A Call For Prayer

      I forgot how much energy this job requires. The familiar ache all over from constant bending down to play, lifting them for a hug, or running errands all throughout the day. My mind felt like it was running in circles as I thought about all that needs to be done and still stay focused on the children in front of me. At the church, we have downsized to one room, so the toddlers are on one side of the makeshift wall made up of the Lego table, kitchen, toy shelf, and workbench, and the preschoolers are on the other. It has been quite entertaining to see the bigger kids wanting to be apart of the smaller kids' play time. Why do we always feel like we are missing out if someone else is doing something we're not? We have been slowly moving toys, books, tables, etc. over to the house, which is next door to the new building, in order to get prepared for the big move that should be happening in a few weeks. We are currently waiting for the mudding and taping of the drywall to be completed so then the walls can be painted, fixtures can be assembled, and things will start to come to a close on the project. It is quite exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. 

Had entirely too much fun catching up with this girl! Love her to pieces!

    One of my tasks this week was to meet with a group of college students who are working through a service program at Moody Bible Institute. They will be working with me on Mondays and Fridays in the program. They will be helping with homework, bible lessons, and pouring into the children. I am expecting God to open their eyes and change their hearts like He usually does when we give of ourselves. I am beyond thankful for each one of the students, they have no idea what an encouragement their energy and excitement were to me. The time is drawing closer and closer for the after school program to start and with each passing day I have felt more and more anxious about things. I have felt completely out of my league and unprepared for what is to come. There have been so many unknowns and changes that have occurred over the last few weeks, that in the words of a good friend of mine, "I lost the vision of the bigger picture." I have ran endless scenarios through my head and tried to be productive in planning for the program, and in the process I worked myself up to the point that I'm not quite ready for the first day. Instead of allowing God to work things out and follow His lead, I have tried to make it work and like always, have fallen short. I believe this program will do a lot of good and be beneficial to every student enrolled, I just have to trust God that He will  make sense of what I can't comprehend right now. 
    This is hard for me to ask, but I am asking for prayer because there are days I don't have the energy to do this, there are times when I question if I'm really serving a purpose, and there are so many moments that I doubt that this program will come together. It has been a true struggle to keep putting one foot in front of the other, not knowing what lies ahead, or how things will turn out. I don't want to miss out on the end result, so I ask for a strength that only God can provide, His peace that will calm every worry of my heart, His hope when I can only see disaster, and His patience when mine is worn thin. I also ask to be reminded of His love. A love that doesn't care if I'm perfect, a love that isn't concerned about the outcome, a love that is full of forgiveness and grace, and a love that promises to carry me through each day. I have been doing this on my own for too long and need Him to step in and guide me through this. This is His program, these are His children, and it will be His glory that shines brightly in the end despite anything that I do.