Playing Soccer to Go Fishing

Here is another praise report and big "thank you!" for praying for a new discipleship for teenage girls we started last month.


Teamwork and Pedagogy
Elma and Judith, two women from our church, have stepped up to helping me start a second discipleship group for girls. Kety, another friend, has become the leader of the first group, which I was asked to start two years ago. It has been encouraging to work together, learn from each other, and pray together for these girls we care about.

I am also thankful for what I learned in master's degree program (applied linguistics with an emphasis in pedagogy), as it has greatly helped me in finding interactive ways to do Bible study with teenage girls. It has also been useful for creating mini-workshops for these teachers, or informally preparing lessons together. Last week, Judith and I worked together to plan a lession, and she did a great job leading activities and discussions on Saturday.


"You're Invited!"
Elma lives in a very strategic neighborhood near many Garifuna girls, and we have held three discipleship meetings so far. She is able to stop by and invite those around her, and we have also made contact with girls after church and inviting them to come. We are studying "the basics" of what it means to be a Christian and follow Jesus. Some highlights for me are:

• Seeing girls understand what grace means and that salvation is a free gift.
• Helping them find verses in the Bible and encouraging them as they paraphrase verses using their own words.
• Watching them work together in groups to complete activities and relate truth to their lives.
• Welcoming girls who do not yet have friends at church.

My heart's cry is for many Garifuna girls to know Jesus personally and live fruitful, abundant lives as they walk with Him.

My Version of Soccer
We organized a soccer event for girls who were interested. Some of you know that my favorite part of soccer is socializing with people around me. :) But the best part of this soccer game was "going fishing" for new girls, and I met four who are interested in coming to discipleship group! One even contacted me today for more information. (But don't ask me how many goals were scored...!)

I deeply value your prayers in "fishing" for girls who Jesus would call to Himself, and for those who are growing in their faith to become "fishers" of others, as well (Matt. 4:19).

Here are a few pictures of the happy soccer players:

The winning team (I was told)