Shepherding a Child's Heart

Precious Kid Quote - While talking about the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte in the book Charlotte's Web, the topic of what makes a good friend came up.  At the end of the story, Charlotte dies and Wilbur is able to take care of her babies for her - showing that their ties of friendship are strong.  Response from one of my students:

"God is my best friend! (points to heaven) And, I'm glad he lives in here." (points to his heart)

Buddy, I am so glad that God is your best friend.  I hope he remains your best friend for the rest of your life :-)

Idols - In Bible class, we are studying about the Israelites and how God made a special covenant with them.  As Moses was up the mountain getting the Ten Commandments from God, the Israelites were busy making statutes out of gold and worshiping them.  They chose to worship a golden calf (even when the Lord had just delivered them out of Egypt, saved them from Pharoah's army, and provided food and water while they wandered the desert.)  I pointed out that it is really easy for us to judge the Israelites.  How could they worship a golden statue instead of God?

Suddenly, I felt the Holy Spirit's leading to take the lesson in a different direction.  We talked about examples of idols in our lives - and how easy they can take the place of God.  Sports, activities we love, people (friends and family), and even...video games (a shock to some of my students) can become idols in our lives.  I shared an example of how certain people in my life had become idols to me.  While loving these people was good, I loved them so much that I began to realize that they were taking the place where only God should be.  It made it harder to give these people up when God was calling me to do something for him.  After discussing a little more, I let them pray by themselves and asked God to reveal to them any idols in their lives.  I ended the class by praying altogether that God would be the most important part of each of our lives - and that all of those other things would take their rightful place behind Him.

One of my new students came up to me afterward and said, " Miss Bergmann?  I think I know an idol in my life.  Horses.  I'm praying that Jesus would help me love them just a little less - because I REALLY LOVE them!"

When you just can't take it anymore! - Four of the boys from my class were struggling with being friends.  One student can be difficult to be around and his feelings were getting hurt when the other boys would ignore him.  After sitting them down, I prayed that God would help me shepherd their hearts so that all involved would see how much they need Jesus' love and how his love would help them be more loving to others.  They all admitted to both being mean and being treated meanly by their friends.  It was amazing to watch as God moved in their hearts.  One student started and said he wanted to apologize for kicking his friend.  Then, they began to gently talk to one another about why they had been excluding their one friend.  With the help of the Holy Spirit moving, all of the boys were able to see that the one student just wanted a friend and wasn't really trying to annoy them.  Also, the student heard from his friends how he could better let them know that he wanted to play with them.

As I talked to them about how hard it can be to have patience with others, a student of mine put it so well.  "Miss Bergmann, sometimes it's so hard to be kind and patient!  I come to school and my brother has already been bugging me at home all morning and I just can't take it anymore!!!"

Well, I just had to smile :-)  I told him that he was absolutely right.  We can't do it - at least not on our own, anyways.  So thankful that we can ask Jesus for help, and that's exactly what we did. 

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"  Philippians 4:13


Prayers/Praises:
Paula - an 8th grader at ECA - just got diagnosed with leukemia.  She will be out of school for a few months as she starts her treatment.  Please pray for her family and the students/staff at ECA as we process this news.  May Christ be glorified in how we come together and encourage/support Paula and her family.

A team from the Orchard arrives in three days!!!!  I am super excited to get to partner in ministry with my home church.  This next week is going to be crazy, busy, and a lot of fun getting to introduce them to ECA.  Pray for safe travels and a wonderful time getting to serve God together as a church family.

That my identity would not be found in my ability to teach, how well a lesson goes, or how well I am shepherding my student's hearts.  My desire is that my identity would be found only in Christ and that I would be even more dependent on Him in spreading the Gospel here in Bogota.

