Today was the start of something I am a little nervous about. From now on (except this Monday, which is a holiday) I have commitments at the church every single day of the week until Christmas. Weekdays are Breakfast Program. Swimming lessons start in a few weeks which means I'll have to be there super early. (Those of you who know me know how painful that is for me.) Then we'll get back from swimming in time for me to teach preschoool and for all of the kids to eat. I am really excited about this. Otherwise I would be dreading it, just because of the early hour.
I am in the church on Saturdays now because I was asked to be in the Christmas choir! I didn't know until today that it is an honor to be chosen. In the past the Christmas choir has included anyone who wants to participate. But this year people were hand selected. Today was our first rehearsal. We are not just singing, we are getting vocal lessons! The hardest part for me is learning the words, the phrasing and pronunciation. I already know 4 of the 7 songs, but I know them in a different language and with different phrasing. I feel great to have been chosen. I am excited that I will learn more about how to use my voice. Saturdays will be a fun day.
Normally I like to have one day per week for myself. I am going to try to think of Saturdays as my fun day, since I do like to sing and it is an honor to be chosen.
Tomorrow morning I have pre-discipleship group before church. We are studying Psalm 139 and have to prepare notes to share.
I am also reading a book for the book club. It's the first book I have tried to read in Spanish. Thankfully, it is much more easy than I ever expected. The hardest part is that I know the people in the bible by different names. Sometimes it is hard to figure out who they are talking about. Some of the people and the places can have names that are quite different from English to Spanish.
The expensive grocery store has Chobani yogurt again, which is nice. It is only a tiny bit more expensive than in the US, which also makes me happy. I'll buy it as a special treat now and then.
In my last entry I wrote about God guiding me as to how to deal with a person who was frustrating me. God is faithful! As soon as I woke up the next morning I received a message saying that a young boy would like to talk to me. I had no idea why, but he is a sweetie, so I went to the church early to meet with him. Turns out he wanted to talk to me about something that completely guided me in my approach to the other person! I was really grateful. I still have not addressed the issue with the other person, but I do have complete peace about it. Thank you God!
Yesterday I went to the dentist. Jetty knocked my nightstand over and somehow my nightguard broke in the fall. So my friend who is a dentist is having a new nightguard made. My friend's mother was at the church and asked for a ride, so we had time to talk. It was a really good talk. She has been a member of the church for a long time. She is also the one who does social work/psychology at the church, as well as in her professional life.
We made plans to go out into Los Pinos and visit the families of the kids we work with in the Breakfast Program. We are going with a Social Work approach. We are going to interview the families and ask how we can help the families, how we can support the families and the kids as social workers. Wow! As I write about this I am getting even more excited! THIS is my comfort zone. This is how I have been successful in serving people in the past. I am excited to work together with someone established in the church and put our heads together to serve the families of Los Pinos.
I also told her that I would like to work in La Tigra. She said that this is also a way I could serve in La Tigra. It is much less dangerous to go house to house in La Tigra. I wouldn't need her to accompany me. I am really excited to see how all of this will fall into place.
She said she has been talking with the leadership and they are looking for opportunities for me to serve in ways that fully realize all of my potential. She said they appreciate me and want to make sure that I am happy so I will want to stay here. I told her that I am happy. But I do feel like I could serve in more effective ways.
I adore my preschool kids. At the same time I know that teaching preschool is not my personal strength. I do have personal strengths. Despite my love for the kids, classroom teaching is not one.
I am happy to serve in any way I am asked. However, I also believe that in time God will show me exactly where I am supposed to be. For now I can serve with all of my heart, wait patiently, and enjoy all of the opportunities God has given me. I am happy doing exactly what I am doing. But I am also looking forward to using all the gifts God gave me to serve and love this community. The future looks bright! I am busy and excited.
