Last full week of school has almost been completed!! Hooray-we are on the home stretch!! This last week has been quite insane. Since we have kids in four different classes, I've been going in about four different directions!
We started off on Monday with a sense of drag, as everyone wants to be done. However, we aren't "done" yet, so we must keep on going! We made it to school on time, and I talked with several of the teachers about plans throughout the week. In the oldest class at school, we have a long term sub finishing out the rest of the year. The former teacher is moving away from the area, and the position needed to be filled. It was exciting to see God work to bring the perfect person along. It's actually a lady from our Bible study group! She's been a school teacher, already fingerprinted and has a background check complete, and is qualified for this group of students. We serve an amazing God! Since I knew her from our Bible study group, I stopped in her classroom to tell her I was praying for her. I could tell she was a bit frazzled with the newness of it all, and right then I asked God to give me a way to encourage her if possible.
I left the school with Emma in tow to head home to our house which was happy to have my undivided attention for a bit! While I was giving our home my attention, Emma was giving her play horse a bath in the sink up stairs. Suddenly I heard her hollering for help and that she was all wet! Oh my! Sink was overflowing on the floor, child was soaked, soap was everywhere, and water covering the floor! We managed to get most of the mess cleaned up and then I realized that I was going to be late to pick up Travis! It's when you are in a hurry that every slow vehicle is out for a Sunday drive! We were only a few minutes late, and the office was very understanding of our tardiness. We took Roger lunch at the airport and headed home. I realized that perhaps I could encourage the new teacher by making a meal. Now, what did I have at home that I could make without stopping at the grocery store?! We had been given leftover spaghetti from a church event, so I had that to start with. I added sauce, cheese ( that makes everything better), sausage, and the noodles. There I had a baked spaghetti dish! I also put together a salad and some no bake cheesecake dip. It was a simple meal, but I really felt like it was what God would have me to do. When we arrived back at school in the afternoon, I gave the meal to the teacher. She had tears in her eyes as she said, "Sarah, this is a God thing! We arrived home from New York last night, and I need to go grocery shopping. I'm exhausted, and I didn't want to go. God used you to bless our family today!" Yes!! How exciting is that?!
Tuesday was the big "tye dying" activity for Garett and Chandlers class! They were so excited about the afternoon activity and I was a little bit nervous about pulling it all together. To start off the morning, my phone decided it would no longer function. It refused to charge, wouldn't turn on, and was just a thorn in my side! I dropped off kids at school, ran to Walmart as I developed a sudden fear of running out of tye dye, and ran home to rinse the shirts so that they would be damp. By the time I arrived home, I knew I would be tight on time to get the shirts rinsed in the wash for the activity. But I figured I'd just wash them on the rinse and spin cycle and be done with it. Oh no....that's not what happened! The washer "froze" mid cycle and refused to do anything. By now I was officially late to pick up my kids (for the second day in a row!) my phone was dead, the washer was mal-functioning, and I was a mess! I realized at that moment, as I sat in the floor and cried out to my Heavenly Father that I needed a nap and some serious down time! But...what was I to do?! I found the emergency trac phone that we purchased a while back and managed to find the number for the school to tell them I would be late. I turned off the washer, and had to wait for the whole cycle to run again...yes, it about killed me! 😋 Finally...everything was ready to go. Thankfully, I have some good friends at school who kept an eye on my kids until I could get there. I managed to arrive for the last half of my lunch duty commitment, and then we prepared for the activity. I squeezed in about ten minutes at a Vacation Bible School planning meeting, and I just said I'd do whatever needed doing. So, I guess I'll find out what I'll be doing soon! 😀
The activity was so much fun for the kids! Half of the key to a successful activity is being prepared. We had more than enough tye dye colors, the kids managed to stay mostly clean, and they had so much fun. It was rewarding to see how excited they were about it, and I was thankful that God calmed my heart and my mind to enjoy the time spent with this class. I didn't get any pictures as I was too busy with twelve kids with tye dye colors, asking for help, and provide supervision! Thankfully, another mom, Charlie, helped out with this activity also so that made everything progress a bit more smoothly and clean up was a bit faster! It was a tiring day, but God ended up reminding me of so many of His promises...He is faithful, He loves me, He will supply my needs, and He will direct my steps.
