Morning Routines

Teen Boys’ Dorm

11 teenage boys. This has been an amazing experience that at times has brought its challenges but at the end of every day, I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life.

Now, I want to let you have a peek into my life. What it is like to live with these boys day by day. To do this I will start with our daily schedule! Every morning we wake up at 6am (In theory). There are 4 of us supervisors in the Early teen dorm. My days to wake up the boys are Thursdays. Do you remember how long it used to take you as a teen to get out of bed in the morning? Especially at 6 in the morning? Well, take that times 11! I go to turn on the lights, I shout out “todos arriba!” (Everyone Up), and..... Nothing. Just the sound of blankets shifting, the boys covering their heads from the light. After another 2 or 3 times of shout out “Todos arriba!” And a couple of threats... I mean conditional consequences: “The last one out of bed does the chores alone”, they finally make their way out of the bed.

We then spend the next 45 mins to an hour getting changed and doing the chores before we head down to breakfast. Most days there are small behavioral issues that prevent us from making it to breakfast on time. Little things like, “Brandon, they keep walking where I already mopped!” Or “It's not my turn to take out the trash.” But finally, about 10 minutes after breakfast is served we make our way down to the cafeteria.

From there, the kids do their last minute things to get ready for the day and they head to school. While they are at school, my responsibilities change a bit. I go from Supervisor to Administrative assistant working with anything from reserving hotel rooms for guest pastors to keeping a control on money entering and leaving the ministry. Now, with a major in Spanish Education, I honestly never would have thought that this is the type of work I would be doing. But, I love what I do. More than that, I love why I’m doing it. Because these aren’t my plans, they are His plans. Even though I might not have foreseen this, I know I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing because I know who I am doing it for. I know where my focus is and as long as my eyes stay on Him, it doesn’t matter what I do or where I end up. I am in His will!

Romans 8:28