A new Year!

I decided to wait until all the festivities were over to recap my adventures while home for Christmas. The week before Christmas was busy as my mom and I prepared for company, shopped for food and present for our ladies' Christmas party, and spent time together. We were both sick, and eventually, my mom got so sick, that she ended up missing the ladies' Christmas party and Christmas Sunday. I handled the party without her, and although mom was missed, the ladies said they all enjoyed the party. At the end of the party, I gave a short challenge based on the lives of the women in Jesus lineage. So many were liars, some were harlots, Leah was unloved... yet God chose to have all these women be in His son's lineage. I believe He did this so we could see that God can use anyone no matter how bad they may be or the trials they have faced.

Christmas Sunday was a fun day. We had five nationalities represented in the service. The kids and a few church members presented special music with the Christmas story narrated by my dad. After church, we had a dinner and an early service where we shared blessing and testimonies.

My sister and her kids came down to spend the first three days of the week with us as well as Christmas morning. We had a good time opening simple gifts, reading the Christmas story, and eating dinner. Christmas night, I left for Boston. On the 26th, I flew out to Chicago and then took a bus to Iowa to surprise my sister who just had a new baby. I spent a week with her and her 6 kids. My brother-in-law was able to repair my laptop which was a huge blessing.

I arrived home again last night. On the plane, I was able to witness to a young lady named Megan. She did not get saved, but a seed was planted. Please pray that God will continue to draw her to him.

I leave for Puerto Rico again on Monday. I will finish out the school year there. Please pray as I still have not found tickets to England at a decent price. I try to be very careful of the funds entrusted to me by my supporting churches, so I always look for the lowest price possible. Please pray that I can recover from the sickness I've had.

Continue to pray for the reconstruction in Puerto Rico. There will be some decisions made in February. Pray that God's will be done so the work can be finished.

Home for Christmas!

This past week flew by, but it was a good week. We finished decorating our classroom for Christmas. I made over 100 cookies, and with the help of two other girls, we got them all iced and decorated. On Friday, we had a simple program for my students parents. They quoted Paul Revere's Ride, the Village Blacksmith, and sang and quoted Psalm 1. I was able to give a simple plan of salvation, so please pray that the parents and students, who are not saved, will trust Christ.

Saturday, my friend Cassie and I flew home to Maine. We had a little turbulence throughout both flights but made it home safely. There is no snow right now, but I think some is expected this week.

Today was a good first Sunday back home. We had several visitors in church. There were people from five other countries in the service. There are also several new faithful attendees.

Please pray that all goes well with my plans while I am home, and please pray that I can get my computer fixed.

Thanksgiving and Revving up for Christmas

It has been a busy, but great two weeks. My friend and I were able to take another trip to Vieques. We spent the whole day at the beach just relaxing, swimming, and collecting shells and sea glass.  This past weekend, we went Black Friday shopping, and went to San Juan and visited El Morro, took a long walk back into town, and ate at an amazing restaurant.

The week off for Thanksgiving wasn't all play. I accomplished quite a bit in my classroom with lesson planning, and decorating for Christmas. I also worked on Christmas gifts for my students and my family.

Thanksgiving was a nice day. My friend and I spent the day with friends, and enjoyed desert with the pastor's family. The weather was a little rainy at first which kept the temperatures very nice.

Please pray as we finish out the next two weeks of school. I will have parents coming to hear their kids quote Scripture and sing for our Christmas party. I hope to have the opportunity to witness to them as well.

I will fly home on December 14, so please pray for safety and good weather. Pray for my family as several are going through illnesses. Please continue to pray for two of my students dealing with health issues.

A Time of Thanks

It is hard to believe it is already November. We have one more week of school, and then we have a week off for Thanksgiving. I am thankful to be spending most of the cold months in Puerto Rico this year. Most of my family has had snow and freezing temperatures, and I have been enjoying warm sunny days.

School continues on, and there aren't a lot of "big" events going on, but I'll share some stories and prayer requests. I am learning that some of my students have an aptitude for acting. We have been reading The Prince and the Pauper which is divided into parts like a play. The kids are loving playing their parts and even put on accents.

We began science class a couple weeks ago. One grade is studying bugs, and the other is studying plants. I asked the students to bring in bugs so we could see them. We ended up with three spiders one of which had an egg sack which hatched. I was not very excited about these creatures being in my classroom. The rest of the students brought in dead bugs.

I have three students who need prayer. One girl has been ill for most of the semester. One of the boys has a back problem which is giving him pain in other areas of his body, and another boy had a bike accident and broke his arm. The school is also in need of prayer for the reconstruction project to be finished.

