Arrested by Grace

It’s easy to get lost in the busyness and the everyday hustle and bustle of life and not see or notice what God is doing in our midst. The past few weeks have been a blur of planning my visit to the States, tying up loose ends before the end of the school year, planning out the last few teachings of the devotional time, holding the final meetings of the discipleship and leadership groups, and preparing for an upcoming medical clinic. I have started to think and pray about my commitments for the coming school year, envision some of the changes for January, and even took on managing a community project as well. Wow!! Just reading that makes me tired!!

Working on Sponsorship Projects

Yet, God has arrested me in the midst of all my activities and all my busyness and reminded me of who He is, who I am, and what He has called me to these past few weeks. The first moment happened on the last day of regular classes which was October 19^th. Early that afternoon, I found myself hitting a brick wall while working at my desk. I decided to take a break and walk down stairs to the elementary level of the school. I hadn’t realized that at that time the classes were being dismissed for the day and the students were leaving to start their two months of vacation.

As I entered the elementary hallway, I was greeted with shouts of “Misssssssssss”, mobbed with hugs of passing students, and received words of gratitude from parents. As I stood in the midst of a sea of children and parents, a first-grade girl latched onto me and squeezed my waist with all her might. In that moment, I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God and what He is doing in the school. As tears filled my eyes, I looked at the passing smiling faces, the sparkling eyes filled with

Graduating Kindergarten Students

hope, and I thought… my God.. who am I that You would trust me to love on Your kids in this place. How would you let me.. with ALL that I’ve done… be involved in Your ministry in this place. That’s when I remembered…  that nothing I do or say makes me worthy of the ministry He does… it’s what He did and who HE IS that makes it possible. My heart (and eyes) overflowed with joy in that moment as I drank in His presence, His goodness, and His grace… all the while my first-grade friend clung to me hugging me with all her strength.

A similar moment took place during the graduation service which took place on October 30^th. I will admit, that I cried (a lot) throughout the graduation service watching “my kids” receive their diplomas and be promoted onto the next level of school. I especially had to hold it together for the 9^th graders who will not be attending the school in the coming year as they move onto higher education opportunities. I thought I did a pretty good job at holding it together, until after the ceremony when God once again arrested me and reminded me of what He is doing in our village.

Two of my Discipleship Girls

As I locked eyes with one of the graduating 9^th grade girls from my discipleship group,

Jessica, I felt the tears rise up in my eyes. She dashed over to me and hugged me firmly around my shoulders while talking into my ear. “Thank you, Miss. I can’t express how grateful I am for all that you’ve done for me this year. You’ve always been there to listen to me, and always been there to give me advice when I’ve needed it. You’ve been my best friend this year.” And that’s when I lost it… the tears started flowing as I spoke identity over this young lady who has gone from a young lady searching for her identity in her appearance to a young lady on fire for the Lord with a gift to teach the Word of God. I thanked her for being a blessing to me and again encouraged her that this was just the first step of the adventure that God has for her. Again, I found myself thinking… God.. why me.. and praise flowed from my heart as I basked in His goodness once again.

So, today I want to invite you.. let God arrest you. Take time to meditate on His goodness and His grace.. let Him pour out your identity in Him today… don’t get so caught up in the busyness, the projects, and the deadlines that you miss what He’s trying to show you. Let His grace, His mercy, and His continual goodness overwhelm you today. He IS working all around us every day… we often just don’t take time away from the busyness to see it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate each of you, your prayers, and your support. 

Blessings,

Meaghen 

What is it REALLY like to be a missionary?

I am often asked… “What is it REALLY like to be a missionary?” Well… it’s hard…BUT IT’S GOOD.

When you think of the word “missionary” what comes to mind? Images of a barefoot man running through the jungles of the Amazon with a machete in one hand and a Bible in the other? A woman so filled and surrounded by the shekinah glory of the Lord that she floats and sparkles mid-air? A perfect family of six children who never have attitudes, never misbehave, and are so Christ-like that their parents never even instruct them? Or perhaps a couple circling the globe filling their passports with stamps from foreign countries while hiking volcanoes and white water rafting on the weekends?

Sometimes... this happens

Well, SPOILER ALERT… being a missionary doesn’t look like any of those descriptions. Yes, being a missionary is hard… BUT IT’S GOOD.

