Monday, August 15, 2011

Transitions

Saturday ended the marathon of camps this summer. I had the privilege of being the English teacher for the advance class. A group of wonderful young adults who are not afraid to discuss some serious topics and who helped create many inside jokes with me. I also received the blessing of having Happy Birthday sung to me many times even though it wasn't my birthday. Apparently, my name reminded someone of a singing card that would say "EMILY! Happy Birthday to you!". Everyone was quite confused.

The reading material for the camp was The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. In an attempt to keep everyone alive and alert, I suggested to Brian that we do a dramatic reading of the chapters in the evening. I didn't realize until 20 minutes before the reading was to occur that by suggesting this idea I was now the one in charge of it. The evening readings continued to go well with minor confusion that added to the charm of it all. It is such a blessing to be able to come together from all over the world to spend quality time with others.

I find myself in the midst of transition again as I gear up/discover what my fall schedule will look like. There are some really wonderful opportunities ahead of me for this fall but it's going to take some discernment to figure out what to agree to. A wise American pastor living in Switzerland told me that I will need to learn to say no so that I don't burn out. Something that the people pleaser in me finds hard to do at times.

These next couple of weeks are being spent discerning and filing for my visa renewal. All the paperwork is getting in order and I have my appointment with the Ministry of Interior Affairs on Wednesday next week. Prayers for a smooth visit and visa processing are most appreciated.