Oh my friends. I am so sorry. I was telling Chelsea earlier today that I just love to write on my blog about my thoughts and updates in life and funny little stories and whatnot. However, if I don't update on a regular basis (like weekly), I get overwhelmed by the amount of information I have to share and just don't blog. So, from here on out, I will try to better and not let it lapse. Here's a look at the past month and a half or so...
* Started my second semester of teaching and despite being impossibly tired and overwhelmed by the building demands of my job, I still love it. I feel completely at peace that this is where the Lord would have me at this point in my life even though I never planned on being here. I feel a little more confident in knowing what I am doing and am really able to enjoy my students. I still struggle with feeling like there is so much more I could be doing with and for them, but realize I need to take things a day at a time, set my priorities for them and let those good but extra things come with time. Next year will be interesting though because my class size will increase significantly. I have 5 students right now and will 7-9 next year. For a classroom like mine, that is a significant increase and you never know what kinds of things those extra students will bring into the classroom. I am getting more because a Life Skills class on another campus is being closed by the district and my campus is the receiving school. I am very very nervous about this but kind of excited at the same time. At least I have really great job security - something which not a ton of people can say in today's economy.
* I bought a new car at the end of January! It is a blue 2009 Nissan Versa SL (I will post some pictures at the bottom of this post) and I really love it. I was going to wait a while to buy a new car, but just felt like now was a better time and some things were lining up so it made sense. I sold my Buick just today and will start making monthly payments on the new car in March. I feel like a grown up now. My mom even cried when I was buying my car - she told me she couldn't believe that one day I was in diapers and the next am buying a car on my own. Good grief. But I am excited. It is a wonderful car and it fits me and my needs very well. Now if only Ella would stop shedding and getting fur in it. Ugh.
*In March (over spring break), I will be going to China for a week to teach English. I am beyond excited! My friend, Huan (who grew up in China), is leading the trip and asked me a few months back to consider going. After a month of praying through it and going back and forth, I felt that it was somewhere the Lord was leading me. Several people from my Sunday Bible study are going with me and then some new friends from other Bible studies are coming. It is really neat how each person was brought to the team and how the Lord is knitting us together. I love it! A lot of people have asked me why I seem to be going/considering so many missions opportunities lately. Well, for one, my heart is one for overseas missions. I don't feel called to anything long term for the moment, but my heart is definitely passionate about what the Lord is doing around the world. Also, I would never go somewhere I didn't feel the Lord wanted me. I know this comes quickly after my trip to Guatemala, but you know, the Lord said yes, so did I. Lastly, I feel like the older I get, the less my opportunities to do something like this might be. I really regret in college not pursuing opportunities for missions and such over the summers. Well now I am at a point in my life where I am not being held accountable to a husband or kids and have some free reign over the decisions in my life. So I want to use this precious time the Lord has given me now to pursue those passions, so that if/when He brings me to those other points in my life, I won't look at this time with regret over missed opportunities.
*Ministry wise, I am very excited and love what the Lord is doing. I still am serving as the Women's Coordinator for my class and since January, have really been feeling settled into the role. Two of my close guy friends were appointed the co-directors of our class, so it allowed the men's coordinator and I to be freed of some of the responsibility we were carrying while without a director. I am getting to invest in the lives of these precious women and it just makes my heart incredibly happy. It is hard at times, but I love it. I still am humbled that the Lord would use me in this role, but am so thankful He is.
*I just have to share about Valentine's Day 2009. I was blown away. I didn't have a date - I had 14! Haha...let me explain. The men of our class put on a dinner for the ladies. We did not lift a finger! It was beautiful! They had candles and flowers and menus and everything set out for us. They served us our drinks, food, etc. After we ate (pretty good food, too...especially the cake they got!), they sat us down and spoke some words of thanks and appreciation to us as women. Then, two guys in our class who have amazing voices, sang us two songs, one of which they wrote for us! So precious (pretty sure they wouldn't like that I just used that word!)! It was so amazing. I have never met men in my life who are so passionately pursuing the Lord and have beautiful hearts of servants. I told them that they treated us ladies in a way that evening that we dream of when we are little girls. They made us feel appreciated, loved and treasured, something every woman desires. Many of us in the room had never had a Valentine's day and some of us have had it, but had been treated very badly by guys. So it was just refreshing, holy and amazing. I can't say enough about the evening. If you get a chance, go look on my facebook page at the pictures that my friend, Huan, took of the evening. They capture the sweetness of it very well. I just had to share about this amazing evening.
Okay, I think I will wrap up here and leave you with a few pictures. Love you!
