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Joy-Full

“What great love the Father has given us, that we should be called His children! What great love.”

As I looked around at the students, some participating and some stubbornly sitting in their seats, it hit me that this is what we are standing for. Those very words we were singing, signs we were making with our hands, they were not just a group activity. They were narrating the greatest story of history to a room full of boys and girls in Puerto Escondido, thousands of miles away from where that story took place approximately two thousand years ago.

At that moment, as I stood singing with the children, I stopped focusing so much on getting the hand motions correct and realized the power of the words being sung. And suddenly, I wasn’t just singing, I was worshipping in the midst of the children, singing the very words which are the reason for our every breath. They are why I came to Mexico in the first place and they are why the Manantial staff pours into their students every day. They are why all of our stories are being interwoven in a tapestry of His grace as we live in the joy of that truth.

During my time at Manantial, I have been reminded of how God relatesd to us as a father to His children. As it says in Matthew 19:14: But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” I think of this verse as I picture the students joyfully running through the school gate greeting teachers along the way. Part of our role as teachers is not only welcoming them in but ushering them into the embrace of their True Teacher and Father.

Ironically, as I reflect on our work here, I realize that the above verse is one from a song I memorized during my own childhood! I am struck by the importance which this stage of life bears on each individual student. These years are the springboard for adulthood and we have the privilege of equipping them with and caring for their mental and spiritual state. Manantial is not just a place where these students will learn to read or write, it is a place they will learn to forgive and be reconciled with their friends; a place where they will regularly be reminded of a God who chose to come into the world as a child. They will learn that this child, Jesus, grew into a man and forever changed the world by His sacrifice and great love. And for THAT reason, we can have joy like a child’s joy, with confidence in our Father’s love for us.
So sing with joy my friends! We have every reason to.

Mallory Beckett, GEM Volunteer

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Oh, The Wonder of New Things

“May we never lose our wonder

Wide eyed and mystified

May we be just like a child

Staring at the beauty of our King”

Bethel Music

Around lunchtime on Thursday, February 8th, 13 of us (ten students and 3 chaperones) were sent off from our school for a foreign exchange trip for the first time in the history of our school. For the very first time, these students would go to Canada. For the first time, many of them would fly on an airplane. Their first time seeing snow and experiencing winter weather. The first of many things.

To say that these students were excited is an understatement. Ten students were chosen to represent Manantial in Canada and to enjoy all that Canada has to offer. They were chosen as the students we thought would best represent our school and their country. They were very excited and nervous for this adventure.

THE TAKE-OFF

If you have ever been on a plane more than once, you know the drill. You sit down and you have to listen to the flight attendants safety procedures. Now, if you have flown before, this is really boring and most people don’t pay attention. However, for our students, they were laser-focused on the flight attendants. When they told us to get our pamphlet out to follow along, every one of our students took out the pamphlet and followed along like their lives depended on it. It was incredible! We scanned the isles at all the wide eyes and nervous glances as the engine roared up and we started to move. Once we were up and cruising, there was a buzz in the air of excitement and anticipation for all that lied ahead. The first of many firsts.

Because there was no direct flight into Kelowna, we arrived in Edmonton, AB at midnight where it was a deathly -22 Celcius (or -7 degrees F). Keep in mind that the average temperature in Puerto Escondido is 28 degrees Celsius (80+ degrees F). Seeing the snow, all the students wanted to go play in it (remember, its midnight and -7 degrees F). They have jackets on, but they are not thick jackets. They all last about 30 seconds and come running back inside to put on several layers of clothes.

All this to say, they hadn’t even arrived in Kelowna and they were already having so much fun!

KELOWNA, BC.

When we arrived in Kelowna the next day, the school that was hosting us (Heritage Christian School) had organized for all of the students to stay in host homes for the week. The school had planned and organized our trip the entire 10 days we were there. On the weekends, there were special activities planned. During the week, half the day would be at the school in classes and doing presentations and the other half would be out exploring different things in Kelowna.

Below is a list of the different activities the school organized for them in Kelowna:

    • International food tasting
    • Tubing at a big ski mountain
    • Ice skating
    • Hiking trails
    • Skiing and Snowboarding
    • Curling
    • Laser Tag
    • Bowling
    • Youth night at the local church
    • Going to the local mall

In addition to these things, their host families shared many things with them. Our students were also able to share about their Mexican culture by doing a traditional dance and doing presentations in classrooms. They were able to share about their culture and what was unique about Mexico, specifically, Oaxaca. They also had the opportunity to join the school’s Spanish class, play games with them, and helped them with their Spanish.

I mentioned before that these students were put into groups and placed in different host families. This was one of the best parts of the trip for a couple of reasons. First, these students got to see what everyday life was like for these Canadian families. Most of them had children around their age so they would get to hang out with them, eat with them, and do activities with them. This was probably the richest cultural experience they received. Secondly, these students were staying with Christian families who loved Jesus and loved these kids like their own. Our students got to experience the loving presence of Jesus through the hospitality and generosity of these families.

