Integrity

Fun Stories: I have been praying that the Lord would bring a precious dog into my life that I could actually pet and play with (since Colombia has an abundance of dogs, yet none of whom I should really be playing with).  This past Friday, we had a teacher hang-out at a ECA family's house...and they had a dog!!!!!!  I got to spend almost a hour playing fetch and giving Goldie, their golden retriever, a belly rub.  God is so good :-)

God was also gracious to me to give me the opportunity to cliff jump off the side of the Andes Mountains!!!  Spending last weekend at Prado Lake in Tolima, Colombia was a much needed time of rest, swimming, and revelling in God's beautiful creation.

One of my student's families invited me to go to church with them this past Sunday :-)  What a blessing this was to spend time with her outside of school and to have a fun lunch together after church.  The families at ECA are so welcoming and hospitable :-) 

Integrity - "In missions, you are guaranteed to fail"  Roberto Green, our Missions Spot teacher.

Our theme this year at ECA is Integrity - living lives that are real, truthful, with character, without secrets, and living the same way whether someone sees what you are doing or not.  If we look at the life God calls us to, this can seem almost impossible to do.  "But just as He who calls you is holy, be holy in ALL you do. For in scripture it says, be holy because I am Holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16. 

In 1 Peter, God calls us a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, and people that are to offer Him spiritual sacrifices.  "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (v 2:5)"  Peter goes on to say, "But, you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may delcare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into wonderful light. (v 2:9)   How can we do this??  At times when we feel tired, angry, sad - how can we live lives that show our real struggles AND our desire to be more like Christ??  I must admit, I sometimes choose the easier road of covering up my sin.  Who would know, right?  God does :-)


Elementary Chapel - God has given me the role of being the Elementary Chapel Worship Leader!! Thankfully, God has prepared me for this role by having served in children's ministry with Wendi Serna for the past 5 years :-)  One song that I learned from her is "God Looks on the Heart."  These lyrics are great to meditate on and the kids at ECA have already been singing them loudly after learning them a week ago. 

I will be real like Jesus!

I will be set apart!

While other look on the outside

God looks on the heart!

My prayer is that these students would begin to grasp what it means for God to truly be looking on their character and not on their physical apperance or their social status (which is really important here in Colombia).  Please pray that I would follow God's leading in this new role, as I create an atmosphere that will teach these kids how to worship God.

 

A Yellow Canary named Joshie - During my plan period this week, I heard a noise that sounded like a little animal coming from one of my file cabinets.  As I slowly went over to peak, I pulled back a piece of cardboard and found a yellow bird sitting in a tiny cage!!  Relieved that it wasn't a mouse, like I originally thought, I quickly came up with a plan to find out which of my students brought a bird to school.  As my students came back in from PE, they found me sitting at table with the bird by my side.  Very excitedly, I began to tell them that I had found a new pet bird!  I continued on for about 5 minutes about how wonderful this new bird was, how I was going to take it home and name it Joshie (my students decided to name the bird after my nephew!!), and how I couldn't believe a bird just happend to be in our classroom.  A few of my students asked if I was really going to take the bird home ( I guess I was a really good actress!!)  Finally, one of the student's confessed that it was their bird, probably because they were worried I would take it home :-)  I pulled that student aside and talked with him about hiding the bird.  He denied that he tried to hide it, even thought there was plenty of time for him to have shown me his pet bird at the start of school.  I asked if he remembered what we had talked about in Chapel the day before - Were you showing Integrity by hiding your bird?  We prayed together and asked God to help both of us be honest and live lives of integrity, like Jesus did.

 

 

Integrity.  To be holy and set apart. To be a chosen people, a priesthood offering sacrifices to God.  Our calling as believers is to show integrity because God is Integrity.  What a calling we have, my brothers and sisters!!

 

 

Prayer Requests:

• The language barrier is hard.  Trying to build relationships with ECA families, spanish speaking staff, and people at the churches I have been attending are proving harder than I thought with my spanish abilities.  Please pray that the Lord would show me that His love, grace, and mercy that connects the body of believers would transcend the language barriers I am feeling :-)
• That God would strengthen my belief in his gifting me to teach - sometimes, it's just plain hard to feel like you are doing an adequate job!!!  I truly love my class and want to be the best teacher I can be for them, so I am depending on the Lord daily :-)
• That ECA would find a High School Social Studies Teacher - we need someone very soon!!!!!
• Pray for Parent/Teacher Open House that is this coming Friday, August 31th!  I get to meet and talk with the parents for the first time.  I am excited, and nervous, to finally get a chance to begin partnering with the parents for their child's education and spiritual growth :-)

Because they haven't heard,
Carrie

Following Christ: More than going through the motions

My devotional this morning really convicted me about how everyday our attitudes should really reflect Christ.  There have been times in my faith where my heart has not shown true enjoyment in the Lord and more like I am just going through the motions and following a bunch of rules.  God has really been teaching how this looks to unbelivers.  Currently, I feel like my enjoyment in Christ is being brought to a whole new level and even tested - Carrie, will you still testify to my satisfying love even if I call you to a foregin land away from your family, friends and church?  Am I enough to satisfy you and give you joy?  Will you depend on me alone?

