Some Good and Bad News

Hey guys, whoa has a lot of stuff happened in the past couple weeks for me to tell. To be honest I’ve been having a difficult time trying to come up with the words to say about these past couple of weeks. Some crazy stuff has happened both good and bad, and I don’t know what to share with you. Let me start with the bad news first so we can end on a bright note.

I don’t know how to say this besides the fact that I have been going through spiritual warfare. Now I like to downplay the role of spiritual warfare in life but I can’t deny that I have been facing it. Things I can’t explain have been happening; having multiple nightmares, being bullied and physically hurt, fighting off sinful thoughts for hours on end, being constantly insulted, having people tell me the opposite thing I’ve heard from my Daddy, and problems with signing up for classes next semester. Even as I write this I feel a strange pressure to erase this paragraph and cry into my pillow.

There is no reason to name the specifics as long as you know that I’m experiencing spiritual warfare. I’ve never dealt with this before and I’m having a hard time facing it. It has been tuff but it has brought me closer in my relationship to my Daddy, and has grown me into a stronger man. So enough about the bad news let’s talk about the good news.

Just as things have been going miraculously bad things have also been going miraculously good. It just seems that out of nowhere these good things are popping up; teachers asking us for c.d.’s, being invited over to read, talking to Daddy with others, sharing stories with students, developing close friendships with locals, and discovering nice friendly villages. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen more progress than we probably have our entire stay. The door has not opened up yet but for the first time it appears we are seeing it start to crack.

I can’t express how ridiculous these things keep popping up, so I will give you an example of a good thing that happened. At the end of each class Brady asks the class if they have any questions while I erase the board. I was still erasing when I heard Brady say, “ooooohhh very nice.” I finished erasing and turned around to see a student showing Brady a book entitled “Daddy’s Stories” written in the local language. I stood back shocked and then realize that this is the same student I have been playing basketball with for the last month.

Needless to say every moment whether good or bad has been like this. Please pray for me as I face these next couple of weeks. I’ve never dealt with such emotional extremes as I have been recently. Thank you guys again for all your support, its times like this I need it. Love ya

Over the Hill

Hey guys I haven’t talked to you in a while and I am very excited to write to you. Things have been crazy the past couple of weeks but crazy in a good way. As of now I am back to teaching at the local high school. However, I have been all over the place since the last time I taught at school.

            On our first week off from school we celebrated a local holiday and then headed out to a nearby village. This village was beautiful. There where mountains everywhere and miles and miles of farmland in-between them. From this village we traveled down some paths and met some people in smaller villages. Some of these people even took us through a hidden mountain pass that lead to a lake in the middle of the mountains. There are some great stories that I will tell from this trip, stories that will stay with me forever.

            The second week off from school we made our midterm visa run to one of the largest cities in the world. While we were there I was sure to eat as much hamburger and pizza that I could get my hands on. After this day long trip a group of us visited a beautiful backpacker town nearby. While we were there we went bamboo rafting, bike riding, hiking, shopping, and hotel hoping for 4 days. Once again I ate as much hamburger and pizza as I could.

            After coming back to teaching I have to admit that I am ready to come home. Maybe it would be better if I say that I’m looking forward to coming home. Either way I admit that I want to be with my family and friends right now. Everything has seemed to slow down at this part of the journey. Brady and I are getting used to creating lesson plans and teaching students. My schoolwork has died down since the midterm but will gradually pick up towards the end. The students are so busy we end up with a lot of free time on our hands.

            Not only do we have a lot of free time but our apartment is very remote from the students as well as remote from the rest of the city. Also, without internet we are cut off from any outside communication. Not to say there hasn't been advantages to this. I have spent a lot of my free time talking with my Daddy and reading His words. I have also gone out into the city and tried to practice my language with people. However, even with these things I still have a lot free time on my hands.

            I miss my family and friends and am looking forward to coming back to them. Not to say that I don’t want to be here. I am called here and I have a job to complete here but I do look forward to seeing it completed. Two and a half months is quite a bit of time to get the job done yet, on the same hand that is not much time at all. I look forward to what the next couple of months hold in store and I long to see all of you reading this face to face again. Thank you always for your support, I love you all.