It’s hard… It’s hard to find out that one of the teenage girls from your discipleship group is pregnant by a married man. Your heart breaks for her and you feel like a failure or that you could have “done something” to counsel her away from making a wrong decision. You want to be frustrated and question your own efficacy. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when an unexpected knock comes on the door and two of this young lady’s friends ask you to help plan the baby shower for her. When students see that you are choosing not to judge this young lady, but instead encourage and support her. It’s good when you see her friends and classmates imitating the love of Christ and rallying around her and encouraging her to continue studying and finish the school year.

It's hard… It’s hard when a family member is suffering from an illness or a personal problem and you so desperately want to be present, you want to drop everything and relocate to be near them, but you know that God is telling you to stay put. But… IT’S GOOD.. it’s good when you have missionary friends who are facing similar circumstances who can encourage you and share your burdens for your friends and family. 

Some of my favorite "littles" 

It’s hard… It’s hard when people want to see a “good return” on their investments but there is no way to measure discipleship… there is no way to measure empowerment… and there is no way to measure developing lasting relationships with the indigenous people. It’s hard because REAL LIFE CHANGE is messy, it takes time, and it comes through REAL relationships with individuals. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when we CAN share stories with our supporters of small successes and advances, when we CAN point to uprising community leaders who are taking leadership roles in community projects, and when we CAN share testimonies of lives changed by the Gospel.  

It’s hard… It’s hard when you are surrounded by so many needs, so many hurts, and so many opportunities to serve but you have to say no because you are only one person and you need to be healthy and focused to continue serving well. But... IT’S GOOD… it’s good when you see the fruits of your labors (however small they may be) as lives are changed by the Gospel, people begin to dream and take initiative to change their lives and communities, and people begin to apply what they are learning to their own individual lives.

It’s hard… It’s hard when indigenous people assume that you are not a reliable source of information or knowledge because “you’re not from here” or “you don’t speak the language perfectly”. It’s hard when YOU KNOW that YOU KNOW what YOU KNOW but your opinion is not solicited or reliable. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when the dynamic starts to change and after building relationships over a period of time people begin to see you as a source of ideas or information and begin to take into account that you may have something to bring to the conversation after all. It’s good when you begin to see and feel that they are starting to understand you or at least begin to see you as not so much as an outsider.

One of My Favorite Smiles

Being a missionary is hard… BUT IT’S GOOD. It’s not all Vacation Bible School presentations, Bible studies, and salvations. There are daily struggles, daily battles, and daily failures. But, there is also a goodness in every situation if we look just below the surface. It’s easy to get frustrated… and there are days I go lay in my bed and cry out of frustration. However, there are days that I want to jump up and down and celebrate and I can’t contain my joy. The days when the kids get it, when a heart surrenders to Christ, when I actually have a “good Spanish day”, or when a meeting with my local coworkers go well and we all “understand each other”.  The truth is, it’s hard doing life with people and entering into real relationships with people whose culture can be quite different from your own. It’s messy. It can be frustrating. But… it’s worth it. It is worth every single second. I am blessed to be living here with the precious people of this village, and despite the hardest moments… I would not change it for the world. That is what it's REALLY like to be a missionary. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your prayers, friendship, and financial support. 

Blessings,

Meaghen

Passing Through the Rivers...

We have never doubted that the children we serve in the village suffer from all forms of abuse, but only recently have the people grown to trust us enough to start to share their stories with us. It is a blessing to receive their trust, and know that they are looking to us as a form of trusted help; however, hearing the stories has a way of breaking your heart in a way that leaves you speechless and at times makes you feel powerless.

Recently, we were made aware of one such case where one of our students had endured nearly daily physical abuse since their earliest memory. As this child literally laid across my desk weeping and crying out “Why, God… Why… Are you punishing me?” I can’t deny that I had similar thoughts. Why? God… Why does this precious child have to walk this path in life? What did this child do to deserve this type of treatment? And yes… I understand… we live in a fallen world into which sin has entered and each individual has a free will. With our free will we can choose our actions and sometimes those actions cause horrible things to happen to other innocent people.

I placed my hand on the student’s shoulder. I prayed silently and then out loud for our God of comfort to comfort this child of God… for God to give this child strength… for God to somehow manifest His tangible presence so that this child would feel tangible comfort and peace. At the end of the prayer, the student lifted their head off the desk, and I saw tiny puddles of tears on the surface of my desk. They turned and looked at me and said… I forgive them. I forgive them for what they’ve done. I stopped…. What?!! I still can’t wrap my head around it. How can you forgive someone who has abused you almost daily for your entire life while you’re still in the middle of the situation? Only Jesus. The student went to explain that they had listened to the devotional teachings, and they knew that if they wanted to receive forgiveness that they should forgive and that’s what they were choosing to do. My own tears began falling on to the desk beside theirs.

