Transformed & Transformational

Brian Delamont walks us through Scripture and spiritual practices that emphasize the importance of remembrance as part of our spiritual development. 

• Genesis 8:1
• “Memory has a tremendous potential to impact our lives and our bodies, our emotional health, our spiritual health in deep, deep ways.”
• Episode 70: Neuroscience and Belief (Paulo Jobim)
• Exodus 12:13-14
• “We can’t face future battles until we remember God’s continual presence.”
• “God has been active in the past, is active in the present, and will be active for future generations.”
• Joshua 4
• 1 Corinthians 11:24-26
• “We don’t think fondly of Jesus as if that’s the end of His story, but it’s this calling of Jesus to mind when we remember [in communion].”
• “God’s not limited to a specific location. We don’t have to go back to that pile of stones by the Jordan in order to recall that God will be with us.”
• Deuteronomy 6
• Psalm 77:11
• Psalm 111:3-5
• “It’s this mutual spiritual practice: It’s God speaking into our lives, us speaking into the lives of those around us, and me reminding myself of who God is and HIs actions.”
• “When you start thinking about spiritual disciplines, you can’t actually do them without memory.”
• Jeremiah 31:33-35
• Episode 43: May They Be One
• 2 Timothy 2:8
• “Memory is what you’re choosing to actually have shape your life, so for us to remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead would be the challenge.”
• Take the Season 2 survey!

May Reflection: What are you remembering most these days? What memories are you rehearsing most often?

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Fire pit
• Heather: Planning Orientation
• Brian: Rewarding work

Weekly Spotlight: Grace International School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Sarah Fine brings her experiences and training as a licensed social worker to this conversation about how we can process loss - big or small - in a patient, gentle, and healthy way.

• MK is short for missionary kid, and TCK is short for Third Culture Kids.  To hear more about TCKs, listen to Episode 22 with Michele Phoenix and Episode 61 with Lauren Wells
• “No matter what type of loss or disappointment, we are often interacting with some form of grief in our lives all the time.”
• “There’s something in us that recognizes the wrongness of saying goodbye.”
• “Grief makes people uncomfortable. It brings out the fixer in people.”
• “[Grief] is a process and not a single event.”
• “Sometimes we avoid the grief because we’re afraid it will overwhelm us.”
• “We want to go through the grief and not around it. Deferred grief doesn’t really get any easier to experience, it just tends to muddy life up with other emotions, like anxiety and anger, until we get a chance to work through the grief.”
• “Really important to the process is making some space to acknowledge and validate the loss.”
• “You didn’t want that to happen.” -Dr. Becky
• “It’s really important to remember that this is a process and not an event, so opening yourself up to your own grief might take longer than you imagine it should. The word ‘should’ is a pretty dangerous word when it comes to this sort of topic.”
• “It is absolutely a time when God and other people can minister to you if you let them into the process [...] Letting other people into the process can be really powerful.”
• Internalizers: tend to hold things inside, work on externalizing (journaling, therapy, art, prayer)
• Externalizers: tend to let it all out, work on internalizing (quiet reflection, silence)
• “Giving yourself a lot of grace in the moment with what is happening can be really important.”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Facebook Marketplace
• Heather: Olive and June Manicure Set
• Sarah: Sunshine

Weekly Spotlight: Bingham Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Hear from TeachBeyond educators around the world about how they are ending the school year, from fostering healthy transitions to assigning special projects to honoring relationships built with students. How are you ending your school year? Let us know at [email protected]!

• Take our Season 2 survey!
• Listen to Episode 32 on Ending Well (Amanda Ferris)
• The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition by Tina Quick

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Navigating with North at the top of the map
• Heather: Flexible meal planning

Weekly Spotlight: Christian International School of Prague

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Learn from Paulo Jobim about the brain science behind believing in Jesus and being transformed into His image.

