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.*