Second Day of Orientation
Recently, a book on prayer was reccomended to me. It is called "Prayer," by Ole Hallesby--a well known Norwegian theologian. This quote jumped off the page at me today:
"Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer."
On the flip side of this quote is the hindrance to prayer--self-sufficiency. When we think we have everything under control, we typically don't turn to God in prayer. Yet, in helplessness--the reality of our situation--we turn to the one who is truly in control and is truly self-sufficient. Hallesby even says, "I am not at all positive that [prayer without helplessness as the impelling power] is prayer." That's pretty powerful to meditate upon.
I start off this way because this is how our day started. I love how God weaves these things together. Last night I was reading this book and meditation on these things. Then, this morning, we had a session focused on Spiritual Preparation and Care. We spent a lot of time talking about prayer and hinderances to prayer. The leader of this session was very good. We were reminded that the most important thing we can do on the mission field is to keep our eyes on Jesus--to be with Jesus. It's only after we've been with Jesus that we have something to offer.
After lunch today, we had an amazing opportunity to meet with a pastor who has been serving in Santo Domingo for the past thirteen years. He and his family are currently living in Grand Rapids as he pursues his M.Div. So, we had a great opportunity to talk to him about cultural expectations and get a better feel for the country and the city of Santo Domingo. We were also able to get some advice from him regarding the VBS and Bible Studies we will be leading. It was very helpful.
We also had sessions today on Cross-cultural conflict/resolution and on Safety and Security. Both sessions were very helpful.
The kids also had a great time at orientation. They started the day off with Nigerian worship. Then, they spent some time learning Korean Self Defense (boys better watch out :-). Their instructor was an advanced black-belt. So, he knew what he was doing. The girls said they all had the opportunity to bunch him in the belly. They also had sessions called Whose Am I?, Shoes Around the World, Travel Safe, and Poverty and Fair Trade. They finished up the day working on Hungarian Easter Eggs (which sounded a lot like Russian Egg Art from BAC2ONE).
The kids invited more kids to come over to our condo to play capture the flag tonight. So, we had all eleven kids from the orientation chasing each other around the various condos. Thankfully, there were no accidents. All of the parents had a great time hanging out together, drinking some coffee, and getting to know one another better. It was a good night.
Thanks again for all the prayers. We have definitely felt them. Here are a few things you can be praying for:
You can be praying for our family to have energy and focus for the sessions tomorrow.
You can pray for re-packing to go well tomorrow night as we prepare to fly out early Saturday morning.
You can pray for God to continue to prepare us for the next five weeks. That He would use us for His glory and His kingdom in the Dominican Republic.
The kids are all in bed and Rachel and I are getting ready to hit the hay as well.
Buenos Noches!