Dusty Earthbound Paths

This morning, I read the September 5 entry in "Jesus Calling" before I started my day.  Let me share it with you:
   
     "I am your best Friend, as well as your King. Walk hand in hand with Me through your life.  Together we will face whatever each day brings: pleasures, hardships, adventures, disappointments.  Nothing is wasted when it is shared with Me.  I can bring beauty out of the ashes of lost dreams.  I can glean Joy out of sorrow, Peace out of adversity.  Only a Friend who is also the King of kings could accomplish this divine alchemy.  There is no other like Me!
     The friendship I offer you is practical and down-to-earth, yet it is saturated with heavenly Glory. Living in My Presence means living in two realms simultaneously: the visible world and unseen, eternal reality.  I have equipped you to stay conscious of Me while walking along dusty, earthbound paths."

I had to read it three times.  It spoke straight to my heart.

One of the least favorite parts of my days is traveling on the roads in Haiti.  They are almost always dirt roads (although a few parts of roads in the city are now paved).  And the potholes are unbelievable--some would fit a small car inside them.  The days get very hot and lately it's been very dry here, too.  If you're blessed to have a car, it most certainly does not have air conditioning, so you have to leave the windows down as you drive.  And as people, cows, cars, bikes, motorcycles, goats, dogs, and more travel along those roads, they kick up a lot of dust.  Layers of dust coat EVERYthing here.

But, I am equipped to stay conscious of God while I make my way through each day.  Through the dust. Through the potholes.  We are living in two realms at the same time!  Our earthbound paths and our heavenly paths.  We have to look beyond the dust and see how He is working around us for His glory. I know... that's easier said than done some days, right?

Today was Day 3 of school, and it was the best day yet!  Naomy was happy enough in the preschool for me to teach my first three classes.  I met the 3rd/4th graders, the Kindergarteners, and the 5th/6th graders.  As expected, I found that reading abilities do not always align with grades.  There are some 5th graders who read at a 6th or 7th grade level... and some 6th graders who read at a 4th or 5th grade level.  I can easily break them up into smaller groups according to ability so that I can provide the guidance they need.  I put in an order on Amazon yesterday, though, because the reading texts available at school are very antiquated.  I'm looking for recommendations, friends!  What are your grade school children, grandchildren, students, nieces or nephews reading right now?  What books are they excited about?