importance of being a fisher of men; I pray I can follow in his example. 

After church, I went out with a group for lunch. I get to hear all kinds of stories through these lunch outings, as usually there are always new people I don’t know. I must admit, I love it! There are not very many people my age at the church, but I think God has placed these individuals in my life for a reason. Hopefully I can meet people from work to invite to church to grow the young population of the church, but in the mean time I am enjoying all the listening I get to do. 

Later that afternoon, a group of us went out for coffee and walked downtown. We tried to hand out some tracts at the park. I must admit street evangelism has always been a stretch for me, but I was able to sit down with an elderly lady named Rosa. We had a good conversation, and I was able to share the Gospel with her via my Dad’s testimony ( the fact that my dad use to be Catholic comes in so handy in a country were over 95% are Catholic!). 

This week I have kept busy with teaching and taking my Spanish class in the morning, and my afternoons have filled up with visiting different people/attending a Bible study.

Life is starting to take form here, which is exciting. God has given me a place to live (hopefully roommates and furniture are soon to come!), a job where I can teach in a low-key setting, a church that is a joy to be apart of, and opportunities to share the Gospel. I think God is easing me into things. My full load of teaching will start in the end of September. I have to admit I am a little nervous at what that will look like, but then I have to remember how much God has done and is doing. Half the time I walk down the streets and have a grin on my face because I can still hardly believe everything that has happened. I get to live in Cuenca. What a joy and privilege it is to follow my Great Father. 

Week 1 of Work

Well I have officially finished my first week of work, and guess what? I love it! God is so good and kind to me, and I again am reminded that I serve a gracious Father.

“ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

                    the Lord bestows favor and honor.

                  No good thing does he withhold

                     from those who walk uprightly” Psalm 84:11. 

                    Let me tell you why I enjoyed the week.

First, teaching an intensive class (which just means the class meets everyday for two hours) means the requirements are pretty relaxed. For example, I don’t have to turn in any lesson plans! Not that I don’t have to plan, but it’s a very freeing feeling for a teacher :) Second, I have a very interactive curriculum. I do a lot of games and group work with my students, which enables me to get to know my students. Such a blessing.

And third, well today I was able to teach a lesson on Christmas! Ha, any of you that know me well know that I can get pretty excited about Christmas. I love discussing the traditions and showing pictures, but the most beautiful thing about Christmas is Christ. Today I had the privilege of sharing that with my students. The explanation was not extensive, but the conversation stemmed into other opportunities. I was able to share with them where I go to church, and I invited all six of my students (oh yeah I forgot to tell you that my class that was only suppose to be two students grew to six, but I am thankful for that as well). Some of them wrote down the information, so I am praying that maybe a few will show up Sunday! Please, please pray with me for them. 

After class, one of my students asked me what my religion was. I explained to her that the most important thing is a relationship with Christ, and that only happens through recognizing your sins, asking God for forgiveness, and putting your faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. To be honest, I don’t know if I should have given a lengthier answer, but I pray God uses that- I am still learning how to share the Gospel.

Also, I started a Spanish class this week. This is great practice for me, as I can get around speaking, but my grammar needs some definite improvement. Yesterday I was able to share my testimony with my Spanish teacher as we were walking to a museum. I see God’s sovereignty in so many ways; because Cuenca was where God really started to soften my heart to Him, I can easily find segways into my testimony. She could be a believer, but I am not for certain. However, I do praise God that He gave me the opportunity to share!

God is at work here in Cuenca, and I am excited to see what the next weeks and months will bring. Again, please pray for my students, and I will let you know the turn out on Sunday!

Remedy for Homesickness

Finally it hit me-I am not going to see my family for a long time. I think life has been such a roller coaster the last three months that I haven’t had time to process everything that has happened. To an extent, I see that as part of God’s grace in my life. However, since my dad has left, life has calmed down, and everything kind of came to ahead. I have an apartment, I have a job, I have a bank account, I have an Ecuadorian cell phone plan, and I even a Supermaxi card (the local grocery store). I am actually living in Cuenca! And though most of the time that thought thrills my heart, I was able to be sad for the first time. My family is not perfect by any means, but every member of my family has had a huge impact on my life- I love them dearly and  am so thankful for them. 

God is teaching me that He uses all things, even the moments of homesickness. How? Well, it reenforces prayer and the need to lean on God’s truth and presence. My mom taught me that through any circumstance, even if confused by the situation, if I’m learning  to cry out to God more, than that outcome is sufficient enough. 

