My One Thousand Gifts #'s 183 - 187

One Thousand Gifts

Each week, I'm highlighting new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 5 new things...

#183 - a weekend away

I'm thankful for a weekend away with some friends. ...time to relax, to read, to work (just a little though), to sleep, to spend time with friends, etc. And the best part... It was quiet and the weather was cool (such a change from my usual). It was such a great weekend! 

#184 - 2 good conference calls

I had 2 important Skype calls this week. I'm thankful that they both went well (even if the electricity cut in the middle of one, forcing me to make an expensive call on my landline phone). I'm also thankful that the people I was talking to were all willing to do these calls over Skype and not require me to wait until I got to the States this summer.

#185 - S'mores poptarts

My taste buds were treated to this amazingness yesterday afternoon and oh my word... I now have a new favorite flavor of poptarts! It's probably a good thing I'm not in America (a.k.a. the land of Poptarts) and can't buy them often :)

#186 - a cute story about a banana

After Kids Club yesterday, one of my high school volunteers and I were sitting with a sweet kindergartener who was late being picked up. The volunteer asked him to tell him a story and in the most adorable Australian accent ever, this little guy told a cute HILARIOUS story about a "banana who was a king over a big land." 

And last, but most certainly not least, I'm thankful for a BIG gift that I got yesterday.

#187 - my brother becoming a dad of 2 girls

And in case you want a recap of the other things on my list, you can find them below...

1-3

4-16

17-24

25-28

29-34

35-40

41-43

44-48

49-55

56-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-84

85-89

90-96

97-105

106-110

111-123

124-129

130-142

143-149

150-156

157-164

165-169

170-174

175-182

The 108th Dear ____ Post

Dear Mother's Day, You're today. This makes the 5th Mother's Day I've missed being able to spend with my Mama. I'm looking forward to having the chance to change that next year :) Happy Mother's Day Mama! I love you!

Dear Busy, You're how I'd describe this past week. Teaching (and all the usual busy-ness that entails), meetings, after school duties, Kids Club, dinners, and more. Wow!

Dear Sub Plans, I hate writing you! It's so much easier just be at school. I guess it's because I always leave such super detailed plans, so it takes me forever to write you. Then, once I'm finished I'm constantly thinking I accidentally left something out. Ugh...

And speaking of lesson plans...

Dear Cutest Lesson Plan Book Idea Ever, I found you the other day. It calls for a spiral bound notebook, post-its, and a writing utensil. And the best part? You can move your post-its around for the next year if you're like most teachers and reuse certain lessons year after year. *Any teachers reading this and want to know where I found this awesomeness? It was here.

Dear Weekend with No Internet, You're what I had this weekend. And I must say... I really enjoyed you :)

Dear Reading for Fun (as in, not for work), I did quite a bit of you this weekend. I finished 2 books and am about half way finished with another. I guess being away from internet has its benefits, huh? :)

Dear Sunset Over the Ocean, What a perfect example of God's artistry! You were so beautiful to see the last few nights.

Dear Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone, You were the topic of two blog posts I wrote this week. One was on my own, personal, blog (here). And the other was on The Skybridge Blog (here).

Dear 4 Weeks, You're how much time is left 'til I fly out of here. 

And speaking of that short amount of time...

Dear Bitter (as in the bitter part of my upcoming bittersweet departure), You have hit me with a vengeance. Wow! I knew it'd happen eventually, but wow was it hard! I'm so excited about being able to do what God's called me to do! I'm so excited about heading back to a time in the States and being able to be with my family and being able to help my parents. But it's still sad leaving this place. I've worked here for 5 years. It's become like home. It's like a family. And man is it sad to leave...

Dear Sweet (as in the sweet part of my upcoming bittersweet departure), I'm making myself focus more on you and less of the other. So I thought I'd list some of the sweet things, like... 1) starting a new ministry 2) seeing my family again 3) meeting my new niece 4) living in America again 5) visiting churches, friends, and supporters ... I could keep going. The "sweet" does definitely outweigh the "bitter." That's for sure.

Dear God, Thanks for being with me every step of the way. Thanks for loving me and taking control of my life, even when I get all crazy and worry and stress like I know I shouldn't. Thanks for being the rock I can lean on. You're pretty awesome. Did you know that?! :)

5 on Friday

5 on Friday link up

ONE - Our high school is performing Fiddler on the Roof this weekend for the second weekend in a row. I may be one of the few people in the world that says this, but I'd never seen it before watching this past weekend, so it was all new for me and I loved it! We have such incredibly talented kids! It's a joy to watch them perform.

*Source*

TWO - Goodbyes stink. And one thing that will never go away in my line of work is having to say goodbyes. Boo :(

THREE - We broke out the parachute during game time in Kids Club this week. Oh my goodness, these kids had a blast! I now wish I hadn't waited all year to let them play with it. It was so much fun watching their eyes stay lit up because they were having so much fun! I loved it!

FOUR - Mother's Day is Sunday. This makes the 5th Mother's Day in a row that I've missed being able to spend with my mom. I'm so looking forward to next year and finally having the chance to be with her again on this special day. I'm a blessed girl to have such an amazing Mama :)

FIVE - I have so many family members, friends, and co-workers dealing with sickness and injuries right now. I was looking at my list of prayer requests this morning and felt almost overwhelmed at the high number. But God quickly brought to mind several verses to remind me of who's in charge of things. I'm so thankful that we serve the Master Healer!

My One Thousand Gifts #'s 175 - 182

One Thousand Gifts

Each week, I'm highlighting new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 8 new things...

