When I first moved to Argentina, I did not think things would have gone the way they have. That is not a bad thing. We have experienced so many amazing, powerful, impacting things that I never imagined. Also, we have fought through more than a few unexpected trials & difficulties. I suppose it just comes with the job. You roll with the punches. : )
I made some very important decisions several years ago to help properly prioritize and order my life. I had seen and heard of way too many people who had their priorities out of wack and how it wrecked their life. I wanted to make sure that I did not fall into the same traps.
My order of priorities are simple and straight from Scripture -
1. God, the creator & sustainer of all, is 1st.
2. My Family is always 2nd. They are the most important human relationships I will ever have. They are precious to me, and they need me to be there for them.
3. Ministry - in all of it's various possible forms.
4. Myself.
Lots of people put themselves 1st. It's just basic sinful human nature.
Many people in ministry put ministry 1st. They think it makes them more "successful" in ministry. It surely gives you more time and boosts some potential numbers, etc - but it is Short-Sighted, anti-God ordained order, and always ends up being destructive - terrible example for all who follow you in your example.
Where is all this coming from - well, my oldest little guy, Nate, age 7, has been struggling in his school here. It is his first time to do all-Spanish schooling. He is the only gringo in his entire school and he is way behind the rest of his grade in his Spanish comprehension. Go figure. : )
Anyways, he has been shutting down and not doing any work in class. (Hard to help him with his homework when you don't even know what it is since he took no notes, etc.) And worse he has been acting out, getting in trouble and having to be sent home from school.
I am not just a single missionary in Argentina. I am the head of a family of missionaries. My first responsibility is to God. My second responsibility is to my little family of missionaries. If one of them is sinking, I can't just let him drown because "I am busy." So, I made a conscious decision and the school is backing me on it and allowing it - I am going to school with him.
Every day that I am in town, that I don't have a major appointment - I am with him in class. We are on day 3 now - 8 am to 12:30 pm. I sit behind Nate in class. I translate for him so he better understands what is going on in the class. I also spur him on to take notes, stay on task, and behave himself. So far, it seems to be going good. It has had it's rough moments, but overall - he is doing what we were shooting for:
1. Not acting out and being a discipline problem in class
2. Learning more and learning faster to help him get better adjusted.
It is tough from the viewpoint of not having the freedom to do what I want to in the mornings. It is tough from the viewpoint of having to sit through a 2nd grade class everyday...full of...2nd graders...: )
BUT, it is also a great opportunity to get to know all the teachers and staff, to know and better understand little kids in Argentina, to be completely immersed in Spanish and have the time to do lots of studying Spanish, and most importantly - it is a tremendous opportunity to grow my son and help him thrive in life.
This is definitely not what I thought I would be doing when I got to Argentina. It certainly is not all of what I am doing. Not even close. But it is a great thing! I am learning a lot, making loads of connections I would not have made otherwise, and making a difference in my little missionary's life.
Good Night All
God bless & help you to flow with the punches and make the most of unforeseen adjustments in life : )
Paz y Poder del Espiritu Santo -
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