Today is the second Saturday of the month, and I find myself on the way to being completely refreshed, excited for what’s to come, and pensive about what has happened over the last two months. It’s almost 4:00pm and my roommates and I have just gotten back to the apartment from our 2nd Saturday morning routine of leaving around 8:30am to pick up women from three neighborhoods in the area, preparing food for breakfast, teaching a chapter from Fundamentals of the Faith by John McArthur, and afterwards taking note about what happened. Our hopes are that they will feel equipped to teach other women in their communities when we finish in about 8 months. We’ve just completed Lesson 5 about the work of Jesus on the cross. I am so thankful for a rotating schedule between Jenna, Kaylee and me with the teaching, organizing games and checking memorization. We've gotten a good system down and it seems to be working!
Here are some key takeaways about the power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross:
- We aren’t righteous, but Jesus declares us righteous. (Rom 3:23; Mat 5:28; Isaiah 64:6; Rom 5:19)
- There isn’t anyone who understands, but Jesus gives us understanding. (Eph 4:17; 1 John 5:20)
- There is no one who seeks after God because we are lost, but God finds us. (John 6:44; Luke 19:10)
- Everyone, like sheep, has gone their own way, but Jesus is our Shepherd. (Isa 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25)
- We are all useless, but Jesus makes us able to produce fruit. (Eph 2:1; 2 Peter 1:8)
- No one does anything good, but Jesus gives us the ability to do good things. (Tit 1:16; Eph 2:10)
- We were sentenced to death, but Jesus gives us eternal life. (Rom 7:5; Rom 6:23; John 5:24)
- We should be recipients of God’s wrath, but Jesus saves us from what we deserve. (Eph 2:3; Rom 5:9)
And what was Christ’s motivation for all that He did?
LOVE. (1 Juan 4:10; Juan 3:16)
COMPASSION & MERCY. (1 Pedro 1:3)
TO GLORIFY GOD. (Juan 12:27-28)
It seems as though we have about 15 faithful women who are committed to attend monthly, learn the books of the Bible, complete the homework for Fundamentals of the Faith, and memorize Bible verses. These women are made up of Makarios teachers, mothers of Makarios kids, and church members in the communities we serve.
Please pray for those who struggle to MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE, that the women in the group would REMEMBER and thus be able to pass on the knowledge that we are learning in order to EQUIP other women and their children, that we would all GROW in our relationship with Him, and that God would continue to UNIFY us as we are a group from different backgrounds, communities, and denominations.
Lord willing, within the next two months, there will be another DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM started for MEN through the Family Empowerment Program focusing on equipping men to teach other men using the same resource.
SUMMER.
At first, when I think about Summer, it seems like a blur… So many things happened. I met so many people.
And those six weeks begin to all run together…
...and then I begin to separate out the different U.S. groups that came here this summer to work alongside the Makarios Groups Ministry team. Groups from various places in Texas and a group from Pennsylvania.
I think about what different groups of people on each team did…
There were the PROJECT teams that worked on painting the school, making the school playground look nice, cleaning out the kitchen, helping out with other projects at the Makarios House where teams stay, among many other projects that I probably never even saw.
There were parts of teams that worked alongside Cakito and an intern, Stewart, who ran SOCCER and BASKETBALL CAMPS for boys from the nearby neighborhoods, ending each week with a tournament and allowing people from the groups to share their testimonies.
I remember that one night a week we had a special event in one of the communities in which we served alongside the local church by showing a MOVIE put on by Family Ministry or a YOUTH GROUP ACTIVITY where both testimonies and the gospel were shared. And I remember the lady who never sets foot in the church who was there with her family and came back again the following weekend. And then there were those three boys who accepted Christ at the end of the last activity that was held at Makarios.
AND THEN THERE WAS VBS. That's where I got to serve this summer. Three weeks in each community (yes, sometimes two VBS sessions in one day, two different communities). We taught about man’s perfect relationship with God, his separation from God due to sin, and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I find it hard to find the exact words to describe this summer and what it meant to me other than that in many ways I felt in the groove. High speed, interactive, tons of kids, high energy, lots of singing, praises to the King, loud, kinda crazy … VBS. (And then time and space to recover from it all afterwards.) I worked alongside both adults and teens, Americans and Dominicans, missionaries and staff. I worked alongside some believers and others who haven’t discovered the love that Jesus Christ displayed by dying on the cross yet.
It was so fun to lead and to watch others step up and lead as well.
It was a privilege to serve with the Groups Ministry this summer in the communities where I have gotten to know the kids who go to Makarios School and now know others who live next to them.
And all of that said -- I think the beauty of the summer was that God showed me once again HIS BODY and how it comes together perfectly when we are unified in the same goal.
Sita was by my side from the beginning in the planning of VBS and during the first few weeks, praying through nerves and details and that God would be glorified in all that we did. Vierka made up the dance and helped come up with the theme, La Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island) that ended up being a great jumping off point to talk about Christ. Tatis, the Mak School guard, was "Tito Tesoro", the main character that we created to open up every VBS looking for His treasure and finding things that often one puts in place of the Lord, until the last day when he found the most valuable treasure, Jesus. (He also led games and skits for the Youth Group Activities that we had). And then, I think of Gloria, Marnelia, Genesis, Kaylee Kelvin, Mariel, María, Pastor Mares, Andrea, Tomy, Cakito, Jenna, and other members of the Makarios Staff who were on break, but took some time during their break to help out. I am grateful for Silvia, Yurlena, my niece, Kaylin, Franchesca, Myah, Gisela and Warner who all served alongside the groups as teenage volunteers in and outside of their home communities. I could not have survived this summer without Milka who translated endlessly for the Bible lesson and more for each group and led the seventh VBS week, along with the Becks and Lehrs who were the group leaders all seven weeks that we had teams. This summer was a perfect example of team effort, God’s abundance, and His strength.
I think about the many conversations that we had about our sin and salvation, and I pray that seeds were planted and that people who heard God’s Word will continue to hear, grow, and obey.
Click here to see a highlight video from Summer.
SABBATH REST.
I’m finishing the first of two weeks of sabbath rest at the end of two very busy seasons, and will start school on the 21st of August. I am so grateful to have been able to find some time and some space to separate, read historical fiction, relax on the beach, read God’s Word, and reflect on the 2016-2017 school year and this past summer.
What is God teaching me during this time?
- To have patience.
- To trust His perfect plan even though I cannot see past today.
- To be aware of the enemy and His desire to deceive and twist truth.
- The importance of discipleship and equipping others by sharing what we know.
- That this next week will continue to be restful and filling, as I head back to my first D.R. home down south for a few days.
- That I would come back renewed and ready for the new school year!
- For Family Ministry as we start to plan activities, discipleships, and parent meetings for this year, and as we begin to dream about the next 5-10 years as a ministry.
- For wisdom and discernment in all that I do.
- Continued deep studying and memorization of God’s Word.
