I am typing this from my hotel room in Honduras, to let you all know that we have made it and we are safe. My mom and I knew that the Lord's hand was upon this trip since the beginning. We made all of our flight connections and when we landed, all of our baggage was waiting for us. Wednesday we went to Eternity Christian School, where I will be teaching K-5. The school was beautiful, their mascot is a dolphin, so already I am pretty pumped. While we were talking with the principal's wife, she was speaking about all of the ways that people have received healing in Honduras and as she was praying all of the pain along the front of my knees went away! It was absolutely incredible. Thursday we were able to get me a cell phone, and we had a lot of time to relax.
If you want to know how I am feeling, Thursday I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by sadness, I was overwhelmed with new information and excitement. I knew that leaving the US was going to be difficult, I just didn't expect it to be that difficult already. I felt that at any moment my tear ducts could burst.
I know that this is in the Lord's hands though, and I also know that satan is going to do everything in his power to get me to give up, and quit and come home. I know that after this year, I will look back on this and be so glad that I did it. I just my frame of mind to change.
My mom and I have really had a great trip though and the more I explore and the more I step out of my comfort zone, the more comfortable I get. This year is going to be so full of trying new things and letting Christ have His way in every area of my life. I have prayed for years that Christ's will would be done. I am living in the center of that will. Everything that I have been planning for, everything that i have been prepared for, everything that I have wanted since I was little is happening. That is crazy! I told God to send me, he sent me. I asked for more faith and greater trust, and that is what this move is all about. God answers prayers! Even years after we have been praying them. I cannot express to you how much I am looking forward to during this year. I am anxious to see where I was and where I will end up! Not my will, but HIS be done.
If you want to pray for me, here is what you can pray for:
1. Continued healing in my legs. I am so very sore.
2. My students-please pray that each of my students comes with an eagerness to learn! And that their minds are open and I am able to teach them in the best possible way.
3. My house- I will be living with another teacher at the school. They are still looking at houses for us though. Please pray that they find a house with air conditioning as well as one that is very close to the school.
4. My sadness- this is a time of joy and yet I still feel so sad. Please pray that it does not overtake all of the good.
Thank you friends for helping me get here!
Blessing.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
4 Days Until Take Off
Here I sit, a mere four days from boarding a plane to begin my life in Honduras. My living room is a mess, there are clothes thrown about, shampoo bottles are scattered about, and there are dozens of books that need to be packed. I thought that 6 suitcases could be enough... now you might have read that and thought to yourself 6?!?!?!?! Let's just take a moment to realize that I am packing for a whole year, taking all of my classroom decor with me, and medicines and toiletries that I might need while I am away from home.
So while I have been getting ready, I have gone through a mess of emotions. I will be so happy and looking forward to everything one second, and the next I am crying from sadness. Its been an interesting time. This next year could be one of the hardest I have ever had, and coming from three years of knee surgeries and recovery, I am sure you can imagine how difficult I am expecting this upcoming year to be.
With that being said, I am also so excited for this year! I discovered on Sunday that I will be teaching the 5 year old class at Eternity Christian School. It is exciting! I am going to be teaching little kids! And since I am a kid at heart, this is perfection. I have wonderful decorations for my classroom, but I would love more! I hope to have stations for them to play at, books for them to read and fun things to teach them. If you have any of these and would like to donate them, I would love to take some down with me when I return after Christmas break.
I am really looking forward to spending my time in Honduras with my mom! I have wanted her to visit Honduras since I first came home. She is going to fall in love with the country and she will love the presence of God that can be felt all around. She will love the people as much as I do.
I love that my parents have put their trust in God and have released me into his care.
Here I come Honduras, I hope you are ready because it is going to be a crazy year!
So while I have been getting ready, I have gone through a mess of emotions. I will be so happy and looking forward to everything one second, and the next I am crying from sadness. Its been an interesting time. This next year could be one of the hardest I have ever had, and coming from three years of knee surgeries and recovery, I am sure you can imagine how difficult I am expecting this upcoming year to be.
With that being said, I am also so excited for this year! I discovered on Sunday that I will be teaching the 5 year old class at Eternity Christian School. It is exciting! I am going to be teaching little kids! And since I am a kid at heart, this is perfection. I have wonderful decorations for my classroom, but I would love more! I hope to have stations for them to play at, books for them to read and fun things to teach them. If you have any of these and would like to donate them, I would love to take some down with me when I return after Christmas break.
