Encouragement Day

Posted by Teen Bean

so today is wednesday and traditionally we are suppose to spend the whole day studying. in reality this just can't happen. i don't "study" like that. i should prolly dedicate a few more hours to study day.. but the day just always seems to get away from me. so early, when i started this term i really wanted to start making a difference to the people who are around me all the time. Just because we keep talking about how God blesses us because he wants us to go out and bless others. I have been ridiculously blessed both by my friends and family back home, as well as all the new friends (and family!!) I have made here. I don't want the blessing that is happening in my life to just stop with me, when it really can be passed on and multiplied in so many different ways. so i've decided to start an encouragement day to be linked into my study day. I want to think of at least one person that i can encourage for the week either through a phone call, or letter, or e-mail, or photo, or gift... or whatever and then make them my "project" for the day. Today was my first encouragement day and it was hard. I actually worked an encouraging three people today because i really want to encourage one person (intentionally that is) a week sense we have been back from 2nd term and we already have been back three week and i have yet to properly encourage anyone. 

so my three victims... or encouraged-to-be are my mentor Joyce, Nicola, and Ruth. Joyce is a wonderful italian lady that has just been so helpful to me while i've been here. We get together about once a week and i get to just let her know what is going on in life and just pretty much vent on to her. She has been such a great encouragement to me... she just seemed like an good first start. And she in and of herself has an amazing story. She is married to an albanian man and they had to flee their country because of a war that is going on there. They showed up in the town that i live with two suitcases and a 6 month old baby girl. They have taken crazy risks in life just trusting the places God has called them and watching Him provide for them in the most amazing ways. One of the times i was being mentored i was over at Joyce's house and she was saying how she really misses all her pictures because she had to leave them all behind in albania. So over the last couple of months i have made it my goal to get some pictures of their family and a lot of grace. Then today i went and found some good frames from the 2nd hand shoes and put some of my favorite photos in the frames. i am so excited for her to see them tomorrow!
  then i really wanted to encourage this girl my age, her name is Nicola. She went on a missions trip to africa (i think about a year ago) and fell madly head over heals in love with a local boy there. They pretty much have dated for the last year over the phone and e-mails i assume and they have decided that when she graduates uni in this spring they will get married!! But right now he is still stuck in South Africa and she is here in England. They totally love each other and God and right now they are really just waiting on God and his timing for providing his visa, and money to come over, and money for them to get married, and plans for them to go back to South Africa. So, i really was just totally understanding how hard it must be to be separated from someone you love. So, today i went and found a locket in the 2nd hand shops (it was only 10 bucks!!) and i am going to print a picture of them off and slip it in this locket and then in the secret of secret drop it off and hope that it really brightens her day.
  the last bit of encouragement i wanted to do was with this incredible 12 year old named Ruth. She is just completely adorable, but totally at that awkward stage of life. She get bullied pretty bad at school and just is starved for positive attention and friends. She pretty much velcroed herself to me at the beginning of this term and i have taken her under my wing... just wanting to be a good friend and give her some time and attention. So we had her over for dinner tonight and just made food and played games and listened to music and did each others hair... she did get a little wild sugar high after downing quite a few glasses of coca cola... but all in all in was a good experience
   i think i really really really enjoyed my encouragement day and am definitely planning on one next week. its hard thinking of the sacrifices i will have to make in order to make wednesdays all about other people, but i really think it will be a good lesson for me to learn. As much as i can i am going to keep any encouragement gift giving on the down low... one because i think it will be hilarious to see if people get psyc'd out... but mostly because i think it will be HILARIOUS TO SEE IF PEOPLE GET PSYC'D OUT!!! HA HA HA
   well i have an early start tomorrow and we are going to pray in the park to do some hard core prayer walking. i really look forward to the days we go out prayer walking because it makes the prayers seem so much more alive and active... which i am totally more into!! peace and love to the people!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at Wednesday, January 28, 2009 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

0 comments

Post a Comment

<< Newer Post
Older Post >>