Meine Klein Welt

Love of the Word

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Each Thursday we have Elementary Chapel. It’s a great time and I think I enjoy it even more because it’s primarily run by the students. Anyway, on Thursdays we don’t have a Bible lesson because we have Chapel. Today one of my students asked me why we don’t have Bible on Chapel days. I explained that we use our Bible time to go to Chapel. Then she asked why we couldn’t do both. I asked if she would like that, and the whole class said, “Yes! We should do that. We love Bible.” How great is that? I think we might have to rearrange our Thursday schedule to accommodate them. 🙂

He Got It!

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Today we talked about the word hero. I read the story Teammates which is about the friendship of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese. If you don’t know the story, it’s about the season that Jackie Robinson first began playing for the Dodgers and the violent reactions from players and fans. More than that, though, it’s about the determination and character of Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and Branch Rickey. We got to the part of the story where the fans are taunting Jackie Robinson then Pee Wee Reese walks to him and puts his arms around him and says, “This man is my teammate.” (Which makes me cry everytime!) I asked the students what they thought happened in the crowd, and Miguel had this answer:

Maybe before that they were blinded by the power of evil but Jesus was able to show them that they were wrong and wipe the blindness from their eyes. Then they would know that it doesn’t matter what color your skin is.

Wow! I think he got it!

God’s Faithfulness

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I was supposed to fly back to Austria last Friday. However, neither my family nor I were quite ready for me to leave, so we changed my ticket to allow us five extra days together. Little did I know that God had big plans for these extra days. Part of my time at home has been about visiting friends and family, but part of it has been work, because I have to raise $2,000 in monthly support. Yesterday I was about halfway to that goal. However, this morning at church, Pastor Olson wanted me to share a specific story that I had told him about one of my students. Considering that I wasn’t even supposed to be in the country, it was amazing that not only was I there, but I had a story to share that fit in perfectly with the sermon he was preaching. After I shared, Pastor Olson called on the congregation to think about supporting me. I had to send my dad home to get pledge cards because so many people decided to join my support team. God is amazing! I thought I was just spending a few extra days with my family, but He had much bigger plans. Plans to keep his promise that if I’m obedient to His calling, He will provide and provide abundantly.

Making People Feel Like They Matter

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Yesterday I went to a memorial service for Danny Davis. As people shared memories of Danny, there was one phrase that I heard over and over, “Danny made me feel like I mattered.” What a great legacy to leave! It made me reflect on my own interactions with people. So often I rush through conversations, or listen half-heartedly, or interrupt with my own drama – even when I know that someone is struggling. How many times have I missed opportunities to love someone well because I was being selfish? How many times have I missed opportunities to make someone feel like they matter because I was in a hurry? This is my new goal. Knowing how selfish I am, this is going to be a tall order, but I think it’s a goal worth setting.