In the process of working with this student, I had the honor of speaking to several members of the

 community who had shown this young student hope, love, and welcomed this student into their lives and homes without a second thought. People who had embodied the parable of the Good Samaritan and took the time to stop and attend to the needs of this young student. I sat beside this young student and heard people talking about how well-behaved, humble, graceful, kind, and lovely this young student is. As I watched the student’s reaction I saw that with each kind word, a small smile was spreading across their face. My heart began to fill with the love that was being declared over this student by people who had literally served as Good Samaritans in this student’s life in the time of dire need. As we walked away from one of the homes of one of the Good Samaritan’s I felt God whisper in my soul…

That is why.

All though his/her family has rejected him/her, I am using my people to show him/her that he/she is loved… he/she is worthy of being loved, cared for, and is worth being a part of a family. Even if it’s not his/her blood family… these people love him/her.

I stopped walking and I looked at the student. I shared with the student what God had just told me about the people… people completely unrelated to them showing him/her the love of the Father. I encouraged the student and told them that despite lacking a loving earthly family, they have a

spiritual family that loves them and a Heavenly Father who will never leave them or forsake them in the midst of the struggles. The student grabbed me and hugged me so tightly that I lost my breath. “Thank you” they whispered.

I don’t see it as coincidental that the morning of the apex of this event, I was lead to teach on Isaiah 43:2 during the devotional time. I asked the students… and myself… How often do we ask, “Why? Why am I going through this?”. How often do we ask God, “Where are you?!!” in the midst of the fire or the flood. How often do we get frustrated in the trial and the tribulation, and declare that God is not with us nor does He care for us?

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)”

See… God NEVER promises us that our lives will be perfect. Read the verse above… it doesn’t say IF… IT SAYS WHEN… WHEN we pass through the waters… WHEN you pass through the rivers… WHEN you walk through the fire… I WILL BE WITH YOU. Even when we don’t feel Him… even when we ask why… He’s still there. He will never leave us or forsake us. Even though we don’t understand it all on this side of eternity, we have a BIG GOD who walks beside us THROUGH IT ALL. Even when other people use their free will to do horrible things... He's still with us. And sometimes... if we look around... we can see how He is using His people, His angels, and His love to comfort us in the worst of it all.  And for that I am grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. The student is now in a secure location while the case is being processed by the judicial system.

Blessings,

Meaghen

A Season of Growth...

  I recently started reading the book Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life by Charles Swindol. Someone had left the book in the team room this past year, and the book sat on my shelf for a long time. I honestly wasn’t interested in reading it because the cover art made me think it was a romance novel (it’s actually a weekly devotional book that reflects on the seasons of the year)!! Ha ha ha… Funny how God has a way of depositing things in our lives that will be useful at later times!!  I begrudgingly picked it up earlier this week (at the Holy Spirit’s prompting) and I began to read.

  "Is it winter right now in the season of your life? Are you feeling depressed… alone… overlooked… spiritually on “hold”… cold… barren? Beginning to wonder if your soul will ever thaw? Entertaining doubts that behind those thick, gray clouds there exists a personal, caring God?... When this winter season ends, you’ll be wiser, deeper, stronger. Therefore, in reverence, look up. Be still and discover anew that He is God. That He is doing “whatever He pleases” in your life"(Swindol, 1983, p. 24).

  As I read the words above, I was taken aback by every sentiment the author expressed. It’s like Charles Swindol had climbed inside my mind and my soul and was recounting how I had often felt in the past few months. As many of you know, the past few months have been… rough… and by

An Aerial View of the School (On the Right)

rough… I mean REALLY ROUGH…  Following the death of a friend and fellow missionary in mid-March, I was struck with an illness at the end of April that led me to the hospital for medical attention after I passed out not once but twice in the village, I continued to have residual symptoms and pain for the next three weeks and struggled with fear and anxiety over whether I should return to the doctor or if I should trust that God was healing me, I have been attacked by fear and nightmares in the night and had more than one night of sleep stolen by this fear, I have struggled with feelings of loneliness and isolation as I am the ONLY ENGLISH SPEAKING AND NON-GUATEMALAN PERSON in the village, and I have struggled with feelings of guilt over not returning to the States to help my family accommodate my mother as she transitioned from working full-time to a well-deserved and needed season of retirement.  There have been times that I have thought to myself… Where is God? Why is this happening? Why am I getting hit so hard right now? Why?!!!

