Rachelle D. Alspaugh's Blog, page 8

Learning FLEXIBILITY

I love my job here at New Song. There's truly not much that tops being able to teach kids about what it means to follow Christ, and being able to work with a small group in a beautiful, spacious, nature-filled setting just makes it all even better. I still have days that make me stop and remind myself that it's all real, that I really do have a job where I get to do this every day. Then add onto that all the friendships and opportunities that my new church has offered, and I am overwhelmed with how much God pursues me and really does give me the desires of my heart when I delight in Him. 

But back to school. So this week started with a field trip planned for Friday that the kids didn't know about. So we started out on Monday with the idea that we all needed to be flexible this week, allowing things to change around on our schedule in order to make room for fun things later in the week. Little did I know that I was going to need that reminder to be flexible and know that God was changing things around on our schedule in order to make room for exciting things later in the week.

Monday went well, and so did Tuesday, though my teammate expressed that her mom woke up really sick that morning (she lives with her parents) and Bob, my boss, was sick and would be working from home. Tuesday afternoon we had a quick meeting after school with plans for a Together Tuesday activity with the kids at 4:00. Our meeting ran a little late, so I got to Together Tuesday at about 4:15, only to find Jacob (the boys' houseparent) sitting on a bench, saying he fell and had hurt himself. He pushed through the pain, though, through our outdoor game time, but you could tell he was really hurting. After our activity, they got the bikes out, and I rode around for a little bit with the boys. I stayed an extra 10-15 minutes just to ride a little longer with Kayden and Zayden, embracing the opportunity to bond with them through an activity that I really enjoy. They really enjoyed hanging out with me that way, too. I had been praying for extra ways to connect with the kids because I am the only one that doesn't go out and do fun activities with them that aren't school related.

Well, I left at dinner time and went home to cook a quick meal and eat with Mike. As we were eating, I got a phonecall from Nicky, Jacob's wife, saying that Jacob had to go to the ER because he was still in so much pain, and she had already committed to taking the boys into town that evening. She asked if I could come watch her own 3 little boys and put them to bed at their normal bedtime around 7. So I finished eating, washed the dishes, and drove back to New Song to babysit their sweet little boys. It definitely wasn't what I had planned for the evening, but it was nice to spend that time with them and to enjoy a little peace and quiet after putting them to bed, with a cup of decaf coffee and a book while I waited for her to get back. The New Song boys were super happy I could babysit, and I could tell that it meant a lot to them when I came back over just an hour after leaving. I love how we all operate like a big family. Jacob ended up at the ER until around 11:00, and thankfully he didn't have any major damage, just a lot of bruising. 

While our team kept texting each other the whole time about Jacob, my teammate also texted to tell me that her parents had tested positive for COVID, meaning she herself could not come in to school the rest of the week out of precaution. So that meant shifting people around to help cover in the classroom and also during an outdoor break so I could have time to prepare to teach my teammate's afternoon Bible class. We also already had switched around our Friday multicultural cooking activity from Friday to Wednesday due to the field trip that the kids still didn't know about, the field trip that my teammate had done all the planning for and who was supposed to drive us. 

My teammate usually takes the boys to a park or something on Wednesdays after school, so Lisa ended up taking them instead. I got home around 4:30, at a quick dinner, and realized I had about a half hour before we had to leave for our Community Group at church. It was nice outside, so I decided to go on a walk. As I walked past my neighbor's house, she met me just as I was passing her mailbox and told me she'd just met Lisa while at the park playing with her boys. They happened to strike up a conversation while her boys played with our three New Song boys and found out they both had ME in common in their lives. So it gave me a chance to connect with my neighbor in a new way, all because Lisa happened to be at the park with the boys, covering for someone else. God is definitely in the details. 

Thursday morning I got a text saying that our oldest student, Kayden, had been throwing up (one of the last to get this stomach virus that we've been passing around for about 3 weeks) and would not be in to school for the day. With just two kids, I was on my own for most of the day with them (which I actually really enjoyed), and we did a school store in the afternoon and then I kept them for Math Club for an hour after school. All while trying to prepare report cards, newsletters, and leadership awards to send home with the kids on Friday. Oh, and a last minute notice that they wanted us to do a deep clean of the classroom before break and change out the decor for spring. Long day, for sure. With one sick, I hesitated telling them any details of our field trip on Friday, just in case the other two came down sick the next day. Plus I wasn't sure yet who was going to go with me on the trip since my teammate couldn't come. 

