Where do you find your strength?

I have a couple of stories to share with you this week. I got strength this week from a couple of things that happened this week. 2 of them have to with friends and the other ones just have to do with little encouragements from others.

So this week I was sick again out of something I ate. So on Wednesday I came home from school at like 3:40 which is super early for me and came home and went to sleep because I had no energy. So I wrote on my facebook that I was not feeling all that well and I get a phone call from a friend that I just really started to get to know at the end of last year. He was just calling to see if I was okay and to make sure I didn't have malaria. It was so sweet and it kind of made me feel better. Then I got a better on Thursday and George wanted me and my roommate to see the soccer game at Lincoln on Friday. So we decided to go and I was excited so I got to see my friends George and Elrom.

Then on Saturday I got told since I was a volleyball coach I needed to go thru first aid training and it happened that the guy that was doing our first aid training was my friend Mike who was the life guard at my pool party last year. It was great to see him again and just see him do something that he is very passionate about.

On Thursday in our mailboxes we got prayers from students after chapel. I and the prayer team at home have been praying for one of the high schoolers who has been searching for Christ. Well on those prayers I found one that said something like thanks for sending Jesus to die for me, and it was from this one student that we are praying for. I don't know if he has accepted Christ but he realizes that Jesus came to die for him and that is one step closer for him to ask him to come into his life. Our prayers are working and Christ is working in his life so please keep lifting him to our savior. Sometimes in ministry when you don't necessarily see a lot of results from just planting seeds and you see something like that you just see that all the work and praying for these students is making a difference you regain strength.

The one that has not happened yet but that I am so excited about is volleyball starts tomorrow! We have about 11 girls that have picked up permission slips to play which is just really exciting. But what is perhaps even more exciting is that I have an awesome partner who has the same passion I do for these students to really be a discipleship group as well. Talking with her yesterday in the van about what we wanted to do to make Christ even more evident on our team. We have come up with a couple of different things: Before we start practice each time we are going to have someone share something that they learned about Christ that day or something that happened to them. Then we are going to pray together as a team. This week Daesha and me are going to show them. As a team we are going to have a team verse that we are going to memorize. We have talked about getting shirts with the team verse on it so that it would be the center of our team. We want volleyball to be not only a team but a small group that can encourage and be in God's word together. Please pray for all these girls and Daesha and me as we coach and disciple these girls.

Last and not least I have especially today found strength in sitting and reading the Bible, and listening to worship music. It has been a rough day and the first thing that i thought of was to vent to someone else. However all the people I usually vent to were not home or not online which I think was God telling me I am the one that you vent to. So just crying out to God for strength to deal with people here and just being tired just listening for his voice, and searching in the Bible. Going to humans first is so ridiculous because they don't hold your future or your life. They don't have the words to comfort and loving arms to wrap around you and hold you for a long time but God does and He does all the time. He always has the right thing to say to you even when it is in his stern voice because you have disobeyed or did it your way instead of going to him first. He always does it in a loving way.

Please pray for this senior who has realize he needs Jesus. Pray for salvation. Pray for our volleyball program as it starts on Monday. Please also pray for a struggling relationship with one of my housemates and coworkers. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

a little bit of chaos in a world of peace

This week has been a week that I have realized that I am back in Ghana. The honeymoon stage is over and I am full in. You would think after 2 years I wouldn't have to have the realization that I am no longer in America and get into a routine which is fine. I love having my routine but being too comfortable with the routine is another thing. Having a passion for what you are doing with a routine is different that just being completely comfortable with your routine. I don't want to be in a rut where I just go and go like a robot. I want to be open to all of what God is willing to teach me and the opportunities I have to share Him with others.

This week I got to go to a Korean festival. There is a big Korean population here in Ghana in a place called Tema. A lot of these families are missionaries. They would putting on a fundraiser for their church. It was a lot of fun and I got to eat a lot of good korean food. I had a great opportunity to eat lots of good food. I had some Korean noodles which are amazing, they were called Chap Chae,I think bung-a bbang was these things that look like fish and inside they have beans and something else but they taste like chocolate, and hoddok is a cinnamon pancake thing, it was more of a dessert. I got to hang out with some amazing teachers and friends. So all of these foods I split with the new PE teacher, Josiah, and at one point he told me I wasn't allowed to talk any more till I finished the rest of the fish thing because he wouldn't start eating the pancake things until I was done. So for all of you who know me I didn't stop talking I just quickly finished so that we could eat the pancake things. It was a lot of fun and I hung out with people that I hadn't really hung out with yet.

