TeachBeyond Orienation

I spent the past week in Minneapolis, Minnesota for TeachBeyond new candidates orientation. This was a rich time of learning about what it means to be a missionary and a teacher at the same time.

Here is the sparknotes version of what I learned:

1. Missionaries are not perfect people. Yet, their imperfections humble them and prepare them for service. Their struggles remind them of their need for a savior. I am so thankful for the honesty and transparency of the future teachers!
2. Teachers are not only "educators." They are church planters. When first mentioned this astonished me. I couldn't help but argue, "I'm not prepared to plant a church!" Yet, I am. For, children are the future church. As a teacher, I am discipling students and leading them to the cross. Teachers are church planters.
3. The Lord provides for His children in truly incredible ways! I heard so many incredible testimonies of the Lord's faithfulness last week. He is faithful in every area of life. He brings in financial support in His timing, he draws his children to him in His timing, and he brings in encouragement in His timing! One of the biggest blessings of this week was getting to spend some time with Melodee, the human resources representative from CISP. It just so happened that she was in Minneapolis at the same time that we were. Odd, or God? Definitely God. Praise the Lord for this gift! (picture above: Kate, Michelle, Melodee, and Ben-- the future CISP crew!)

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing..." 2 Corinthians 2: 14-15

May we, too, be the aroma of Christ!

Blessings,

~Michelle~

Jesus is My Rock

I have just returned home from a brief roadtrip down to Savannah, Georgia with a couple of friends. I've been away from Grove City for less than a month, and I was already in need of a vacation. It's amazing how much work there is to do. I had this idea that busyness ended after college. Oh how I was wrong!

My parents recently moved into a new house that they've been slowly building over the past three years. It's still a work in progress, and i'm not convinced that the work will ever truly end. I walked into my room and surveyed the chaos: 10 boxes neatly stacked on top of each other from 3 different houses and my college dorm room. Yikes. Someone was quick to remind me that these boxes were just the beginning. If I didn't feel that this was enough work there were plenty more boxes downstairs. Great. Let's just say that it took me a few days to gain the courage to enter the basement.

Between this and continuing to make preparations for Prague life has been overwhelming at times. Sometimes I look at the piles of boxes, the lists of phone calls that need to be made, the fundraising events that need to be arranged, and I wonder if there are actually enough hours in the day.

Yet, life has not been without constant reminders of His hand in my life. The first night I surveyed my messy room I caught sight of a small wooden frame made out of Popsicle sticks that my mom found in one of my boxes. On the frame someone wrote "Jesus is my rock." In the center is a small picture of me as a very little girl sitting in a wooden chair and smiling. I couldn't help but smile back. I didn't even remember this photo. It was taken long before I became a Christian. It was taken at a summer VBS that I went to with my cousin. It was a reminder of His hand moving in my life in every season. He was drawing me to Him long before I recognized Him as Lord. He continues to work through every circumstance. He leads me down the straight and narrow path. That night I read through a few psalms before I fell asleep. One verse stood out:

"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." Psalm 61:2-3

Jesus is my rock. He is my solid foundation that I can put my trust in. Praise be to God for the energy He provides to pursue His will in my life.

Blessings!