Last night I wasn't able to sleep well so naturally I woke up this morning thinking, "Please God, can I just go back to sleep, I don't have the energy today." I got up anyway fighting the urge to roll over and pull the covers over my head. I ate breakfast the slowest I think I've ever eaten a meal and was half awake for morning prayer. After prayer I thought I would lay down for just fifteen more minutes, but instead decided to wash the dishes, get dressed, and buy purified water for us to drink. Once I got into the office to start our day working the door, I thought, "maybe no one will come and the time will fly by and the I can take a nap." but that wasn't the case. God always knows whats best for us!
This morning we have been supper busy and I have been so blessed by it. What I am experiencing today is the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 Today I've been able to greet each person who has come to the door with a smile, and to my surprise, speak and understand Spanish better than I normally can. It is proof to me that when we deny ourselves, our humanly desires (in my case today sleep) God takes over as our strength. I feel as though today God is giving me super powers of grace to keep going.
Another morning last week, I woke up thinking, “man, I really don’t want to do anything today!” God proved me wrong, as he so often does! That morning two little kids came to the door several times and the last time they came I asked them if they wanted to color. They did, so I sat down and colored with them. God showed me there was one thing that I did want to do, color. It was so energizing to spend time with Toñito and Lupe and to hear them laughing and playing as we colored.
These last two weeks since I've been back from the United States, I feel like the Lord is reminding me over and over again of the reason he has called me to this mission, and that reason is LOVE. In the last two weeks I've spent more time playing with kids than I have in a really long time. I feel as thought I experience God's love the most when I am with kids. I've been able to share some of my passions with the kids like art and gymnastics. As you read above, I got to color with kids the other day, but I was also able to teach Rita's girls some gymnastics. It was fun to see them and help them learn how to do a cartwheel and see them want to do it over and over again, once they nailed it. It so reminded me of myself when I was little practicing cartwheels in my front yard.
Just last Tuesday as Erika, Toñio and myself were on our way to Guadalupe to give the class there, I was thinking, "wow, it's been awhile since I had to do something really uncomfortable to me." Be careful when you think that...because there is probably something uncomfortable to do right around the corner! Since my Spanish still isn't the best and it would be extremely difficult to teach the Defending the Catholic Faith classes, what I do is pray before the classes begin in Spanish. Normally I write out my prayer in Spanish and kind of read it, but this time I forgot my journal where I wrote the prayer. I kind of had to wing it and trust on the Holy Spirit to get me through...He did! Also, my newest ministry in Gudalupe is playing with the kids while the classes are going on; so much laughter! All in all, I've got to say that missions is the MOST blessed life.
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