St. Valentine and Tutoring

Hi everyone,

I hope you are well. I wanted to let you see my first graders! Aren't they cute? We just had our
Valentine's Day party today. Brazilians do have a Valentine's Day but it is more for the adults than for the kids. So I decided to talk about the real St. Valentine in class today. He was a bishop in Rome under Claudius II. He would marry Christian couples and share his faith. He began sharing the gospel to Claudius II and He got upset and put him into jail. He was killed for sharing his faith. He was beaten to death. There is one story that He shared his faith to the jailer's blind daughter and gave her a letter signed Be my Valentine right before his death. He was a martyr for the faith. I spoke of God's love and how God loves us with an everlasting love. My kids enjoyed acting out the story of St. Valentine. Also, I am getting tutored by one of my parents in Portuguese! Praise the Lord for her! She is enabling me to share my faith even easier!

In Jeremiah 31:3, it states:

"The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

In Romans 5:8, it states:

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

In Proverbs 15:13, it states:

"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken."

Anyway, there are many verses but I shared about Christ's love to my students today. Thank-you Lord for giving me the opportunity to share YOUR LOVE! Thank-you for YOUR SACRIFICE! Thank-you for godly men and women everyday who share about You and die for the FAITH!

Amen!

Nova

P.S. Don't you like our silly pictures? It was actually my idea! They loved it!

Our Days are Numbered

Hi everyone,
I hope you are well. I have been teaching for about 3 weeks now. I have encountered some new challenges with teaching ESL (half my class) and native English speakers too all in the same classroom. Here are some of the things I have experienced and that I never thought about:
1. Brazilians (unless they have traveled outside of their home don't know what it means to feel cold)
2. I teach an American curriculum and I have to teach American money when Brazilians use the Real for money
3. teaching an English measuring system is hard since they use metric

But the Lord has convicted me lately that these things really don't matter but it is about sharing His Word and being an example to these kids, so I might be able to lead a child to the Lord (through His Leading Me) Enough of my pity party! Here is what the Lord said to me in His Word.

Psalm 90: "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generation. Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man back into dust And say, "Return, O children of men." For a thousand years in your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night. You have swept them them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away. For we have been consumed by Your anger And by Your wrath we have been dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days have declined in Your fury; We have finished ours years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger and fury, according to the fear that is due to You? So teach us to number our days, That we might present to You a heart of wisdom. Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants And your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands."

Lord, help me to look toward you and to be eternally focused at all times. Our days are numbered to tell about You. Let me use every opportunity to tell about You! Confirm the work of my hands. Help me not to be prideful over my work or dwell in sorrow but to focus on Your Work!

He is using every second of my life for His purpose!
Redeeming the time! Amen!
Nova

The Longest River Now

Hi everyone,

I hope you are well. I did something really cool today. I went to the Amazon River with one of the missionary families and we had lunch on the port. The missionaries informed me that the Amazon River is now the longest river in the world because about a year ago the scientists found another tributary that makes it the longest river in the world. Isn't that cool? Sorry to all my students who I taught that thought the Nile River was the longest! I sampled some of the local foods here--pineapple pudding with a flan type bread, crab, and fried fish. It was so good and of course I had rice.

Updates on my prayer requests:

My leg is healed and I am able to wear my prosthetic leg again. Praise the Lord. It helps so much when I can teach on two legs instead of just one leg. But please be in prayer for my class still and for the daily language barriers that we face. I think that I found a local church here that I can be a part of, so pray that I can get involved and find my second ministry outside of school.

Once I have a full class with no students absent, I will post pictures of my class too.

Thank-you, Lord for your answered prayers!

Nova

Lingering Blisters and a Great Class

Hi everyone,
Let's see...this week has been long but a fruitful one. I started teaching this week. I have a wonderful class. Most of my students are Brazilians. I have a great challenge facing me with ESL but I know that the Lord will enable me to do it and that He is going to give me wisdom. He will give me strength in all areas of my life-spiritually, mentally, and physically. My students have helped pass out papers, clean my erasers, open and close windows, etc. I have 9 students. Their names are Marcos, Lydia, Adria, Giordano, George, Ana Luisa, Rodrigo, Vitoria, and Leonardo.

My infection...
I finished my medication and the doctor told me that I could wear my prosthetic leg on Wednesday after a week of having it off. So I wore it on Wednesday but on Thursday morning I had a large blister on it. I had to go and see a dermotologist again to see what the problem was. She drained it and gave me some creams to put on it. I also had blood tests run but they showed no signs of infection. Praise the Lord for that! I go back to the doctor to discuss the results and to discuss further care for my leg while living in this climate. I will not be able to wear my leg for at least another week because of the blisters.

Please pray for:

• My whole class especially those who do not speak any English
• My ability to get around
• My complete healing
• My adjustment to this climate

Thank-you for your continued support and prayers!

Looking to the Great Physician,

Nova

School is starting tomorrow!

Hi everyone,
The day has finally arrived! I am going to teach my precious first graders tomorrow! Please pray for a new student who doesn't speak any English or if she does it is very limited. I have 4 ESL students. Pray that God will give me wisdom in helping these students. But also I have students in my class who are reading beyond grade level and I want to balance my instruction so that everyone learns to their fullest potential. My classroom looks great! I will post pictures of my classroom and students soon! Thank-you all for your prayers all these months. May God be glorified as I begin new ministries outside of school too.

In His Wisdom,
Nova

Prayer Request

Hi everyone,

I pray that everyone is doing good. My mom's surgery went well. Praise the Lord!! Also, in early December, I had a minor staph infection on my leg but now it has returned. Please pray that I will heal and for strength. Also, I am not supposed to wear my prosthetic leg for about a week. I thank-you for your continued prayers. Know that I am lifting you up in prayer as well! May the Lord bless your 2010!


I love these verses! These verses always put my circumstances into perspective.

Romans 5:1-11: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perserverance, and perserverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; through perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

Convicting! Isn't it?
I exult You, O LORD! You are worthy of my praise! Ele e exaltado!
Amen!
Nova

Back to the Classroom

Hi everyone,
Tudo bem? How are you? I am good. I started working in my classroom this week. It is weird because I haven't had my own class in 18 months. I have been busy preparing lessons and cleaning the termite trails! Yes, I said termite trails. They love my wooden door. Everyone has been so nice and helping me out since I just brought the clothes on my back. I did not bring any school supplies. I received some bulletin board supplies, classroom calender, pens, books, etc. I am learning that truly less is more. I am so blessed with so much! I can't wait to teach my 9 first graders! Praise the Lord for a small class! Class begins on January 12th!

Humbled by His Provisions,
Nova