I got home late on Thursday and immediately started to work on cleaning out and vacuuming my car in preparation to drive to Indianapolis for our field trip the next day. Then we ate a late dinner together before I went to bed early. I was so excited, though, when I found out that they'd arranged for Olivia, the office manager, who I go to church with and have a very close relationship with, to join us on our field trip. :) 

Friday morning finally came, and all three boys were feeling well, so after I went over their report cards and leadership awards with them, and they did their contributions (weekly jobs) with an extra deep clean, Olivia and I left with them to drive to Indianapolis to enjoy the Children's Museum with them. What a great day we had together with the boys, and then after dropping them off with their families for spring break, she and I stopped for coffee and ended up sitting in the parking lot beside her car just talking for another half hour. Turned out to be a great day. 

But then I had to hurry home to finish any last minute prep before my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew arrived from Warsaw that evening to spend the weekend with us. 

Here are some pics of our day! Definitely an answer to prayer over wanting more ways to connect with the boys outside of the classroom. 

One day

One day we'll look back on the time when we bought a dirty, grimy, dilapidated old house built in 1938 on 10 acres of wooded land..... and there will be lots of laughs and funny stories to pass down for generations. 

We're not at that "one day" yet, but we're inching our way closer every month.

Mike said we'd have it livable within two months. Two months after we bought it, we had to bring David "home" to stay with us for the following two months during his recovery from his accident. It was "livable" with a nice, big living room, a wood stove for heat, one finished bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen with new countertops, a new, working sink, a new, working microwave, and cabinets with no doors on them yet. All of the doors, both interior and exterior, had been replaced, there were new windows in several of the rooms, a wall had been lengthened to make one of the rooms longer, and the dining and living areas had a fresh coat of paint on them, keeping most of the house the same color, as opposed to the multi-colored walls when we bought it. 

We've been in the house for almost 6 months now, and little by little, that "livable" house continues to improve and feel more like home. Many projects have had to wait through the winter due to the extreme muddy conditions beside/behind the house, including getting the propane tank moved farther away from the house, reconnected, and refilled. Which means I still don't have use of my new oven and stove, nor can we heat the house any other way than with the electric heaters we have and having a fire going constantly in the wood stove. But, I will say that the wood stove has kept the house warm and cozy, and most of our meals have cooked just fine in the crockpot or the toaster oven now that it's just two of us. 

We now have two bedrooms, though only one has a closet so far. We have our king sized bed here to sleep on, with plenty of storage in the drawers underneath. Mike just built me shelves in a strange storage space in the bathroom, so I have more of a linen closet than I've ever really had in my last two houses. I painted a built in space/cabinet in the wall, and Mike put shelves and a light in it for me so I could display my tea set that my grandparents bought for me many years ago in Romania. 

Mike came home with a new mailbox that lights up at night, plus he built a step for our entry way that previously had a single cracked up cement block to step on. He brought home two large barrels for us to easily burn our trash in so we don't have to wait for decent weather conditions to be able to burn it on the burn pile. 

I enjoy going to our storage area more now because I am able to bring more decorations home as we have more places to start putting them. Just this last week, I was able to put up a wooden wall hanging with my Pennsylvania covered bridge carved into it (the one by my childhood home) and hooks underneath so I can finally hang my necklaces. It's those little things that make it feel like I'm here to stay for awhile. 

My covered bridge wall hanging
My favorite shelf lamp where I have my quiet time in the mornings


A painting I made with my mom and my sister-in-law on my mom's 70th birthday, finished maybe an hour before a tornado came right through the area! I plan to hang some family pictures in this hallway. 
The cabinet I decided to fix up


Now with my treasured tea set safely inside, ready for a close friend to come have tea with me.
My new linen closet area Feels so good to have all my towels, sheets, and blankets in one place, along with all sorts of other toiletries, etc. All that space was just a waste before he put those shelves in. 
We also got a new (to us) washer and dryer, as the ones left here just didn't cut it. The washer needed work, and the dryer didn't always dry well. We found the same models, just newer, on marketplace, and we are much happier with these than the old ones. Bigger, nicer, and newer. 

