November: Peace

Well, hello!
Tomorrow marks my three month anniversary in Honduras! As I reflect on the past three months, I am in awe of what the Lord has done in my life, in my classroom, and in the lives of these precious children. What a great God we serve! The Lord continues to amaze me and challenge me daily as I walk with Him during this journey He is guiding me through.
In this post, I would like to share with you what God has been teaching me. I am so grateful that our peace does not depend on circumstances, but on Jesus. Ephesians 2:14 says, "He (Jesus) himself is our peace." How different our peace levels would be if we focused our eyes more on Jesus and less on our surroundings! The Lord is teaching me moment by moment that my peace does not depend on anything else but Him. I am human and during stressful moments, such as children fighting, it is easy to focus more on the circumstances and how I can solve the problem and less on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

How do we keep our eyes on Jesus and have a deep, abiding peace? It is only through a personal, vibrant walk with Jesus Christ. I love how Beth Moore, a Christian author and speaker, put it when she said, "As a river is continually renewed with the moving waters of springs and streams, so our peace comes from an active, ongoing, obedient relationship with the Prince of Peace." That is the truth and I know it to be true. A living relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is not stagnant, it is constantly moving! And the Lord is showing me through every situation that I encounter both in and out of the classroom that He is where my peace is found and He is my only, "refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,"(Psalm 46:1).

The Lord is also continually showing me how much I need Him. We need Jesus, there's no way around that. There are so many situations and interactions that happen throughout the day that I need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to decipher as the Lord uses me to train and teach these beautiful children. And Praise the Lord that we have a God that, "gives to all generously and without reproach," and wants us to seek His wisdom in our lives (James 1:5). Just as I need the Lord's wisdom, so do you my friend. We all do! And when we seek the Lord and call on His name, He will "answer us and show us great and mighty things," (Jeremiah 33:3).

My walk with the Lord has deepened during the past three months that I have been in Honduras and the Lord has continue to mold my heart and break it for what breaks His. The cry of my heart is to be a woman so in love with the Lord that His love just pours right out of me and unto other people! And I want my precious students and all of the students at our school to truly find this peace and to find healing and love through the ultimate joy-giver, healer, and loving Father: Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers, for your messages, for your financial support, and for your thoughts! I am blessed beyond words to have such a strong network of believers that are supporting me in numerous ways while I am here, and I am so thankful for that. If you would like me to speak at your church while I'm home on Christmas break, please send me a Facebook message or an email. I would love to do a short talk at area churches while I'm home and share what God is doing in a country I love!

Blessings!
Love,
Beka

New faces

Hi everyone!

I have officially been in Honduras two months now and two months to ago until I am home for Christmas :) I'm excited to see loved ones and friends in about two months, as well as share about what God is doing here at Heart to Heart's school! He IS faithful and I am looking forward to connecting with you and sharing with you in person what the Lord is doing.

This month we have eight new children at the village! Five of the children are in one family and three are in another family. A few weeks ago we went to a party put on for area orphanages in San Pedro Sula and that's where I met two of the new girls that we have. Rosalie, who's nine-years old and the oldest of three, connected with me right away. We happened to be sitting by each other at the party and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to form a bond with her on her third day at Heart to Heart. We talked about a lot of different things and after a while she just rested her little head on my shoulder and smiled a sweet, content smile. One moment brought tears to my eyes that day while I was interacting with her. We were in the midst of watching another orphanage perform and Rosalie just darted under some seats. I remember thinking, "What did she possibly see?" I was really hoping she didn't find a big bug or something and was going to show me it. :) When she ran back to her seat I saw what she had been excited for: four oranges. My heart sank. "What are you doin' with those, chica?" I asked. "Saving them!" She replied as she started eating one and then smiled, "But not this one!" She was saved from an impoverished situation and it will take a while for her to recover, but praise the Lord she is safe and is now in a warm and nurturing environment where she will be cared for and told of a God that loves her.

Rosalie's younger sister, Heidy...is also just a dear and has such a sweet spirit. I was praying for her that day at the party and trying to connect with her...it was harder as she was more timid than her big sister. However, at the end of the day, on our bus ride home, Heidy transformed into a little chatty Cathy! She was such a little cutie and wrapped her little arms around me as she told me her favorite animal. As it turns out, she loves the whole animal kingdom! :) It was awesome to watch how God answered my prayer and helped me to connect with both of the sisters and welcome them into their new home.

