Many Thanks This Week

I have informally (ie on a post-it) been keeping a list of things this week that have been either direct answers to prayer or just been things the Father has done for me that have really inspired and impacted me.

First, my laptop has arrived! The same day my laptop, which was ordered through a supplier in Hong Kong (Lenovo), arrived at Crossroads, the check to cover the funds arrived at my church in San Antonio … what perfect timing! As Kate, our Comms Director, commented the other day, it’s something I would not have gotten had I stayed in the States, and the laptop I’m getting here is even better than one I would have picked out for myself. Somehow, making no money, I am getting a much better quality laptop than if I’d bought one at home. TYMD! (as we say at Crossroads – Thank You MD!)

As many of you may recall, I co-lead a Book study with the kids here on Friday afternoons each week. Liz, the other leader, and I have a hard time finding materials here for these studies, and either make it up as we go along, or find something online, or just re-use old studies we’ve already done. We don’t have much in the way of resources, and with the age range of the kids (4 is the youngest, and 13 the oldest of the kids that attend the Study) it can be very challenging to do something that appeals to them all and keeps them occupied. I had asked Cheryl at GPC (church in SA) to see if she could help me, since she does so much in children’s min. She is a star, and a packet of materials – lessons, games, and even The Good Book Cookbook – arrived just as we finished our current lesson. We had about a day of wondering what we would be doing next, and then the books arrived!

Along those lines, I had really been pleading with the Father to help me with the challenge it is for me to work with kids. It’s just not my gift or passion. I love them, and do really well with them one-on-one, but not in a teaching setting. I just feel awkward and uncomfortable. So the weekly Book Studies can sometimes be like a mountain I have to climb each Friday, and I’ll admit there’s a small bit of dread attached. I know I can do it, but I’m just not good with disciplining, etc. And a lot of times, by the time Friday afternoon rolls around, they are rowdy and it’s hard to get them to be quiet and do their activities. It can really frustrate me because they will be activities I know they will enjoy, but I can’t get them to settle down enough to do them. Anyway, this past Friday, I really asked Him to help me. And … it was probably the best Book Study time I’ve had in the almost 6 months I’ve been doing it. The kids were attentive, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all … I went in with a different mindset, ready to take control … and then I didn’t have to because they actually behaved. We had a great time making a collage of what we’ve learned in 2 Cor, and two of them even closed in pr’yer, and they were really good pr’yers, too! I know that Maz, one of their teachers, had given them a stern talking to ahead of time, so that of course helped a lot, and I know it may not last, but it was still the window of relief I needed to be re-encouraged.

Lastly, the Presence Buffet the other evening really, really impacted me. You can read more about that blog post below for full details (called "Presence Buffet"), but just again I want to say how much I needed that.

Other things have happened as well, on a smaller scale, and have been great little encouragements, confirmations, and just reminders of His Love, patience, and forgiveness.