Is it Summer yet?

The calendar, and the fact that there are lots of kids hanging around the house all day indicate that it must be summer, but somehow my brain just can’t adjust. All of the things that my summer used to contain don’t exist here. There are no free family movie days, library programs or trips to the pool. It’s not even warm enough to want to go near a pool. The rainy season has settled in on us and we often have several days in a row where there’s light but not much sunshine-and it’s cold, damp 60 degree weather cold. It’s hard on a sun loving person.

I’ve just discovered that I am to be the summer school English teacher. A new venture for this mama. Though I spent 12 years homeschooling some or all of our kids, this will be a first- to teach someone else’s kids outside of church. Must admit there’s some fear of the unknown but hubby keeps reassuring me. And when you’ve asked God to supply the need, then you can’t very well overlook His methods. So overall, this summer will be totally foreign to my scope of experience.

The national schools are just halfway through their year at this point. We’ve been continuing the project up the mountain at Limones. Yesterday a woman we met there stopped by to talk to me. She was seeking help with her daughter’s tuition. So many needs here, how could we possibly fulfill them all?

Another gentleman from church is working with a single Mom there who also works here at the school. They’d like to build her a real house to replace the cardboard and tarps she currently lives in. She had shown me a picture earlier in the year and asked my help and now the question is asked by another-can we do this? It can be overwhelming to see the need, and know that God has given us so much. How can I explain to her that even though I have a roof over my head and three meals a day I don’t have the abundance she pictures?

Though we are not typical of the North American church (8 kids, no car….) we are still so blessed. What responsibility do I have for the way God has blessed me? And how does one balance meeting immediate physical need with the eternal foundation that lasts? Even if I solve this problem, the real difficulty is a spiritual one. Too many Moms here are abandoned and left to struggle for their family alone. Our Spanish church here is testimony to the fact that the only way to truly help this country is to heal relationships with God. When this relationship is right it begins to carry over into the family and the rest of life.

For this summer I want to steward my time (the resource we all have) to impact eternity. So far it has involved helping a friend with moving by packing and watching kids. Next week it will involve encouraging kids that they can pass summer school. On the weekends we will continue building at the school and children’s church. Perhaps I am finally learning  summer is not about me and personal enjoyment or expectations. And maybe I need to teach my children that same thing by example.