God's overcoming power

Wow I would never thought that the first week of school would be as difficult and draining as it was. God has been working at our school in ways that we could never have imagine especially in our staff. I thank God for a mission who will stand up for what is right and not just give into evil and who will encourage its staff to do the right thing even when there is wrong going all around.

As of last Sunday the people that I have come to know and trust in running our school betrayed me. It was such a hostile atmosphere and I never thought I would see myself in the situation i was in alongside my wonderful co workers. Taken by shock, fear, anger, and sadness I walked out of school not knowing what my future held. I had so many questions but knew that my life would change in many ways over the next couple of days. As I reflect on last week and the material that I have read in my devotions about the Lord bringing the Israelites out of Egypt it became very clear to me Sunday why he was showing me and reminding me that He was the LORD.  Throughout Sunday and Monday I clung to the fact that He is the Lord.

All i can say is I am so thankful God is in Control and He knows what He is doing. I also love that He has put people in our lives to remind us how faithful he is and people to encourage just at the right time. This week was an emotional roller coaster of laughter and joy that my students provided, to hurt and tears from what I had experienced. I have grown so much it what it means to stand up for what was right. I know many of you don't know the full extent of my situation here and all that has happened and are confused when you couldn't get to my blog but I felt like closing my blog for the time being was the best thing to keep me safe from people who would try to use prayer request and phrases for their own personal use and not as a testimony of who God is. God is working and I encourage you to pray for our school as it is working through some very serious issues. Our school has now been declared a NICS school and NICS will be running it. Our leadership that was fired by this hostile group has been reinstated and will run the school and the administration and the leadership that was a part of the hostile group has been told they may not come back to campus. Our hurdle is not over and it will be a long process but I am excited to see the miracles God does in this time.

Please pray for the people in administration at our school that were apart of planning this hostile take over because they will have a lot to answer for not only here in Ghana but also in the states and more importantly to God. As my emotions of anger towards these people has changed to sadness as i have already seen the toll it is taken and the effect it has on all the people involved including the teachers, staff, parents, and more importantly the students. Pray for us as a staff as we deal with hurt and anxiety from what we have experienced this past week.

One of my close friends who left this past year to teach at another school reminded our staff of Psalm 37 and I want to write it here as a reminder to me but also to remind you Who the Lord is.

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. TRUST IN THE LORD, AND DO GOOD, SO SHALT THOU DWELL IN THE LAND AND VERILY THOU SHALT BE FED. DELIGHT THYSELF IN THE LORD AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THY HEART COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD TRUST ALSO IN HIM AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS. AND HE SHALL BRING FORTH THY RIGHTEOUSNESS AS THE LIGHT AND THY JUDGMENT AS THE NOONDAY. REST IN THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM FRET NOT THYSELF BECAUSE OF HIM WHO PRPOPERETH IN HIS WAY BECAUSE OF THE MAN WHO BRINGETH WICKED DEVICES TO PASS CEASE FROM ANGER AND FORSAKE WRATH FRET NOT THYSELF IN ANY WISE TO DO EVIL for evildoers shall be cut off but those that wait upon the lord they shall inherit the earth. for yet a little while and the wicked shall not be yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be but the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves int he abundance of peace the wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. the lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy and to slay such as be of upright conversation. their sword shall enter into their own heart and their bows shall be broken. a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked, for the arms of the wicked shall be broken but the lord upholdeth the righteous the lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever they shall not be ashamed in the evil time and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs they shall consume into smoke shall they consume away the wicked borroweth and payeth not again but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth. for such as be blessed of him shal inherit the earth and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. the steps of a good man are orderd by the lord and he delighteth in his way though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the lord upholdeth him with his hand. i have been young and now am old yet have i not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread.  He is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed is blessed. depart from evil and do good and dwell for evermore for the lord loveth judgment and forsaketh no his saints they are preserved for ever but the see of the wicked shall be cut off. the righteous shall inherit the land and dwell their in forever the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgmetn the law of his god is in his heart none  of his steps shall slide. the wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him the lord will not leave him in his hand nor condemn him when he is judged wait on the Lord and keep his way and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land when the wicked are cut off , thous shalt see it i have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree yet he passed away and lo he was not yea i sought him  but he could not be found mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end o that man is peace but the transgressors shall be destroyed together the end of the wicked shall be cut off but the salvation of the righteous is of the lord he is their strength in the time of trouble and hte lord shall help them and deliver them he shall deliver them form the wicked, and save them because they trust in him.

I am the Lord

Wow! I can’t believe I have been back for three weeks! It has been a good three weeks and I am encouraged to see how God is going to work this year. My days have been long and busy preparing my classroom and setting up my house.