Although we gained eight new children, we also are missing three of our boys. Please lift up our boys: Wilmer, Louis, and Brayan who ran away two weeks ago. Brayan was in my class and brought such warmth and energy in to my classroom. My heart aches when I walk past his desk and when one of the kids asks about him. We pray for the boys everyday as a class, and it is my prayer that you join us in praying for these three brothers. We have a Shepherd that never stops looking for His lost sheep, and I am believing in faith that these kids will return.

God is continuing to work in my classroom and light a flame in the heart's of the kids for Him. Everyday is filled with challenges and blessings as any normal classroom has! The beautiful blessing that I have as I teach in a Christian school, is that I can talk about our Savior...ALL the time! We pray when we lose notebooks, when we lose pens, when a child is sad, when there's a fight, when a student is sick, and so on! It is awesome to watch the faith in the kids grow from the moment they set foot into my classroom until this week. One of my kids lost one of her workbooks and another child raised his hand and said, "Let's just pray about it, Miss Beka!" Yes, that is exactly what I want these children to do in every situation! It is the prayer of my heart that these children develop a personal relationship with their Daddy in heaven and go to Him for every single need that they have in their little lives. And it is the cry of my heart that this generation of kids changes Honduras as they let their lights shine brightly for our Savior! How I love these sweet kids. This past Friday during worship ALL of my kids were participating and praising the Lord in some form or another! There is nothing like seeing a group of second graders closing their eyes and raising their hands...my heart was the happiest in that moment as I whispered, "Jesus, this is why I came."

Last week I gained another student in my classroom and so now we are back to sixteen students again. Please be in prayer for me as I work with this new student. She has been quite the handful since day one and always seems to do exactly what I tell her NOT to do. She loves playing with anything she can get her hands on and hates doing her work...BUT she can be sweet when she wants to be! Please pray for me to love on this girl and for the Holy Spirit to supply me with the necessary patience and wisdom as I teach this new firecracker. Thank you! I will update you on her progress.

 

Will write more soon - but I wanted to let you know what is happening on my end, what God is doing, and how YOU can pray! You are a part of this ministry and I am so thankful for that! This is a team effort - - blessings!

 

For His kids,

Beka

Is it really October?

Hi everyone,

I can't believe it's October already - I honestly don't know where the time has gone! Oct. 10th marks the fact that I've been in Honduras for two months already - it seems like I just came here yesterday...but on other days I feel like I've been here forever. :)

First off, I must share how glad I am that my new "sister" Mercedes is here - I really can't imagine how our routine was before she came. Mercedes is the type of person that exudes energy and just radiates the light of Christ! I love her enthusiasm and her humor as it has been a blast to not only be on staff with her, but to also room with her. She has been one of the biggest blessings to me the past few weeks and has enriched my life with her personality. God definitely knows who to send and at the right time. I was praying for Mercedes even before she came, and man, God blew my prayer request out of the water! She's a keeper and I'm so glad God chose her to come and teach with us.

 

Although teaching has its challenging moments, God continues to supply me with wisdom as I teach. It has been awesome to watch the children grow from the first moment they've entered the classroom until this week. One of my students in particular was really shy in the beginning and had some anger issues...however, through lots of prayer, meetings, and encouragement, this student has blossomed into a more confident young boy and leader...and he's usually one of the first that I rely on to help me.

 

 I had been praying over a period of many weeks for this young boy (I'll call him "J") and one afternoon stands out to me when I think of him. I had been outside watching some students on the playground during a parents meeting and this student, J, was kicking a soccer ball around by himself and instantly I thought of my younger brothers. My little brothers love it when any of us older siblings take time to hang out with them, and this was especially true when they were even smaller. I had been asking God to help me make a connection with J on a one-on-one basis as I wanted him to know that I care about him not only as a student, but more importantly as a person. When I saw J playing around with a soccer ball, I instantly felt like God tugged at my heart and revealed to me that this was one way I could make my first connection with him. I put aside my abilities at soccer and proceeded to ask J if he'd like to play soccer with me. He looked up at me with the widest eyes and asked, "Miss, you play?" We then formed teams with the other boys and girls on the playground, and had a great time. I took a few breaks in between playing and J would sit out with me and ask, "Miss, keep playing - you just need to practicing! Don't stop, Miss...don't stop." It felt like God had cracked down a huge wall and brought us closer together...and after that experience, I noticed J tried harder in class and was more positive with not only me, but also his peers.

