Well, I suppose it's time to post again. :) Probably the biggest piece of news is that I have my plane ticket to go home! I'm planning to be there on Dec. 23rd! I'm trying very hard not to get excited about it too soon, because if I do the time until then will seem too long. :) However I'm also going to miss the people out here soooo much, and so my feelings are quite mixed up right now. I really want to be careful to "be here" for the rest of my term, do my work well, join in socially as much as possible etc. so that when I leave they will miss me. :)
We have been very busy the last while. We spent one weekend putting out Christmas stuff at the two stores. That was fun but it kept us completely occupied for a while. We got to work at the normal time on Fri. and didn't get home again until somewhere around 11pm. The Pueblo staff joined us in Cañon fro supper at the store, and then we put out all the Christmas stuff. Then on Sat. we repeated the schedule except us Cañon people went to Pueblo! Then we didn't get home until closer to 12am! :) The next week (I think) we went to a concert on Wed. and didn't get back until near 12am again. So I had quite a few late nights there. :)
It was a Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio concert. I enjoy Chris Tomlin's music well enough, but it was VERY loud. There was good worship in there though and the Louie Giglio part was wonderful! He was speaking about how all creation is praising God all the time. He had some recordings of the sounds made by several different stars and also some whale sounds. He put them all together and let us hear a part of the music the God hears. Then he said , "I don't know what they're saying, but I think it might be something like this..." then he added Chris Tomlin's song "How Great is Our God". It was quite impressive, and of course we all sang along, so we were singing with the stars and the whales! :) I think there will be a DVD of the concert, and the "talk" released on Nov. 15th if anyone is interested. :)
This last weekend some of us girls attended ladies conference. Some of the topics were "Trust or Control", "Fear or Love", and a couple about an intimate relationship with Christ. The messages were very good and I took lots of notes, however I haven't taken the time to process them yet. The decor was on a beach theme, and the people who decorated it were very creative and put lots of time into little details! The food and fellowship were very good too! It was a refreshing break from my "everyday" schedule, and I am very grateful to all the people who made it possible!
Thank you fro taking the time to read my "boring" post, I hope you were able to find enjoyment in it. :)
“May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.”
- A Franciscan Blessing