August 27, 2007
“Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
After crying for what felt like forever, I walked down the road (if you can call it that) towards the school, in hopes of finding Ashley. Partway down the pot-holed asphalt I was bombarded by my new students. God knew exactly what I needed to cheer up. So I turned cartwheels and bent over backwards for them (quite literally actually), and I answer question after question. Their lisped Spanish melted my heart and my tears went forgotten while I was with them.
God, watch over my family while I’m away. Hold us all together in your hands. I pray for much more of you, and much less of me.
“Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
After crying for what felt like forever, I walked down the road (if you can call it that) towards the school, in hopes of finding Ashley. Partway down the pot-holed asphalt I was bombarded by my new students. God knew exactly what I needed to cheer up. So I turned cartwheels and bent over backwards for them (quite literally actually), and I answer question after question. Their lisped Spanish melted my heart and my tears went forgotten while I was with them.
God, watch over my family while I’m away. Hold us all together in your hands. I pray for much more of you, and much less of me.
August 28, 2007
It took us three hours to rig our bug net. Since it was originally hung on a piece-of-junk curtain rod, it frequently fell on us, showering insects of all sorts on our heads. I decided that it was time to fix this problem, and we looked around our sparse room to check out our resources. We had a bent nail, a hammer made of a hammer-head and a crow-bar, some masking tape, dental floss, and our bare, concrete ceiling. We tried the hammer and nail, but our ceiling was too hard. So, I figured the dental floss was our next best shot.
For three hours we wrestled with the waxy mess. It was quite an adventure for the first 20 minutes, but the next two and a half hours made us tired, sweaty, and no closer to hanging our dumb bug net than before.
As of right now, our support-system consists of numerous strands of dental floss in increasingly bigger triangles (thank you Mr. Sequeira for teaching me the value of that three-sided shape). Our attachment points include a bent nail, a burned out fuse box, and our light fixture… these are the kinds of problems they need to throw at you in math class. The real-life ones…
God, give me peace. Bless my family while we’re apart, and hold us close together in your hands. I pray for much more of you, and much less of me.
It took us three hours to rig our bug net. Since it was originally hung on a piece-of-junk curtain rod, it frequently fell on us, showering insects of all sorts on our heads. I decided that it was time to fix this problem, and we looked around our sparse room to check out our resources. We had a bent nail, a hammer made of a hammer-head and a crow-bar, some masking tape, dental floss, and our bare, concrete ceiling. We tried the hammer and nail, but our ceiling was too hard. So, I figured the dental floss was our next best shot.
For three hours we wrestled with the waxy mess. It was quite an adventure for the first 20 minutes, but the next two and a half hours made us tired, sweaty, and no closer to hanging our dumb bug net than before.
As of right now, our support-system consists of numerous strands of dental floss in increasingly bigger triangles (thank you Mr. Sequeira for teaching me the value of that three-sided shape). Our attachment points include a bent nail, a burned out fuse box, and our light fixture… these are the kinds of problems they need to throw at you in math class. The real-life ones…
God, give me peace. Bless my family while we’re apart, and hold us close together in your hands. I pray for much more of you, and much less of me.
August 29, 2007
I’ve had such a difficult time here that I thought a happy/thankful list may be helpful. It took almost an hour to think of approximately 20 things to be thankful for. Wow.
Spanglish. Ashley. Ingrid, my third grade teacher. Canciones (songs). 501 Verbs. My cell phone. Hugs from little people. Clean sheets. Bug nets. Sabbath. The words “esta bien.” Spanish-English Bible. My blue heels. Fireflies. That Christmas is only 16 pages away. This pen. My mommy. That God speaks English. Good water. That shaving is so NOT a big deal. Toilet paper. Twix bars. The full moon.
I’ve had such a difficult time here that I thought a happy/thankful list may be helpful. It took almost an hour to think of approximately 20 things to be thankful for. Wow.
