Phew! What a long two days! Overnight Camp has come and gone. This year our theme was the Olympics. I really felt like we were there! The kids LOVED it! It was a long day. It started at 5 am on Friday morning and I didn't get to bed until 11. Then it was up at 6 on Saturday and the students FINALLY went home at 12 that afternoon. I came back, passed out in my bed, woke up got a massage and nice American dinner and then I graded papers. Thinking back over all the work and prep and sweat that went into these 36 hours it seems silly. Why waste so much time and effort to make something that only lasts for so long? All the work was justified though in seeing the joy on the students faces, hearing their laughter, and being with them in this relaxed environment. A missions team from a University in America has been here in Thailand for 2 weeks, staying at our school and ministering to schools in the area. They helped us out at the camp and I was SO disappointed in their attitudes. They complained about their sleeping arrangements, the food, the students, the work they were doing, they were bored, they were hot, they had to fly a long time to get here, and the list goes on and on. I was getting very frustrated. This is my home and I am proud of it. To hear it talked about in such a way upset me. Then I started to think though that it is all about your perspective and where your passion is. To them, Thailand really is a 2-week stint. They have no plans of coming back and no real desire to. They are fine to experience it and go back to their lives in the States. To me this has become my life, my ministry. I even dream about school and my students. So vividly in fact that when I wake up I don't know if it really happened or if I just dreamed it. Because my heart is here, I am able to look past the heat, the bugs, some of the strange food, etc. I have also been trying to be intentional about waking up, and being thankful for having one more day. One more day with these students, one more day in Thailand, one more day to be a part of something bigger than me. It has made all the difference in my attitude this year. By looking at each day as a blessing, it makes my hardest days seem profitable instead of arduous. It was great to see the contrast between who I was a little over a year ago and who I hope to become in the future. For that, I am grateful for the time I spent with the missions team this weekend.
Another exciting piece has been my students. The more I get to know them the more I see how tender their hearts are towards the things of God. They LOVE to read the Bible, they sing to God when they are scared, they ask for prayer on a regular basis for one of their classmate who has hand/foot/mouth (which is spreading around Thailand like wildfire!). God is seeking them and they are allowing Him to work in their hearts. At the beginning of the year I thought I was going to really struggle. This is SUCH a sensitive class! I do not do good with sensitive/needy children. I don't have a strong memory of what I was like as a child but from what my mom has told me I was extremely sensitive. I must have used it all up as a child because while I am sensitive about certain issues, for the most part I would not classify myself in that manner. Regardless, I have little patience for sensitive, needy, easy to cry students. This class is sensitive to the MAX! Everyday someone is crying, someone is upset---it is exhausting! I think it is a blessing though. I think their sensitive nature is what fuels their interest in God. Their sensitive hearts are receptive to the Holy Spirit's prompting. Just continue to pray for how God is working in their lives. I can't wait to see how his spirit will move this year in Thailand, in GES, and in grade 3. Enjoy these pictures from the weekend! :)
Also my mom dad and Adam come in 4 days! I can't believe how soon they will get here! I hope they enjoy their time here and I will be sure to post pictures of our time together!