#175 - a 3 day weekend

We had a 3 day weekend this past weekend. It was so nice to be able to have that extra day to sleep late, do some packing, and work on some projects at home I've been wanting to work on for a while now.

#176 - free Kindle books

I have the Kindle app on my ipod. And thanks to some free books, I have quite a few ready to be read this coming weekend while I'm at the beach with some friends. New books are nice and new ones that happen to be free are even nicer!

#177 - 2 cents a minute phone calls

I'm thankful that Skype only charges me 2 cents a minute for phone calls. Lately, I've been calling more often than usual to check on things with my parents, so knowing that calls only cost a tiny, tiny amount makes me a happy girl :)

#178 - an Africa ring 

I bought this ring this past Friday and I absolutely positively love it! And do you want to know what else I love? ...that I was able to ask for it and explain what I wanted and agree on a price ALL in French. That's a HUGE deal people :)

#179 - a weekend without Internet 

I'm heading out for the weekend with some friends. And the only technology I plan on using is my ipad to read some new (free!) books I just downloaded. The internet is great and all. But sometimes it's nice to unplug a little.

#180 - an extra large parachute

...which provided a super fun game for my kiddos in Kids Club yesterday! :)

#181 - cheddar cheese

The first couple years I lived in Dakar this cheesy goodness was nonexistent. Then a few years ago, it miraculously started appearing. Now, we can almost always get it (at only one store). And while it's something I can only splurge on occasionally (because it costs quite a bit compared to other cheeses), it is a nice treat every now and then.

#182 - ABC stories written by students

One of my elementary classes have been writing their very own ABC books. We finally got everything typed today and they'll start illustrating them tomorrow. For kids, who at the beginning of the year, had trouble even identifying certain letters in the alphabet, to now be writing a story/dictionary, putting words in ABC order AND writing in complete sentences... This is huge! So these simple little stories, and more importantly, what they represent, are definitely something I'm thankful for this week!

And in case you want a recap of the other things on my list, you can find them below...

1-3

4-16

17-24

25-28

29-34

35-40

41-43

44-48

49-55

56-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-84

85-89

90-96

97-105

106-110

111-123

124-129

130-142

143-149

150-156

157-164

165-169

170-174

Leaving your comfort zone

What to do Abraham, Moses, the 12 Disciples, Jonah, and so many like them have in common? 

They all left their comfort zones.

That's a scary thing to do. It's called a comfort zone for a reason. It's comfortable. It's safe. It's easy.

But you know... Sometimes, God wants us to do more. He wants us to step out and place our trust and faith in him. And most importantly, He wants us to be more like Him.

For the past 5 years I've been in my comfort zone. I've been teaching at an amazing school with co-workers who've become like family to me. I've been able to do almost all of my ministry in English, leaving me only having to speak French when I'd do shopping or taking a taxi or something equally simple. And God's moved. My little mission field of a classroom has seen close to 60 students come and go, not counting the students I've taught in Kids Club and students I've mentored over the years. I've led kids through the Sinner's Prayer. I've prayed for or illnesses and sadnesses, and all sorts of things. I've seen God's hand at work in the lives of many families. 

I don't say that to brag. I say that to say... It became my comfort zone. It was easy. And I loved it :) 

But God had other plans. Back in February, I wrote a post telling all about how God had suddenly called me out of my comfort zone, leading me to a new ministry here in Senegal. *If you missed it, you can read it here. And while this upcoming change is a scary one, it's so exciting. I felt like the fish in the picture above - jumping out into the big unknown. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me up ahead!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I periodically write posts on The Skybridge Blog, "a blog written by expats, frequent travelers and regular businessmen and women who understand that God is using them to advance His glory among the nations." And today I wrote on the same topic as this post... Leaving Your Comfort Zone. Want to read it? Click here.

The 107th Dear ___ Post

Dear 3 Day Weekend, You're what we have this weekend. YAY for that extra day of sleeping late :)

Dear Fiddler on the Roof, You're the musical our high schoolers are putting on this weekend and next weekend. I went to the Dress Rehearsal Thursday night and then to the actual performance last night. It was so good! We have some incredibly talented kids. That's for sure!

Dear Saying Goodbye, You're something that has to happen a lot to those of us in this line of work. Family, friends, so many goodbyes... It never really gets easier either. And knowing that in just a month I'm going to have to say some more makes me a little sad...

Dear More than just Teaching, You're what my job entails. Take this coming week, for example. I'll be teaching, having to be in 2 different meetings (one of which requires me to write out sub plans - yuck!), testing new potential ESL students after school, manning the library one afternoon, and running Kids Club one afternoon. I'll be arriving at school at 6:45 every morning and I won't be able to leave before 5:30 any day this week. And you know, while it is a lot, I do love it all - except for maybe the meetings that make me have to miss class time and write sub plans. ...because I absolutely hate writing sub plans :)

Dear Making Chili, You're what I'll be doing in a little while. I'm thankful for a good recipe, my crockpot, and a reason to actually make the chili. I love cooking for people, so it's always nice to get the chance to do so!

Dear Packing, You're on my agenda for today. I need to pack up, and put in storage, a friend's kitchen stuff I've been "baby-sitting" and using for the past 2 years. I need to pack up some of my own stuff to put in storage. And I figured I might as well go ahead and pack up some of my stuff I won't be using this last month that I'm planning to take back to the States too.

Dear Dr. Pepper, You're my gift to myself as a reward for finishing the above mentioned packing :)

Dear A Little Over 3 Weeks, You're how long is left 'til my niece is due to be born. ...and there's only 2  weeks after that before I'll be able to meet her. I'm so excited!

Dear Short, You're how I'd describe this week's Dear ____ post.