Life As Normal and Not

I'm getting back into the swing of normal life here after the new year. We had a very quiet Christmas and New Years here, followed by our annual missionary conference four hours south of here. Despite getting sick with a lung infection and a stomach bug, everything has been getting back to business as usual. I'm still working in the children's library. The girls at the girls' hostel are back to school. And life here moves steadily forward.

But earlier this month, I asked the Lord what He has for me this year. Does He want me to continue the library, working at the girls' hostel, and teaching Sunday school teachers? Or does He have something different in mind for me to do? In a way, He began to answer that question last week.

I was preparing to teach my class for Sunday school teachers again, as well as a class on leading children to Christ. But to my surprise, no one signed up. We heard there was interest, but no one came to register. So, despite my preparations for class, we canceled my classes for this semester. I will probably not teach again until September. This leaves a big gap in my schedule!

I had also been having some conversations with friends about the girls' hostel and improvements in the buildings and living situation that can be made for both the girls' and boys' hostels. I hadn't expected to do much about this situation, since I was unsure of what to do about it. But suddenly people were asking me about it and wanted to help me make some changes. So when my classes were canceled, I chuckled. “So, Lord, this is what You had in mind?”

Now I have the time and the manpower to help these 200 plus children living at the hostel away from their families. This week, there will be a hostel board meeting and we can start making some decisions about how to guide these children in their physical, spiritual, emotional, and academic needs. Please pray for us as we make these decisions and pray for me that the Lord will really guide me in my activities this year.