The Countdown: 5 days left!

Wow. So today has been a crazy day. Yeah, I haven't gone to sleep yet, so I'm actually writing about yesterday. My day started with an email we got from Peru telling us that school had been pushed up two weeks earlier than Lauren and I had anticipated. So, while I'm so excited to be over there, I'm realizing that I only have five days left in the states. I spent most of the day packing and getting things ready to go. Mom and Dad surprised me with a netbook, which was totally unexpected and super exciting!!! Now I have a way to communicate when I'm there!

I am so blessed beyond words, and I don't deserve the goodness God is showing me. I am so humbled, first of all, that He has chosen to call me to Peru, to give me such an amazing traveling buddy, ministry partner and friend (Lauren), and then to give me such AMAZING Peruvian friends.

Money is coming in slowly but surely. I am not fully funded yet, and it has been on my mind today. I confessed that I was a little nervous about not having what I needed, and then Lauren read Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" and this is exactly what it said, "It was Paul's delight to spend his life for God's interests in other people, and he did not care what it cost. But before we will serve, we stop to ponder our personal and financial concerns-"What if God wants me to go over there? And what about my salary? What is the climate like there? Who will take care of me? A person must consider all these things." All that is an indication that we have reservations about serving God."

Um so yeah...I was pretty speechless after she read that. I definitely felt God speaking to me through that and saying "I've called you, and all you have to do is obey."

I think one of the hardest things right now is just mentally preparing for the transition. I am having a little bit of a hard time coming to the realization that I'm going to be away from my family and friends, and that their lives are going to go on without me. It's not about me! Imagine that!!! hahaa.

Another huge prayer need that I have is for the ESL program that I am teaching beginning a week from Monday. I am the only English teacher that will be there during the week, and I don't have curriculum or lessons plans done yet. I do not know what level the majority of the kids' English skills are at (great English on my part, I know), so that first week that I am there will probably be spent assessing their skill and figuring out what I need to teach them and how to teach them. This is scary for me because I have never taught English before. The goal is to have an intensive one-year long English program. Pray for creativity and wisdom to know how to love these kids and teach them English while teaching them about Christ. Many of them have come from abusive situations or have simply come here because they knew they had better opportunities at the orphanage. I am so excited about having the opportunity to change about 300 generations for the better...what a neat opportunity.

I have meetings the rest of this week with ESL pros and teachers who have done this sort of thing before, so I am excited about gaining some knowledge and great tips from them :)

Well, that's about it for now-I'm sure there's more I could write, but I'm going to try to go catch a couple hours of sleep before it's morning :)

Prayer Request Recap:
-Pray for the spiritual, academic and social readiness of the hearts of the children at the orphanage
-Pray for wisdom for both Lauren and I in assessing their needs and being able to organize the information and teach them in a way that they can understand.
-Pray that my truck sells so that I can get my financial things in order before I leave
-Pray for mission group from austin that will be at the orphanage the second week we are there- pray for God to do mighty things through them.
-Pray for Lauren and my continued strength and obedience as we continue to seek God.
-Pray for spiritual fervor and complete dependence on God.

Let me know if you want a prayer card. Feel free to msg. me your address on Facebook and I will mail you one.

Blessings,
Nancy

Here we go!

Dear Family and Friends,

God has been doing some amazing things recently. Some of you know that I went with a team of about 30 other individuals from Southmont Baptist Church to visit an orphanage in Peru during the first week of January. We put on four days of VBS for the children, conducted teacher-training courses, and worked on the construction of the school at the orphanage. Six of us (including myself) lived at the orphanage during the time we were there. God allowed us to see a place that is in desperate need of Him. Hogar Segrada Familia, which is the name of the orphanage, is home to 730 children. It is one of the largest orphanages in Lima, also housing a medical clinic and school.

While I was in Lima, I strongly felt God calling me to return. He gave me a burning passion to see the children at the orphanage come to know Christ. Most of them do not have a relationship with Christ, and many have never heard the gospel.

Since age 16, I have known that I was going to be involved in missions somehow, and for the past eight years, I have been asking God for the specifics of this call. While I was in Lima, He answered this prayer. One of the other girls on the team, Lauren, also felt God calling her back, and we are planning to return to the orphanage the first week in March.

We plan to stay for ten months, which is the duration of their school year. We will be teachers in the school that is located on the orphanage grounds. During this time, our primary focus is to share the gospel and the love of Christ with the children, teens and other teachers who call “Hogar Segrada de Familia” home. Obviously, we cannot do this alone.

I am inviting you to be a part what God is doing in Peru. We both deeply sense God’s leading in this, and we know He will take care of the details. The total cost for one of us to live there for one month will probably be between $300 and $400 per month (between $3,000-$4,000 .per person for 10 months).

Whether you choose to pray, or give or do both, I invite you keep up with what is going on and how God is moving in South America by continuing to check this blog. I would also LOVE emails while I am there. My email address is lane.nancy@sbcglobal.net. If you do want to give financially, please send it directly to Southmont Baptist Church, 2801 Pennsylvania Drive, Denton, TX 76205-8307. Checks should be made out to Southmont Worldwide (for tax deduction purposes, do not write either of our names on the check; instead write them on a sticky note and attach to the check). I am so excited to be a part of something that is so much bigger than I am, and I pray that you would seek God’s direction on being a part of this opportunity as well.

Blessings,

Nancy