Happy B-Day, Brandon!

A quick call to Brandon in the morning to wish him a Happy Birthday, and I was off to the HOPE school with Edgar.

Now, as a Christian, you'd think I'd be relying on the source of my hope and purpose every day, but honestly, I've recently neglected the most important thing in my work with Drama and the vision I have for Education: God. Today, I prayed specifically for my lessons, for specific outcomes and the reactions of the teachers, for God's glory in all of this. That made ALL the difference. I felt things working out smoothly, I felt a change in the teachers' attitudes. I don't think I felt much different, though I had renewed faith and determination, but could tell God was orchestrating a great workshop. I repeated the lesson from Monday, apologized for the lack of clarity last time, and really felt a connection with the teachers as I explained how they could use this exercise with their class.

We all had fun, and by the end of it, I could feel the built trust, the confidence of the class, and their sheer wonder of how drama could instantly revitalize and energize life and learning. They were beginning to see why I was so passionate about Drama being a vital tool in education! They were beginning to share my vision, and the vision of Brian Way (the biggest influence on my views of Drama and Education).

In a few sentences of prayer, I had gone from discouraged and doubtful about whether there was value in my mission, to faithful and determined; from insecurity in communicating my lessons, to confidently leading exercises that were fun, enriching, and informative; from independance and self-reliance, to deference and dependance on the creator of the UNIVERSE, not to mention Drama and Education.

As simple as prayer is, I'm blown away by its power. I think that's what God wanted me to realize--that I can't take credit for this. Just asking for guidance was enough to bring more results than all my research, planning, worrying, and controlling.

I have a feeling I am going to run up against this lesson at least a few more times before I die. ;)

¡Adios por ahora!