Week 4

Wow, what a week! Last Sunday, I got back from Puerto Escondido with an injured toe. I went to the doctor twice this week, got my foot wrapped and later got a cast and then got an xray, which showed that my bone is not broken! Now, I am finally starting to walk a little with a special shoe. It's probably a sprain. This week has been really tough, especially since I have so many stairs outside of my apartment, but so many people have come around me to help!

A family from the community visited me and brought food and also drove me to the doctor and to a café with a beautiful view where I got to drink Oaxacan chocolate and eat a Tlayuda. Kids came to visit me, and Bety and Tito's family stayed in my apartment this weekend as well! In classes, my students took their first quiz, and I plan to start pen pals with my younger students this week!!!

Though I have been dealing with the toe situation and fatigue and stomach issues this week, God has provided the opportunity to rest. I've also had time to read the Bible, write, and listen to some books - "The Hiding Place" and "Why I am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit." I've also gotten to play the piano, sing, and learn some guitar chords!! This upcoming week, I will start teaching my adult English class!!

Praises:

-kindness and generosity of people here

-school is growing- we now have over 60 students!!!

-toe is healing and is not broken

-opportunity to rest

-time to read, write, and play music!!

Prayer Requests:

-healing, comfort, and peace for sick here and back home

-Holy Spirit to lead us in how to share Gospel effectively while in classroom and with families

-for adult English class outreach- that God would lead me and draw students to Himself

-for God to provide a space for our primary school (we are growing) and for students who board during the week

Week 3

Week 3

This week I got to teach classes, celebrate birthdays, try lots of foods, play sports with kids after school, have my final visa appointment, and visit the missionaries and the beach in Puerto!! Thank you everyone for your prayers and support!

By God's grace, I made it safely to Puerto and back to Juquila on the urban with almost no rain!! And, on the way back to Juquila, it was just me for most of the way! In Puerto, I got to speak English and connect with other American missionaries which was such a blessing and I got to go to the beach! I also completed the visa process. Now, I just need to wait for my card to arrive.

Over this past week, students have been completing an assigment where they do something kind and reflect on how they and the other person felt. Next week is their first quiz! And...I'm starting a class for adults on Tuesday! We will be using an ESL curriculum that is based on the book of Mark! These classes are open to the community with the goal of sharing the Gospel while helping students learn English. Also, a girl who is interested in studying to become a language teacher has volunteered to assist me with my classes so that she can get experience and learn English and how to teach language!

Praises:

-safe travels- God held off the rain!!!

-visa process complete!

-community around me here and in Puerto

-opportunity to have in-person classes

-opportunity to start adult class

Prayer requests:

-Holy Spirit's inspiration and guidance as we prepare and teach classes and talk with students, families, and others in the community

-God would bring the right people into adult class and speak to their hearts (Tu 5pm Cent.)

-Those struggling finacially and with physical and mental health

-God would provide location for school to expand

-My physical, mental, and spiritual health and specifically for my toe to heal up!!

Thanks everyone!!!

Your sister in Christ,

Heather

Week 2

Wednesday was our first day of classes!! It's been a blessing to get to meet my 1st-8th grade students and work on introductions while learning Luke 10:27 and how we can love God and love our neighbor by being kind. On Monday, I will introduce an assignment where students need to do something kind and write a short reflection about what they did and how they and the other person felt! I am also working with Jenny Holmes Shockey about the students having pen pals from All Nations UMC! The kids at All Nations are already praying and supporting this ministry financiall,y and it would be amazing for my students to connect with them and use their English for real communication On Friday, I got to work with my 1st-4th graders on classroom objects and the alphabet. It's been fun using songs and games with the younger ones as it helps them to stay engaged and have fun in class I've also gotten to play games and sports, go walking and hiking, meet a new family watch silly videos in Spanish, and eat a tlayuda with another teacher!!

Praises:

-able to have some classes in person!!

-God's provision of school supplies and some arriving much earlier than anticipated!

-kindness and hospitality of people I've met!

-oppprtunities to spend time with local families

Prayer Requests:

-for the Holy Spirit to lead us and speak through us in the classroom and outside of it

-for God to open the eyes of those who are looking to things of this world rather than Jesus

-for wisdom as to what to share and when with non-believers

-for God to continue to provide for the physical needs in this community

-for God to provide a new space for a school building as we are growing!

-for a those who need God to bring light and hope into their lives

-for God's continual provision for my physical and mental health

Juquila: Week 1

As of today, I have been in Juquila, Mexico for over a week! Overall, I am so thankful that God has brought me here and surrounded me with such amazing people! Before I came, I was worried about being alone since I'm in an apartment by myself, but since being here, I have been eating "comida" (big meal around 4pm) with a family here and hanging out with them as well as the family that lives in the apartment below mine. I've gotten to play fútbol, volleyball, basketball and rummikub, go shopping in the local "tiendas" for cookware, plates, food, and various things, go to a local church, and visit the homes of local families, all while speaking Spanish. I've gotten to eat Mexican food-- including a cactus and a salsa made with ants and try some Peruvian food as well!

