Where you lead me I will follow

It's been awhile since I've updated, and I feel like it's about time. This summer really separated me from the outside world by having no cable and very limited internet, so I never got to write on my blog. I've got a lot of things to unload; let's see how this goes.

Being apart from a community of believers this summer was so incredibly hard but also was an opportunity to test the strength of my faith. There were several times when I fell so far short of the expectations I set for myself, but at the same time I also got multiple opportunities to share my faith with people and discuss beliefs, which was awesome. Just wearing a necklace with a cross on it really changes the way many people see you, which I never realized until I spent the summer with a sampling of people from all over the world.

Something that made me really nervous was one girl who admitted to me that she knew I was a Christian and said she basically watched my every move to determine what parts of her life she should improve to live "the straight life." I am by no means perfect and although I know I don't have to be perfect I still felt a lot more pressure to be a real role model... and it made me wonder if that's the way most people feel but they just don't say it?

One guy asked me about the ichthus on my cross necklace, and another asked me about some specific stories of the Bible. The second guy said he knew I was a Christian because of the things I did/didn't say, the things I did/didn't do, and basically how he noticed I live my life. Is it really that obvious? It's kind of cool and kind of unnerving at the same time because people are watching what choices I make! Hopefully the choices I make will impact the lives of those watching me in a positive way, plus open them up to discussions of faith. =]

Probably the coolest interaction was with an international girl literally minutes before I left the park for good; she saw my necklace and asked me if I was a Christian and if I believed that the stories in the Bible are true. I got to share with her some of my thoughts and also peaked her interest about reading the Bible. Hopefully she does get to read it because she said she wanted to read the stories and practice her English. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to really talk to her in-depth about it, but I am SO glad I got to have those few minutes with her!

Now on to what's going on in my life at the moment!

I started working at my new job today with the School-Age Care Program, and needless to say it's probably one of the best jobs I've ever had. The children are amazing and hilarious and so full of life-it's almost hard to believe I used to be their size. One boy in the before-school program, Nathan, is in Kindergarten and is a bundle of energy. Workers are constantly having to tell him not to do certain things, bu at the same time we can't help but laugh at him. The honesty of a child continues to leave me in awe! Nathan went to the bathroom and came back, and when one of the girls I work with asked him if he had washed his hands, he would not give her a straight answer by both shaking and nodding his head. She told him to go back and wash his hands, and he promptly ran back to the bathroom to wash the offending hands. Older kids would have probably lied and said they had done it, but he couldn't lie to her!

I love kids so much!!

When I went to work with the pre-schoolers at lunchtime, I was definitely thrown into a completely different environment than what I am used to. They didn't even have the program in school but were in a house next to the school, so they lived in their own little world. Each of them was bursting with things to say about what was going on at home, and each of them wanted to hold my hand, get hugs, and for me to play with them and look at the things they made. One boy is only three and asked for a lot of attention, but the ladies that run the program said it was the first day he had actually eaten lunch there since he started coming to pre-k over a week ago. I was glad to be there for that important step in his life, because he has finally accepted that his parents aren't going to be able to come pick him up at any second that he wants to see them.

After school, I worked with my biggest group of the day with the most diverse age groups. A game arose about an hour and a half before the end called "the cheese touch" which is basically like tag but is a "moldy cheese touch." If you cross your fingers, you are safe from the touch but if not you better run for your life! Otherwise you are cursed with the touch and are expected to attempt to pass it on.

What surprised me the most out of the entire day was the kids' interest in chess! I had a kindergartener showing me how to play because I had forgotten how... and a couple of first and second graders helping him teach me! I'm not sure that I've ever felt so dumb before, but at the same time I'm so amazed and impressed with their intelligence! This school also offers Spanish, French, and German clubs, but the chess club is the most popular.

Lastly, I just want to say that I am really pleased with the direction that the Bible study that Trina and I are co-leading is going in. Tonight the girls really seemed to bond and get to know each other better, which makes me happy. =] They appeared to enjoy the activity of decorating sugar cookies and the brief study we covered, plus they shared a lot with each other so I'm excited to see how things go as the year progresses.

Hope I get to keep updating soon!