So, one of the many things required on this experience called the World Race is weekly paperwork called C and C’s; Otherwise known as Challenges and Celebrations. This paperwork is written to keep all of our leadership support on top of things, letting them know what we’ve been going through and how they can pray for us, etc. Some people love doing them and write books, others have had issues with wording and had the questions changed and this and that and there are conspiracy theories galore around these things…
Anyway, I’m not going to get into all that. What I am going to get into is one question in particular on that infamous paperwork and the answer that goes along with it. Well, the answer that goes along with it this week. The question is: How have you shown the love of Jesus this week?
My answer: I haven’t focused on showing the love of Jesus this week as much as I have experienced receiving it. This is my second week of tutoring English to three little 4th graders. It’s been difficult, frustrating, irritating, sometimes an annoyance, but I signed up to do it and I honor my promise. That’s how I feel everyday an hour before its time to leave for the school to tutor the class. Never know why. Everytime I get into the midst of it and on my walk home, I am refreshed, happy, calm and excited at the same time. You get the picture. Now, I’m not about to talk about spiritual warfare or anything like that, as much as it seems I’m leading it there. No, I want to talk about how I received the love of Jesus through this English tutoring class. This week when leaving for the school, a torrential downpour started. Lightning, wind, sideways rain, it was awful. Of course I had to walk to school. Kevin and I only had 1 umbrella between the two of us and it did nothing for us. Every step I took closer to the school, the thought of saying the weather is too bad, I should turn around got stronger and stronger and stronger. I almost called it quits when I stepped in a river of warm brown liquid. Gross. But we made it.
Kevin and I tutored through the monsoon and kept the peace through every lightning flash and thunderous boom. At the end, the two girls were having so much fun, they didn’t want us to leave. It was their first time in the tutoring class because of having swim lessons last week. Anyway, Ponchai and Sarah both loved it and wouldn’t leave the classroom. I wonder why students back home don’t act this way. But I digress. This whole time was so much fun, so enlightening, so restful. It was exactly what I had been needing. Each day is like that. But this particular day was special. To help her not forget our names, Sarah, the youngest of them all, wrote our names on her hand with a marker and held it up to us to make sure she got the spelling right.
Wow. Nobody has ever wanted to remember me that much before. The walk back home through the monsoon, the sidewalk-turned-river, and the brown water that was uncomfortably warm, wasn’t so bad anymore. And now, even when I know all the complaining and frustration of putting together a new lesson and not wanting to go because of the weather is going to happen, I look forward to doing it all over again tomorrow.