My attitude - pray for more patience and love toward my students.  I feel like I have been more irritable lately, even though they are still the same bunch of crazy 3rd Graders.  Thankful that the Lord gives me grace and helps me love each and every one of them :-)

All for His glory,
Carrie

Home for the Holidays - 2013

Happy 2013 - Serving Christ in my 2nd Semester at El Camino

2013 for me has started off with a much needed visit to the States to see my family for Christmas!  It was truly a blessing to be able visit with my parents, sisters, nephews, and all of my wonderful friends from the Orchard Evangelical Free Church.  The welcome, love, prayers, and support that I received were overwhelming and a much needed gift from Jesus.  They helped me recharge my battery as I prepare for the second half of the school year at El Camino.  I can't believe I am halfway through my first year of teaching and serving Christ here in Bogota.  What a privilege these past 5 months have been - and the Lord has taught me so much in this time. 

I have been praying about how long God wants me at El Camino Academy and He has been challenging me to offer all of the gifts He has given me to the school.  Being home made me realized even more so how much I would be giving up by offering the next few years to teaching here.  It was hard to leave my family, especially Sammy.  There is nothing better than getting to hold him, to make him smile, and to hear his precious baby sounds.  There is nothing better than getting to chase Joshua around church and waking up at my sister's house and getting to eat waffles with her family.  There is nothing better than going bowling with my brother-in-law and my Dad.  There is nothing better than sitting at Caribou and having a cup of coffee with my mom.  There is nothing better than getting to be there for a precious friend and sister in Christ on Sunday morning when she really needed a hug.  I ask myself over and over - can I really give up experiencing all of these moments on a daily basis with the people I love?

Since I became a Christian, I have always been tempted to do so many things in life on my own - even living the Christian life.   A sweet friend gave me a book for Christmas called Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Lives by Elyse Fitzpatrick.  I am exited to read this new book.  It asks the question, "In your pursuit of godliness, have you left Jesus behind?"  

What struck me most when my friend explained how much this book has meant to her was how much I leave the gospel and love of Christ out of my daily life.  I try to live the Christian life on my own.  I might think back and remember the time when Christ's love spoke into my life, but I go on living without this all-powerful love affecting my daily life. 

"It's essential to think about God's love TODAY because it is only his love that can grant us the joy that will strengthen our hearts, the courage that will embolden us in our fight against sin, and the assurance that will enable us to open up our lives to him so that he might deal powerfully with our unbelief and idolatry.  If we're not completely convinced that his love is ours RIGHT NOW - fully and unalterably ours - we'll always hide in the shadows, focusing on our performance, fearing his wrath.  If we don't consciously live in the light of his love, the gospel will be secondary, virtually meaningless, and Jesus Christ will fade into insignificance.  Our faith will become all about us - our performance and how we think we are doing.  What must we remember?  Simply that God loves us so much that he crushed his Son so that we might be his and that this love isn't based on our worthiness or performance."  

Praying that my decisions and my ministry here comes out of my daily relationship with Jesus - that his LOVE would guide me, strengthen me, and encourage my faith to obey and do the will of Him to whom I owe my life. 

Ice Skating - The Lord blessed me with a few opportunities to be able to enjoy time back on the ice.  I was able to skate with my cousins, twice with my friend Margo, and also with my sister at an outdoor rink (while it snowed).  So thankful that I had so many people willing to ice skate with me while I was home!

Prayers/Praises:
For the precious hearts of two new students - Elayne and Brianna!  Pray that the Lord would quickly show me their hearts and help me to love them like Christ loves them.  Also, pray for their transition to a new school and country. 

My Spanish is getting better!  I still have work to do, but I spent a day with my two Colombian friends and was able to share my testimony with them in Spanish :-)   Please continue to pray that my Spanish would keep improving and that it would be used for developing relationships with my friends here.

For the work team from my church, The Orchard, that is coming down in February.  The team is being formed right now.  Pray for their preparations, their willing hearts to come and serve Christ here in Bogota, and that God would bless their time while they are here. 

Bendiciones,
Carrie