Thank you to all who pray for me and support me, and for those who have supported me in the past. Without the prayers and support of you, I would never be able to go and help people as I have been. I am amazed at the opportunities I have had because of people who trust God enough to entrust me with bringing in fruit their account.

Fall, Winter? What are those?

After having heard from my siblings how cold it has already been in their states, and one reporting snow, I am rejoicing in the 90 degree temps here in Puerto Rico. The last two weeks have been busy. My friend Cassie has been here helping me in my classroom by grading, giving spelling tests, cleaning, and caring for the students.

The last two weeks have been very rainy. This past week, I saw four rainbows. That is the most I have seen since being here. The last one I saw spanned from somewhere in town all the way to the top of a mountain near the ocean, and and the arch was right over our property. These rainbows keep reminding me that God keeps His promises. The reconstruction is still on hold, but God is still doing a work here in the lives of the students.

We have had several great soulwinning weeks. One of the ladies I have been going with has had the opportunity to lead two ladies to Christ, and this past Saturday, another lady was able to witness to a girl who is very mixed up because she has studied many religions.  The young lady asked us to come again. Please pray for her. The pastor's wife was able to help a lady gain assurance of her salvation and the lady's friend trusted Christ the same day.

I already shared that two of my students have trusted Christ. A few Sundays back, another of my students trusted Christ in Sunday school, and this week a first grade student trusted Christ in Sunday school. That is four kids who have trusted Christ. Please continue to pray as I still have a few students to speak with.

With all the bad news in the world, I am thankful that GOd allows me to be part of making good news and giving good news. Please pray as I continue to teach here in PR. I have two students dealing with major medical issues, and another girl in the school is also dealing with major health problems.

Continue to pray for my mom's heart health, and for my two sisters who are pregnant.

Report Cards Tomorrow!

It is hard to believe the first nine weeks of school are finished. We have had a busy and exciting few months with two near misses with the hurricanes. The last couple of weeks got very busy with finishing tests and putting in grades.

My friend Cassie from my church in Maine has been here week, and is planning to stay until Christmas break. It is a blessing to have her helping me in the classroom. It is also a blessing to have her in my house to chat with... We will be heading to Vieques on Sunday to spend Columbus Day with another missionary family.

Today, I was finally able to have my classroom set the way I have wanted since school started. There is a lot more space, and all the students should be able to see the board well. I have also decorated the bulletin board, and I will try to post a picture tomorrow.

My kids sang their first series of Bible verses in chapel last week. They learned most of the verses to the Roman's Road, and now we are working on Psalm 1. They have also memorized eleven other verses. Please pray that kids will continue to trust in Christ.

Please pray for me to have wisdom for the many different types of children in my classroom. If you teach you know that there are students who learn easily and quickly those who struggle to learn, and in a second language setting, you have those who do not always understand due to the language barrier. Balancing workloads can be tricky. Every time I teach, I learn something new about people.

Please pray for two of my sisters who are expecting. One is dealing with some leg pain, and we are praying is not a blood clot. The other is due in December. Please keep my dad's church in prayer as they continue to grow. They have seen many people saved in the last few weeks and many visitors in the services.

Storm Season

Here in Puerto Rico, we are in hurricane season. The last one passed by without anything but rain for us. There are more brewing. After a storm, there is always some rebuilding to be done. Life and ministry also have storm seasons. Please pray that God will use the current storms in life and ministry to help us and the ministry to grow. Please pray that the reconstruction can be funded and finished soon. Satan does not want this building finished, and he is doing all he can to throw a monkey wrench into the work.

I spoke to another student today about salvation. He told me he remembered trusting in Christ when he was in K4 or K5. He gave a very clear testimony of what the teacher said and asked and what he did when she asked who wanted to trust in Jesus. It is a blessing to know that At least four of the kids in my class are saved. Please pray as I continue talking to them individually.

Please pray as I continue to plan for next year's trips. Right now, plane tickets to England are pretty pricey. I'm looking forward to spending time with people I grew to love while I was there.

Praise: Wednesday night we had 14 young people in our church service. It is such a blessing to see teens coming to a midweek service. No special promotion, just good Bible teaching.

Please pray for a boy in my class who has some back problems. He is seeing an orthopedic. Please pray for my siblings as many of them are going through some financial changes and job changes. Please pray for my dad's church, Anchor Baptist Biddeford, ME, as they have a soulwinning marathon on Saturday.