Thank you everyone for your support of this ministry. It's been amazing to witness how God is using the teachers here to reach the local community. They are sharing the Gospel with their neighbors and relying on God for everything. In the midst of poverty and idolatry, the light of Christ is shining and people are coming to know Jesus! School starts on Wednesday, and students come to class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for half of the days.

Please pray:

-that God would anoint us for this ministry and the Holy Spirit would speak and love through us

-that God would speak to our students and that they would respond to His call

-that God would provide for the needs of our school, our families, and our community, especially for the families who are struggling financially

-for a couple people to experience a breakthrough of light, hope, and peace and to find solid friends who can encourage them in the Lord

-for the families that have decided to study the Bible with the staff but have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-for the 5 kids that will be living with the family downstairs during the week to attend our school and for God's guidance as to how I can best serve them 

-for my physical and mental health as I navigate my new life here

A Mototaxi

My Bedroom

Welcome to my Classroom!

My first church service in Juquila!

My first "elote" (street corn) with Sam and Tito

Me and my neighbor, Fé 

The beautiful view

May you experience the peace and presence of Jesus this week!

-Heather

Espere por favor

Recently, my mom and I were checking out at Publix, and I changed the card reader into Spanish. When she inserted the card, the screen said, “Espere por favor”, which means, “Please wait.” Being the teacher that I am, I tried to teach the word to my mom and explained that esperar has two meanings in Spanish -- to wait and to hope. I find it interesting that Isaiah 40:31 can be translated either as “those who wait” or “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” The Hebrew word qavah is used figuratively here, meaning “to wait, or to look for with eager expectation.” Waiting here holds a positive view of the future with a hope that is secure. Waiting on the Lord is an act of faith-- trusting that God will do what He has promised even when you cannot see it.

Unfortunately, waiting does not generally appeal to us in our instant society. We try to avoid waiting at all costs. Microwave meals, flash passes, and instant entertainment at our fingertips keep us from the sensation of waiting. Until we don’t have a choice. That was me. I’ve had a dream of being a missionary and teaching in a small school since I was in middle school, if not before. In a sense, I’ve been waiting for years and years and years for this opportunity to teach in Mexico and share the Gospel. Since I went to Costa Rica in 2015, I’ve been waiting to go back to Latin America for a longer period of time as a missionary. When I wasn’t able to travel to Colombia in college or study abroad in Costa Rica or do an international internship, there was more waiting.

Eventually, I accepted that God could call me to missions in the United States. There are many immigrants who live here and I looked into a program where I would get a master’s degree and teach in the inner city. I made it all the way to selection weekend and then, I was denied. At that point, I hadn’t even heard of Global Education Ministries. But soon enough, the door opened right up-- all that I had waited and hoped for all these years. God knew all along where I needed to go. He was preparing my heart, my body, and my mind for this task. The call was a call to esperar and hold onto esperanza (hope) in Christ. I have to esperar in the little things, like a cancelled flight, and in the big things, like the brokenness of my mind and body and those of so many others. I must continue to wait and hope for God’s complete restoration of all things. My charge to us today is this: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Espere por favor.

 

source: Facebook.com

Taylor County Campmeeting

Today, I am driving to Taylor County Camp Meeting, where I will be sharing about the mission with the youth tomorrow. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through me and the others at the camp.

When I worked this camp 2 years ago, I experienced the powerful work of the Holy Spirit who was speaking and drawing us to Jesus. Specifically, the Holy Spirit spoke to one of the girls there and told her to come to me for prayer, and I was able to pray with sincerity and understanding because I had prayed similar prayers for someone in my life. It was a beautiful reminder to me that God had me there for a reason and that He heard our prayers and cared enough to supernaturally bring us together through a shared burden for someone we loved.

There was also a time where I felt moved by the Spirit to speak a message to the group at the end of a service. I share these stories as an encouragement in the faith as you pray-- for this camp, for those you love, for awakening in the church and the world, and for anything else that may seem impossible. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:26: "“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”"

Let's not give up in prayer, even when the situation seems impossible. I still have not seen the fruit of the prayers for that person in my life, even though God has given me assurance that He has heard them and has given me glimpses of hope. Keep pressing into God with your whole heart and allow His love to fuel your prayers. He hears us when we cry out to Him, and He "acts on behalf of those who wait for Him" (Psalm 55:17; Isaiah 64:4)!