Missions and confessions.

I just wanted to write a quick update about what's going on with me right now, but in order to do that, I have to make a confession.

I am afraid of spiders. Correction: I have a crippling, irrational fear of spiders. I can't look at them, alive or dead. I can't kill them (what if they don't die, and then they crawl across my hand, and then I'll have to cut my hand off in order to get that icky eight-legs-just-touched-me feeling off of my skin. Yeah, that's my train of thought.) I can't pick up dead spiders to throw them away. I can't even look at or touch pictures of them. I have a favorite author who keeps putting spiders on the covers of his books... I will never be able to read any more of his work. Last Halloween I got a cupcake at Muddy's that had a plastic spider ring on the top, even though I specifically requested one without an arachnid decoration. The guy behind the counter thought he was being so funny. I couldn't eat it until my friend removed the offensive garnish, and even then it was a challenge. Yes, I know this is not normal.

So back to my update. I came home from a lovely week-long Caribbean cruise last weekend to find that a big, yucky spider had taken up residence in my den. It spun a web between an end table and a chair, and for a week it has been suspended there between the two pieces of furniture. I don't know what to do. Yes, I have left it there for a week. I figure that if the spider is in sight, I know that it's not crawling up my back or anything. (Just typing that made me shudder.) Earlier when I was vacuuming, I managed to knock the web down with a vacuum attachment, but the spider disappeared under a chair before I could vacuum it up. When I came home about an hour ago, I discovered that the spider has already spun a new web in the same space and is hanging there probably smirking at me with his stupid little spider mouth. Again, I don't know what to do. Please, someone, come over and get rid of this spider for me.

On another note, I am leaving tomorrow to spend the week at SOS, and I could not be more excited! I packed in record time (I mean, look! I had time to blog!) and I am so ready to spend the week with an awesome group of young people. This week is coming at a good time for me, because I need to just step away from my life for a little while. It will be good for me to think about something other than my little problems. And given my recent frustrations concerning my relationship with my Heavenly Father, I think some time spent in prayer and reflection and service to the Lord is in order. So if you're reading this, please pray for our week at SOS. Pray for our safety as we work in the heat this week; pray that we experience spiritual renewal as we worship and serve together. Pray for the homeowners and SOS staff, and pray that we will truly be the hands and feet of God as we serve our fellow Memphians. I can't wait to see where this week will take me!