I love my ministry this month! I love the 5 and 6 year olds I have the privilege of working with. They are so much fun! Every time they see me I hear a chorus of Ah-lee-see-ah, and I love it! I love the teacher I get to assist. She is so friendly (and regularly gives me snacks)! We have good conversations. It’s been wonderful getting to know her and work alongside her. (Though she worries that she makes me work too much, so I have had to assure her she doesn’t.) Every day brings new challenges and new triumphs. (The kids now know the ABC song!) I come home to Casa Blanca everyday exhausted and happy.
One of “my” kids having fun during recess
Yet, I often wonder, am I doing enough? Is just helping out, loving on these kids, and praying for the school as a whole, the children in my class, and their teachers enough? T.W. Anderson was founded by missionaries as a Christian School 70 years ago, and it still claims to be one. However, the school is facing some troubles and feels spiritually dead.
There are financial difficulties, because the churches that had been supporting the school no longer are. Because of this, some of the high school teachers haven’t been paid in a couple months, yet most stay for the students. There are fewer teachers than there should be, and the teachers are often stressed. Not all the teachers are practicing Christians. The only prayers I’ve heard in school have been recited in English, so the kids don’t fully understand what they are saying. (Though, as an English speaker listening in, I must say it’s a good prayer.) The spring recital is supposed to be about creation, but for some reason it includes cavemen and not all the songs are appropriate for kids to be dancing to. I want to help this school, but I don’t know how, so I pray and wonder if I should be doing more.
Now, before you think differently, just let me say that in general Anderson is a good school. Academically the kids learn a lot! Along with the standard subjects, all the grades have English classes and extracurricular classes such as art, cooking, and P.E.. The upper grades get to study all sorts of interesting subjects, such as marketing and poetry. Most of the teachers really care about the kids. Everyday the kids are fed an excellent lunch. So, on the surface, Anderson is a great place to be, but this school just has the potential to be so much more.
On Thursday, the teacher I assist asked me if I could do a fun project for her, make a banner for Carnival (a national holiday here in Ecuador, celebrated this weekend, Monday, and Tuesday), which the school would be celebrating on Friday. I was thrilled to have a creative project to do and worked on the Rio, Brazil themed banner all morning. It was the kind of “work” I thrive on doing. Yet, as I sat in the back of the classroom, having fun with hot glue and glittery foam, I was wondering,
“Am I doing enough?”
I felt like I should be doing more to help this school, to show the wonderful people here the love of Christ and how to encourage them to follow him. I want to help these people, and while I knew it was helpful to the teacher for me to be making this banner I wasn’t sure if that was enough. Was making this banner helping the Kingdom of God in any way? I didn’t know, but God assured me it was enough for that moment.
At 9:20 every morning the kids have recess so I take that break to spend some time with God. I find a quiet place to sit and pull out my Bible and Journal. On Thursday morning I read 1 Thessalonians 4. I came to verses 11 and 12, and I stopped. I re-read those verses and underlined them. I read them again and let them sink in.
“And [to] make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we have commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”
~1 Thessalonians 4:11&12
These verses really spoke to me. God used them to tell me that, in that moment, on that day, what I was doing was “enough”. I was working with my hands, which is something I love doing. I was attending to my own business, and not getting in anybody’s way wanting to do more. I wasn’t being a burden to anyone and I was helping others. No, making that banner wasn’t what I thought ministry should look like, but that’s O.K.. God knows what this school needs more than I do, and he will reveal to me the best way to help. Right now I just need to keep praying for the people here, and being as helpful as I can be. I’m also praying that God will make it clear to me if I’m supposed to be doing more than I am, and what that “more” is. Can I ask you to pray with me? Both for this school and for me?
“My” Class’ Banner at Carnaval
After my quiet time I went back to working on that banner in the back of the classroom and felt much more at peace. When I was almost finished another teacher came in to see my teacher, and saw the banner. She was very impressed and asked if I could make the banner for her class too! Of course I was glad to, and both teachers were very pleased with how their banners turned out! I’m so glad I was able to bless them by doing something that needed to happen but they didn’t have time to do!
The second banner I made
Now, on another note, that Carnaval celebration that happened on Friday? It was so much fun! Each class got up on stage and did a carnaval dance from a different country. “My” class was adorable and did a great job!
Following the program all the kids pulled out cans of a shaving-cream like substance and had “foam fight.” I was so much fun to watch, and yes, get involved with!
That’s two weeks of ministry in Ecuador done, only just over a week left. What else will God teach me here?