So in Bible study this year we have been looking at the life of David in I Samuel. This week a couple things just hit me.

1. GOd has a will for me but so does Satan. (2 Tim. 2:26, And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Satan tries with all his might to make us stray and to deceive us. Make us doubt our faith and make us doubt of who we are in Christ. He attacks us and we know he will just like David knew he wrote it in Psalm 27:2. That is why 2 Tim. 1:12 is so important. It says For he which cause I also suffer these things nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I KNOW whom I have BELIEVED and am PERSUADED that he is ABLE to KEEP that which I have COMMITTED unto Him against that day.

2. There are two types of faith. Faith that we base our faith on what God is doing and one where we base our faith on who He is. So many times especially in Ghana I have faith on what He is doing and as soon as something happens where I don't necessarily see Him working I tend to get down on myself and look at things more critically. WHere as if I have faith in who He is I would really be looking at WHat he has done in the past and all of His promises that he has kept and know He is a faithful, loving, all consuming God.

3. GOd is bigger than our feelings. He is bigger than our heart. Beth Moore talked about how we have the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts when our feelings are in conflict with our callings. SHe talked about how we can't just listen to our hearts because our hearts will deceive us. I John 3:20, I John 4:4. verse 20"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. vs 4 Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is of the world." Praise the Lord that We have a savior who is greater than our heart.

It is coming to be time again where I have to decide what I am going to be doing next year.I have a couple of choices. I can stay in Ghana and teach third grade, I can stay in Ghana and switch grades, I can transfer to a different NICs school, or I can come home. I think coming home is not really going to be an option my passion is to be overseas. I am just really praying about where God would have me. I have been thinking about maybe transferring to Korea or just switching to a different grade here at AIS. Just pray for this decision. I always dread this decision it is so hard for me. Part of it is because all I have known for the last two years has been AIS its scary thinking about leaving it. However, I can't let fear or being comfortable keep me here and not really listening to what God is saying to me. I ask that you pray for discernment.

So I guess I should explain why I entitled my blog a little bit of chaos in a world of peace. In the last couple of weeks my whole world has been turned upside down with a million different things and just adjusting to life back in Ghana and not getting to talk to some people as often as I did at home and different things and it has just been chaotic but I have peace with it all. I have peace because I know God gives peace to those who trust in Him and He has every single thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks from Amanda's wedding to coming back to Ghana to some other things He already had and has them worked work out and so with chaos all around I can have peace. I can have faith that God will come through and I can have joy even in the hard times because I know I have a faithful God.

God is good and I am so thankful that i have this opportunity to be in Ghana for a third year. My class is amazing and they really put a smile on my face every time I see them. okay so at Care group tonight Chris was talking from Hebrews and he referenced a passage in TItus and I really like it and it really just kind of stood out to me so i thought I would close with this.

Titus 3:4-8

" But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy ghost: which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and that things i will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men. "

In you I find strength and purpose

So this week has been eye opening. I feel like my perspective on life has changed. Life in Ghana is going amazing. My class is awesome and they have taught me so much.

This week I had a sweet boy in my class break down in tears because his grandpa had a heart attack and he was upset because his grandpa doesn’t know Christ. He was scared that his grandpa was going to die and not know Christ. This little boy showed me how we should be concerned for those who are not saved. We never know what is going to happen I mean look at the news people are dying everyday and do we even think about how it should disturb us that we don’t know if they knew Christ. Why don’t we react like this little boy did when we here about lost souls dying?

The second thing was that God puts people in our lives for a reason. We may not know the reason for them at the moment but when a situation happens they are the ones we turn to. I am privilege to have amazing friends all over the world that pray for me and encourage me even if they don’t know all that is going on.

I found a song and it is amazing. When you are filling down and are struggling with something God is always there and He can do all things. Just look at David. He was anointed king of Israel was placed in the palace and then searched out to be killed by the King and even in all these times David just cried out and look to God.

