Faith, Hope, and Love

Our flight landed two hours ago. I'm finally have handed off nine 11- to 14-year-olds off to their parents, paid $45 for parking, and I'm in my bed at home. And I'm happy . We had a blast in Costa Rica--I'm so glad that I decided to do this trip and offer this experience to my students. But, let's face it: being responsible for kids who aren't yours in a foreign country is a lot of stress. How can you not be stressed at learning the day before departure that one of the students signed up for the trip will not be joining you because she never got her passport? How do you not get stressed after discovering one of your students locked in the bathroom and in tears because she occasionally can't hold her bladder, is sure the other girls have been making fun of her, and her skinny jeans are glued to her legs because we had just spent two hours riding horses in the rain? (We had to use a pocket knife to cut her out of those, fyi). How do you not stress out ab...

Whatever I had this past Thursday didn't kill me! Most of the horror passed by Friday afternoon ( yes, I took a sick day ), and by Sunday I felt about 90% well. Now I'm just tired... I have like five schedules I'm trying to juggle and keep from colliding into each other and overwhelming me. There's the student teaching, there's the school itself, there's church stuff, there's tutoring, and then there's the I-just-want-to-have-fun stuff. So far, so good... but it definitely makes for some long days. And then  two  opportunities to make some money were presented to me... and can I do them? Nope! (Well, definitely not one of them because of student teaching, and I could maybe do the other one... but it'd be another schedule to juggle with the rest!) Mostly I think I'm tired and overwhelmed because I've been a bum for the last six months and I'm not used to working eight-hour days anymore. Nor have I had to wake up by 6 a.m. since li...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus.  My last post sounded unhappy and ungrateful. Too things that I'm not... but I do have moments of despair, and that was one of them. In a much better place today. And decided to re-read this passage, which has been my mantra since the day I lost my job. A great work of God is predicated by a humble attitude. And I have definitely been humbled. All I can do is pray, confess that I can't do it on my own, and completely surrender. So... I guess I just have to wait for that great work of God, huh? Any time, Lord. Any time. :)