 

THE WONDER OF IT ALL

If you have ever been on a mission trip or another kind of trip with a group of people, you know what happens. You get really close to the people you are on the trip with. That is what happened to our students. They experienced all of these things for the very first time together. They shared their excitement, nervousness, and joy together throughout the trip. They are closer friends than they were before and that will not change.

From a chaperone’s standpoint, probably the greatest part of the trip for us was the wonder on their faces from their first-time experiences. From the airport to the snow, these kids were enamored by the beauty of their surroundings and experiences throughout the trip. We were reminded of God’s incredible creation and the wonder of it. Like our students were with the snow, we should be with our God.  Like the students were with every single detail of the trip, we should be in our daily lives.

God was actively working in our students lives in what they experienced. Our students did not just experience a great trip, but they experienced great gifts from a great God. Let us never lose sight of the wonder of our God and all that He is doing and will do before us.

Daniel McDonald, GEM Missionary

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God is Faithful

Life here in Puerto has become very busy for me. I have a new wife, Soco, and a large extended family to go with her. I love them all, and they are all wonderful. Sometimes the responsibility can be a little overwhelming. God has faithfully worked out all of our problems and in the process, is working on my patience and my reliance on Him.

We are currently building a house. It should be finished near the end of March. God provided a man, Mike Albutt, to manage the construction, and I could not have done this on my own. I am very pleased with the outcome so far and expect to have a wonderful house for Soco in a few weeks.

Yesterday, my step-grandson Mario fainted in worship time at school. He is ok, but it caused a stir. His parents are in another state, 12 hours away, and he is staying with his grandmother and me. God is helping me learn how to deal with the unexpected. I know I need a lot more work in this area, but I see His hand in almost everything. That word ‘almost’ is still a problem for me. But He is faithful and true to His word.

School is going reasonably well, praise God. The sixth graders are doing better in math than my previous years of teaching the subject in the middle school. I think part of that is because more of them speak English fluently because they have been in our school longer. And the other part of that is due to God growing me as a teacher.

God is faithful in showing Himself to students in school. There are a few students that are obviously struggling with God. That is good because we can see Him working in their lives.

God is also faithful in my personal life and my life in school and to the students that we are serving. I am so thankful that He has put me here. I will keep struggling with turning everything over to Him, but He will faithfully keep pulling me through.

-David Coulter, GEM Missionary

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Bent or Broken?

“We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Resilience. This is a word I have heard used often throughout my life. Some of my time in the service included resilience training. Dictionary.com defines resilience as “the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity” or “ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.” It’s no wonder the military sought to invest in this type of training given the situations and stressors service members endure, particularly in times of conflict.

My life, much like everyone else’s, has provided me with much adversity. At times I have bounced back quickly; other times I fought the process. As I look at my life, I have found surrender is key. This is a bit counterintuitive for me, thus it was a long steep learning curve. It is a fight against the adage “Never Surrender.” I have gotten lots of needed practice, and I know more awaits me.

When I talk of surrender, I don’t mean surrender to man. Rather, surrender to God. Surrender of my circumstances, surrender of control, surrender of my life to God’s will. Being the control freak that I am, this is and has been a very hard lesson at times, but God knows what is best and what will serve his purposes. I only have my limited human perspective.

This surrender has taken different forms in different situations. Often, I make poor choices. These poor choices inevitably lead to negative consequences. Consequences that often were in the hands of other people to decide. This was a hard pill to swallow. It was during some of the times following the poorest decisions I’ve made that I learned to stop fighting and surrender. I made the choice, there would be consequences. BUT God knew the consequences I needed to redirect me to His path and the knowledge that He was in control. This didn’t make the road an easy one, but once I let go of my resistance the road became one I could endure. These were natural or logical consequences to something I did, so once I learned to surrender here, I could accept it.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:19

Later on in life, I had some health concerns, due to no fault of my own. I had a long trying season working with doctors and trying to find out what was wrong and the best course of action. This happened on multiple fronts over the course of several years. This became the thorn in my side, but I was reminded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” “For when I am weak, then I am strong” Parts of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. God would carry me through. Each time, surrender of my health grew easier and easier. God is my healer. He works through doctors, but he works miracles too. When even the doctors aren’t certain of courses of action God knows what to do and is in control.

At first, these situations were a bit harder to surrender. First, I thought there should be something I could do to “fix” my health. This, of course, is not true, for I am not God. There are things I can do to improve my health, but it is God who heals. Second, in this case, these were not consequences to something I had done. I didn’t burn my hand or do anything to cause these things. Unfortunately, the world is a fallen place and pain exists as a result. This is the consequence of mankind’s, and my, sinful nature. There doesn’t need to be another reason. Surrender of these circumstances gave me the strength to endure. God strengthened me when I felt I couldn’t go any further. My life was never as distressing as Job’s, “And he said ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” This was a lesson for me to be content in God.

