Baptisms and a Birthday

Last week we finished ESL classes and Kids Club tutoring for the Fall 2016 term. What a blessing to look back on all that God has done over the past 3+ months! He has answered many prayers:

• The students in my classes have made great personal accomplishments! One lady, Nae, in my Level 2 class has really begun to open up and express herself through English conversation. A few weeks ago, she shared with the class that before she started attending English classes at For the Nations, she had never been to school or learned how to write her name, even in her own language. 
• I was blessed with lots of opportunities to expand my ESL teaching experience, both as a teacher's assistant for Level 2, sign language instructor for a deaf Level 2 student, and as a substitute teacher for Levels 1 and 3. Subbing for Level 3 was a personal highlight, and challenged me a lot as a teacher! The students were eager and active learners, and I had to work hard to find new ways to stretch them and help them apply what they learned. We had a lot of fun writing dialogs and acting them out, discussing American holidays, and articulating what stood out to each of us from the group Bible lessons. Some of them are believers, and they encourage me with their humility and profound insights.
• Five African young ladies were baptized two weeks ago! Huda, Samya, Asima, and Alya* were some of the first children in the FTNRO Kids Clubs, who have since come to believe in Jesus and are now serving as youth interns with For the Nations. The fifth girl, Mona, is Alya's little sister. It is such a joy to see these girls growing in the Lord and investing back into the younger generation of refugee kids. Praise God!

  

  Elijah enjoying a Christmas cookie

• Since most of the children didn't have homework last week, Sarah Risdon (the awesome Children's Programs director) and I turned our Kids Club meetings into Christmas parties -- what fun! Praise God for the opportunities we had to share the true Christmas story with these children, both in reading the Bible story and in one-on-one conversations. The children asked a lot of good questions that demonstrated . For many of the kids, it was apparently the first time they connected the birth of Isa (Jesus) the Son of Maryam (Mary) with the festive celebrations we have in the West. As little Nadia said, "Wow, we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday?!"

Such a good reminder of the privilege we have to celebrate the incarnation of heaven's King, Who has "visited us to accomplish redemption for His people" and to "guide our feet into the way of peace" (from Luke 1). What good news of great joy for all the people, that there has been born for us a Savior -- Christ the Lord (from Luke 2)!

I ask you to pray with me through this holiday season for the following requests:

• Nae and I have exchanged phone numbers in case she needs help with English homework over Christmas break. She is from a Catholic family from an oppressed people group of Burma. Pray that we would be able to meet and that God would direct our conversation to Jesus.
• Htwa (my deaf friend) desires to get a driver's license so she can get a job, but she failed her road test last week and feels discouraged. Pray for God's provision and that she will understand His love for her. She is also from a Catholic family.
• Pray for Huda, Samya, Asima, Alya, and Mona to grow spiritually and have wisdom and boldness with unsaved family members.
• Please pray that God will give me wisdom as I transition into a full-time, on-support role at For the Nations. Raising financial support is a new and humbling challenge for me; pray that I will be teachable and trust God for provision, and that He will guide me to the right ministry partnerships in His timing.

*My prayer cards arrived yesterday, so please send me your address so I can send you one! Also, don't forget to let me know if you would like to partner with me as part of my prayer team or in financial support! Feel free to email/call/text me if you have any questions.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Have a blessed Christmas, and may the peace of Christ rule in our hearts as we enter the new year!

The preschoolers sang Away in a Manger for their parents in ESL :)

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

An Open Door

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” Matthew 28:18-19a

After the Bible lesson at after-school tutoring, Nadia* handed me a wrinkled sheet of notebook paper. The energetic 2nd-grader proudly announced, “See, I listened so well today!” and proceeded to explain her series of drawings: “Here are Adam and Eve, happy because they love God. But then they listened to the snake in this tree instead of God. Adam and Eve became sad about their sin, because sin leads to death. But here’s Jesus; He died on the cross as our sacrifice!” My eyes welled with tears as I listened to this tiny refugee from one of the most war-torn, hostile-to-the-gospel countries in the world – showing me her very own gospel tract! I’m so thankful God brought Nadia’s family to my “neighborhood,” and for the open door to share Jesus with refugees locally in Dallas, TX.

