Jean has been a member of
Seven Rivers for 18 years and was a kindergarten teacher at
Seven Rivers Christian School for 14 years. After traveling
to Belize over several summers for short-term mission trips
she felt God's call to join the Belize team on a more
permanent basis.
December 19, 2008
Just
wanted to thank you all for your prayers for my back. I am
cleared to return to Belize tomorrow. Please pray for a safe
trip. Would you also pray for the neighborhood Christmas
party we will have next week, that God would open the hearts
of those who come to hear the Gospel. I will be sending out
a prayer letter soon.
I
hope you all have a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate
our Lord's birth.
In
His Hands,
Jean
November 6, 2008
Jean would like to thank everyone
for your prayers. Her back problems are getting better. With
the faithful treatment from her chiropractor and God's
grace, she is improving. It is just a slow process. She will
remain in the US for a few more weeks and then determine
when to return to Belize. Please pray for all the necessary
contacts and approvals to finalize for medical leave.
October 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
Much has happened since I last wrote to
you. I will be as brief as possible because I am lying on my
back with my computer propped up in front of me. The past
months have been filled with teacher training, teacher
observations, curriculum writing, and student testing. The
time I have spent with teachers has been very
encouraging. They were overwhelmed with the new Open Court
Curriculum. Their expressions matched the expressions of my
former co-workers when we first saw it. However, after
workshops and actually getting into the classroom and
teaching it, they are excited at what their students are
learning. They are realizing they need to be purposeful with
their instruction of skills they had previously assumed
children were able to do. Pray that they learn to
transfer the teaching strategies they are learning into all
subject areas.
The one-on-one time with teachers is my
favorite time. It has allowed me to begin developing a
deeper relationship with some of the teachers. As we spend
time together they are becoming more willing to share a
little more of themselves with me. Pray God will open the
doors for more spiritual discipling in these relationships.
Since the last prayer letter, I have
had more break-ins into my yard with items
stolen. Thankfully, none in the recent weeks. However, due
to multiple break-ins in the neighborhood and serious
repairs needing to be made on the house I am presently in
(replacement of the rotting rafters above my head), I am
once again moving. When I was originally looking for a house
to rent, there was one across the street from Carla Stevens
(my boss) which had security in place, but needed a lot of
repairs and work. It is also small and would not have
allowed for hosting of the team and a spare bedroom. God has
shown me in the time I’ve been here that those are not
necessary. Thankfully God has provided, through a very
generous group of people in my home church, the funds to do
the repairs on the house. The owner has done the repairs and
I offered to do others with the assurance that rent will
remain the same for the time I am there.
God is faithful to bring us through the
mountains and valleys. It’s in the valleys that He teaches
me the most. Through a women’s Bible study of Galatians I’m
learning things about myself that I do not like to
see. Thankfully, God shows us what we need to see. In His
study of Galatians Tim Keller says, “The Spirit does not
work apart from the Gospel…the Gospel does not bring the
power of God, but is the power of God…We are
not just saved by the Gospel, we grow by applying the Gospel
to every area of our life.” I’m finding that I usually view
the Gospel as how I was saved, but revert to dealing with my
sanctification more through “works” than “grace.” My sin of
self-righteousness keeps me in a vacillating state between
works and grace. I get these small glimpses of true grace
and then I revert back into seeking approval of man. Oh, for
the day we experience grace in its fullness, never to revert
back to our sinful ways. I long for heaven!
The last month has been very different
from the previous months. I have spent much of it on by
back. After a week which involved a lot of sitting due to
traveling and writing of curriculum, a previous back
condition became aggravated. Sitting aggravates it the
most. After trying anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers I
thought I was improving, but last night and this morning,
after severe muscle spasm, it is much worse.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray
for relief and for wisdom. I am to fly on Saturday (October
25) to Orlando for my nieces wedding and then on to Crystal
River for appointments with various doctors. My chiropractor
was already scheduled. At this point I’m not sure I can even
fly. Please pray that God will show me what I should do
regarding all of this. I will send an update letting you
know the outcome. Thank you for your faithful prayers and
support.
In His Hands,
Jean
