How appropriate that last week was the windiest week we've had since I've been here in Indio. Seriously. Wind that was an effort to walk against. By appropriate, I do mean that last week, a storm hit both literally and figuratively.
Why God has things hit all at once, I don't know if I will ever understand. I can only assume to build character and trust in Him. Anywho, last week, a monstrous set of waves smashed into my shore. It was my second week of work. Can I just say I love my job? Because I really do. The people I work with are wonderful. The kids I work with are hilarious. The flow of the day is really relaxed. I'm just a big fan. :-) The last two weeks, however, we've been cleaning and redoing the community center for the apartment complex. Complete overhaul. It looks amazing now, but it was tiring to get it to that point. BOOM. One wave.
Last week I also housesat/dogsat for a family from our church. Let me just say, I think I now know, I am NOT a dog person. Yes, it's sad to say, and maybe the truth is I'm not a high-maintenance dog person, but really these two dogs were a try on my patience all. week. long. I don't know if it's normal for dogs to wake their owners up every two hours at night because they want attention. I don't think it is? But if I ever have a dog someday (or bunny, Pauline Ma) I'm going to train that thing to SLEEP! Especially if I have a hectic schedule. I mean, really. The last thing I want to do at night is be licked on, peed on, and whined at allllll niiiiiiight loooooong. Sleep deprivation. BOOM. Two waves.
Finally, this past week we spent preparing for our church's community Easter egg hunt and first church service. I don't think anyone realized how much work we truly had left to do. Praise Him, we had two mission teams come out to help us. One youth group from the Fresno area for a couple days (a jam-packed couple of days for them, let me tell you) and a group of older adults who came all the way from Knoxville, Tennessee. Oh these Tennesseans. Talk about sweet. There were 10 of them that came out together. They are all in the same small group at their church back in Knoxville. And they are just about some of the finest people I have ever met. Their humble attitudes, encouraging hearts and willingness to serve continued to touch my heart all week. Needless to say, their help and fellowship was indispensable. This weekend could not have happened without them.
My job was to organize both of these teams' tasks and communicate with them throughout the week. And of course also to help with whatever needed to get done in general, which was a lot. However, even though days were overwhelming and exhausting, God saw us through. The egg hunt went very well! We had close to 200 people come, which was the perfect amount once again for how many volunteers we had. Multiple families thanked us on their way out for the event, and I think everyone had a really great time.
Church yesterday also went as smoothly as I think it could have gone. We had close to 40 or 50 people including kids. Not many from the egg hunt came, which was disappointing but not surprising. To be honest, yesterday was very surreal for me and I think I'm still processing it. It's strange to be part of a church that has just started. Something hypothetical that has been talked about for so long is now an actuality, and it's kinda freaking me out. I know God has me here for a purpose; He has made that abundantly clear. Yet, that doesn't make any of this less weird and unexpected. Everyday, I still find myself in a place, geographically and occupationally, I never imagined myself in and I think I have not gotten over that shock. Yesterday was like experiencing that shock for the first time all over again. BOOM. Three and four waves.
With all the craziness of last week, Easter came upon me and took me by surprise. Really. It came out of nowhere. But yesterday, God did not fail to encounter me with His unfailing love. Right now, in the Bible study I'm doing with Kristi, we are going through the book of Hosea. If you ever want to see the heartbreaking, desperate love of the Father, read Hosea. God so longs for reconciliation with His beloved. He stops at NOTHING to draw us to Himself. He won't relent. Nothing is more evident of this than the cross. He gave up His Son. Flesh of His flesh for His beloved creation who spat on Him, turned their backs on Him, threw His love back in His face for the lust of others. YET HE CONTINUES TO LOVE. It brings me to tears. He is perfect. We are so flawed. And He loves us.
Be swallowed by Him today. He loves you so much, more than you've ever experienced or ever will. Give Him glory for He is the epitome of deserving. Even when the waves of life hit over and over again, He reigns. He is in control. He loves.
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