Off to Camp Next Week

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Next week is a big first for Rachel. She and two other girls from our church will be going away to church camp for the first time. We will drive down this Sunday morning and the girls will be picked up on Saturday morning.

I remember how very much I loved going to camp throughout my childhood, and I am excited for my little girl. She is going to have so much fun. This is a different camp than the one I attended as a child, but I am certain it will be great.

Rachel is excited about the games, and the swimming. Perhaps she has pictures in her mind of sitting around a campfire every night making S'mores. That, of course, won't be the case, but there will be more than enough good times to enjoy.

Most of all, I pray that this coming week will be a very special time where she grows deeper in her faith, and comes to love Jesus more and more. I pray that what she learns and experiences at camp will be life-changing in a marvelous, positive way.

I am so thankful for the people who dedicate so much time and energy so that little children can come closer to Jesus.

 

Let the little children come to me...

Matthew 19:14

Celebrating Freedom

Yesterday was the first Fourth of July I have spent in the United States in twenty years. As for Rachel, this was her first one ever. She was so excited about the celebration.


Thursday night, I had gone shopping for food we needed for the picnic on Friday. As I headed to the store, I saw that cars were lining up and people were camping out at the edge of cornfields facing the fairgrounds. They were staking out places to see the fireworks.

After I was done shopping, I hurried back to my parents' house where Rachel was spending the day with her Grandma. I took her out to see the fireworks. We drove around looking for a good place to watch. I wasn't sure where, exactly, would be the best place. I turned down an alley beside a local school to cut over to the next street. As it turns out,the perfect parking place was right down that alley. The fairgrounds was perhaps two streets away. No trees blocked the view. I must say, we got the best view of fireworks that I have ever had in my life.

Mom was in on much of this excitement. She and wrote this and posted this photo on her Facebook page. I'll let her words speak for themselves.

Yesterday was the first 4th of July Rachel celebrated in the US. She was so excited. She knew where she wanted the games set out in the yard. She looked at the video I took last year and told me what food she wanted me to serve. The entire day was what she wanted. The weather was great and as Rachel said everything was perfect. However one thing really impressed me. When Chuck hung out the flag, Rachel ask if we could say the Pledge of Allegiance. Of course we did. But seeing her, an 8 year old little girl from Bali, standing straight and tall with her hand over her heart was an emotional time for me. It made me wonder how many things are taken for granted and if we will always have these freedoms.

May we not take these freedoms for granted.

The Wait is Over

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You know that job I interviewed for yesterday? 

Well they already gave it away....

...to some 51-year-old lady who came back to the States from Indonesia ten months ago.  Yes, I got the job! 

I will be a school secretary for the principal who works with the students whose last names start from A-G. They divide the student body up this way so that students have the same principal throughout their years at Findlay High School.

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This is such an answer to prayer.  I can see God's hand all over this. It has been a challenging ten months since Rachel and I returned from Bali, but I have learned a lot. I have gained some new skills, met some amazing people, and done some interesting work. Now, I am ready to move on into the next chapter of my life.

This is a secular job, but in the life of a believer, everything is ministry. I trust that God will use me in this job to show His love to the students, parents and staff with whom I will work.

Job Interview Complete...and Now I Wait

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By way of a quick update on the job interview I had this morning, I feel like things went quite well. As it turns out, I was interviewing for two positions at the same time - one in the high school, and one at a local middle school.

I feel good about how the interview went. Most of the questions they asked were ones I had anticipated, so I had what I hope was a reasonable, intelligent answer. Several of the secretarial duties they described involved activities similar to things I did as a field coordinator in Bali. The fact that I have had recent first aid and CPR training seemed to be a plus.

I know they are interviewing quite a few candidates for these two positions. The start date would be July 22nd, so I should know within the next few weeks if I am hired or not. Obviously, the sooner, the better.

I appreciate all of you who prayed for me to have a good interview. God answered your prayers. Now, let's keep praying for God's will to be done as to the outcome. Also, please pray for peace as I wait for news.

Job Interview Coming Up

This will be just a short post tonight.

A little less than a year ago, Rachel and I returned to the USA from Indonesia. In these past 10 months, I have worked retail, worked as a substitute teacher in several local schools, and am currently finishing training to work as a substitute over the summer in a facility that provides care for adults with developmental disabilities.

I have enjoyed all these types of work, but am still waiting for God to open up work in a full-time position. This week is a big one for me. This Thursday morning, I have an interview for a secretarial position at the local high school. I believe I would fit well in this position. Even though I have never been an official, paid secretary, I have served as secretary in pretty much any organization in which I have served over the past twenty years.  Of course, I won't know this week if I get the job or not, but I truly hope and pray that I can present myself well, and that God will open the door for me if this is the job He has in mind for me.

For those of my readers who are praying people, I certainly would appreciate your prayers. Thursday morning, 9:30-10:00 EST. I'll let you know how things go.

Do I Really Want a Heart Like His?

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In my last post, I shared the lyrics of a song that really means a lot to me. The song is a prayer asking for God's heart, His eyes, His hands, and His feet. 

I wrote the post on Sunday. On Wednesday, I practiced the song with Rachel and her friend. Then on Thursday, the words of this song - especially the first verse - challenged me in a very practical way.

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours  
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

I'm training to be a substitute for staff who serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Sometimes this job is enjoyable. Other times, it is just downright difficult. Thursday was one of those difficult days. Due to privacy issues, I can't share details of how the day went. 

I will say, though, that I went home that night very tired. When I crawled into bed, a couple of the individuals who had been especially challenging that day kept coming to mind. Then, the words of the song came to mind. 

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours\
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

Were those words truly the prayer of my heart? Do I really want God's heart of compassion for the "difficult people" I sometimes have to work with? I can say that in this case...yes, I do. Not only do I want His heart. I need His heart in order to serve the people with whom I work.

A question remains. What about the other people around me? Around you? We all know people who are "difficult" in some way or another. Am I willing to ask for God's heart of compassion toward them? Are you willing to pray for a heart like His?

Give Me a Heart Like Yours

When I lived in Bali, Indonesia and worked with a terrific group of teenagers from the children's home, I had a favorite song. It was a prayer that I truly hoped would become the longing of the hearts of each of the teens in the group...and my heart as well.

I am back in Ohio now, and my church in having a 40-day prayer focus. This Indonesian song came to mind, and I searched the web to see if it had perhaps actually been translated from English. When I could not locate any song with English lyrics that went with the same tune, I decided to translate the song myself. Rachel and a friend of hers will sing it in church, probably sometime next month.

I'd like to share the words with you.

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

Give to me, Oh Lord
Eyes that see like Yours
Open to see the harvest all around.

Give to me hands like Yours
Strong for the task You set before me.
Give to me feet like Yours 
Ready to walk the path You show me.

Give me, Lord
Give me, Lord
Give me a heart like Yours.

I don't know about you, but I think this would be a good prayer for all of us.