This is just one example of the lives being touched at the school...there are many other children that are being transformed through the powerful love of Christ and through the willingness of volunteer teachers like me, who have been changed through that love and want to see it spread to every tribe, tongue, and nation!

This past week was one of the most challenging so far for me personally as I battled some health issues. I felt like I was falling a part at some points this past weekend as first my eyes were infected and then I had some type of stomach virus. At first I thought it was an infection, because my stomach is more on the sensitive side and I always get something when I travel, but then the other teachers started getting similar symptoms, and so we all were down for the count for a few days. Although it was hard for me to stay in bed for three days with so much to do at the school, it was also a blessing in disguise as I felt God just wanted me to rest and be with him. The Lord truly is teaching me to be "content in all circumstances." (Phip. 4:11-13) Praise the Lord for his healing power and for him working through your prayers and the medicine, because I am healed!

On a side note, I just received a sweet package that was brought down by a missions team this week. I can't explain how beautiful it was to receive notes, cards, books, and so on from my family. I love them so much and felt so encouraged by that sweet gesture...God's timing is perfect!

 

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! I am praying for you too and pray that God will help you to share His love with the people in your life that need to have walls broken down, just like J.

 

Be blessed!

For God's children,

Beka

I'm back!

 

Well, hello! These past few weeks have gone by SO fast! I can't believe today marked the start of the fourth week of school. It just doesn't seem real! So many things have happened within the past few weeks, I'll try and catch you up.

First of all, teaching has been going so much better! Thank you so much for ALL of your prayers! God is so faithful! I have been continuing to pray for more wisdom and strength throughout the day -  I need it! However, classroom management has been a lot easier than that first week (code word for that week: the dark ages). God surely does move mountains! I have continued to pray for more and more supernatural love for the sweet children that I'm working with and God has definitely been supplying that! I love these precious kids so much and couldn't imagine NOT being their teacher! My life has been blessed and enriched in every sense of the word by these dear children.

Children can teach us so much if we let them. I know these words to be true, because I have seen it happen within my own life these past several weeks. If you're ever having a rough day, talk to a child. You will come away more blessed than when you came! I love the sweet innocence of childhood: the big bear hugs, the enormous squeals of laughter, the genuine smiles, the list could go on. Children are the most sincere beings on the planet! My students continue to show me the importance of not holding back and loving life on a day to day basis, as we are not promised tomorrow. How different would our lives be if we took a few minutes to talk to an old friend, call a loved one, or stop to encourage someone, "just because"? Try it. I "dare" you. :)

I have felt so much more connected to my students the past two weeks. The first and second weeks were still a time of adjustment for both my students and for me. They were getting used to "Miss Beka" and so was I! Praise the Lord for His grace and His strength - - to Him be all the glory! A few moments that stuck out to me over the past several weeks were when a few little girls in my class picked me flowers over break and insisted that if I wanted more they would "definitely get more." :) So sweet! I also noticed the kids started paying more attention in class, started giving me more hugs at the end of the day, and made time to share with me about the simple things going on in their lives. One little girl stopped me while I was teaching one day and proudly displayed a new, missing tooth! Priceless! There is never a dull moment being a teacher, that's for sure! And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

On a personal note, I celebrated my twenty-third birthday this past Saturday! I can't believe that I'm almost in my mid-twenties! When did this happen and how can I make it stop? ;) The day before my birthday all the students made me cards - - it really was the sweetest thing! I made everyone sit in a circle and then I opened up each card like a little gift. The kids l-o-v-e-d it and roared with joy when I opened each one. I started tearing up towards the end and the kids all exclaimed, "It's YOUR BIRTHDAY! You can't CRY!" That's right! What a bunch of cuties. I truly felt loved and I remember looking around the room and thanking Jesus for the opportunity to teach such precious children. Each one is a gift in my life!

