Love Speaks Louder Than Words

"Children are not a distraction from more important work.
They are the most important work."  --C. S. Lewis

As a preschool teacher of children from around the world, I get the special Easter treat of hearing my 3-year-olds belting out in their best English, "sing hosanna to the King of kings." I'm sorry I don't have a recording of it, but you can enjoy the smiles on the right.


Among the 200+ children (in preschool and Kids' Club) that I interact with throughout each week, there are several that require more individualized attention and accommodation. Please pray for these dear ones and their families in their unique situations, and for my teammates and I to have wisdom to help them learn, heal, and grow in an environment of consistency and unconditional love. This is a revolutionary testimony to many of these children and their parents. It's easy for me to forget this and get discouraged about certain kids; but often how I teach them matters more than what I teach them. Truly, the kids who seem hard to love usually need it the most. If I'm telling kids that Jesus loves us and died for us when we treated Him like our enemy, I hope I can show them a glimpse of what that looks like by my actions.

I'm so thankful for my precious 3-year-olds and this beautiful classroom

Sharing About Refugee Ministry at Bob Jones University
Thank you for your prayers for my week in Greenville, SC last month. God answered in amazing ways:

• He kept me safe, awake, and well-cared-for through all 1,800+ miles of driving.
• He gave me opportunities and ability to speak on campus and at a local church, as well as lots of one-on-one interaction with students. It was very exciting to hear from students who are already reaching out to refugees and internationals in Greenville and beyond. It was such a privilege to be a small encouragement to students in the path God has for them, after being "in their shoes" just a few years ago. I look forward to seeing how God will work in and through them in the future😊.
• He treated me to some quality time with dear friends who happen to live in Greenville.
• All glory to God and a big thank you to BJU staff and my amazing former professor Dr. A for making this happen. As a student in his Cell Biology lab, I hadn't expected he'd invite me back to speak about refugee ministry, but I'm so glad he did!

Reconnecting with awesome biology professors

While interacting with students, I also met a gal on staff with another ministry who came to America as a refugee from Burma at age 16. Small world!

Jesus is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Thanksgiving potluck with our ESL students & families

I hope you all had a special Thanksgiving! As I near the end of a very full fall semester at For the Nations, here are a few things for which I thank the Lord:

• That Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). I can never predict what challenges I'll face each day in ministry or in my personal life, but I can be sure of one thing: Jesus is the same!

• For all of you! Your encouragement, prayers, and support constantly remind me to keep trusting God and not quit.

• For my fellow children's staff. It's nice to not be the only one cleaning up after a sick kid or fishing toy spoons out of the toilet ;).

• For the opportunity to host a young lady from Kansas for two weeks this fall. Such a blessing to get to know her, have extra help with the kids, and watch her immerse and flourish in the Dallas refugee ministry experience.

Elaine fit right in during her 2 weeks at FTNRO

• For each one of "my" 200+ children from preschool and Kids' Club. So many colorful personalities and opportunities to teach & learn from all of them!

• For my Bible study girls. This semester I have had a consistent group of three 6th & 7th graders who get along together (a wonderful change!). We have been digging into the person and work of Jesus Christ, and I love listening to them read the Creation & Fall account from Genesis, prophecy of Messiah in Isaiah, and the record of Jesus' resurrection from the Gospel of John (two of them for the first time). They have also risen to the challenge of memorizing John 1:1-18. These girls come from a variety of backgrounds & cultures; one is from an Ethiopian Orthodox tradition and another is one of two Christians in her Mslm family. Last week after reading about how Jesus' resurrection gives believers hope after death (1 Thessalonians 4), she had lots of questions about Mslm beliefs and what will happen to her family members after death. The Ethiopian was shocked to learn that her friend was not from a Christian family, but had chosen a different religion. Sometimes we have the most interesting discussions! Please pray for me as I try to lead these girls to God's answers to our big questions, and that over the Christmas break they will grow in their love for God, read His Word, and remember His promise to us: "I will never leave you" (Hebrews 13:5).

The cutest Mary & Joseph I ever did see :)

Support Update: As you know, my income is funded by gifts from my generous donors. Currently, my monthly funding is short about $800/month, or $9600/year. If you are interested in giving a monthly gift of any amount, or a special year-end gift to help cover the gap, you can do so by clicking the blue "Support Maryellen" button below. All donations to For the Nations are tax-deductible, and if given through my link, will be preferenced to my staff account. Thank you so much!

Support Maryellen

I have a break from usual classes from Dec 17 to Jan 12, during which I would love to catch up with many of you who live locally in Dallas and plan some visits to those who live less locally. If you would like me to come share about what God is doing among this refugee community, let me know! I don't mind an occasional excuse to travel :).


Have a blessed Christmas celebrating Immanuel, God with us.

