The time has come

Well I am sorry to say that I will be returning to the states and not coming back to Peru. There were situations out of my hands that led me to believe this was the best decision. I thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and financial support. If you have been financial supporting me you may let the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) that you will no longer be supporting me. I am saddened by this decision but I know that God has greater plans for me. Please pray for peace in my heart, no bitterness, and compassion to surround me. I also ask for prayer that I will find a job and apartment in Colorado Springs which is ultimately where I plan to end up. I am just looking for a regular job not necessarily in teaching so if you hear of anything or have connections let me know.

God bless you all,
Courtney

P.S. I plan for my blog to continue so keep checking!!

When life gets tough

Hello friends,

I need prayer. Serious prayer. I have so much coming at me and I'm overwhelmed. I feel pretty low right now when I should be excited about visiting home. I hurt and the pain is so incredibly deep. I really can't explain it. I just need a lot of prayer that God would lead me and that I would depend on him. I need his love and guidance at this time. I need love from friends and family so that is why I'm sending this blog. Please pray for me,

Court

Almost Home

Please pray for me. I basically have one more week before I go to the U.S. and I can't hardly stand it. I have two distinct feelings though. I have a sadness for leaving because I love the people here. I love the culture. I mean I've definitely had my struggles but I truly love Peru. Then I have excitement about going home and seeing my family. I'm excited to see my mom and dad, and grandparents and possibily aunts and uncles and cousins. Pray because I'm sad I won't see much brother this Christmas but may this summer. Anyways, keep me in your prayers these next couple of weeks as it will be crazy and I can only think of home and how much I'll miss Peru for two months. Wow I never thought I would feel this way. and yet here I am.

God bless you all,
Court

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great. I had a very nice time relaxing with friends. I'm going to keep this blog short but I'll attach a few pics for fun. Love ya, Court

I can't sleep

Well since it is past midnight and I am still awake I thought I would blog. I will write a Psalms for you to read.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love. and his faithfulness to the house of Israel. all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth , burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp , with the harp and the sound of singing. with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn. shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Psalms 98 1-9

Surfing

Surfing is an art form that I apparently do not have knack for. Today I went and attempted to surf. I say attempted because I really wasn't that good at it, although I did stay up for a whole second once. I managed to drink a ton of water which is icky. Finally to end it all I forgot to jump off my board as a big wave was pushing me to shore. The result was me rolling several times across rocks the size of fists and smacking my head more times than I can count. I will definitely be sore in the morning. Well especially since I'm sore now. I do think I'll go again though but It will be in a while and hopefully at a beach with sand not rocks. I will try and download some picks for you to enjoy. Love ya, court

Ok so I just got picture happy and I'm going to keep it going so I'm adding random pics for those of you who haven't seen me in awhile. They are dispersed here and there in my blogs. I just figured out how to put picture up so yay me. God bless

Whew

Well we had our first short week. Our next one is next week in honor of American Thanksgiving. I am so relieved and my kids were so ready to be done today. I got a special package from home which was like opening a Christmas present even though it was just vitamins and medicince. Well Flinstone vitamins. Oh and a couple of movies and candy (yes I shared) thank you MOMMY!! I am so looking forward to the break but less forward to the grading and planning. Maybe one day I'll just get inspired and do it, but who am I kidding I'm a procrastinator. Well God makes us each unique although we are still works in progress. I hope that you are all doing well. I am doing well and looking forward to some well earned sleep.

Blessings,
Court

Today

Today was hectic to say the least. We had a big potluck for the whole school including parents which is just a feat to pull off in and of itself. There were several Peruvian dances. I even participated in one. I think I smiled the whole time but we'll have to see the video to know for sure.LOL.

So then tonight a couple of my friends decided to go to the fountain park in Lima. It's absolutely beautiful at night. They have all sorts of fountains and shows using the water as a medium. Well we got in a taxi that apparently though he knew a shortcut but did not. We ended up on the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic. So as we are sitting there waiting to get off the off ramp, our taxi driver gets a novel idea. He could just drive up the grassy embankment to the street above us and not have to deal with all that nasty traffic. So before you know it we were up on the grass headed for the street above. I tell you only in Peru would that happen without consequences. But we made it to the park and it was amazing. The evening ended with a laser light show that was fantastic and it was well worth the trip.

Tomorrow my friend and I are off to the center of Lima to do some more Christmas shopping. I'll try to post pictures as soo as I can.