Little by little, this little house is coming along. We've had a few teaser nice days lately that remind me that spring is just around the corner. Longer, warmer days are coming so we can focus on the outdoor areas more, as well as the inside areas that were just too cold to deal with through this winter. 

A new church home

 If you have a church that feels like family, you get it. You get how it works and what the Church is supposed to be. 

Leaving LakePointe Church behind was by far one of the hardest parts of this move. We'd been there for almost 20 years. We gave and we received. We served others, and we partook of other's service to and care for us. We sat under and learned immensely under wise leaders, teachers, pastors, and counselors. We met weekly for large groups, small groups, and even smaller accountability groups. Our church was our family when our own family wasn't in close proximity. In fact, that's the way God designed the Church to be. And the way we love our Church family, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that's our greatest testimony to a watching world. It's where authentic Christian love is lived out. John 13:35 says that "by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

David and I were reminded of this first hand very recently when he had his mountain-biking accident that put us both in great need of support. Our church family showed up immediately to offer their presence and to take care of our physical needs, and they just kept pouring into us in the days and weeks to follow. 

So in moving to Indiana, despite all of our other challenges in the move, we dove right in to finding a new church home. When my coworker told me about what she found in Terrace Lake Church, I sensed something inside me telling me that sounded a lot like the church I'd left behind. And as soon as we walked inside the sanctuary, we felt right at home. Afterward the service, a greeting team of two women talked with us about different ministries in the church, mission partners and mission trips, etc., and sent us home with a gift bag and new t-shirts. Those two women continue to inspire me and grace me with their friendships every time I see them. In fact, they are both leading a mission trip to Colombia this fall that I really wish I could be a part of (but it's during the school year, so that would be too much of a burden for my team at New Song for me to try to go.)

Since then, Mike participated in a campus care day and met the husband of one of the women, who serves as the worship pastor of the church and also connects well with Mike's "handy-man" side. I've been in two women's Bible studies, and we've connected with a Community Group that meets every other month. Through connections in that group, I've developed new friendships and prayer partners, as well as been able to pursue training opportunities in Biblical counseling, a new passion God put on my heart a few years ago. 

At the first of the year, one of the elders (and founders of the church) preached a four week series on prayer. In his first one, he talked about how he wrestled with God twenty years ago to leave Dallas, Texas and move to Columbus, IN to plant a church with four other families. (Okay, God, I'm listening....) Come to find out, that very man and his wife used to go to church in Texas with two very, very close friends of mine. When she found out where I was going to church, she said we were with some really good people. Such sweet confirmation from someone back "home" in Texas. 

Well, this last week, we officially became members of Terrace Lake Church and look forward to becoming part of this new family. 

https://www.terracelake.org/

Settling in

We've been guest-less for a few weeks now, and I finally feel like I am starting to settle in for the first time since we moved here. We've put some pictures on the wall, we're more relaxed and are enjoying our time together in new ways, we are enjoying our jobs, getting more deeply involved at church, meeting more people, and we're settling in to a few routines. 

I've been reading a lot, and I've been working on a writing project that I had put on the shelf for most of the last year because, well, I just couldn't. Writing just doesn't work when you're living so scattered and unsettled. It's amazing how easily I could get back into it once we set up a small office/writing space for me. I'm also working on some artsy stuff to make encouragement cards based on Scripture for the women's ministry at church. It's a small step toward getting more involved in a ministry that is so close to my heart. Little by little the new acquaintances I've made at all the events are starting to become new friends. In fact, the lady leading the Bible study I'm going to right now is in the middle of writing a book! We connected right away and have even talked about possibly trying to gather a little writer's group together at church. :) 

We are loving our church and are in the process of becoming members. We went through the 3 hour meeting that ended with a luncheon where we connected very well with two of the elders, one who is leading our community group and who leads the Biblical counseling ministry, and the other one is one of the founders of the church who came from Dallas 20 years ago and is a good friend of some of our closest friends in Texas. Small world. To finalize our membership, he and his wife and are going to meet with us over lunch or dinner soon to get to know us better and help us plug in to the ministries that we are gifted in. 

