Day 30 (23): Be Where Your Feet Are

Today was our last day as a 4-person team, in a way. 

Tomorrow, we'll be joined by a small team from a Great Commission church in Bloomington, Minnesota. They seem super equipped for what we've been doing here, and I'm a little nervous, tbh. But, I'm excited they'll be here and we can make a smooth transition, then they can make a smooth transition to everything being run by the folks here.

Today was also good. We were all back in the game (if not all feeling 100%) and had the younger kids at the CDI. Only Saul and Sharon came today, but it was really sweet to be able to give them a good amount of one-on-one attention. Saul wore my shoes on top of his shoes. His feet are so small. My feet are so much bigger than a 6-year-old's. 

We studied the story of Jesus clearing the temple. While it might not work to get into the intricacy of Jesus kicking people out because the place where they were selling their wares was the only place where non-Jews could worship God and how it shows the ubiquity of God's heart for the nations in scripture and Jesus' ministry and how he got angry when his people were so focused on their worship of him being made easier that they forgot about and blocked his mandate for all peoples to know him *breath*, the kids did get the message that God wants people to be able to pray to him unhindered. So, that's a good start. 

It was fun watching them act it out and, oh-so-gently flip the "tables" we had set up. With the little kids, we just have them read through our memory verse a bunch of times instead of hoping they memorize it in the 2 days we have it up each week.

We played a lot of Uno with Saul, and a lot of throw-all-the-bouncy-balls-in-the-air with Sharon. There were piggy-back rides (my sunburn is much better) and a lot of laughter. 

We also learned a new song together and practiced the old song. Saul seems to respond incredibly well to music. Sharon is less into it, but I think reading might not be her strong suite yet. We learned some new English words and practiced them together, again with a clever game/learning style led by Matthew. What a baller.

For about an hour, Georgen and Sheryl helped the kids with their homework (writing out numbers). It was really interesting watching them work and focus so, so hard on the little tasks they're doing. I wonder if God watches me with that same amused, but proud affection. 

Y'all. They're just so cute. They're about the age I used to drive with my schoolbus. Kids are adorable. My heart. Such feeeelings. *feeling wheel spins*

We kicked all the kids out and hopped on the bus to get back home. We haven't taken time to walk to the grocery store yet, so we ordered Asian food. My stomach has still been squirrely all day, but not as bad as some. This meal felt fine though, which was lovely. I haven't been super hungry lately though. 

After/during dinner, H@ngout started. It's finals week for the students here, so they are all stressed. Only a few joined us, but it was a ton of fun. Lagos had a really profound encouragement to share with them about worrying. He used the Spanish word, preocuparse, which is worry or concern yourself with something. Obviously, preoccupied, is the English equivalent, but we don't use it that much. He said it's good to be focused and working on the task at hand (ocuparse), but to pre-ocuparse is to put energy and effort and focus into something before its proper time. And doing so pulls onto our shoulders a burden that isn't meant to be ours.

There's a lot of verses for this. Lagos focused on 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." But, you could take a Matthew 6, birds-of-the-air, each-day-has-enough-trouble-of-its-own approach. Or you could have a Matthew 11, my-yoke-is-easy take. Definitely could swing a Philippians 4, do-not-be-anxious-but-pray kinda thing. Anyway.

Then, tonight, I checked my emails and a friend of mine had sent me an encouragement to not worry about my future (see Day 27), including a really cool phrase, "Be Where Your Feet Are." I love that. It's so powerful and so good and so timely with what was shared tonight. So, now I pass it on to you.

We watched another episode of The Chosen, which was kind of a bottle episode, but I really liked it. I have a hard time keeping the disciples apart. I wish they wore nametags.

Tomorrow is the big kids again, joined by the new team. I'm excited! 

PRAYER:
- for our team to be healed up completely tomorrow
- for the new arriving group to be able to jump right in with what the church here is doing
- for powerful connection with the bigger kids
- for good scheduling with our college-aged friends in H@ngout here before we leave
- for God's love to be at the center of it all

Pictures:
um........sorry, i got nothin for ya's