Cling to the Call

Posted on December 5, 2014 by adrienneorris

I have had two confirmations in the past week….. reminders of why we are here doing what we are doing. John Waller wrote a song called “Cling to the Call” that is on my morning playlist that is set to shuffle. It played this morning and was the reminder I needed as I have had a heavy heart this week…..

… cling to the call Cling to the peace that guards your heart

Cling to the promise though you stumble you won’t fall

I will uphold you now just trust me with all

Just look at me and I will lead you as you cling to the call…

What is a calling? What is the call that John talks about here? For each person I feel it is unique. For me it has become being obedient to the things that God asks of me in different seasons of life. But as I reflect to all the places God has taken me and grown me – junior high, high school, college, Guatemala, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Guatemala – the call on my life has remained the same. To love Jesus and love those He puts in my life. All of these circumstances have changed me, challenged me, grown me into who I am today. Yet I believe each of these experiences were important for me to be who I am today.

When I came to Guatemala, I was actually expecting something to change. I was expecting to not be drawn to the adolescent crowd. I was expecting to have to change who I was. I had mentally brainstormed ways that would be more culturally appropriate to teach and relate. The way I approach my students, the way I teach is not common. It is very direct, very awkward at times…. And is about as far away from typical Guatemalan culture as you could get. I actually feel out of my comfort zone teaching counter culturally as opposed to within my comfort zone in the states. But as my time here stretched from weeks, to months to a year…. God responded clearly that He had prepared me for this time for this reason for this position – to be bold, direct and speak truth. And He confirmed this to me over the last year as He kept on telling me He wanted something different for these students.

As I tried to grasp the language and a vocabulary to not only understand but be able to respond back, I found that it was during these times (a direct conversation with a student or another teacher) that the words flowed smoother from my tongue than any other time. Times that I will credit only as “God Moments” as I am pretty sure I could not remember those vocabulary words again in a normal conversation. And those were the times that gave me the most encouragement… as He confirmed to me that our calling can be cross-cultural and that He was asking me to do something different for a reason.

There are cultural differences, teaching differences, barriers, boundaries, different ways of doing things and challenges every day that many times took my heart away from the calling that I cannot deny on my life. At times I feel as if I drifted away and was distracted as demands of paperwork and different priorities pulled me away from having the time to do what God had asked me to do at times….. but He continued to press it upon my heart and keep me steadfast focused on what was before me. He continued to call me out and remind me how important people were to Him, how important relationships were. And if we cling to Him, cling to what He has called us to- He upholds us. He leads us. He strengthens us. His love becomes our love. And we love because He first loved us.

As we approach this Christmas season, my pastor has been doing a series entitled “Every Person has a Story.” This is the story of how you came to Christ….. and on how you have encountered Christ in your life. This is the story about what Christ has called you to live out in your life. For me this has been on ongoing story – where I could write chapter after chapter. And I know that He is not done using me. To me it is interesting that these two challenges have closed out my school year here. I know it is just another time where God is reminding me to keep my eyes focused on Him.

We each have a story though. And everyone’s story is different. Don’t be afraid to share your story. And cling to the calling that you have in your own life as well to live out what God has asked you to do…. even when it might seem counter cultural or uncomfortable at times.

Thanks for following along on this journey – may you be blessed during this Christmas season.

A Year in Pictures

Posted on November 28, 2014 by adrienneorris

My heart for education is to see students who believe that they can’t, achieve what they thought was impossible. And so this past year held many moments that I could share that made it all worth it. I wanted to share this video with you that puts together the year in pictures….

Also…. the last activity we had was a celebration dinner for the students. They looked so mature all dressed up!

A Guatemalan Thanksgiving

Posted on November 27, 2014 by adrienneorris

Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Guatemala?

I have heard this often over the last two weeks and the answer is… The Pilgrims did not come to Guatemala, so the country does not recognize the day…. but WE will be recognizing the day, with as many American traditions as possible.

We are without the constant reminders every time you go to the store and the television and radio advertisements… and so the day feels much like any other day here. But in some ways, it helps us to focus on the bounty of THANKS that we have over the last year for all that God has done and provided here.

