Time truly flies! I can't believe it is already October and i've been in Costa Rica for 2 months! God has been so faithful to provide for me in every way and I love living life here. My co-workers are amazing and care so much about the children. They are also incredibly helpful to me and have guided me along this journey the past 2 months. Last Saturday October 7th, my church IBC (International Baptist Church) came to GiveDignity to do a kids program! It was so much fun and such a sweet time to talk about God and have some conversations with the children about Salvation. I am so very thankful for the amazing young adults group from IBC that I am apart of. They have also been a source of support and encouragement! Classes have been busy, but also so much fun. One of the biggest blessings here is not dealing with difficult behavior in comparison to public schools in the U.S. My 1-3rd grade students have been showing progress in learning the alphabet and they are so curious and love playing and exploring with interactive activities. I have continued to work with my kids at Puente Educativo in 7-8th, as well as helping to develop the 7-8th grade and High School English programs at GiveDignity. It has been so fun getting to know the students and developing relationships with them. Along with teaching classes in Costa Rica, I teach online classes a few days a week to children all over the world and I also work for Perception Funding online as an assistant to the web designer. These jobs are only a small part of my time, but I find great enjoyment in them and feel blessed God has provided me with some small ways to make some money. As I go along in this journey it has just made me see what is important in life and really sacrifice everything to God. I count it a small cost that God has asked me to give up merely physical things moving here when Jesus sacrificed His LIFE so that we MIGHT have the opportunity to live. Jesus gives this gift, but we can still reject it. Imagine, he died without knowing if anyone would even accept His gift. He died to give merely the opportunity for salvation, the opportunity to live with Him forever in Heaven, the opportunity to escape death and hell. Yet, many reject it. What would you be willing to die for? Would you die for your house, car, money, phone…etc. Of course not. If I asked, “would you die for your phone if it was about to sink deep into the ocean?” Any rational person would without a doubt say no. However, ask a parent if they would die for their children and most would say yes. Do we have this same burden for the unsaved? Do we feel they are worth sacrificing ourselves, not necessarily physically, but being willing to sacrifice our time, money, resources, and comforts? Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Are we burdened enough with the fact that the unsaved will face hell if not for those who are willing to share the gospel and be the hands and feet of Jesus. He commands us to “Go into all the world and share the gospel” He doesn’t command us to change hearts, but rather to simply share. “If anyone wishes to come after Me,” he said, “he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). I don’t say all these things to say physical comforts and possessions are wrong. But rather to ask, where is your heart? Is it connected to the physical or is it connected to the eternal? What are you willing to die for? Please pray about partnering with me financially on a monthly basis. I am looking for individuals to come along side me and work together in ministering to these children. Thank you to those who have already partnered with me financially. I am blessed by your generosity and willingness to trust God. Click the link below if you would like to partner with me! Prayer Requests: |
AuthorMariah Prantle Archives
July 2024
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