Christian Teaching
Transforming In-Home Healthcare: Why Frontline Caregivers Are the Heart of Modern Medicine
Part 1: Getting Personal
Part 1a: Compose a personal letter
Compose a 4-paragraph personal letter to a Christian teacher in your life, from whom you have learned and benefited a great deal. This could be a teacher in any context. Include these four elements in your letter: (a) how or in what ways you recognize and appreciate the authentic Christian faith and conviction that the teacher demonstrated, (b) how you have been impacted by the teacher’s example of character and biblical virtue, (c) how you recognize the teacher’s excellence and effectiveness in the ways (i.e., methods) in which he or she taught, and (d) how and in what contexts you will seek to emulate and apply what you learned from this teacher in your own teaching ministry.
When I think about someone who has been influential for the duration of my entire life, the first person who came to mind of course with my mother, Anette. As an ordained minister at the gospel and the first person to take me on a mission trip her influence cannot be understated. Certainly her strong faith has been modeled after that of her mother as well. Zona of course would drag all kids and grandkids to church service and holiday events when we were spending time together.
My mother's conviction regarding service to others has been apparent in her commitment to excellence and everything that she did while working in the church. Certainly this is still present as she leads online Bible studies and makes time for mission trips despite having a full workload and busy schedule. Her insistence on making time to lead others to Christ is one of the things I admire about her the most.
Her methods are many, when leading children's church she would insist on having the best curriculum and would lead in practical ways as well. Sacrificing her time, talent and energy to make the children’s service excellent and to equip those involved to ensure that everyone felt important especially the kids. While she is no longer involved in children's ministry, her effectiveness is administered at the gospel is applied in other ways. Whether that it is the encouragement and practical discipleship of nursing students who she instructs on a weekly basis or the way she holds the patient's hand and prays with them in the emergency department she shows light of Christ with how she shows compassion for humanity. I like to think that if she is as well as a nurse he would be equally as funny and excellent as she is.
The ways in which I would like to emulate her are probably innumerable. The way that she sees the downtrodden and insists on befriending them is something that I certainly struggle with, while easy to say on paper that we love everyone, liking them is another story. She does this beautifully and honestly. She has a way of expressing excitement in what others are sharing, particularly with children which is a reminder of how Jesus engaged with children and how I need to be like both of them in how I model intentional and engaged listening.
Love you mom, thanks for loving Jesus and us so well.
