When the Time was Right

--> One of my beloved friends from the states sent me with a handful of cards to open as I needed them. I have needed them for the last few weeks but just yesterday I found the time to open one up. The envelope read (today). Hehe....Here is the message on the card:

When the Time was right,
the sea parted,
the walls fell down,
the lions went hungry,
the sun stood still,
the waves were calm,
the stone was rolled away,
the clouds were parted,
the Lord ascended....
And When the Time is Right,
The King of Kings WILLL RETURN.

What a wonderful promise. It doesn't matter the sadness I see or the heartbreak I feel. Because I believe in God and that Jesus died and rose on the cross, I will get to see Jesus face to face. Jesus is coming back so I need to continue doing good work. I want Jesus to catch me telling others about Christ not moping in my circumstances. The card continues with:

God is never early
and He's never late-
He's always right on time.
His plan for you is GOOD.

My prayer of thanks is this...."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."...thanks for writing a beautiful story for my life Lord.

God know the hopes and desires of my heart. He knows what is best for me and he is continuing to lay a path before me. 

Rock Those Grades!

Tutoring sessions start this week. A bunch of our kids here at CB are not academically prepared to be promoted to the next grade. Another group of kids are old for their grade (15 year old in 2nd grade). Both of these problems were on my heart and happened to be on our principals heart too.  ("happened to be"..yeah right...The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord 16:1)

I will be tutoring these kids during their summer break, October-December. I am currently still working on the schedule but I will try to meet with as many kids as possible from 8:00-4:00 Monday-Friday. In January, the kids will be tested to see if they will be promoted to the next grade or able to skip a grade. Prayer is needed!!!!

Thanks everyone for helping me purchase items (printer, paper, ink cartridges, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, notebooks, plastic bags, and containers) for tutoring!!! I'm so excited and such a geek. I'm totally in my room at the moment looking at the school supplies, organizing them, and making plans for all the things you allowed me to buy.

Thanks for supporting and helping my kids learning.

God Direct my Steps

Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Most of you are still under the impression that I am teaching at a bilingual school in the city. Well as the time to start teaching drew near the Lord let me have less and less peace about the job. I contacted the principal and told him I wouldn't be able to teach at the school. He was completely understanding that I needed to stay in full-time ministry.

 I returned to CB and have been working here since I returned to Guatemala. It is interesting to watch God open up doors and when he opens up doors.

I have been working with Sara, my boss, here at CB to get her a full-time team coordinator since last November. It has been a slow process beginning with us chatting about her needs and ways I could help her. Then it grew until I was the person helping/supporting the teams. I loved it!

Two days ago the official position/helper for Sara has been approved by the director, staff, and the American board. Yay! I am very thankful that all of those people that approved it are hoping that I will fill the position. Unfortunately for CB, my reality and desire to adopt is the same. I know the best way to love an orphan is to adopt them so is staying at CB the best plan for my life?

 A little over a month ago I began talking to a ministry Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel, http://www.amgguatemala.org/. They are currently looking for a team coordinator. They serve in the most difficult and dangerous parts of Guatemala. There mission is solely to spread the gospel. Isn't that what missionaries are supposed to do? Awesome! I would be leading teams from the states and they don't take US teams into the worst parts. It just isn't safe and it isn't smart for the ministry as a whole.

I could work at AMG while I'm in the adoption process because they do not serve orphans. The choice seems clear to me and probably to you. The difficult part is saying goodbye to the children and staff I have fallen in love with over the last four years.

Please pray that God will continue to guide my steps. I would love for him to close all doors and windows except for the one I should walk threw.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

In America

I will be in SC for another week. If you would like to get together and hear more about this upcoming year, please contact me. This past year has been wonderful and I can only guess what the Lord has planned for me next.

Here is a video the Smiths', missionary friends from CB, made for me. The video has a bunch of the large events that took place for me at CB from January-July. Enjoy!

