God, Please Send Me Buyers

"God, please send me buyers" has been my prayer for about a month now.  And, it has been amazing to see God answer that prayer so clearly.  This summer, I am in the States for about 6 1/2 weeks with the purpose of fund-raising so that I can attend language school in Costa Rica, beginning in January 2013.  Attending language school will help me to finally really learn Spanish, so that I can be much more effective in Mexico.  So, I came back to the States this summer prepared to sell my car, bedroom set, and most of my other possessions that have been in storage these past two years.  I really felt God put it in my heart to do this and that He would provide the buyers I needed for the items being sold.

With a thankful heart, I can report that God is doing just that.  My car sold within 3 days and my bedroom set sold in a little over a week.  I had a garage sale last Saturday and as people were buying things, they were making comments like, "I'm so glad I came here--I've been looking for..."  and "I just moved in to a new studio apartment yesterday and I really needed..."  At the end of the day, I was amazed at how many things were gone.  It was an unusual sale.  (in a great way!) 

While I am thrilled to report God's faithfulness, I do still need to raise about 1/2 of the funds for language school.  But, guess what?!  You can be a part in this adventure, too!  If you would like to come along-side me and help me accomplish what God is leading me to do, you can!  You can give a one-time gift or make a monthly committment or you can help by praying.  All donations are tax deductable through the Assemblies of God and I will include my contact information below.  (Please include my name and account number on all gifts--thanks!)  You can also give online by simply clicking on the button to the right of this message.

It is so beautiful to watch God at work in the lives of His children.  He takes such good care of us and it is especially encouraging when He allows us to see Him moving.  Our God is so BIG!!


To partner with me in this journey:
Online giving: Please see the right side of this page.
Account number:  294780-2, Janene Snyder
Personal Email Address:  janenetbc@hotmail.com
Cell Phone:  241-7245 (until July 19th when I head back to Mexico)

Reminiscing

We made it through the whirlwind end of the school-year!  We had 3 graduations within 1 week!  Our three 6^th grade girls graduated first, then the mighty Seniors of 2012, and finally our sweet little Kindergarteners.  It has been a week full of wise speeches, memory sharing, last things and bittersweet goodbyes.  

And now, the 2011-2012 school-year is officially over.   As I sit here reflecting a few memories come to mind.

Kindergarten Graduation

Our principal, Mr. Graber had a special place in his heart for our Kindergarteners.  They quickly learned that if they announced their presence in the office or if they snuck across our restricted yellow “no pass” line and peeked in his office; they were very likely to receive a Hershey kiss.  This was especially true if they happened to get injured while playing at recess or if they were not feeling well.  It’s possible that a few times, their injuries were not quite as life threatening as they might have seemed; but it brought a smile to our faces to see them work their magic on Mr. Graber.  (I thought about trying some of their tricks myself!)  Jesus taught us to, “Let the little children come” and Mr. Graber’s soft heart toward our little ones was really sweet.

Viktor

Viktor, our newest 5^th grader, arrived at OCS in late January/early February.  Viktor was an inspiration to me.  I have briefly mentioned our Truth Seekers Bible Memory Club before; but basically, the elementary kids had the opportunity to memorize one Bible verse that I posted each week and then say it to me for a prize.  Well, almost every Tuesday there was Viktor, waiting with his hand-written copy of the verse on a large piece of paper.  It gave me such joy to see him because Viktor still struggles with English.  For him to memorize the verses took a tremendous amount of effort.  Yet each time, he was excited and gave it his very best.  His goal was to reach our VIP list, which meant that he had to learn 10 verses, but by the end of the year, he had learned 12!  After our Truth Seeker award ceremony, Viktor came up to me, shook my hand and said, “Thank you.”  All I could tell him was how proud I am of the hard work he accomplished.  The Bible says that we are to hide God’s Word in our hearts, so we do not sin and that is what Viktor is learning to do.

