grace.

amazing grace.

it is such a sweet sound, isn't it? as i was sitting in the special needs room at casitas kennedy on monday, this word kept ringing in my head and my heart. i have known and used this word for most of my life, and up until monday i thought i knew exactly what it meant. grace fellowship is my home church. it is a place filled with believers who continually pray and support me. i have been "justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" romans 3:24. as i was pondering all of the grace in my life, i realized that i was always on the receiving end. in fact i have come to expect grace. i almost demand it, as if it is something i deserve. but, that's not grace at all, is it?

"for grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your doing; it is a gift of God." ephesians 2:8

It is only by God's grace that i am not a child at casitas kennedy or any other orphanage. while spending time with these kids, God's grace has become so tangible to me. i can show and give grace because Christ has bestowed grace upon such an unworthy sinner, myself.

God has also been so gracious in giving us his Holy Word. while here, the Bible has really come to life, and my time in the word has been so much sweeter. i am reading "the pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer. in it he writes, "if you would follow to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. it is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God." may his Word and his grace be extended to all the nations.

"for it all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God." 2 corinthians 4:15

art.

first want to apologize for my major lack of blogging. thankfully, sarah and mary elizabeth have been better than me in keeping everyone updated. it is safe to say that teaching english is not what i expected to be doing. yet, the Lord saw fit to put me right smack dab in the middle of one of the poorest areas in tegucigalpa. each morning, 50 kids [ages 8-11] greet kimberly and i with "good morning teacher!!" absolutely adorable? maybe just a little. the Lord has also blessed us with the opportunity to minister to the orphans at casitas kennedy. because we usually don't know what age group we are working with or what activities we are doing until we arrive, each day is an adventure.

what has the Lord been teaching me?

right before we left for honduras, all of the interns at buckner had a sweet time of worship and prayer. during that time we sang the words, "your will above all else, my purpose remains; the art of losing myself in bringing you praise." as i stumble through teaching english, speaking spanish, and painting countless toenails the Lord continues to refine me.

"and I will put his third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested." zechariah 13:9a

the Lord has revealed sin upon sin. fear, selfishness, pride, discontentment, and anger are just a few. the reveling of this sin is painful, it hurts. i have mourned, and i have been comforted. i know that the trials will still come and sin will continue to be mourned. but i am confidant that God is refining me and all believers to be more like his son.

the one doing the refining is truly an artist. the only way he knows when the process of purifying is complete is when he sees his own image reflected in the silver. i know that the Lord has a lot more refining to do until he can see his own image when looking at me.

here's to sanctification!!

"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. the old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 corinthians 5:17

three of my students.

we're here!!

i first want to thank all of you for your prayers!! we arrived in dallas on wednesday (early) morning. we met up with our fourth intern, kimberly. she is too precious and has such a sweet spirit. honestly, i am hoping she can handle us haynes sisters. i think she is up to the challenge. training was wonderful. i can't speak highly enough of buckner. not only did they prepare us physically for the challenging month ahead, they made sure to prepare us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

we arrived in tegucigalpa with all of our luggage. woohoo!! sidenote: did you know that the tegucigalpa airport is the second most dangerous airport in the world? well, we didn't until after we landed. we were picked up by nettie, our in country missions coordinator, and louis and karla (our translators for the next month). all of them were so welcoming and even laughed at my jokes...BONUS!! we quickly checked into our "apartment" and headed off to casitas kennedy orphanage. when we arrived we were told that we would not be allowed to take pictures. at first we were all bummed, but God has a purpose. i can tell you that each individual there is absolutely beautiful!! although you won't be able to see their faces, rest in the fact that God knitted them together and he sees them.

hopefully i will be able to update every few days. thank you again for your prayers!!