Just a glimpse...

Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, LORD;
   do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
   give me neither poverty nor riches,
   but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
   and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
   and so dishonor the name of my God.

These are the verses that I have been stuck on for some time now. I have been thinking about what this verse means when it says, 'give me only my daily bread'. I have been thinking about how this applies not only to finances and food, but also to other parts of life (love, grace, strength, etc.). I know that God is my portion. So how different would my life look if I intentionally lived only for today and asked God to give me my portion just for today. These are just some of my thoughts, I am not sure I explained them all but this is a glimpse of what is going on in my mind. :)

I also wanted to let you all know that school has been going well. Grammar is getting tough, but each day I am understanding a bit more. We have learned a new rule of subjuntive and now are beginning to practice it, so with more practice I am sure I will understand it (beyond just following the sentence structure).

Ministry with the kids has also been going great! This tri-mester, we have 5 new volunteers (Jennifer, Lisamarie, Mark, Sydney, and Kayla). Thank the Lord! Also, Steve, the director, returned back from the States back in January and brought with him some new lesson books and coloring books for the kids. They have loved the new books! We have also been blessed to have a few new little faces this tri-mester. God is good! Saturday is still my favorite day of the week.

Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a blessed week.

Update on School...

I know I just posted a post last night, but I also wanted to let everyone know that school is going well.  This tri-mester has been somewhat challenging but in different ways from the last two. This tri-mester I am learning to be more disciplined in my studies, because the material that we are covering is more advanced and at times can be really confusing. My vocabulary I have noticed also needs some improvements, as always, so I am trying to widen my vocabulary by talking with more people in Spanish and studying with a group of girls. Instead of passing over the words I don´t know and just getting the general idea of a news article or sermon, I am really trying to memorize new words and use them as often as I can.

This can be exhausting at times but at the same time I love it, because I can see the huge improvements that have taken place over my time here. I came knowing next to nothing and now every day in Lenguaje I have to talk for at least 20 minutes in Spanish and I am able to have conversations with people outside of school. What a blessing my time has been here, God is good. I am excited to see what He has planned for the future as I continue on this language and ministry journey.

Community

Yesterday, the Bible Study group at ILE finished up their study on the book of James. As we came to a close on this book, I was reminded of the importance of community and the Body of Christ. It is important for the Body of Christ to be connected and united as one. Connected in love, speech, and mind. This kind of unity does not come about by itself. This deep connection and unity requires a lot of love, faith, patience, grace, humlity, and vulnerability. It requires that we look not only to our own interest but also to the interest of others. This kind of community and connection should be found in and among believers around the world.

You know the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child". I believe the same is true for our spiritual walk. It takes a community, a village, to help someone mature and grow in their relationship with the Lord. We can encourage or help someone by living in community with one another and being obedient to God's will in our lives. We need to be open and honest with one another and always holding firm to God's Truth. Praying for one another and carrying one another's burdens.

I constantly thank the Lord for my friends and family, who have poured themselves into my life and have taken the time to connect with me. They have not only encouraged me over the years but they have also reminded me of God's Word and Truth. God has used each of them in different stages of my life to point me back to His Word, and for that I am thankful not only for them but also for God's faithfulness and grace. Through their love and obedience to God I have seen a glimpse of God's love and have drawn closer to Him.

As I sat in the Bible study group on Sunday and listened to everyone talk about the sinner and what would they would do to help that person. I felt incredibly humbled because I know that I am the sinner. It was not too long ago that I needed some encouragement in my life and was struggling and God used those around me to teach me the importance of community and being honest and open with one another about our struggles, fears, and victories in our lives.

It is a lie to think that we are alone in our struggles. If you are not willing to share your life with others then how can you expect to find help or feel whole? Yes, there are people who can be discouraging and can leave you feeling worse than you did before. Believe me I know I have met a few of those people, but if you know of someone who is grounded in God's Word and loves the Lord with all their heart (preferably someone who is older and who you respect) go to that person and be honest and you will see that we are never alone. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short.

If you are the person that is grounded in God's Word and knows someone who is struggling or has had someone come to you with a problem. Love that person and show them the same grace and kindness that God has shown you. At the same time be honest and willing to ask and answer the hard questions that may arise. Always keep God at the center of your conversations and pray together.

Live in community with one another as the Body of Christ always focusing on the Lord and being full of love and grace.