Online Kindergarten, The Trinity, and Spearmint

Thank you for your continuing prayers. It’s been a full couple of months! In August, I enjoyed quality time and some beautiful mountain scenery with my brother's family in WA. I also had the opportunity to share a ministry update with their church; it was a blessing to reconnect with some of you at Columbia Bible Church! Back in Texas, I enjoyed giving a ministry presentation for my home church family, Rockwall Bible Church, as well.

Such a blessing to partner in ministry with my pastor-brother Jonathan, sister-in-law Hannah, & darling nieces Cara & Charlotte

Since the end of August, I have been back at For the Nations helping children complete their online school assignments until they go back to in-person school. Initially I worked with the first graders, then transferred to team up with a fellow preschool teacher to manage the preschool/kindergarten group. It’s been fun being back in sort of a preschool classroom dynamic, as well as a bit chaotic with some kids having assignments and others having none, ZOOM meetings with their teachers at various times, and trying to fit Bible lessons and playtimes around it all.

Now that the last school districts in our area have resumed in-person school (at least, until further notice :) ), For the Nations will be transitioning to an afterschool homework help schedule. Youth Bible studies will continue/resume; I’m excited to start a new series in Galatians with my middle school girls soon; I think it will be an excellent follow-up to our reading in Acts. I plan to continue with weekly virtual studies, but hopefully meet in person periodically as schedules and transportation allow. Please continue praying for me, my girls, and the logistics of all the Bible study groups as we prepare and study in God's word. Also pray for students as they transition to in-person school: for everyone to stay well and for teachers and parents to have grace with the children. Pray especially for protection, justice, and healing in a couple of abusive family situations involving children I know well.

As some comical wisdom for all my fellow teachers among you, here’s a little snippet from last week that illustrates why it is so important to listen to your students articulate back to you what they have learned (and the importance of carefully enunciating your words when you teach a concept):
Teacher: How many gods are there?
Students: One!
Teacher: And how many persons?
Students: Three!
Enthusiastic over-achiever: God the Dad, God the Son, and God the Holy Spearmint!!!
😂😂😂

Grace and peace be yours this fall, and sweet fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy SPIRIT😁.

Storytime and Bible Study... Virtually

The above snapshot is actual footage of me putting my degree in Zoo & Wildlife Biology to good use, lol!

Last weekend was supposed to be our graduation ceremony and celebration for our students, an event we look forward to every year. Even though I miss my students and wish we could have celebrated their accomplishments in person, I'm thankful for the many ways God has been at work in all our lives during this time. There have been hard things, like my coworker suffering through a serious case of COVID-19 (praise God she has now recovered), a student whose 13-year-old son just passed away, and families who have lost jobs. But, as many of you can give testimony to as well, there have been many good things that have come out of all this too. I hope you will be encouraged as I share some of these with you.

  

I may not have cute pictures of my kids for you this month, but here are some snapshots of what my work looks like these days! Thank God for technology and the ability to connect with my students, their parents, and my coworkers through WhatsApp and imo groups, Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube videos. If you're inclined, feel free to check out my preschool videos, Bible stories, or Narnia readings. Be warned: the preschool videos are full of cheesy songs and alphabet silliness. But also animals and stories :).

  

Thank you so much for praying for Truth*! She has not missed a single video call Bible study with me, and for the past three weeks, she has been the only one! While we both wish more of the other girls would join us, it is remarkable to me that a middle-school-age girl can be so dedicated even when none of her friends show up.

Just as I thought we were finishing up our call last week, Truth blurted out "Okay now it's time for my extra questions. I have a list of verses from my church's sermon (which is part of a cult) that I don't understand. Can we look at them?" God is at work in her life! She is asking the big, hard questions, and I am so grateful that I get to go to God's word with her for answers. Tomorrow we are planning to study Acts 2, but who knows? Maybe we'll spend most of our time on more questions :). Keep praying for her... and for me!

Please also pray for wisdom as For the Nations makes decisions for our summer ministry. Over the course of a typical summer, our program gathers hundreds of kids and eight different mission teams together from June-August... but it may need to look a bit different this year. Pray we can come up with a creative, low-risk alternative.

