a little background

Since some of you who are reading this may not have received my support letter in the mail, I thought I would post it on the blog...

On February 7, 2011, I will be on a flight to Lima, Peru! Through the passions God has given me (serving him, working with children and youth, teaching, cultures & languages, and for volleyball) and through many opportunities, God has lead me to an exciting new adventure. 

A few of these opportunities have been serving God by working with and teaching children and youth at Evangelical Covenant Church (IA), Grace Church Roseville (MN), and Twin Lakes Bible Camp. During my time at Northwestern College, my passions were directed towards earning an English as a Second Language Teaching license and minors in Bible & Spanish. 

My freshman year at Northwestern I went on my first missions trip to another country, Costa Rica. Since then I have felt God tugging at my heart to continue to be used in overseas missions. The following year, my friend Jessica & I went on missions trip to Lima, Peru. We stayed with Steve and Kelley Frerichs and their family who introduced us to many different ministry opportunities, one of which was Monterrico Christian School (MCS). I assisted in the 1^st grade classroom, and even substitute taught for a day! After the trip, I hoped to return to Peru sometime, but wasn’t sure if it would happen. Over the next two years, I prayed that God would guide me to where He wants me after college, and God kept putting MCS on my heart. Last January I contacted MCS and have since applied, interviewed, and been accepted as a teacher for the 2011 school year.

Monterrico Christian School is an English emersion school, this is a draw for Peruvian families to send their children to an English emersion school with teachers from the United States. About 50% of the students come from non-Christian homes, which provides a great opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ not only with the students, but also with their families. All the classes are taught in English, with the exception of a Peruvian teaching the Peruvian history lesson in Spanish. I’m waiting for a confirmation on what grade I will be teaching, but I will most likely be teaching 5^th or 6^th grade. I have also been asked to start a volleyball program for the middle school students! 

God has given me this opportunity, but I cannot accomplish this without relying on God’s continued guidance, and your prayers and support. The teachers are MCS work on missionary support from several different organizations and churches. I am thankful that Evangelical Covenant Church, has agreed to send me as a missionary teacher to MCS. If you are interested in supporting me financially, please e-mail me. If you would like to receive a monthly e-mail update while I’m in Peru, please e-mail me at natalie.r.carroll@gmail.com.

Thank you for your love and support!

Natalie Carroll