God is in control

Hey All,

So, here is my to be continued post from, "Where I've Been." I just want to explain a little bit more about how I landed this job and was "rejected" by other job opportunities. So, let me explain. Ben and I left Alaska in May and left a big chunk of our hearts with it. For the first few months of being back in Minnesota, I felt so uncomfortable. I felt lonely, wondering what was going to happen in the future. Would Ben and I ever find peace in Minnesota again? I think for Ben it was a little bit easier because he had a job lined up. He knew exactly what he was going to be doing. However, in September and October we were still missing Alaska quite a bit and ended up meeting with the president of Alaska Christian College. We talked to him and sort of day dreamed for awhile of what it would look like work at ACC. We started praying about it and realized that at this time that answer was a no. Not to say it might not come further down the road. We love that school and what it stands for. For right now is all we can do is support and pray for the kids who go to college there. So, I kept subbing, kept applying for long term sub jobs, para professional jobs, etc. I never heard anything back and kept thinking, "what is wrong with me?" I started to doubt my abilities, I started getting anxious about really silly and ultimately uncontrollable things. It was in that moment that I was ready to hand things over to God. I couldn't bare to do it on my own anymore. As much as I always knew that is what I needed to do, sometimes you just have to be stubborn before you can surrender.

So, let us fast forward about a month. I had a dear friend in Mountain Village who was struggling with alcohol and I just wanted to be near her. Help her, love her, and was almost willing to just go there and live life alongside of her for a month. Then, another one of my friends from Mountain Village had her dad get really sick and she needed to be with him in Anchorage. She was with him for a long time until he eventually passed away. In the middle of that though, I had emailed the principal in Mountain asking if they needed a long term sub and she said what a great idea, I will send your info over to HR. I thought, "HOLY COW" this might actually happen. I might get to go back to Alaska. Well, I never heard back from her, but I did hear from a retired Bush teacher saying that she was going to Mountain Village to fill in for "H." I kind of felt like I had been slapped in the face, but it didn't take me too long to realize that there was probably a reason for that. So, I had a pity party for about a minute and started praying about where God would have me. Then, about two weeks later, the position opened up for Kindergarten. Well, you already know that I did indeed take it.

When I moved back from Alaska I really didn't want to teach again because I didn't think I could love students the way I did in Alaska. Let me tell you, I was WRONG. I absolutely love my kiddos here. They are fun, funny, loving, smart, and energetic. They need hugs just as much as my kiddos in Alaska did. God has called me to work with children of all settings, whether it is in Alaska, Minnesota, or kids of my own someday. In the end, God is in control-ALWAYS.