The Day Before...

School starts tomorrow.

School starts tomorrow.

I teach my first class as an official teacher tomorrow, and it's in Africa. How sweet is that? :)

The students started arriving Thursday and kept on coming through the weekend. It's strange walking around campus and seeing students everywhere - it's sort of like camp or something. So I had been seeing a few here and a few there, but this morning as I sat in church with the entire campus, I was absolutely in awe. I'm not sure of the official number of students, but I can guarantee that there were more nationalities in that room than in any other room I've ever been in. It was beautiful to see kids from all over the world and hear the different accents and watch their different habits, but it was even more amazing watching them mix and mingle and interact with people completely outside of their home cultures as if there were no difference at all. As I watched them, I thought about their different lives, all they've seen and experienced, and what sort of emotions must be going on in that room all at once. The new students' parents came Thursday and Friday for orientation, and then had to leave their children. Some because their fields of ministry are too dangerous, some because they wouldn't receive a good enough education, and some because they needed students their own age to be around. Whatever the reason, each is undoubtedly a huge sacrifice and something that breaks my heart to think about. Finally seeing these students and putting faces to our numbers really put into perspective how huge RVA's ministry is! The way that the staff here completely embraces the students and puts ALL of their time, energy, and strength into loving and serving the students' and their families is absolutely incredible to watch and be a part of! Watching the staff needs be filled by unexpected people and places, and seeing things just line up (when it seems as if there were no possibly way it could) is such a confirmation that God's Hand is on this school and this ministry, and again, I am so blessed to be a part of it and watch His faithfulness flow out!

So tomorrow I will face junior highers - an age that once (not too long ago, actually) terrified me, but with strength and assurance because God has made it more than obvious that He has brought me here for a reason, and I am completely confident that He will equip me to do His good work. So please pray for RVA tomorrow as we start a new year, and help us to keep our eyes focused on the God that we serve and the reasons we are here.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -Eph. 3:20-21