However, looking back I CAN see my growth. I can see that through the winter season I have grown wiser, deeper, stronger. There have been times when all I could do was “be still and discover anew that He is God” (Swindol, 1983, p. 24). But it is in those places, where all I could do was to be still that I have encountered the peace that surpasses all understanding, I have encountered His presence that has assured me that everything would work out in the end, and I have seen God come through and show that HE IS WITH ME AND CARING FOR ME.

All though we mourned the loss of a friend and missionary in March, his wife has been and continues to be such an example of strength and endurance. We have also witnessed God’s goodness and restoration when in April she gave birth to their second earthly child… a little boy. Also, our friend’s legacy lives on as the ministries he helped establish continue to grow and flourish.

Even though I was hit with an illness and lost consciousness in a remote village in Guatemala, there “just happened” to be not one.. BUT TWO U.S. doctors visiting when the event occurred, and they came running to provide immediate medical attention. Also, with the doctors was a team from the local church which included someone who could drive me out of the village and to the hospital for medical attention (no one at the school can drive). God KNEW what was going to happen… and put everything in place to provide EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED IN THAT MOMENT.

Despite struggling with residual symptoms and pain, I have heard God’s voice reassuring me again and again that He would heal me. It wasn’t instantaneous (I would have preferred instantaneous), but in the journey He showed me… that I CAN TRUST HIM… THAT HE IS WITH ME… AND HE STILL DOES WORK MIRACLES. And today… I AM FREE OF PAIN AND SYMPTOMS. I AM HEALED.

Although I have been hit with fear and nightmares, I have learned the importance of “doing battle together” (kinda tough for someone who has been largely independent her entire life). I have reached out to several friends and powerful prayer warriors to pray with me and for me, and they pray faithfully when a need arises. I have also learned more about my own power and authority in Christ. I have grown bolder in my authority to speak to fear, to speak to anxiety, to deny feelings of loneliness, to rebuke the attack of the enemy, and to call down His protection. Don’t get me wrong… I knew I had this power and authority.. and I had prayed many similar prayers before… but there is something about waking up in the middle of the night from a terrifying nightmare… being completely alone… feeling almost a tangible presence of fear…  and recognizing that WE HAVE THAT POWER… and using it with boldness.

Even though I could not be physically present to help my family with my mother’s transition, my sister has stepped up in an incredible way and is keeping us all advised of important information and developments (she’s a nurse practitioner). Also, my relationship with my sister has grown in a way that it would not have had we not been navigating this journey together.

So, yes… Mr. Charles Swindol is correct. It is in those times that we can only be still that we grow… we grow wiser, deeper, and stronger (Swindol, 1983). So… I have learned to be grateful for the hard times. I have learned to look for the growth in my own life, and celebrate it. Also, as a close mentor told me “It’s when you’re getting your butt kicked that you know you’re where God wants you to be ” (appropriate paraphrase).

So take heart, my friends. If you’re in a winter season… Look for the growth. Remember… it’s in those moments when we can only be still that we grow. God is still there. He’s still working. He’s not dead or deaf. He’s with us in the midst of it all. Don’t give up. Growth is not always pleasant, fun, or pretty. But it is necessary. When we come out of that season we will be stronger, deeper, and wiser (Swindol, 1983).

Thank you for being on this journey with me. I appreciate each of you as we pass through the seasons of life together.

Blessings,

Meaghen

References:

Swindol, C. (1983). Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press.

Call the Locksmith!!

Just have to share my most recent adventure in replacing the lock on the apartment door with you all… it’s a long story… but it’s a good one (grab a snack and read away..)

I’ve become accustomed to living a FAR LESS streamlined life in Guatemala, so when my key broke off INSIDE the lock of the apartment door yesterday I expected there to be a few twists and turns in getting the lock replaced… but the adventure was a bit more exciting than I expected.

Let me set the stage by saying that the door to the apartment is a testimony to security. There is no knob, just a lock welded into a metal door that would be difficult for ANY SWAT team to breach (trust me on this one). So, when the key broke off INSIDE the lock yesterday I expected there to be a bit of a struggle.

