Hello hello!
I am Melissa Peters, and this is my
first blog ever. If you see things changing or moving around, that's
because I'm still figuring out how to get it the way I want, so
please bear with me! I'm excited to be sharing what's going on in my
life and ministry with you, and hope to hear from you as well! I
know this post goes on for what seems like miles, but I wanted to
make sure you got the background story, so just hang in there!
Thanks! :)
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| Cochabamba, Bolivia, where I spent several years growing up |
Many of you know that I grew up on the
mission field, in Bolivia, with my family. I was only 9 when we
moved there, and returned to the States when I was 16. So those were
some pretty formative years for me. They definitely played a big
role in shaping my view of missions and working overseas! I must
say, I was a bit leery about the whole thing when we first moved
there...I did a lot of tip-toeing over cow pies in the street and
holding my nose when we got to the meat section at the market...but
made great progress over the years to the point that I was eating
freeze-dried potatoes that had been stomped on with bare feet (ones
that I'm sure did NOT tip-toe around cow pies) and counting the pig
heads on the market tables. I also became much more aware of the
need for followers of Jesus Christ to be His hands and His feet in a
broken world. I had the opportunity to become involved in some great
ministries there, mostly working with the poor and destitute. I was
still in high school, so it was in no way full-time, but it helped
awaken a desire in me to spend my life reaching people that were in
some sort of need.
When I started attending John Brown
University back in 2005, I didn't know what exactly I wanted to
study, so I took classes in various areas. God used a particular
moment in a chapel to help direct my steps. Shane Claiborne, who is
one of the founding members of “The Simple Way,” was speaking in
chapel one morning. He spoke some about a time he spent working
alongside Mother Teresa, and showed a short video clip of her
soothing a child who was convulsing. As I watched, I was moved to
tears and decided that I wanted to make an impact for Christ in the
international community, somehow reaching those who are in need to
show them the love, redemption, and healing of a wonderful Savior.
So I got a degree in Intercultural Studies in order to help prepare
for the work ahead. When I graduated I faced a tough economy and
student loans. Work was hard to come by, and I had to become a lot
less particular about what jobs I applied for. The Lord provided
work for me in the Siloam Springs School District as a Special
Education Paraprofessional working with 1st and 2nd
graders. They are precious. :) Maybe it wasn't my first choice, but I learned so much, and
have made some lasting friendships that I will treasure for a long
time. At the end of two years I felt that God was telling me to jump
out of my job security and into the unknown. So I didn't sign my
contract again for the next year and began hunting for work that fell
more in line with my passions for missions and internationally
oriented work. During my job hunting over the last few years I've
had a lot of doors close...as in 99% of them. I'm sure many of you
will be able to relate to that in some way or other. But then the
Lord opened a door, and I am so excited to share about it with you!
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| Kandern, Germany |
In January of this year, I was accepted
by the mission TeachBeyond to work as a missionary at Black Forest
Academy in Germany for 2 years, starting in August of 2012. It was
quite a process to get through the applications, but I had a lot of
encouragement along the way, for which I am so grateful! TeachBeyond
is a mission that began when members of a certain Janz family
started to minister in post-WWII Germany. The organization used to
be known as Janz Team Ministries, but has changed a bit over the
years. The Janz family started a Christian English language school in
Germany for families working overseas, and that school is Black Forest
Academy (BFA), which is located in a town called Kandern. So
TeachBeyond is the sponsoring mission of BFA. I found out about
the staffing needs at BFA through my parents' church. I was helping
my mom with Sunday School one morning when Chris Greathouse, the
personnel supervisor at BFA, was giving a missions update at the
church. I heard about their need, and the wheels started turning!
To put it in a nutshell, I was accepted and asked to serve as a
Resident Assistant at BFA in one of their student dorms. Most of
BFA's student population is made up of Missionary Kids (MKs) whose
parents work in many countries, mainly in Europe, Asia, and North
Africa. Many of these families work in remote or closed areas where
raising children is difficult, if not even dangerous. BFA provides
the opportunity for these families to send their middle school and
high school aged children to a boarding school where they can learn,
grow, and make friends in a safe and nurturing environment. The
school does offer education for elementary grades as well, but
boarding is for middle school and high school only. By sending their
kids to BFA, these families are able to continue serving in the area
that the Lord has called them to serve, spreading the Gospel of Jesus
Christ throughout the nations, and taking care of family needs at the
same time. BFA's ministry is mainly two-fold in that it provides this
support to missionary families, and in its care and education of the
students. TeachBeyond has a commitment “to teaching beyond
one-dimensional, utilitarian forms of education, to a comprehensive,
holistic form of education that fosters personal growth and enduring
social benefit.” This is reflected in BFA's mission to provide “a
quality, international, Christian education that equips its students
to influence their world through biblical thought, character, and
action.” What a great mission and purpose to be involved in! As a
Resident Assistant I will be more involved in the care and nurturing
side of it than the academic side, working and living in one of the
student dorms, making sure that they have a good “home” life
while attending BFA. I am so incredibly excited to get over there
and meet these kids and their families! I know that there will be
many challenges, but my God is bigger! I so look forward to
developing relationships and helping these kids as they go through
school and grow into the young men and women that God has planned for
them to be. I'm sure I will be learning a LOT along the way!
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| One of the dorms at BFA, Storchenblick |
As you may well imagine, I need a lot
of prayer in this venture! I know that prayer and encouragement are
vital in keeping up one's spirits and motivation, in helping to
overcome obstacles in our way, and in keeping unity in the body of
Christ. Among other things. If you would, please consider being a
prayer partner with me. I would be very grateful! I'll make sure to
post specific prayer requests for you, but just knowing that you are
praying at all would be wonderful! And what a beautiful thing prayer
is, huh? So awesome.
Alright people, let's face it, we live
in a world where money is necessary. Sometimes I really wish we
lived in Star Trek land where money no longer exists. I would
totally be Deanna Troi...I thought she was so beautiful! Yes, I'm a
nerd AND a dork. I claim it with pride. :) Anywho, we obviously
don't live in Star Trek land and I'm not Deanna Troi, so the fact of
the matter is that I need money to get to Germany and get involved in
the ministry over there. Neither TeachBeyond nor Black Forest
Academy pay salaries to their missionaries, so I am in the process of
partnering with others to make it possible. TeachBeyond is a
non-profit organization, and BFA does not provide salaries in order
to keep tuition costs low to help other missionaries afford to send
their kids there, as they are most likely funded through donations as
well. I would like to present you with the opportunity to join me in
this ministry by contributing financially. Would you prayerfully
consider this to see if the Lord is leading you to give? There are
many options for giving, whatever amount and however often you feel
led to give. Feel free to contact me for a pledge card and addressed
envelope to send to TeachBeyond, and any additional information you
may want. I will hopefully get a link to the pledge card up here so
you can print it at any time. All checks must be made out to
TeachBeyond, mentioning whose account it is for on a separate piece
of paper. I understand that this can be a sticky subject, but I want
you to know that I ask this in all humility and appreciation!
Thanks for reading all of this! If you want to visit the
TeachBeyond and/or
BFA website just click the name or go to www.teachbeyond.org and www.bfacademy.com. I will
be updating you on what's happening over the next 4 months as I
continue to prepare to leave, and then about all that goes on when I
get to Germany! But don't worry, I will be sure to keep future
posts at short-novel length. ;)
“May the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13