I absolutely love teaching at New Song, and I've grown a deep love for each of my students. It is such a privilege to pray over them each morning, to teach them about godly leadership, to teach Spanish in a very unique way (we learn phrases and vocabulary one day, travel virtually to a Spanish-speaking country one day, and cook a treat from that country on Fridays), to fill the walls with our daily gratitude lists (we are working together on a goal to list 1,000 gifts from God--we're currently around 425, almost half-way there!), and to watch them participate and learn in Bible class. My team is amazing to work with, as well. That's not to say we haven't seen and dealt with difficult behaviors or situations, but we have definitely seen a lot of growth in all of our students. 

Here are some random pics of life these days:

My walking route, right in front of my house. I try to walk a mile or so every day that the weather lets me. It's so delightfully peaceful around here.

Our Friday Spanish treat this last week, a tropical drink from the Dominican Republic, called Morir Soñando (to die dreaming).


The kids showing off the things they bought in our school store with their hard-earned play coins.


Admiring the beauty at New Song with the creek a little fuller than usual. 
Celebrating a student's birthday
Sporting my Valentine headband that my last teammate in Garland gave me. I sent her a pic of me wearing mine, and she sent me a pic of her wearing hers. :)
So thankful for a perfect spot on my couch to watch the sunrise on the weekends.
The wall in our bedroom from the view of my bed. 
Our wedding pic wall in our bedroom. Funny how much that makes it feel more like home. 
Students happily doing their Friday clean-up chores. 

Just sitting in class, getting ready to start the day. 
Fun after-school activities when it's raining outside
A new step Mike was building for us. 
My babies, much closer than we ever see them. 
Every Tuesday is Together Tuesday where we all get together for a fun activity. One night we had puzzle night with brownie sundaes. 
The first way we had the room arranged. Unfortunately, we had to change it to give them more structure for now.

Fun Science experiments on Thursdays in class. 
Game night for a Together Tuesday. We played Spoons and Sorry. 

The cold weather can be a real drag, both at home and at school, but warm, sunny days make everything better. Those days just change my whole perspective. Thankful today was one of them. 

A picture speaks a thousand words

The last time I physically saw these friends was July 17th, 2013 when I left their apartment in Bogotá, Colombia to head to the airport with my two sons to finally bring Juan David home to Texas. They had graciously let the three of us stay with them for the final week of Juan's adoption process when our AirBnB rental time ran out after 5 weeks. 
Now here we are close to ten years later, dining together at New Song Mission. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this actually took place. I'm absolutely in awe at how God connects His people across the miles and even continents and uses His church body to provide and care for one another anywhere they go. 
Zayde and Alvaro worked with us at El Camino Academy in Bogotá in the summer of 2012. They lived in the same apartment complex where we stayed, so they got to know Julian really well. They took us to church with them, invited us on many adventures, helped us get to know Bogotá, vacationed with us, and helped us find medical care when we needed it. When we went back the following year for Juan's adoption, we ended up renting an apartment almost an hour away from them, but they still took the time to come out to us to go swimming, go to the movies, etc. We took a trip together to a well-known tourist area, giving Julian and Juan David a chance to spend a weekend together. They also helped us find medical care when we found ourselves in another emergency. 
Their daughter moved to the United States in 2018 to study as a foreign exchange student at a Christian school in Tennessee. She was able to stay until she graduated, and then she continued to stay for college. Zayde came to see her in February of 2020 and ended up stuck here with her for 3 months during COVID. During that time, though I was far away, I was able to get her connected with several adoptive families wanting to learn Spanish, and she started a virtual Spanish tutoring business. That business has done so well that there are even agencies that are recommending her services now. She has a heart for helping others, and now God has given her a special heart for adoptive families. 
They came to visit with their daughter recently, and they found themselves very drawn to the mission at New Song, just a few hours from where their daughter goes to college. So they spent a couple nights with us and a couple nights at New Song, volunteering, sitting in meetings with New Song's founders/directors, talking about possibilities to come on board with us (all depending on visas and immigration at this point), and even helping out with my Spanish class for the kids by teaching them about Colombian culture, food, and games. They taught them a few phrases they can use in Spanish and we also had a cooking demonstration to give the kids a little "taste" of Colombia. 
Only God knows what He has planned, but what a privilege it was to serve alongside them this week at New Song Mission, to host them in my home,  and to accept their invitation to dinner in one of the homes at New Song where they stayed and volunteered. God has them on quite the adventure, and I'm excited to see where it goes. 

