Sunday, March 21, 2010
Day 24- Matthew 18:12-14
I'm writing about this one because I thought that it was happening to me today. I was afraid that one of the preschoolers at church (the pastor's kid, Jackson, specifically) had disappeared because he said he was going to put something away in the other room and didn't come back after a couple of minutes. I went to look for him, but couldn't go far or the other 3 kids I was watching would be left unattended. Luckily, there was a lady who showed up at the door of the classroom and she said that she could go to look for him. She came back and said that she had found him in church with his mom. He had been hanging out in the classroom before church started, but he wasn't checked in yet. Plus, he usually sits with his mom in the service during worship. It turns out that the kids at church are allowed to roam freely if their parents haven't checked them in, but the preschool teacher in me still felt responsible for him. Chalk it up to a year of making sure that there is 1 adult per 8 kids and making sure that they're never out of sight.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Another cute kid story... I didn't think I'd ever get to write one of these again.
I got to work at the CDC on Thursday because of being back in Kentucky and it was so great to see those kids again! I had missed them SOOO much! One of the ones that I had missed the most was Mya because she's hilarious and spunky. She ended up staying until 3pm on Thursday because her dad wasn't able to pick her up until then. We played Memory while she was waiting for him and here's what happened when she flipped over one pair of cards:
Mya and Jenna: Ohhh, it's a bird and a bee (both of us disappointed that it wasn't a matching pair for her).
Mya: Well, THAT'S awkward.
(I just started laughing and then I realized that it was kind of awkward since it was a bird and a bee, but I didn't say anything.)
Mya: I don't even know what awkward MEANS!
I think she had learned that word because her sister's in high school and probably uses it a lot, but it was really cute. Those little kids still have my heart.
Mya and Jenna: Ohhh, it's a bird and a bee (both of us disappointed that it wasn't a matching pair for her).
Mya: Well, THAT'S awkward.
(I just started laughing and then I realized that it was kind of awkward since it was a bird and a bee, but I didn't say anything.)
Mya: I don't even know what awkward MEANS!
I think she had learned that word because her sister's in high school and probably uses it a lot, but it was really cute. Those little kids still have my heart.
Day 19- Mark 10:35-45
Church was about these verses today, so Pastor Steve showed a short video about Christians in India who are standing up for Jesus, even though they'll be persecuted for not following Hinduism. His point was that Christians in America shouldn't complain about their problems because they're so insignificant when compared to so many other problems that are going on in the world. This seems to be an underlying theme in my life during the past week and here's another example of why...
During the reflection time at WorkFest on Friday, another student stood up to talk about his experience that week. He had been in the military and I'm pretty sure that he had been in combat in Afghanistan. He said that he had come into the week thinking that the circumstances he had been through were going to be worse than any of the other people he was going to encounter that week. Then he ended up on a crew with two girls who had survived cancer. He thought that they were much stronger than him because of what they had gone through. He was also impressed with their joy and their desire to serve others.
I think the most amazing part of it all was how God-ordained that crew was... our week had 6 or 7 colleges with probably 8-15 people from each of them. The crews are assigned fairly randomly (I think skill and gender are taken into account, but that's about it), so most of the people on each crew haven't met before the beginning of the week. To think that there was one crew with two girls who had survived cancer and one guy who had fought in a war had to be more than a coincidence because I'm sure that God was allowing them to learn from each other during the week. It also goes to show that one person's area of brokenness can eventually become their way of ministering to others.
Question: When was a time that you realized how small your problems were when you compared them to another person's?
During the reflection time at WorkFest on Friday, another student stood up to talk about his experience that week. He had been in the military and I'm pretty sure that he had been in combat in Afghanistan. He said that he had come into the week thinking that the circumstances he had been through were going to be worse than any of the other people he was going to encounter that week. Then he ended up on a crew with two girls who had survived cancer. He thought that they were much stronger than him because of what they had gone through. He was also impressed with their joy and their desire to serve others.
I think the most amazing part of it all was how God-ordained that crew was... our week had 6 or 7 colleges with probably 8-15 people from each of them. The crews are assigned fairly randomly (I think skill and gender are taken into account, but that's about it), so most of the people on each crew haven't met before the beginning of the week. To think that there was one crew with two girls who had survived cancer and one guy who had fought in a war had to be more than a coincidence because I'm sure that God was allowing them to learn from each other during the week. It also goes to show that one person's area of brokenness can eventually become their way of ministering to others.
