A small mosquito and a big sickness

 Monday was a turning point in my time here in Ghana. For the first time in 4 years I tested positive for Malaria. I was at home for the next two days literally sleeping. I was physically knocked down to the point where just doing the simplest thing made me exhausted. However, I knew people were praying from the moment I found out Monday night. Malaria usually knocks people out for at least three days once diagnosed. I can honestly say that God healed me and that power came from those who were praying for me. The third day after I tested positive I was back at work and lasted the whole day with more energy than I had the whole week. God is good and He is the great healer and I honestly believe that. Thank you for praying for me this past week as I was dealing with this sickness. This week I could also appreciate your prayers as I am speaking in Chapel on Wednesday. 

God's little surprises

I love when God gives us little things to remind us that He is with us. This week I have many God surprises.

The first one was on the second day of school. I was reading the book Wimberley Worried by Kevin Henkes.  During the story I asked my kids why we didn’t have to worry. One student answered because we have God. This lead to more questions and the question of how we go to Heaven. So this led me to ask them the question of how do we go to Heaven? Some of the students answered with being good, listening, and obeying. I told them those were all good things but none of those get us to go to Heaven. We talked about the only way to go to Heaven was to ask Jesus to come into our hearts. That he died on the cross and took all the bad things we do so that we could go to Heaven and all we have to do is accept that gift and believe who he says he is. Then we went back to reading our story.

The second God surprise was Thursday night/ early morning. I have been trying to decide what to speak about in chapel in two weeks. I must have been worrying about it before I feel asleep and so I had a dream that I was speaking in chapel and nothing was going right but I just started speaking on David and going and then I woke up. At 1:07 in the morning, half asleep, I wrote down everything that was in my mind. It was all about David and how he had to go in obedience, faith, and knowing God was fighting the battle. How we have to go in obedience, faith, and knowing will fight the battle when we complete the great commission. God honestly gave me these words there is no way I would have come up with them by myself.

It amazes me that God’s little surprise reminds us to just talk to God and then listen. When we do this we don’t worry so much and God takes care of it for us. So often I can pray for things and not take the time to listen to what God is telling me concerning what I prayed.

God is working in my class and in my life even after the first week of school. Continue to pray for my class of 17. Pray for the chapels that are coming up. Pray for strength and confidence in all the rolls that the Lord has me in this year. 

A Year of Renewal

God is so faithful. I have loved every moment being back in Ghana. It has been a busy couple of weeks of working to get things ready for the new teachers and doing whatever I could to help around the school. I got a lot done in my classroom during this time and I really got to focus on the focus of my year. This year my focus for my class is to follow God and be wise in what He has for my students and me. Our class verse is Proverbs 3:7, “ Be not wise in your own eyes: Fear the Lord and depart from evil. I love this verse because if we have a relationship with Christ we shouldn’t want to be wise in our own eyes. I always want to make sure that I am acquiring of the Lord before I make decisions.

      This past week we had teacher training. Our theme this year is renewal. Renewal in all areas of our lives, whether that be at school, in our lives, or in our relationship with Christ. This really inspired me. This summer I was on a quest to really find who I was in Christ. I was reading a book, The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees. This really changed my view of who I was in Christ. That God made me with all my insecurities, and faults for a reason and that He made me the way I am because I am special to Him. At the end, it gives a list of who I am to God. God started my renewal process this summer by showing me who I am. Starting a fresh turn in my relationship with Christ (a renewal) by showing me that I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), blessed and chosen by God (Ephesians 1:3-5), Strong (Ephesians 6:10), Holy and without blame (I peter 1:15-16), Set free (John 8:31-32), complete (Colossians 2:10), not guilty (romans 8:1), At peace with God (2 Corinthians 5:18), Protected (I John 5:18), Marked as God’s (Ephesians 1:13), created for good (Ephesians 2:10), Loved (I Thessalonians 1:4), Becoming more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), not afraid (2 Timothy 1:7), and Never alone (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). 

Renewal is a process that we go through in our walk with Christ and it is a good change. Renewal is required but only God can renew us from within. Mine has started and I am ready for God to stretch me in ways that I could never imagine this year. God has already stretched me this past week with some of the things I am involved in this year.  This year I get to be on the chapel committee. I think this is going to stretch me more than anything else this year. Helping to plan what happens in chapel and getting the opportunity to speak not only once but at least 3 times. This is going to be the biggest challenge for me because I am least comfortable speaking in front of people, all of my insecurities come out and all my inadequacies. I am so excited though to get the opportunity to take things that these kids know and use it to share the gospel and share who Christ is. This is a big request for me as my first time speaking will be in two weeks the final message of three-called Ready Set Go. I get to speak on the Go. Then our next themes are superheroes and what are qualities that we need to be superheroes of the faith. I get to speak about Esther and how she was a biblical superhero. The Last theme is Disney movies. We are taking Disney movies and pulling biblical truths from them. My movie is The Lion King. I was rewatching it today and seeing what God can show me through this movie and I am so excited to look into something that I saw and heard. I can’t wait! 

      I hope this year as you read my blog that you would be encouraged. I can’t wait to share this journey with you. I am so thankful for all the prayers and support. God is going to do amazing things this year and I hope that you enjoy the journey as much as I am going to.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”