Without Wax

Margarita 

Meet Margarita. She's teaching everybody in that school how to love. 

She's learning Braille. And teaching everybody in that school what it means to dedicate yourself to something, what it means to work hard. 

She asked me if I would stay forever. 

Competition: The Push Teens Need to Learn a Little Somethin'

On Monday we had all the older kids in the auditorium for a Bible knowledge competition. There were three rounds of questioning: 1) The teacher would begin reading a verse from 1 Sam. and the students had to find the verse in their Bibles, stand up, and finish reading it. 2) History/Context Questions from 1 Sam. 3) Memorization of an entire chapter in 1 Sam. 

This was partly a way to break up the exams that these kids normally have in their Bible class by making it into a competition. Secondly, the school is creating a team to compete in a Bible content competition in Guatemala. Through this school competition, the teachers noted those students that would do well on the team. 

Making Candles 

When I went to school today, the home ec. teacher was making candles with her class. I wandered in, and was invited to stay. So, I did. Being the tactile learner that I am, this craft-time became a teaching moment.

Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere." 

 The word sincere comes from the Latin, 'sin' meaning without and 'cera' meaning wax. 

Without Wax. 

Love must be without wax. 

In the days of sculptures, sincere was a term used by artists. When one would make a mistake, he would cover the mistakes and blemishes over with wax. People began to learn this and started asking for sculptures without wax. They would rather have the sculpture in its full integrity, even with blemishes, than have it covered over with wax. 

So our love for each other must be the same. We love with all our mistakes, with all our blemishes, with all our imperfections, and we love those who are scarred and blemished. 

Because the integrity, the sincerity of our love depends on us being able to love even the most blemished and broken. Because God loves us, though we are blemished and broken. 

Love must be without wax. 

While the candles solidified, we took pictures:) 

Without Wax. 

There's a rally of sorts that will take place here in the city of Coban tomorrow. Violence has gripped the city in a strong way these past couple weeks. People are tired, and want peace.

I'm safe. Just aware.

Thanks for the continued prayers. Many blessings.

Sincerely/ Without Wax,

Micaiah