Being Pushed...

This week has been a challenging one for me.
I have certainly be tested. I have been really tested by the children.

On two occasions this week my co-leaders had to leave the group (only for a short while) to do something else. I was not worried at first, as the children/young people were involved in activities and I felt I could continue to lead it okay.

Well....10 minutes down the line, they all seemed to just start and push me....by not listening, doing what they wanted to do - knowing there was not much I could do as I am limited in the language.  But they were not just pushing me because of the language but because I am a new staff member, so they wanted to see just how far they could stretch their boundaries with me.

I stood my ground as best a possible, but WOW it is hard!!
It is exhausting too, trying to think of all the correct words and saying it in my best Portuguese so they would understand me. Getting them actually quiet in the first place to listen is hard enough!

It shook me a little in my confidence...but it has and will not defeat me, I will be back next week and more prepared for what these children/young people throw at me.
But what I hope they notice the most is that I will still treat them the same, I will still show them love and kindness, even though they were rude to me. I want them to see that I am different...I want to see that I have Jesus living in me...