Windows of Opportunity

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:7

There are opportunities to speak into the life of a child, or really anyone for that matter. Sometimes the opportunity comes in the form of a question. Sometimes in the form of a comment. 

For example, I was reading my Bible to one of my students. He recognized part of the armor of God because of a song we sang in class. I was able to tell him how when he speaks the Word of God it's like a sword. The example I used was Ephesians 6:1, which he also recognized from a song, to illustrate if he was being tempted to disobey, he could say, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." to fight as a sword against the enemy.

There are little windows of opportunity to speak into the lives of those around us. Keep your ear tuned to the Holy Spirit and be aware of the opportunities that arise.

Enjoy the journey!

~Rebecca

Hidden in Christ

An exploring school day...

Friday was a casual school day...

My students and I headed out for a morning of exploring and learning- in an all fun way! =)

We walked up and down the hill. We look at the trees. We made things out of pine needles. We picked flowers. We gathered pine cones. We sang songs. We read a story. We had a picnic snack.

Then it started to rain and get cold, according to the climate here...


So, we moved our "camp" inside and continued with our fun.

We pressed some flowers in wax paper to save the beauty for another day.

We had a great time learning as we played. =)

These are pictures from our outdoor school day.

First Day of School...

I just finished my first day of teaching here in Guatemala. It went well.

The first day of school starts with an sort of opening ceremony. Different people participated in different ways. Being that I'm still learning Spanish, I prayed in English...they were okay with that. (The prayer was my part.)

After opening the school year I got started teaching. I showed my students their books and some school supplies- which they were excited to start using!

I'm still getting the feel of how everything will really flow, but I've at least started and can adjust as needed. God is faithful!

Yesterday the power went out in the afternoon and was out for much of the night, coming on for a brief time- maybe an hour- before going out again. The power outage was due to the wind- it was howling around the house. The temperature has for sure dropped in the last day or two. It was in the 40s last night. (I noticed this morning that my bedroom windows were not closed all the way...so, in the future I should be a bit warmer than I have been at night!)

I am so blessed! Today the classrooms were changed around and I now have a sort of sweet- bed room, bathroom, and middle room that is larger-which I think will be great for worship dance! I have so much of my own space now! It's such a blessing!!!!

I'm not only developing a good relationship with my students, I also gets lots of hugs and "Rebecca"'s when I walk into the main room of the house where I'm staying. All but the youngest in that house come for hugs and want to talk to me- some in Spanish which is helpful. =)

I really am blessed! God's grace is on me for the cold as well- I have to keep remembering that. There are for sure people who have a lot less than me!

Remember, God loves you soooooo much!!!!!!
Until next time...

The Night Before...

I’m in bed getting ready to sleep for the night at 7:40pm- wow!

Well, tomorrow everything begins. Tomorrow is the teacher’s planning meeting- the only day to prepare for the school year, including an opening ceremony. So, we’ll be busy. Did I mention it’ll be in Spanish? Well, yes, from my understanding, the night before, it will be in Spanish...and I will be submersed in the language. Though my hope is that someone will help me when I get stuck. If there is no one else, I know that the Holy Spirit is my Helper. And He is more than enough.

This day, and yesterday, were pretty much filled with preparations for the meeting tomorrow. I have taught before, but not in this way. I haven’t had to present my goals for the year, my year plan, and the first week’s lesson plans, before the first day. So, I’ve been trying to prepare for something I’m not really clear what it will be like. But I know God will not leave me no matter what happens tomorrow.

So, we’ll see what tomorrow holds. But for now, I need some sleep- it will be an early morning and a full day. Catch you later!