I have loved getting my house up and running and I have put in a lot of personal touches and I am almost finished putting my house together. The only thing left I have to do is put up a couple of my paintings and get my bed frame. I will have pictures up soon so that you can see my new place. It has been very relaxing to come home to a place of my very own and really feel like I am living in Ghana and not just a visitor. So that is a huge answer to prayer that I now have all my things set up and all my stuff made it through the move. I have a new little blessing at my new house also a generator that I have used twice since I have been here. Its amazing that when "lights off" I still can do work. 

I have been learning so much the last couple weeks. I have been reading in the old testament and I was in Leviticus and I was really struggling with how it relates to me now and I prayed to just ask God to show me how this would effect me and how I can learn through what I was reading.  One phrase that continually stuck out to me was that it keep saying and reminding the Israelites that "I am the Lord".  "I am the Lord" and many times it would say who brought you out of Egypt or that sanctify you. It reminds me that I can't do anything on my own. " I am the Lord" He is the one that brought the Israelites out of Egypt they had nothing to do with it all they had to do was accept and follow. Now I didn't have to come out of Egypt but when I look at this and all he has done I realized He has brought me out of some trying times and He has brought me out of little problems and there is no way I could of done it and I had to depend on the Lord and trust in the phrase " I am the Lord".  So i encourage you as I encourage myself to trust in the one who said "I am the Lord" in every situation because He is the only one who can get us from point a to point z. 

I am so encouraged to see how God is going to work in my classroom. I have met a couple of my students and they are so much fun and I can't wait to  see the rest of them on Monday. Our class verse this year is Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil. I love that this verse flows into what I have been learning. This verse comes right after the verses that say Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not into your own understanding. in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.  WOw and then it says "Be not wise own eyes", you can't do it, "Fear the Lord" , but not only fear Him you have to make the choice to "depart from evil." Wow, I can't wait to see how this effects my class this year.  Pray for my class as we start school on Monday!

I have really been inspired this year to share what God is doing in my life and share Christ with others. I found this song by Alicia Keys on my computer and it is called Tell You Something.  Its amazes me how many times I have not been urgent in telling people what they mean to me and more importantly about who Christ is to me. Read the Lyrics and make it an urgent point to share with someone who and what Christ has done for you! 

Get so caught up everydayTryna Keep it all togetherWhile the time just slips awaySee, I know nothing last forever
Imagine there was no tomorrowImagine that I couldn't see your faceThere'd be no limit to my sorrowSo all I can say
I wanna tell you somethingGive you somethingShow you in so many ways‘Cause it would all mean nothingIf I don't say somethingBefore it all blows away
Don't wanna wait to bring you flowersWait another hourLet alone another dayI wanna tell you somethingShow you somethingWon't wait till it’s to late
I can't waitI won't waitI don't wanna wait
I can't waitI won't waitI don't wanna wait
Just a simple conversationJust a moment is all it takesI wanna be here just to listen(I wanna be here)And I don’t wanna hesitate
Imagine there was no tomorrowImagine that I couldn’t see your faceThere'd be no limit to my sorrow‘Cause there is nothing that could fill that spaceOhh, did I put it off for to long?I didn't say all that I have to sayI wanna take the time to write the wrongBefore we get to that place
Just lean onMy shoulderIt's not over till its overDon’t worry bout itCause I'm gonnaMake sure our bond gets stronger yeahI, don’t wanna wait until the stormWhen something’s wrong and now you’re goneAnd I can't find you
Read more: ALICIA KEYS - TELL YOU SOMETHING LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/tell-you-something-lyrics-alicia-keys.html#ixzz239NeOmgp
Copied from MetroLyrics.com 

The beginning of a new year

Wow I can't believe it is a new school year already. I have been back in Ghana for about a week and it has been non stop. My flight was long and spent an extra day in the states after my flight got canceled in Atlanta. Its amazing how God gives little things like a friend to travel with when you get stuck. I hate airports and the fact that I was stuck in one and had to get a hotel with the airline and figure all that out I was so glad that my principal was with me. We spent the night in Atlanta and took off the next evening arriving back in Ghana on Monday one day later than i was supposed to. I was so glad to be back. I got back and all my things were moved to my new apartment and I got to work. I now have everything set up and ready to go and I have loved living by myself and just relaxing when I get home. This first week has been super busy. I have been making airport runs to pick up the new staff and helping show them around. I have got to see my best friend Nana and my other friend Karim three times this week which is amazing. I realized how much I miss these guys. I have been working in my classroom and organizing all of the things that I have. As of right now I believe i have 24 students and I am so excited to get to know each one of them.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers these past three years. I have felt them and I hope you continue to be a part of my ministry as we partner together.

The end draws near

Wow I can't believe this year is coming to an end already. With the end of the school year comes a lot of goodbyes, packing up, and stress. This year I can honestly say I am ready for this school year to be over. This school year has been emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. This year has consisted of sicknesses, and death which has made this school year one of the roughest years. Even though its been rough I thank God for it because without all the rough things this year I wouldn't have seen how amazing my friends are and how faithful God is.  One verse that I have continuously wrote in my journal to give me strength this year is

Be strong and of good courage fear not nor be afraid of them for the Lord God he it is that doth go with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6

I have found this year it is really difficult to get ready to leave. This year i have made amazing friends who have been a great support to me and have become like family. Leaving this year means coming back next year with friends I have spent the last three years with are somewhere else.

