Purposefully Prepared

October flew by in a flurry of youth group, teaching youth, and youth retreats. I feel old. Working with youth means sleeping less, drinking more coffee, and being ridiculous. But working with this specific group of youth is teaching me so much about the plan God has for my life. My friend and fellow TCK-turned youth leader, Isaac, has mentioned many times how he sees his life reflected in the life of Moses. I would say mine does too, in some ways. To summarize his life: Moses was a Hebrew who grew up as an Egyptian who then lived as a Midianite for many years. Talk about identity crisis. And yet, the specific skills he learned helped him do the ministry he was called to do. He spoke the languages needed, he understood the cultures needed, and he was fully equipped to do the job needed. Before God called him to ministry, Moses probably would not have guessed that his life experiences were all specifically forming and preparing him for his ministry. If you had asked me before, I wouldn’t have been able to guess what God had planned for me (and I still don’t know what awaits). But here I am, working with a group of kids that I can relate to in a way most missionaries here can’t. I am a TCK (or Third-Culture-Kid). I’ve lived through what they’re going through. I’ve learned so much, and I can share it with them.

Sitting at youth group as a high-schooler, I couldn’t have known God would call me to someday lead that same youth group. Sitting in English class frantically writing notes, I would have never guessed I’d be lecturing on those very same books…and putting the panicked look on my frantically-note-taking students. And here I am, specifically and especially prepared to do a ministry that only a small group of people can truly understand. The cool part: I get so see what God does in these TCK’s lives! They are currently learning and growing so that someday they can do the ministry they are called to do in a way they are purposefully prepared to do!

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

October highlights:

-Our youth group had a retreat led by some guest missionaries! The theme was purity of the mind, heart, spirit, and body. The retreat was a time of great conversation and many parents have mentioned that it opened up the opportunity for important conversations at home as well. Plus, we got to spend a whole weekend bonding with the kiddos!

-Our church has done outreach in a new village this month. Since the earthquakes, villages that had been extremely closed to the gospel have allowed missionaries and ministry workers in! We’ve heard amazing stories from missionaries here, and our group has had the wonderful opportunity to share with a whole village! Over 50 people have been saved, Bibles have been handed out to many more, and counseling has begun with some. We are very excited and humbled to see what God is doing there!

Prayer requests:

-Pray for our Youth Group! The topics we cover are all taken from a survey the kiddos took at the beginning of the year. Some of the topics are heavy and difficult to talk about. Pray for wisdom for the leaders as we answer questions about depression, friendship, abandonment as TCKs, and much more. God is doing amazing things in the group of youth, so keep us in your prayers!

-Pray for the villages we are trying to reach out to. It’s been over a month since the earthquakes, but most people in the remote villages are still sleeping outside. The ground is still shaking out there, and no one really knows why. A boiling sound and then a bang rings out before every shake, but they are still experiencing multiple quakes every day. Pray for safety and peace for the people living out there. Pray for wisdom as the church leaders make decisions about how to best help.

- Pray for us teachers at the school. I am so excited to be reading and discussing literature with the kiddos, but they are a bit less excited about the prospect of tacking some of these books. Pray for us teachers to make the material fun, educational, and for the students to apply what they learn to their lives.

Let me know if you have any questions about the ministry we do here or how you can help!

Thanks and God Bless!

-Ruth