IRAQ: The Haps (Round 2)

Friends and Relations!

There has been a small hiccup in my Iraq-bound communication over the past nine months and I wanted to catch you up.

Last July I was unable, through circumstances over which God’s quiet providences are now better visible, to raise the $12,000 needed to teach in Iraq with Servant Group International this school year. With that door closed- at least temporarily- I chose to run through another opened one and for the past six months have been living the California dream in Sacramento with my gracious aunt and uncle. This time has been rich with my Heavenly Father’s lavish gifts- particularly as I enjoy my extended family.

I moved to Sacramento in August knowing nothing of the 2,000 + (and growing) Iraqi refugee population herein. (Sacramento is home to an even larger population of mid-eastern refuges from the neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan, and Iran.) Through my new home church this quickly became known and I was able to immediately plug into an outreach which, amazingly, incorporates teaching! Since September I have been volunteering weekly at a Christian center tutoring Arabic speaking young people in English. In all of Sacramento and her sprawling suburbs, the Arab American Learning Center (AALC) at which we meet is no more than four miles away from my workplace! Does God care about the details in the stories He tells?! Every good author does.

Through my time at the AALC I am getting first-hand exposure to mid-eastern culture under the wise guidance of women who love Jesus and who have years of experience ministering to this population. Their counsel and prayer are worth as much as the life-on-life opportunities I’m getting with the students themselves! As with so many of God’s gifts, the AALC is a multi-faceted one I never even dreamed of asking Him for! And He delivered it wrapped neatly with the affirmation that I’m following the path He has for me.

Before I get to Iraq this fall and step into the classroom I cannot know for certain what subject(s)/grade level(s) I will be teaching in the K-12 school to which SGI assigns me. One of the top three qualities SGI needs of their teachers is flexibility; a second quality they need is flexibility! As a substitute teacher in two Sacramento districts I am getting a lot of practice! Qualifying to teach as a sub is just another one of many details God has worked out to prepare me for this fall. As they say in Haiti, Mesi, Jezi!

Of the many discoveries I’ve made about California one of the most significant is that Cali culture does not naturally cultivate community such as I experienced in the Midwest. The transient, non-committal mind-set of my new neighbors is fascinating, liberating, and a complex, irresolvable irritant. God’s most recent gift to me in this California chapter of life has been to soothe this irritant through immersing me in a ministry training program called the Global Pipeline. A local church offers GP to its members who are focused on refugee outreach. They kindly invited me to participate (although I am not a member!). Through the community created by GP I am learning how Muslims think, what they believe, effective ways to love them, and best of all, growing in my own love for Jesus.

Thank you for your support over these past nine months of planning, pursuing, and practicing flexibility. Though I have not been actively support-raising, through your generosity I have already raised nearly 25% of my goal! That means that I have until June to raise the remaining $9,000. Please consider how you can help me! Once you know, you can donate directly by cutting and pasting this link into a new window: https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=67001 Donating directly through SGI ensures that your gift is tax-deductible.

Thank you for journeying with me! Please keep in touch through "following" my blog and leaving your comments. I will be making weekly postings on Wednesday/Thursday of each week. Bon weekend!