Revealing Grace

Sometimes it feels repetitive to write. It seems silly to tell and retell you that this job can be both devastating and lovely. It seems boring to tell you that "I wish I could tell" you the stories. I really do wish I could tell you what happens every day here. Some days would bore you, others you wouldn't believe. But I always have to leave you wondering because it isn't right, I don't think, to exploit the stories so trustfully given to me. It doesn't seem kind to throw the stories of my students into the wind, even if they do have the potential to inspire or impact.  The fact is that their stories are their own to tell. More people would probably read this if I wrote them out for you, but what would be my goal in that? To be glorified as a hardworking missionary? Or perhaps it would be so that I could share the burden, so that you could understand the pain that occurs on our own soil. Yes, that would be a more noble reason, but I don't want you t...

I could write out everything about the last week but that would probably bore you and you would tune out somewhere in the middle and go eat a sandwich instead. So I will give you pictures and hope that you can read the story better that way. The whole AYM Staff/Family together for a delicious meal.  Some awesome moms came and spent the week with us. We took them on a tour of the reservation and got to share about our work, passions, and home.  The hat switch! Hat switching is not my favorite, but I let go and went with it.  Isn't my team so cute?  These mamas served us so well for a whole week. We ate a TON of delicious food and got our fill of hugs and love. It was the biggest of blessings.  Caitlin left for Oregon! I shed a few tears but I am so proud of her as she embarks on this adventure. (She is holding a bag of snacks, because we all know that I think snacks are the most important thing to pack.)  Over the week...

Grace.  To be woken up at 4am with a phone call, a worried student, and a dilemma.  Grace. To respond to mistakes without the expected anger or judgement.  Grace.  Knowing that it is ok to struggle in our walk towards God and that no matter what, you are not alone.  This weekend has been full of interactions of grace. Though the days were not easy or simple, the presence of God was real and tangible. It was in the words that came out of our mouths, the expressions on our faces, and the love that came through our actions. None of it was our own. None of it was our ability, of which we could boast. All of it was of the Lord, so that we could boast in Him. These moments of grace meant that His compassion could be made known, even at four in the morning.  One of the worst heartbreaks in this job is hearing students doubt their own worth. It will bring out the deepest sense of nurturing in a person, when a teenager speaks the quiet "no" when as...

The other day I said a four-letter word  and I said it loud. Normally, if I stubbed my toe in my room or lost my keys in the dark parking lot, it wouldn't be a problem. After all, if no one was around to hear me, did I really say it? But this time I was not alone, not even a little bit. In fact, I was in the middle of a group of our students, some strangers, and a mother, all in line for tickets to the Alchesay High School basketball game. It was not my finest moment, and it was probably the closest I have ever gotten to seeing things happen in slow motion. One minute I was standing there with students and co-workers and the next moment a rogue skateboard had slammed into my ankle. The world slowed down to the speed of snail as my head turned to see what had happened and the dreaded word began to leave my lips. "Shhhh.....iiiiiii......" I'm telling you, I've never pronounced all the letters so articulately and so loudly. As the last "t" left ...