I just had an incredibly fun evening and I have to share.... but I will start from the beginning.
In the fall last year our church did a Wednesday night bible study called "Experiencing God". I really enjoyed the series as it helped me to grow in my relationship with God and to start really listening to His voice in my life. By the end of the course I felt God was pulling me towards something... something to do with teaching, but I wasn't sure what.
Then, in January this year, our pastor did a kind of "State of the Church" address and spoke about various things he would like to see happen in our church. One of those things was an adult ESL (English as a Second Language) ministry. I immediately knew that's what I needed to do. I am an ESL teacher (technically ESOL, but that's just politically correct jargon), after all. And I speak Spanish. Of course I could help with an ESL program! So I put a little check mark on the sheet in the bulletin and put it in the offering plate.
A few weeks later Pastor Bob came to me and told me there was some interest among the church members to help with an ESL program, but he needed someone to lead it. Would I be interested?
Ummmm.... me? ME?
I am NOT a leader. Some of you might argue with me here, but I simply, truly am not. Here's why:
1. I am not confident. In other words I am shy. Organizing a group of people terrifies me. Especially if it involves giving other people directions. Or worse- making phone calls!
2. I am not a decision maker. Grocery shopping? It's my worst nightmare. I agonize over even the simplest decisions. So how am I supposed to make decisions like- what days to hold class? What time? Where? How??
3. It's just not natural for me. Some people are natural-born leaders, like my dad. He knows how to manage a group of people, how to take command, how to make decisions (and good ones). He does it with confidence and ease. Well... I didn't get those genes from him.
So, when Pastor Bob asked me if I would more or less head this ministry my first instinct was "NO!!"
Then I remembered our Experiencing God class, which told us more or less this:
In other words, if you feel God is calling you, trust that He will give you the abilities you need to succeed.
So, I took a plunge and said "okay" (and said a little prayer at the same time).
It's only March and here we are- last week we did registration, and tonight was our first official class. Everything went SO smoothly. We have 12 students right now, which is pretty great for being such a small church and just getting started. In fact, it's a perfect number to get our feet wet as we sort out exactly what we're doing. I left tonight feeling not only pleased that everything went so well, but actually excited about teaching again, excited about connecting with these people, and excited about the work that God is doing in my life that I can now share.
I really believe God gives us things that are bigger than us, bigger than our own abilities, to prove that it isn't in our power that we accomplish anything, but in His.