Question: When was a time that you realized how small your problems were when you compared them to another person's?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 18- Hebrews 13:1-2
This week at WorkFest showed me how important it is to treat people with kindness, even if they're doing things that may be getting on my nerves. One of the college students on the purple crew wasn't the most annoying person I had ever met, but there were definitely times when I thought that he was making the same comments too much or beating the dead horse with his jokes. I was able to see the good in him, though, and I got to work with him a lot when it came to putting siding on the house. We even installed a window together, which was kind of difficult because there were a few times when we were afraid it would come crashing down on us.
As the week went on, I felt privileged to have gotten to know him and I ended up liking that quirky side to him. At the reflection time this morning, he was the first person to stand up and talk about his week. He said that he had come into the week thinking that he didn't have any love to give and he didn't think that people in this world could be nice. He also talked about how you don't always know what a person is going through and they may be incredibly unhappy on the inside. He went on to talk about how that had changed this week because of the people that he had met and I started to cry a little because I had gotten to work with him so much. Everyone on our crew had written words of affirmation to each other and the one that he had written to me said, "Thank you for being a friend, for not being scared by my oddness. You helped me to see that people can be nice and I thank you." Jess told me that he had written something along those lines to her, too, so it was great to realize that his life had been impacted in such a positive way by 10 other people.
After the things that he said and wrote, I'm more aware than ever about the importance of treating all people with kindness and respect. There have been too many times in my life that I've met people who were on the odd side and I didn't know what to do, so I would just try to avoid them. This experience showed me that you never know what someone's going through and it's better to take the time to get to know them.
Question: When was a time that you were annoyed by another person and still chose to love them? When was a time that you avoided someone or ignored them because they were doing something you didn't like?
As the week went on, I felt privileged to have gotten to know him and I ended up liking that quirky side to him. At the reflection time this morning, he was the first person to stand up and talk about his week. He said that he had come into the week thinking that he didn't have any love to give and he didn't think that people in this world could be nice. He also talked about how you don't always know what a person is going through and they may be incredibly unhappy on the inside. He went on to talk about how that had changed this week because of the people that he had met and I started to cry a little because I had gotten to work with him so much. Everyone on our crew had written words of affirmation to each other and the one that he had written to me said, "Thank you for being a friend, for not being scared by my oddness. You helped me to see that people can be nice and I thank you." Jess told me that he had written something along those lines to her, too, so it was great to realize that his life had been impacted in such a positive way by 10 other people.
After the things that he said and wrote, I'm more aware than ever about the importance of treating all people with kindness and respect. There have been too many times in my life that I've met people who were on the odd side and I didn't know what to do, so I would just try to avoid them. This experience showed me that you never know what someone's going through and it's better to take the time to get to know them.
Question: When was a time that you were annoyed by another person and still chose to love them? When was a time that you avoided someone or ignored them because they were doing something you didn't like?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day 17- Philippians 2:1-5
I think that I was able to witness the attitude of Christ this week because of WorkFest. All of the people on our crew were working together toward the common goal of fixing up Jerry and Chris' house. Every person on the purple crew had such a positive attitude and I don't think I heard a complaint out of any of them. We had some great discussions at lunch time as well, such as, "What's the definition of love?" and "What's the meaning of life?" (we didn't come up with definite answers to either question, but it was still fun to hear everyone's ideas).
I was also privileged to witness the attitudes of Chuck and Fred this week. Chuck is in his 60's and Fred was probably a little bit older than that. They both have such a strong relationship with God, which is evident through their actions. They were so patient with everyone as they were explaining tasks to them and they remembered to make sure that there was always work for people. I'm very lucky to have met and worked with all of these people!
Question: Who have you met that has modeled Christ's love through their actions? What were some of the qualities that those people had?
I was also privileged to witness the attitudes of Chuck and Fred this week. Chuck is in his 60's and Fred was probably a little bit older than that. They both have such a strong relationship with God, which is evident through their actions. They were so patient with everyone as they were explaining tasks to them and they remembered to make sure that there was always work for people. I'm very lucky to have met and worked with all of these people!
Question: Who have you met that has modeled Christ's love through their actions? What were some of the qualities that those people had?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 14- Romans 12:2-13
God has given each person their individual gifts and it's a good idea for each of us to grow more in those gifts. I remember being at CAP and there were so many places to serve there, so it was just a matter of finding the place where you would do the best. I had a few conversations with other volunteers about whether it was a good idea to continue serving in something that wasn't your strength. I think we came to the conclusion that it's great to try new things, but you don't have to continue doing something once you've established that it's not what you're gifted at.
