Teaching in a different country has been something that I have wanted to do ever since I decided to go into education. I always thought I would teach in Honduras since that was where my family had ties. However, God had a different plan.
About a year and a half ago, I began to feel the pressure and stress of figuring out life after college. I had one more semester for student teaching and then I would be done. I thought that I would stay in the Mishawaka area, because that was where I probably had the most opportunities. Things seemed to be coming together, and then it all fell apart quickly.
Surviving the car accident that took the lives of my mom and brother made me question many aspects of my life, specifically my purpose. Student teaching got me through those first months, because I felt like I had a purpose. I had to show up everyday to teach my fifth graders. However, outside of school, I closed my world off to what I could control and removed myself from socializing with my friends and acquaintances. This went on for most of the school year, until I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
I made an unexpected trip home the weekend of April 25, 2015, to see my dad. We went to church on Sunday, and it was during the sermon that I felt the weight of the Holy Spirit convicting me that I wasn't the only hurting person in the world and by closing myself off to others, I had let opportunities pass to share how God was working in my life during this difficult time. I went down to the altar to pray, and I surrendered everything that I thought I could control over to God. Instantly the weight lifted, and I heard the word "Go." I knew immediately what that meant. I needed to see what opportunities were available to teach overseas.
After church, I talked with dad about my experience in church and what I was thinking. Dad encouraged me to pursue the opportunity. I decided to contact World Gospel Mission just to see where I could potentially go. The volunteer coordinator came back with Paraguay, Bolivia, Hungary, and Uganda. Bolivia immediately stood out because my mom had visited Bolivia back in the 80's with my grandpa and it was always somewhere I wanted to visit because mom went there. I could finally have my chance. I researched the school and started asking questions. It seemed like it would be a good fit for me.
I received my acceptance at the end of June, and I was told I could go ahead and start raising support. At first, the thought of raising $10,000 in a month was extremely overwhelming, but it quickly became something I didn't worry about. If God wanted me in Bolivia, He would provide all of the funds. And He did!
During this time, I also found out that the school needed a fifth grade teacher. I student taught in fifth grade, so I contacted the principal and explained that I would serve wherever I was needed, but I really enjoyed working with fifth grade. She responded that she had been praying for someone to come with a passion for fifth graders! To me, this was confirmation from God. I always thought that third grade was my "dream job," but when it came time for student teaching, the school that I wanted to be at offered me a fifth grade position. Little did I know that God was preparing me for the fifth grade position in Bolivia!
The Bible verse that keeps coming to mind is Proverbs 16:9, which states, “In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps.” Even though teaching outside of the country has been one of my dreams, I never thought it would happen right out of college. However, the timing could not work out more perfectly. My prayer is that I will remain open to whatever God has in store for me and not question His guidance. Never have I felt so at peace with this decision, yet so scared at the same time. I don’t know all of the details of the next ten months, but I know that if I keep trusting God, He will continue to guide me and my life will be far better than I could ever imagine.
About a year and a half ago, I began to feel the pressure and stress of figuring out life after college. I had one more semester for student teaching and then I would be done. I thought that I would stay in the Mishawaka area, because that was where I probably had the most opportunities. Things seemed to be coming together, and then it all fell apart quickly.
Surviving the car accident that took the lives of my mom and brother made me question many aspects of my life, specifically my purpose. Student teaching got me through those first months, because I felt like I had a purpose. I had to show up everyday to teach my fifth graders. However, outside of school, I closed my world off to what I could control and removed myself from socializing with my friends and acquaintances. This went on for most of the school year, until I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
I made an unexpected trip home the weekend of April 25, 2015, to see my dad. We went to church on Sunday, and it was during the sermon that I felt the weight of the Holy Spirit convicting me that I wasn't the only hurting person in the world and by closing myself off to others, I had let opportunities pass to share how God was working in my life during this difficult time. I went down to the altar to pray, and I surrendered everything that I thought I could control over to God. Instantly the weight lifted, and I heard the word "Go." I knew immediately what that meant. I needed to see what opportunities were available to teach overseas.
After church, I talked with dad about my experience in church and what I was thinking. Dad encouraged me to pursue the opportunity. I decided to contact World Gospel Mission just to see where I could potentially go. The volunteer coordinator came back with Paraguay, Bolivia, Hungary, and Uganda. Bolivia immediately stood out because my mom had visited Bolivia back in the 80's with my grandpa and it was always somewhere I wanted to visit because mom went there. I could finally have my chance. I researched the school and started asking questions. It seemed like it would be a good fit for me.
I received my acceptance at the end of June, and I was told I could go ahead and start raising support. At first, the thought of raising $10,000 in a month was extremely overwhelming, but it quickly became something I didn't worry about. If God wanted me in Bolivia, He would provide all of the funds. And He did!
During this time, I also found out that the school needed a fifth grade teacher. I student taught in fifth grade, so I contacted the principal and explained that I would serve wherever I was needed, but I really enjoyed working with fifth grade. She responded that she had been praying for someone to come with a passion for fifth graders! To me, this was confirmation from God. I always thought that third grade was my "dream job," but when it came time for student teaching, the school that I wanted to be at offered me a fifth grade position. Little did I know that God was preparing me for the fifth grade position in Bolivia!
The Bible verse that keeps coming to mind is Proverbs 16:9, which states, “In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps.” Even though teaching outside of the country has been one of my dreams, I never thought it would happen right out of college. However, the timing could not work out more perfectly. My prayer is that I will remain open to whatever God has in store for me and not question His guidance. Never have I felt so at peace with this decision, yet so scared at the same time. I don’t know all of the details of the next ten months, but I know that if I keep trusting God, He will continue to guide me and my life will be far better than I could ever imagine.
