Orientation Day

Everyday in Honduras is an adventure.  Maybe things will at least become more routine when school starts if not any calmer.

Today was orientation day at the school (la escuela) Marantha that Emily and I will be teaching at.  It started off very slowly in the true Honduran style.  We sat for about two hours waiting for one of the principals to talk to us when finally some random people recruited us to cut out little orange circles... for what?  We still don't know.  All we got out of them was "Es una supresa."  I felt like I was being initiated or better yet, hazed :-)

Anyhow, after lunch we got a very overwhelming orientation.  We didn't think we were going to have to write our own lesson plans but that turned out not to be true.  And we are each teaching 4 grades.  Yes 4 different grades.  That should be interesting.  5th through 8th.  The principal we spoke with kept telling us, yes it is going to be hard, very hard, but you have to just pray for strength everyday.  True enough.

Finally, we met with Pastor Trundle, the general principal of the school.  That was the most encouraging time. He just kept reiterating to us why we were here.  That we had been chosen to teach not because of our academic accomplishments but because he thought we would be able to show Christ to the hundreds of kids at the school who did not know him.  That's the primary thing.  Sharing the gospel.  Education is just a tool to that end.  Nothing more.

When I first decided to come here for the year I did not have a clear ministry or mission oriented purpose in mind.  But after that meeting I felt like I had just been told what my purpose here was, by Pastor Trundle yes, but also by God.  My mission field is going to be the classroom.  I'll still be able to help at the hogar and travel some, Lord willing.  But my time and energies are going to be consumed with working at the school and therefore, will be my primary focus.

A few people asked for prayer requests to be included in my blogs so my request for today:  pray that I will find strength and wisdom everyday as I prepare for the students coming in two weeks.  That I would be able to teach them not just the science but the way God reveals himself in such a beautiful and profound way through his creation and that my focus would not be on doing a perfect job teaching, but doing the best job I can showing the students Christ.

Gracias a Dios para esa oportunidad.