At
church this week our pastors challenge was to be Jesus not just a
"Christian” and start to let love break down the walls. There is such a
Christian / Catholic conflict that often is a wall. Some won’t even go to a
funeral of their best friend or neighbor if it is not in the church they attend.
This
week Bonnie was walking and two ladies from the Catholic Church that knew her
asked if she wanted to buy tamales for their fund raiser. Bonnie asked if it
was for the Catholic Church and they said yes. After buying the tamales, Bonnie
she said that she wanted to support anything that was for the glory of God.
This small act showed we are here to be part of the community and not to
divide. We feel welcomed and enjoy being active in the community. Our actions
speak much louder than our words!
One of the obstacles to over come is to walk the fine line which is clearly defined in Costa Rica. Are you Catholic or Christian? We like to say we love Jesus and have Jesus in our heart and love him very much. Do you love Jesus? Most say yes so we start there with unity verse conflict. Knowing this it makes some of the little things we do big in the eyes of the community.
 "He who is in you
is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4 NKJ).Someone once asked me why a football never gets deflated in a game. Twenty-two huge, burly men kick it, throw it, pounce on it, fumble it - yet it never gets "squashed" or loses its size to deflation. 
The answer is a simple law of physics. It seems that the internal pressure of
the ball is much greater than all the pressure 22 men can place upon it
externally.This verse says the same thing about the people who have the power of Jesus residing in their hearts. Jesus power within us is greater than all the pressure the external world can place upon us. Learning to remain calm no matter what the situation and drama is around you is a learned process.  Satan's strategy is to
deflate us. Jesus gives us the buoyancy to stay
afloat roll with the punches. It may seem sometimes that you are
being tossed around by circumstances, but with the power of
Jesus within, you will always bounce back.Greater is the power within us than the pressure upon us. So hang in there, be a team player; despite the hard hits, we're winning!
Source: The Spirit-Filled
Believer's Daily Devotional by Dick Mills paraphrased and some
changes made
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE OBJECT LESSONS WE SHARE AT OUR SCHOOL. IT IS SO NICE TO BE ABLE TO WEAVE GOD INTO LESSONS AND PROMOTE GOOD CHARACTER AND PERSEVERANCE. |
The impression you
leave on others is not by the words you say necessarily, but by how you act
and react to a situation.
.
Bonnie
is swimming twice a week with some friends at 5 a.m. in a pool 25 min
away. Great way to start off the day. Exercise and eating healthy helps
her have the energy she needs to do all the other activities and outreaches she
is involved in.
Bonnie
is teaching at the school and is enjoying making educational games to go with
the different unites. The school is filled with hands on learning games,
songs and activities. One of the goals of the school is to make
learning fun and keep our expectations high.