However, after hours of prying, peering, and trying every tool known to man (and the groundskeeper taking his turn doing the same) I sadly admitted defeat and decided to “call in the professionals”…. But there is no locksmith in the village… or in the next village… or in the village three rivers away… in fact… I’m not sure there is a locksmith within thirty minutes BY CAR… Fortunately the key broke off with the door open, so we were able to rig a temporary fix until I could locate whatever professional existed for such situations.

So, I started to ask around the school and discovered that there IS a man who can replace the lock… but no one had his phone number… in fact… when I finally tracked down the teacher who KNOWS HIM PERSONALLY (Ruth), she told me that he DOESN’T USE HIS PHONE… so we would have to go see him PERSONALLY… Ok… no problem I don’t mind walking through the village… then she told me… he lives on the OTHER SIDE OF ALL FOUR RIVERS (without bridges) I cross to get to the village where I work… Well… it’s a good thing I have a four-wheel drive truck… and we planned to go see him after school today (around 3pm if it didn’t start to rain)…

At 3pm, I found Ruth as well as Zoila, Dulce, and Michelle waiting for me as word quickly got out that I was going on an “adventure” to go talk to the man who could fix the lock. I had to laugh as we all loaded into my truck (with all their personal items) to drive the bumpy dirt road, crossing through four rivers to go find the lock man… So the adventure began!!

We chatted away as we made our way down the dirt road, through the jungle, through each of the four rivers, and arrived at the lock man’s house. I only imagine what all five of us (four Guatemalans and a white girl) looked like piling out of the truck and descending on this poor unsuspecting soul who was working in his driveway when we arrived.

Ruth took the lead and explained to the man what had happened, as I stood back and “watched”… then the man asked me if I knew what brand the lock was and if it was “short or long” (and of course I didn’t)… the part that amused me about the entire exchange was that Ruth served as the “translator” between the lock man and I even though we both understood clearly what was being said and the only language being spoken was Spanish. The other teachers inserted comments too (and their version of the translation) as we exchanged information before ultimately deciding that I would have to drive the lock man back through all four rivers, through the jungle, and to the school to inspect the lock and see exactly what was needed…

So, we loaded up… and back we went… down the bumpy dirt road… through the jungle.. and through all four rivers to see the lock. Upon arrival, the lock man briefly locked at the lock… confirmed the needed size and brand… and began the discussion of price…

Ultimately, thanks to Ruth’s (and my) ability to convince the man that I am not a wealthy white tourist but rather a missionary of limited means…  we settled on a price and agreed that I would drive to the nearest city (down the dirt road… through the rivers.. and the jungle) to purchase the lock. However, it would need to be done quickly because the store closes at 5pm (it was approximately 4:15 at this time)… not to mention the dark clouds encroaching and threatening an afternoon storm (the rivers rise quickly and may not go down for hours leaving cars stranded at times)

So, off again we went… four Guatemalan teachers, myself, and a lock man in tow through the jungles, through the rivers, and to the city to purchase the lock. As the minutes crept closer to 5pm I became increasingly nervous… If we didn’t make it I would have to make ANOTHER trip through the jungles and rivers tomorrow to get the lock which would delay the installation… Dulce noticed my growing tension and encouraged me to calm down and assured me all would go well. The teachers distracted me with worship music and singing our favorite songs… and when I pulled into the hardware store at 4:57 I praised the Lord out loud for letting us arrive in time.  

Dulce was nominated (by the group due to her charming personality) to do the purchasing (I was told if I got out of the car or was seen that they would charge me more) so I hid behind the darkly tinted windows and watched the exchange from afar. The lock was purchased and after a brief discussion with the lock man about what time he would return the following day to install it (and if I would drive him back and forth through the rivers and jungle to do the installation), we came to an agreement and were off again to race the storm clouds home.

