As I sit here and think about the fact that I only have 3 months left in Bolivia, I am reminded of some of the important things that God has been teaching me throughout my time here.
One of the most recent things that God has been teaching me about is that fact that he is Sovereign. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am a part of a study that is studying the book of Daniel. I vividly remember a few weeks ago when we were studying that passage where Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego are going to be put in the furnace for not bowing down to the statue in Daniel, Chapter 3. In verses 17 and 18, the three men respond to the Kings threat of being thrown into the furnace with " If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know. O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." As you know God did save them when they were in the flame, but what I found interesting is that even if they were not saved they would not stray from him. They knew that God is sovereign not matter what the outcome. This reminded me that God is sovereign no matter what. Even if God's plan is vastly different than what we would want( I am sure what happened in Daniel 3 was not what these men would have called their perfect plan), God is still perfectly sovereign and during these hard times our faith can be built, refined and perfected.
As I think of what has happened over the past 6 months in Bolivia I have seen God's sovereignty in many ways. One of the first and most evident ways that I have seen God's sovereignty is through illness. Within the first two months of being in Bolivia I came down with parasites and E.coli and I have not fully recuperated since then. Of course, this was not my plan when I came down to Bolivia.. I knew that this could be an option, but I thought that I would be immuned from it. Alas, God had other plans. However, amidst feeling off a lot of the time I have been able to continue teaching, coach basketball, hang out with new friends and learn that God is indeed in control of my health.
I have also seen God's sovereignty in being lonely or homesick. One of the biggest hesitations for me before coming to Bolivia was the fact that I would be away from home for 9 months. As many of you know, I hate change. I HATE, HATE, HATE it. I know, I know you are probably thinking why would I move to a foreign country for 9 months if I hate change, the answer is because God called me here. As I have learned following God's call is not always easy and this time it was extra hard because I would be away from friends and family for 9 months. Before I left there were many times I considered backing out because I thought the pain of being away from my friends and family would be to hard. With help from friends and family I came and God has blessed me with some incredible friends. Friends who get what you are going through, because they are going through the same things. Friends that let you be yourself, and are themselves around you. Friends who want to grow in their walks with God just as much as you do. Friends who are there to encourage you and listen to you after a day at school that makes you question whether you really want to be a teacher. Friends whom you can not wait to see after being away for 2 weeks. God has shown he is sovereign yet again by giving me friends who have been like family these past few months.
I think one of the hardest things that I have experienced since being down here and a way that God's sovereignty has been really apparent is in my teaching. From as far back as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. I would play school with my stuff animals when I was young and when it came time to figure out what to study in college it was a no-brainer, I wanted to study education. I thought about trying other fields of work, but I always went back to education. Grad School went fairly smoothly because I had great mentor teachers and felt that I was actually doing what I really wanted to. So I thought I was prepared for what my first teaching job would bring. Of course I knew there would be challenging parts to it, but I thought I was all set. Boy was I wrong. I came down to Bolivia to find out that my third grade class, was the hardest class in Elementary and that it had some pretty "strong" students in it. It did not take long for me to feel like I had no idea what I was doing. Everything I was doing did not seem to be working, it was not long before I had parents down my throat, and students who seemed to not want to listen to me no matter what. It did not take long for me to question if this is really what I should be doing with my life. This may sound drastic, but I had been humbled pretty quickly, but no matter how tough the previous day was, God gave me strength to go back and do it again. God also used people in my life to encourage me and get me through. He brought other teachers to reassure me that what I was doing was right, but it was just a hard class. He used people from home to encourage me through prayer and verses. He used my personal time with him( as I have been going through some of the Psalms) to encourage me from his word. It has been amazing to see how Sovereign God has been and what he has taught me about himself during this time. Teaching this class has been anything but easy, but I am continually reminded that God loves me and that he will give me the strength to get through and that as I mentioned before, my faith is being built.
To end I want to share some of the verses that have encouraged me through my learning experience:
Psalm 28:7-8 " The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for Joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people a fortress of salvation for his anointed one"
Psalm 62
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 30:11-12 " You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord I will give you thanks forever"
Psalm 33:4 " For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does"
Psalm 34:4" O sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears"
Psalm 34:18 " The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18 " But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hared pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. 16 " Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inward we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal"
Thank you for being on this journey with me and thank you for your continued support! Remember God is Sovereign no matter what the circumstance!
Adios! - Rachel
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