Day 23: IMB Update

Through a frustrating set of circumstances, I will miss the deadline for medical clearance to be considered for the January selection conference. I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed to learn this Wednesday, but my disappointment was tempered by the revelation that they have added more conferences to the calendar. That means that, instead of now shooting for April, I can aim for a February conference. Because I feel like I have been waiting for almost a year already, any more waiting challenges me. Ultimately, though, I am reminded that cirucmstances are not dependent on my time table nor subject to my understanding.

As a side note, aiming for a February conference means that I won't be able to go on a women's mission trip in February. Since I learned this news on the same day I posted that prayer request, it was certainly a fast response!

Day 22: Christian Students

I have already talked about my desire to reach out to my students who don't know Christ. I also cherish opportunities to encourage and nurture Christian students. I have been blessed to work with a lot of terrific Christian teenagers over the years, and I inevitably end up feeling like they have blessed me far more than I have blessed them. I pray for them often, though, because I know that it is seldom easy for them to be strong in their convictions.

Day 21: Students

Even on days when we don't have school, I often find myself thinking about specific students. So many of them are dealing with big issues or complicated situations, so when I think about them I take time to pray about their situations. So many of them do not have a supportive family, some don't live with family for various reasons, at least one is pregnant, one just returned from a juvenile detention center, one admits to having serious anger problems, a few are grieving the loss of a parent (one asked me not to acknowledge her birthday because her dad died on her birthday so she doesn't celebrate anymore), a couple are dealing with serious health problems, a couple have parents who are encouraging them to drop out of school, some are essentially raising their younger siblings, . . . . and the list just goes on and on. These are just a few of the struggles of which I am aware; I'm sure there are several more. I long for them to know the love and peace that only Christ can bring.

Day 20: Set the World on Fire

It never ceases to amaze me how many songs I hear strongly relate to things I am experiencing, thinking, or feeling at the time I hear them. One of the many examples of this is the song "Set the World On Fire" by Britt Nicole.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

[CHORUS]
I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

Day 19: Family

Today I am thanking God for each and every member of my family. I pray for safety as we all travel to Michele's house and that we will not take a moment of our time together for granted. When I think about my missionary friends who are celebrating Thanksgiving thousands of miles from their families, it gives me another reason to cherish this time with my family. It also prompts me to pray for these friends on a day when they are probably feeling the effects of that separation more than they do on a typical day.

Day 18: Mission Trip Opportunity

I am currently praying about an opportunity to be involved in another women's mission trip in late February. There are many factors to consider: the response I receive from the IMB, my school schedule, etc. The most important thing, though, is that I respond to God's leading and not step out in front of Him and make a decision based on my thoughts or feelings.

Day 17: Colleagues

Although the majority of my time is spent in my classroom with students, I do interact with colleagues between classes, at meetings, and in shared responsibilities. My prayer is that I will represent Christ well in every interaction with my colleagues. There have been times when my words and/or actions have been thoughtless or from wrong motives. I want to avoid this, and the only way I can do that is through abiding in Him.

Day 16: Puerto Vallarta

Over the last year and a half I have been so blessed by opportunities to work alongside missionaries Preston and Courtney in Puerto Vallarta. I quickly grew to love the members of the new church, La Esperanza de Vallarta. While I was in Puerto Vallarta, God broke my heart for the lost in a deeper way than I have ever experienced before. As I pray for the people of Puerto Vallarta, my mind is filled with the faces of the hotel workers in my English classes last summer. They are so precious to me, and as far as I know only one of them is a Christian. I pray that God will work in their hearts and that He will continue to bless the ministry that He has started through my dear friends Preston and Courtney.

Day 15: Manzanillo

I had the opportunity to spend some time in Manzanillo in the summers of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. I met a lot of people as we distributed information in neighborhoods and hosted activities for children in the parks and schools. It has been so exciting to see the new church, La Esperanza de Manzanillo, take shape and grow. Now, as missionaries Bill and Vicki prepare to leave this church in the hands of a native pastor, I am praying for the church, for their unsaved neighbors, and for Bill and Vicki.

Day 14: Nicaragua

Even though it has been several years since my 2 trips to Nicaragua, the people I meet on mission trips stay in my heart forever. I think about them. I wonder what God has done in their lives since I last saw them. I pray for God to bless them in so many ways. Today I am praying for all of the people I met in two villages near Managua, Nicaragua. I also pray for my friend Rebecca who serves through Project Hope in Nicaragua. She's home visiting now but will return to Nicaragua in January. She has been a tremendous blessing especially to the women, teens, and children there.

Day 13: Scripture Memorization Update

Praise! God is definitely answering our prayers. I started focusing on scripture memorization a few days ago, and He certainly helped me quickly memorize the first verse I selected. But He didn't stop there.W hile I was sitting in an optometrist's waiting room for about an hour on Wednesday, He brought the verse to mind. I realized that, because I had memorized the scripture, this waiting time gave me a perfect opportunity to meditate on the verse (something I couldn't do without a Bible in hand if I hadn't memorized it). So, as I waited, I pondered and prayed through each word in the verse. It was a small incident, but it was a tremendous blessing to me. The verse was:

Guard your heart above all else
For it is the source of life.
- Proverbs 4:23

Pressing Health Clearance Issue

I received an email this morning from the IMB stating that they had not yet received my medical clearance from the organization that processes the health information. I called that organization, and they will not clear me until they receive a letter from my doctor regarding my blood pressure. My next phone call was to my doctor's office to request that such a letter be faxed. I am praying that the doctor will be willing to do this, will do it in a timely manner, and that this will not stand in the way of my clearance.

Additionally, they have not received the optometrist's report that I mailed 1 1/2 weeks ago. It was hard to tell whether or not the receipt of this report will affect clearance. I don't know why it has taken so long to reach them but am praying it will arrive today.

THA's deadline to submit clearance to the IMB is December 2.