Isn’t it exciting to see how God is moving to draw children of every tribe and nation to Himself? The devastating wars and genocides throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are creating a refugee crisis that has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. But I’m convinced God is also using these circumstances to bring the nations into contact with the Gospel! As followers of Jesus, we have a golden opportunity to show Christ’s love and make disciples of the least-reached nations of the world.

Speaking of opportunities, I’m excited to share with you about the door God has opened for me to commit to refugee missions full-time as the Assistant Director of Child & Youth Services at For the Nations Refugee Outreach in Dallas, TX. For the Nations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving refugees’ practical and spiritual needs through ESL & citizenship classes, kids’ tutoring & outreach, acculturation, and Bible teaching, all in Jesus’ name. The organization is funded by private donations, and all staff must raise their own financial support. To learn more about the mission and ministry of For the Nations, check out ftnro.org or read a summary in this post from my blog.

My responsibilities in the children’s department at For the Nations will include: strengthening existing child & youth services for a variety of ages (such as after-school tutoring, neighborhood outreaches, summer programs, preschool, youth Bible studies & leadership programs, etc.), organizing events, preparing curriculum & classrooms, training & supervising volunteers, as well as substitute-teaching/tutoring for adult ESL classes. Personally, I am excited to apply the gifts and resources God has given me 1) to teach, mentor, & inspire youth to enjoy learning, serve others, and grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and 2) to motivate & assist churches to engage in refugee ministry.

During the past year I have been balancing For the Nations volunteering with various other part-time jobs, but I am eager to be able to commit full-time to serving local refugee families. This is not a ministry I can do alone, but will require a committed prayer & financial support team. Ideally, my plan is to transition into the full-time position at the end of January 2017; however, I must first reach a minimum of half of my goal, raised in either one-time or monthly amounts. Until then, I will only be able to serve part-time. I am praying for 100 committed prayer partners and for 25 individuals or groups who will partner with me financially at $100/month (or whatever amount the Lord may lay on your heart), toward my goal of $2,500 in monthly support. Will you pray and ask God how He might desire you to join me in this ministry?

If you would like to partner with me through your financial support, you can give online at ftnro.org/maryellen, or by check payable to “For the Nations: Refugee Outreach” and write “Maryellen” on the memo line. All contributions are tax deductible. For more information about giving options, please see the attached form. Thank you for your support; your gift of any amount is appreciated and your heart for ministry is such an encouragement to me.

If you would like to join my prayer support team, please send your mailing address to maryellen@ftnro.org so I can send you a prayer card. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area. Thank you for praying for me and this ministry; you are an encouragement to me and you are making an eternal impact. For prayer updates and stories about my past, present, & future experiences with refugees here in Dallas, subscribe to this blog in the right-hand column by entering your email address and following the instructions.

If refugee ministry excites you like it does me, or if you know others who might be interested in learning more and/or supporting me as a missionary, I would be thrilled to get together with you to share more details, or to give a presentation for your church or other group. My contact info is listed below. Let’s get in touch!

Thank you for reading this long post, and for your interest in this ministry. Let’s persevere in making disciples of all the nations!

Current Prayer Requests:

- Pray that Nadia* will come to realize her personal need for Jesus and for her family’s salvation.
- Pray for the FTNRO staff & volunteers to have wisdom, stamina, and love as we lead classes & outreaches, and that we will be alert to opportunities to share Christ in creative ways during the Christmas season.
- Pray for me as I transition from my current jobs into raising support (this is new for me!), and for God’s clear direction and provision during this season of preparation.
- Let me know how I can specifically pray for you!


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