I Look to you by Whitney Houston

As I lay me down
Heaven hear me now
Im lost without a cause
After giving it my all

Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to

I look to you
I look to you

After all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

Yeah

And when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you

After losing my breath
There's no more fighting left
Sinking to rise no more
Searching for that open door

And every road that I've taken
Lead to my regret
And I don't know if Im gonna make it
Nothing to do but lift my head

I look to you
I look to you

Yeah

And when all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

Oh yeah

And when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you


(my levee's have broken, my walls have come)

Coming down on me

(crumbling down on me)

All the rain is falling

(the rain is falling, defeat is calling)

Set me free

(i need you to set me free)

Take me far away from the battle
I need you
Shine on me

I look to you
I look to you

After all my strength has gone
in you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

and when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you

yeah

I look to you
oooooooh
I look to you

first week done

Wow, I cant believe that I have been here only 5 days and have taught 4 days, put together a classroom, lesson planed, put up bulletin boards, grade papers and catch up on friendships. I have yet to go grocery shopping, that will be today's job.

It has been very busy week at school. I love my class and I wouldn't change them for the world. My class is sweet, kind, and work really hard. We have had so much fun this week but have learned a lot.

I am definitely back in Ghana. Saturday morning Christy and I started rearranging the furniture in the house. We found a lot of random things. Christy then left for tutoring so I continued to clean and put my room back together. About 12 I was just starting to get ready for the day when the bell rang about a million times. So I am running around trying to find some real clothes to put on and I go to the gate there are about 8 of our soccer players and one from the other American school coming for a soccer ball. So now all of them are in our house waiting for me to find a soccer ball, which I have no idea where the ball is. I eventually found it with the help from Christy. These things happen all the time here where students just show up because they need something. Looking back on that I have realized that I am here to teach but its to provide love and support for these kids. Yes while it was an inconvenience for me yesterday I made hopefully a little difference by showing the kindness of finding a soccer ball for them on a Saturday.

To end the week we had my roommate Christy's birthday. We went miniature golfing which was a lot of fun. However, I am horrible at it golfing i golfed a 74 on a 18 hole course. It was so much fun at one hole Josiah and Minta hit the ball through one of the holes and they both got stuck in the tube. So they went to just go get two new golf balls but they wanted to get them out of the whole so 2 Ghanaians came out to look at it and eventually they got a big stick and got both of the golf balls it was awesome. Then we went out to eat and then back to the pink house for frozen strawberries and pineapple.

I am excited to go to church for the first time since i have been back. I am ready to see some good friends and just be in fellowship with my church family here. God is good and He has given me strength to make it through the week.

two suitcases and a baseball bag...

Life the last couple of weeks has been crazy with the wedding of my sister and packing and leaving to go back to Ghana. It was so nice to see so many friends and family the last couple of weeks and to see people that have made impacts in my life that I had only talked to but never really met. I have found that more and more I have known people without even meeting them face to face.

The trip back to Ghana was pretty adventurous. I get to the airport and I can't find my reservation on the little computer so I was in this long line. Let me remind you I have two large suitcases one that ways about half of what I do and a bat bag that is a little bigger with all my clothes in it. So I finally get to the front and I know I have lots of baggage fees. So finally she fines my reservation and I get all of my bags checked through security and get to my gate. So I get to my gate and I am delayed about 20 minutes because of weather. They get us on the plane and we go to the runway and they tell us all flights to D.C. were grounded because of the weather going through and that we would hopefully take off in a few minutes. Finally we take off and we land in D.C. at 10 o clock. My flight is already boarding for Ghana, when we arrive. So I get off my flight and walk really fast to my gate. When I get there they call final boarding and I make it just in time. I get on this flight and we get to the runway and we are delayed because of an emergency landing. Finally we take off and this flight was so bumpy.

Finally I get back to Ghana and it is now about 45 minutes later than when i was supposed to come in. So I finally get out of the airport at 3:30 and I get picked up by the directors wife and Laurie. They take me back to my house where I get a very warm welcome. Then they take me to the school to see my new wonderful classroom. (pictures to come) My classroom is amazing I love it. So immediately I get to work organizing. Laurie had invited me over for dinner that night so after working in my room for about 2 hours we go to Laurie's house. Fellowship and food are great things when you are just overwhelmed with everything you have to do. So just getting you would think I would be exhausted but not me I was totally jet legged.

