Yes....Valentine's Day was yesterday and to be completely honest...i'm usually not a fan. I'm not a hopeless romantic and i'm not one of those anti-love people either. Just as one of my students would say...why do you only devote one day to telling someone that you love them? You should do it every day! While the kids and I celebrated with chocolate exchanges put in decorated heart bags we also discussed real love. We didn't talk about where Valentine's Day came from or who the person was that may have started the holiday...instead we focused on the greatest act of love ever made and the person who gave it... Jesus. We talked about what love is and who we are supposed to love. We especially talked about loving your enemies. A real prayer ofmine is that God will replace the hatred that they have in their hearts for the Israelis with His love. Its coming...slowly slowly.
6th Graders with Valentines.
5th Graders with Valentines
My Valentines Door
To fill you in on the past couple of weeks....it has had its ups and downs as normal. I really praise God for the things that He is doing in my life and in the lives of my students. He is multiplying my time in ways i have never seen before. I'm getting everything done cooking, cleaning, prepared for the next day, and spent quiet time with Him all before 10pm bedtime. Then waking up refreshed and renewed the next morning. God is good. He has also blessed me with a wonderful church congregation to be involved in. Once again tonight God just confirmed in my spirit that King of Kings is where i need to be. I'm getting refreshed and filled every service i go to. Its a big blessing and it is also great that Christina is also being blessed there as well. She and I both are wanting to get more involved and get to know the body of Christ there more. God has been speaking truth to me again about patience and gentleness. At the beginning of the year my classes would not respond with out me getting angry and usually yelling or raising my voice. God is now calling me and them to a different level. I seriously dont like raising my voice but that is all they responded too...but this week i told them..."I'm not going to raise my voice at you anymore. You should respect me and yourselves more than that." God is granting me a lot of mercy and grace to be able to have the patience with them and understanding of what it is that they need. I'm also learning to listen when God tells me to do something. We stand firm on our Christian teaching and beliefs but sometimes I just get caught up with learning the academic subjects that i let spiritual things go by without getting addressed. But one day this week the enemy was in the classroom and we just spent sometime in warfare. My 6th graders and I just took a moment to call the Holy Spirit down in our classroom and rebuked the works of darkness that wasnt welcome in that room. God was faithful and sent His spirit to guide the rest of that day. God is moving mightily in this school...things are moving in His direction and in His time. Terry and Garrett have launched the idea of an after-school program that will
start next week. Nikkie (Frosty's granddaughter) is also starting weekly prayer gatherings and worship in Bethlehem so thats exciting as well. Greater things are coming. They are moving.
We also had a surprise party for MaryAnn on Friday. It was so fun and she did not expect anything. She is an incredible woman and a spiritual mother to me. It was great just to bless her.
This week has also had its challenges. Last Sunday our basketball teams played in Hertzallia on the Israeli side in the Peace League. This is their second time playing there this year and we will play again next week. We have a great group of boys and girls playing and i have really enjoyed watching their games. Five of our key player are off the team until they can bring their grades up, but the remainder of the team have been showing what they are made of and that they are a force to be reckoned with. We had four games total that day...2girls...2boys. The highlight of the day was playing the 'sister' school...Jerusalem School Jerusalem or JHS. Our girls won both game. The boys however only won 1. They lost to JHS only by a few points which was sad b/c the previous Tuesday they had beat them. The reason that i have chosen to put these events in the challenging portion is because of our boss... It is very challenging to play that team because of him. He is the superintendent of both schools yet hey never once encouraged our students. NEVER!!! He may say that he did but i watched him...he didn't. He did however cheer and encourage JHS. At the previous game where we won.. did not say "good game" or anything for our team. I wanted so bad for our boys to win against them but it wasnt what God wanted. He really just wanted them to do their best and show what heart they have. During the game i just sat there and cried at one point. I was really upset that these kids who feel unwanted by the world now feel unwanted by a person who is their superintendant who says he cares for them but doesnt show it. The kids even say that they dont feel as if he cares for them. They dont believe that he wants a better life for them. It breaks my heart. It really does. It also makes me upset that i dont know how to address these issues with him. I am really asking for God's wisdom and timing for if that time comes.
Boys Basketball Team Against JHS
Also...please continue to pray for 2 of my 6th graders, Johnny and Ahmed. These boys
are in two totally different situations but both really need divine intervention. Usually I dont write name for fear of who might read this but if you're believing and praying with me its good just to say their names out to God. So...i wrote about Johnny last time getting suspended. This week he and i had a good sit-down conversation about his actions and his anger. All of this is stemming from problems at home which we have had conversations with the parents about and nothing is changing. He was doing much much better this week. He was controlling his anger and trying hard not to touch anyone. Thursday was the big day. He got angry at Ahmed and started hitting him in the stomach...then he went down stairs and took his anger out on a poor 3rd grader. I want you all to understand things do not happen (such as punishments) the same way as in the states. Usually he would have been arrested and then expelled. No police are involved here b/c it just makes things worse between families. But the problem was that the teacher who's class it was in did not call the parents right away. Since we were off Friday the problems were not dealt with until Saturday morning. I wanted him expelled. We have given him chance after chance after chance and he still does not change his ways. We've given him some lenience b/c of the family issues but now enough is enough. We cant keep making excuses for him b/c in the real world they wont do that. I really prayed about it before i went into the parent/teacher meeting and God just told me to respect Ms. Grace's opinion this time and i have peace about it. Johnny has been given his last chance. There is now even documentation. He can do really the slightest thing wrong and he is expelled. He is no longer allowed in our school. You may be thinking...this is harsh for a Christian school. You could be correct, but i think its fair and just. God is not a God of disorder. He wants order. This student has been causing disorder since the beginning of the year. We've prayed. We've fasted. We're not giving up! But he now knows the consequences. Garrett will begin mentoring him tomorrow. Please pray for God's words to be established down deep in this child's soul. Please just lift him up when you pray at night. God does have great plans for him we want his eyes to be open. Also..Ahmed. Ahmed will be repeating 6th grade next year or either going to a different school. His home situation is different than Johnnys b/c instead Ahmed is spoiled. Spoiled to death. He gets everything he wants when he wants it. So if he doesnt want to do his homework or study he doesnt. He has a tutor...but now he wants her to come when he wants her too...so the tutor is no more. He really needs a tutor b/c i cant tutor him and he needs some arabic translations. He just doesnt respect anyone and he doesnt respect himself. He doesnt care if he gets bad grades or gets in trouble. Nothing seems to phase him. We've talked with the parents and they seem not to care either. So i ask that you pray that God will fill this boy with purposeness and motivation. These boys both have such a light inside them. I can see it when they are not trying to hid it. I pray that God give them the strength to let it shine brightly.
Johnny and Ahmed
As i always close..i want to thank you all for your prayers and support. God is doing great things here. He is moving and shaking and going to continue to do so. He is getting us ready for the revival that is going to take place in this land. I cant wait! :)
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