Finding Equilibrium

Naturally, now that I have settled into the routine things are no longer all easy and exciting and new.  I am trying really hard to find my place on the team here, but I haven't quite put my finger on the dynamic so I am finding it confusing.  I am not really sure who I am supposed to be taking my cues from (other than Dave and Jean) because no one is giving me any. I have been on a bit of a roller coaster of excitement and discouragement for the last few days. 

There have been some really incredible opportunities for me to help the team see that high schoolers are nothing to be afraid of.  This older age group that the team is weary of and the kids that I have a deep heart for are one and the same.  Since I have been here we have worked with 3 classes from Waterfall College (a high school for "trouble" children) and the rest of the programs have all been younger than 12 years old. 

So here I am, all excited to be working with a person with whom I can have a conversation and not have to tell them to tie their shoe or blow their nose. Please don't get me wrong- I love working with the young kids.  It is fun, and hilarious, and beautiful.  But yesterday I got to speak for an hour on Creation vs. Evolution- something I can't do with a first grade class.

Tuesday and Thursday were Waterfall College kids and those were my best days of the week. On Tuesday I got to lead an Emergency Challenge after teaching the kids how to carry someone to safety and then out of the bush on a stretcher or litter.  On Thursday I had the chance of giving the message for the class before we started our activities (something Dave usually does). The message usually consists of some really good outdoor science and info, an explanation of things that usually tie into something from the class's current curriculum, and a small devotional message. Since this year marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and therefore the theory of evolution, Dave has been doing the older kids' morning messages on the debate and sharing his evidence for creation.  When he asked me on Wednesday night to do the message for he following morning, I was so excited.  I took information from a bunch of different sources and sermons and conferences that I have been to, so I could put my own spin on it.  By the grace of God I had so much fun and the kids really responded to all of the information we talked about. I was surprised that half of this 9th grade class had never heard of Darwin, but still knew the definition of evolution. I know they are not the same thing, but I think that guy should be paired with the information he invented.  (want to know something funny about Darwin? read what he has to say about homosexuals. some might not be so keen to listen to his theories anymore)

Anyway, I decided I would start with the definition of fact. Did you know that within the definition of fact, the actual words "in theory" are used? Think about that for a minute. Okay.... We talked about the relativity of facts and therefore truth: everyone can have the same facts but come up with different truths because of their individual interpretation of the facts. To prove my point I told them that I thought we were in a forest. Yup, being from the midwest and having learned that a group of trees is called a forrest- I would call this a forrest.  They all told me I was wrong, that we were in the bush.  Exactly my point. 

Since we all have the same facts about evolution vs. creation- the facts being our existence and our very being alive on this planet- the area that we differ is in the interpretation of those facts.  I also made sure to quote the Bible in Matthew when it talks about not looking poorly on those who think differently than you.  I addressed the very common stereotype that Christians are people who do not see any side but their own and that they look down on people who believe differently than them.  While I have met quite a few Christians like that, I explained to the class that it is wrong and that they have every right to put someone in their place who exudes that kind of attitude. 

I shared a bunch of other stuff, like the story of how the Bible was written- mostly in a series of letters and how it was copied and shared throughout early AD, and how these copies were used to put together The Bible that we use today. I shared with them some information on classical literature and how the very same process (corroboration from textual transmission) has been used to create the published works of Homer, Socrates, and Plato (to name a famous few). It is amazing, but we have a small few hundred copies a few hundred years removed from the death of Homer to put together the Iliad. WE have 16,000+ copies of The Bible, the oldest of which are less than 100 years removed from the LIFE of the authors (meaning they were still around when these copies were). 

I also talked about the many mistakes scribes had to have made when copying letters to send for their masters.  Think about it- after a long day of work, running around in the desert sun, to have to come home and press and stick into a plat of clay to make copies. It must have been hard work just to write a couple pages, let alone many copies. Even so, the first line would have been the easiest. If anyone was going to make a mistake, it wouldn't have been in the first 5 words.....

"In the beginning, God created..."

I had so much fun talking with the kids and it was the perfect way to start the day. The teacher came up to me right after I had released the kids to Adam for their first activity, while I was putting my Bible away. Interestingly enough, some of the girls had gotten into a pretty heated debate about evolution the day prior which ended by the involvement of the head master.  The teacher was glad to have both sides so well explained, and to have the kids hear the importance of respecting each other's points of view. The team had had no previous knowledge of the incident, but God sure did.  I am so thankful for opportunities like that- the ones God is so clearly responsible for. It was a great day.

Apart from the good days this week, there have definitely been some trying ones.  I am finding myself slightly frustrated with my undefined role.  It's not that I don't have a job, it's that I don't know exactly what I am expected to do or not do.  And I don't even need it spelled out for me before hand, I just wish someone would be able to tell me as we go along. Not too big of a deal, just a small frustration.

Tomorrow is another early morning- even though it is Saturday.  I am accompanying Dave, Jean, and Jasper (the award winning hunting dog) to a test trial competition. We leave the house at 6am sharp and will be gone most of the day.  On the way home I get to attend a braii (BBQ) that is being thrown for me  by people I don't know. Haha, I was approached at a coffee shop the night of my baptism by a woman who introduced herself and said in the same sentence that I was the guest of honor on Saturday.  Love it :)  I am really excited.

So I love and miss you all and really can't believe that this blog is almost at 1000 visitors.  You guys are incredible.  Thank you so much from the very bottom of my heart.  With out your support, I very literally would not be here.  

lovelovelove