Kristi Archives - 61 Isaiah

August 20, 2021 by Kristi Hopkins 1 Comment

Understanding Unconditional Love

“I am a woman. I am invincible. I am tired.” These are the words that resonated with me as I read a book a friend gave me. I have spent my life looking at what needs to be done around me and doing it. And now I find myself with a list of roles both professionally and personally: teacher, counselor, supervisor of 19 people, academic director of an additional 21 people, lead missionary with a growing team, librarian, mom, wife, daughter, sister, mentor, doctoral student, and the list goes on. I am sure your list looks similar. I don’t think there is anything wrong with fulfilling the needs you see around you. But I am having to take a hard look at whether I apply these same “roles” to my spiritual life. Do I think God needs me to fulfill roles instead of believing he loves me even when I am unproductive? Of course in my head I believe this. But in my heart, way, way down deep, do I think I have to do certain things to be loved unconditionally? Isn’t this a contradiction? And yet, how many times do I check off certain boxes believing God is proud of me fulfilling my duties. Friend, I am here to tell you that unconditional love really doesn’t come with the conditions of teaching Sunday school, leading Bible study, mentoring, volunteering, or whatever you fill in the blank with.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Culture tells us that we have to hold everything together. But is this what is expected of us spiritually? He doesn’t ever say to get our lives together then go to Him. Or be all things to all people so we are viewed as the perfect Christian. No, when we go to Him for rest not only does He take our burdens but He makes clear that His burden is not heavy. He does not require that we put more work on ourselves so that we can be a “good Christian.” Quite the opposite. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Get rid of the expectations that you have placed on yourself or perhaps others have placed on you. When we rest in him, we relieve ourselves of religion and get to enjoy relationships. An unconditional acceptance and love without a checklist of productivity.

To be quite honest, I stink at this. School started for teachers this week. My to-do list is a mile long. I feel I have to fulfill all my duties flawlessly. I try regularly to give him my burdens only to find that I have taken them back later in the day. I get scared that if I am not perfect and not productive then I will disappoint the Father. But I am trying. And I am relieving myself of the guilt when I don’t measure up. Realizing that he loves me through my failure to perform. He desires to help us rest. Pray with me that I (and maybe you) will truly understand unconditional love and that perhaps we will even extend this love without expectations to others.

June 16, 2021 by Kristi Hopkins 1 Comment

Going “home”… or is it?

Tyler will graduate in a few short weeks and head “home” to college. Except in this case, home isn’t home. We left the US when Tyler was in 2nd grade. I am not sure how much he remembers living there. And while he has visited grandparents often, it isn’t quite the same. We call these children “third-culture” kids. They don’t fit into either culture- the one they were born in or the one they were raised in. Instead they are a combo of both cultures, maybe even the best of both cultures. I tell my students that if our cultures would learn from each other then we would all be better off. Perhaps this is exactly where Tyler is. He is a combination of both cultures, and I believe he is ready to face the challenges about to hit him.

Trust the Father

He is heading to Tarleton, our alma mater. He is joining the Corp of Cadets and plans to study mechanical engineering. This simultaneously terrifies, saddens and excites me. What if he gets lost; forgets which manners to use; doesn’t know the phrases teens use (how often is he around other US kids). He doesn’t look like your average international student, so he may not be given the same grace as others. And yet… Father is present there just like he is here. I have watched God mature Tyler into a loving, kind, smart servant. I have to trust Father will be there in those moments of insecurity: when he doesn’t know which songs to stand up on in church, how to two-step, or questions the culture he has been dropped into after 10 years.

He hasn’t had the same experiences teenagers in the US are used to: only driven a handful of times, never heard of homecoming, never been to a football game, prom, etc. Instead he has: volunteered at Fiesta Tipica, the Lenca Hunger Farm, mission teams, boxed and delivered food packages and the list goes on. He wasn’t given the same freedom as other teens but he has had different kinds of responsibility. Some might say Missionary Kids are free labor. I prefer to phrase it as “volunteers in training.” This has shaped his worldview to a large degree. He displays his faith in quiet servanthood. His prayer right now is not that he will adapt or not get homesick but instead that he will not miss opportunities to serve the Lord. Please join me in praying for him.

June 2, 2021 by Kristi Hopkins 3 Comments

The life of a MK

Psalm 89:19-26

I have prayed this scripture over Tyler for years; praying that he would be like David, a warrior for God’s glory, a shepherd, a leader, a man after God’s own heart, “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.” It is now time for me to watch from a little further away but with my knees still bent in prayer, for Tyler to be the man God has raised him up to be. Look out Texas, this young man is heading your way!

As I said with the other students: pray for them, write to them, send them care packages and pray for their parents (we are not ok)!

