vision

In the months since I left Guatemala I have been trying to find a job and a new home. I can't say that has happened yet but I'm getting better. For all of about 24 hours I was a teacher last week in a charter school. The whole situation was little odd to say the least and my snap decision to accept and then unaccept the position did not help matters. I can safely say I remembered quickly why I don't want to be a teacher...don't get me wrong I adore kids/teenagers but being the person responsible for their education is not who I want to be. The director of the school told me I need to pray for direction...I didn't have the guts to say I have been for months.
This afternoon I was thinking about what I want to do and how maybe I need to settle somewhere whether the job is really what I want or not cause I'm not just looking for a home I'm looking for a community. Its hard to not have one after living at camp and working at CAG.

I am reminded of a simple song we sing at camp...it is my prayer...

Lord, I want to know Your vision though I’m in a foreign land
Grant me heartache for the hungry and the grace to understand
Lead me to the ones who suffer, those whose hearts cannot find rest
Lord, I want to know Your vision Put me where I can serve best

power tools

I think I finally understand the empowerment/need men have for power tools. I wanted to build a cornhole set for some friends and had mentioned it to my dad. This morning after mom was out of the house he asked if I wanted to get to work. That we did...and it was fun. It was entertaining to watch/try to follow my dad's train of thought on how he does things. I was surprised at the tools my dad brought out. He's had them for a LONG time and they are still in great shape! Apparently investing in great tools is worth the money twenty years later. I must admit I was a little intimidated when I first pulled the trigger on the circ saw but I improved a lot as the day went on. I'm a big fan of a jig-saw...I think that's what it was. I used it to cut holes. And unlike Tim-the-tool-man-Taylor I don't need more power!

buckeyes...the edible ones

My eight-year-old niece is to say the least opinionated when it comes to food...even candy! We saw buckeyes(peanut butter balls) in a checkout line not to long ago and she claimed she didn't like them. This is peculiar because she lives and breaths for Reeses peanut butter cups. I decided it was time for this kid to make buckeyes. So this afternoon I pulled out the peanut butter, butter, and powdered suger. At first she wasn't a fan but then suddenly she was begging to lick the spatula. I thought for sure she would get a tummy ache before we even dipped them in chocolate! The good news is that I don't think she got sick...the weird news is that she didn't like them coated in chocolate, so she went home with a container of chocolate-less buckeyes!

speak

What an incredible book! It's been a few years in coming but I finally read it, well actually I listened to the audio book. Either way it was great. Without ruinng it...it's about a girl who enters high school without friends because she called the cops at a big summer bash. As a result she becomes selectively mute and pretty much quits life...except art class. This book is her story...how she copes and eventually learns to speak for herself and her peers.
If you have any inclination for adolescent literature, or wonder what teenagers are dealing with, read this book!!!

dishwasher success

YEAH!!!! Apparently a little fire was all it took. There is officially a new functioning dishwasher in the kitchen. It's pretty:) and it washes dishes! Apparently that's a fairly new concept...the fact that the dishwasher not only sanitizes but also washes!

shukos

I just made shukos for dinner and though they weren't quite the same as the ones off the street they were good and a quick spruce up to hot dogs. Yummy guacamole, cooked shredded cabbage, ketchup,and mustard smothering a plain old boiled hot dog on a toasted bun. Mm. Mm. Good.
There were a lot of great things about Guatemala but I think the best was how it opened my eyes to worlds outside my own...shukos included:)