Urgency

Welcome to the first day of fall!

Fall is my favorite season in Wisconsin because of the weather, the colors and all the activities like football, corn mazes, and being outside.

But I was reminded today at just how fast time is going. I am starting my 4th week of student teaching and October is just around the corner. Thinking about how fast time is flying has caused me to stop and think about what lies ahead at the end of this semester.

I will finish up my student teaching January 22nd and then sometime in early February I hope to hop on a plane to Honduras. However, classes end December 18th for the University students so my friends and the girls in my bible study will be heading home in 3 months.
That means only 12 more bible studies to pour into these girls. Only 11 more Saturdays to hang out and catch up on life. Only 11 more Sundays to bring them to church. Only 11 more weeks for me to really teach these women what it means to follow Christ.

Now that's it's broken down like that, my sense of urgency increases. I want to impart my wisdom onto the young sophomore women that I lead. And I want to encourage and uplift my fellow leaders before I leave this University, this city, and this country!

But this also makes me stop and think about the urgency in this world. As Christians, we are living on borrowed time. We do not know when we will die, but we also do not know when Christ will return. Because I don't know any of this, I want to be living every day to its fullest. Telling people about Christ and what He has done in my life. I want to be living out God's will for my life EACH AND EVERY DAY that I am on this Earth.

Are we truly living each day with a sense of urgenc? What is preventing us from living every day as if Christ were coming tomorrow?

Teacher for a Day

The reason that I didn't just stay in Honduras is that I had to come back to UW-Eau Claire and finish my last semester. Since I am an education major, that means a semester student teaching.

Today was my first day at Osseo-Fairchild Middle/High School and I thought I would share a few of my thoughts from throughout the day.

7:45 AM~ Is it too early to be drinking Diet Coke? And if I'm already caffeinating myself before the students even get here, what am I going to be like at the end of the day?

8:15 AM~ A student walks in and asks a question to Miss Hutjens. It takes me a while to figure out that she is talking to me!

11:30 AM~ Bringing a lunch to school every day is going to be difficult for me. Especially when I'm used to eating between college classes...trying to get back into the High School routine is hard after I've been spoiled by a college schedule.

12:45 PM~ SURPRISE! One of our periods was double booked...at this point I'm thanking God that I have a CT (Cooperating Teacher) to take care of that problem.

2:04 PM~ My Spanish IV class shows up. There are three of them. I think this will be fun, until they fly through all the activities I had planned. (Note to self: plan harder activities that take longer)

2:48 PM~ I'm watching 7 kids in Study Hall. Three of them are sleeping on the floor. I wish I could do the same...a nap sound so great right about now. (I think the Diet Coke wore off about 3 hours ago)

Those are the thoughts directly from my mind. My friend Jill stopped by on Monday night and we got to talking about what we were going to wear to school for the first day. We agreed that we have to be super careful or the kids will "tear us apart" (Jill's words, not mine). Who would have thought I'd be self-conscious going back to High School again?! I guess every experience is a learning opportunity!