A Time to Prepare

So here I am in Guatemala and I am surrounded by a new world. There is so much to learn! This month, all of us who are teachers began preparing for the school year. I will be teaching 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade English. So far, we've had three sessions about how vital the children are to this school. It’s important to make sure these children learn, but more important that they feel loved. There are only two American teachers; myself and a young lady named Mel. She is the English teacher for the other classes and will be helping me prepare for mine. The other 20 teachers are all Guatemalans. To have that many teachers from the community is so awesome for this school: to be operating for Guatemalans and by Guatemalans. God has raised up leaders within this community to help them focus on God. The school has been running since 1996 and the students who are at a 6th grade level are far above most of the public schools here. The vision is to build up leaders in their community who love God, so they can reach out to the people within their community --and it’s working! I knew that being a teacher held a lot of responsibility but this is awesome! To know God is allowing me to be a part of something that is very important for the Guatemalans. Please pray for our athletic program, as we have hardly any equipment. I played soccer with some construction workers and the ball they had barely held together. I feel grateful to God that He chose me to come and see what resources are available through me; to see how I can serve with the loving people I know back home and those around the world. I am humbled that He would allow me to serve in this way. I hope someday I can say, "I helped in a small way to make a big difference for the Kingdom of God Almighty."