Happy Monday Readers!
I'm joining Erin and a few other bloggers and pretending we are on a fake coffee date with a friend. Of course if we were on a real coffee date, I would definitely not be drinking coffee because 1) Coffee's gross. And 2) I'm currently on a peach tea kick. So, pour yourself a cup of tea (or coffee if you'd prefer it) and let's chat :)
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| Peach tea in my one of my favorite mugs :) |
Want to know what's on my mind?
So many things.
But I'll settle for one for now.
If we were on a coffee date for the first time, I'd share my heart. I'd tell you about a blog post I shared back in November. In it, I shared a dream God had placed on my heart.
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| Did you miss the original DREAM post? If so, check it out HERE. |
In case you missed it, click on the link in the captions of the image above.
Or if you want to read on, I'll recap a bit.
God has opened the door for us to expand the Special Education Department at my school by allowing me the joy/privilege of starting a class for students with academic, behavior, and/or physical disabilities which prevent them from successfully functioning in the General Ed. ("regular") classroom 100% of the day. This will be similar to a Self-Contained Special Ed. class in the States.
And do you want to know why this is so great? There are literally no other classes like this in our area. So the majority of the families I will be serving (whether they are wanting to come through missions, embassies, or business) have not been able to come here until now. So this is HUGE!
So I started raising funds. I set a goal of $5000-$6000, planning on supplies, technology equipment, communication software, adaptive Art/Music/PE equipment, flexible seating, a classroom library, testing supplies, etc. And you know what? Thanks to the amazing generosity of so many different people, I raised that (and even a little over) in a month!
Isn't God great?!
I went back to the States for a quick visit over my Christmas Break and priced things, did research on various supplies/equipment, etc., and realized something. To completely supply a classroom from scratch (what I'm doing), to purchase the necessary items, to receive proper training/certifications I need, etc., and to purchase the furniture (which I hadn't planned on purchasing in the beginning when I set that first goal), I'm going to need more financially than I originally thought. So, do you know what I've done?
Yep, that's right.
I've been praying.
I knew there was no way I could do this on my own. So I've prayed that God would help me look past the dollar signs not yet raised. I've prayed God would help me trust in Him to provide every single need for this class. And He's doing just that.
I've had groups from two high schools in Alabama decide to take my new class on as their "charity project" this year and one has said they'll help me pay for a flight at Spring Break too. Y'all, these are public high schools. Yet they're taking on my ministry role as their project. How cool is that?!
It blows my mind sometimes the way God provides just what we need when we need it!
So what's currently on my mind?
A prayer request...
My school's Spring Break is the last week of March and first week of April. Yep. That's right. We are extremelylucky blessed and we have two (yes, 2!) weeks off for Spring Break! :) Anywho - God has just recently partially opened the door for me to share about my work in Senegal with two different high schools in the US during my Spring Break this year. This could be an AMAZING opportunity for a few reasons...
1. Both of these are PUBLIC high schools. And both know I am a missionary. Yet they have no problem with coming and sharing about the new class we're starting at my school. I do not take this lightly especially in a time when most public schools are taking God out, rather than inviting Him in. This is such a blessing!
2. This would give me the chance to continue to raise awareness and funds, as both of the schools have chosen to take on my class as their special service/charity project.
3. It would be a financial blessing because I could bring back a LOT of the supplies for the new class and not leave them all for the summer, which would help me to save money on extra luggage this summer. Seriously... I'm starting a class completely from scratch. I have a LOT of supplies, technology equipment, books, etc. to bring back. That's going to take up a lot of luggage space! And extra luggage is expensive!
4. Because my school's Spring Break is 2 weeks long and not the same time as the majority of Alabama's schools, I could seek opportunities to speak in other schools and churches (maybe even YOUR school and/or church - hint, hint to anyone reading this).
So this is where the prayer requests come in.
A round-trip flight will cost around $1200.
That's why I said God partially opened the door...
Because, while I can clearly see the pros definitely outweigh the cons, I simply cannot afford this flight entirely on my own. God's already provided close to half of the cost of the flight. Will you help me pray He will continue to provide the rest?
Also, will you help me pray that God will open doors for more opportunities to speak at schools and churches while I'm in the States during my Break?
If you have any questions about this new class or this trip in March/April, either comment on this post or send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com and I'll get back to you ASAP.
I've been praying.
I knew there was no way I could do this on my own. So I've prayed that God would help me look past the dollar signs not yet raised. I've prayed God would help me trust in Him to provide every single need for this class. And He's doing just that.
I've had groups from two high schools in Alabama decide to take my new class on as their "charity project" this year and one has said they'll help me pay for a flight at Spring Break too. Y'all, these are public high schools. Yet they're taking on my ministry role as their project. How cool is that?!
It blows my mind sometimes the way God provides just what we need when we need it!
So what's currently on my mind?
A prayer request...
My school's Spring Break is the last week of March and first week of April. Yep. That's right. We are extremely
1. Both of these are PUBLIC high schools. And both know I am a missionary. Yet they have no problem with coming and sharing about the new class we're starting at my school. I do not take this lightly especially in a time when most public schools are taking God out, rather than inviting Him in. This is such a blessing!
2. This would give me the chance to continue to raise awareness and funds, as both of the schools have chosen to take on my class as their special service/charity project.
3. It would be a financial blessing because I could bring back a LOT of the supplies for the new class and not leave them all for the summer, which would help me to save money on extra luggage this summer. Seriously... I'm starting a class completely from scratch. I have a LOT of supplies, technology equipment, books, etc. to bring back. That's going to take up a lot of luggage space! And extra luggage is expensive!
4. Because my school's Spring Break is 2 weeks long and not the same time as the majority of Alabama's schools, I could seek opportunities to speak in other schools and churches (maybe even YOUR school and/or church - hint, hint to anyone reading this).
So this is where the prayer requests come in.
A round-trip flight will cost around $1200.
That's why I said God partially opened the door...
Because, while I can clearly see the pros definitely outweigh the cons, I simply cannot afford this flight entirely on my own. God's already provided close to half of the cost of the flight. Will you help me pray He will continue to provide the rest?
Also, will you help me pray that God will open doors for more opportunities to speak at schools and churches while I'm in the States during my Break?
If you have any questions about this new class or this trip in March/April, either comment on this post or send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com and I'll get back to you ASAP.
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