I love my job here at New Song. There's truly not much that tops being able to teach kids about what it means to follow Christ, and being able to work with a small group in a beautiful, spacious, nature-filled setting just makes it all even better. I still have days that make me stop and remind myself that it's all real, that I really do have a job where I get to do this every day. Then add onto that all the friendships and opportunities that my new church has offered, and I am overwhelmed with how much God pursues me and really does give me the desires of my heart when I delight in Him.
But back to school. So this week started with a field trip planned for Friday that the kids didn't know about. So we started out on Monday with the idea that we all needed to be flexible this week, allowing things to change around on our schedule in order to make room for fun things later in the week. Little did I know that I was going to need that reminder to be flexible and know that God was changing things around on our schedule in order to make room for exciting things later in the week.
Monday went well, and so did Tuesday, though my teammate expressed that her mom woke up really sick that morning (she lives with her parents) and Bob, my boss, was sick and would be working from home. Tuesday afternoon we had a quick meeting after school with plans for a Together Tuesday activity with the kids at 4:00. Our meeting ran a little late, so I got to Together Tuesday at about 4:15, only to find Jacob (the boys' houseparent) sitting on a bench, saying he fell and had hurt himself. He pushed through the pain, though, through our outdoor game time, but you could tell he was really hurting. After our activity, they got the bikes out, and I rode around for a little bit with the boys. I stayed an extra 10-15 minutes just to ride a little longer with Kayden and Zayden, embracing the opportunity to bond with them through an activity that I really enjoy. They really enjoyed hanging out with me that way, too. I had been praying for extra ways to connect with the kids because I am the only one that doesn't go out and do fun activities with them that aren't school related.
Well, I left at dinner time and went home to cook a quick meal and eat with Mike. As we were eating, I got a phonecall from Nicky, Jacob's wife, saying that Jacob had to go to the ER because he was still in so much pain, and she had already committed to taking the boys into town that evening. She asked if I could come watch her own 3 little boys and put them to bed at their normal bedtime around 7. So I finished eating, washed the dishes, and drove back to New Song to babysit their sweet little boys. It definitely wasn't what I had planned for the evening, but it was nice to spend that time with them and to enjoy a little peace and quiet after putting them to bed, with a cup of decaf coffee and a book while I waited for her to get back. The New Song boys were super happy I could babysit, and I could tell that it meant a lot to them when I came back over just an hour after leaving. I love how we all operate like a big family. Jacob ended up at the ER until around 11:00, and thankfully he didn't have any major damage, just a lot of bruising.
While our team kept texting each other the whole time about Jacob, my teammate also texted to tell me that her parents had tested positive for COVID, meaning she herself could not come in to school the rest of the week out of precaution. So that meant shifting people around to help cover in the classroom and also during an outdoor break so I could have time to prepare to teach my teammate's afternoon Bible class. We also already had switched around our Friday multicultural cooking activity from Friday to Wednesday due to the field trip that the kids still didn't know about, the field trip that my teammate had done all the planning for and who was supposed to drive us.
My teammate usually takes the boys to a park or something on Wednesdays after school, so Lisa ended up taking them instead. I got home around 4:30, at a quick dinner, and realized I had about a half hour before we had to leave for our Community Group at church. It was nice outside, so I decided to go on a walk. As I walked past my neighbor's house, she met me just as I was passing her mailbox and told me she'd just met Lisa while at the park playing with her boys. They happened to strike up a conversation while her boys played with our three New Song boys and found out they both had ME in common in their lives. So it gave me a chance to connect with my neighbor in a new way, all because Lisa happened to be at the park with the boys, covering for someone else. God is definitely in the details.
Thursday morning I got a text saying that our oldest student, Kayden, had been throwing up (one of the last to get this stomach virus that we've been passing around for about 3 weeks) and would not be in to school for the day. With just two kids, I was on my own for most of the day with them (which I actually really enjoyed), and we did a school store in the afternoon and then I kept them for Math Club for an hour after school. All while trying to prepare report cards, newsletters, and leadership awards to send home with the kids on Friday. Oh, and a last minute notice that they wanted us to do a deep clean of the classroom before break and change out the decor for spring. Long day, for sure. With one sick, I hesitated telling them any details of our field trip on Friday, just in case the other two came down sick the next day. Plus I wasn't sure yet who was going to go with me on the trip since my teammate couldn't come.
I got home late on Thursday and immediately started to work on cleaning out and vacuuming my car in preparation to drive to Indianapolis for our field trip the next day. Then we ate a late dinner together before I went to bed early. I was so excited, though, when I found out that they'd arranged for Olivia, the office manager, who I go to church with and have a very close relationship with, to join us on our field trip. :)
Friday morning finally came, and all three boys were feeling well, so after I went over their report cards and leadership awards with them, and they did their contributions (weekly jobs) with an extra deep clean, Olivia and I left with them to drive to Indianapolis to enjoy the Children's Museum with them. What a great day we had together with the boys, and then after dropping them off with their families for spring break, she and I stopped for coffee and ended up sitting in the parking lot beside her car just talking for another half hour. Turned out to be a great day.
But then I had to hurry home to finish any last minute prep before my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew arrived from Warsaw that evening to spend the weekend with us.
Here are some pics of our day! Definitely an answer to prayer over wanting more ways to connect with the boys outside of the classroom.
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