"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."--John 6:27

Almost a year ago, God began to make it clear He was calling me to missions. It started at Vacation Bible School. I began to feel convicted and inspired by the missionary stories of Brother Andrew, Jim Elliot, and Bill Richardson--stories I had heard since I was a child. "Isn't this fun?" I'd ask my daughter. She was mildly impressed. I, on the other hand, was changing. My prayer was changing from "If you want to use me, I'm here" to "Dear God, send me!"

Over the next several months, I prayed and read my Bible, seeking God's face and waiting. I downloaded foreign language vocabulary apps, found the Joshua Project online, and read Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot. This book may be the most helpful resource I've found for people who are being called to missions. Another excellent book I found later is Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan.

The school year started up again, and soon I had little time to devote to missions exploration. Sometimes it seems that not much has happened since then--and sometimes it seems that things have been developing every day. Some of the highlights include talking to the elders at my church, speaking at a ladies' event, and appreciating the ministries of others around me. A major surprise was beginning to learn Spanish with my children and on my commute.

As I look ahead, I repeatedly find that there are still a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. When will I be able to give missions more of my time? What is my mission field? I'm going to have to be patient, if not entirely content.

I would appreciate your prayers. I would encourage you, too, to read missionary biographies and consider how God might use you in missions. Like me, many people can't go overseas at this stage in their lives. There are so many other ways to serve. Just a few include sponsoring a missionary, "adopting" a child, starting a missions program in your church, volunteering at a Christian camp, or helping with Vacation Bible School. When we serve, we know that we're laboring not for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27).

Thanks for reading! The journey that is this year has been a great challenge and blessing for me. I hope you will also be blessed by being called to serve.

A Visit to the Twin Falls County Historical Society Museum

This is my spring break, and over the weekend I visited the Twin Falls County Historical Society Museum for the first time. Mychel Matthews gave me a great introduction to the 1914 Union School building and some of the local history, including some book titles for my "to read" list. I was very impressed with the open, airy feel to the museum's interior. So often, local historical museums end up looking cluttered and dim, but the curators of this museum value the natural light afforded by the many windows. There are many impressive pieces on display, including textiles, old-time technology, school-room furnishings, and maps. Admission is free/donation. Thanks, Mychel!

My Students Want to Know. . .

My students want to know if I will be going to see the Hunger Games movie this weekend. I'm leaning toward not. Although I thoroughly enjoyed most of the book, there is every likelihood that the movie will "look different" from how I imagined the story. I don't mean that the movie couldn't be good. I'll just wait a bit and watch it at home. Okay, maybe I'm getting old.

Some of this has to do with the scene in the book that I did not enjoy. (I won't spoil it, in case you haven't read it). If you have read The Hunger Games, you probably know what I'm talking about. It's very near the end, and to me it was unjustified in its disturbing violence. Yes, the whole book had violence in it, but this particular scene went too far. Had the insurrectionist theme been more clearly foreshadowed afterward, I might have understood. As it stands, the scene seemed gratuitous.

I love to recommend good books to my English students, and Suzanne Collins is a superb writer, but in my capacity as a teacher I don't recommend this book to young readers. As a parent, I urge other parents to read the books your teens want to read. Books like this one might best be read in "book club" fashion so you can discuss them together as you go.

Having said all that, here are a few things Collins did well:

• draw believable characters that the reader will root for
• create a realistic, tense dystopian setting
• leave cliffhangers at the end of every chapter.

For younger students (8th grade and up) who aren't ready for the Hunger Games books, I recommend Anthem by Ayn Rand.

Still here, still writing

Here are some of the highlights in my writing life (and my life in general) since I last posted a very long time ago:

• Still teaching 7th-12th English at North Valley Academy Charter School
• Had a baby (my third, and what a doll!)
• Rejoined American Christian Fiction Writers and sent a manuscript to the Genesis Contest
• Have been actively working on a novel in progress
• Joined the interviewing team at the Barn Door Book Loft

Next order of business: update Web site.
Short and sweet.

Summer Readings of a Jr. High/High School English Teacher

Finished reading:

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley: Reading level below 7th grade. Not a lot of advanced vocabulary to challenge the reader. Still, horse lovers and reluctant readers would do well with it.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan: Inspiring historical novel that captures the imagination and isn't predictable. Smoothly introduces Spanish words in the flow of the dialogue and narrative. Reading level 7th grade and below.

Resistance by Anita Shreve: I wouldn't suggest this for students because of some explicit content. Shreve is one of my favorite authors, and her historicals are generally my favorites. The setting in Belgium is a change from the usual French Resistance stories, but the plot is nothing new.