updates

So at Mary's request I am going to update about our youth and my class. I'll start with the youth.

We are feeling more comfortable with being ministers. At first I had a hard time filling the shoes of a minister because I felt so unequipped and unqualified. But as my pastor so eloquently put it...

"You are chosen because of His calling, not your qualifications. You are called because of your availability not your abilities."

So...we are embracing ministry more as imperfect people. We are making a few changes with the youth group. Such as, we are ordering new curriculum for Sunday School. For the jr high students we are ordering something about the "basics" of Christianity/the gospel. For high school we are ordering something about "making your faith your own."

Then on Wednesday nights we are planning on doing a small group study on the life of Jesus. We will start out each Wed. night with a game and some music and then split into jr high boys/girls and high school boys/girls. We are really trying to separate jr high and high school more. There are just too many dadgum kids and one teeny tiny youth room. Anyway, I am learning to love these youth more and more. Some are harder to get through to than others, but I find myself feeling and urgency to reach them that I know is only placed on my heart because God put it there.

As far as my classroom goes...I have the most precious students in the whole world. And I can't take credit for it. They just have good parents and/or great personalities. They listen to directions. They take "no" for an answer. They accept discipline. And they are eager to learn. I have a few little stinkers, but I still love them. We are entering the exciting part of the year where we are done memorizing things and we are ready to start reading! That is fun to me.

I really love my new principal. She is always so encouraging to teachers and students. This new environment has really renewed my love for teaching again. Last year I was thinking that this whole teaching thing wasn't for me anymore (but I still really loved it...I was just discouraged). I remember even writing a blog that said I was looking for something different. And I still might do something different later on in life. But for now I am going to keep doing what I love. It feels good to hear someone say again that I am a good teacher and that I am a valuable asset to the school.

On the home front, Colin is sooooo not a baby anymore. I am absolutely loving this stage. We communicate. We joke and play. We have a relationship. And I love that. He is so silly...just like his daddy. That's what I have always wanted...is a house full of family members that like to laugh!

We are preparing for the after graduation life (even though Jeff still has 3 semesters left...never hurts to prepare early.) We are starting to save up a little money because we think we are going to buy a house here in Marshall and stick around here for a while. I love my job. Jeff loves his. So we will stay. (unless God tells us otherwise) I would really like to buy a house close to my school. I really want to buy now, but we just can't afford it unless Jeff is working full time. So until then I will be content in our sweet little home now. I do love our home. Its very comfy and just right for the 3 of us. But if we expand our family in the future...then it just aint happenin!

So that may have been way more info than you wanted to know. But I figure you care about these kind of things...or you wouldn't read my blog!