"Mr. Intelligence"

One of our youngest students can tell you ANYTHING you could ever need to know about ANY kind of dinosaur or snake.  He is a brilliant boy and brings exuberance to every situation.  I still laugh when I think about our intelligent little guy the day he came in with a large scrape on his leg.  His comments were, “I do not understand why there are so many roots and rocks on the playground.”  (We have trees)  And, “You have lots of owie equipment.”  Proverbs 20:11 says, “A young man makes himself known by his actions and proves if his ways are pure and right.”  Our little guy is very matter of fact and has a wealth of information, but he still has his precious child-like innocence.  I am thankful he is a part of OCS.

I feel very blessed by God to be able to have a part in OCS.  It is a great school, but most of all, it is full of really special people.  These people have left their home countries to work hard at the ministry God called them to in Mexico.  They are going in to all the world to preach the good news, and I just happen to get to work with their kids!

______________________________________________________________

OCS has a need for several staff positions for the coming 2012-2013 school-year.  If you are a teacher or are interested in serving on the mission field, please feel free to ask me about it.

Falling in Love

Over the past few months, I have fallen in love with my church.  I mean it—head over heels, completely in love!  My desire is to be a blessing and help within the church, but they have blessed me far beyond what I could have imagined.  They model the New Testament church in their love for each other and their dedication to God.  I am learning so much from them!

Last Sunday was our “Consegracion.”  The first Sunday of every month, we have our regular Sunday morning class and service and then stay after church until 6:00pm for a time of fasting, further teaching and prayer.  When I first joined the church last summer, I was afraid of these consegraciones because just sitting through a regular 2 ½ -3 hour service in Spanish was taxing.  But now, I see them as an opportunity to spend more time in the Word, in prayer and with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I always come away feeling full.

During one of our teaching sessions last week, our pastor taught from Exodus 14, where God fights for Israel in an awesome display of His power by delivering them from the Egyptians at the Red Sea.  Then, he asked each of us to share something from our lives that we feel God is going to help us conquer.  Unfortunately, at this point, my Spanish broke down and I honestly did not understand what we were supposed to share.  I thought people were volunteering personal testimonies.

Imagine my surprise when my pastor looked directly at me and told me it was my turn to share!  (Big eyes, gulp!)  I immediately asked for further clarification and the people sitting closest to me did their best to explain the situation.  (The sweet people in this church have been so patient and understanding with me.)  The pastor gave me several minutes to think and then came back to me.  I really wanted to participate, but since I did not know several of the words that I needed, I asked if I could do it for “homework”.

Trying to be a help, the pastor shared “my” testimony for me.  He talked about how I will be going to language school next year in Costa Rica and that God is going to help me conquer learning Spanish.  While that was not what I would have thought to share with the group, I realized that yes, learning Spanish is something God is going to help me conquer.  It will take time and a lot more hard work, but God will get me through it because my desire is to be able to better communicate with the people where God has called me.

Would You Help Make this Dream Become a Reality?

In April, I was granted permission to extend my term an additional two years.  Because of this, I will be sent to Costa Rica for intensive language study for 8 months.  I leave for Costa Rica in January 2013, so between now and then, I need to raise money to cover the cost of attending language school.  I will be coming back to Montana from June 3^rd-July 19^th and I would love the opportunity to meet with pastors, individuals, friends, family, etc. while I am home to talk about what God is doing in Mexico.  If you would like to be a part in helping me learn Spanish, so that I can minister more effectively here in Mexico, you can contact me through facebook or on the comments portion of this page.  If you would like to give, there are options listed on the side of this blog.  Thank you!

Thank You!

For those of you who have been supporting me all this time, thank you so much!  I never want to miss an opportunity to say thank you because your obedience and generosity are the reasons I am able to stay in Mexico.  Please know that I appreciate your sacrifices.  It means so much to me that you stand behind me in what God is doing.  Thank you!