Keep me ever trusting, resting.

It is Friday, which means that it is my day off. We get Fridays and Saturdays off. I slept in today. I love sleep way too much.

The past few days have been encouraging to me. They have been full of kind, uplifting words from people that I love. They have been full of sweet moments with people that have known me forever, and people I have only just met. I have been exhausted in every sense of the word, but I wouldn't go back and change they way any of it played out.

I was feeling pretty drained after the first few days of this week. I think just being around the same people all of the time, and not ever being able to escape to the comfort of people that already know, get, and accept me. It was hard for me to be, in a sense, trapped like that. I have nothing against these people, and I have only the utmost respect for them and I desire to know them better, but it was getting overwhelming, especially because of the nature of this internship. It is very relationally focused; we are not just working alongside of each other, we are working to dig into each others lives and build deep relationships. I am all for that. I think it's great, but in order for that to happen (at least for me) I have to have time alone and I have to have time where I get reinforced by already existing healthy relationships. I need that to be able to process all the other stuff. I've gotten those things over the past few days, and I am thankful it was possible. I am thankful for the old and the new people. I hope I can do a better job of taking care of myself in the weeks to come.

Wednesday nights this summer we get to have dinner with a different elder from the church and their family. This week we kicked things off with the Osborne family. They prepared for us a huge, delicious meal. Instead of all giving our brief "autobiography" we each told about the person we were sitting next to. It was a fun way to do it. I liked it. After dinner, we played Banana Grams. I'd never played before. It's basically just speed scrabble. It was really fun! We hung out and talked and just had another relaxing, fun night.

Yesterday I got a good bit of work done in the morning. I missed the first youth event (which I'm told ended up going quite well) to go and see Calvin's school play. Calvin is an elementary schooler who is in my community group. He was prince charming in his schools production of Cinderella. It was so cute!!! I wish I had a picture to post on here of his sweet little prince outfit! He was the best prince charming I have ever seen! So, so glad I could go.

I'm trying to be more honest with myself, others, and God.

I'm trying to stand on solid things that don't change, instead of my usual wiggly, rickety things.

I'm trying to remember and find confidence in the only opinion of me that matters.

I'm also trying to smile more often.