Rejoice and celebrate...God is able!

Rejoice and celebrate with us....!

For the Lord God is good. I am sure many people have heard me talking about her. She is the one who was always sleeping in class as a way to escape her problems. She was joyless and always moody. But after a week of prayer with the staff, I started praying specifically for joy over her life. It was not long before God answered that prayer. One morning out of the blue she burst out laughing. I couldn’t believe it! It left my mouth hanging wide open. I wasn’t sure whether she was laughing as in laughing or something was wrong with her. But she was laughing. She made my day that day and I couldn’t stop talking about it. I always refer back to it some times when she is sad.

Now I realize that that was only the beginning of what God was about to do in her life. It was a starting point. It is funny because as the other students started to come to Christ, she just held back and observed from a distance. I invited her to some of the disciple classes I was having with my other students but she didn’t come. After school she would just walk out. It was interesting because in her prayers she would ask God to open up the other students’ heart and eyes to receive and know God, but hardly had she prayed saying we or us; only they and them. Slowly though but surely she then started to open up and moved from help them to help us...then me!

A few time she approached me asking me if I had time because she wanted to speak to me. Every time I would say yes, but she would never show up or come to me. To make the long story short I have observed Ladiwa reading the bible by herself which motivated me to pray for a greater hunger and thirst to know God and that God would help her know him better. And so finally after many days and weeks of praying and waiting, She finally approached me today!
 My last day with them before leaving for SA, she didn’t want me leave without making that decision.  She called me a side not honestly sure what she wanted to talk to me about. Then she said it;

“ I want to be a Christian. I want God to use me in order to change my family.”

I was speechless!

I took the time to ask her why and explain to her what it truly means to be a Christian and the costs we have to count when embarking on that journey, but her mind was made up. She wanted it, not for what she can get from him, but she wanted to know him more in a deep and personal way. And she wanted him to use her to bring change her families’ lives!

Yes! God is able! I wish I could shout it clearly through this pages. God is at work when all seem still. What we cannot do on our own, He is able. I love it! I love the fact that we can never walk away with any of it. We can never say we did it. Because it is all Him. We sow  and go to sleep like the farmer. ( Matt 4:27) and he takes care of the rest.

A New creation. I honestly love the sound of that. He removes the stubborn hearts of stones and replaces it with tender and receptive hearts . ( Ezekiel 11:19-20 I find this to be a prayer of hope)
He will give the new heart. He will place in the new Spirit. It is him not us. It is surely a great relieve to know that it is not up to me to change a man's heat but that it is God's doing, all I have to do is to faithfully share the Good News, pray, and God will work on the hearts. He is busy redeeming souls one by one! And I am excited because my children will get to be a part of the workers when they go out and declare what God has done in their own lives!

I find nothing more worth to live for than this!
A vessel of honor: that's what I pray and hope for each an everyone of them.
It's all God and it is all by Grace nothing and no one else.

Girls' Day out!

The gr 5 girls had an awesome opportunity to visit the YWAM base this past Saturday all thanks to Mrs. Hunter. It was really special. It was fun and unforgettable! We all loved the great adventure and awesome experience.

Wherever you are be all there

Jim. puts it this way:

“Wherever you are be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

Be all there, body, heart, and Spirit and make every moment count for the glory of God. I have decided long time ago to take every day at the time. Not to worry about tomorrow for that would rob me of today’s joy and I would miss out whatever God present before me today.

A friend once said to me: “Nothing else matters that much when you know that God wants you to be wherever you are at that moment.”John Zellmer

I have carried that truth with me ever since. I have felt like that 3 years ago when I walked into community hope school. I have felt like that a year ago when I was sitting at the back of our grade 2 classroom and just quietly observed the kids. I have felt like that a few months ago with my new grade 5s, and I have strongly became aware of that just an hour ago during our parents’ meeting.      

     

Sometimes I really wondered whether these kids really understood what I said. Sometimes I just look up at the end of the day and be like: “Lord, is this really worth it at all?”

