Picture: The wooden cross at the front of our classroom.I'm not sure that this week's teachings will be chosen by the students as their "Most Favorite Class" of the school. It is not "fun" to spend a week talking about sin and repentance. It is a somber subject and goes against our pride and independence. But could we not all be challenged to live in greater sensitivity to sin, hating it as our Heavenly Father hates it, and realizing afresh the terrible price Christ paid for our sins?
We as staff had had a special prayer time Tuesday morning for this week's teaching. We really wanted the students to meet Christ at the cross and turn away from sin in their lives. We were experiencing what could be called spiritual warfare. Our speaker for the week was stuck for two days in a town en route to teach. The road was closed due to 2 big semi trucks being stuck in the mud and blocking the road. Muddy roads? In July? It is the dry season here. Thankfully, the speaker did arrive, safely but 2 days late.
Then we had 2 students who received information this week of deaths in the family. We had our first big misunderstanding among staff. And Tuesday night the generator didn't work, which means we ate our supper and went to bed in the dark, discouraged at the prospect of not having electricity in the evenings for awhile. (The training center does not have electricity, so we are running a generator that God provided. We usually run the generator form 6-8:30pm) Praise God, Victor figured out the problem of the generator the next day.
So we were praying and expecting God to move in the school this week, but in total dependence on Him. We can talk until we are blue in the face, but unless God's Spirit moves, no lasting deep work of repentance will take place.
We are overflowing with thankfulness to be able to say that the students met Christ in a deeper way yesterday. Yesterday (we had class on Saturday to make up for 2 days of missed class while we waited for the speaker to arrive) class went on almost 2 hours past lunch time. God's Spirit was moving in their hearts as almost all of the students opened up, confessing past or present sin and/or giving something of value to them to Jesus as a symbol of giving their whole life to Christ. It was a powerful time, with lots of tears, lots of prayers, and we believe, healing and restoration in lives as people met Jesus at the cross.
Blessed be the name of the Lord God!