For example, when I did housing for 1 week last summer, I discovered that it's not something I would be able to do full-time. I had fun during that week and I learned a lot, but I'm aware that it probably took me 3 times as long to do anything and I had to re-do a lot of things more often than that. Working with kids was something that I was good at and I was able to do full-time. Yes, it was exhausting and challenging, but in a good way that was using my strengths.
My point is that if everyone knew what they were good at and made sure that they were doing those things well, then amazing things could be done in this world.
Question: Name a time when you continued to do something that you knew you weren't good at because you felt you should? What is something that you know you're good at that will also allow you to grow?
For example, when I did housing for 1 week last summer, I discovered that it's not something I would be able to do full-time. I had fun during that week and I learned a lot, but I'm aware that it probably took me 3 times as long to do anything and I had to re-do a lot of things more often than that. Working with kids was something that I was good at and I was able to do full-time. Yes, it was exhausting and challenging, but in a good way that was using my strengths.
My point is that if everyone knew what they were good at and made sure that they were doing those things well, then amazing things could be done in this world.
Question: Name a time when you continued to do something that you knew you weren't good at because you felt you should? What is something that you know you're good at that will also allow you to grow?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 13- I Thessalonians 5:16-18
I remember reading about these verses in "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. She wrote about the fact that her sister and herself were locked in a room with other women in a concentration camp. They had a Bible with them and they would have a Bible study with the other women. Her sister kept encouraging them with this verse and began to give thanks for everything in that room, including the fleas. Corrie thought she was crazy for thanking God for the fleas, but she appreciated her sister's willingness to be thankful for everything.
Later on, they found out that the guards tried to avoid coming to their living quarters because the conditions were so bad. The fleas were one of the worst things about going there for them. Since they avoided going to where they lived, the women were able to worship God freely and read the Bible without much fear of punishment. How amazing to think that thanking God for the fleas could change the lives of so many women and allow them to learn more about Him!
Question: What have the fleas in your life been? Did you know that you should be thankful for them while you were going through that particular situation?
Later on, they found out that the guards tried to avoid coming to their living quarters because the conditions were so bad. The fleas were one of the worst things about going there for them. Since they avoided going to where they lived, the women were able to worship God freely and read the Bible without much fear of punishment. How amazing to think that thanking God for the fleas could change the lives of so many women and allow them to learn more about Him!
Question: What have the fleas in your life been? Did you know that you should be thankful for them while you were going through that particular situation?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day 12- Romans 8:28-30
Yes, I skipped a few days, but it was because the ones that I had written on days 9-11 were too personal or they were just lame... I'm sure that will happen a few more times during this Lent experience. Moving on...
Everything in life happens for a reason and there is a purpose, even if it's hard to understand at the time. The one that sticks out in my mind was when my friend, Kirk Cutrell, died during our sophomore year of high school. I remember trying so hard to understand why he died an unexpected death at the age of 15 and thinking there could never be any good that came from it. It wasn't until I was teaching high school and 4 students died during my 2 years there, that I realized how much that tragic situation had caused me to learn. I was able to relate to what those kids were going through because I had been in the exact same situation when I was their age. I'm sure that other people who dealt with Kirk's death also had learning experiences that were different from mine, but I think that a lot of us were able to apply that terrible situation later on in life. I would still rather have him here on earth, but I know that his dying caused myself and others to break. I also know that one's area of brokenness can usually end up being their greatest ministry.
Question: When was a time that you suffered tragedy and were later able to see God's hand in it?
Everything in life happens for a reason and there is a purpose, even if it's hard to understand at the time. The one that sticks out in my mind was when my friend, Kirk Cutrell, died during our sophomore year of high school. I remember trying so hard to understand why he died an unexpected death at the age of 15 and thinking there could never be any good that came from it. It wasn't until I was teaching high school and 4 students died during my 2 years there, that I realized how much that tragic situation had caused me to learn. I was able to relate to what those kids were going through because I had been in the exact same situation when I was their age. I'm sure that other people who dealt with Kirk's death also had learning experiences that were different from mine, but I think that a lot of us were able to apply that terrible situation later on in life. I would still rather have him here on earth, but I know that his dying caused myself and others to break. I also know that one's area of brokenness can usually end up being their greatest ministry.
Question: When was a time that you suffered tragedy and were later able to see God's hand in it?
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