Chapel Update

Thanks to all of you who prayed for me this morning. It went better than I expected, even though I didn't follow my notes much. That's okay with me because I hate to feel tied to my notes; it just doesn't seem personal or natural enough for me.

I had shared a few things from my personal life that tied into the scriptures the Lord had given me to share. I had shared that my parents divorced when I was their age in junior high, and one student, a boy whose parents have just separated and filed for divorce, came up to me afterwards. He said with an understanding smile, "Now I know why you gave me extra time on that assignment, Mrs. Larson." He caught on to my compassion, so I think we're on the same page now. I told him he could talk to me anytime, and I pray there is good fruit from that connection.

Another student, a sweet, thoughtful kid who just lost his mom to cancer this summer, nodded ever so slightly at me with his knowing gaze when I was sharing that I didn't understand how God could have let my high school girlfriend die after going into a diabetic coma. She was the only one I knew who truly loved the Lord and lived for Him. She didn't give in to things the rest of us gave into, and she loved everyone, so I wondered, "What's up with that, God?" This student understands those feelings even better than I do. He's already written papers about his mom twice this month. Right now, the students are working on a personal narrative, and of course, he is writing about his mom's struggle with cancer and how it has affected him. Some of the precise details he shares are haunting. Oh, how I pray that through his writing for my class, he will begin to process what's going on inside of him. Please pray for him if you think of it.

I ended by handing out bookmarks (Hey, I'm an English teacher, remember?) with the scripture verses printed on them. Just to make it fun, I included a typo on them! :-) Actually, that's just what happens when you decide to make bookmarks at 11:00 PM the night before you need them! Anyway, I was amazed at how many didn't even notice; in fact, no one noticed before I told them! That says a lot about the editing skills I've tried to teach them, don't you think?

Thanks again for praying. I am now looking for someone to speak the next time chapel is assigned to me, so if your up for sharing with junior highers, let me know! :-)