Monday, August 28, 2006

New Friends

It has been fun for me to recently become involved in several women's ministry groups. I was invited to join a weekly Bible study with five other ladies, led by the housing coordinator at RGBI. Her name is Sharon and she was blessed with six children and many years of marriage to her husband Don before God took him home a few years ago. Together, they often taught a study on marriage for young couples, and now she is teaching the study to us. We are using Kay Arthur's book entitled A Marriage Without Regrets.

The other ladies involved are: Erin, an MK from Venezuela whose Venezuelan husband is studying at the Bible Institute; Esther, another MK from Venezuela whose Venezuelan husband is studying at the Bible Institute; Amy, who served as a single missionary in Mexico before marrying her Mexican husband who is studying at the Bible Institute; and Maudiene, who along with her husband is from the Dutch Antilles and both are studying in the Bible Institute. As you can see, this is a group I can easily identify with and I look forward to getting to know each of the ladies better! Maudiene lives two apartments down from us, and she and her husband have a handsome little son named Jaden who is going to become Owen's buddy this year. We just scheduled our first play date!

This past Saturday, I attended the first meeting for Spanish-speaking Bible Institute wives. Many of them have come to Texas with their husbands and children but do not speak English, are not taking classes, and feel very lonely away from their families and home countries. This meeting was to establish a "club" with a name, regular meeting times, and special activities. We chose the name "Club Sarai" because of the biblical example of Sarah's following Abraham wherever God led him. We'll be meeting twice monthly for brunch and will probably be doing a Titus 2 Bible study. At our September 9th meeting, I will be sharing my testimony including our story of infertility and adoption - I am looking forward to it!

One of the ladies I met on Saturday is Alexandra, from the country of Ecuador. She and her husband have a son and two daughters who are close in age to ours, so I am hoping to have their family over for pizza and getting to know one another. It will also be a good opportunity for Pedro to practice his Spanish!

The third group I'll be involved with is MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) at a local church, also twice monthly. I am looking foward to meeting other moms in the community, and each session includes a devotional and craft time. It should be fun!

Last but not least is not another group, but a one-on-one Bible study with a young wife named Karina, from our church here. We will be doing Beth Moore's Breaking Free Bible study together, in Spanish. Please pray for God to work in both of our hearts through it! Being a missionary is not the equivalent of being a "super-saint" - at least in my life! - and I need the Lord to work in many areas of my own heart, that I would be more sensitive, more committed, and more impassioned with Christ and the ministry to which He has called us. Thank you for praying!

Love, Stephanie

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