A servants heart

So I read my testimony in class yesterday (the Spanish blurb I posted on the last blog) - and it was not overly incorrect which is great. I messed up some verb conjugations and a few other things - but overall pretty good. Poco o poco we all continue to improve!

Last week our grammar teacher, Graziella Arguedas, read her testimony in English to us and it was such an encouragement! It has echos of a post I had a few months ago eluding to thoughts on what is 'successful' in life and why. Its often easy for us, and for others back in the states, to assume that all of us missionaries have our heads on straight and our act together. But it only takes a few moments - probably seconds really - on campus at ILE to realize that we are sinners and in need of a savior just like everyone else. You can also quickly find out that not only are the maestros here great teachers, but they are also great people and great believers as well.

I can honestly tell you that this trimesters class with Graziella and the rest of my cohorts has been one of the best classes I have even been in. This is in no small part to Graziella and her infectious positive attitude and amazing faith. I'll leave this blog post with the testimony she shared with us. You can see two things....a)she is much better at English then I am in Spanish and b)she is faithful and a real encouragement. Praise God for teachers like Graziella who are here not only to teach us Spanish, but to help keep all of us crazy missionaries both sane during the transition and also focused on the Lord as well.

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Graziella's Testimony

It is really a blessing for me to be able to share with you part of my life.

There´s no way I could express or write all the wonderful things God has done in me, but today I want to testify and I want to give him the glory for his love and mercy in my life.

I grew up in a very conservative Catholic family. I even studied at a school with nuns. In fact, I was actually planning to become a nun.

It was only because I got a very good grade in the admission test for the University that I decided I was going to do something different.

Just shortly after I began my studies at the University, I met my husband. He had been a Christian for many years. He had served in many ministries. He had worked with teenagers, he had been part of the worship team, and many other things.

One day, after having spent a lot of time asking him many questions about his religion and his beliefs, I was touched by God. I surrendered to Him and I decided I was going to give my life to serve Him.

When my parents found out that I had decided to quit comming to the Catholic church, my real problems began.

They were blaming my boyfriend and they told me they wanted me to let him go. Since I didn´t do it, they got onto me and they told me I was not going to be their daughter anymore. They rejected me in many ways. They said I could continue to live with them but only because they were worried about what people would say if I left the house.

They didn´t speak to me for more than three months. The only way my dad would talk to me was writting notes on pieces of paper.

I was sad and lonely and I felt no one loved me.

Then I realized that not only God loved me but my boyfriend loved me and I loved him, so we decided to get married.

Of course, my parents were against that idea. My father begged me to get married at the Catholic church, but I knew I couldn´t do that.

So they said they were not going to come to my wedding. Noone in the family was going to come.
I prayed and prayed for months and God answered my prayers.

It´s a long story, but let me tell you, my mom finally decided she was going to pay for my wedding dress and my dad decided he was going to pay for the little reception we had.
Everybody in my family came to my wedding, even my grandparents.
It was so hard to go through this, but I had decided I was going to be faithful to God and He rewarded me.

I have always been rejected because I am a Christian, but I´ve seen God´s hands holding me and my family every single day.

Well, since I was studying linguistics at the Universtity of Costa Rica, I needed to practice my English.

Then I introduced myself to a couple of missionaries who were attending my church.
We became friends. I was helping them with their Spanish, and they were helping me with my English.

Then, one day, they suggested to me that I send my resume to the Academic Director at the language school.

This was exactly 20 years ago. I did and I waited, and waited. I used to stop at the front gate of the school and prayed and proclaimed that one day I was going to work here.
I finally got a phone call eight months later.
The director wanted me to come and watch the other teachers just because I had to be trained.
I did and I came to school for a whole trimester, every single morning, without getting any money for that.

But I learned, and I got trained. When the time came to be hired, the Director told me it was not going to be possible for me to get a job here because the number of the new registrations had gone down and they were not going to be able to hire anybody else.
I went home and I cried and cried. I remembered my brother making fun of me saying, “Is that what a christian institution does?”

Well, I ignored that and I kept praying.

Finally, four months later, the Lord opened the door and I got my job.

I don´t really know how to describe what this job means to me.

For many years, I´ve been able to meet incredible people who have helped me to grow in every aspect of my life. Not only professionally but also spiritually.

I´ve learned so much about the american culture that I always joke and tell them that I´m half a tica and half an american.

The Lord has gifted me with my language skills. Sometimes, it´s hard for my students to believe that I´ve never been in the States for more than three weeks.

Well, I have to admit that God made America come to me.

So, I´ve worked with missionaries for twenty years and they have all become part of my family.
My ministry here is not only to teach them the language, my ministry is to guide them, to help them go through their first cross cultural experience.

They have to know that their year here is not only a time to learn a language, it´s also a time for the Lord to polish them.

I love to encourage them every morning, and eventhough we have to face very difficult trials while working in this ministry, we pray for each other every day and we support each other.
This job is not a job, I get up every morning and I thank God for what he´s given me. I´m happy because I know I´m doing what He wants me to do.

All these people are my family and eventhough I´m just with them for a year, we know we´re going to see each other in Heaven.

Students always tell us, the teachers, that they are going to introduce us to all the people who got to know the Lord just because we taught them their language.
That´s our reward. That´s the best pay we can get.

Sometimes I start thinking that I could be doing something else to get more money. I know I could get another job. But I know that´s not what is important in life.

Money is not important when you know you´re doing the right thing for the Lord.
He provides everything you need, and He gives you even more.

So, I´m going to keep working here at the Language school until the Lord wants me to do something different.

I´m going to be encouraging my students, tutoring them, translating sermons for them, even interpreting for them when they come to preach at any church.
Finally, I would like to encourage all of you to stop and think. Are you really doing what the Lord wants you to do?

It´s been very hard for me. It´s been an up hill battle. It´s like climbing a mountain but I can tell you that no matter what comes, I´m going to serve my Lord because He´s my strength and my fortress.

I keep saying every day, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
He is the one who strengthens you all, no matter what comes, let me tell you,

¡Sí se puede!

That is in English, yes, you can!

God bless you all.

Graziella Arguedas