Tyler:

I was born in Texas; however, when I turned eight, my family moved as missionaries to Honduras. It was there that I spent the next ten years of my life learning the intricacies of a very different culture. This was incredibly difficult in a way that is not describable in words; it is something you must experience. Without a doubt, I would not have been able to transition without God working in my life. The first few years I was angry at God, therefore, those first few years were some of the loneliest, most miserable years of my life. I was bitter and angry at everyone for making me leave what I knew behind. This continued until I eventually started to seek God again. He changed me, took away the pain that I had, and made it into something better.

God Helped Me Love the People Around Me

As I saw tragedy in Honduras, God helped me love the people around me. For example, we were hit by two back-to-back hurricanes this year. During the hurricanes the electricity was sporadic at best, water lines were broken, communication was halted, and all major roads in and out of Gracias were destroyed. Seeing all this destruction, and being hopeless to help, changed me. My dad was in the US at a speaking engagement when the second, and most destructive hurricane hit, which made things even more worrisome as I needed to help my mom care for everything.

Nonetheless, an experience like this changes you, seeing all the death and destruction, all the pain and fear, and being hopeless to help. There is a saying that my father has, and it is one of my favorite phrases. It is, “Life can make you bitter, or it can make you better.” That is the attitude you must have if you want to come back from something like this and not be utterly broken. So that is what I did. I focused on what I could do to help instead of how it hurt. Our ministry raised thousands of dollars and spent many hours bagging and moving food to those in need. We also worked to rebuild houses, repair roofs, and help displaced families relocate.

I Have Learned

Through all this, we were changed. There is no walking away unscathed. My perspective has grown, and I have learned to appreciate what I have and what I can do to help. Now it is not a question of “Is there is something to do?” but “will I be willing to do it?” Those are the types of lessons that can not be taught in a classroom but must be learned through experiencing life, and despite all that has happened, I am glad that I was able to learn such a rare and valuable lesson.

The difficulties and experiences with Christ and in life, affected how I grew up. They have affected my values and my priorities, and they have changed the way that I view the world. Now it is all about how I allow God to work in my life.

May 14, 2021 by Kristi Hopkins Leave a Comment

College bound- Regina

Regina Vicente has a heart for both education and health care and will be heading to Hope College. She won a tuition-free scholarship as well as a private scholarship from individuals and churches in the Holland area. While I have taught her for several years, I have gotten to know her better this year when her dad joined 61 Isaiah as a full-time pastor. Any pastor kid will tell you that they are often free labor. But I think she would volunteer even if not forced to, as this girl has a heart for helping others. She is one of the few students that I know who values the older generation and wants to serve them with her nursing degree. Read her essay below to see what she considers to be hope.

Regina Vicente:

At some point in our lives, we have all felt lonely, like there is nothing left for us to do, well that is where hope and faith play their part. We show our hope everyday without even realizing it, our actions show what we hope for and how strong our faith in it is. Hope is easy to say, but hard to believe especially in hard times. For us to have hope we have to have faith, from there God is the one who will fill us with hope and peace we cannot even explain.

Doña Toña

Growing up my grandmother lived with us for her last four years of life. She was pretty lucid for her age but still needed someone to give her undivided attention during the day. So, she had a part-time sitter who lived a couple of streets from our home that would come in everyday and keep her company. The sitter’s name is Antonia, but we called her Doña Toña. She was pretty young at the time, probably around her late thirties. Doña Toña was a single mother with two teenagers, being single did not stop her from building character in both her children, in fact they were and still are one of the most respectful people I know.

Her Hope

Whenever I think of hope, Doña Toña instantly comes to my mind. She did not have a degree or a business but a sitter’s income and she also sold food to students. Her hope was that someday her children would grow up and have a
better future than she did and her hope motivated her to keep working hard. I remember when her children left for college and moved to a different city, her words were: “I have no way to provide for them, but God does and he will make it possible for my children to earn their degrees”. She would send them frozen food for them to microwave throughout the week and worked extra hard to provide for them. Her hard work inspired me to also work hard, making me realize when we hope for something it will not always be easy, but it will not be impossible either.

Her Faith

Despite all the limits or things that could have stopped Doña Toña from sending away her children and making the decision for her children not to go to college, she did not and her circumstances did not stop her. Her faith was beyond paychecks and bills, but she believed God would never leave her and He never did. She had ups and downs financially and emotionally which she is really open to share, but one thing that never went down was her faith and hope. Doña Toña served in church, going through financial problems people would expect for her to leave church and work extra hours but she never did. She stayed faithful to God and he was also faithful to her.