Wednesday was a PBA (parents group meeting) and a beach activity with Wyatt's class. Of course the tye dye shirts were waiting for me when I woke up! Now they needed to be rinsed out! I was up before 5:00am to start rinsing them out in the bathtub. Garett came to help about 5:30, and he cut off the rubber bands while I rinsed the shirts. We had lots of color all over the bathroom when it was done, but we finished the job before we needed to head to school! The class was excited to see the results of their imaginations and creativity, and I'm glad I was able to assist in that project.
The parent group had their last meeting of the year. It's been a good year in the sense that we've helped to provide volunteer hours, fund field trips, make and serve hot lunches, coordinate several fundraising events encourage the staff with gifts. I'm not sure how God will continue to direct my involvement in this particular group, but I am praying for His clear direction.
After the meeting, Emma and I ran a few errands and came back to pick up Travis. It was time to head to the beach for Wyatts class activity! I didn't even bother to pack flip flops as I knew I wouldn't even want my toes wet! The weather was sunny, but only about 60 something degrees. Since it has not been very warm lately, I knew the water would be freezing! Apparently another local school had also planned their trip to the beach for that day, but there was plenty of fun for all. It was fun to see the kids dig in the sand, play and laugh with each other, and enjoy the sunshine. Travis and Wyatt both did get in the ocean water, and then promptly wrapped themselves in towels! For me, I enjoyed sitting in a chair watching my three youngest children play, visit with other moms, and reflect on the blessings God had provided through the school. I always have fun visiting with Allison, and since one of her children is in Wyatt's class, it's another opportunity to visit with her. Another mom, Bethany, also has a son in Wyatt's class, and I was happy to have the opportunity to just visit informally and casually with them. It was relaxing to me as the week has been so crazy!
Late in the day, when I checked my Facebook messages, I discovered that we had received one from some old friends of ours (the friends aren't old, we've just been friends for a long time!). Josh and Joanna had felt inclined to give the boys a gift of money towards a dirt bike. It was such an unexpected gift that I was taken by complete surprise! A dirt bike is something that the boys have talked about for a while, but it's not even been on the radar for interests to pursue! We are praying that God will direct us to the right one as the boys would certainly enjoy that during these summer days! Sometimes I just am stopped in my tracks at God's goodness to me. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised as He IS God, but yet He sometimes outpours His love at the most unexpected times, and it completely strengthens my faith and encourages my heart.
Thursday was Roger's day off this week. Due to the company being a pilot short this month, Roger has had only one day off this week instead of the normal average of three! Thursday is also Emma's morning at school, and it was so nice to have the morning together. We did so many fun things, like put together a shed, pick up trash, wash vehicles, and other awesome activities! (Okay, I might be a bit sarcastic, but there is a feeling of satisfaction in hard work!) I was able to get my hair cut this morning as well since Roger was able to pick up Travis and Emma. I was asked to help with a water balloon activity for one of the classes, which meant filling water balloons. If you've ever filled water balloons, you will remember that this is a job that takes forever and the fun is over so quickly! I had been given water balloons to use, but they were a bit old. While trying to fill them with the kids last night, we realized that this was taking forever! However, we did come up with a solution! Someone very smart invented a way to fill 100 water balloons in 60 seconds! You can buy theses packages of water balloons that come ready to fill with a garden hose. Although they are more expensive than regular-fill-yourself water balloons, this method saved us so much time that it was a very, very worthwhile investment! You might not believe this, but when I went to the store to buy water balloons (and I was going to get the fill-yourself kind) God directed us to a different store than Walmart. Here we found these easy fill water balloons on sale!! (God has been very merciful to a tired and busy mama this week!) The boys thought this was the coolest invention ever, and they were almost disappointed it was done so quickly as they made it to bed on time! 😋
Friday was the final chapel for the school year, and also it was the awards chapel. The whole school sang a few songs, and it brought tears to my eyes to hear them worship the Lord through song. I am so very thankful for this school! The boys each received some type of character award, and I am so thankful for the young men they are becoming. We have much work to do yet in the few short years they are under our roof, but I am so thankful for the challenges as well as the victories!