Coffee, of course. 
Dinner in Columbus at 4th Street Bar and Grill


Staying up late playing games and drinking coffee.
Hanging out in downtown Columbus.

Teaching the kids how to make arepas.  Tasting the arepas we made.
Alvaro teaching the kids how to play RANA, a Colombian game.  It took him at least 3 hours to make this game the night before. 
Teaching my students about Colombia.

Zayde on top of the hill, taking in the beauty of New Song. 
Alvaro teaching a student about flying paper airplanes. 
Our first and last meals together were both at Chick Fil-A. Sounds pretty appropriate to me. 
When God made it clear that He was guiding me to New Song Mission, this sweet reunion and now ministry connection with my dear friends couldn't have been any further from my imagination. 
Only God. 

Finally feeling like home

 

A week before David left to go back to Texas, Mike and Matt finally finished with the drywall in the master bedroom, and Mike worked hard to get it painted quickly so we could officially move in to our own bedroom. I was so excited to finally get our king size bed out of storage and sleep on my own mattress. :)

This is actually a doorway that will go right into our large master bath/closet, but they won't be done for quite a while yet. So Mike covered up the doorway and put in some cubbies for our clothes and a curtain. And I finally got to hang up my little coat/sweater rack on the wall that Mike had gotten me for my birthday last year shortly before we moved. 
I ordered new bedding right away and finally got to put it on my bed by the end of the week. 
The room is a little dark now with only one small lamp, but it sure does have a very calming feel to it. This room has made an incredible difference for me phsychologically, finally making me feel like I can start to settle and feel like I'm at home. I finally had a place that was not temporary and that was not going to change. It also meant that David could move out of the living room and sleep in the spare bedroom. I could also go in the living room in the early mornings to have my prayer time for the first time since October. 
David got to enjoy the spare bedroom for a week before he went back to Texas, and then we had ONE DAY to get the house cleaned up, wash and change bedding, get stuff out of storage, and set up that spare bedroom as the guest bedroom/office/craft room/play room that I've envisioned. And we finally hung a few pictures and decorations on the wall. 

This little office/writing area just makes my heart happy. It's close enough to the bed that one person can sit on one side and another person can sit on the stool to play a game together. There are games stored on the other side of the bed. On this side I have writing, journaling, and art/craft supplies stored in the cubbies. 

Once we have a master closet, we can use these cubbies for more games instead of clothes. 
We found a good place to hang up one of my favorite wall hangings that used to be out on my front porch. "Live in such a way that those who don't know God will want to know God because they know you." For now it's hanging above my temporary coffee bar. 


We put curtains up in the living room, giving it a real homey feel. 
And, of course, we found a spot to hang up our God Bless Texas sign. :)

Mike cleaned up the floors real good after they'd been covered with a lot of dust and dirt from all the mud outside. 


Sure feels good to have a real living room to relax in. 
The house still has a long way to go, but it's definitely coming along and feeling like home more every day now. Just in time for our first guests (that aren't blood related) who arrived the very next day.  

Empty Nest, Take 2

I left my oldest son in Texas in July, while I followed behind my youngest as the last vehicle in our 3 vehicle caravan to move all of our belongings from Garland, Texas to Columbus, IN. He stayed in Columbus for the next month and a half, living above my brother-in-law's garage, while Mike and I had our first taste of an empty nest. But since we were living out of an RV, it just felt like we were on an extended trip with different sleeping arrangements. The empty nest didn't really start to sink in until David drove back to Texas in the middle of August.  

We bought our own piece of property to land the RV and then eventually cleared a space inside the house to reside while we renovated it. We'd officially set up camp in the living room by mid-October, with just enough usable space for the two of us. No furniture other than a full-size bed, a recliner, an outdoor egg chair, a fridge, two electric fireplace heaters, and some camping chairs. 

And then I flew back to Texas in an emergency because David got into an accident that left him completely helpless. Three weeks later I flew back with David so we could help take care of his daily needs while he healed. Definitely not the empty nest we had envisioned. I guess God thought none of us were ready to live so far apart just yet. Thankfully Mike had finished renovating a small spare bedroom and moved the full-size bed from the living room to the spare room so David could sleep on the RV bed mattress on the floor of the living room for the next two months. Mike and his brother had also installed a wood burning stove in the living room and extended the back wall of that room in order to lengthen the master bedroom behind it, though it was still not usable or even ready for paint. I also now at least had countertops in my still unfinished kitchen. 

