Looking Good

This past week I have been in FFA Land.

FFA Land is both a place and a time that happens a few of times of year. National FFA Convention is the biggest "FFA Land" of the year but similar activities, thoughts, and feelings also occur during State Convention and State CDEs.

Anyway, I am not really going to post about FFA Land other than to say it was on my mind when I arrived home to "Arkalalah Land". Arkalalah is a big deal for the people in the community of Ark City.  Basically, it starts Wednesday night and last until late Saturday evening. There are several parades, craft shows, carnivals, fried foods, helicopter rides, egg tosses, turtle races, Queen Alalah activities, and plenty of other fun things to do. I have never really been into Arkalalah, mainly because it usually falls on the same weekend of FFA Convention. But this year we came back a night early and got to hit up the tail end of Arkalalah, the "big parade".

I was sitting on the tailgate of my brothers old truck and I get a text from a student of mine:

"hey bogart"

I was tempted to ignore it. But it was a student that I had just taken to convention and I thought it might be important.

"What do you need?"

"Yea ummmmmmm can I have the od jacket I have right now"

This is one of my freshmen FFA members who had borrowed one of the chapter's FFA jackets to wear at FFA Convention. I just told him the chapter needed that jacket but we'd order him one. I thought that was the end of that.

Later, I was walking downtown during the parade to meet up with someone, and I thought I saw an FFA jacket through the masses of people. Really these streets are packed full of people. At first, I thought  it was because I had just arrived from the sea of blue FFA jackets only hours ago. However, I did a double-take and it was, in fact, one of my students in his FFA jacket. In fact the same student who had just texted me asking about keeping the FFA jacket.

I hollered his name and said, "What are you doing?"

He was in the middle of Arkalalah, in full out Official Dress (OD). He had on the right pants, shoes, and tie. Perfect FFA OD.

"Just wearing my OD!"

We couldn't really even stop to talk because of the traffic, so I just said, "Looking good!"

What was he doing?

This student never ceased in asking me one of these questions any chance he got while we were in Indy:

"Can I take my jacket off? It's hot."
"Do we get to go change yet?"
"When can we change?"
"When we go in this restaurant, can I take my jacket off?"
"That tie better be a clip-on tie!"
"I'm not wearing black shoes- I just brought my white tennis shoes."
"Can I just wear this FFA jacket with my jeans."

Needless to say, I set him straight real quick with all the ends and outs of proper FFA official dress.

Oh geez, he drove me crazy most of the week with his questions. However, there he was in perfect OD in the middle of Arkalalah a mere 12 hours after we had arrived in Ark City. He was so proud of that jacket. He was proud in a way I hadn't seen even some of the most dedicated FFA members be in long time. It made me smile....real big. He brought FFA Land back to Arkalalah Land. And he was looking good.

A Truckful of Nuns

In case you were wondering, this is what a truckful of nuns look like:

                 

Oh, wait! I meant a truckful of mums.....................

I guess it is better than a truckful of bums. Or tums. Really? Enough with the puns! Okay, I will stop now.

However, I did get a good laugh out of my welding boys last week when our mums were delivered. They seriously thought I said "nuns" instead of "mums" AND they still followed me outside to get them.

After seeing the truck and no nuns to be seen, they started laughing and said, "Oh mums! I was thinking is that even legal?!"

Ummm....probably not. But hey we all thought it was funny and my welding boys learned what mums were. Plus, we talked about nuns. Hahaha very funny God.

But God wasn't finished yet. One of my welding boys had this green shirt on that said something about "Faith Accompanied by Works" and it really sparked James, the mum truck driver's, attention.

"That's an interesting shirt there."

I kind of brush him off a little. Sort of like, "Why are you talking to me about this, right now, in front of everyone and the mums."

But he was persistant and continued to to talk to me about God, the Bible, and hearing God speak to us, and the aforementioned green shirt.

Before you knew it my class was inside, and I am having this prolonged conversation with James. I was pretty hesitant to talk to this complete stranger about my faith at first but before you know it things are coming out of my mouth and I am thinking, "Why the heck did I just tell  him that?!" Geez, Kasie. Go teach your class. lol

For example:

He mentioned that God has spoken to him.....like audibly. I make a remark about that not happening with too many people.... which actually may or may not be true; I don't know. He just caught me way of guard. Then he immediately says, "He did to Abraham!"

The conversation is rolling at this point. We are talking about God speaking to us, or me feeling the lack thereof, and the fact that I was baptized a little over a year and half ago. In fact, he hardly let me get a word in edgewise until I told him that. We ended the conversation both agreeing that God is great. It was a doozy of a conversation.

God definitely has a sense of humor. Thank you God for sending me the crazy mum/nun truck driver. Thanks for the reminder of sharing my faith with those around me.

For James, mums, nuns, and green shirts- I know that God is great!