Adaptability, Essentials, and Wants: Training Week 2

Tuesday...
             ...the power was out for 12 hours which made for a very hot, sweaty day full of creativity in our training sessions. Immediately after the power was turned on, notes went up all over campus letting us know the water would be shut off for an hour. Then, on Friday, they told us we would be moving to a new dorm building on the other side of campus. :-) It is an opportunity for cleaning, organizing, and exercise.

Thursday...
             ...an afternoon session on essentials and negotiables for the Christian walk. We all took a little "quiz" that asked us to mark on a list of 75 how many items we considered essential for our walk with Christ. It asked about what you eat and drink, how you should dress, how leadership should be chosen, how and when you should pray, how you should be baptized...it asked if divorce, borrowing money, drinking, and long hair on men were acceptable practices for a Christian.

I'm not going to lie; answering these questions was a difficult task.

From graduation day last May when many of my friends started drinking socially, I have struggled immensely. I feel God has called me to a fairly strict set of guidelines for my life in the areas of modesty, speech, and diet, and I found it incredibly hard to come to grips with the fact that God does not call all believers to those same standards. I did not feel respected for my standards and I felt the need to impose my standards on those around me. There has been an intense battle raging within me over the past year.

But in the past few months of wrestling, I have been reminded numerous times that my standards are my own. It is NOT okay for me to place them on anyone but myself. And this was the point of our session on Thursday. Romans 14 tells us that we are to have our convictions before God, to not feel guilty about those convictions, and to allow others the freedom to follow their convictions.

None of the items on the list are essential for salvation, for faith in Christ. Some of them, though, are essential to me personally in order to walk with Christ and keep my eyes fixed on Him. Others are essential to many of my friends and teammates. I am thankful for the reminder that we are not to condemn others or act as a stumbling block as we seek the Lord and serve Him.

Friday...
         ...As I was running Friday morning before breakfast, a list of wants started to play in my head. I wanted to go to Africa. I wanted to teach in an elementary school setting. I wanted to live in a small town.

I received none of these things.

An amazing thing happened in me though as I continued running. I worshipped. I thanked God for His obvious direction in my life. I want to serve and follow God...and that is what I am doing. :-)

I know I am where God has called me. I don't know a why, but that is okay.

I am halfway through training, and there are still a lot of specifics I do not know. I don't know when I fly out, who I will be teaching (though I know it is in a language school), where I will be living, or how to get around and survive in an overseas setting. There are some days where I worry and other days where I just go with the flow. My worry and stress just damage my body more. I know God is in control.

One more thing before I close my ramblings for the day: Thursday afternoon, my regional director offered me the leadership position of Central Administrator for my city. I was not surprised by the offer. Somehow I knew it would be offered to me and I had been debating over it for a week and half. At some points, I was interested in it while others I had no desire to be in that position. When Thursday came, though, I knew I needed to accept it.

We had training all day yesterday. It's a big job requiring administration, teacher observations, monthly reports, conflict resolution, contact with the school administration and the home office, emergency evacuation plans and execution, finances, and planning and leading retreats. It's a lot, but I know God has me here for a reason. My team has been very supportive in my director's decision to give me the role, and that is encouraging. Please pray for my team and I as we fit into our roles and prepare to leave the country in approximately two weeks.

One more random request: my suitcase handle broke as I was moving rooms today...I'm not too sure what to do about it. God knows, so right now I can only laugh and seek Him.

Have a fabulous week!!