With a third person, we needed more furniture, so we bought a couch, got some cubbies for clothes and our kitchen table and chairs out of storage. Our grocery bill went way up and our diet completely changed in order to appeal to a college student. So much for that empty nest. LOL. We went from life in Texas with two very independent sons who were gone more than they were ever home, to sharing a bathroom and a closet with a very dependent son who needed to be with one of us pretty much all the time and who needed transportation to doctor's appointments and then physical therapy appointments.

Although the constant dependence issue definitely made communication a bigger struggle in our marriage, I can't say I didn't enjoy having David around a bit longer than we ever would have imagined. Since Juan lived with us until he was 24 1/2 years old, David never did get that time alone with us that I always assumed he would when Juan was old enough to move out on his own. I guess this was that chance. I'll always treasure those extra two months with him that just happened to include his 21st birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas in 3 places, and New Year's Eve. (I'll always remember both of my boys' 21st birthdays. Juan got baptized out in a lake on his and David had two broken arms on his.)

But all good things must come to an end (for me), and he got his pins removed from his wrists on December 28th, did a week and a half of physical therapy before he drove himself to the second week of therapy. A week later, we put him on an airplane alone to fly back to Texas to go back to school. He's still got a lot of therapy ahead to regain all of his mobility, but at least he regained enough to go back to class and to take care of himself. I feel for him, though, because I'm sure his lack of full mobility is a lot more noticeable and discouraging when you're hanging out with your friends and not able to do everything you used to be able to do the last time you were with them. 

A day after he left, we got more stuff out of storage to prepare the house for two very special guests who came the following day. Those guests just left today, almost a week later, and now the empty nest is will have a chance to hit home. 

Saying goodbye to his buddy. Again. 


Checking in his bags since he can't handle them on his own in the airplane. 
One last coffee date, in the airport. Too bad we forgot to bring cards to play. 
No splints.Just scars. And wrists that still can't do what they used to be able to do. 

Saying goodbye.


And just a few hours later, he was back at DBU, trying to settle back in before classes started a few days later. On top of the new semester, he also has to finish up last semester on his own time. It'll be tough, but we're thankful it was even an option and that he didn't have to lose all the work he'd completed the first semester before the accident. 
I miss him, but I'm glad he's where he is. 

One week in

It sure did feel good to teach again and to work with students this week. It was definitely a learning curve for all of us--the staff and the students. Except for one, most of our students had only ever been here once, and that was for a week of camp. Coming here for school and family life is a whole different story, so those boys were very emotional by the time Friday came around and they knew they were going to get to go home for the weekend to see their families. 

As a teacher, I could only be somewhat prepared for that emotional dynamic to this ministry. Until you meet the kids, work and bond with them all week can you really begin to empathize with them. I mean, they all love it here. They love being in a safe, secure environment. They love the houseparents they live with and even the interaction with the houseparents' younger children. They love the big home-cooked meals. They love the structure they have in school, even if they're still pretty reluctant to work at this point. Every day we start our day by writing in a gratitude journal (and on a gratitude poster), and every day they write something about how thankful they are for being here. But on Friday, they all wrote the same thing on the poster. "I am thankful for GOING HOME." Sure does tug at your heart strings.

We're learning quickly why God brought each one of these boys to New Song, and my teammate and I do not take this privilege to teach them lightly. We'll be working hard to catch several of them up to their grade level as they have very obviously been those children that slip through the cracks. It's definitely going to be a challenge. My teammate looked at their current levels and said, "I don't know what the right answer will be to how we're going to do that." And my response was, "The right answer is that they're here." With two of us and only five of them, and a safe, secure, Christian family environment, we can do so much more than had they stayed where they are. We can give them hope that they honestly didn't have. 

