Friday, July 17, 2015

Dear gracious God, let us survive annual July summer camp

Year Four.

It's late July again. Summer break is upon us. Kids are out of school with nothing to do and everyone is dropping like flies in the heat-humidity. For reals, I got knocked out by heatstroke and I'm still out for the count. Barely functional. But I can type from bed.

The time has arrived for the annual 2-week summer camp hosted by the Chinese church of which we are very privileged to be a part.

And I am privileged to be charged with responsibility for the 9-15 year-olds. Thirty+ in one classroom.

Privileged...and stretched...and stressssssed. It is a formidable task creating a curriculum in both Chinese and English, for such a broad range of learners, recruiting and coordinating help (is that why I have headache?), gathering materials, adapting to satisfy requests and remaining flexible when all of one's hard work and planning suddenly get chucked out the window cuz these things never go remotely as planned. Let's be honest. It is job for a crazy person.

I'm really sick right now. I never get sick! What is up with that?

So...God?

I'm offering a fatigued, heat-exhausted, diarrhea-and-vomiting, menstrual-cramping, sinus-pounding, febrile, voiceless, coughing, sniffling, aching body. A pathetic vessel! But a willing one. Okay, okay. Semi-willing. Make me willing.

I trust that you will show mercy and leave me a little bit of strength leftover for my own kids too...

We start Monday.

The most simple prayer: May these students know you, and all of us honor you and each other.

Anybody wanna join in that prayer? This team could use you!