Love you all,
Court

Peruvian Awareness Week

This next week is Peruvian Awareness Week. I am really excited about it. I really don't know a lot about Peru. There are so many different regions with their own way of living. I mean there is the coast, desert, mountains, rain forest, and then the large metropolitan city of Lima surrounded by tiny pueblos. This next week if you could think about it. Just to pray for Peru. There are many of the same problems here as in the United States; drugs, poverty,despair,loneliness, and many who have no hope of anything better. Pray that we that have been sent here can see where we can make a difference, pray that God can show his Truth so that these struggles can be alleviated and eliminated.

I also ask for prayer for the United States. We are going through a great adjustment that will continue for many months. I pray for our new administration that they would make the right decisions for our country. Pray Pray Pray!!!

Love and peace,
Court

An interesting week

I haven't updated this blog in awhile but I though I should because I have a couple of great stories. First story: A little girl stood up and asked "Whose rubber is this?" For a moment I thought "what on earth is this child saying? " Then I realized she spent the last two years in England where rubber means eraser. LOL I don't think I need to share what came to my mind. Ok so that leads to the second story where the same child told me that I couldn't sit with my skirt on because I would show my underwear (I'm surprised she did not say knickers) anyways another little boy promptly pointed out that adult underwear is (boring) and they wouldn't see anything. I quickly changed the subject and tried desperately to continue a read aloud without laughing. Now fast forward to the end of the day when I am walking home from the bus stop. I attempted to take off my backpack to get my keys for my house. The only problem is that I hooked something on my skirt which pulled it down nearly to my knees. Boy am I glad I was wearing a slip, but I"m sure the construction workers nearby were speechless to see a gringa lose her bottoms. Oh well I survived and life is moving on.

On a more serious note. The devotion today was on allowing God to cleanse us and make us purified by His blood. This was so powerful. The woman who did the devotion used the illustration from "The voyage of the dawn treader" by CS Lewis. I"m not sure how many of you are familiar with the story but there is a character that is less than desirable. Do to his greed he becomes a dragon. He learns his lesson and wants to become human again. So Aslan (A lion who represents Christ in the story) tells him to follow him to a well. The boy(dragon) is told he must remove his hide to enter the pool. After three tries he is unable. The Lion informs him that only he(the lion) can truly remove his scales. The process is painful but only momentarily. The image for me is that we by ourselves are sinful corrupted beings, but Christ through his blood can make us a new creation. The boy by the way becomes human again and his heart is changed and he turns away from his bad behavior. Think of how this can apply to your own life. I mean I sin all the time and fall daily to my knees to confess my sins to God, but I am prideful and I need cleansing that is sometimes very painful.

I leave with a poem a friend shared written by Beth Moore from "Praying God's Word"

My name is Pride I am a cheater
I cheat you of your God given destiny...because you demand your own way
I cheat you of contentment...because "you" deserve better than this
I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all
I cheat you of healing...because you are too full of me to forgive
I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to admit when you are wrong
I cheat you of vision...because you would rather look in the mirror than out a window
I cheat you of genuine friendship...because nobodys going to know the real you
I cheat you of love...because real romance demands sacrifice
I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth
I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince you to seek your own
My name is Pride. I am a cheater
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you. Untrue.
I'm looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...
If you stick with me
You'll never know.

Deception

For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weaponsof the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5.

Today's devotion was on taking our thoughts captive and making them conform to God's will. What struck me was that it is an action we must do but often we sit waiting for God to do it for us. Don't get me wrong we certainly have a loving God who can help us and deliver us through trials, but we have a responsibilty to guard our thoughts and to keep them focused on godly truth. The way we do this is through daily conversations with God and searching the truth in His word (the Bible). I battle with feelings of not being equiped to serve God here in Peru I struggle to accept that I have been called here and therefore fully equiped to do God's work. I have to fall to my knees in prayer daily to remember how much I'm worth and that God is working through me. And to be in His word daily. If I listen to the lies I fail to let God work.

I pray that those of you who know Christ will ignore the lies of the deceiver and focus on the fact that God wants to use you for His glory. For my friends that do not follow Christ I want you to know that when you are feeling unworthy, unloved, and illequipped God is waiting for you. He has a plan for your life and wants nothing more than to show you how incredibly created you are, but you have to choose to believe. There is a great plan for you life not to please the desires of man but for God's glory.

My trip

Well we finally had a few days off from school and so I was able to travel a bit. A couple of friends and I went to northern Peru and spent time in a place called Punta de Sal. Wow it was amazing, the town is very very small (not even a store). We stayed at a resort for 25$ (yay for inexpensive) a night and enjoyed an amazing view from our hotel room. The sun shined and we just ate it up for three days. It was so relaxing which was I think exactly what everyone needed about now. It is report card time now and so we are back to being busy. Pray that it goes smoothly.