This first week was mostly about getting to know these boys, teaching them routines, procedures, and setting expectations, and pulling them aside to talk things through when needed. It was really all hands on deck, but next week I think we'll all be able to settle into our specific roles as they kids resettle next week. Everything won't be so new, and they'll be aware that they're here for school and not camp. LOL. We started our afternoon enrichment classes like Bible, Leadership, Spanish, Fun Science, and Friday afternoon chapel time. I also am really excited about our daily Read Aloud time right after lunch. I also got them started on a program where they can submit their extra assignments digitally, even with pictures and videos, and their moms can see their work. One of the moms sent me a message after seeing her child's work and video and said, "That just made my day." :) 

It was definitely one of those weeks where I wanted to pinch myself just to make sure it was all real. What a privilege to be chosen by God to work in this unique teaching and discipling opportunity. Have there been a few tensions along the way? Of course, especially when people change roles within a team. But at the same time, it's been a neat opportunity to grow together as a team and to support and encourage each other. 

I am really looking forward to see just how far we can take these boys, to see them develop leadership skills, to see them grow spiritually, and to make an eternal impact on their lives. 

Starting the week just after they arrived with dinner all together in the boys' home. Lasagna, garlic bread, salad, warm banana bread, and ice cream for dessert. 

Ending the week with fun Science experiments with Miss Julie. 

23 things I'm hoping for in 2023

Hoping will happen

Hoping I can achieve

Hoping to change

Hoping to do better

Hoping to let go

Some may turn into reality, some may not. But if we never have our hopes set on anything, then life becomes miserable and meaningless. 

In the year 2023, I hope....

To hear that my closest friend is cancer freeTo see my new students grow spiritually, academically, and develop leadership skillsTo see my new students find the freedom to be the kids they areTo have a more complete house to settle into to truly call homeTo find true satisfaction in Christ aloneTo not miss opportunities to encourage others and lift them upTo be able to find quality time to focus and finish my writing project for ABH that I started over a year ago--one that God put on my heart to start, but has clearly said, "It's not time yet."Make new Bible study friends at churchMake my home a welcoming place for others to visit and hang outExplore

My Word for 2023

As the month of December started, I began to think and pray about my word for 2023. 

I had just started reading through a devotional Advent book with my mom for the month of December, specifically called Emmanuel, a 25 day journey to prepare Christ room at Christmas time and always, written by Ruth Chou Simons. As I got to Day 22, titled the Prince of Peace, my curiosity peaked since I had just been reflecting over my word for 2022, Peace.

Little did I know that God was going to use the day's devotional reading on PEACE to lead me into my word for the next year.

Here are a few quotes from that day's reading on page 207.

"The peace we experience in our everyday lives becomes an overflow of the peace we know when the Prince of Peace rules our hearts.....even lovely attempts at creating a peaceful atmosphere fall short of giving us true peace.... Where do you look to find peace? Does it satisfy?"

"In this season, teach me to be satisfied with nothing less than peace with You and peace in You."

The word jumped out at me, just as it did when I searched for verses for my post about having to fight for that sacred time in the morning to spend with God. So I made a note of it in my devotional and continued reading the following day.

Day 23, titled Lord of Lords  on page 212.

"Submitting to the lordship of Christ in our lives should be a joyful laying down of our own wills in recognition that our King, Jesus, is stronger, better, more loving, and more satisfying than anything else we could align our lives with." 

"What a delight life becomes when we make Christ master over everything? And how miserable life becomes when we cling to a throne that is not rightfully ours."

When I look for peace in a person rather than in my unsettled/unfinished circumstances, I can be satisfied. Not just content , delighted, or joyful or not miserable, but satisfied. That's my desire for the year ahead. Both peace (authentic peace) and satisfaction from spending time in the presence of Christ.

The definition of the word for satisfy in Hebrew is to be sated, satisfied or surfeited.

According to the dictionary, the word surfeited means: cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess. The word sated means to be fully satisfied or overfilled. 

Can you imagine being so consumed with your time with Jesus that you don't or can't desire more? Imagine how different my outlook on each day might be if that's the way I start my morning? 

The more filled I am with the presence of Jesus, the more I can't help but let him overflow onto everyone around me. 

That's what I want--to be fully satisfied with Jesus love early in the morning. I don't just want contentment, which means I am choosing to be happy with whatever I have. Satisfied means I got exactly what I wanted, what I was searching for!

May I come to Jesus each and every day truly seeking to be fully satisfied with Him.