Wednesday, September 5th:
About the last fifteen minutes of class, my first group (5B) started to get noisier and noisier. It reminded me of how rambunctious they were last year and I was thankful we haven't encountered any days like those yet. I passed out "No Homework" passes to two of the students to remind the class to hang in there through this first week of school.
The rest of the day flew by, merging into one big blur. Each class seems to be doing well. More and more students are working quietly when I walk into the classroom. My last class of the day became a bit talkative as well, so I handed out "No Homework" passes there too.
In the afternoon, after grading and a short nap, Sarah and I made fruit salad for tonight's team meal. We met at John and Mary's this week, which meant a much shorter walk for us! Mary made stromboli with veggies and alfredo sauce. Delicious! Lisa made brownies for dessert. Our Skype call with Dave and Lisa was very encouraging. They are thoughtful listeners, providing words of wisdom from their experiences and always pointing us to the One who can meet our needs.
During our team time, we read through John 11. At the end, I was struck by how much I am like Timothy. I have trouble thinking outside my line of reasoning. Jesus was taking them to Lazarus to show them a miracle and the only Timothy saw was death. Over the past two weeks, my focus diverts back to the how's and why's of God's plan. "Lord, this doesn't fit with my plan. So how does this work?" "Lord, I don't see the significance of being here, teaching math, managing a schedule that is too busy for time with my students. So why am I here?" My rebellious spirit refuses to see the miracle. Though I understand this with my mind, my heart can not believe. "Lord, how can I see the miracle?" ... "Delight in Me."
Afterwards, we shared our prayer requests and it was reassuring to know that I am not walking this path alone. The enemy is attacking each of us; while the arrows are shot from the same source, each is tipped with something personal that makes it more suitable to penetrate our individual armor. Thankful for a team that prays together.
The evening devotion seemed to read my thoughts. "Why am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's providences, the motive of His actions, the design of His visitations? Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and hold the universe in my palm? yet these are as a drop of a bucket compared with the Lord my God. Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love." -- Delight in the Lord.
Thursday, September 6th:
My first class was a little better today, but still got a little antsy by the end. Yesterday was the first day of solid material and I can tell it gets a little slow about half way through. I think I will need to find a way to "spice it up" in the middle of the lecture.
I got my next class started on their lesson, then at 9:30, I met Lisa (who was also teaching a class) at the copy shack so we could meet the guard and go to the residency office. Surprisingly, everyone and everything was ready to go and we were off within a few minutes. Lisa and I picked up Andy and the kids and texted John and Mary so they could meet us at the R.O.
The R.O. didn't take too long (relatively speaking). By noon we had been shuffled among three different rooms, the kids had nearly eaten all the snacks, and the adults were about ready for naps ... paperwork in hand we left the R.O., hoping to get our blood work out of the way as well. According to Kurdish custom, it probably would've waited until another day, but through a couple phone calls, we managed to load up in our vehicles and take a trip to the "blood bank" (it is really some sort of medical facility, but we've only ever gone to get our blood drawn. Because of that, I can't think of it without images of blood stains on the floor and bloody cotton balls coming to mind.) Anyway, we were in and out within a matter of minutes, well 15 to be exact! It was truly amazing! Sarah will have to wait two months, but we were glad that the families with children won't need to come back.
Went back to the school to sign some paperwork (and collect homework), then Sarah and I took a taxi to the secondhand appliances/dishware store. It was closed, but we went later in the evening when it was cooler and Sarah was able to find three neat mugs. For dinner, we shared a grilled chicken with John and Mary. We have noticed that there is a new trend here where they fillet the chicken and grill it over a wood fire. The restaurant at the corner of our street sells them, so I walked up and got one to-go. It was really flavorful and came with yummy bread!
This afternoon, (after I graded papers and took a little nap), I tried to sort through some of my thoughts. I am starting to realize that EVERYTHING is different from last year. My roles have changed (I am no longer the newbie, but the one responsible to know how to get around); my job has changed; the way I structure my time is different; even the teacher lounge at school is in a different room! One lesson I am learning is to delight in the Lord despite the circumstances. Secondly, all the things I might look to for comfort (which don't seem like much to begin with) are being stripped away. Again, the Lord is teaching me, "Delight ONLY in Him." And last, if I could just know why I am here ... what is my purpose? Timothy thought his purpose was to die. I am sure it was a long walk to Bethany for him. If only he had understood what Jesus intended to do. Timothy couldn't see beyond the physical, but he was about to witness a miracle that would show him the glory of God! Like Timothy, I strive for a purpose that is laid out in the physical. But God is directing me to walk in His light, letting go of my purposes that I might glory in Him! Is it possible that delighting in God will be enough? Not sure that I am ready to find out...
I was able to Skype with Mom, Caleb, Eithen, and Jaden. Mom told me that Eithen was listening to the book I had recorded for him just before we started Skyping. The book begins, "Do you know how much I miss you?" Eithen responded, "Yes ... sigh." At the end of the book, he got close to the speaker and whispered, "Can I come in there with you?" Pause. "Okay. Well I love you lots!" Apart from missing him even more, it made my heart happy to know that I am not forgotten.
