Follow Me
In July my staff hit a wall and were completely burnt out! They were all ready to quit, throw in the towel, depressed and discouraged. I called in the prayer troops and picked up the girls to take them to my home in order to give everyone a week of vacation. As I was fasting and crying out to God specifically for Greici, my soul sister in work and life, I felt God say to me. “ I have Greici, pray for a teacher.” I felt instant peace and had to share the word with Greici. As I told her what the Lord had revealed to me, she too felt instant peace. She grabbed my knee and confessed that she was already praying for a teacher, but not just any teacher—Amanda. I have to admit I laughed in her face and explained to her all the reasons that Amanda would never come to work at New Hope.
Amanda already has a great job with great pay, benefits, airline tickets home twice a year, a community she has been a part of for five years, resources, infrastructures of support, comfort and predictability . We on the other hand, have Nothing to offer her.
Greici made her case for why Amanda was the perfect fit for our needs and while I agreed with all her reasons, I confess I saw no hope for her prayers. I told her that instead I would join her in praying for “an Amanda” someone with a similar heart for the girls, a love for the Dominican people, an experienced teacher who felt called by God to work with the least, lost and left behind—because I knew that was what we needed and I knew we would never get Amanda.
Many months later in conversation with some local teachers I was asking them what their 2013/2014 school year plans were. Amanda was one of them. When I asked her she responded with a question. “What does New Hope need ?” I casually while laughing inside responded, “you.” To which she responded, “yeah, that’s what God told me.” I didn’t do my happy dance just yet, because I’ve taken a few hits over the years—but later when she asked to talk and plan about the coming year it became real that God had not only sent us “an Amanda” He was sending us Amanda.
I can still hardly believe it. Amanda Metzler is coming to work with Nueva Esperanza—New Hope Girls, Inc. --Full time! She must be crazy! Does she know what she’s giving up? -How hard it is to fund raise? -How hard it is to serve and work in the barrio? Has she thought about the struggles and hardships she is taking on?
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
Honestly no one can ever truly know until they are in the thick of it—but I will be the first to say, “it’s worth it!” There is no greater joy than walking this wild crazy adventurous walk of faith and trust, learning to rest in God’s love for us and those we are called to serve-- as we walk as Jesus did and try to be imitators of Him.