 

 

I ended up celebrating my actual birthday at the village with the children. I must say, it was definitely a special birthday! A traditional Honduran custom is to crack eggs on the birthday person's head and the kids DID NOT want me to miss out on that one. ;) The boys at the boys house gently cracked the eggs and poured a little flour on me -  - but the girls - - - they mean business! After I was at the boys house I made my way to the girls house and couldn't believe the amount of eggs the girls had nor their stances. They were ready and man did they smash those eggs on my head! At least a few of the girls stuck around to help clean me up afterwards ;)

On this past Sunday my new roomie and "sister" came - - Mercedes! I am thrilled to be spending the year teaching alongside this awesome gal! She brings so much energy, joy, and laughter to the house. She really is a blessing and I know her 5th and 6th graders will love her as much as I do!

Please continue to pray for me and my students! Your support and resources are vital to this ministry  - we can't do it without YOU! I'm praying that Jesus will bless you in a special way and will encourage you to pursue Him with reckless abandon - just like a child! “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

 

May God bless you!

For the children,

Beka

 

 

First week: I'm a teacher!

Hi friends and family,

I've decided to start a blog which will follow my journey this year as a missionary teacher to Honduras!

I'd love for you all to come along with me on this adventure and this is one great way for you to do that.

It's been three weeks already in Honduras - - can't believe how fast the time is flying by. I have a feeling this school year will fly by even faster! This past week was my first week as a teacher. It was definitely a crazy ride, but I am so thankful for a God that promises to "never leave us nor forsake us." I definitely depended on Jesus and needed Him for every moment as I experienced the amazing and yet bumpy ride of being a first time teacher!

Before I tell you more about my week, I'd like to talk to you more about the program we're using and what my role is. First of all, this school uses the ACE program, which is a Christian approach to learning and stresses the importance of character building. This program uses "paces" which are subjects that each of the children completes individually as some may be in different levels of math, science, reading, and so on. I am there to help the children in these subjects and to make sure they are testing and scoring correctly. I not only help with paces, but I teach the elective classes for my second graders. I also help teach two electives for the first graders! The electives I teach are agropecuaria (agriculture), art, music, and physical education.  I am excited to be teaching this program and to be helping train future leaders for Honduras! This country needs to start rebuilding from the ground up - and part of that is by training future leaders to spark change in a country that desperately needs to be revamped. 

Tuesday was my first day - - it was definitely a blur! I have helped teach sunday school, taught CEF summer Bible clubs, and grew up with six children, but being a teacher is a whole different experience! My past experiences and background have helped me as I become a teacher, but this week was a learning experience as I navigated the classes and the students. Part of my biggest hurdle on Tuesday was classroom management. It sounds so simple but it is something that can make or break a classroom! After class on Tuesday, I prayed for the Lord to give me wisdom as I learn what it means to run a classroom efficiently and create a fun environment at the same time. I also asked for advice from my director here as well as friends/family that gave me great perspectives, fun ideas, and sound wisdom. The following days were a lot better as I implemented some wisdom given to me and prayed in situations when I didn't know exactly what to do, but I knew that God does! 

Something that stood out to me last week during one of my quiet times was 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter speaks about the importance of love and truly encouraged me as I felt discouraged at some points. I remember feeling so exhausted and overwhelmed on Tuesday night as I cried out to God and said, "God, I just graduated with a PR degree. I've had business management and communication classes - this is over my head! I don't have enough knowledge!" But then, as I read that chapter, the verses stuck out to me like never before. Please take a moment to read that chapter and then come back to my blog. As I read the verses, my heart was touched. It doesn't matter how much knowledge or experience I have, I will learn...but what does matter this year is showing my students God's love and just loving them. God knew I needed to read that chapter...and at that moment...and He helped me to refocus my gaze back to Him and back on His mission. He took my discouragement and replaced it with joy and peace! I know that everyday has it's own set of problems, but I know that we serve a Savior that is living and is on the throne....and with Him, "ALL things are possible."

I am teaching a beautiful group of children with a range of ages! They range from six years old to ten. I have five children in my second grade class and the other children are from the community. They are so sweet - a lot of them give me back their worksheets after they are done as a gift. Please pray for wisdom, motivation, and peace in their hearts and minds as we start week two already. :)

Please continue to lift me up this week, too!  I am excited to jump back into the classroom and help my students learn more about Jesus and learn more in their classes!

Love you all - thanks for your support across many miles! Praying for you!

In Him, 

Beka