Getting Settled, But Schedules Are Crazy

I worked on the office tonight and got it looking nice. We still have boxes to unpack and struggle to keep up with day to day housekeeping, however, we are beginning to get settled in our new home and new town. We went out to eat Sunday night and we saw about 5 people we recognized. I mentioned to Kim that we were beginning to bump into people when we went places and she joked that it was time to find an out of town Mexican restaurant. Our schedules are ridiculously busy right now with football. I get to work about 6:45 each morning and get home about 7:00 and most evenings still have things I need to get done. Kim gets to work about 6:45 each morning and gets done about 4:30 but also works at home of the evenings right now. I think once we get through football and accustomed to our new jobs things will slow down and we will have more time to devote to service.

Sunday I was frustrated by my lack of time as there was an obvious need for service. Early Sunday morning a freak storm hit Southeast Missouri as Huricane winds and remnants met cold front and produced a storm with high winds that created quite a bit of damage in Sikeston. I slept through it of course. But when I woke up on Sunday morning, I went outside to find quite a mess. God took care of us, as the only damage that we had was facing on the front of the house and a broken tree limb. I did put my neighbors patio furniture back on their patio and picked up the large plant and pot from my other neighbors that had blown in my yard. The frustration was that there was so much more that could of been done, but with a 2:00 coaches meeting and preparation for it, church, picking up much needed clothes, and doing lesson plans for the week there was no time to help people out like needed to be done.

All this does not mean we are not doing service or making an impact, I am just frustrated that we couldn't do more and make a bigger Kingdom impact. And much of what we are do is working toward our desired impact here at Sikeston. I think Kim is making an impression at the High School. I feel good about what we are accomplishing in football with the culture beginning to change. We did win our second game Friday night beating a rival that we have not beat in 8 years and there is a lot of excitement around the program right now. I think we are going to be a key part to the growth of the church we have started to attend. It is just that many of things that take up our time are reactionary, administrative, or survivalist in nature.

In order for a service project to survive right now, we have to serve where we planted and with the people we come into contact. Here are ways that we have been doing this:

Tonight: Kim made breakfast caserole to take to her new teacher meeting in the morning to make the meeting more bearable.

Sunday: I picked up my neighbors furniture and flower parts, gave the worship leader an Anthony Collins CD to listen to give him more ideals for worship, and agreed to help out with sound since they are short handed.

Saturday: We drove part of the coaching staff to Poplar Bluff to scout.

Last Week: We watched Sofia (Our little pup we just sold) so that the Henson's could go out of town. Kim is working with a new teacher who is struggling to give him the resources he needs to be more successful. Kim helped the coaches make the Jr. High Jamboree go smooth by locking and unlocking the stadium. Kim gave her new secretary her tickets to the High School Football Game so that they didn't have to fight the general admission crowd. She also counseled a teacher who had gotten into a verbal altercation with another teacher.

There is other little things, but this is what my tired mind can remember.

Pray for us. Pray that we have a renewed prayer life and a hunger for God's word. During this busy time we must fight to maintain balance and God must trully be our strength.

Good Night and God Bless,

Mark Jackson