This week was my 'catch-up' week. While the team was here, a mound of work piled up that I knew was waiting for me the week I returned to the office and Teens Team. The pressure hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the first time that I'd been in 'panic mode' since being in SA. I felt like I was running around making other people nervous and in a panic too. By Thursday I'd calmed down more. I HATE the stress of work and feeling like time is so short and slipping by. With Easter coming up, I'll have a few days off and can chill and take a deep breath. Looking forward to being still in South Africa!
Next week (Monday-Wednesday), the LSEs and Volunteers get to take the 6th and 7th graders on a Camp! Living Hope is allowing us to take time to just chill with these kids, build relationships, do 'camp activities' and just pour into them with Christ's love! What a privilege that is! The big controversy about this camp is there are two camp sites. One, called The Stables, has in-door rooms, beds, hot water… basically a nicer 'camp' area. The other site, appropriately named, The Bush, has no hot water, everything is open-air, and rumor has it the bugs are enormous and all over everything. To decide what leaders would be at what camp, Avril drew our names out of a bag. The suspense was killer. We were all rowdy and excited to see who we'd be with and what camp site we were assigned. As you can probably guess, I was drawn for THE BUSH CAMP. Thankfully, I'm with a LOT of fun people and friends that I know will make the time interesting. As in previous mission trips, I feel I might be going without a shower these 3 days; the Lord must have prepared me in Mexico all those years ago. I'm sure I'll have some stories to blog after next week!!!!
Then, once we get back from Camp, we have Easter Holidays (Thursday- Monday off) and the Tuesday after Easter is HOLIDAY CLUB. Basically this is a VBS week for the communities where we work. We'll do Kids' Holiday Club in the morning and Teen Holiday Club in the afternoon. We have 2 hours of curriculum, games, crafts, songs, etc. planned for each day and each age group. [Hence all the work and tasks I was stressed about.] So, the next two weeks are going to be wild. I'm really looking forward to them. Time-spent always brings memories and people closer… which is what I need right now!
On a personal note. My friend Meagan and I were working together one day this week and she casually asked me, "Are you unhappy here?" [I was concerned she thought I was unhappy because of my attitude or because of something I said, but Meagan knows me better than most here and knows a little about my life in AL and can see that life here is very different for me. Meagan is someone I can let my guard down with and I think she's seen the 'real me' more than others.] I responded, "No, I'm not unhappy." She said, "But, you're not happy." I told her it wasn't that I was unhappy or happy. I'm just trying to figure out life here and it's very different from the life I once knew. I explained … I was really loved in Birmingham. I had a ton of people that I knew deeply, that I LOVED hanging out with, that were great friends, coworkers and support. I don't have that here in SA. I'm building friends, I do love my work, but there's not a support here that I crave. I often feel like this 'mission' is too big, too wide, too long; yet when I feel that way, I'm comforted to know that I'm glad it's bigger than ME. I'm glad I must depend on the Lord for EVERYTHING here. I'm glad my life looks different and that I have SO much time to spend with the Lord- uninterrupted time where I can see and hear the Lord in my DAILY activity. Life here is just different. Not unhappy. Not happy. Just different right now.
Please pray for the upcoming Camp and Holiday Clubs. Pray that the LSEs have energy, passion, compassion, and a Word from the Lord each day to keep them going. Pray that I would see needs and be empowered to meet them. Pray for God's wisdom and guidance in each step.
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