Pumpkins

I LOVE the fall

It is my absolute FAVORITE season

The cool mornings, pleasant afternoons

The leaves changing colors

Red, yellow, orange

The crisp air

I love pumpkins

Scarecrows and mums

Fall decorations

I just love them

Did you know that fall is SO much fun in Kindergarten?

Especially pumpkins, digging out the seeds-how exciting is that?

The squeals, ooo's, and eeeks at the goop...priceless

 Don't you LOVE this face! :) 

Hope you have some valuable moments like this during this splendid fall season :)

Grace

It's been a while

What can I say, life is BUSY to say the least

Can you believe it is already the end of October

I certainly cannot, time is flying by 

This busyness of life continues to throw me curve balls left and right

Deciding how to handle those is quite a challenge

However, I am getting by with a little help

okay okay A LOT of help from a multitude of people 

I do have to shout-out to my amazing family, ALL of them

They are unbelievably wonderful, supportive, encouraging

and they are so good to me and I so do not deserve it AT ALL 

Thankfully, there is a huge umbrella of grace that covers me

I've started going to Sunday School at Shandon Baptist church and I am really enjoying it

We have been talking about dancing through life lavished in our sweet savior's grace

How often do we forget about that grace?

I can say wholeheartedly that I can get so wrapped up in the world's ways and fall into the trap of an undeserving heart and mind that I so don't go through life as FREE as you and I were born to live

YES we deserve NOTHING but death 

However, God's great grace is bigger, deeper, and so bountiful

Let's get out of that shell we encase ourselves in and

DANCE for joy in the abundant life we live thanks to our GRACIOUS savior!!! 

Wake up every morning and remind yourself of that precious umbrella of grace that extends over us. Thank you Jesus :) 

Hearts of Servants

Jesus always meets you RIGHT where we are

Isn't that such a blessing?! 

He is leading me where He wants me to go

And guess what, he wants me to willingly follow  

With glad anticipation of what is around the corner 

We are coming full circle here

For those of you that have been following me from the beginning 

I am back to where the Lord is screaming SURRENDER 

Why is that so dagblassted difficult? 

I know Jesus would not give me anything I cannot handle

I know that He has promised to be with me EVERY step of the way

At this phase of life, I spend a LOT of time in the car

To and from Columbia 3 times a week 

It is sometimes in that still quiet driving along that the Lord really speaks to my heart

Last night was one of those nights 

I was listening to the song "Heart of Servants" by Shane and Shane 

The chorus says "Give us a picture of your face, show us the measure of your grace, reveal the love of the Father, put within us tenderness, release from us all selfishness, we'll consider them better, we're yours, gives us hearts of servants" 

A few words/phrases really got to me, selfishness, better, hearts of servants...

I am in a unique situation in the bilingual immersion school

Why am I NOT surrendering?

Why AM I being so selfish-thinking me me me?

Why do I NOT have the heart of a servant that the Lord requires? 

Simple-I am a sinner in need of a sweet savior! 

Thank goodness for that GIANT umbrella of grace

For His overwhelming mercy 

I am so thankful the Lord meets me EXACTLY where I am 

even driving down 26 listening to some tunes :) 

I am praying and desire to have a willing servants heart of surrender 

Planning

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." 

I'm a planner
I am type A
I live by lists of all sorts and post-it notes galore

My planner is full of sticky notes here and there
If I didn't have that structure
my life would be a HOT mess

The part that just ruffles my feathers is...
my plans, notes, and lists just DON'T always go my way
It has happened oodles and boocoodles of times
yet I still continue to plan, plan, plan and make list after list

In the past couple of days,weeks, and months, Jesus has just been working through me in some super REAL ways
As hard as it is, my sweet redeemer has been ruffling my feathers right up and showing me that my plans are not his purpose


Effective planning is important and is very biblical!
On Sunday, our sermon was about planning and being successful in that! (I think Jesus knew what I needed to hear, ya think?)
There is a challenge with effective planning
Ensuring that your plans are serving both you and the Lord

Huh? You mean it's not all about what I want and how I plan it to happen
Ha-that's a funny joke! Does it ever happen that way?
No say I...

