March 2008, a record month. A visit from my roomate's family, two short-term ministry teams, murals, signs, a move to another location, lots of donuts, 4 amazing interns...
As I sit here in my jammies on this bright Saturday morning, body exhuasted from going going going, and think back on this last month, all I can see is a swirl of colors.
A high school team from Jupiter, Florida flew in on March 8, initiating my official role as 'outreach staff'. Francisco and I hosted 4 uniquely diverse teens for a week and a half at the art school. This would be the last team to enter those doors. We painted murals at the new Special Ed school, we played with kids and did an art project in the squatter community of El Callejon, we went to the local park to draw and ended up making friends with some of the shoe shine boys. And on our last day we cleaned the new art school. Yes, it's true, we have moved to a better, brighter, cleaner and less expensive location. God really answered our prayers and gave us more than what we had asked for. We live above a family and have turned the upstairs of their house (a 2- bedroom, 1-bath, living room, dining room, sitting room, patio and balcony--accessible only by an outdoor staircase) into the most beautiful art school. Our students LOVE it and so do we.
My second team of the month was from San Luis Obispo, CA!!!!! God really blessed me big time by bringing a team from my home county. They were here for only a week, but we had a blast putting together the new art school, painting signs for our Special Ed school, face painting in El Callejon and drawing in the park. We ate lots of ice cream and donuts and dove into the deep things of God with Francisco. I was reminded of the beauty and authenticity of Central Coast culture and was refreshed by their presence. This month has been so reaffirming in my call to be here and it has been redeeming as well. The last eight months have been good, but really tough for me. The language barrier has been especially difficult because I so love to share one-on-one on deep levels. This month, and in this last week especially, I have been able to be totally myself and to share from the heart. Thank you, Father.
April will be a bit slower for me as I have no teams coming to my site. I am taking April to get some medical testing done, hopefully get my car fixed, host my mommy for a week and attend a staff retreat. May 5 starts the oncoming tidal wave of summer teams. We will have 7 two-week teams back to back.
I am asking for specific prayer regarding a health issue I am dealing with. Getting testing done down here is better than it could be, but it's definitely not like in the states. I get easily overwhelmed by the whole process. Thanks be to God, He sent a recent medical school graduate, and now friend, to help me walk through a bit of the process. He is writing a list of tests he thinks I need to get done based on the symptoms I have described. Please pray that whatever is going on will be discovered quickly and accurately diagnosed.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Eph. 3:20,21
