We have been here for 3 weeks. Can't believe it! There have been ups and downs:times where I've desperately wanted my old life back...with it's conveniences, and ease of living, with the ability to see my daughter on a regular basis, and spend time with my friends, but times where I've delighted in the new people God has put in my life, the convenience on living on school property and the confidence in knowing that this is where God has placed us.
We are settling in and I am learning new things. I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone - especially in the classroom. Back into working with 7/8 year olds who have an energy that makes me appreciate more fully all early elementary teachers. I can guarantee you - these people do this job for the love of the children and the calling God has put in their lives, not for the money!
Some of the things I'm learning is to be more organized! I have to ensure my lessons are planned more than a week in advance so that I can organize anything I need copied at least 2 days before I need them. The school does not have a copy machine on campus, but sends copies out. No last minute copies for this lady!!
I'm remembering that 7/8 year olds are not able to control themselves in as far as their peers are concerned. I constantly hear .... he touched me, he's playing with paper, she's not eating her snack, he pushed in line, she's eating candy in class...... So I'm learning patience; I'm learning that they need to be taught these skills of handing different situations; I'm learning that they are just children who thrive when they know what is expected from them.
I was reading this morning about how Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him. After Peter said he did, 3 times, Jesus simply said "Feed my Sheep". We need to know that Jesus' sheep aren't perfect. They can be loud, disrespectful, pushy, naughty, etc. but it is impossible to exhaust His love for them, or my love for them if it flows through the Spirit of God within me. I have no business being guided by natural emotions - I have to feed His sheep. He will not release us from His commission to us. Jesus says - pour yourself out. Don't testify about how much you love me and don't talk about the wonderful revelation you have had - just feed my sheep.
We asked God to put us where He wanted us. He put us in Asuncion, Paraguay.
He put us in a small school with children from all over the world - Korea, Taiwan, the US and local children. He found us a community to live in with caring people who have helped us acclimate to the area.
He has taught us that He is faithful. He will be with us...wherever we may go. We need to suck up the whiny selves that we sometimes become, and look for the blessings in each day - and believe me, there are many! We are here for 2 years. After that, who knows. We just want to be where He wants us to be.
I want to encourage you to take each situation, even the sucky ones, and see how you can approach it. If you see it as an opportunity to encourage someone else, or grow in ways you didn't expect, then you will find that it is not as bad as you expected. No, not everything is going to be fun, or great, or wonderful. But we can make the decision to get through it with God's help - because He will never fail us.
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