Strangely Back At Square One

   After the two and half hour drive of over thinking everything, I found myself at the door of the new daycare. A little tired from the lack of sleep from the night before, but ready to hug my kids. Before the door opened, I heard a van pull up behind me and when I turned around, I saw Sherman and Dontrel smiling real big through their van window and I was greeted with a hug from their mother. After such a long wait to see everyone again, I had to hold back the tears as I gratefully embraced each one of them. How it is that God knows just what we need at the exact time we need it!?! I would love to tell you that the rest of the day went just like that, which it did in a way as I saw all the familiar faces that have made their way into my heart. But I was also faced with the task of learning the new schedule for our daycare kids and getting back into the mindset of working with three to five year old children. I won't complain too much about it though, I had my bouncers in the office. Ms. Pearl and Ms. Tay Tay had my back when a few notorious children got out of hand. I am determined to learn their skill of getting instant respect and having authority over every child that comes in that building. Until then, I will continue to do my best to read stories while I have one child running back and forth into walls, another one doing her best to sit as close to the other child to annoy them, or another one so caught up in a conversation with their friend that I am learning what they did over the weekend instead of getting to the ending of "Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea." 

  One of my favorite moments of these past two weeks has to be when I was teaching the boys and girls about the story of Christmas. I'm sure some of the older ones had heard the story before so they were very helpful in yelling out answers, but I can proudly say that my crazy group of kids know that Mary and Joseph were Jesus' parents. Ka'Mya is the first to tell me Jesus was born in a "barn" (Also known as a manger) in Bethlehem (that's right, my kids can say that word). Janiyah proudly tells me an angel appeared before the shepherds and scared the them, but after the "people" (heavenly hosts) came singing 'Glory to God' they went to see baby Jesus. And Jalia is all about telling me about how the three wise men followed the star to see Jesus. They catch on so fast and make everything so much more fun. They have re-taught me to get excited over the little things and the true meaning of Christmas. 
   To add to the fun I've had teaching them, I have also had a blast doing praise and worship with this group of kids. We sing "Every Move I Make," and "I'm Trading My Sorrows" every morning. The first week, they were quiet and shy, but danced along. But this past week, these kids were all about praising Jesus. Ms. Pearl and Ms. Tay Tay came out of their offices a couple of mornings to see what all the noise was about and I wish I could have taken a picture of their faces as they watched these kids give it all up to God. My kids rocked their songs and in return, they got to sing along to the silliest song called, "I Like Bananas," and they got all excited all over again. There are entirely too many perks that come along with working with children; I am incredibly blessed! 

  And I haven't even gotten to my after school kids yet! We finally have a room to ourselves, unlike at the church where we had to share it with the kids and the church. My bookshelves have been generously filled with books, games, school supplies, and love from so many people who have donated more than I expected. We are slowly but surely filling up the room with kids. I have been busy planning, organizing, and doing my best to meet these kids where they're at and let them know how much they mean to me. We finally have an opportunity to make things our own and actually follow the schedule I have planned for them. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching "new to them" games such as Old Maid and Slap Jack. Never thought we could laugh that much over a silly game, but they do, every time. This week we added two brothers to the class, and after their first day, I know without a doubt, I will have my hands full. They all have so much energy and at the end of the day, I find myself joyously drained of all the energy I had from the morning. Caffeine has become my sidekick and has helped me keep up with all my kids. But even more than that, God has blessed me with the time to work and play with these kids, the strength to face new expectations, the encouragement from friends living this life with me day in and day out, and He has covered me in grace as I continually stumbled along the path laid out for me. I daily thank Him for the opportunity to be used by Him in one of the most unlikely situations to reach out to His children. It is a humbling and rewarding job that I will always be grateful for. 

Waiting for the kids to get here for the Bible lesson

Found this book I brought from my elementary school

Turns out it was my book for a year! Thought that was pretty cool!

      As I think back to this time last year, I was hurrying around, busy visiting people, preparing a budget, savoring my last days with the people I have grown to love and call my own adopted family. I was worried about leaving a place of comfort for the unknown, afraid of venturing out into what God called me to do, not ready to let go of my responsibilities here. And today, I find myself in the very same place; it is almost humorous how God works. Who knew I would feel so comfortable in such an unsafe environment. I would have never thought there would be such a huge part of me that wasn't ready to leave my new family behind. And I didn't think that all the plans I had for when I came back would be thrown out the window and I would anxiously find myself thinking about the unknown that lies ahead of me. I have definitely learned that our lives ultimately belong to our Father and there are times that we have no other choice but to completely trust Him and take that step of faith.