*Names changed for privacy. To further respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

With All Boldness and Without Hindrance

After three weeks of For the Nations being closed due to pandemic precautions, I am missing my children! Although it's disappointing that we won't be able to resume classes as normal this spring, I'm thankful for the many creative ways God has opened up for us to continue to communicate with our students, including posting virtual preschool, English, and Bible classes (and even some taekwondo) on YouTube and Facebook. Welcome to my virtual classroom!

Several parents have told me that seeing the familiar faces and routines of class has encouraged and helped them and their kids adjust during this stressful time. The Bible stories are being widely viewed by students and, I am sure, by relatives and strangers around the world. Despite the many reasons to be anxious and afraid, there are also great reasons to rejoice. Your prayers are being answered; God's kingdom is being proclaimed with openness and without hindrance (Acts 28:31)!

Pray for technology to continue to work, and for God to speak to the hearts of viewers. Pray for parents to have patience and peace as they navigate homeschooling in English, and that God will use this unique time to promote healing within families, and in those who are separated from loved ones in countries hit hard by the virus.

Through some generous donations, For the Nations had a "Drive-Thru Day" last week to distribute supplies to our students, including English textbooks for our online classes and 420 Jesus Storybook Bibles so the kids can read along at home.

Against the present atmosphere where sickness, fear, grief, and despair seem to reign, truth is scarce, and hope feels like a fantasy, God's love stands out in stark contrast. Pray that both our students and us staff will know Jesus' unconditional, sacrificial love in a deeper way through this trying time, for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Speaking of God's love, He provided me with a part-time job at a horse barn last week! Thank you so much for your prayers! I am very grateful as I know this is an especially difficult time for keeping and finding employment.

Thank you for your prayers and support, and please let me know how you are doing and how I can specifically pray for each of you. I'm so thankful there is a good God that we can trust in these uncertain times, with all boldness. The Lord is risen!



*Names changed for privacy. To further respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

She Wanted to Hear Jesus Speak Her Language

The room erupted in intense discussion. We had just listened to Luke 21 from a Swahili Bible app, and there was some serious Bible study being done by my middle school girls, though I had no clue what all was being said!

A few weeks ago, just as my three core girls and I had settled into routine, several new girls with very limited English joined our youth Bible study, completely changing the dynamics. This actually turned out to be an unexpected answer to prayer, as most of these new girls had been in my summer ESL group, and I had since lost touch with them. So while my teammate led the English-fluent girls, I started a low-level English Bible study on the spot... which has been a challenge. Truth*, who chose to stay in my group so she could help translate for her Swahili-speaking friends, has been a huge help and encouragement, and this is stretching and growing both of us!

Sometimes you've got to draw pictures to try to explain Jesus' abstract parables lol (Luke 20:9-18)

Although both Truth and I felt like everyone was taking away something from Bible study, there were still mostly just smiles, nods, and one-word answers. I kept praying about how to facilitate the girls to not only understand, but to respond and share their thoughts. Language and literacy barriers are hard! So God gave me the idea of playing a Swahili Bible app instead of laboring through the difficult English text. So we listened to Swahili Jesus speak:

"Do not be afraid when you hear about wars and about fighting against rulers... Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. In many places there will be powerful earthquakes. People will go hungry. There will be terrible sicknesses. Things will happen that will make people afraid.

"...And so you will be witnesses about me. But make up your mind not to worry ahead of time about how to stand up for yourselves. I will give you words of wisdom. None of your enemies will be able to withstand them or prove them wrong... Remain strong in the faith, and you will receive eternal life.

"The nations of the earth will we in terrible pain... Terror will make people faint. They will be worried about what is happening in the world... When these things take place, stand up. Hold your head up with joy and hope. The time when you will be set free will be very close... Heaven and earth will pass away. But My words will never pass away." (from Luke 21, NIRV)

Now each girl heard and understood. Now every one of them was brimming with questions, comments, and connections. Truth turned to me and said "It's working!" Poor Truth was trying valiantly to field everyone's comments and translate for me, but I told her to just go with the Swahili, and I sat back and smiled. In that moment they didn't need my fumbling words. They wanted to hear Jesus speak (Luke 21:38b).