I think struggling also produces a special way for God to work. Usually when I am struggling, I ask God for help or encouragement. He is faithful to answer, even if I don’t see it right away. For example, when I was a little down, I just prayed and asked for help. Minutes later a friend called to see if I wanted to hang out with a group of people. Or on Saturday, I wasn’t feeling so well, and I wasn’t sure where I should go to church the next day. I really enjoyed Calvary Chapel, but I didn’t know if I should visit a different church with another friend. My lack of energy caused me to spend more time in prayer. God clearly answered my specific prayer requests and directed me back to going to la Capilla- I again thanked God for his answers; they are reminders that my God truly never leaves me.

And can I tell you Sunday was a blast?!?! First, I walked to church, which is a little bit of a walk from my place, but I enjoy the time to think and pray. When I arrived, I was a little early (unheard of for Ecuadorians!), but I was able to meet more people this way. The man in charge of the music, Brian, introduced himself. He’s originally from California, and he’s very encouraging and energetic. Last Sunday I met a girl from Ireland who serves here as a missionary; she is very involved in the ministry at la Capilla. This time I also met Gistasha ( sadlyI have no idea to spell her name), and she does non profit work for small towns here in Ecuador. She is originally from Canada, but has done her share of traveling as well. We enjoyed talking about our traveling experiences. 

Matt did a wonderful job at preaching again, speaking from John 1. I was reminded how my calling comes from God’s Word; it’s vital I be in God’s word daily so I continue to rely on my heavenly Father instead of my own efforts. My life is His, and is not about me (although I forget that quite often). 

After the service, a group of us went out for lunch. In the group were three retired couples that I loved getting to know. One couple is from Oklahoma, the other from California, and the other, well Mike is from England and his wife is from Jamaica- the variety of conversation was intriguing and entertaining! 

I am still trying to take things a step at a time, but I really enjoy going to church there, and I think there are ways I can help serve there as well.

This week has turned out to be a little more hectic than planned. I received an email yesterday to teach a class that started today-ha yep that’s Ecuador for you :) I also have a Spanish class that meets 2/3 times a week. Only two other individuals are in the Spanish class with me; pray for opportunities with them as well. Scott and Natalie are a couple from Australia that are only here for another month before they continue on with their travels. 

I really enjoyed my first day of class, and I will be sure to write about those soon (that’s a whole new post :)God has shown me more of Himself through struggles and answered prayer; I am so very thankful to be here-thanks for your prayers. 

Keep Calm

This mug was a gift from my mother-she knows me well. Partly I love the mug because it’s tied to British World War history,  and I love British history and literature. However  I also love the phrase. It’s a good reminder to me that I always have an anchor despite the circumstances. And in the last three months, life has been full of crazy changes. However God is so good and constantly at work. 

For one, I had a wonderful time with my dad. Walking and talking and praying with him- I can’t describe to you how much of an encouragement that was to me.God continued to confirm to both of us that this is where He wants me. 

Everything went well with the apartment- I love it! And as I mentioned earlier, Dad had a chance to do a study with the owner.The study went well, so we were both very thankful for that. Another blessing about my apartment is that their is a flooring business on the base floor. This business is owned by a believer that goes to one of the baptist churches in the area. And guess who we ran into my dad’s last day here? Yep the owner:) His name is Freddy, and he also told me his secretary is my age and a believer, so maybe I will have a chance to get to know her. 

I shared that one of my biggest concerns is finding the church where God wants me to serve. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go an English service at the Calvary Chapel here in Cuenca. I really enjoyed the service, and I was definitely fed from the word of God. Most of the attenders there are retired couples, but they were all very nice to me :) I think they are trying to grow the English service, so  my plan is to attend there for a little while and see if that’s where God wants me. I’ll keep ya posted!

For now, life is quite. I will start a Spanish class next week, which I am looking forward to-I need to work on my Spanish! In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy the downtime. I’ve been reading through 2 Chronicles in my devotions, and I’ve just been challenged again and again that walking with God is a daily action. Jehoshaphat’s prayer in chapter 20 struck a chord with me, especially this verse “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Life will always be full of circumstances that I don’t see coming, of decisions I won’t know how to make right away, but when my heat is set to seek the Lord, I can keep calm and carry on.