This past year has not been an easy one – as we have been stretched and asked to do more than we have felt possible at times. But as I reflect back on where we were a year ago and where we are now, I can see clearly so many things that I am truly thankful for.

… for all of the people God has brought together to advance His kingdom, whether they are here or there…. He has provided people to fill in gaps where they were much needed, equipping each with their own gifts.

… for financial provisions that have provided for the hospital ground, opening of the school, construction equipment and materials, and labor.

… for personal health that has kept me from major illness during this time here – and for healing through those weeks where the virus kept attacking.

… for a first class of students that were gifted with a lot of grace and patience to accept change, adapt and encourage me through the first year of teaching in Spanish.

… for protection and favor for us as we will always be foreigners trying to work within a foreign system.

… for cultural adaptation – to be able to love the people here for who they are, amongst their own culture and to be able to connect in part on a heart level.

… for the opportunity to serve a God that is doing things greater than we could ever imagine.

… for a support system in the states that has encouraged me, listened to me and upheld us in prayer through the challenges of this past year.

2014 has been a milestone year – one that I will be sure to remember when they all start to flow together….with ups and downs, challenges and victories…. but one in which my faith has been solidified as I have lived in the middle of a whirlwind. I have experienced what it is like to live where God is active and alive…. and we have been blessed.

Hoping that you all have experienced His presence this same way in the past year!

Summertime Fun

Posted on November 15, 2014 by adrienneorris

Technically it is summertime here…. most of you do not want to know that as you are surrounded by cold. But I have been excited to clean out the lab and reorganize – including getting some new shelving for everything to fit!

We also spent an evening at the ruins for a picnic… here are the teachers and their families enjoying time together.

Math Madness

Posted on November 15, 2014 by adrienneorris

I actually like the first week of school. And this year I will get to experience it twice. We are offering a math remediation course at the school for those that want to enroll next year. I was slightly surprised when more students showed up than had signed up! And I have been even more encouraged to see the transformation after even one week. Math in general is not emphasized here, and sometimes the students have not been taught even the foundations. On Friday, a student asked me how I knew so much about math ( I was teaching how to multiply fractions) and I humbly answered that I had to take math every year when I was in school. Their jaws dropped.

Why a Hospital?

Posted on November 12, 2014 by adrienneorris

Why a hospital….

This question is often asked to me. “Aren’t there any hospitals for the people?” In reality, the nearest hospital is two hours away. But the definition of a hospital here and the idea of a hospital are two different things. It is hard to grasp a building that is sparsely equipped with less than 200 beds that serves over a million people. And unfortunately, many of the people from our area are afraid to go to the hospital due to racism and discrimination that has been shown to their families and neighbors in the past. Everyone seems to know some horror story about something that happened in the national hospital.

Why a hospital…

Today I spoke with a 20 year old woman, pregnant with a hydrocephalic baby. She didn’t understand what was wrong with her baby or the complications. She asked if it was a rabbit or a pig that was inside of her. As I watched the affect of her face and saw how motionless she was, I realized…. I wish she didn’t have to go through the government system. She will be left with more questions and more confusion…. if only we could refer her from our hospital….

Or for the 3 week old baby of one of our workers. Believing that the baby had meningitis, they took him to the hospital where he was taken from the parents and placed in the ICU. The next day there was an explosion of gas at the hospital and everyone was evacuated. The parents could not find their son (in the hospital here, the parents are often not told what is wrong and are not allowed to see their children – creating fear and uncertainty with many people). The parents were eventually given their baby and told he had an infection and there was nothing they could do. They sent them home and the baby died that day. The truth is the baby may have still died in our hospital, but we could have started treatment earlier. We could have shown compassion and Christ to the family. We would have allowed them to know what was happening and how they could pray.

Or the sixteen year old girl who came on Saturday who’s baby was 22 weeks develop and died in utero. She cried and cried which is not common here. I wish she could be surrounded by doctors and nurses during this process who would show her love and pray with her.

