Phillippians 4:12

Saturday and Sunday, my shifts were changed so that I wasn't shadowing someone, I was working the shift. Saturday I was in the cottage with little boys, which was my first experience with boys at the Methodist Home. Can I just say ohmygoodness. So much energy....and so much back talk. The youngest kid was precious though, he told me that I looked like Adele, then added that she is pregnant (I decided to take it as a compliment because I think she's pretty). He started playing her music on the computer as if he thought I wouldn't know who she was, so I sang along...he said "see! You are Adele!" haha I spent most of my shift chasing the boys and watching them play outside. Only one kid really acted up, but he was mad at the world, so he got upset at the drop of a hat...

It was a really long day from 2 to 10, but the boys eventually settled down and watched the Hunger Games before bed. I got back to my apartment and found a single red rose on my coffee table with a container of nutella, a really sweet card, and a note that said "look in the refrigerator." In the fridge was two packages of chocolate pudding! Walker had come by after his last day at Big Lots and left me a surprise because he knew that I had had a long day with the boys.  All day at work, I kept thinking that I should do something for Walker because it was his last day, but instead, he did something super sweet for me. I'm spoiled :)

Sunday, Walker and I joined Martha Bowman Memorial United Methodist Church, aka Martha Bowman. It's really nice to officially have a church home now. In the membership class, a lot of people were saying that they came to Martha Bowman for their kids, because this was the only church they really felt welcomed and a part of a nurturing group. I think that says a lot about a church, I certainly know what its like to have your family become members of a church where I didn't feel welcome or wanted at all by the youth. Another woman and her fiance joined the church with us too. The pastor's wife told me about a Bible study that she is starting soon for women, and told me that I should come. I'm hoping to make it to dinner at the church Wednesday night too, and corporate prayer afterwards. I am so happy to finally really be committing to a church family and I'm excited about some of the things that I want to be involved with.

Sunday afternoon, the little girls were a little less crazy than the boys on Saturday, but I think it was just because there was more that had to be done. Other than some cat fights it wasn't that bad. I did have to talk one 8 year old into an understanding that throwing a hard, sharp object is not equal to throwing a pillow. They had chapel at 6pm and watched the second half of Facing the Giants, which is actually a really good movie. Then they did their chores and went to bed. The two 8 year olds asked me to pray with them before they went to sleep, and one had a lot of questions about Jesus and the devil. It was really cool to me that she chose me to be the one she talked to about it and she really good questions for an eight year old. She showed me a picture that looked like it was on a card with a memory verse, and she asked me if that was what Jesus really looked like. She also asked where Hell is and if the devil is dead. In those moments, more than ever, I was thankful for my upbringing and education. It was a really nice conversation.

My first paycheck is the 7th, so I'm impatiently waiting to be less dependent. I worked out a good budget, but I'm afraid that my student loan payments are going to kill it. I got a call on Saturday telling me that if I didn't pay the 800 dollars I owe, I would be forced to pay $20,000 at the end of the month. Debt collectors and student loans are so stupid, and they're such a burden. It doesn't make higher education seem worth it to me. I hope that when I have kids, they wont have this problem, or at least they wont have to deal with major debt on their own. I don't even know what most of the stuff means, and I'm expected to understand the best ways to handle tens of thousands of dollars of multiple loans?! I brought my loans up in Sunday School because we were talking about worry and the things that we need to give up to God. Our Sunday School teacher's wife told me about a book she read that helped her understand more about loans and debt collectors. She offered to let me borrow it, and I'm definitely taking her up on it. I'm tired of being bullied by people over the phone because I don't understand what my rights are and what I should do about my loans. I told Walker on Saturday that I should just declare bankruptcy and move on with my life...

Today I'm working with the little girls again. The rest of my week is full of training, so I'm glad I get to spend a couple days with the kids this week. I have Saturday off, so I'm planning on sleeping a lot to make up for the crazy hours I've had lately.I'm looking forward to doing nothing for a day.

"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."