And so finally the parents stood up this evening and answered that question. It was amazing that they had a lot to say and just shared how thankful they were. They spoke about; the great change, the amazing impact, the growth, the motivations, the new hope, and how God was evident in their children’s lives. They stood up and they all had something to say, one after another. All the effort, all the sowing, and all the encouragement, it wasn’t just changing the kids; God has been using it to change their parents and family members’ lives too. Surely God has a plan for these children. I count it great joy to be apart of his story. I count it to be a great privilege that I can be apart of he's plan of redemption and bringing hope to he's people here. Whatever we whispered to them behind those classroom doors, they make it known to all back home!

And so the good news is spreading through education and at the same time God is busy changing and touching lives.

“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.”

I found this statement to be true. I found this to be real myself. As I sat there, biting my nails off my thumb finger, the parents surely captured my attention. I wasn’t just listening with my ears; my hearts was listening and receiving too. And I embraced it all, every word!  

They truly appreciate us. They appreciate what we are doing in their children’s lives. They can truly see the change in their lives. They can see them grow. They can see God moving. Now, they want to be a part of this great change; they want to be a part of what God is doing here. Many were motivated to do their parts as parents and I was motivated to do even more and go beyond!

It is worth it. It is worth it!

If you trash all that the world has to offer and approve and then choose to live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God, then all that you will be left with;  Is God, Joy, and contentment!

Made for so much more...

Never try to live for anything or anyone else than Christ Himself. I have gone half way through life to finally discover this truth. there is none higher, greater, much more worthy than Christ himself. And living for him is just offering back to him what truly and rightly belongs to him. We have been bought with a price, we are not our own.
All throughout life people come and go, things come in new forms but they all wear out, but He remains to be true and valuable forever.  When all virtues walk out it is love (Christ) that stands back and remain.
When we have nothing and no one left but God, we discover that God is enough and all other things are just simply passing by. meant to be rides as John says; that points us back to Christ.

What has He set me apart for?

I have always wanted to live for a purpose much more greater and meaningful than the world had to offer. I was always afraid that I might miss God's will for  my life and what He wanted to do through me. Over and over I pleaded with the Lord that I wanted to be in his will. I asked him: what do you want me to do Lord?  You have done that and that through Moses, Joshua, David, Ruth, Esther...and the list goes on. But the real question was: what about me? what have you set me apart for?

I knew deep inside that there surely can't be any greater joy than someone living for God's purpose and finding themselves where God wants them to be, in hes will. I have always struggled to read Jeremiah 1:5. I read it over and over again in search for only one answer.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Yes, He has appointed him to be a prophet to the nation, but what about me?  what has He set me apart for? what has he appointed me to be? and in which ways does he want me to be a blessing to my nation?
Every time I look at the faces of my children, listen to them speak, or watch them smile directly at me; my heart moves and deep down I am always convinced that there is no place I rather be! 
who knows if He has appointed me to be here for such a time as this and in such away to also be a blessing to my nation. After all he has determined our appointed times and boundaries of where we will live even before time. I know for sure that these days with my children, every single one of them, they were written in to his book and he planned them all before a single one of them began.
Are they not part of this nation. Surely they are our future generation.

 They say: blood is thicker than water, but I say the spirit is thicker than blood.
 They might not be my very own but by God's grace they have captured my heart and I might as well  call them my own and treat them as my very own. He has entrusted them to me that He might speak into their lives, teach them, love them, and direct them back to himself through me, does he not then qualify me to be their Spiritual mom? I believe he did.

  My greatest prayer and hope is that I would live to see them truly becoming sons and daughters of the Living God and that I would be here to enjoy and celebrate those moments with them. And what ever God sows in to their lives now would change their life and bear fruits.

COLD,cold...COLD!

 Finally winter is here, but I didn't think it would be this much cold. I have never went this  thick before! Blankets to school is an in thing now. I wouldn't dare laugh or blame any one. It was 6 degrees yesterday and today is 0!  I couldn't feel my toes and my fingers yesterday. Wow...I am not complaining after all that means more cups of coffee and warm soups for me. I am thankful for winter. I am thankful for a season of change. I am thankful that I can find myself struggling to get warm at least once or twice in a year. That doesen't come by so often. I love winter!  Stay warm!
:)