When thinking of moving to Cameroon, I had hoped that I would been able to be involved with the missionary kids here in ways outside of my classroom and God has been faithful to answer that. Sometime in November I was asked to be the main speaker at the Rainforest International School (RFIS) middle school retreat and I was excited to be able to say “Yes!” The school is the one that missionary kids in the area primarily attend and was created for that reason. They have a retreat annually in order for the students to take some time to develop their spiritual lives. The retreat happened just recently and it was a great experience to try my hand out at something new and see how God would provide.
The middle school this year has 24 students. The retreat happened over the course of four days. We spent two of the days at the school doing a variety of different activities and the other two days traveling to and from Doula (our port city) to visit the Africa Mercy Ship. The Mercy Ship has been in port in Cameroon this year and we have been blessed to be able to connect with the Academy teachers and students onboard. This is the first year that the school has been able to travel with the middle school and we had a great time. It was so nice to travel with the group and learn more about the kids and the things that are going on in their lives.
The theme of the retreat was Serving Others. I was asked to speak six times (for a variety of lengths of time). While thinking about what God would want me to share on that topic, I kept coming back to the fact that we cannot serve God under our own terms. If Christians lead a life of service based on their needs and desires, it becomes an empty gesture. We spent a day learning about who God is, then who we are created to be and then how to love and serve others. Speaking that many times in 4 days was a nice exercise in trusting God for his wisdom in what to say. I am so grateful to all of you who prayed for me and encouraged me along the way.
You might be thinking, “Wow, how did she get a week away from her classroom to do this?” I am grateful to be in a community of people who are willing to step in to support the kids and I had two lovely women substitute in my class for the week. Although creating substitute plans takes work, I knew that the kids in my class were going to be well loved while I was away (even though it meant missing the fun Friday bouncy house!). I was blessed to come back to school the next week with a lovely messages waiting for me like the one pictured.
Megan's Meanderings 