Friday, October 16, 2009

The Building

(I figured I'd better keep rolling while I have a minute! LOL )

We have a ministy building! I love being there!!! Everyday they have tutoring from 3:30-5:30 p.m. There are about 90 kids that come everyday!! It is alive a popping everyday!

They have bible study with ALL of the kids on Wednesdays after tutoring! The kids and I went this week and it's so great just to be there! I still can't believe that God has called us to this ministry. I can't believe He has a plan for us here...and we still have no idea what that will actually look like.

But being at the building, around the kids makes me excited.

Wednesday was Alonzo's birthday. Thurday I bought some cakes from Sam's to surprise him at tutoring! It was really sweet! The kids were so excited to sing Happy Birthday to Zo and also very excited about the cake :)

That was also REPORT CARD DAY!!! It's been a long time since I've had a report card day. :) I was so excited to celebrate with kids (some of them I didn't know) who had good grades! I loved being able to congratulate them on their hard work and to encourage them to keep up the good work! I was really proud of them.

One of the girls that I have a relationship with didn't get a great grade in reading. I was able to sit down and talk to her about the importance of doing well in reading and loving to read. We talked about ways to work on bringing up her reading grade and I told her to I would look up some things on the computer to bring her.

This...tutoring...is right up my alley!!!!! I was trying to figure out today how I could participate on a regular basis! As I was trying to make a schedule to see how that would work, I seemed to be able to find time for it! I was thinking, "Lord is this something you want me to do. YOu seem to be making it so easy,"

I have a hard time trying to figure out how to plan my days normally! How in the world could I find time to add 2 hours of tutoring! We'll see. I'm excited about trying it out.

The kids love being at the building...(surely we are going to come up with a name for this place. We can't keep calling it "the building" :). They just love running around with all of the kids! Much of the time I don't know where they are (sometimes I'm not exactly comfortable with that, but we'll work it out).

Alaiyah went to the little girls Bible study Wednesday and Nicole teaches. She loved it and she is serious about the scripture memory verses that Nicole gave them. I heard her telling Zo today, "Don't tear up my papers. I HAVE to learn my verses. TT said! and I'll get a treat if I do." She is such a student...I wonder where she gets that from! LOL

Everyone has fun at the building, except Ayden that is! She screams whenever anyone comes close to her. All of the kids want to hold her and pick her up and she just screams. In a building full of 100 kids all I hear is Ayden, SCREAMING!!! She has started to warm up a little. She still doesn't want anyone to pick her up, but sometimes when they come close she'll just run away! That's a little bit better than screaming! LOL

I'm not sure how the Lord is going to use our family here, but I see Him sowing the seeds of excitement in my heart just being at the building and around the kids! I feel like I'm on a journey to a place that I don't know! I am so grateful that my sovereign Lord, who loves me so, is leading the way. As long as I follow Him, I know that everything will be a-ok!!

An Attempt @ Consistency! :)

Ok so I figure I should be able to write at least 1 blog a week. I'm going to stop shy of making an actual commitment...let's just say I'll try! LOL

I really want to take a moment to record all of the things that are happening in our lives...I just don't seem to have the time! I would much rather read something from someone else than write something of my own. Someday I'll regret that, so I have to do better!!!!

This is Alonzo's birthday weekend. His birthday was the 14th and we spent the day together. We went to eat at IHOP (our yearly tradition) and to buy Daddy clothes (also a yearly tradition). It was a lot of fun. A sweet old lady in IHOP told me that I had well behaved kids, she wouldn't have known there were three over there.

Praise the Lord!!! It's amazing what other people see while I juggle Ayden getting up and down out of her seat, Zo talking at the only volume he knows...LOUD, and Alaiyah asking a question about something on the ceiling that she must know all of the details about! LOL!! I enjoyed them that day!!!

I've been reading a book called Everyday Talk (thanks Tay) and it has really helped me with my parenting and the gospel perspective!!!! It talks about pleasantness of speech (Prov 16) and how it increases the likelihood that our children will listen to what we say.

Sweetness of speech...not exactly my strong suit! :)

It encouraged me to be much more controlled in how I talk to my children. It also gave me motivation b/c of the reason. James 1:19-20 talks about the anger of men NOT producing the righteousness of God. What more do I want in my children's life than God's righteousness?

Nothing!!!! Absolutely Nothing!!!

My frustration and anger will not prepare there hearts for the Lord. The book also encouraged me to remember that my children cannot obey without the Lord. My discipline is not to make them obey. It is really to help them see that God must be obeyed but that we CANNOT do it on our own. It's a continual opportunity to teach them (and myself) to go to Jesus for help in obeying God's commands and everything else! I'm really very excited about this. What a great habit to have! I'm still trying to learn to do this!!!

(RAndom: Ayden just said, "We gone watch a mooby" LOL! Sweet 2 year old!)

(This is live...as I type! LOL! The kids are watching Prince of Egypt and Alaiyah is explaining to Zo that if there is no blood on the door they will die! Zo said, "We're gonna die because there is no blood on our door! LOL!! Alaiyah said it's ok. Zo said it again! He was not convinced. She explained that if we were in the Bible we would die!! Zo is quietly watching with intent interest!! Hilarious!)

I know that only Christ's work in their hearts will save them, but I'm encouraged that I can see in the scriptures ways that God has given for me to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord! I've prayed a looong time for some conviction and clarity in this area! Praise the Lord! He really does answer when we continue to call on him!!!

Thank you Lord!!!