I've been noticing a theme recently regarding this whole move to Columbus, IN. Though it sounded like God was up to something completely new in our lives and writing a new song on our hearts, just like the name of the ministry He called me to, I'm realizing that it's not about doing something new. It's about making all things new, taking what already was, reconstructing and enhancing it, until it becomes new again. The old is still there, it will just be better.
It's kind-of an exciting, adventurous twist, but it takes a lot of patience and faith in the process. Though I've been here for two and a half months now, I still feel so unsettled. I'm back to living in a camper, with some of my stuff in my house, some stuff in the camper, most of my things are in storage about 20 minutes away, and still a few more of my things are at New Song with me in my classroom. Some of my clothes are in a big bin in the camper (but definitely wrinkled), some clothes are hanging in a closet in the cat room (and have taken on the "smell" of an old house), some are in boxes, some are in suitcases in the back of my car, and some are still sitting in storage. Life is definitely scattered, which explains my current difficulty in concentrating.
My kitchen has no sink in it currently, since Mike and Matt pulled out the rotting sink cabinet to build a new one and fix the wall behind it, so we have to wash dishes either in the little camper sink or in the bathroom. My main fridge is still in storage, so any groceries I buy are only on a week to week basis because they have to fit into two mini fridges. We threw out the old disgusting stove and picked out a new one, but we haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, so we're doing all of our cooking out of a microwave/oven in the camper. Lots of ready-made items for us, which saves time and effort on cooking, but isn't always the most cost-effective. (To be honest, though, we seem to be eating a whole lot less now, too.) The AC is not working in the camper, so when the temps are above 65 or 70, ants come out like vultures if I leave a single crumb out anywhere.
We're in the process of working on rebuilding/reinforcing the basement walls--something Mike and his brothers are experienced in doing, so this last weekend brought a lot of digging and left a lot of mud and huge dirt piles in the driveway. Which means a lot of mud gets tracked into both the camper and the house. Thank goodness there's no rain forecasted for awhile.
I'm a linear thinker and tend to be very narrow-focused, so it's hard for me to start a project and not see it to completion before starting a new one. My husband is quite the opposite, as he's got projects going on all over the place, and he just jumps between them all depending on his time, his mood, his energy, or the weather. Since most of the house remodeling is his specialty, guess what that means? I just bite my tongue and smile, saying "Thank you for all of your hard work." Though inside I'm cringing that little gets done to completion. It's hard to get momentum going when you're always overwhelmed--until I take the time to count all the things going on and all the progress on each one. I'm trying my hardest to look around and find things to appreciate every day.
So for now, New Song will be my "clean" haven to go to, where I'm thankful to spend at least 8 hours each day.
On that note, New Song is also in a period of reset and re-construction. Though the buildings are all finished and look great, the ministry is in a period of transition and enhancement. At a time when the campus is usually full of life, activity, and energy, it sits quietly on most days with very little noise other than meetings and zoom calls going on at the main house.
We're still waiting on God to reveal the new houseparents He's going to bring to us, with a few prospects still chewing on the possibilities, while trying to work it out logistically. Our prayer is that they'll just know when God calls them and won't be able to resist because the calling is so strong. Like Peter and Andrew did when Jesus called them--they just dropped their nets and followed. He did it with me, so I have no doubt that He's in the process of calling them now. All I can say is, despite how unexpected the opportunity arose, I have felt 100% at home since the day I arrived on campus. Like God literally prepared a place just for me.
My team is amazing. We spend a lot of time just talking, connecting, and praying together. I work with a 25-year-old teammate who's known God called her to work in missions for as long as she can remember. We both have traveled and lived abroad, and I've been able to listen and understand her current period of readjustment to our own culture and society. We connect easily and really get each other on a spiritual level. I couldn't ask for a better teammate to work with.
I have one student, whom I have absolutely fallen in love with, but we communicate through a computer screen each day for now. We start our mornings by playing some kind of ice-breaker game to get to know each other more, then we read a biography or autobiography of someone who demonstrated godly leadership, I pray over him, and then he works on his own and lets me know when he needs help. He's a great kid and works hard (usually, unless he's hungry or out of his normal routine), but he's lonely. For the most part, I'm the only interaction he has with anybody all day, all week, besides his mom and older adult brother. I take that very seriously and am humbled that God thought of me to be that teacher in his life. My heart hurts for him, and he's longing to be back on campus where all the life is. When I'm praying for God to bring houseparents, my prayer is also for my little student and the waiting list of more students than New Song has ever had waiting. By the time we get houseparents, we may end up with the largest class ever here at New Song so far. Which I guess is why this "lull" on campus is so important right now so we can be prepared to offer the most enhanced New Song Leadership Academy that we can. God's up to something.
In the last 6 weeks or so, we've revised and rewritten New Song's mission statement, developed a mission statement for the new New Song Leadership Academy, worked on writing or purchasing curriculum for a Spanish class, a leadership class, an Econ class, and a Bible class. We've worked on strengthening relationships with another organization that works with families and sends the kids to our camps (which opens the door for them to come to our school). And we're not preparing for a Mom's spiritual retreat here on our campus in the end of October. I'm really looking forward to blessing the moms through that upcoming event. Most of them come from Indianapolis, so giving them a chance to get out of the city and spend a few hours on our peaceful campus will be so refreshing and rejuvenating to them. Just one step onto this campus and you'd understand.
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