Hold Fast to Dreams

I love dreams! I think that is why my dream job would be teaching children in such a way that I am able to not only give hope to the hopeless, but show them how to dream, and truly believe in them! This has played a big role in my desire to be involved in overseas missions, but for awhile now I have been feeling more called in inter-city missions. Coming back home to Philly and teaching in some of the poorer schools there has been something that seems to have been placed on my heart.  While I have been trying to accept this, my heart has still been aching for overseas missions! I don’t want to be a Jonah, and I wouldn’t say that I have wholeheartedly accepted this yet, but this week God has been working in my heart in some pretty cool ways. He’s put a lot of great people in my life, which have been such a blessing, but the coolest part was this past Wednesday when I went to a pretty impoverished school for one of my classes. The school was predominantly Latino, but when I walked in and then spent time with my students I just had so many flashbacks to my time in Peru. It was so amazing! It was as if God was telling me, “Christina I know you. I know what your heart seeks, I created you that way! So when I ask you to trust me, do. I know you won’t always understand, but I promise that if you trust me I will lead you right where you need to be and I provide everything you need, even the satisfaction of your heart’s desires. It might not be the way you would have imagined, but it will be just the way I planned it and so it will be perfect!” My time there was amazing and I am so looking forward to getting to spend time with those kids every week. It was at times heartbreaking to see the lives they were living, but it was also so real, and beautiful. I knew that this was just the kind of setting  God could use me in. And so I am finding so much hope and excitement for my future!

I came across this beautiful poem by Langston Hughes recently. It’s a pretty famous one, but it was nice to come across it again. 

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

I hope this can be a poem I keep close to my heart as I teach. While I will probably end up in public schools where I won’t be able to voice my faith, dreams will something I will be able to and so I hope I will be able to help instill dreams in the lives of my students! Dreams that I will then pray will lead them to Him!