Getting comfortable – with being uncomfortable!
You know that moment when you feel a little nervous, not sure what is going to happen. Sometimes you feel a little lightheaded. You feel your heart racing. It’s hard to talk because your tongue feels thick and you just drew a blank. What about that moment when it’s time to open your mouth to sing and not much comes out, but you keep going and next thing you know … you realize … I did it. I sang in front of people. I talked with the elderly. I asked questions and actually had a great conversation with an elderly gentleman that I didn’t know.
Our day was full of firsts.
First of all, when you are wrapping presents and you realize, this pair of socks and a bar of soap is going to be someone’s only Christmas present. There really are not good enough words to describe the realization, “I am blessed. I don’t think I realized just how blessed I am.
Today was an amazing day with this 7th grade class. (We had a few reminders along the way: pick up trash even if you didn’t put it there, bus your own dinner table, don’t be louder than other guests in the restaurant, etc.) A big part of Impact trips is character building. How we respect each other, our environment and our leaders. We pay attention to what is going on – we are learning to be outwardly focused. Does someone need my help? Is there something I can do?
Coach had shared with his group on Sunday night, “We’re going to be doing some uncomfortable things. But that is what this trip is all about, blessing others even if we are uncomfortable. It’s not about our personal comfort level, it’s about pushing through that, being uncomfortable to be a blessing to others. Because all of our students did that, we have wonderful memories from today. Some sweet, some joyful, some sad, Our hearts were touched and I am praying that our day of serving will impact each one of us and we will be changed for the better because of us.
At Meals on Wheels, we wrapped Christmas presents for the men and women they serve. The reality of how little each client would receive was a little overwhelming. Be proud of our 7th graders, they did amazing.
At the nursing home, we sang (three songs led on the piano by our own Micah Lin) Many students shared that it was very meaningful to them seeing what joy it brought the ladies and gentlemen. Again, amazing! Then we had a few games of BINGO!
Our debriefing time before dinner everyone shared what part of our morning meant the most to them.
After dinner we headed back into Marble Falls, enjoyed the Trail of lights. Prayer walked the trail and then ended our evening at Starbucks.
Tomorrow we do our final act of service. The Christmas Conspiracy Project. Your student will explain more to you tomorrow. We will divide into teams. Each team is given $60 – $110 depending on how big their team is. With the money the team has, they have to come up with a way to bless someone, without them knowing. FUN, FUN, FUN! Pray for us as we do our final project! Pray for your student specifically that they will allow the Holy Spirit to touch their hearts in a way they did not expect. That we will all come away from this trip ‘Impacted’ by what we have seen and personally experienced.
After lunch tomorrow we will head back to the Cedar Park Campus. When we leave Marble Falls, we will call the school office. You will receive an email letting you know our estimated arrival time. We plan to be back between 2:30pm – 3:15pm.
The challenge is placed to you. Allow God to place you in uncomfortable situations and to give you the courage to step up to the challenge. I believe you will be blessed as you are blessing others. Thank you for allowing your student to come! We have had a GREAT time with them!
Blessed to be a blessing! We’ll see you soon!
Merry Christmas
Mrs. G
A big shout out to my leaders; Brandon Marks, Coach Martin, Liz Swanson and Gabby Cote (student leader) A dream team!
Impact Your World 