One of our interns, Ben Heath came back early and declared that he felt like God was calling him to missions on a full time basis. Ben returned early because he wanted to come down with his home church Locust Grove Baptist Church, who had back to back work teams this month. Normally, Ben was going home and working like crazy to make enough money to come back and stay the 3 month period before he had to leave again to get his visa renewed. Ben is a graduate of a college in Middle GA and he now is our school director. He is doing a fabulous job with the girls and with new Honduran teachers we have hired this week. When Ben got back, he shared that he didn't want to be an intern any more. He felt like the word "intern" had a negative conotation that meant that the intern didn't know exactly what he was doing. He said that while he was at home, the thought came to him that the interns at Project Talitha Cumi needed to be call was "The Professionals" At first it really sound like a TV mini series to me, but everybody agreed that they were professionals and graduates from universities and their chosen profession and confession is to be a full time missionary. Yesterday while I was at the Secretary of Education with Ben getting some books and documents, the head of the department we were in said we needed to be certified to give classes. She said our "professionals" all need to come to a continuing education class to get this certification. I looked at Ben and told him, "This must be catching on". Please pray for Ben, and all of our other full time missionaries and part time missionaries that they would have the funding they need to stay on the mission field where God has called them to be.
We just dropped the Botkin family off at the bus station. They threw us a big pizza party at the Kios Pizza and Car Wach (it means car wash) facility. The pizza was great and we had every table filled except one small booth. The Botkins are on their way home for a few months. They have been a tremendous source of support and encouragement to me personally, to the girls, and to the other members of the staff. Linda is a homemaker and homeschooler of their 4 children ranging in age of 15 to 3. She cooked the entire time while we had all the teams visit us for the summer. She did a tremendous job keeping everything in the kitchen going. Jeremiah kept repairs going, drove the bus for the team, tutored the girls in trigonometry, built bunk beds, cabinets and fixed toilets. He is a carpenter by trade and they are both missionaries by the calling of God. Please pray for us because we already miss them and their children. Their children pitched in and helped with the all the day to day chores that the girls had which included washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, feeding hogs, keeping the grounds cleaned, sweeping the church, etc. The children's attitudes were great and reminded me of my girls on the mission field as they used to remind me that they were missionaries too. Pray for the Botkin family, that they will get all the necessary plans and paperwork ready for them to be able to stay here at PTC in the near future. Pray for them to raise the necessary support to be able to stay here long term.
Natalie, our other professional, is in charge of the evangelism here in our community and the other small aldeas that we live close to. She is using a program called the Mailbox Club that orginates in Valdosta, Ga. Natalie is a member of Crosspointe Church. She is bi-lingual and has been a huge asset in going to the different schools to minister to the children the foundations of salvation and about how to read their Bibles. Natalie has commited to be with us for a year and will be with us if the Lord permits until March! We are so thankful for the time she has been here helping us. Pray for her also as she is seeking direction for her life after her year' commitment is up.
Anna Williams, also a resident of Valdosta has been with us this past 6 weeks. She has been helping with the school. Anna is a student at VSU and goes to Northside Baptist church. She has been strong when the situation called for strength even though she is quiet soul. I have been amazed at how the Lord has used her here at our mission. She is kind of the quiet super hero that nobody knows is a super hero until the need arises. She is there with strength and faith to battle whatever comes. She has spent her summer break with us and has to go back to college, but we are praying that she will return to us.
Meanwhile, the girls are doing great. They are being successful at school and even though discipline is sometimes the order of the day their attitudes to that discipline has been wonderful. We have been doing our devotions on the book of John and 1st John. Love of course is the answer to everything that comes our way, because Jesus is Love and He is the answer. We have reviewed "teamwork", in loving others more than ourselves and the word "remain". Jesus repeats it a lot to remain in His love because really we are all a little slow in that arena. We all want to bolt when things don't go our way, but he repeats over and over and over again to remain in His love.
Well last night we were talking about the calling of God. It was our pastor's sermon this week and so we review what the Pastor spoke on the next time we have devotions. During our church services we have a little old lady that always wear a typical hand woven kerchief in her hair and everytime the pastor makes a good point, she says "Santos", which just means "Holy, Holy". Well we had come to the point in the review of the pastor's sermon to ask how do we receive the call God has for our lives. We started talking about how we pray. I told them that most of the time I pray on my bed laying down, and sometimes I stand and sometimes I sit, but I told them that God has shown me that if I am really serious with God I get on my knees because it is not a comfortable position and I take care of business rapidly in that position. I also don't do it lest anyone come through and call me a fanatic. They all agreed that they would be embarrassed if someone saw them on their knees praying. So I told everybody in the room "Let's get on our knees and see if that is true". Well on of our 13 year olds got on her knees along with the rest of us, and she called out "Santos". Not because the Lord touched her spiritutally but because her knees felt the pressure immediately. It was hysterical, and we all broke out laughing because we were feeling the same pressure, but we closed out our devotions by all of us getting on our knees and praying for the needs of our farm and the girls and the families they represent.
It is strange how we let opinion of others affect our devotion to our God in how we pray, in the things we say and do. We have learned this week that perfect love casts out all fear. I pray that He will help us to overcome whatever hinders us from Him.
Thanks for all the wonderful he that we have had this summer! My girls and I have met some of the strongest Christian people. They have been a wonderful example of living for Christ. We have had some of our children baptized, some of them have recieved their salvation and some did both all because of the people who heard the Lord say "Go". They really didn't know what they were going to be doing, they just knew they were supposed to go. I am thankful that they heard from God and obeyed. Some shopped till they dropped for our 23 girls, some taught them songs, dances, dramas. The girls are better people because you came.
Thanks for all of you that have heard from God and supported us whatever way God has shown you to do. I pray that God multiply all the help you have sent our way, back to you . I thank the ones of you who are supporting our missionaries on the field. They are making a huge difference in the lives of the girls, the community and to the lives of the teams that come and see their dedication. Thank you all so much. Blessings, the Knee-Praying Honduran MOM
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