• “He revealed Himself to me, and then I started to use science as a tool to understand God’s creation.”
• “I understand the brain as a God masterpiece.”
• “Every kind of learning produces change; the brain is made to be changed.”
• “This change we are experiencing in Christ uses the learning process, the memory process, but it’s completely different because when Christ lives in you, it changes you.”
• “When we meet Christ, we transition from ourselves to Christ’s self. The power of the Spirit creates in us this alternative self.”
• “This change of self happens only through the power of the Gospel and the Spirit operating on us. This is not any type of learning; it is a special type of learning that only Jesus can offer.”
• “Only in Christ can you be fully transformed.”
• “Beliefs are what guide our behavior and how we see the world around us.”
• “For people to actually believe in God and live this experience of believing, they must have personal experience with God.”
• “Christianity is a different type of religion because God demands obedience, and for us, obedience means to sacrifice our own nature, our own self, to make God get bigger.”
• “When God reveals Himself and we accept through faith, the way we see and perceive the world changes dramatically. Then we can start to be different persons because we are having Jesus live in us. This is why it’s so important to learn from God and live the truth we learn – not only intellectually know God, but by our practices.”
• “When you are confronted with something that shows you are not making decisions based on yourself but based on Christ’s self, you can see your brain activities in different places of your cortex.”
• John 3:30
• Galatians 2:20
• Romans 7
• “Science and the Christian faith can help each other; they are not in conflict.”
• John 4:35

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Potty training
• Heather: Working on my balcony
• Paulo: Recently quitting job and becoming a full-time missionary

Weekly Spotlight: Dakar Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

What does it mean to become “all that God intends” for us? Did you know that God has intentions towards His creation? Co-hosts Heather and Keane have a conversation with Brian Delamont, Vice President of Mission Engagement.

• TeachBeyond’s Mission Statement: “As followers of Jesus, we are a global community providing transformational education services as part of God’s ongoing mission to transform individuals and communities into all that He intends.”
• TeachBeyond’s Vision: “A world where individuals and communities become all God intends”
• Genesis 1:27
• Jeremiah 29:11
• “When we think of becoming all that God intends, that’s us living into the love of God and the future that He has for us.”
• Matthew 6:10
• “When we live out His Kingdom life in us, we are involved actively in this process of becoming all that God intends - God’s world, God’s way.”
• Romans 12:2
• “When we pursue this mission, we actually see a movement of people who are experiencing personal transformation, and that in doing so, their world of influence brings about redemptive change wherever they are and with whomever they are in contact.”
• “When we’re becoming all that God intends, we’re living in the fullness of the creativity that He’s given us.”
• “God’s renewing my desires to be conformed to what it is that He wants me to be and become. One of God’s very core intentions is for us to understand who He is and to come to a knowledge of Him.”
• 2 Peter 3:8-9
• “God is patient with us. He is letting us develop to become all that He intends because He’s not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
• Romans 2:4
• “We’re trusting the Holy Spirit for complete transformation into the image of Christ. We’re not there yet.”
• “God’s intention is for all of creation to be restored.”

Brian mentioned English Camps in today’s episode.  Click here to learn more about TeachBeyond’s English Camps!

April Reflection: What is it that God’s intending for you? What are you doing that will help you to become all that God intends?

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Fixing front door
• Heather: Birthday month
• Brian: Spring

Weekly Spotlight: GDQ International Christian School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

The questions we ask can make a big difference in the conversations we have. Want some ideas for starting a conversation with a missionary? Kara Delaney, a missionary in Germany, talks through some of the questions that she has been asked as a missionary and how to build bridges in conversations.

