5/2/15

It’s 4:35 a.m. in Indianapolis. After months of hectic stress with many irons in the fire, my purpose and my focus has narrowed to one goal: Go, teach and reach.

It’s obvious that God is still in the miracle business. One month ago, I was searching for a summer teaching opportunity and a random web search took me to Care4Communities.com. I read the site with interest. I had already served on international mission trips to Belize and Mexico, and with my interest in teaching English, the fit seemed right. I sent an application to Kerry, the found of Care4Communities, and within days I was communicating with both Kerry and Jamie, the onsite missionary. I asked my friend Alicia, a native of Honduras, “Hey, have you ever heard of Roatán? There’s a teaching opportunity there.” All she said was, “Go. Don’t wait a minute. Just go.” Miracle number 1: A random web search matched my skills to a ministry with a need. Miracle number 2: Within a week, I was bound for a place I had never seen, armed with only my knowledge and the passion to teach. I believe 4 days elapsed between my initial application and the offer of a position.

I was visiting with my friend Janice about this same time, and she prayed for my direction. I vividly remember her words. “God, I ask that you will open every door for Sharon that is the right one, and firmly close the doors that you don’t want her to walk through.” Janice is a powerful woman of God, and a former missionary herself. God empowers us through the prayers of others, and directs all our paths, a lesson in trust that I have to relearn often.

Once I said “Yes”, everything began moving at lightning speed. Alicia introduced me to a former classmate, Fernando, who lives on the island of Roatán. He graciously helped me search for a place to live. Not just helped. Gave up days off and free time to help a stranger in need. I’m looking forward to thanking him personally. I’ve lost count of the number of places “we” looked at. After many Facebook conversations, it was accomplished. Miracle number 3: Within another week, I had a great place to live within walking distance of the school.

I decided to take with me as much teaching material, school supplies and whatever I could stuff into two checked bags, a carry-on, and a back-pack. I also began to realize that as a musician, it was going to be really hard to be without a piano or guitar for three months, and how great it would be to have an instrument for a teaching tool. When I asked friends for needed supplies, I began to mention the need for a guitar. Then it began to occur to me that it would be a very good thing to be able to gift this ministry with a guitar. God did not answer this need through friends, so I turned my attention a little closer to home. My beautiful and generous daughter, Heather, donated her own guitar, a gift she received for her sixteenth birthday. It sits here at my side in the concourse at Indy while I write this. Miracle number 4: God supplies every need if we ask, and if our hearts and eyes are open, we will see that we are capable of much more than we think. Thank you, Heather.

Now I know that it was no accident that I ended up in a materials development class back in January, even though I was lacking two pre-requisite classes. My final project was to create a comprehensive unit for teaching an ESL class, to the target group of my choosing. I might argue that Miracle number 5 is that I survived this class. Dr. Vercellotti is a demanding professor, and she pulled every resource out of me that I have, but the true miracle is, that God knew back in January, that even without those pre-requisite classes that ENG 618 was the class I needed to take to be ready for Honduras.

When I arrived at the curb-side check-in, it was open, and I was on time for the airport. I won’t call those miracles but they are both unusual occurrences. Miracle number 6 was that each checked bag weighed in at 48 lbs., just under the 50 lb. limit.

I’m sure that God has many more surprises in store for me during the next three months, but as I look back, I realize that I’m trusting more in His guidance and direction, and less in my idea of what is the correct thing to do. I’m letting Him drive, and I’m sitting back, and eagerly anticipating the ride.