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