• Article by Kara Delaney
• “My hope is to be part of a discussion that can start to bridge the gap between missionaries and the people sending them.”
• How’s (your country)?
• • What would you like to know?
  • “We’re all looking for connection, and I want to tell you, but I don’t even know where to start.”
• Can you say something in (the local language)?
• • “Asking a [missionary] kid to perform isn’t creating a safe or appropriate environment, especially as they’re engaging with other adults.”
  • “Language learning is really difficult. Everybody on the field has varying levels of fluency or lack thereof.”
  • How much (language) do you speak?
• Aren’t you so glad to be home?
• • “There’s a bit of superimposing an emotion on someone’s experience, and that can be really confusing to receive.”
  • “It really honors a person’s experience when we take the time to hear what’s actually going on and give space for what’s happening on the inside, which may not only be glad to be home.”
• How was your trip?
• • How are things going with your ministry? What was this last month like for you?
  • “I sometimes feel nervous about posting because I’m putting expectations on myself or feeling pressure to post about ministry or post my missionary life as a way of proving myself, that I’m actually ‘doing missions’ all the time.”
  • “I’m just a normal person, and sometimes I go get coffee with friends.”
• How long do you think you’re going to stay there?
• • “This can make me feel like my life overseas is a phase that has an expiration date instead of allowing space for this [to be] a career.”
  • “The answer that I’ve found that I feel most comfortable with most of the time is ‘however long the Lord has me here,’ which can sound like a cop-out, but I think it really is the most honest because I’m committed to doing what He has called me to for however long He has called me to do it wherever He calls me to do it.”
• “If I want to have real connections with others, I want to be extending the same things outward, too… I really believe that it’s worth working towards.”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Microwaving then heating on stove
• Heather: 12-Week Year
• Kara: Savoring the time before transitioning

Weekly Spotlight: Ukarumpa International School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

What does it look like to lament in suffering and hold onto the hope of the resurrection? Sharing from Scripture and her own experiences, author Aubrey Sampson invites us to bring our laments to the Lord.

• The Louder Song by Aubrey Sampson
• “Lament means an impolite plea, so you are, with as much audacity and rawness as you can muster, crying out to God in your grief and anger.”
• “We’re not crying out to avoid. We’re not expressing [our laments] to nothingness. We’re giving them to God Himself, who knows suffering, walks with people who are suffering, promises that he is with us in our suffering, and does something redemptive in our suffering. The beauty is that the invitation is to cry out to God rather than sit and wallow and allow despair to take over.”
• “There is a treasure trove of sufferers who have gone before us - and not pretended like their suffering didn’t exist.”
• “Not only has He given all of His children permission to cry out in lament, but He’s given us a really beautiful example and language that we can use in our own lament as well.”
• “If we want true intimacy with God, that’s going to mean seasons of doubt and frustration and suffering and pain. But because God is so good, He invites us to come to Him with those things rather than walk away from Him in defeat and doubt.”
• “That’s the kindness of God: He knows that in our heartache and devastation, sometimes we can’t formulate what to say, and so we can just open Scripture and read those laments back to God as a way to begin that work of lamenting.”
• “Most laments in Scripture begin with the word ‘how.’”
• “In our darkness and in our despair and in our disorder, God is not far removed [...] He is Emmanuel God.”
• “We want answers, and we don’t get that. But what we always get in our seasons of crying out to God is God’s presence and God’s with-ness with us.”
• “The best thing we can do is sit with people in their pain.”
• “We worship a Suffering Servant. He entered into our suffering and took on our suffering, and the promise is that there will be an end to suffering because of Jesus’s work on the cross.”
• “O Jesus, in deepest night and agony, you spoke these words of trust and surrender to God the Father in Gethsemane, and I want to say in times of fear and distress those same words: My Father, I do not understand You, but I trust You.”
• “The will of God is always resurrection, not destruction. It’s always beauty, not ashes. It’s always hope, not defeat.”
• “We should never be quick to brush past the suffering of Jesus, our own suffering, and the suffering of other people, but we can look to our suffering with that good end in mind, which is always Jesus’s victory.”

“A Liturgy Before Mourning with Those Who Mourn” by Douglas McKelvey, from Every Moment Holy, Volume II

What’s changing our lives:

• Aubrey: Korean dramas on Netflix
• Heather: Friends having kids
• Keane: Meeting neighbors

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Dr. Sam Fecich - professor of education, author, podcaster, and speaker - shares her contagious enthusiasm and practical tips for new teachers as they enter their first classrooms, as well as preservice educators who are preparing to teach someday.