I am really looking forward to spending my time in Honduras with my mom! I have wanted her to visit Honduras since I first came home. She is going to fall in love with the country and she will love the presence of God that can be felt all around. She will love the people as much as I do.
I love that my parents have put their trust in God and have released me into his care.
Here I come Honduras, I hope you are ready because it is going to be a crazy year!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
There she goes again
Well, after sending out all of my support letters with thejoyfullittlecupcake.blogspot listed as my blog, I decided to create a new blog to share my adventures in Honduras. This is just so like me, I like to make things as difficult as possible apparently. I really felt like I needed a separate blog to keep my friends and family updated on what I am doing specifically in Honduras. I want to reserve my other blog for my ramblings on life and funny things that I decide to write about.
So here is my first post about my Honduran Adventures and ironically enough, I am typing this in South Bend, Indiana. Which is hundreds of miles from Honduras.
I leave in 16 days. 16. I have been planning this move since I left Honduras last August and now I am this close. I am both excited and terrified. The emotions come in waves. I wanted to share my feelings and my thoughts that I have had as I prepare for this trip. I wanted you to know where I need prayer and how you can be praying for me.
The other day I was driving and it hit me that I am going to be totally dependent on other people. I am moving to a country that I have been in for less than 20 days. I don't speak the language. I don't really know what I am fully getting myself into. I am going to have to relay on others 24/7. That was a really scary thought, and almost as soon as it entered my mind, God was like, "Actually, you are going to be totally dependent on me. And I have never failed you." Right then I was like, "okay Lord, you're right. This is your plan, this is your will. I told you to send me and now you are. But this is all in your hands, I can't do this on my own, you're going to have to hold my hand the whole time. I can't do this." I left it at that. In Deuteronomy 31:6, God says "Be strong and courageous, Do not be afraid or terrified...for the Lord Your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Again in Hebrews he says it again. This is going to be a verse that I cling to daily. Please pray that I feel Christ's presence in my life, and that I remember that He is walking with me and there is nothing to fear.
I have been experiencing unusual pain and extreme fatigue this week as well which is very unsettling. A majority of it may just be anxiety, but I can't be for sure. My knee pain has been similar to the pain I experience right after surgery. It's been pretty bad. I've been in pain for so long, that part of me is expecting this to be my weakness throughout my life. Which is something I am still trying to accept. Please pray that God would sustain me and would heal the broken and damaged parts of my knees and my ankles. Pray that He would strengthen my body to endure what He has in store for me.
I don't know what I will be teaching yet, but I do know that I will be teaching. Please pray that I am able to lead a classroom full of students and that I am able to be the best teacher I can be.
I don't speak Spanish. Please pray that my mind is open to learning and that I absorb the language and pick up the cultural norms pretty quickly.
Like many times in my life, I ask you to pray that I would make friends quickly, and that I find people who can be like family to me. I don't like to be alone. I will need a strong support system while I am down there.
Lastly, please be praying for my sadness to subside. I am anxious to go, I am excited for the future, but I am also so sad to be leaving home. I am going to miss so many of you. To my lovely small group girls: I am going to miss your beautiful smiles, your energy and your endless supply of laughter. To the other high schoolers: I am going to miss you all. It has been so wonderful to watch you grow this year and I can't wait to see how you serve the Lord in the future. To my fellow leaders: thank you for the fun times, for praying with me and for supporting me in my walk with the Lord. To my church friends: thank you for helping me get this far, I will miss worshiping with you and hugging you on Sundays. To my parents: I will miss you, period. Thank you for raising me to have the courage to serve the Lord. Thank you for instilling love, faith, joy, honesty, grace and compassion in me. I would not be who I am today had it not been for everything you have invested into my life. Thank you for supporting me when I couldn't support myself. And thank you for trusting the Lord with my future and my life. You are both my real O.Gs. To Claire: I am going to miss our random conversation throughout the day. I will miss road trips to IWU. I will miss quoting movies all day erry day. Thank you for believing in me and always pushing me to become better. You're okay I guess. To Joe Rasbaugh, Jordan Stander, and Lauren Fahey: I will miss you three terribly. Thank you for always listening to me when I start to freak out. Thank you for the laughter, the prayer and the advice that you have given to me. You guys are the greatest. To Kara: I am going to miss everything about you basically. You are my truest friend, you are a kindred spirit. Can I leave it at that so I don't cry? Good, because I am going to. To Shelley: I am going to miss you terribly dear friend. Thank you for being my confidant this year. I have loved getting to know you. You will hear from me many times I am sure. To all my friends and family: I will miss you greatly. Thank you for shaping me into the young lady that I am and for supporting my future.
