Finally, this school year is complete. We await final grades but overall most everything is done. This is exciting! Now we can take a few deep breaths.
Next up for us is the arrival of Loren and Bambi from Dover Baptist. We're super excited to have good friends from our home church come to visit. It has been nearly eighteen months since our last visitors.
Abigail will resume piano lessons this month - but with a new teacher. This will be very challenging for her because her new teacher is Korean... and doesn't speak any English... and only marginal Spanish.
Emma is anxiously awaiting the start of Kinder... still. She is a bit bummed that she will have to dress in "standard attire". She has been rather used to dressing herself lately and so we're expecting a few fashion battles once August comes.
Joy will be beginning revisions to her various curriculums. She was approved yesterday to submit plans or an "AP" music theory class. Also, her grand plans for student-teaching-elementary was approved. This will be an awesome opportunities for some of her upper-class students who have expressed an interest in majoring in Music Education.
I (Ken) am now getting my detailed summer plans ready to hand off to Edgard. He will be doing the bulk of the system changes and upgrades while I am in New York. I'm super excited for this opportunity. For me the funny thought of the week is this: after Tuesday I won't need to set my alarm for 5:20am... rather, I can sleep in to 5:45 when Sara will be sure to have me up...*sigh*
On a sad note - the season of "goodbyes" has begun. Today we said goodbye to the Miller family. They are returning to the States after many years serving here. There will be a few more goodbyes this week as it is now the season for folks to return to the States. Please be in prayer for our family as a lot of these goodbyes will be difficult for us and our children.
Overall we're pleased with this year. It was fun and exciting... but challenging and frustrating at the same time. Satan tested us but the Lord had the victory and the glory.
-knme
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Have you ever heard that saying "The center of God's will is the safest place to be?" I certainly have. I wonder where that came from? I have to say, I don't think it was the Bible.
Lately I have been reading a book called "Radical" by David Platt. An excellent read, I highly recommend it. In fact, I think that every believer should read it. (Yes, it is available for the Kindle.)
In this book he points out so many Biblical truths that we as a society, a Christian society, have chosen to overlook. This is the one that hit me today, as I was driving along on my way to school and a motorcycle pulled up slowly beside me. (For those who don't know, moto crimes are very common here.) In that moment I did not feel safe, nor really should I have, I could have been in real danger...but did that mean I wasn't in the center of God's will - No!
In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be sending them out like sheep among wolves. Let's see, he was sending them so we know that is God's will. Sheep among wolves, that's safe right? NO! A sheep among a group of wolves is one of the most dangerous places for the sheep to be, and yet God sent them there.
I love this paragraph from "Radical": " Jesus was saying to his disciples then - and, by implication, to you and me now - "I am sending you to dangerous places, where you will find yourself in the middle of evil, vicious people. And you will be there by my design." Jesus told them, "Go to great danger, and let it be said of you what people would say of sheep wandering into the middle of wolves. 'They're crazy! They're clueless! They have no idea what kind of danger the are getting into!' This is what it means to be my disciple."
So, is the center of God's will the safest place for me, or my family to be - maybe not, but it is certainly the best place. May it be said of us that we followed God even when it seemed crazy to the world.
(And please, pray for us and others who have been called to serve in the dangerous places of this world. We are in danger here from violence, but so many are in danger for their beliefs. Pray that God would keep his servants strong in the face of danger.)
Lately I have been reading a book called "Radical" by David Platt. An excellent read, I highly recommend it. In fact, I think that every believer should read it. (Yes, it is available for the Kindle.)
In this book he points out so many Biblical truths that we as a society, a Christian society, have chosen to overlook. This is the one that hit me today, as I was driving along on my way to school and a motorcycle pulled up slowly beside me. (For those who don't know, moto crimes are very common here.) In that moment I did not feel safe, nor really should I have, I could have been in real danger...but did that mean I wasn't in the center of God's will - No!
In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be sending them out like sheep among wolves. Let's see, he was sending them so we know that is God's will. Sheep among wolves, that's safe right? NO! A sheep among a group of wolves is one of the most dangerous places for the sheep to be, and yet God sent them there.
I love this paragraph from "Radical": " Jesus was saying to his disciples then - and, by implication, to you and me now - "I am sending you to dangerous places, where you will find yourself in the middle of evil, vicious people. And you will be there by my design." Jesus told them, "Go to great danger, and let it be said of you what people would say of sheep wandering into the middle of wolves. 'They're crazy! They're clueless! They have no idea what kind of danger the are getting into!' This is what it means to be my disciple."
So, is the center of God's will the safest place for me, or my family to be - maybe not, but it is certainly the best place. May it be said of us that we followed God even when it seemed crazy to the world.
(And please, pray for us and others who have been called to serve in the dangerous places of this world. We are in danger here from violence, but so many are in danger for their beliefs. Pray that God would keep his servants strong in the face of danger.)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Bye bye April! Hello May!
I'm very sorry - did you just say, "Hello May?!"
With those words the end of our third school year is in sight. We have a meer eighteen days of school left. This is a truly scary thought.
Since the last installment Ken has gone to NY and returned - unscathed. Many tears were shed by Abigail and Emma as it was the first time he was away from them for that amount of time since our short work trip back in February 2008. It is difficult to gauge the success of the trip as his recommendations are in the hands of the church leadership. They're praying over it and deciding the next steps. Ken was able to fly home eight hours early and surprise Joy and the kids at school.
On the flip side of that Joy and the girls survived. They made a trip to Chichi to visit Don, Heather, and the kids. Joy was able to be there in person as Pastor Don began a new sermon series titled, "Flannel Board Bible Stories for Grown-Ups." - not yet available on Amazon :9(
All joking aside this year has been good - challenging, yet good. It seems that with every year we learn things which we need to improve upon for the next year. Yet the next year will change again as Emma will begin Kindergarten. This will make two in school.
With the summer plans still awaiting the concret we look to finish this month and then to June. Remaining in May will be a few school events. In June Abigail will be going to her first summer camp and Joy will be teaching at a Guatemalan Music camp. Bigger news than that - Loren and Bambi will be coming to visit! We're very much looking forward to seeing them!
Well, that is all for now. Blessings to all. And, many thanks to all our faithful supporters.
-knm/jr/ac/eb/sje
With those words the end of our third school year is in sight. We have a meer eighteen days of school left. This is a truly scary thought.
Since the last installment Ken has gone to NY and returned - unscathed. Many tears were shed by Abigail and Emma as it was the first time he was away from them for that amount of time since our short work trip back in February 2008. It is difficult to gauge the success of the trip as his recommendations are in the hands of the church leadership. They're praying over it and deciding the next steps. Ken was able to fly home eight hours early and surprise Joy and the kids at school.
On the flip side of that Joy and the girls survived. They made a trip to Chichi to visit Don, Heather, and the kids. Joy was able to be there in person as Pastor Don began a new sermon series titled, "Flannel Board Bible Stories for Grown-Ups." - not yet available on Amazon :9(
All joking aside this year has been good - challenging, yet good. It seems that with every year we learn things which we need to improve upon for the next year. Yet the next year will change again as Emma will begin Kindergarten. This will make two in school.
With the summer plans still awaiting the concret we look to finish this month and then to June. Remaining in May will be a few school events. In June Abigail will be going to her first summer camp and Joy will be teaching at a Guatemalan Music camp. Bigger news than that - Loren and Bambi will be coming to visit! We're very much looking forward to seeing them!
Well, that is all for now. Blessings to all. And, many thanks to all our faithful supporters.
-knm/jr/ac/eb/sje
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