Stretching

I am always quickly falling behind and I actually have lots to talk about. So, I'll try to break it up into a few posts over the new few days so as not to be too overwhelming.

Today, I wanted to talk about my most recent volunteer opportunities! And once again, I am having to stretch outside of my comfort zone with these, but know that it is good for me. :)

Remember about the church nursery fiasco I spoke of a few months ago? Okay, so it wasn't a fiasco, but I honestly didn't think I would ever hear from them. Well, I did! I received an e-mail asking if I'd like to help out in the 3 year olds class. Perfect! This was exactly what I was looking for. I met last week with the preschool director to get the scoop. I will be working with another young lady and we are going to work during the 11:00 am church service hour every other Sunday (switching off with another couple so that they can go to their small group who meets at 11 am). In the e-mail, I was told that I would be 'helper'. Helper I was fine with, I'm a great helper. Tell me what to do and I'm on it! Well, with meeting with the preschool director, I quickly realized this wasn't so much helping as it was leading/teaching...meaning, I (and the other girl) am in charge! Yikes! She handed me the curriculum book to look over, but assured me that all materials would be provided in class. I then was able to observe this past Sunday. Talk about precious children! I could just eat them up! There were only 8 there, when there are normally 15-20 due to the weather though. The new girl and I are up this Sunday! My original excitement has quickly turned to scared and anxious. I'm now responsible for these children during this hour. Yes, I realize it's only an hour every couple of weeks, but I'm terrified about being the positive, spiritual role model these kids need. Can I do it...gracefully, that is, ha ha.

Next, I was asked to be a volunteer for the VITA program. VITA stands for volunteer income tax assistance. From the end of January through April 15th, this program offers free income tax preparation to low income families. Our options were greeter, screener, interpreter, and preparer. I was going for greeter. I could share my time and smile to those coming in. However, I was told that they REALLY needed more tax preparers and so I stretched outside my shell and said I could be a preparer. Once again, the butterflies are swarming! We will be trained though, so it's not like I'm going to be handling people's taxes all willy-nilly. Oh, but one comfort is that Clint decided to sign up as well so at least we will be doing it together. Our training is online and next weekend in the classroom and then we start on January 25th. We shall see how it goes.

Third, back to church...and really not so much a volunteer thing, but I joined the choir. I loved singing in the choir at First Baptist. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I just love music! I so wish I still played the violin and could be a member of the orchestra there. Anyway, the choir at Mobberly is just slightly...okay GREATLY larger than the choir at FBCL! It's definitely a bit overwhelming! But I did my best to jump in and had no problem following along. I hope to be singing in the service (9:30 service) by next Sunday after I've had a couple of rehearsals under my belt.

So, lots of new, exciting, and even scary things coming my way. Stretching beyond my comfort zone is necessary for my personal growth and I'm embracing it the best I can.