This week has had its ups and downs.  Here is a window on what has been happening.  In the afternoons I have a work crew of anywhere from 5-7 boys between the ages of  8 and 13 that work with me for two hours (in theory).  This has been a stressor for me for several reasons.  1. I don’t speak much Spanish.  2. They don’t speak any English. 3. They don’t like to rake leaves.  4. I have a hard time coming up with enough work to keep them busy for 2 hours.  5. One of the “dads” that works with me is very “hands off” when it comes to discipline, so it pretty much all falls on me.  After all I am the “Jefe” (the boss).  6. I don’t really know what I am doing!

Last week we finally got in to a bit of a routine and I was feeling a bit better about things.  Before when I would ask them to get started, it was literally like they were deaf.  They wouldn’t even look at me. It was like I wasn’t even there.  And it wasn’t because they didn’t know what I was saying.   I discovered that if I told them once they finished a specific job that they would be done for the day and we could play futbol then they would work much better.  In fact I was amazed at how efficiently they could rake leaves!   The challenge was coming up with enough jobs for each of them and estimating so that we would still work at least an hour.  This new approach really helped.  We would accomplish twice as much work in half the time. And I got to work on my futbol skills.

Then came tutorial.  This past week the education coordinator started a tutoring session in the afternoons with the kids.  Something they definitely need.  The only problem is that it really throws a wrench in my work schedule.  At first I thought it was great because it meant I had some of the kids for only one hour.  But I soon learned that they all still needed 2 hours of work each day.  And then more of them started going to tutorials at different times.  The end result is working with the kids for 3 hours, some here, some there.  Some the first two hours, some the second two hours, some the first and last hour.   Now I can’t tell them that when we finish we can play futbol because about the time they finish some fresh workers come who haven’t done any work yet.  When I learned this last Thrursday (not because anyone told me, I was just trying to figure out where my kids were) I was quite frustrated and overwhelmed.  Not to mention that I just got two new older boys to work in the morning, (they are much better workers, but I don’t have enough work to keep them busy right now).  Arrgghhh.  And I don’t ever have a clue what’s going on around here!!!

Well.  God gave me the grace to make it through the rest of the week. This Sabbath Crissy and I stayed home from church so we could have some personal spiritual time. (At church for some reason they are always speaking in tongues and no one wants to interpret for us!)  I read Leonda’s blog and it made me realize how much I don’t like being out of my comfort zone.  And how much that that is where I need to be.  As I was asking God for wisdom I though about  James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  I felt like I really needed wisdom.  I looked up this verse and then decided to read it from the beginning of the chapter.  Verse 2 hit me hard.  James 1:2-4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  3  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  4  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

God suddenly showed me that I have been stressing and worrying, praying that God would remove this trial from me, but really it is there for my benefit.  And therefore I need to “consider it pure joy”.  Yeah right!  Hmm. . .  Well, God wouldn’t ask me to do something if I couldn’t do it with his help right?  I am trying to let him change my attitude and surrender this to him.  Please pray for me this week.  I really believe this is such a foundational part of Christianity.  It is a lesson that we all need to learn.  What trials to you have that God is using to grow you?  Let’s pray for each other.  We have no promise that I trial will go away, only that we will make it through them.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2