Doña Toña Today

Long story short, now Doña Toña doesn’t work, she has a beautiful and charming dog named Bruno, which you will see her often on walks with. Her children, now adults, are an architect and microbiologist, both well known in town as brilliant people. After all the sacrifices, hard work, and faithfulness Doña Toña has achieved everything she hoped for. Her testimony has brought so much hope into my life since I started high school. Whenever I’m struggling or feel like giving up, Doña Toña’s testimony reminds me that God will always provide no matter how hard it may seem, all I have to do is trust in him and never lose hope.

Inspired by Doña Toña

Without even knowing it Doña Toña impacted my life and I have no doubt I am not the only one she has inspired and given hope to. Her life was hard, it was never easy for her or her children, but during that time you would see her and it would not even occur to you what she was going through. She would always greet you with a smile and if you visited her, you could tell hospitality was one of her gifts. All of her problems and struggles did not play a part in the way she lived her life. She was definitely troubled, but she also had faith and her hope never disappeared. It was not that she was living a perfect life, it was that her faith was in God and he never let her down, her hopes never went down. One thing Doña Toña taught me when I was little was to believe in what I want, but also to work hard for it. She placed that mindset on me of working hard to accomplish good things and in the way to also believe in myself and remain faithful to God.

Inspire Hope

Doña Toña’s testimony has given me so much hope for my future. It is also a reminder that it is not going to always be easy, but if we remain faithful to God, he will make sure we accomplish what we hope for. Just as Doña Toña was placed in our community to inspire hope, I also want to inspire hope wherever I go. I really want people to believe in what they hope for, to have faith in what God is holding for their future and most importantly I also want to keep believing in what I hope for, because I know God will be part of my way.

January 25, 2021 by Kristi Hopkins 4 Comments

9th Grade Psalms

I asked my 9th graders, after reading some of David’s psalms, to write their own. I couldn’t help but sharing a few (with permission) from these young ladies.

Nightmare by Nathalie Oliva

This nightmare is a blurry memory

Stuck inside my head,

It is mostly made of what I felt

When I saw my father dead.

How it happened I don´t remember,

My memory is only composed of feelings,

Like my heart was completely conscious,

But my brain was only dreaming.

I saw everybody walk in and out,

But did not recognize a face,

All I knew was that they weren´t my dad,

And only wanted my pain to erase.

I called out to God,

And asked Him to bring back my dad,

And when He didn´t do it,

Well, that just made me mad.

When I accepted he was gone,

I told God to take control,

And surely I felt a little bit lighter,

But my dad had still left in me a hole.

All I wanted was for this nightmare to end,

I wanted someone to take away my pain,

And when I cried for someone to wake me up,

They whispered: But darling, you´re already awake.

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MY PSALM TO YOU OH LORD! by Elem

Oh! My Lord I cried out to you! You surrounded me with your arms and your peace was over and in me! You brought me close to your chest and hugged me and I heard the tender whisper of your love! You are my strength in my afflictions! I felt your grace over me and it encircled me. And I said take me Oh Lord and mold me like a diamond no matter how much the pain is make me who you want to be! You do whatever you need and make me an unwavering person. Hold me in your arms because there I find my comfort.

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Belonging by Isis

When I don’t know where I belong,

When I am unshared of who I am

When my heart and my hands shake

For been afraid and scare,

But then I remember that He is always there,

When I don’t know what to do

I pray, pray to the Lord

Who bring me peace and love

All I have that I can give is love,

That He already gave me so far

When I think I am alone,

In a whole world without someone to help,

I remember He comes, to give me peace and love,

Because his huge love all around me He covers and all ,

When darkness comes, and a shadow is the only thing I can saw

I know He is there, being my light, even when I don’t see it

When people try to cut me down,

He is the one Who brings me up,

The one who give me strength and courage to keep on,

If I don’t have his love, I am nobody

His love, his peace, and his grace should cover our world

For a better been, for a better spirit and soul,

In this world of sinners.

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A Father by Hasly

Almighty God, you listened to me in those harsh times.

Powerful and wonderful God, you heard my prayers.

You gave me strength when I was weak.

My mind has been hard to control,

But You have helped me.

It was not easy to get over it and I do still tend to fall again in my own game,

But you are always there supporting me.

Just like a father takes care of his children,

You have taken care of me.

I clearly understand that you do not give us a cross we cannot carry,

And I know I am not the exception.

Now, I know I am strong and I can get over it.

It has been hard to control what I think,

But with you in my heart I have started to control my thoughts.

My thoughts took me to things that were not correct.

I was not taking care of my body,

I was not protecting your dwelling place.

Trust me, I am really sorry.

I know that what I did was not correct.

I do not deserve the forgiveness of such a powerful and perfect being like you,

But I know you love me and I know that I love you.

I promise to take care of myself and love myself,

Just as I love you.

It might not be easy in a world like this,

But I am sure that with you with me I am going to do it.