MOTA 6: Farewell Green Rocket

              It’s hard to
believe that today is our last day at school. At the beginning of this
experience, each day seemed to drag on forever, as though it would never end.
Now, I’m not near ready to leave. This month has been incredible! From spending
the afternoons at the baby house, tutoring after school, star-gazing on the
mountaintop, going for walks with the kids, baking cookies for the teachers,
going for hikes, writing lesson plans, and even spending time in the teachers
lounge, it has been a month filled with joy, challenges, and the presence of
the Lord.

            We
started the morning off with the usual assembly, and I shared a message with
the students on the power of their prayers.  Melissa, Emily, and I stood before the students to say a few
final words, and then the students thanked us for our time with them. Then we
went back into the teachers lounge and were surprised to see a spread of
cookies and juice laid out all across the table. They had prepared a farewell
party for us!

We sat down and enjoyed the refreshments together and the principal asked
us to share some final thoughts with the teachers as well. Then came their
words for us. As one of the women began to speak, her words of appreciation and
gratitude nearly took my breath away. She told us that we had brought about a
spiritual revival in them. She was so thankful for our willingness to serve
them, help them in whatever way they needed, support them, and encourage and
lift them up spiritually. I felt warmth from her that I had not experienced the
whole month of being with them, and I began to see that the Lord had truly been
working through us in a way that I simply could not see before. The principal
read from a document that he had prepared to tell us how much our time and
sacrifice had meant to him. They had even created a PowerPoint presentation to
say thank you.

We took pictures together, signed their book as a declaration of the
importance of our visit to the school, and then we waved our final goodbye. As
we walked back up the hill, I wondered how much the Lord had truly done in this
past year that I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I spent most of this month
without hope, feeling like my actions were meaningless, but today the Lord
reminded me that the perseverance He provided was not in vain.

 

Every month we leave, and I know that I leave a small piece of my heart
behind in each country simply praying that the seed we have planted will grow
into a part of the Lord’s great plan for His people. In reality, my small mind
could never begin to comprehend the greatness of His beautiful masterpiece, in
which I am only a small part. As small as I may be in that plan, nothing in
this life compares to the honor and joy that comes from knowing that I have
made a difference for the Kingdom.