You want me to do what?!?

Saturday morning, chatting with Sis on Facebook:

Sis: and what are your plans for the day?

Me: Oh, I don’t really have any, I was thinking about watching a Malagasy movie and there is Bible Study this afternoon.

*phone rings* (ensuing conversations takes place in Gasy)

Me: Hello?

Pastor D: Hey Tara

Me: What’s news? (the Malagasy equivalent to what’s up)

Pastor D: There is just a little bit of news. I have to teach somewhere else this afternoon. Could you teach Bible Study this afternoon?

*thinking* That’s no “little” news! That is huge and scary!!

Me: Um…..in Gasy????

Pastor D: Uh, yeah….. It doesn’t have to be long 20 or 30 minutes is fine.

Me: Uh, sure…..

*returns to convo with sis*

Me: Nevermind, forget the movie. I have six hours to prepare to teach Bible Study!! *panic*

Sis: “When I am weak I am strong…” *quoting something I had written on my blog last time I was teaching in Gasy*

On a side note, I should probably mention that earlier that morning I had asked God to stretch me and told Him I was game for anything He had for me that day. So I kinda asked for this….

Then the question comes up, how exactly do I prepare for this? I hate using notes when I teach… But I began writing what I wanted to say word for word. I also wrote a brief outline on a post-it-note in English. As the time grew closer I decided that I would just use the outline in English, reading the script I had written would be chickening out. If I wrote it by myself surely I could deliver something that at least resembled it. And I could trust God to help accomplish this task and put His words in my mouth instead of my own empty words. So with my post-it-note stuck to the table in front of me, I began, “All right….let’s all just go home…” They laughed and no one took me up on the offer, probably not wanting to miss the humor that comes when I speak for any extended period. Afterwards, I was thrilled that I had survived and the teens claimed they could understand just fine. What an amazing God!

Gratitude: 1. Empty propane tanks and how God always provides someone to carry the new one back to my house.

Gratitude: 2. Riding the taxi be and not having a car to keep up and worry about.

Gratitude: 3. Five adorable, if not mischievous, kittens hanging on me as I cook dinner.

Gratitude: 4. Walking hand in hand down the dirt road to church with two little boys skipping and chattering beside me.

Gratitude: 5. The smile of the man who is always fishing on the bridge.

Gratitude: 6. The laughter of the postal worker when I act out a word I can’t remember to answer his question.

Gratitude: 7. Exchanging small talk while making a purchase from a street vendor.

Gratitude: 8. Huge purple morning glories blooming on a fence.

Gratitude: 9. Mouthed conversation with one of the teens sitting on the other side of the room during a meeting.