June 12 "New Things Afoot"

Another amazing day in Wales.

I awoke around 8 and snoozed until 8:40ish in preparation for this morning's assembly. We met with an attentive group of children and they were all very excited to meet Bob from the States. They were even calling me by name while they helped us carry out the supplies. It was good fun. Then Elizabeth drove away without us, which I wasn't really expecting and Alun and I walked to downtown Ponty.

We strolled into town around 11am and headed for the Christian book store, apparently one of the only one's around. After a while spent browsing and lounging around, we were met by Steve, one of Alun's friends and  fellow minister of the Gospel. We went out to the street and they set up their paint board. Then we did a bit of what they called Open Air Ministry. They were able to do a few paintings, preaching while doing it while we were there. I assisted and handed out tracts to the people who were interested. They all seemed to be a bit standoffish, like sheep. And then for the first time...since I came here first in 2011...rain affected the day. Now it had sprinkled before now, and today was merely a heavy, but persistent drizzle. The rain, of course, stopped a half hour after we packed up and left, but no matter. I've still not experience this precipitation of Noahic proportions that the Welsh go on about all the time.

The afternoon was again spent reading, and studying, and planning. I didn't realize how much stuff I have to do each day. But it is all coming together. Just when I think I am at my whits end, God provides.

This evening's Kid's Club at Rhyd was spent indoors due to unpredictable conditions in the sky. We played dodgeball and then for the lesson, everyone just asked me a bunch of questions. The majority of them were about me and about America, but Alun guided them to ask a few that were a bit more Christ-centered. I am just enjoying the process of building relationships with all of these kids. Then afterwards we did arts and crafts until it was time to go.

Brian, Elizabeth and I watched some TV and had supper (2nd dinner basically- they eat like Hobbits over here!) after the club, and now here I am.

So I've realized that I am going to be doing a lot of new things here. Not just because I'm in Wales, but because I've never done them before. I get to teach an hour long youth group lesson, do Bible story time with school children, lead an adult Bible study... I just keep getting opportunities to grow and to serve and I am excited about it all, but part of me just wants to curl up and sleep. I'm good at school. I can do papers and projects and tests. This is just a totally different kind of work. I am not sure how I feel about it yet. Pray for me. I know that I can do this. God can do this. I just need to stop worrying so much about my ability. This is so much more different than school work in that the one whose ability really matters is not me. Ministry is not a test of my ability, it is an exhibition of God's ability to work through broken and faulty people like me. Now if I can just remember that. No need to be nervous if God is the one doing all the hard work. None at all.