Please pray for me as i finish the school year up and say goodbye to some friends who won't come back to AIS next year. Pray for my stress level as I have to pack up both my classroom and my bedroom (as I might move next year)  Pray for the new staff as they come. Pray for my class for next year, it is going to be pretty big. Pray for the staff as we meet with representatives from our home office next week. Pray for AIS as we expand.  Pray also for my trip home next Friday as I will be traveling by myself back to the states.

Spring Break

Coming up to this last week I was ready to get away from the school and just everything. I needed a week of not being stressed. So I planned a nice week of sitting by the pool and a spa day with one of the other teachers. Then on Friday I got invited to go to a BBQ with a friend and his life group at church. So my friend from church knew I was going on break and told me I should get out of the city for a little bit. On Saturday after having a pretty rough morning I decided that getting out of the city would be a great idea. So I said how about on Sunday after church we could go for a couple of days. So on Sunday after church we went out to eat and then got on a tro tro and took a two and half hour drive to the Volta region. This is towards Togo. I went to a village outside of Ho. This village I went to had no running water and no electricity. However the house I went to did have running water and the electricity. This village was in a valley and it was so beautiful. It was about 10 degrees cooler than it was in the city. I got to meet some really nice people and get to just relax and eat some good ghanian food. It was so nice to just get away and just chill. On Tuesday I got back into the city and got to go out for ice cream. Then the rest of the week I got to just chill by the pool and relax. I feel refreshed and ready to finish the year strong.

Prayer request:

-Finishing the year strong

-saying goodbye to my friends here that are leaving.

- just saying goodbye for two months to the people that have become like family

- my class for next year

He lifts me up on wings of eagles

"He giveth power to the faint and to them that hath no might he increased strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall. but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:29-31

This has been my theme the last couple of weeks. It has not been an easy month here in Ghana. This verse I always thought it meant that when you are tired God will renew you but after the last couple of weeks it has come to mean so much to me. It now means when you have nothing left physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually God gives you strength to keep going to keep doing what He has sent you to do. A lot has happened within my family here at AIS and my family at home.

I have always heard missionaries say how hard it is to be overseas when there was a death in the family but I never really understood all the feelings you feel. The weekend I found out my grandpa died was a weekend that was supposed to be my recovery weekend. It was supposed to be the weekend I got over being sick. Instead it was the weekend I felt guilty and stressed and made myself become even sicker. I always knew I would feel sad if someone died while I was over here but the sadness faded rather fast because I knew I would see Grandpa again. The hard part was not being there for the rest of my family especially my mom. At this point I didn't care what I felt I just wanted to be there. It is funny how God just put the people you need at that point in your life. The night before I had an argument with my best friend here and I texted him Sunday morning because he is always the one that just gives me advice and he is really like the big brother i never had and even though the night before we just left it kind of unsettled and he was busy he just came over to give me a hug and tell me everything was going to be ok. Of course I didn't believe him at that time but he became my family when I wasn't around my real family.

That next week there was a student in the youth group at the church and who was really good friends with students at our school died. It hit our students unexpectedly and hard. I remember sitting in church with one of the students from school and I don't think i realized how hard it would be to go back to church after a death but it sure hit me that Sunday. Sitting in church with this student and me pretty much used a whole role of toilet paper that we took from the bathroom. However I realized something I got to talk to some students about how they felt and I could honestly say I knew what they were going through.

The next week was my birthday which I am usually really excited about. This year it just came. I wasn't really excited about it. Two out of my three best friends here were going to be out of the country and the other couldn't take time out of his busy schedule to hang out with me so I was pretty sure I was going to be by myself which I came to be ok with. I ended up going to the gym and then out to dinner with two of my school friends Kim and Meg. It was a lot of fun. I also got to go out for sushi the next night which i loved.

That Sunday in church I just really was reading my Bible I don't even know what the speaker was saying. I read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-17.It made me think that each of the times has a hard time with a renewing time I laid it out in my notebook here is what it says

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven A time to

be born --- die

to plant--- pluck up that which is planted

to kill ---- to heal

break down--- build up

weep-- laugh

mourn--- dance

east away stones--- gather stones together

embrace--- refrain embrace

to get--- to lose

to keep ---- cast away

to rend--- to sew

to keep silence--- to speak

to love--- to hate

war --- peace

I then skipped to verse 11 and then 14

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. ... I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be for ever nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it and God doeth it that men should fear before him.

The end of verse 17 God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time there for every purpose and for evert work.

Praise the Lord.

I have learned so much the last couple of weeks its been hard but I think God He gives strength to the weary and renews us.

check out the new AIS promo video ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZuiJK4yP3g

This show where our school is and where it is headed. Pray for AIS