I will write more later on for now, I'm off to get my kids from recess. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please pray that I won't be homesick. I keep thinking about Christmas and it's awhile off yet.LOL. Blessings, Court

My first Lima earthquake

Well ok I felt it. I called a friend who felt it and then my roommates both said they didn't feel it.LOL well I've never really experienced an earthquake before. I think last year I woke up because little earthquake hit near Apple Valley. My gracious, I was so silly about it. It took me until the dumb thing was over to think about getting into a door frame. Pray that if a bigger one hits I'm a little better. Of course last year Peru experienced a huge quake that caused tremendous damage so to the people here a little shake is nothing.

God continues to bless me and teach me. It is through His wisdom and strength that I can accomplish anything. Pray that I can keep Him always in my sights.

What a week

This week has been very tough. I can't be dishonest, but i CAN honestly say that I am joyful after it all. Don't get me wrong I'm happy to finally have the weekend, but I can see God working and that is something to celebrate. Right now I want more than anything to be the person Christ wants me to be. If that takes pain and frustration "Bring it on" . Even if I ball my eyes out ultimately I know that it is for my own growth and to show me how to be a better person. So with that I will keep this blog short and leave you with a scripture to consider.
- My son do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Hebrews 12:5b.
-How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a

Be blessed this week. Love ya, Court

Pain (The good kind!!)

When we think about pain we often associate it with something negative. We focus on the pain but sometimes do not realize it's great importance. Pain makes us realize something is wrong. If we didn't feel pain we would die. Consider if you did not feel pain and you had a heart attack. You would not be aware that something was wrong and no one would know what had happened until the autopsy report. Thus feeling pain during a heart attack is pertinent to getting help and medical attention. Well so it is with emotional pain and spiritual pain. When you feel upset, angry, sad etc. often times this is an identifies a problem going on in your life. This pain might be from an outside source and involve things that are unchangeable by you, however more times than not it is something that we need to change about ourself. The past couple of days I have felt incredible pain, nothing that I need to share in detail, but I do want to share this. I realized that God was trying to tell me something and I was so busy trying to alleviate the pain (by reading books, watching movies etc) that I did not bother to acknowledge where I needed to make a change. So what pray tell was God trying to tell me? you might ask. I believe it is this. I am not perfect but perfectly forgiven, I am worthy one hundred percent of the time!, I can only do my personal best and nothing more, and most importantly, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Here is my encouragement. You are important to God. He desperately wants you to follow Him because His way is perfect. We by ourselves will always fall short. My friends if you have been living for yourselves alone and trying to solve your problems in your own way just know that there is a better way. I'm so glad that I have put my trust in God and I know that I do not live for myself and I have a loving God who reminds me (with pain at times) that His way is perfect. Thank you God for the good kind of pain to show me that I need to let you be the leader and not me. Let pain talk to you, listen to what God is saying through it.

What missionaries do for fun.

All of you who have facebook and are on my friends list have probably seen the pictures from my trip to the beach. It was so much fun. I didn't realize how bad I needed the break until I got there. We ran and played in the ocean (with our sweaters and jeans because of course it's winter.LOL) We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows (Jared Schlak attempted to do so with his finger, I don't think I need to explain how that turned out.) We sang worship songs and just had fellowship together. On Saturday morning the girls in my cabin and I decided to go for a walk on the beach to collect shells. It was fun until we found a dead sea lion which of course we took a picture of.LOL Later we went rock climbing and then had an intense wrestling match involving most of the teachers and even some of the kids that were there. Wow it was intense. I'm telling you don't mess with the Kinder teacher. Now I'm home preparing for conferences this week. It has already started as a challenge but God is so faithful and I feel blessed. Oh and it's been cool to go shopping now because all the winter stuff is 70% off because it's becoming Spring so I'm set when I come home for Christmas. YAY!!! i suppose it'll work the same for summer too. How cool is that? Well I best sign off for now as I must get my students. God bless those who read this blog. Please pray that I would be safe, wise, joyful, and stress free.
Love, Court

Life over the days past

Well I have had my first experience with the doctor's office (fear not I have no serious issue) for back pain. It went very successfully and I found that I was able to effectively communicate in Spanish. Which is important when dealing with your health. Teaching has been going great and I feel my students are learning a lot.

Tomorrow I go to get my fingerprints done and my teeth counted (not sure about that) to get my visa. Yay though because it looks like I could have my visa before Christmas.