These are instances in my life where I found I must surrender to endure, to be resilient, to bounce back. I have so many specific examples, examples of God’s faithfulness. I tend to be a stubborn person, and it takes a while to learn sometimes. Each instance stretches me a bit more, grows my faith and trust in God a bit more, and adjusts my perspective of myself – closer to what is true. I have found it is through surrender to God I can stand and fight, stand against popular opinion, and endure. I complete what seems impossible to me, because God is completing it through me. If I were to complete my God-sized tasks on my own, I would fail – and I often try. Then I am reminded to unclench my fists and open my hands to the loving Father who will walk through the storm with me. “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9. He brings me peace through the most trying circumstances.

Angela Fontanelli, GEM missionary

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A Life of Questions

“So, I want everyone to return to your desks. Please complete the 10 math problems on the board, and if you finish early use the dice to create 5 more. If you don’t finish before lunch, it will be for homework.”

“How many problems do we have to finish?”

“What happens if I don’t finish?”

“Can I read if I finish early?”

“Can I go to the bathroom?”

Life as a teacher is filled with joy. I truly love spending my time with children who teach me to think, to love others, and even how to just enjoy the simple things in life. And if anyone has experienced a similar situation as the one above, you are fully aware that children ask an abundant amount of questions. Some days I feel as though I spend 2 minutes giving instructions and then 10 minutes explaining what I just said. As I feel my blood starting that familiar simmering feeling, I take a deep breath and remember the Israelites.

The Israelites, God’s chosen people, are a classic example of why David refers to us as sheep. Dumb, directionless sheep. These people had just been rescued out of slavery, by watching God smite the Egyptians with 10 ferocious plagues, WALKED across the Red Sea, and been fed with Manna, when they turned from God and worshiped idols. Not just one time. Over and over again they went through this frustrating cycle of sin. In my flesh and pride, I read those Old Testament stories and wonder how could they not trust God after all He did for them. How could they question His faithfulness? How could they keep sinning after being constantly enslaved and rescued by God? Then I hear that small quiet voice.

Sarah Quigg, you are an Israelite. We are all Israelites. God shows His power. He rescues us time and time again. He pulls us out of pits and away from danger and destruction. Even when He knows we will soon need to be rescued again.

And so, as the simmer is beginning to boil I think, I am an Israelite, and I answer each question…again.

Sarah Quigg, GEM teacher

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Can I Say Something Mean?

Second graders.  They are my favorite age to teach! On the verge of independence, they can be trusted with much, yet they still need you. They’re excited to come to school. Standing at my classroom door every morning, I watch them come in the gate with a smile and once they get close enough, they take off running and greet me with a huge hug. Everything is exciting to them, from science experiments to flashcards. They always bring me flowers or lollipops and tell me they love me all day long. All the cuteness aside, they have a lot of growing to do. My class has 12 girls and 5 boys this year. As you can imagine, there is drama on a daily basis. Surprisingly, it usually involves both the boys and the girls. We got to a point last week when they needed a little bit of help from someone with a little more life experience than the person they sit next to.

I was trying to think of how I could effectively help them relate to each other in a kinder way. How can I teach them, from a biblical viewpoint, to love each other rightly? I mean, they’re saying things to each other that I would never say to a friend. They’re being sly and sneaking behind my back. They’re pushing and shoving because they don’t know how to use their words. They needed some training to get back on the right boat. After all the best ships are friendships!

I decided I was going to use some of our class time to guide them through their issue. We all sat down in a circle on the floor and I asked my them to describe God. They gave lots of beautiful responses about who our great God is. Then, I drew a picture of a friend we named ‘Jack’. I told them they could say whatever they wanted to him and they all looked at me a little confused. After about 30 seconds of silence (which is a long time for a seven-year-old), one of my little girls raised her hand. She asked just question I was waiting for “can we say something mean?”. Once I gave them permission, the comments came spewing out. With every unkind comment, we crumpled up our little friend until he was in pieces.

Afterwards, we read a verse from James that says “out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this is not right.” We talked about what this could mean and the implications that it has in our classroom. I gave my students a chance to say something kind to the person sitting next to them. We went around in the circle and each child had a turn to lift someone up. What I was most taken aback by was the struggle they had to say something nice to a friend. It was like pulling teeth. My aid and I had to help them generate a phrase to give and they did it with shy, timid voices. They were so quick to rip apart our friend Jack yet they couldn’t find a kind word to share with a friend.

This experience lit a fire me to continue teaching them how to love one another. It may sound simple but it is something we have to learn. It has been amazing to see the change in their hearts after a little bit of guidance. We all need a little bit of that along the way and I’m so thankful for these little people that I have the attention of each and every day. They grow me, challenge me, and humble me. They fill me with joy and love me fiercely. They teach me more than they’ll ever know and I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to be their teacher.

Sarah Oltra, GEM Principal and teacher