Relishing Time With My Children

We are in week three of being back in Togo, and week two of school.   Most of you know that I have been very active in ministry here for the last few years, but this year I decided to put most of that on hold while I focus on teaching the girls and building relationships with new teammates.  If I let myself, I can get pretty stressed out thinking of what I am NOT doing in ministry.  The needs thereof certainly haven't diminished in the least, but I remind myself that I am a finite resource while God is not.

I so much enjoy teaching Maddie and Michal.  We have our moments of frustration together, but over all it is such a joy to get to spend so much time with them.  When I talk to my teammate Julia I am reminded of how it felt to have babies and toddlers.  Just to be able to steal enough to to use the bathroom undisturbed seemed like a luxury, and I looked forward to moments when I wasn't engaging with them.  Now my girls are so grown up and independent that I realize how short the next five years before Maddie goes to college will be.

So it's a lot of fun to help them grow and learn, make discoveries together, and just to be together.  It is so amazing to see how God created them with their own thoughts, their own understanding, their own ways of going about things, their perceptions, and their senses of humor.  Homeschooling feels like an opportunity to relish in the creation of my children.