Here is part of my devotional this morning:
"A feast in made for laughter," Solomon wrote (Ecclesiastes 10:19).  I am sure God intended His children to be joyful in the feast of Christ's Gospel.  In the Old Testament, mourners were not allowed to sit at God's table.  Since a saint's gloom reflects unkindness on God Himself, how can we recommend His satisfying love if it does not satisfy us?  The world thinks the Christian life is depressing anyway, a dry meal where very litte wine of joy is tasted.  Why will you confirm their deception, Christian?  Why should they have your example as evidence against Jesus and His Word, which promises peace and joy to everyone who comes to this table?

God forbid that your behavior, which should hold forth "the word of life" and demonstrate the reality of it in the eyes of the world, ever disagree or throw doubt on His Word (Philippians 2:16)....    Yet a practical testimony from Christian's lives has great authority over the consciences of men to persuade them of Gospel truth.  They can believe it is good news when they can read it clearly in a cheerful life.

When unbelievers see Christians sad as they hold the cup of salvation in their hands, they suspect the wine is not so good as preachers say it is....    Christian, do not give unbelievers reason to imagine, by seeing you limping through the race, that they must forfeit happiness if they become Christians and spend the rest of thier lives in a house of mourning, with a team of losers.

Is Christ's gospel full of life or not?  Then do not go into debt with the world to soak up it's carnal benefits; you need never leave God's house to be made glad.

Christian in Complete Armor   by William Gurnall


Isn't this convicting?  Would you pray with me today that each and everyone one of us would come to find true contentment and joy in Christ, so that our witness does not deter others from following Christ?  I like how it ends with reminding us that if we are searching for this joy, God's house is the place that we find it.  May we each dwell in his house today, my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Blessings,
Carrie

God Equips Us :-)

"Now may the God of peace who brough again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen."       Hebrew 13:21-21

Trip to Hogares Paz y Vida - Special Needs Orphanage
Last Saturday, a few teachers and 9th graders made a vist to a special needs orphanage called Hogares Paz y Vida, which means Home for Peace and Life, that the 9th grade class will be serving with this year.  I was so excited to go, especially w/ Kaitie McCollum and two other 9th grade girls, because the Lord has given me a deep compassion for people with special needs.  The lady who opened this orphanage has such a wonderful testimony and she is an inspiration to me.  Valencia opened this orphanage for children who were blind.  One day, a family came to her and asked if she would take in their daughter (whose only ability was her sight) because they could not take care of her.  I later found out that this little girl was disabled because her parents had thrown her against a wall.  At this time, the Lord laid on her heart to love all who God would send her way.  The orphanage has over 100 kids, ranging from severly handicapped to more moderate needs.  Valencia says that God is the Master of her orphanage - money, food, clothes - and that she is just supposed to love those that God sends her way.  God is definitely working in this place - as every child is fed, bathed, and given clean clothes.  While getting a tour of the orphanage, I got to see the LARGEST washing machine I have ever seen :-)  The quality of care that this women offers them is beyond anything I have seen and is a testament to her love and devotion to Jesus.  My morning was spent meeting and loving on these precious people.  I helped a little boy named Andres, who couldn't walk by himself, walk up and down the ramps of the orphanage for about an hour :-)  Even with all of my relationships and experiences with kids who have special needs, it was hard for me to see the life that these people were living.  I eventually ventured in to the room where the more severe needs were.  A boy in this room(who was paralyzed) just smiled at me as I rubbed his head for little while.  While I came away completely exhausted, I look forward to going back to this ministry!!


Welcome Jonathon and Lindsay!!!
My friends, Jon and Lindsey Henkles, are here visiting from the States!!!  When ECA had a need for a social studies teacher for the first two weeks of school, John answered our prayers and volunteered to come down and help us start the school year :-)  They arrived safely and have been such a blessing to the team here at El Camino.  I have enjoyed having them here and getting to show them SantaFe Mall and the delicious Crepes and Waffles resturaunt.  God also blessed us with having Lindsey down here, as she was able to step in and be a substitute for our Kindergarten teacher (which is HUGE because we do not have subs when our teachers are not able to be here).  Thanks Jon and Lindsey!!!!!

Introducing Miss Bergmann :-)
With Lord's help, we have started the school year off!!  I am still learning to navigate this opportunity to teach in my own classroom and am depending on the Lord's guidance daily :-)  A promise in scripture that I am claiming a lot lately is:  "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." I Timothy 3:16-17.  Praising God that he is one who equips me for every good work, that I have His Word to guide and teach me - because I definitely cannot do this on my own!!!

Here is a link to my FaceBook page that has even more picture for you all to see :-0

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100270362782922.2350647.31104299&type=1&ref=notif&notif_t=photo_album_comment#!/carrie.bergmann.3/photos

Prayer Requests:

1. There are a few families from ECA who are not able to start the school year due to financial burdens.  Please pray that the Lord would open the door for their children to continue at ECA and that he would provide financially for them in miraculous ways.
2. While I love worship at the Colombian churches that I have gotten to attend, the language barrier is hard to overcome!  I am really starting to miss my home church (the Orchard), the deep feeding on God's word through Pastor Colin, and the support of my wonderful church home/family.  Please pray that God would help me develop a church community here and give me guidance on how to keep myself spiritually fed :-)  Also, please pray for God's leading on what to study during my personal quiet time - a have a few books of the Bible I am thinking of studying :-)
3. Prioritizing my time and managing the amount of work for teaching 3rd grade.

Thank you all for your partnership in ministry!!
Ciao,
Carrie