Week One!

It has already been almost two weeks that I have been here! The first week of school is complete! These 12 days have gone by like a whirlwind, and I have a feeling this is just the beginning. Classes in the school are from 8:00-2:00 - the teachers have devotions together at 7:30. I spend the first 2 1/2 hours with the Secondary School, 2 1/2 hours with the High School, and 30 minutes with Pre-School and younger. I am finding that not only do I need to learn Spanish, but I also need to brush up on my English grammar! I also have the opportunity to have a devotional time with four of the High School girls in the school on Mondays, while their parents are in a marriage class. They are very nice girls, and I am looking forward to being able to spend more time with them. God has been teaching me so much already and it would be hard to tell everything in one blog post like this. I am so blessed to have this chance to have God and service as my sole focus. I had a conversation someone today who was wondering what events led me here and why I was able to be here. I told the very long story in a nutshell, and was once again reminded of how amazing it was that God orchestrated all the events in my life to lead me to Mexico for this time. I don't know what God has for me in the future, or even exactly why He has me here for this time - I just know that He wants me HERE! And there is awesome peace in knowing that I am in the center of His will!
I appreciate your continued prayers - for my time in the classroom that I would be able to communicate well with the students and give them the information they need, for the ability to learn Spanish QUICKLY :-), and for my devotional times with the girls on Mondays. Also, please pray for wisdom concerning returning for the Spring semester. There are many things that will factor into this decision, the most important one being finances. I wish to be a wise steward of what God has given me and in order to return in the Spring semester I want to be sure that I have the resources to do so.
God bless you all, have a wonderful week!

Praise the Lord, I arrived safely in Cuautla three days ago. The first two days were spent fixing the classrooms in the school - everything from painting and cleaning offices to decorating bulletin boards and desks. Of course, all of this was interspersed with playing and talking with the children! Yesterday I brought out my frisbee and we had a great time throwing it around. We will soon have an Ultimate Frisbee team here at Mahanaim! Many of the children I have met have a fair understanding of the English language, but they do not have the confidence to speak it. One of my jobs here will be simply to talk to the children to get them to practice actually speaking the language. I am finding, however, that I really do need to learn Spanish! Please pray that I can learn quickly(!!) so that I will be able to communicate with more people. Pastor Fernando and his wife, Flor, have been very welcoming and encouraging. They have such servant hearts and have expressed many times how blessed they are that I was able to come. I have had many people tell me that I am an answer to prayer and it is very humbling to think that so many people are so excited to see me here. I have to confess that at this point I feel inadequate - there are many people that would be "more qualified" to be in a position like this - but I am sure that God wants me here for a reason! I was reading in 2 Corinthians 12 this morning and once again came across my favorite verses, 12:9-10. I love that God chooses to show his power through our weaknesses! What a privilege for us - one that we certainly do not deserve.
Thank you all for your continued prayers!