I get to school extra early today Tuesday (the second day of school) excited to see and meet all my new students. Its exciting to see what an impact you make on some one and someplace when you walk in a place and you get bombarded with hellos and hugs. I didn't even care that I was unorganized and havoc was everywhere in my classroom with books and posters laying everywhere.

Today was a good day with my class even though i was pretty tired and very out of my organized element. My class is awesome and they seem pretty independent. This was good today because as they were working on projects to get to know each other I was able to pass out their books put up some bulletin boards and organizing which they helped with also. My class has already debated between Christianity and Islam. It is amazing what these kids know and what they discuss. I am most excited about Bible this year! I have 14 as of right now and could get more. It was a little relief knowing that I didn't have 21 right off the bat.

Pray that God teaches me especially in the next couple of weeks to balance my time at school and with my friends. Fellowship is something that keeps us going while here in Ghana. Thanks so much for all your prayers. They are what got me over here. God is good! enough said.

Excited

This summer has been a busy one with traveling around and seeing different people and meeting new friends that are going to other NICS and OASIS schools all around the world. I spent two weeks in Memphis at Pre Field Orientation which is training that all new teachers go to, to learn how to relate to the students that we encounter on a day to day routine. THis Here I got to have a small group of 4 amazing young women who have been called to go to 4 different countries. I loved hanging out with these girls they reminded me of how faithful God has been to me these last two years and how He has calmed all the worries and fears I had about packing up and leaving my comfort zone to Ghana.

I thank God that He has put me in GHana and that I am blessed to go back to Ghana for a third year. Not only am I blessed to be going back but I am blessed with about 21 students nine of which are new to the school. THat means I get nine new students to introduce to Jesus or help them grow deeper with him. I am also thankful for students that I would have never thought I would be in contact with this year. One I think of in general who is going in to 12th grade this year and just the conversations that I got to have with about Christ. I wrote earlier this year about a student who after a soccer game waiting for his parents and looking at the moon and the stars, which you can see very clearly in GHana, talking about who created all of this and why. THen just this past week he messaged me on Facebook to see if the soccer coach had Facebook because he had a question for her. So I asked him how he was doing and I let him know that I was praying for him. (I should say that I have been praying for this student ever since we had that conversation in March, I can remember because it was the monday before my birthday.) I then got a message back saying really you are praying for me. All he said was wow. THen he went on to ask me to pray for him to be a good kid, and that he would not make his mom sad, and that he graduates. I of course said of course but i also told him that he could pray to Christ too because He loves him and cares for him and he listens to him too. I also told him that we all make mistakes and that is why Christ came to earth to die and to forgive us, and that His grace covers us. Just pray for this student that his heart would be opened to who Christ is. THe seeds have been planted and I am praying the God works in his life and brings him into the family.

I still have a couple of weeks left in the states. It is funny how in the last two weeks i have had this yearning to get back to GHana and back to these students. I am so excited for this year and the ministry I have with these students. I think I am more excited because i have a relationship with these students now and they have gotten to know me the last two years and hopefully begin to trust me.

Please Pray for these students that I will come in contact with this year. As I coach volleyball, work in the mentoring program and teach. Pray for the families that I will come in contact also. That I can share Christ with these families. That my enthusiasm will stretch throughout the year.

I want to leave with a verse that i came upon this week that I think is a great promise that is confirmed all the time over seas but also is an encouragement to those who are showing Christ to people in their neighborhoods, jobs, schools, and communities.

we have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but GOd does not leave us. We hurt sometimes but we are not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

blessed

I have been home for just over a week and I have been blessed so many times. Here are some of them

Blessing One

So my computer broke 4 days before I left Ghana so the day I got in I went directly to the apple store. They had to send my computer in and I was going to have to pay almost 300 dollars to get it fixed because my warranty had expired. So I was prepared to pay it and my person was very nice he fought for me and so I didn't have to pay anything to get my computer fixed.

Blessing two

VBS at our church. I was kinda jet legged and probably could of slept a long time. I am so glad I pushed and went to work with these kids. They were so cute and they really made me smile. I once had a friend tell me that every hug or smile you get from a child is a hug or smile from God.

Blessing three

Vacation. Being in San Diego is amazing. It is so beautiful here and so many different types of people. Getting to hang out with my sister and see a lot of cool things. Not worrying about anything for school or home just being where I am is amazing.

These may seem like a really small things but is it not the small things that sometimes make your life worth while and gives us the best attitude.