Rob's Ramblings, State Fair Edition

I know what you're thinking. "It's February! We're nowhere near the state fair!" True, but please hear me out.

I will be taking a mission trip with my church over Spring Break out to St. Louis to team up with another church to help with some special services they have coming up. When I first heard about it, my heart jumped with excitement. I feel God wants me to go there to take part in this awesome cause, and to help the teens we are taking with us as they help minister to the people we will be helping. The cost is $200. At this time, I am not fully funded for my summer Tijuana trip. Why am I jaunting off to St. Louis when I have no money for it, and still need funds for Tijuana? My only answer it, "It's a God thing." Some call it irresponsible, I call it doing what I am told.

On to the state fair info......  You know that I simply love the fair. The atmosphere, the people, but especially the food! Over the years, I have had the opportunity to experiment and replicate many of the foods at the Kansas State Fair. In order to raise funds for my missions endeavors, I am putting together a state fair food fundraiser. How does it work? I'm glad you asked!....

I am compiling a list of foods that I will be serving at this all day luncheon: Elephant Ears, Fried cookie dough, Fried Oreos, Funnel Cakes, Fried veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, mushroom), BBQ parfait, Handcut potato chips, Fried green tomatillos, and Fried pickles. Simply text, message, or e-mail your order with your time of arrival, and we'll have it ready for you at that time. You may choose to eat in or carry out. This is a fundraising effort. I am not placing a cost on this event, rather customers can make a donation. I am doing it this way, because the people I know will understand my heart and will give as God leads them. The money raised will be split 3 ways: 1. St. Louis trip.  2. Tijuana.  3. Summer living expenses, as I will not be working (and not getting paid) for several weeks.

Planning this event hinges on one important thing: Interest. Is this something people will be interested in being a part of? I need input from you. If interest is low, then I will have to come up with something else. If the interest is high, I'll come up with a date and let everyone know. If you'd like to help me with my mission trips and/or expenses but don't want food, I can give you the info for donating to my mission fund through my church. 

I'm excited about this, and am praying this will help me get to where God wants me to go. Remember, I need feedback to determine if this is a direction we should go.

Thanks for reading, and God bless! 

Day 1 of the rest of my life

Monday was a pretty rough day for me. It was the end of an era as I packed up my belongings that had accumulated over the space of 5 1/2 years, and said good-bye to my fellow staff members and special kiddos that I had grown close to. In this post, I have included a picture of the card that my K-1 kiddos made for me. Through the tears, I was asking myself "Am I doing the right thing?"  It was then that God answered me with the truth. "I dropped this new job into your lap. You are needed at this new school, and you will do fine. With new and exciting opportunities, there will be sadness in the leaving."  It was true, I had been praying that God would put me where He wanted me, and He answered that prayer. God also surprised me with a hourly wage increase, something that I did not know would happen. 😊 

On Tuesday, I woke up to the radio playing "Day 1 Of The Rest Of My Life," by Matthew West. How fitting! As I listened to the lyrics, it just made it clear to me that this was clearly God's plan! Later today, I'll find the song on YouTube and post it to Facebook.  If you'd take a moment to look at the lyrics, you'll see why God put the song into my life that morning, and how fitting it is! In my Bible reading on Tuesday, the verse from Philippians 4:7 reminded me that the peace of God, which passes all understanding would keep my heart and mind through Christ. This left no doubt in my mind. I was exactly where God wanted me....for now.  

I was very nervous as I walked into my new school on Tuesday. Surprisingly, this new school has an almost identical floor plan as my previous one, so getting around and navigating was not very hard at all. I was shown into the classroom that I would be working in, and from there, I hit the ground...running. I have a great group of kids to work with. In this classroom, all of the kids' academic work is done here. They only join their class for activities such as music, PE, etc. The social skills are just not there for them to be in a regular classroom. I will not lie to you, the work is not easy, and in fact, it can be quite challenging. However, I have a great staff of people in the room to offer support and suggestions that might help me in any given situation.

A lot of my Boys & Girls Club kids attend this school, and they about flipped out when they saw that I was going to be working in their school. One of the kids told me, "This is the best day of my life." LOL.  It was comforting to walk into a new building and see a lot of familiar faces of kids that were excited to see me. I knew a few staff members as well, which was helpful to me. The staff that I have met this week have been so warm and welcoming. They knew I was a bit nervous and uncertain, and many of them came and introduced themselves and let me know that if I needed anything, to let them know. It's going to be OK.

So, on Monday, I will begin week 2 of the rest of my life. Every time I have walked into this building, I am reminded of how God takes care of His children. I am thankful that He has brought me here. I have to admit that I am in awe. I still miss my kiddos from my previous school, but I knw that they are OK, and I am excited to get to know a whole new group of great kids here. So, I'm resting up this weekend (because I know I will need it, LOL), and will be ready to jump back in with both feet on Monday. Thank you, God, for taking care of me.  

Thanks for reading, and God bless!

I really wish that my brain would opt to process information during my waking hours of the day, rather than when I attempt to pillow my head for the night. At least I don't have to wake up early in the morning. What's keeping me up? Read on.........

Ever since the beginning of the school year, I had the feeling that things were going to change, job-wise. I had no idea how or when, but it's like God was giving me that feeling. I had a restlessness, as though God was preparing me for something bigger. I love my co-workers, I care deeply for the kiddos, but God was behind the scenes, putting things into place. I began to pray, "God, please show me what you want me to do." Earlier this week, I received a job offer from an elementary school across town, via a supervisor I've worked with in the past, a lady I have much respect for. She requested ME, which I count as a great honor. The only obstacle was that it had to be approved by the Director of Special Education, and there was no guarantee that she would approve it. I e-mailed the Sped Director, requesting the transfer. Then I began to pray. "God, is this what you were preparing me for? God, you know the big picture, and you know what's best for me. If this is what you want me to do, please allow the transfer to be approved. However, if you need me to continue to bloom where I am planted, and stay where I am, then cause the transfer request to be denied." 

On Friday morning, the assistant Sped Director came to the building to visit with me. She explained to me that after discussing the request with the appropriate people, my request was approved. I could start there as early as this next Monday. I asked that I be able to start Tuesday, so that I could have a full day of closure on Monday, and have a day to say good-bye to my co-workers and kiddos. Upon this news, I shared the info with my supervisor and principals, who were very supportive of this change. In my explanation and in my good-bye letter to staff, I shared how this change will broaden my horizons, and that I can learn so much in this new classroom.

Monday is going to be very difficult, and I'm asking for prayer as I say farewell to my fellow staff members, and hug some very special kids good-bye. I will really miss them greatly. I am again going to ask for prayer on Tuesday, as I begin my new adventure. I am a bundle of nervous excitement. I will have to navigate a new building, learn the names of new teachers and students, and get used to a whole new routine. It will definitely be a very interesting day.

So, big changes are ahead for me. I am thankful that God has been planning this, and I know that he will guide and direct me. He did, in fact, plan this out for me. I am endeavoring to be the best teacher that I can be to these new faces that, in time, I'm sure will become some of the most special people in my life.       I can't wait for Tuesday. Thank you, God. 😁😁😁