Travis' class was going bowling after school was over at 11:30 am. I knew that I already had way too much to do to be able to go bowling. Our church is having a Bible conference for the next three nights and Roger and I are doing the children's program. I still had some things I needed to pick up for that, and to be honest, I was just tired from everything else that had already occurred this week. Another of the kindergarten moms offered to take Travis to bowling with her child, so that worked out perfectly. Travis was happy to go, and I was thankful for the opportunity to prepare for the missionary story. Emma and I ran a few errands to finish up the preparation for the evening, and I felt much better about being prepared. When we came back to pick up everyone from school, the excitement over it being the last Friday of the school year was contagious! The kids were happy to head home and play outside for a while! We are looking forward to taking advantage of any warm weather that might come our way!
Roger ended up meeting us at church as he wasn't able to get away earlier than 6:30. The boys were not very excited about coming back to church for special meetings, but God was at work in their hearts. After the service, Garett commented on how much he enjoyed the music. A family came to sing during the Bible conference and the music was very good with a guitar, violin, and voices singing praises to God. I was thankful that Roger and I did the Childrens program even though we didn't have very many kids. While I think it is important for kids to sit in church and through special meetings, I also think it's important to remember where they are at in life and how we can best reach them for Jesus. I have been teaching the "Sunday School Charlie" story, and the kids have been enjoying that story. As I dug it out of the box in the basement, I was reminded of when I taught it in Alaska. I didn't have any flannel to back the pieces with so I ended up cutting up one of Garett's flannel shirts. That flannel is still sticking to the back. 😀
It's been a busy but good week. I'm thankful for only a few more days of school. 😀
A few moments to remember from this week:
*While at the pastors house for a get together on last Sunday afternoon, Chandler found a pocket knife in the woods. He knew it wasn't his, and he took it into the house to return to the pastor. One the way home. he told me, "Mom, I really wanted to put that knife in my pocket. But I knew it wouldn't be right, so I took it in the house!" Moments like that make my heart so happy! It's hard to make the right decisions sometimes, but I was thrilled that he made a good choice.
*Travis was traveling with me this week, and he needed to use the bathroom. We weren't anywhere near a bathroom place, so I stopped on the side of the road. It was not a busy road! He opens the door, and announces "Wow, what a view! This is a good spot to pee!" It was the view of a swampy area, and all I could think of was "Hurry up, mosquitoes are coming in!" It made me chuckle as I thought about his unhurried approach to life! 😜
*While helping in the kitchen last week for a spaghetti supper, I was asked to help move a nesco filled with sauce to the table. It wasn't that heavy, so I picked it up. However, the steam escaping was quickly burned my hand! By the grace of God, I managed to set the nesco down in the counter before it spilled to the floor. My hand is still quite sore, but it is getting better every day.
*Travis asked Jesus to come into his heart tonight...Saturday night. We came home from the Bible conference, and we were talking about the evening. In the missionary story during children's church, I've been stressing the importance of salvation as well as being a missionary. Travis announced that Jesus had died for him too...yes, He has! I asked him if he knew what he needed to do to be saved. He said, "Yes, I know I'm a sinner. I know Jesus died and rose for me. I need to ask him to come into my heart." And there at our dinning room table with a few tears in his eyes, he asked Jesus to come into his heart. I know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing with us tonight!