Updating my Update

    My last week in Guatemala the Lord showed me that he had my life planned out in a different way than I had expected. Oh the fun you can have following Christ!
    Monday of my last week in Guatemala I shared with my boss and social worker at CB about my plan to work at the Christian Academy of Guatemala. Both of them smiled and congratulated me, until I told them I would need to continue raising support for the position. They encouraged me not to accept the position, but to apply for a position at a private school in the city. They informed me that I would receive some type of salary for doing the same job.
    One of my contacts in Antigua had been asking me for a month to give him my resume, so his sister-in-law could get me a teaching job in the city. Monday afternoon I e-mailed him my resume.
    Tuesday afternoon as I was leading an American team to Wal-mart I got a phone call from a school asking me to come in for an interview the following day. Sadly I couldn't even understand the school's name, but I was smart enough to ask her to e-mail me information about the school.
    Wednesday I went to the school and had an interview with the principal, the science department head, and the two grade level department chairs. I knew nothing about this school when I walked in its doors, but I learned a lot about the school during my 2 hour interview. I left the school with a job offer to be the English speaking full-time sub. That means I will substitute teach any of the English speaking classes (Language Arts and Science) whenever a teacher isn't able to teach. I would be at the school Monday-Friday. The school pays well for Guatemala, but it isn't an amount worth exchanging into dollars.
    Friday I was leading the gringos on their trip to Antigua, when I got a call from the principal. He informed me he needed me to teach the 5th graders science, because their part-time person wasn't able to do it any longer. He asked me if I would be ok with merging the full-time substitute position and the part-time science position. The way I saw it is that I would either be subbing the 5th grade science classes everyday or I could ease the principals mind by saying I would teach the class. I accepted the position while rounding up my team of 47 Americans. :) Then we headed for the bus to return to the city. 
    Friday night I met the Eternal team at a  hotel in the city, and flew back to the States Saturday. This is my story of how you just never know what God has up his sleeve.
Needed Prayers for...
~Having a girl that is aging out of orphan care August 14th move in with me.
~Life changes: need a an apartment, need a car
~Beginning Permanent Residency Paperwork
  

Flying to the States

    Thank you for being a huge support during my first year of missionary work. The Lord has continued to teach me through this work the importance of his sovereign control of my life, guidance, and protection in my life. He has continued to show me that I can rely on him.
     July 14th is my return date back to the States. This trip is going to be anything but leisurely.  :) The Lord is going to have to help me get of lot of things marked off of my to-do list in a short period of time (July 14th-August 10th).
    The first thing on the list is to begin all of my stateside paperwork to become a permanent resident of Guatemala. This includes getting a full background check. After I get all of my paperwork together, I need to get the Guatemalan Embassy (located in Florida) in the states stamp of approval.
    Another big task is spreading the word about what God has done in my life and what the Lord is leading me to do next. The pursuit to adopt is huge, and I need support to be able to do it. I know it is important to have people praying for me, and I appreciate your prayers this past year. If you would like for me to come share my story of walking with Christ, at your bible-study or church please let me know. I'm always available for a chat over coffee!!!
    I love being a missionary in Guatemala and helping others, but it costs money. My new job on the other-side of the city will cost me more money than living at the orphanage. For me to continue down this road, I need to purchase a car and raise my monthly support by $900.<---Not my favorite topic of discussion.
    Please consider supporting me in the journey to adopt, teaching at a school for Missionary kids, and continuing to lead missionary teams from CB to Antigua. If you are able to donate monthly, please e-mail me. It will be helpful to know I can count on your monthly support. Click the donate button on this blog for more information about one-time donations or monthly support.
    Thanks for helping me to follow God's calling for my life. I know I am where God wants me to be, so thanks for making that possible.  :)
sweet7sour@gmail.com

Physical Education is my New Middle Name

    Never thought I would being announcing that I have a job as a P. E. teacher. Well guess who is going to be a P.E. teacher next school year.  Me! Me! Me!
    The Christian Academy of Guatemala offered me a job as their new P.E. teacher starting in August. I think this job is going to be a load of fun. Their are many perks about this job that I think just suites me well. First of all, I love physical activity and young children.
    70% of the student body are missionaries kids so this job will allow me to bless missionaries. The school offers extremely reduced rates for missionary kids, which is awesome. I will get to see each classroom twice a week and have one day a week off to do other missionary work. On my day off from teaching, I will continue leading teams from the states serving at CB on their day excursions to Antigua.
    I have really enjoyed guiding teams during their day in Antigua. I have felt I have been able to bless the teams by scheduling a day of fun for them, translating from them, and being their guide the day of the excursion. I'm really exited to be able to continue to thank these teams that bless our children at CB.
    This P.E. position is not a paid position, but another type of missionary work. Please consider becoming a monthly sponsor or giving a one-time contribution towards me purchasing a car.  You can contact me at sweet7sour@gmail.com