IF YOU ONLY HAD AN HOUR ...

On Wednesday of this week, I had the privilege to be an assistant during a third grade class period. 

On Thursday, one of these third graders visited with me for about half an hour before school. When he heard that I had to wait until I was 37 years old for my first visit to Disney World, he was shocked. He said, "If I had known you before then, I would have taken you to Disney World." We chatted for a bit longer and as I walked with him to flag ceremony he said, "You know what, you are my new bestest friend."

Here's the thing. It was on this same morning, I talked to God and questioned whether I was making any kind of a difference. I asked Him to show me if it was good enough for Him. I have been here a month and felt as though I hadn't enough tick marks on the schedule for God. I needed this visit and to hear this young student's words. God answered and my heart melted even more for the children here in La Vega.

This morning as I walked down the hallways of La Vega Christian School, several of those third graders saw me, stopped and came up to greet me with hugs and these precious words, "Hello Ms. Sommer, how are you?" in perfect English. We had less than an hour together on Wednesday. I am looking forward to next Wednesday with these students.

You never know what kind of impact a few minutes will have on someone. I know how my heart was impacted. It is my continued hope that I will be a good ambassador of Christ to those around me, to the students and faculty of the schools where I volunteer, that a few minutes will make a positive difference.

BACK TO SCHOOL

So good to be back in fabulous La Vega, Dominican Republic.  The school year had started before I arrived.  Students are settled into their daily routine and teachers are looking forward to seeing the accomplishments of the students.  

This semester has a few changes for me.  I will be volunteering two days a week at the La Vega Christian School campus.  I have the privilege of assisting with the English art program and assisting in the English Learning Center.  Additionally, I will be traveling two days a week to teach Conversational English in two schools for Haitian children.  My hope is that I will continue to be able to visit and check in with the other 8 schools for Haitian children.

This week I experienced something of a first for me.  School classes cancelled due to hurricane and tropical storm conditions.  We had so much rain, that for a time, I lived as royalty because of a water filled moat outside the home hindering foot traffic from entering or exiting. Many people have been affected by the damage left from the path of the hurricane and tropical storm conditions.

John will soon be here for a short visit.  He is eager to be here and reconnect with the students and our new friends. 

When God fights your battles.

The enemy is good at being bad. Knowing our weaknesses, he camps out with bated breath just waiting for his chance to launch his missiles. And he does it with extreme accuracy.   He knows what hurts us the most.  

In a book called Boundaries, Townsend and Cloud tell a story about a man who continually goes down a street and falls into a hole. The story paraphrased goes like this:

A man would go down the street, see a hole, and fall in. The next day the man walked down the street and saw the hole and fell in again. The third day the man partially changed his route but eventually still fell in the hole. The fourth day he altered his route a little but then looked back and fell in the stubborn hole. Finally when the man became tired of his failure, he decided to walk on the other side of the street. Enough was enough. He stopped thinking he could do it. Many of us still think we can. When we keep trying to get different results by doing the same thing, others recognize it as insanity; we think we are persevering.

It's helpful in our battles to remember God's track record. He has proven himself in each of our lives. I need to remember what he did in my life because that's the life I'm living. When I am tempted to feel unwanted and unloved, I must choose to focus on how God cares enough to know my name.  He not only cares enough, He has given me a name that only He calls me by.  He has given you a special name, one that only He call you by.  That is how much you are loved and wanted by God.  God goes before you and fights the battles.  He claims you are His child.  When we feel anxious, discouraged, hopeless or overwhelmed He is going before us and fighting for us.  When bad things happens, He is preparing a powerful life change.  

God is in control, but that does not mean we followers of Christ get to avoid the battles - in fact, the Bible states the opposite.  "Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3-4).  In order for a believer to live a life of endurance, character, and hope, we must put on our armor and trust the Deliverer.  We can not put our confidence in ourselves, or others.  Our confidence must be in God, who will fight our battles.  Be still, He goes before you and He always wins.