Or the woman that came in the afternoon Saturday, eight weeks pregnant with an ectopic pregnancy – in such severe pain that she passed out when she stood up. She already had signs of shock and had to ride the three hours to the nearest hospital on incredibly bumpy roads…. my prayer was that when she got there, they would treat her before she died.

For the two year old boy with severe pneumonia. The third child of a mom who is just 22. His stats were in the 70s and the father was working at the coast. The mom had no help at home and chose to give him medicine and pray. For her to navigate the hospital system here is extremely difficult.

These are just the cases I remember from that day, where I thought, “this would be a good day to have a hospital”. And so, we press forward with the task at hand, believing that a hospital in our area will provide for those who have no other options. The road to here has not been easy, but God is leading. God is guiding. And we take one day at a time.

Sharing in Grove City

Posted on October 31, 2014 by adrienneorris

For those in the area, I will be sharing about what is moving and shaking in Guatemala on Sunday, November 2nd.

We will be serving a soup lunch starting at 12:15 and I will be sharing at 1:00. I will be around until 4 to catch up with everyone while I am in town.

Location is the Grove City Alliance Church downstairs in the gym. There will be sign to help you get there.

Hope to see you there!

Final Exams

Posted on October 23, 2014 by adrienneorris

I have finished exams, submitted grades, cleaned out the lab and have a few weeks before we start an intensive math course. I will be back in the area for a week and hope to connect with many of you.

Here were the last three taking the final exam.

A panoramic view (sort of) of the class.

Part of the phys ed final – running a mile…. dodging cows, motorcycles and cars!

The Great Debate

Posted on October 17, 2014 by adrienneorris

Who’s idea was it to have a debate as their practical exam? I might have to take some credit for that one. The process was as painful for me as it was for them… but I would do it all over again.

One challenge is that technology – computers, Internet, typing, research – these are all foreign concepts to the students. They have never been taught the building blocks of how to search on the Internet, how to write arguments, how to organize thoughts, how to present information in a convincing manner. Basically – what a debate is and how to debate. And so over the last two weeks I found myself holding 10 sets of hands and walking through the process with each one. We started at the beginning with forming arguments, searching for articles, highlighting, forming opinions and learning to use notecards. It was like doing ten projects all at the same time…. and I wiped away plenty of tears in the mean time. It was worth it because I feel like the students are further ahead now and could at least begin on their own the next time. They felt proud of what they had done and their presentations.

So what did we debate? Technology of course. Whether technology has had a positive or a negative impact on education.

The purpose of the practical exam is to teach critical thinking and apply it to a case study. As with everything this year, we had to start at ground zero. But as I walked through the process with these groups over the last week, there were fewer times that students said, “No puedo” (I can’t do it). Fewer times that students wasted time by just sitting. Fewer times I had to repeat directions. And fewer times that I had to encourage them that they were capable.

Last night they had a practice round and as they left the school, I heard laughter like I had not heard in a long time. It was good to see them together and laughing. Good to see them wanting to better themselves. Good to see smiles on their faces. At this point in the year (four days left of exams) everyone can see the end in sight. In contrast to the states though, these last days are the most stressful and tiresome.

Happenings in our Neck of the Woods

Posted on October 15, 2014 by adrienneorris

Wednesday mornings are my day off and I climbed the hill to see what the valley looks like these days.

The rains stopped for a week and we braced ourselves for the beginning of the dry season. But they have returned during the nights and we are still blessed with green!

I also checked out the work on the hospital property. Here is a picture from the top of the hill of the hospital property.

And some more pictures of dirt, sand and more dirt on the hospital property. Preparing the land and readying for the making of cement. I think I heard they need sand for 660 square meters – but don’t quote me on that. Something with a 6 in it 🙂 Boy talk.

The bottom picture is the rock crusher. All of the sand and rock has been collected here from the river.

The workers have also been working on housing for a family that will be joining us in January….

I have spent the majority of my time down at the school finishing up the curriculum for the year. We successfully working on plyometrics, electricity and circuits and how calories are calculated! The year is coming to a close and there is a mountain of paperwork to do for the government. I am hoping that the kids take away more from this year than the fact that it was exhausting and challenging.