If I am being completely vulnerable, I usually lose the battle on this challenge.
When I plan...I think, how will this help me? How is this going to make me more successful? 
I am clearly missing a real big part of my planning equation...jesus! 

The bible says "don't worry about tomorrow" but that does not mean do not plan for tomorrow.
Plan for tomorrow but SURRENDER those plans to the one who is mighty to save, to the one whose thoughts and ways are higher, and to the one who is the author of the book of life...

Crossing the lines.

I am on a journey that involves crossing some lines

Crossing lines culturally

Crossing lines spiritually

Crossing lines mentally, phsyically, and emotionally. 

God has promised that EVERYTHING has a time

Ecclesiastes 3 is a beautiful promise 

Yet, sometimes it feels like that promise is extremely far fetched

Friday was one of those days

One of those days that I really just wanted to quit

One of those days where I was thinking, Lord is it supposed to be this hard?

God, will I make it through? I don't think I am strong enough to endure this task! 

Two things happened that got me to thinking

I texted my mom to ask for some extra prayer on Friday cause it was just "one of those days" 

Her response was of course that they'd be praying right then but also the encouragement that the Lord NEVER promised easy

However, he did promise that he'd be there EVERY step of the way 

I am having to cross the lines of learning

how to depend on the Lord

how to give up control that I SOO want to have

how to function on not so much sleep

how to manage my time VERY effectively 

Second thing, as I was boo-hooing to my principle, who is great

She said, "Kendall, this is challenging because we are having to cross cultural lines that are unfamiliar..." 

How true is that, unfamiliarity is hard because it is so not comfortable 

What she said after really got me to thinking

She said, "we will all be richer for it in the end" 

Now richer, not in wealth or gifts 

but in our knowledge and experience

How true is that, The Lord is using me for "such a time as this" 

I am crossing so many lines but I do confidently believe and am clinging to the hope that my sweet savior makes "everything beautiful in it's time" 

Adjectives

Does this give you an idea of my classroom? 

Let's think of some descriptive words...

Spunky, Sassy

**Please notice little girl in the back-feet above her head-why yes she beats to her own drum**

 Unique, Goofy 

Loving, Precious & Adorable

Needless to say...they keep me on my tippy toes :) 

Priceless Challenge.

   Remember that time I said Kindergarteners say really funny things...well they do! I am so enjoying my precious kiddos and they really are so stinkin' cute! I guess I am just looking at them as my priceless challenges for now! Each one of them bring so much enthusiasm to the class, have such varying personalities, and each have their own unique stories-priceless!

They might make me go crazy at some point but goodness I do love them a whole lot! I told them they are going to make me go coo-coo for coco puffs-funny thing-I don't even like those but they thought it was the greatest thing they've ever heard!

So I have this little boy-who is just ALL boy. That being said, he really has been quite a challenge. I am just having to figure out what works for him and how he will work with the rest of our class-my other boys tend to feed off of him! He came in the other day-this was a week or so ago-and at about 10 he just lost it! I mean on the floor crying saying "his stomach hurts." I knew that he was hungry-lunch was in about 15 minutes-but he just couldn't get himself together. He was sitting on my lap and we were just chatting and he said "Ms. Salley sometimes I just get grouchy when I'm hungry..." in just a precious little voice. How cute is that?! I kind of had to turn my head to laugh. I told him that the same thing happens to me sometimes and he was amazed!

Another challenge I am having is with my afternoon bunch. Phew, I just cannot even seem to manage them. I know part of it is the time of day and that they haven't gone outside or really much of anywhere all day but goodness they wear me out. So suggestions would be so helpful! The Lord is using this time to really teach me to rely on him for strength when I am so weak!

I keep forgetting to take my camera but I promise I will be putting up pictures oh so soon! Thank you for all your support and prayers as I continue to embark on this journey that has become a priceless challenge!