As we reached the halfway point back to the village, the rain began in sprinkles. The teachers (again seeing my concern) assured me that it was just raining in that location and not closer to the village. I have heard stories of buses getting stranded in the rivers and feared that we may be waiting for hours for the rivers to go down if we got stuck between rivers. I sped up a bit to try to race the rain home…

We hit the dirt portion of the road as the rain continued to pick up… and my tension grew… images of tidal wave type water surges filled my mind as I raced to cross the rivers in time. I held my breath as we approached the first river crossing (also the river that is the most dangerous and rises the fastest of all four)… as I rounded the corner I breathed a sigh of relief… the river was only slightly wider than usual… Thank the Lord…

With each subsequent river crossing the rain intensified as did my prayers… after forging the last (and deepest) river, I breathed a sigh of relief and declared “We arrived, thank You God”… to which the whole car cheered!! I dropped the teachers at their perspective houses, and returned to the school. I couldn’t help but laugh as I climbed the stairs to the apartment and thought… WHAT AN ADVENTURE…

I am so thankful that God has called me to live this life of adventure for Him in Guatemala… besides… crossing rivers and racing rain storms is FAR MORE EXCITING than just calling a locksmith!! J  

Unexpected Rain Showers...

                Rainy season in Guatemala is typically from May to October and it RARELY (if ever) rains outside of that time frame. However, for the past few weeks we’ve been having rain showers EVERY afternoon … and my sneaking suspicion is that this means rainy season will LAST ALL YEAR this year?!! If it’s already started in February… surely not… maybe?!!

Can You Pick Me Out? 

  In a similar way I have been experiencing a number of unexpected rain showers in the beginning of my second year here at Fuente de Esperanza. I won’t lie… it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster being the ONLY English speaking person in the village. I CRAVE conversation in English and to be able to FULLY express my emotions and thoughts in a plethora of verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs WITHOUT having to quickly conjugate a verb in my head mid-sentence or feel like the verb just doesn’t really communicate the strength of the emotion I’m feeling at the time.  Never mind the times I commit grammatical errors and feel far less intelligent than I know I am. Although I’m surrounded by students bustling between classrooms, teachers greeting me as we pass each other, and co-workers flowing in and out of my office I, at times, feel rather alone.

However, it’s during these times that I try (I don’t always succeed) to press into the ONE who I know is ALWAYS with me and seek my comfort in Him. And just like the unexpected rain showers we’ve been experiencing here in the village, He has been “showering” blessings down and encouraging me in ways I never expected.

This year I started teaching the devotion time to the 6^th-9^th graders (did I mention that before this adventure the middle school years were my LEAST FAVORITE age group?). There are times it’s like herding cats… students talking… playing… moving the stools around on the floor… playing with the curtains… Meanwhile I’m hoping that the verbs I am using are adequately communicating what Scripture says… However, in the past few weeks I have been “showered” with encouragement as I have watched students get excited to answer the review questions at the end of each week, they’ve started participating by singing during praise times, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching as they’ve started to realize that being a believer means actually APPLYING what Scripture says to our lives.

I have also started holding a small group with the 6^th-9^th grade girls every Wednesday afternoon in my apartment. I lured them in with cookies and Coca-Cola (I’m not above bribes)… and we’ve been going through Elizabeth George’s book “A Young Woman After God’s Heart”. This

Our Small Group :) 

week’s lesson was on prayer and having a daily devotional time. At the end of the group time, Mary came up to me beaming and said “Miss, I just want you to know I started praying this week… I realize I need to change some of my behaviors too. I just want to thank you for teaching us.” What?!! My eyes filled with grateful tears as I hugged Mary and told her how proud of her I was. Once again God was “showering” me with encouragement…

Some of my "Pollitos" 

Please don’t tell the students… but my absolute FAVORITE class is ALWAYS the Kindergarten class. There is something about these tiny adorable little dark haired babies and their HUGE BROWN EYES and their tiny little voices speaking Spanish. I mean… they are the CUTEST THINGS EVER… And I cannot tell you how many times God has used these little angels to encourage me in the past few weeks. I call them my “pollitos” (chicks) because I literally feel like a mother hen when they are around. It doesn’t matter where we are.. they come RUNNING FULL FORCE to me yelling “Missssssssss Meaghen” and attach themselves to my legs!! I can only move with about four of them attached to me.. any more than that and I just have to stand still. But God uses these babies to “shower” His love on me in some of my loneliest moments.

So, I’m not sure what you may be going through at this moment. Maybe your life is all rainbows and butterflies… or maybe like me you find yourself in a bit of an unexpected rainy season. Let me encourage you… Let God “shower” you with whatever it is you need in this time… He can use other people… time spent alone with Him… or getting tackled by a dozen kindergarteners… just take a look around you. He is moving whether we sometimes see it or not.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. 

Blessings,

Meaghen