Spanglish. Ashley. Ingrid, my third grade teacher. Canciones (songs). 501 Verbs. My cell phone. Hugs from little people. Clean sheets. Bug nets. Sabbath. The words “esta bien.” Spanish-English Bible. My blue heels. Fireflies. That Christmas is only 16 pages away. This pen. My mommy. That God speaks English. Good water. That shaving is so NOT a big deal. Toilet paper. Twix bars. The full moon.
August 30, 2007
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6, 7
God I’m not really sure how much more testing I can take, but I trust that you’ll get me through today. Today is Thursday. We don’t run on Thursdays, we nap. Well, we did on this one anyway…
Class went well. Better than they have been that is. So, funny story…
I was about to leave school, because all of my classes were finished and I was starving, but this fifth or sixth grade girl followed me out of the library, to the bathroom, to the office, pretty much everywhere… I asked her where her classmates were, and she just shrugged. I questioned further. Where is your class room? Over there, she motioned with a wave of her hand. I asked her to follow me (not that she needed prompting), and I walked her back to her classroom, fully prepared to apologize to the teacher for her absence, and expecting at least a word of thanks. Oh man. I was SO wrong. I stepped into an empty room, only to face the teacher, grading papers while the kids were, drum roll please….. out for recess. I looked around. Apologized profusely to the girl, and explained that I thought she was supposed to be in class, and that I didn’t know they had recess this late, etc. etc. Pretty hilarious now that I think about it, but at the time it was mortifyingly embarrassing.
God gave us stars and the moon tonight. Lately it’s been so cloudy you can’t see a thing, but the sky was crystal clear.
Lord, much more of you, much less of me. Keep my family and me in your hands; together, like we should be…
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6, 7
God I’m not really sure how much more testing I can take, but I trust that you’ll get me through today. Today is Thursday. We don’t run on Thursdays, we nap. Well, we did on this one anyway…
Class went well. Better than they have been that is. So, funny story…
I was about to leave school, because all of my classes were finished and I was starving, but this fifth or sixth grade girl followed me out of the library, to the bathroom, to the office, pretty much everywhere… I asked her where her classmates were, and she just shrugged. I questioned further. Where is your class room? Over there, she motioned with a wave of her hand. I asked her to follow me (not that she needed prompting), and I walked her back to her classroom, fully prepared to apologize to the teacher for her absence, and expecting at least a word of thanks. Oh man. I was SO wrong. I stepped into an empty room, only to face the teacher, grading papers while the kids were, drum roll please….. out for recess. I looked around. Apologized profusely to the girl, and explained that I thought she was supposed to be in class, and that I didn’t know they had recess this late, etc. etc. Pretty hilarious now that I think about it, but at the time it was mortifyingly embarrassing.
God gave us stars and the moon tonight. Lately it’s been so cloudy you can’t see a thing, but the sky was crystal clear.
Lord, much more of you, much less of me. Keep my family and me in your hands; together, like we should be…
2 comments:
From my journal, dated 07/27/07 - 07/31/07:
I miss you so much, my heart hurts. I cannot wait to wrap my arms around you again.
Lord, please be with Kayla. Wrap your arms around her for me. Comfort her, wipe away her tears, protect her, but most of all, please bring her back to me.
I wonder what you are doing right now. Can you see the same stars that I can? I wished upon one last night. I wished that I could hold you in my arms, even if only for a moment.
"He gives children to the woman who has none, and makes her a happy mother" Psalm 113:9
Lord, thank you for the beautiful daughters you have given me. The joy each of them has brought to my life is more than I deserve. Please comfort them, protect them, and bring Kayla back to us. Help me to trust in you!
"When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
I love you more than words can say!
Mommy
Hey Kayla!
I hope all is well and you are getting settled in. I'm sure it is quite an adjustment, but you are a strong woman. You probably can't see it now, but this experience will enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine.
Lord, please fill Kayla with a sense of peace and purpose. Work through her as she is there to serve your will.
Kayla:
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and Man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:3-6
Hang in there!
Love,
Kel
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