Indeed this is a rather late update to last week, but here goes!
To make a long story incredibly short, on Sunday Morning I had an “unexpected” incident, involving my face, and a fire extinguisher at a gas station. As a result of this lovely encounter, I ended up going for a stitch (not stitches… just the one). Needless to say, it was one hectic Sunday. In retrospect, it felt like a real Proverbs 16:9 kind of a morning – I had fully intended to be involved in my church, and set out with my day, but oh no things changed. Fun fact, I am a pretty intense stress crier – there is nothing cute about it, and as a result of my connection with this extinguisher, said crying, and hyperventilating ensued.
As a result of hitting my forehead on said extinguisher, I was quite frankly miffed. In reflection now, I can completely recognize that God’s protection in this situation is beyond my understanding. I didn’t actually see the extinguisher before I hit it (because my head connected as I was standing up), and as a result I can honestly say that God was so good to me in this situation. Thanks to His protection I was fortunate to not have broken my nose or injured one of my eyes; I connected with the top of my forehead despite my lack of physical vision in this situation. Things could have been worse but He is SO good.
I’m going to pull a 180 (don’t worry, there’s plenty more where that came from) with this post, and put the prayer requests right here!
1. That I would not be rigged in how I study my stories, and prepare my lessons – that I would allow God to take His rightful place in that process.
2. I am grateful for God’s protection today, but also for the rest of the summer that God would continue to protect me from anything Satan might throw my way.
3. I have a praise! Since my sister shared my prayer request for my head, I am doing significantly better! Aside from feeling lightheaded in the afternoon, I am currently showing no signs of concussion! Thank you to all who prayed for me, God is awesome! 🙂
Again, Gwyneth really summarized everything up very well. Last Friday was a reminder of the importance of faithfulness, the joy of Christian fellowship, and the power of our God. I’m just going to summarize Club 4.
I was on my way to Club 4, and I was not really sure what to expect from the kids. All I knew was that I really wanted to end well, encouraging these children in the process. I began organizing lessons, and one of the kids tells me, “Can I call you Jerry?” Now, I never refer to Mr. D by his first name, and I had only met these children this week, so I was genuinely weirded out by the coincidence. After I explained to them that was the name of my boss, they spent the rest of the club alternating between choosing to call me Georgia (due to their amusement with my Southern Belle accent), and Jamie Grace.
By the end of club, I realized that time had truly escaped me, and I needed to begin the Bible story. Even though the kids knew the story, I was encouraged that they willingly listened – and then the discussion about the lesson became very profound. As I was describing (in a kid friendly manner) the fact that Saul did not intend good for the believers, the kids brought up the idea of choosing to pretend you were not a follower of Christ should Saul appear, and also fear about ISIS. And to take it further, while I was explaining to the children that God desires for us to show love to those people that seem too far gone, one of the children explained the issues they had with a bully.
At this point, it seemed hollow to share that God desires for us to love those that are hard to love, but it is the reality. And further, I realized it was a great honour, and a privilege to be in the moment, sharing with these kids that when you choose to love as Christ does to those who do not deserve it, it just might be that it is apart of His plan for the salvation of that individual. I know I left that club feeling encouraged in knowing that God knows scary, bad people – and for reasons unbeknownst to me the same love He demonstrated for me to receive is available to even the worst of the worst. He love is strong enough to change even the hardest of hearts. What a privilege it is to serve such a good Father!
Grace Sichangwa
Hi! My name is Grace, and this is my 6th summer teaching 5 day clubs. I feel so humbled, and honored to be involved with this ministry again this year. I'm excited to see how God not only transforms the lives of those that I meet, but the work that He will do within myself. Prayer Requests: 1. For my heart - that it would be so focused on Jesus. 2. For discipline - that I would take the time for daily prayer, and devotion. 3. For His voice - that His voice would be clear to me, as I minister.