A Long-Term Investment

Eight weeks of fun, laughter, learning English, reading, math games, art projects, science experiments, Bible stories, songs, prizes, soccer, field trips, and swimming lessons have finally come to a close for Summer 2018!

One of my highlights was teaching the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation for our littlest children from Burma in the afternoons. At our final field trip, they compared the wave pool to the time Jesus calmed the storm - it made me so proud! Kids remember what they learn.💗

Even got to teach a little science :)

God has been teaching me that investing in a child's life is always a long-term investment, and with it there are long-term costs and rewards. Getting to know my new-to-America 11-to-15-year-olds in the morning session provided me with plenty of rewards and challenges. As volunteers came and went throughout the summer, it was truly a privilege to be the one teacher to walk alongside each of them through the whole summer and beyond. But this also means that sooner or later, I start seeing scars of trauma they've experienced. Sometimes, as was the case with Aisha* (one of my teenage girls from Afghanistan), it manifests as unacceptable racism and aggressive behavior. It's not normal and it's not fun. Neither is it something you can shake from your mind after work. But it's an important reminder of the horrible, multi-generational effects that decades of war can have on a family. In spite of this as well as academic challenges, she persevered and made significant reading progress this summer! She also displayed exceptional artistic talent. Please pray for Aisha, her family, and several other families suffering from emotional & physical effects of trauma, that they will open their hardened hearts to the only One who can heal their deep wounds. Also pray for wisdom as we come alongside them in their many challenges.

But then I had students like twelve-year-old Ali* (another new arrival from Afghanistan). The boy is brilliant: he speaks 6 languages (my invaluable translator!), is obsessed with maps and geography, and loves math and science (his favorite movie is Hidden Figures). More importantly, he became best friends with Mike* (a Congolese boy who doesn't even live at the same apartment complex!). The two were inseparable and called each other mubarey which means "my friend, my boy" in Swahili. They were joined later in the summer by Sayed* from Sudan. Sometimes I felt like I had to drag my kids to Bible class, but then Ali would answer questions like "why did Jesus have to die?" with answers like "because He doesn't have sin like us, He's totally God and totally man" (like many others, he still has a bit of a disconnect between what he accepts as truth and personal identification with that truth). Today's kids are tomorrow's leaders. This summer, Ali was the kid who melted the anger & racism and held my team together, and I pray that God will continue to work in his life and grow him into a leader for the Kingdom.

"The Three Mubareys"

A final prayer request: my friend Maryam* (mentioned in a previous post) just lost her father to an unexpected heart attack. She is taking it very hard and cannot go to be with her family in Afghanistan. When I visited her, she cried and cried, but was very grateful to have me pray with her in Jesus' name. Pray that in her grief she will discover God to be her loving Father.

Thank you for supporting & praying for me through the summer! It has been a blessing to get together with some of you recently. My infrequent newsletters are a poor substitute for catching up in person, so if you'd like to meet up for coffee this August, let me know and we'll put it on the calendar. I have a 2-week break before staff get together to arrange classrooms in our new building (see below). Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful facility!

Join me! *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.*

My Spring in Pictures: Pain, Prayer, Parties, & Preschool

One of our American volunteers unexpectedly lost her 2-year-old son. Students were invited to lament & pray for this family, and it was a bittersweet honor to sit with my good friend Maryam* & her friend as we gave our sorrow to God and read Scripture in their native Dari.

Soon after, Maryam invited me to join her & the Afghan community of DFW at a huge Nowruz (Persian New Year) party.

Pray for Maryam's family to encounter Jesus during this month of Ramadan, and for our developing friendship.

Afterschool Kids' Club continues to grow & reach kids in new communities, including a group of new arrivals from Afghanistan (bottom) who will be in my class for Summer Reading Camp :)

Please pray for my team as we get ready for another summer of children's ministry. I'm excited, but a little stressed!

A personal growing experience for me has been leading a Bible study for five of our 5th-6th grade girls. We had a sleepover party last weekend to celebrate our study on Matthew 5-6 this spring.

Pray for the girls to remember & apply what they have learned and to grow closer to the Lord this summer.

One of my Bible study girls (top right) and her two brothers have started coming to church with me. It's been such an encouragement to see my church family welcome them & build into their lives!

This past week, several of my teammates and I participated in a training course to help us better serve those who have experienced various types of trauma.

Pray for the many adults & children we know who have experienced deep pain, and that God will use us to walk alongside them towards healing in Christ.

I already miss my 30 little preschoolers! Most of them are graduating to kindergarten next year. :'(

Pray they will remember that Jesus loves them, and that we can keep contact with their families.

Bonus life announcement: my precious twin nieces, Ella Jane & Emilia Kathleen, were born on my birthday a few weeks ago! So blessed to have them living nearby.

