How do I say goodbye?

Liz Ortiz
15 minutes ago
4 min read

I love the days that I go to the school. Whenever I open the door to my truck, I hear cheering and the sounds of footsteps running towards me. I am greeted by big smiles and hugs. The students help me carry in the boxes of books and supplies from my truck. As we walk into the classroom, I am greeted by Divine, a new student this year, who is non-verbal. The first couple of times that I came, she feared me and was on the verge of tears if I came near. But now, she is the first one at the door to greet me.

It has been exciting to see how much the students have grown over the last 2 years. There is a student with down syndrome. Her name is Bienvenue and she is sweetest person that you’ll meet and has the biggest smile. When I first met her, she struggled with forming the letters on her hand and identifying them. Last week I asked her to fingerspell her name, and she did! In that moment, my heart was filled with so much joy. This is such a special group of kids that I work with. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in their school.

Every time I pull away from the school, my heart feels a little heavy. How do I tell them goodbye? I haven’t told the students or teachers that I’m leaving for 7 months. Whenever I've told the kids that someone is leaving on an airplane the person hasn't come back. I know the teachers will understand that it’s a “see ya later,” not a “goodbye;” but I imagine it will be harder for the students, and some will not understand. Please pray that God would give me the best way to communicate “see ya later” to the students. Please pray for their understanding and their hearts.

Every Monday evening, I lead a Bible study with the blind school girls. When I first started doing the Bible study with them, I learned quickly that I have to think differently when preparing my lessons. Usually, when I teach, I use lots of visuals. However, with the blind, visuals don’t go over well. Leading this study has encouraged my creative thinking. One of my favorite lessons was on Joshua and the battle of Jericho. I told the girls, “we are going to pretend that we are the Israelites. It is the 7 th day and we are going to march around Jericho!” As a group we marched around their dorm 6 times. I stopped them and said, “For the final lap, there was singing and trumpets. Let’s make some noise!” We marched around the dorm one final time as we made trumpets noises. When we finished, the girls yelled and I played a sound effect on my phone of walls crumbling down. The girls and I all cheered as Jericho was defeated! It was a fun lesson on the power of God and how we can always trust His plan.

In 3 weeks, my first term in Togo will be complete as I fly to Michigan for a 7-month furlough. It amazes me how fast 4 years has gone, 2 years in Quebec and 2 years in Togo. There have been many ups and downs during my first term, but I’m thankful for how God used it all in my life for His purposes. Please pray as I begin making final preparations for furlough. One need I have is to lease a vehicle for while I am on furlough. I have currently raised 70% of the funds that I need for one. I am only $590 away from my goal! Would you please pray that I can meet this goal?

Thank you for all the encouragement, support, and prayers during this first term. I am forever grateful for how good the Lord is. I am looking forward to connecting with many of you while I am in North America.

God bless,

Liz Ortiz

Prayer Requests:

Pray that I can get the $590 needed for my furlough vehicle.
Pray for wisdom on the saying goodbye to the staff and students.
Pray that I can finish my first term well.
Pray for the bible study I lead with 18 of the blind school girl students. Pray that their hearts would be drawn to Christ.
Pray for all the students and staff that I work with that God would draw their hearts to Him.
Pray for someone(s) to join me in the ministry.
Pray for wisdom on how I can best support the school and encourage the students and staff.
I will be coming home December 15th for a 7-month furlough. Pray for wisdom as I prepare.