Wednesday, May 7

A little bit more

So, I found a new study place. Beatnix. Coolest place ever. I mean, I love Common Grounds, of course. But it is so crowded and hot and loud... Beatnix is cool and spacious and quiet enough to get stuff done but busy enough to not feel like Jesus came back and took everyone in the world but you.

I'm sitting here in Beatnix, listening to some Dave Barnes, thinking about this summer. I just got back from a Pine Cove Baylor staff hang-out. It was fun, I suppose. A little awkward. While I am so excited about spending 12 weeks in Tyler this summer, I am so so not ready. I am slightly freaking out, actually. I know it will be so so good. And so so hard. I don't feel ready for those little kids to be watching my every move. And to deal with bed-wettings, and 2 AM nightmares, and homesickness, and real sickness, and broken toes. I don't feel prepared to deal with those kids just found out their parents are getting a divorce. Or those kids who think they are Christians because they were baptized as infants. Or those kids who have grown up under a completely different religion. I am so excited to love on these kids... But so incapable.
I was reading 1 Thessalonians last night, and felt so challenged by Paul's words. He worked with those people with patience and love. He treated them as his children, disciplining them when needed. And because of the power of the Holy Spirit, those people fell in love with Christ. Paul says, "You became imitators of us and of the Lord..." That part hit me. These kids this summer will be watching me. Imitating me... Are my actions worthy of imitation? Can they imitate me and through me imitate Christ?
This summer will be interesting... trying, hard, good, challenging, distressing, emotionally-physically-spiritually draining, rewarding.

I can't wait.


2 comments:

laceface said...

bah... i got teary watching the freaking video. i'm such a pine cove dork already. its so bad.

agreed... i'm so nervous about this summer. i just don't even know what to expect and i'm so worried about my personal limitations and faults. That is a place where those show up and people will call it out in you... i'm looking foward to it, but still scared like whoa.
SO excited about the kids though, i need to kid time. i miss those crazies.

social world sucked. THE END.

Darcie said...

Haley! Glad to see you on here, and I'm looking forward to seeing you this summer. All summer, eh? Way to go! If you need some encouragement, rest, a place to do laundry :) along the way, feel free to let me know. I'll be at the Towers again doing a small group first half. Then second half, we'll be having a baby! Check out the latest pics of what's going on with us at www.lantzfam.blogspot.com and we can be blog buddies. Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks!