6.25.09

6.25.09

Teaching at the schools is making the time pass extremely quickly for us all. We are all settling into our schedules, while packing more in every day. I think the most frustrating thing for me right now is that I teach the same lecture 23 times every week. I honestly don’t know how teachers do it every year. J

Today was very encouraging for me in this area. After I shared my testimony (for the 18th time…) I felt like the same old words were falling on deaf ears. But two girls came up to me during interval (a 10 minute break in the day) and asked if they could “disturb” me for a moment. One of the girls, Janill, said that what I had shared with her about a period of depression I had gone through in high school had “touched her to a deep part of her heart”. She said, “It was as if God has sent you to me to help me with the confusing thoughts running in my head. So, time will not allow now, but I would like to talk with you more about it, please.” I asked her if she was available this afternoon, and she said she would cancel her games for the afternoon “because,” she said again, “I truly believe God wants me to talk with you.”

She came over to the house at 2:00pm. Oh, family. How my heart is broken for this precious girl. I believe she is suffering from depression, but even more than that she is suffering from the cultural view of depression (Depression is not looked at as a physical problem, but a spiritual possession or sin issue. So talking about these things is not well accepted). Her pastor told her to pray more. Her mother disowned her.

Janill held a gun to her head a few weeks ago, thinking she would kill herself because nothing she did (particularly in her relationship with her mother) was ever good enough. But said she thought she could maybe hear God telling her He loves her and has a plan for her. Oh, how good is our God!

Janill and I are going to start meeting for a Bible study on Tuesday nights with two other girls from the school who are in her grade. I am so thankful that God gave me these girls to meet with. I hoping to have a Bible study, but I didn’t know how to start to who to include. He put her right in my classroom.

“God is our Refuge and Strength, a present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea…” Psalm 46