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Saying Goodbye
It’s hard for me to believe how quickly this last year has gone by. I knew it would pass quickly, but my last year in Eagle Butte has come and gone. As I reflect over the past five and a half years, I am so thankful that God allowed me to live and serve in Eagle Butte. I have been blessed beyond measure. Back in college, God told me that wherever I go, He will use me if I follow Him. I see how God was faithful to His promise. I have built so many relationships with my students, co-workers, and fellow community members. I have grown in my faith, and I know that others have grown in their faith. God is at work in Eagle Butte, and He graciously allowed me to be a part of that work for a time. Now, He will continue His work in Eagle Butte without me there. I am excited to see what God will continue to do!
When I first moved to Eagle Butte, I made this video about the city. This is the place I have fallen in love with, and it will forever hold a piece of my heart.
Here are my 8th graders from this year! I have built some really good relationships with some of these kids. We have had our ups and downs, but I will definitely miss them!
Though I will be back for one more visit before I leave, I have said goodbye to Eagle Butte. It has been a hard transition, so I thank you who have been praying for me.
Unexpected Changes
Some of you know that I have asked for prayer for my student loan situation. I was expecting to get $17,500 forgiveness for teaching 8th grade math for 5 years. However, through a long process, I have learned that South Dakota does not consider 8th grade as a secondary grade, so I received a lot less loan forgiveness than I was expecting. I am still working on the situation some, but it appears that I will probably need to pay back the remaining balance. I have the money to pay off a good chunk of it, but I most likely will not be debt free before I leave, as I had hoped. I wanted you to be aware of this so you can be praying for the situation and so that you know that I will not be raising extra support for this; all money that goes towards my loans will come from my personal salary (the 45% of my monthly support that I receive for personal expenses such as food, gas, savings, clothing, etc.). Thank you for your prayers in this matter. I know that God knew all along that this would happen and that He was the one who moved up my timeline and provided my support to return to Faith this year, so I know that this also is somehow a part of His plan so that He will receive the most glory.
Support Update!
I am getting so much closer to reaching my support goal! I am currently at 90% support, and because of that level of support, I was able to purchase my plane tickets! I am set to depart on July 18th, the day after I finish my training with SEND. I still have to reach 100% support before I can leave. If I do not reach 100% support by July 17, I will need to change my tickets. If you have been planning to give and haven’t submitted a form to SEND, please send it in soon so SEND knows of your commitment! If you are interested in joining my monthly support team with a monthly, quarterly, or annual faith promise, please check out my website or e-mail me, and I can give you more information! You can also give online at www.send.org/benson. Thank you to everyone who has already partnered with me to reach this point! I can't wait to see what God will do to bring in the rest!
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