Please pray that these powerful, relevant words will rule over the anxiety in our hearts during these uncertain times, and that my girls will continue reading/listening in the Gospel of Luke, even though For the Nations is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 precautions.

Kids-Clubbers, interns, & Bible study youth join together for an epic round of Uno :)

*Names changed for privacy. To further respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Jesus + Refugees + Horses

It has been a joy to come back to my students at For the Nations after the Christmas break! After learning God's attributes through stories from the Old Testament last fall, my preschool class is ready for our spring focus on how Jesus displayed those same attributes throughout the Gospel stories. I love how this semester's Bible curriculum in preschool, Kids' Club, and youth Bible study all overlap: focusing on the life of Jesus. Another great addition to Kids' Club this spring has been memory verses, which has been a big hit for the kids and volunteers so far (of course, the candy incentive may have something to do with it haha). Pray for this enthusiasm to continue, and that they will understand and retain God's word.

Usually I share a story about my students, but today I want to highlight two women who have been sustaining supports to me this year. When preschool and Kids' Club started up in September, the child-to-teacher ratio was pretty overwhelming. God provided me with a fantastic volunteer who helps in my preschool every day (plus other wonderful volunteers, thankful for you all!), and two awesome college interns to help me with my after school K-2nd grade multitude! Shout-out to Kedan, whose Godly character, gentle firmness, and obvious love for each child is making an impact. She's my right hand. Also, one of our former college interns (who helped me teach Bible to the "littles" last summer) has graduated and is back this spring, and I'm so thankful to have her join me in leading my youth girls' Bible study as we continue through the Gospel of Luke.

Personal Update

As I explained in an earlier update, I decreased my work hours in Fall 2019 (for more details, see my blog post from August). Although I was reluctant about that decision, it proved to be a much-needed adjustment. The reduced hours have enabled me to be better prepared and intentional with the students I do have, and provided me with time to rest and begin working through some personal situations as well. I'm thankful that I get to continue in this work through God's strength with the support of my prayer team and coworkers.

After much prayer, consideration, and discussion with my supervisor, I will be continuing my current 24-hour/week schedule at For the Nations indefinitely. I have discerned that working part-time in this particular ministry capacity is a better fit for my overall well-being.

In order to sustain this part-time schedule long-term, I have also been praying about getting a second part-time job that will 1) supplement my income, 2) provide me with a low-stress environment, and 3) provide opportunity to further integrate my God-given abilities with my ministry goals. Ideally, I would like to work as a barn hand because 1) I have job experience with horses, 2) being around horses energizes me, and 3) I have been waiting on God to provide an opportunity to more directly use my love of animals as a channel to more effectively minister to refugees.

A friend graciously let my Afghan friend and I ride her horses. It was Maryam's first time on a horse.

Those of you who know me best know that horses have always been an important gift of God in my life. They have a unique way of teaching valuable lessons of communication, teamwork, unconditional love, trust, and healing, which has been shown to be particularly effective for people affected by trauma. Building a relationship of trust with a large, unpredictable, yet forgiving animal serves as a powerful analogy to understand healing found in Jesus. Eventually, I hope to find a way to make this kind of equine-facilitated therapy accessible to my refugee community, but for starters I need a way to simply get my foot back in the door of the equestrian world. If you have further questions about this, feel free to reach out and text/email me anytime.

While I don't know the details yet, I am excited to see how God will direct me in His timing. Please pray for wisdom, sensitivity and trust in God's leading alone, provision of the right part-time job, and faithfulness in daily ministry.



*Names changed for privacy. To further respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

To Know Him More

Girls from Orthodox families. Girls from Protestant families. A girl from a Mslim family. A girl whose family is in a cult. Girls from devout families in ancient church traditions who have never read the Bible. Girls who have impressive knowledge of the Bible but struggle to relate it to everyday life. Girls from broken homes. Girls who are friends. Girls who are enemies. Three to eight 6th-8th-grade girls (out of 50+ youth who attend weekly Bible study) gather each Wednesday to study the Gospel of Luke, and I love how Jesus' words cut through all the labels and backgrounds to the heart issues - the big life questions.