Praise God for this weekend. I was so reminded of how great God is and how grateful I am that I have decided to make Him my all. I was struggling with a relationship recently that could have become something stressful and unproductive. My friend and I were able to pray and discuss our concerns and then celebrated together because we were able to use the time to learn about each other and celebrate how different God created us. I think if I could impart any bit of wisdom that I learned from this is that each child of God is unique and is being used and grown in their own way to the glory of God. Instead of bucking heads we can find reconciliation through prayer and God's word. God's word is truth and we can always trust His guidance over any human thought imaginable. Praise our personal God who is always with us even when we fall. Praise a God who loves us so much that He is intimately involved in our every moment and always has time. He is not far off and remote but personal, loving, just, and loyal through all things.

Blessings to All!!!!

My incredible life

You know I never know how to title my blogs so I decided this sums it up. This week has been great. I am learning how to be a better teacher and feel God's hand guiding me more and more. Today I went to church with my roommate and a friend from school. I enjoyed the service and the congregation is small so I felt comfortable. The only discomfort came when a man was introduced to me and he really kissed my cheek. Now I am familar and completely comfortable with the "air kiss". I love hugs too, but if I don't know you then I don't really want your lips on my skin. Hmm the learning curve is great for me right now. Sooo anyhow I went to a BBQ yesterday and had a rocking time. I realized though that you have to decide to leave five minutes before you want to leave because it takes that long to say goodbye in Peru. This is where you "air kiss" and hug everyone goodbye (and you cannot leave anyone out) So it takes awhile. It was a great day full of fun, laughter, and little ones running about. The highlight was seeing Jared Schlak thrown in the pool by his roommate Mario.LOL. I'm glad it wasn't me it's winter down here. Even on a sunny day I don't want to swim right now.Many blessings to all who read this.

Refined in the fire

God has certainly been teaching me a lot about myself. This week has been one of my most challenging in a long time. My students are great and I love what I do. I have been learning how to accept the guidance of those who know more than myself and submit to their counsel. It's tough though because I would love to say that I know it all and I am terrific the way I am. The truth is however that I am imperfect and have a lot to learn about life, teaching, and growing in God. My prayer this weekend and into next week will be to learn how to be humble and to be a quiet spirit which is of great value to the Lord. Not to be without a voice but to be a listener and consider my words before I speak. That I would take the advice and encouragement of others and apply it to my life. I thank God for the lessons He is teaching me. I only hope to use my experience being in a new world to encourage everyone that is in my life. May the Lord bless all of you who read this blog.

The first week

Well the first two days anyway have been terrific. I am really tired but my students are wonderful. I'm so excited to be here. I think I understand better what God's calling is on my life. I love being able to teach these children about Christ. Dealing with things in a godly way rather than grabbing at straws trying to figure out what works. This blog is short I know but I'm so sleepy I don't know what else to write.

Who needs lanes anyway?

Hello everyone. I know it's been awhile. Well I am getting adjusted and start teaching tomorrow. I decided that I was going to relax tonight so I now have time to write a blog. You may be wondering about my title for this blog. It came about when last night I realized that I am not at all afraid of people or buses when they create their own lane or cross over into oncoming traffic. The system here in Lima is just get to where you are going by any means necessary. Ordinarily this would frighten me. I am used to having to obey traffic lines and signs, but here they don't care. Way to stick to the man Lima!! We don't care about no stinking lanes here.LOL.

On a final note I have been thrilled by what God has been teaching me. Don't get me wrong it's still very tough being here away from my friends and family. But God has reminded me this week that He has a perfect purpose for it and even when I don't understand, He does and is in control. I suggest reading the book of Habbakuk. It helped me this week tremendously. Well TTFN I'm off to shower, eat and relax. Love ya, Court

Thursday July 24

Today has been another day of rest for me as I have been suffering from stomach problems. The wonderful thing is though that I am allowed to spend more alone time with God. I was looking through the books left by the missionaries who live here usually but are home on furlow. It's a book called Valley of Vision and it is a collection of puritan prayers and devotions. I would highly recommend it as it has helped me find the right words at times when I am praying daily. I have even been inspired to begin my own book of person prayers (don't bet on it being published though). It's so tough sometimes when you have been called somewhere and then suddenly are stricken with aflictions. For me it's my stomach for others it's been migraines. Please pray for us as Satan is certainly waiting to attack. I know why I am hear and feel confident that God will use us all in an amazing way. I am learning what it will be like to be in a Christian international school and how I can serve those at the school, but I am also seeing how to show love to my roommates and recognizing their needs and not just focusing on my own. The joy of this that I can see Jessica my roommate doing the same. I praise God for her because she it the oppossite of me and is an inspiration to what I need to adjust in my life. I hope that I can repay her in return. I will sign off now with a prayer from Valley of vision:
O Lord of the oceans,
My little bark sails on a resless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; Let not my faith be wrecked amid strorms and shoals; Bring me to harbour with flying penants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things. I venture on thee wholly, fully, my wind, sunshine, anchor, defence. The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, the Word secures safe passage, thy grace wafts me onward, my haven is guaranteed. This day will bring me nearer home, Grant me holy consistency in every transaction, my peace flowing as a running tide, my righteousness as every chasing wave. Help me live circumspectly, with skill to convert every care into prayer, Halo my path with gentleness and love, smoothe every asperity of temper; let me not forget how easy it is to occasion grief; may I strive to bind up every wound, and pour oil on all troubled waters. May the world this day be happier and better because I live. Let my mast before me be the Saviour's cross, and every oncoming wave the fountain in his side. Help me, protect me in the moving sea unitl I reach the shore of unceasing praise.