Support update: I am now at nearly 70% of my monthly goal! Praise the Lord!

I know my updates have been a bit sporadic lately. The work can be overwhelming and discouraging at times, but remembering that my big strong team is praying to our big strong God brings great encouragement! Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for me and support me.

Join me! "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9 *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.*

The Christmas Conversation

As I think over the year 2017, what brings me the most joy isn’t a program I can take a picture of; it’s the gradual answers to prayer. God has opened & deepened all the specific relationships I’ve been asking for, beyond what I imagined!

I wish you could have been in the car as I drove my friend Sara* home from the Christmas Eve service last night. Over the fall semester, Sara & her friend F have sporadically attended the Conversations in Gospel of Mark study (I requested prayer for them in an earlier post). I didn’t see them for a while, and kept praying for them. Two weeks ago, they stayed after class several times to ask their teacher questions about the person & work of Jesus, and sat with me in Conversations! We exchanged numbers, and have all met twice in Sara’s home for the best Arabic coffee & treats and bilingual reading of John chapter 1.

Sara was delighted to visit an American church for the first time and experience Christ-centered Christmas. As soon as we started toward home, she inquired about the themes of “Jesus coming to us” and “God in flesh” prominent in the songs. I can tell you, there is nothing more exciting than an open opportunity to share the story of the promise & fulfillment of Messiah with someone who longs to hear all the details!

She then asked about the difference between Jews & Christians. Inevitably we arrived at the death & resurrection of Christ, and she asked why the Jews rejected their Messiah. Wow. Was God directing this conversation or what?! I said we all have a choice to accept or reject Jesus. When I asked her what she thought, she said, “I don’t know.” She attempted to express herself in English, then Arabic, then simply whispered, “I don’t know.” Pray for my interactions with Sara & her friend, and that Jesus will bring peace to their searching hearts!

Other prayer requests & praises:

• Pray for others in Sara’s ESL class who are less bold, but seeking.

• Youth Bible study: pray for healing, unity, & hunger for God in my 5 girls, and wisdom for me & other leaders. There are some very tough girls, but also some very eager, teachable ones.

• I will be traveling to Athens, Greece next week (January 1-12) with some For the Nations teammates to get a glimpse of refugee ministry on the other side of the ocean! We will be hosted by a local church that has started a refugee center to meet basic needs of women & children. Most of our time will be spent working in the refugee center, meeting with different organizations to mutually learn from each other’s work, and being flexible & adaptable to the needs of the long-term missionaries. I’m VERY excited and anticipate it to be a great learning experience & perspective-shifter! Please pray for my team’s safety, travel logistics, spiritual opportunities, and sensitivity to how the Holy Spirit wants to use & teach us. I look forward to sharing about it!

Merry Christmas, and God bless you in the new year!


*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.*

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I wanted to share some words of an Iraqi brother who inspired me this week to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for His sake around the world.

For ideas of how to pray for persecuted Christians, here are a few resources:
- Voice of the Martyrs (https://www.persecution.com/)
- Open Doors USA (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian…/)
- 8thirty8 (https://www.facebook.com/8thirty8/)

**Please do not post or share this video online**

Let the Little Children Come

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

Here are a few snapshots from my September at For the Nations Refugee Outreach!

It's a joy to work with the preschoolers each morning while their parents are in English class. After a month of practice, most of them are getting better at sitting with hands to themselves, singing the days of Creation, sharing the toy police cars, getting in a line, and saying "please." Meet the tribe of 30 littles representing almost 10 different nations (the boy in the middle insists on wearing the full police suit every single day, except the day he dressed like a fireman):

They're our future rescue workers, chefs, mommies, artists, doctors, builders, pastors, & politicians :)

This fall, God has provided the transportation, locations, and staff to provide afterschool Kids' Clubs for six neighborhoods each week. Homework presents a huge challenge for kids who have missed years of school or whose parents can't speak or read English. Kids' Club is an opportunity for them to get academic help, have fun in a safe environment, and learn about Jesus.

It has been exciting to see an increased participation this year in the adults' Conversations group (for those interested in learning more about Jesus in the Bible), as well as in the youth Bible studies. I am enjoying co-leading a small group of 5th-6th grade girls as we work through the Gospel of Matthew together. 

Three of my Bible study girls
(minus the tall girl)

Conversations in the Gospel of Mark

As you pray for my refugee friends and for me, please especially remember those children who are struggling with transitions and experiencing setbacks physically, academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Pray for my team and I to have wisdom in effectively come alongside these families. Pray for open hearts to the One who alone can meet their heart-needs.

Please also lift up these three women: F & Sh, who are seeking Truth and asking questions in the Conversations study; and S, who has expressed her desire to become a follower of Jesus but is struggling to let go of her former identity.



*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.*