Thoughts on teaching

     I woke up this morning wanting to know how I was going to present the topic of smoking to the ladies.  I had been praying for a couple of weeks about the delivery, the subject matter, my attitude, and for understanding  for the women.  Working in a place where I don't know the culture, how things will be taken, what can trigger a trauma, and how much they no about the subject matter can be extremely challenging. I constantly find myself asking the Lord for wisdom and love, and that my words would be full of grace. He has been so faithful.
     This afternoon I spoke about smoking and addiction at the home.  I was reluctant to tell the girls ahead of time what we were talking about, because I knew several of them would not come( I did anyways).  Although all the girls did not attend, the majority did and I was grateful for their willingness to confront this difficult topic.
      Sometimes I look at these women and I know that people around them find their lives hopeless, often they find their lives hopeless.  It is easy to believe that they can never change, but it is simply not true.  I see everyday that with God in their lives, they are changing. They are also seeing it.  He is not put off by their struggles or addiction. This morning I was reminded of how God freed Israel from slavery to the Egyptians.  He showed me that  He is not interested in partial healing or deliverance for these women, but He wants to completely heal them.  There was nothing partial about it for Israel.  It was complete!  I ended up presenting the topic from that viewpoint that nothing is to hard for God, and His love does not change because we struggle. He can and wants to deliver them.  The atmosphere when we ended the class was sober but good.  I am so thankful for His faithfulness.