Flustered

Well, ARGGGGH. I am letting out a big sigh now as my day was far from perfect. Actually, I was unusually flustered all day today. My students weren't doing anything out of the ordinary but they were hitting all of my buttons labeled annoyed. Ivory kept on singing our songs in his bass opera voice, Richard looked at me blankly as I directed him for literally the 10th time to move closer to his partners for the math game, and Jayshawn continued his obsession with the velcro on his shoes.

But, really my flustered day started at the gym where while gabbing towards the mirror in kickboxing a spunky older Asian woman kept on punching her way into my mirror space, and there was a locker area hog in the locker room.
Why is it that some days everything sees to be elevated? Things that normally would go unnoticed end up being the main themes for the day. When this happens I pray. Today I realized that most of the issues were because I was forgetting that when I became a Christian I was crucified with Christ and now I don't live but He lives in me. This means that those things that I was taking personally should affect me at all because I should be dead to myself. Easy to say, but when a spunky grandma is blocking your view and a pouting 2nd grader is preventing you from your lunch hour, it is different. But, it shouldn't be.

I got to talk to Don Rogers the International Director on the phone today. I really really thougth that this would be THE conversation. THE conversation inviting me to join the team of Empowering Lives International. THE conversation telling me that my dreams had finally been cemented and confirmed. THE conversation that would allow for me to speak with finality about my plans to Africa. But, instead we are waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Waiting for the next month when he is going to sit face to face with the board of directors in Kenya and together they can plan and write my job description so that it can be approved for a NGO pass.

Even though Don was the bearer of undesirable news, he was so encouraging. And I do know that God is working in the midst of this waiting period. I'm still waiting to hear from Iris ministries so I'm waiting to buy my ticket. In the meantime on Saturday I get to share at a Missions Encounter and trust that God will tug on peoples heart because He has a vision and I am just the person who gets to voice it.

Overall, I've learned alot about the African people through this whole process that started eight years ago. Ever since Feburary I was waiting to hear from them a final word and I realize that the Kenyans truly do prefer communication face-to-face and that they value personal communication.