A puritan prayer

Church

Today my roommate and I got up for church and left our house around 9:40 am. We were visiting a Spanish church with one of the Spanish teachers from the school. Church began at 10 and ended after 1pm. No Sunday school that was just the service. Oh and did I mention it was Baptist? So all you clock watchers out there just know that Church in other places is an all day commitment. It was a great service and I really understood a lot. I have even been invited to a house this Friday for a girls night. The only difficulty was my roommate Jessica has been plagued with migraines since she got here. If you could just lift her up in prayer that would be great. I think I will go with her to the clinic if it doesn't get better. Other than that things are going very well. We are trying to get ourselves in a routine though because we have been feeling like tourists and we need to start thinking about a more long term routine. Please continue to pray for all of us here serving the Lord. It is going to be amazing I know but I also know that the adjustment has only just begun. Oh and pray for my ministry with the cab drivers. I've been able to witness to a couple of them and they were very open to hearing me out. And no mom I was not in the cab by myself.LOL. Love you all and praying for you all to. Hasta luego!!

The first official day!!!

I arrived in Peru last night and with relatively little trouble. The flight was long but I got through immigration and customs just fine. After getting to my house around 2 in the morning I was able to sleep finally in a nice comfortable bed. Today I woke up and met our maid. She is the sweetest person I think I've ever met. The only issue is that she speaks spanish at lightning speed and it was a challenge to keep up, but we did ok and she told me my spanish was good.LOL. Anyways later in the day my roommate, a friend, and I went to the store to buy groceries and other items we needed for our houses. Figuring out the exchange rate was a trick but luckily I have a roommate who is very good in math. Yay for math teachers!!! Now I am home and about to crash out after I organize my clothes a bit. Thank you all for your prayers for my safe travel it was a smooth trip. Pray for me tomorrow because I am going to walk to the store by myself. The only way to gain independence is to do something by yourself and I live in a safe neighborhood so off I go to investigate my new world.

The day before

Well everyone,

I am finally feeling the excitement like nothing before. I have weighed, reweighed, unpacked and reweighed again all of my luggage and I think that I will be let on the plane. Just a suggestion to those reading my blog. Even the most unmaterialistic people have a lot of stuff. I was just watching a couple of episodes of Little House on the Prairie and they were wearing the same things in both episodes. I can only come to the conclusion they were trying to be authentic to the time period. Perhaps we too should reduce what we think we need. Truthfully. I don't think I'll miss the stuff I had to leave behind. Well at least I hope not. I did make sure I had enough underclothes which I think is non negotiable. Anyways, I'm so excited as to what God has in store for the the future. I would encourage you all not to think of the mission field as somewhere you go, but something that is all around you. God has called me to Peru but he could have easily called me to somewhere in the states. Do not forget that many of those around us are living unaware of a Mighty God who desperately wants them in His fold. Pray for me that I will be effective in sharing His truth and I will pray for you that you will be bold and share with others around you. For those of you reading this blog who may not have a personal relationship with Christ, I encourage you to get involved in a local "Bible preaching" church, find a Bible, not to mention send me an e mail because I would love to share the Truth with those who are interested. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that who ever believes in Him will not be condemned but have life enterally with God in Heaven. John 3:16 (paraphrased).
God bless you all!! Pray for safe travels, and Have a great summer!!!
Love ya, Court

One more week

Well here I am posting my first blog and I have no idea what I'm doing. I am preparing to leave for Peru and life is getting crazy. I have to get so much done before I go but I am so excited about going and sharing Christ in Peru. I think God is going to do some amazing things this year. The Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) has a great group of people going into the mission field this year. I just spent two weeks in orientation with some terrific people who will do mighty things for the Lord. I ask for your continued prayers and I will pray also for you that you will be encourage during this coming year. (note: images were added and did not all happen right before I left. It is merely an example of what I left behind.)