Stepping Out (o quizas Over)

I’m sitting in the Students International office getting ready to send out emails to people in the U.S. who are sponsoring children in El Gorrian (one of the small communities with which SI is working).  I’m including one of my favorite quotes:

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove.  But, the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” -Forest E. Witcraft

I first heard it back when I served on the board of the Bertie County (N.C.) Partnership for Children.  This was a non-profit which helped children aged zero through five to be healthy and ready to start kindergarten.  Another name was Smart Start.  I served on two different boards and it gave me a love for helping out which has stayed with me.

This week I have ‘stepped out’ of language school to spend some time helping here.  I’m also giving my poor brain a bit of a break from learning new things!  Of course, I’m trying to use some of the Spanish I’ve learned, so it may be less ‘stepping out’ than ‘over’.

Last Friday night I went to the final SI Banquet of the summer.  As we do in the D.R., at the end of each two week outreach the students, leaders and staff gather together to celebrate.  To celebrate what God has done in and through the outreach, in and through the students and also the members of the communities in which they had served.

some of the Edmonton team

I had met some of the awesome staff here, as well as some of the members of a team from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  That was especially cool as I was born in Lethbridge, and also lived several years in Calgary, Alberta!  It’s so wonderful that SI is reaching students thousands of miles away.

in the center is Nivia, the awesome SI staff
I'm helping with Child Sponsorship this week.

Meeting new friends in Christ, hearing about God’s faithfulness in their lives made for a rich and lovely night.  Oh, and the food was as incredible as everything I’ve eaten here!  :O) 

On Saturday I was able to spend a couple of hours with dear friends in Christ from the D.R.  Nate and Maggie are moving to Nicaragua this fall, along with Lowell and Cheryl, to begin work on a Students International presence in that country. 

Nate and Maggie were here meeting with members of the Guate staff, to encourage and uplift them.  Each time I am with them, I feel as if I have been in the presence of Jesus.  They are such an inspiration to me!

Best get back to work!  I hope that each of you is having a terrific week.  I hope you find ways to reach out and make a difference in the life on one (or more!) of God’s children here on this broken earth.  And, of course, children of God come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities – and ages!  I also hope you will remember, even in the midst of some tense economic times, that our confidence – and our citizenship! – is in Heaven!!