A question I've been asked a lot lately is, so what is you schedule like? This has been a month of trial and error, adjustments, actual trials, and many blessings! As many of you know, I am not teaching at the girls school. With that door closing, many have opened. If you missed the post on Facebook, here it is again:
I, along with others, have committed to getting a few of our American citizens from Reynosa to school and back every day in a new school. Two are girls that were with me at the girls school, and the other is a sibling who is experiencing education in the US for the first time! I make them lunch, get them from the bridge, take them to school, pick them up, and then take them home. It has taken a while for them to adjust to getting up early and has been a frustrating process, but I think we are finally getting in a groove and it has become more comfortable. I have seen growth in all three of them and am so proud of how hard they are trying! We couldn't do this without their sponsors, so thank you guys so so much! I can't wait to see what the future holds for them!
This year, I also have 10 other students on the Mexico side with sponsors which is amazing. Many of those are middle and high school students, which is a big deal considering most of their parents didn't complete their education! This generation of students will have more opportunities for good jobs in the future and a better future for their children. Celebrate that with me! I love delivering letters and gifts to them and others who made special relationships this summer. The look on their faces when they hear from you guys makes the bad days better and the good days amazing!
Along with meeting with the girls weekly, two have celebrated their fifteenth birthdays and we were able to attend their XV años to support them and their families! This is one of my favorite parts of the Mexican Culture. One of the moms said something that really stuck with me. We asked her if she needed anything else to get ready for the party and she said, "No, I think we have everything. Everyone has come together, even if they can only give a grain of sand, everyone has pitched in." |Even if they can only give a grain of sand...| It was true. We went to the party and you could see all the little grains of sand who had donated, decorated, cooked, cleaned, planned, and it all came together for a beautiful celebration of a beautiful girl. We should be more like that, by the way.
"This is so hard to write,but many of you have been asking about the girls so here goes. Due to circumstances out of my control, I will not be returning to the girls' school. Even though I won't be their teacher, I will be able to maintain all the relationships I made with them and visit them! I am so thankful for everything I learned there and how much I grew. With this change, God has opened many doors for Jonah and me and I can't wait to share what those are!"
-from Facebook August 10, 2015
This seems like a strange thing to say, but not teaching this year has opened up the door of availability. Some weeks are more calm, and most weeks are crazy busy and full of opportunities for ministry on both sides of the border. Here's what that looks like:
Oh...Before I say more, another one of those doors is that Jonah is going to school this semester to earn his EMT Basic Certificate! He loves it so far and is learning so many wonderful skills for his future job and the mission field!
I, along with others, have committed to getting a few of our American citizens from Reynosa to school and back every day in a new school. Two are girls that were with me at the girls school, and the other is a sibling who is experiencing education in the US for the first time! I make them lunch, get them from the bridge, take them to school, pick them up, and then take them home. It has taken a while for them to adjust to getting up early and has been a frustrating process, but I think we are finally getting in a groove and it has become more comfortable. I have seen growth in all three of them and am so proud of how hard they are trying! We couldn't do this without their sponsors, so thank you guys so so much! I can't wait to see what the future holds for them! 
Along with meeting with the girls weekly, two have celebrated their fifteenth birthdays and we were able to attend their XV años to support them and their families! This is one of my favorite parts of the Mexican Culture. One of the moms said something that really stuck with me. We asked her if she needed anything else to get ready for the party and she said, "No, I think we have everything. Everyone has come together, even if they can only give a grain of sand, everyone has pitched in." |Even if they can only give a grain of sand...| It was true. We went to the party and you could see all the little grains of sand who had donated, decorated, cooked, cleaned, planned, and it all came together for a beautiful celebration of a beautiful girl. We should be more like that, by the way.
So. My schedule is: striving to be available. What does being available really mean? It means being able to do all those things above and the flexibility to change that up, add to, take away, whatever God calls us to do daily. When we tie ourselves down to such a strict schedule, even in full time ministry, it takes away that availability. We shut our eyes to doors that are being opened and opportunities God is trying to reveal to us because we know we won't have time. It doesn't fit in the schedule we have made for ourselves. I'm not really sure what the solution is. The world we live in today is so much about schedules that we can't change it one day to help a friend or family member. Even with this new schedule, I catch myself putting limitations, time frames, etc.
I'm having trouble knowing how to close this one, because I really don't know how to put a solution into words. I don't have one. My dear friend Kerrie Williams said it really well in a recent blog called Being over Doing.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:2 ESV
