Activity Update

During my long stretch of silence the LORD was busy moving mountains in my life. In July, before flying to Nebraska to bury my dad's ashes a friend and former student came to the house and yelled up from the street (something people do here- I once thought I would never do such a thing, but recently it is almost my habit too!)

Laura had come by to say that the University had three posts for English professors now open and that the department heads would be contacting me to come in for an interview, "Oh and please send them your resume and documents so they can begin to see if they really want you."

That was a Thursday, I was waiting for a call from a school in San Miguel de Allende, but the commute 2 hours a day would have been horendous.I sent my resume and documents to the director at the University on Friday around mid-day and within 15 minutes my phone rang and they gave me an interview time for Monday.

It seems important to say that the best jobs I have ever had never came from any initiative I have put forth, they have all come from DIVINE intervention...This was no different and was the strangest interview I've ever had: the two who interviewed me knew my resume, had already made calls to my references and asked me questions for about 20 minutes. Then, suddenly without even stepping out to discuss it, they looked at each other, turned to me and offered me a post teaching fourth year English.

Before I left I had textbooks, cds, and materials for my classes were on order.

The Word tells us in Romans 8:27-28: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

God always does what is best for me even if I don't understand in the moment. Through that job, God has lifted much of the financial burden of being in Mexico and doing His work and while I do not have the time that I once had to teach the women here, God has opened a whole new avenue for me to share His goodness and love with a group of people who are truly seeking to fill that God shaped hole in their hearts.

I'm so grateful! The focus of my class in on writing and reading, I have the freedom to use my own materials literally. I share testimony in writing and they read it in class. This semester my reading material is Jonathan Cahn's book "The Harbinger". Last semester I had about 16 students who participated in a prayer chain. God continues to give me all that is necessary to keep going in each area of ministry and the strength to do my best.

Sorry for the LONG silence

When my dad passed away back in May, it kind of threw me off balance for a time. I needed to mourn and to recall the good times I have had with my dad over the years, but his death coming so suddenly and soon after my return to Mexico was very difficult. I had some strange ideas about how I as a Christian should react to a death of a beloved parent.

Over the years I have witnessed friends, family and pastors during their time of mourning and really admired the strength of many of them. I believed that if my faith were strong enough I should be able to say good-bye to my dad without shedding many tears and without a long period of grieving. 

I became very disillusioned with myself; I felt pain, loss, frustration and anger after dad's death and unfortunately there were days when the tears won out.

A week ago one of my students called me after having gone to wake her grandfather and found that he has passed away in the night. This student had shared with me in August that her grandfather had cancer of the aggressive sort anbd from that day I began to minister to her and her family for their coming loss. 

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 says: Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

One of the things God has clearly shown me and spoken into my heart is that EVERYONE mourns differently! The mourning is difficult enough without us applying pressure to ourselves and trying to model mourning correctly for others.