First Week of Work

I officially started seeing kids last Wednesday at a Tulsa middle school. I saw 15 kids in three days and was definitely ready for the weekend on Friday afternoon. It's exciting to have an office to call my own rather than having to share space although I do miss all the great conversations and distractions when trying to get paperwork finished in the CFS office :).
Overall, I think I have good kids. Most of them seem to be interested and receptive to counseling, some of them are pretty funny, and there are some really sweet ones too. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have an influence on these kids' lives. I said a prayer on my way to work the first day for God to use me as a positive influence in the lives of these students and to remind me during the frustrating times what a huge opportunity I have to minister to these kids.
It was a little overwhelming this week trying to get to know the students and hearing about the struggles they are facing at school and at home. Some kids told me they worry about not having enough food to eat and some kids are scared of going to school because of fighting. It's sad to think that many of them have no consistent supportive adult in their lives. I'm not used to having such a big caseload, and working mainly with a school system rather than a family system is new territory. Right now I'm just trying to get my bearings and try and remain thankful for the new learning experiences coming my way. Overall, I'd say it was a good week. I was driving home one day last week and realized that doing what I'm doing is something I have been waiting for and working toward for a long time. It still seems a little surreal that I survived school and am actually getting to use my education in a full-time job. I've been waiting and looking forward to that for a very long time. Needless to say that was a pretty rewarding drive home.