It was definitely not an easy goodbye on Tuesday morning, but as I peered out of the airplane from my window seat I experienced such a peace when the mountains of Haiti came into view. Over the past few days I've seen many of my Haitian friends I had to leave behind in December and they really have confirmed to me that this is where I belong right now. One particular encouragement came to me this morning from one of my translating friends that works for the mission. He gave me a wooden mug with a note inside that expressed his gratitude for my friendship and for all of the ways I have been involved in at the mission. It really sparked a fresh flame in my heart.
As far as life at the mission goes, the main event this week has definitely been the first Canadian teams' arrival. On Wednesday evening around 6:30pm I watched with the other staff members as headlights made their way up the hill to the mission guesthouse. That was the last moment of calmness that we shared before the bus doors opened and 49 team members began to unload and set up camp for the next two weeks.
During this next month of teams from Canada, Laurens and Cheryl will be very busy keeping the teams occupied. Laurens is heading up the construction team, and Cheryl will be organizing supplies with the nurses for outreach with the Hospital of Hope and mobile clinics. This also creates more busyness for me as I will be on call for the kids while their parents will be working many overtime hours.
This weekend I really need to prioritize my time as we will be starting school this Monday. I will be honest - I didn't open a book over the break, so I definitely have a lot of ground to cover with the 3 seperate grades, but I'm just hoping that the Lord will give me ideas and that my planning times would be very productive.
It's always a challenge for me to balance my time of prep and interaction with the team, and especially this month having so many friendly faces from home around, I struggle to put the time into school planning. I just wish sometimes that I could have more freedom to do other things, but I must remember that teaching is my priority this year and I have to stay committed to the task. And the promise of the verse in Philippians - He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it - reminds me to press on and keep relying on the Lord for strength.
Thank you for your prayers for the kids and I as we jump into our routine next week, and also that I would have an extra measure of patience during this month of craziness. I guess I better keep going on my lesson planning... Bye for now! :)
2 comments:
I'm praying that your time of planning will go well. God has great things in store for this second term of the school year- give it your best and leave the rest to our Faithful Father!
I will also pray that you can focus on the teaching but that your planning time will be quick and effective so that you can visit and have fun with the people coming down. I hope you have a wonderful time with Broc and the other team members that will bring you reminders of home.
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