• “You’ve taught before, you’ve worked with students before, but now it’s your classroom!”
• “Keeping families involved in their child’s education [...] is a great predictor of attendance and success in the classroom, no matter what grade or subject area that you teach.”
• “When you’re transitioning from student teaching into being a first-year teacher, start the job search process as early as possible. Look for schools that feed your teaching soul, that support your teaching philosophy.”
• “Your classroom does not need to be Pinterest perfect from day one.”
• Tips new teachers: Familiarize yourself with the curriculum, get to know your students and other staff, and look for additional resources
• “Make those small movements toward building relationships with students before or during day one, but it’s not something that ends after that first week; we get to keep knowing our students throughout that school year.”
• Tips for preservice teachers: Set up professional social media accounts, create and maintain a digital portfolio, connect with other educators online, and look for opportunities to present content at conferences or in written form
• Find out about Sam’s podcast and book on her website: https://www.sfecich.com/
• Edumagic: A Guide for Preservice Teachers and Edumagic Shine On: A Guide for New Teachers
• “You are strong, you are brave, you are courageous. You can do this!”

Connect with Sam on Instagram (@sfecich)!

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Homemade kimchi
• Heather: Nylon hair ties
• Sam: Chocolate buckeye pie

Weekly Spotlight: Virunga Valley Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Authors Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz share from their experiences and offer suggestions for parents of missionaries.

• Parents of Missionaries by Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz
• “It’s certainly all about connection, being able to realize that you’re not alone.” - Diane Stortz
• “You can be very supportive of what your children are doing and be very supportive of missions and be happy about what the results are going to be of that - and yet absolutely not want them to go…  You can feel both of those things at the same time.” - Diane Stortz
• “It’s wise to take time to deal with the grief and the sad feelings, but also take time to enjoy life and to celebrate what’s good about this.” - Cheryl Savageau
• Parents of Global Workers Facebook Group
• “We’re going to stay a family. We’re not leaving you. Our relationship will be changed, but we’re committed and making a plan.” - Cheryl Savageau
• “Go find a group. Go find other parents of missionaries […] Connection is everything.” - Diane Stortz

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Having family visit
• Heather: She Reads Truth Lent study of Ezekiel
• Cheryl: Setting aside time to connect with her husband
• Diane: Exercising with Silver Sneakers

Weekly Spotlight: LIFE International School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

There are thousands of promises made in Scripture! What do we know about God as a promise keeper? Brian Delamont, Vice President of Mission Engagement for TeachBeyond, joins us again this month to unpack the promises of God.

• “Who’s making the promise? What’s within their ability and power to fulfill the promise? What’s the heart of the promise maker like? What are the circumstances surrounding the promise?”
• “God in His omnipotence and His sovereignty and His wisdom is never caught by circumstances. He’s never limited in His ability to fulfill a promise because He’s Lord of all. He always has the resources to deliver on what He has promised.”
• “God is true, and we can believe in God because of the very reason that He is faithful to His Word, even when we’re unfaithful.”
• “Everything He promises is within His power to fulfill. God can never over-promise and under-deliver.”
• 2 Corinthians 1:20
• “Jesus is the culmination of all of God’s promises.”
• Philippians 4:13
• “It’s critical that we read the Bible as it was written. It was given by God to a specific people in specific places using specific literary genres, which need to be understood.”
• Isaiah 40:31
• Isaiah 41:10
• Matthew 11:28-30
• Joshua 1:9
• Matthew 28:20
• Way Maker

March Reflection: Which promise of God are you holding onto, singing, or memorizing? Why? Have you shared this with someone else?

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Jesus and John Wayne
• Heather: 12-year anniversary since joining TeachBeyond
• Brian: Baby dedication of grandchildren

Weekly Spotlight: Sahel Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/