God is good, He is going before me to prepare the way. Like Peter, Jesus is calling me out of the boat, to trust Him and to take a step unto the waters. Here I am. Send me.
So here is my first post about my Honduran Adventures and ironically enough, I am typing this in South Bend, Indiana. Which is hundreds of miles from Honduras.
I leave in 16 days. 16. I have been planning this move since I left Honduras last August and now I am this close. I am both excited and terrified. The emotions come in waves. I wanted to share my feelings and my thoughts that I have had as I prepare for this trip. I wanted you to know where I need prayer and how you can be praying for me.
The other day I was driving and it hit me that I am going to be totally dependent on other people. I am moving to a country that I have been in for less than 20 days. I don't speak the language. I don't really know what I am fully getting myself into. I am going to have to relay on others 24/7. That was a really scary thought, and almost as soon as it entered my mind, God was like, "Actually, you are going to be totally dependent on me. And I have never failed you." Right then I was like, "okay Lord, you're right. This is your plan, this is your will. I told you to send me and now you are. But this is all in your hands, I can't do this on my own, you're going to have to hold my hand the whole time. I can't do this." I left it at that. In Deuteronomy 31:6, God says "Be strong and courageous, Do not be afraid or terrified...for the Lord Your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Again in Hebrews he says it again. This is going to be a verse that I cling to daily. Please pray that I feel Christ's presence in my life, and that I remember that He is walking with me and there is nothing to fear.
I have been experiencing unusual pain and extreme fatigue this week as well which is very unsettling. A majority of it may just be anxiety, but I can't be for sure. My knee pain has been similar to the pain I experience right after surgery. It's been pretty bad. I've been in pain for so long, that part of me is expecting this to be my weakness throughout my life. Which is something I am still trying to accept. Please pray that God would sustain me and would heal the broken and damaged parts of my knees and my ankles. Pray that He would strengthen my body to endure what He has in store for me.
I don't know what I will be teaching yet, but I do know that I will be teaching. Please pray that I am able to lead a classroom full of students and that I am able to be the best teacher I can be.
I don't speak Spanish. Please pray that my mind is open to learning and that I absorb the language and pick up the cultural norms pretty quickly.
Like many times in my life, I ask you to pray that I would make friends quickly, and that I find people who can be like family to me. I don't like to be alone. I will need a strong support system while I am down there.
Lastly, please be praying for my sadness to subside. I am anxious to go, I am excited for the future, but I am also so sad to be leaving home. I am going to miss so many of you. To my lovely small group girls: I am going to miss your beautiful smiles, your energy and your endless supply of laughter. To the other high schoolers: I am going to miss you all. It has been so wonderful to watch you grow this year and I can't wait to see how you serve the Lord in the future. To my fellow leaders: thank you for the fun times, for praying with me and for supporting me in my walk with the Lord. To my church friends: thank you for helping me get this far, I will miss worshiping with you and hugging you on Sundays. To my parents: I will miss you, period. Thank you for raising me to have the courage to serve the Lord. Thank you for instilling love, faith, joy, honesty, grace and compassion in me. I would not be who I am today had it not been for everything you have invested into my life. Thank you for supporting me when I couldn't support myself. And thank you for trusting the Lord with my future and my life. You are both my real O.Gs. To Claire: I am going to miss our random conversation throughout the day. I will miss road trips to IWU. I will miss quoting movies all day erry day. Thank you for believing in me and always pushing me to become better. You're okay I guess. To Joe Rasbaugh, Jordan Stander, and Lauren Fahey: I will miss you three terribly. Thank you for always listening to me when I start to freak out. Thank you for the laughter, the prayer and the advice that you have given to me. You guys are the greatest. To Kara: I am going to miss everything about you basically. You are my truest friend, you are a kindred spirit. Can I leave it at that so I don't cry? Good, because I am going to. To Shelley: I am going to miss you terribly dear friend. Thank you for being my confidant this year. I have loved getting to know you. You will hear from me many times I am sure. To all my friends and family: I will miss you greatly. Thank you for shaping me into the young lady that I am and for supporting my future.
God is good, He is going before me to prepare the way. Like Peter, Jesus is calling me out of the boat, to trust Him and to take a step unto the waters. Here I am. Send me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)