I'm seeing three main areas which will be new, or at least be a large part of the coming year, and areas in which prayer would be appreciated. Work: I will be starting my first ever (adult) year out of full time education. So starting regular a work life and schedule will be a learning curve. Relationships: This is an area with many facets; as I start to work on the campus I will be interacting with staff, co-workers and students on site and will seek to maintain healthy Godly relationships. Housekeeping: As far as I know I will be living in an apartment on my own, and fending for myself fully for the first time, this is also a fairly big step.
I'll expand on these areas, but you can skip to the prayer points if you wish.
Work
This year I will be taking up a volunteer position at the North Cotes Campus run by New Tribes Mission. During this year I will have some responsibilities within the finance office. Performing these routine tasks during the mornings will require some steadfast consistency as I seek to remain diligent and not to become complacent, as the newness of it wears off and becomes routine. These routine tasks will become fairly straightforward once I'm familiar with the tasks.However the other half of my work will be quite self-directed. I will be working itinerantly on projects where my IT and sound & audio skills can be put to use, as well as doing maintenance tasks associated with the same area. Directing my own work, managing time and setting priorities for tasks out of my workload is something that will be new in a working setting. Keeping myself disciplined in my time and focus is also important as I go into this year, in my work life and also in my personal leisure.
Perhaps the point I need to keep in mind the most is that, even though I am working on one campus for an organisation, I should "…serve with good attitude, as the Lord and not to Men". This verse taken from Ephesians 6:7 talks of how slaves are to serve their masters. But using the common application of employees to employers I need to ensure that I though I am working under this organisation I am really serving Jehovah.
Relationships
I will look to maintain good relations with the staff that I will be working with and the students that I will be serving throughout the year.With the remoteness of the campus comes separation. The college can become a bubble, separated from the outside world, yet although we are not of the world, we are to be in it. So something I will need to make an effort in is to be more of a witness of Christ to those in the world. How I will do that I will rely on God to bring to pass, and trust Him for the confidence to do so.
Housekeeping
I get my own apartment (as far as I know)! This is both a privilege, but with privilege comes the responsibility to maintain it, keep it clean and as a believer, keep it open to hospitality.This is the first time I'll have had to cook and fend for myself also. So I've been scouring the internet for cheap dinner ideas, and how to make one chicken stretch a month. (OK, a slight exaggeration, but they can go a long way!) I'm looking forward to develop my cooking skills, I'm sure it'll come in useful in future.
Prayer Requests
- Look to God in all I do
- Work
- Consistency in working attitude
- Steadfastness
- Diligence to the tasks
- Clear direction in priorities
- Discipline in time
- Relationships
- Continued good relations with staff and students on campus
- That God would develop witnessing opportunities