Recently, Mercy*, a new girl in my group asked, "If someone does something really bad, does that mean they are going to hell?" Before I could say a word, Faith* (a former Mslim) turned to her and boldly proclaimed, "Well, sin always leads to death and separation. But that's why Jesus had to die!" It is a privilege to explain the Gospel to a seeking child. But it is infinitely more precious to watch my girls preach it to each other. Pray for the Holy Spirit's work in and through each one.

Another of my girls, Truth*, just arrived in America this summer and has many adjustments happening in her life. She is passionate about loving Jesus, but has received a lot of false teaching. She took home a Bible a few weeks ago and is eagerly meeting my challenge to read the Gospel of Luke at home. Pray that as she soaks in Jesus, the God-Man, false teachers will lose their place in her life to the One worth following.

We pray in our group that this year we will not only know more about Jesus, but that we will know Jesus more. Thank you for praying this with us!

*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Infinitely More Than We Ask Or Imagine

Thank God with me for all that He did this summer at For the Nations! We serve a God who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

In summary, we worked with...
- 12 mission teams from 7 states

- 14 high school & college interns and 64 local Dallas volunteers...

...to serve...

- over 700 refugee kids from 15 countries
- for 8 weeks + training week

- through swim lessons, reading & math practice, science experiments, electives (such as music, dance, art, taekwondo, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and cooking), games, a week of KAA summer camp for 48 big kids, and daily lunches...

...and to share the gospel with them through daily Bible lessons and Christian mentorship, because Jesus is our Motivation, Strength, and Reason!

Of course, behind the numbers and programs are the sometimes heartbreaking but always inspiring stories of the beautiful children I am privileged to know. If I include them all here, the length of this post will get out of hand, so as I write my kids' stories and prayer requests, I will post them on my Facebook group and when I have compiled them, post them here on the blog. Stay tuned!

Personal Update

I am in the process of temporarily decreasing my work hours at For the Nations. After receiving some counsel at the end of the summer program, my supervisor and I have decided on this so I can learn how to better manage my own personal stress and steward the trauma of those I care for.

A few clarifications:

• This does not mean that I'm getting tired of refugee ministry or want to do something else. I love what I do and the organization I work with, and cannot imagine ever leaving my kiddos. I'm doing this so I can hopefully sustain my work long-term without burning out.

• I did not ask to decrease my hours for financial reasons. However, because my support level is currently at only about 60% of my eventual goal, this does allow me to cut my hours without having to decrease my current salary or temporarily adjust my support goals. As of now, I will teach Tues-Fri preschool (afternoon only), Tues-Thurs Kids' Clubs, and my weekly middle school Bible study, for a total of 24 hrs/wk. If you have any questions, feel free to text/email me about any of this.

Please pray for me to have strength, health, & energy each day. Pray that I will rely on the Lord to care for my needs. Pray for wisdom in leading my girls’ Bible study, teaching preschoolers, and tutoring/mentoring children. Pray that students and teammates will experience Christ’s love reflected in me.

Get involved!

Don't be sad if you missed the summer fun... we have a HUGE need for volunteers this fall! Fill out the application and choose from two orientation times this Wednesday, Aug 28 (9-10:30am or 5-6:30pm). Send questions to our volunteer coordinator, Lauren Kirkpatrick: laurenk@ftnro.org.

PRESCHOOL. This fall, we will have one teacher per preschool class (last year we had two teachers per class, which was not enough if their were no volunteers). If you love littles (or want to find out if you do), please consider being a teacher's aide once a week during morning class (9-11am) or afternoon class (12-2pm).

KIDS' CLUB. If K-8th graders are more your thing, we will have LOTS of them for you to help with homework, read & play with them, and help them engage with the Bible lessons. Pick a day Mon-Thurs from 4-6pm. This is a great opportunity for families to serve together and make friends with our kids!

ADULT PROGRAMS. If you really want to volunteer with our adult students in ESL classes, conversation practice, and Bible studies, that's okay too (but preschool is wayyy more fun! I'm not biased at all😜). Thanks for considering this, and feel free to copy/paste/share this section to interested friends!

Volunteer

*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*