First Week Down

I can't believe how much easier the second year of teaching is compared to the first. Despite the fact that I am teaching a different grade, it is amazing how smoothly this last week went. I guess it helps to have almost all the same kids:) I am so anxious to see what He's got in store for this class this year. I am confident He's going to do some awesome things in the hearts of these kids. He's already working in and strengthening mine for sure. My first week was good, but not without its difficulties. Midmorning on my first day of school, I got a skype message saying that my grandpa had passed away earlier that day. As I wrote in my previous post, we knew that he was sick, so it was somewhat expected. But, earlier that morning, I had just read an email from my dad explaining how he was doing so well and they were talking about starting physical therapy this week. That afternoon his breathing got really heavy and he was gone by that evening (morning here). I am so thankful that I can trust in the timing of the Blessed Controller of all things. I am confident that since that weekend in July when we thought we would lose him, He had been working extra hard on Papa's heart, and by Monday evening, He was done. He's now where He was made to be with his Redeemer and my Tita:) It was definitely hard to get this news on the first day of school, but I think it is the start of a year full of relying heavily on His strength. I have been blown away by the peace that has consumed me this week. It is weird to be far from home, but I have a family here who has come around me in such a sweet way and He has truly been my Comforter this week. I am so blessed and so excited to see Him continue to work.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43:2-3

A Summer of Transition

When I was getting ready to head back to the states in June, I will admit, there was a part of me that was not looking forward to returning. After being in Indonesia for ten months straight, this place had become my home. I am by no means an expert here, but it had become that familiar place where you kind of know what you’re doing. It had been an intense ten months full of changes, challenges, laughter, tears and goodbyes, so I was definitely in need of a break, but I knew that my other home would hold just as many challenges, changes, laughter, tears and goodbyes. I was coming home to a world of transition and change: two of my grandparents had strokes in May putting my parents in the tough spot of making the necessary arrangements, several of my good friends graduated and moved away while I was gone, my sisters are all grown up and in unique seasons right now, and I was also going to have to face the fact that Flagstaff is no longer my home. Boarding the plane to head back, I knew that it was going to be hard, but I also had the assurance that He is the blessed controller of all things and that He would go before me.
Believe it or not, I am not a huge fan of change. Sometimes I jump right into it and make life changing decisions like moving to the tropics, but most times I like to avoid it. No matter the situation, I have noticed that it is easy in times of change to “paint pictures of Egypt” and think that everything was perfect way back when. I was doing just that this summer when I came home to all the changes: remembering back to a time when I didn’t have to worry about whether I was going to see my grandparents again, or when I didn’t have to miss my friends because they lived right next door, or when my sisters and I were all in the same town, or when Flagstaff was the only place that I called home. How easily I forget about the hardships I faced back then and the miracles He’s done in my life since those times. He has used the amazing opportunities, hardships, and people He’s brought to my path to shape me not just into the person I am today, but into a version of myself that can be better used by Him. I was challenged this summer to live in the present, not the past, not the future, but the present. I miss opportunities when I dwell on how good I used to have it or when I get caught up in the stresses that tomorrow might bring. We are not called to dwell or worry; we are called to wait on Him. He is one that can be trusted. I know that not just because of what it says in the Word, but because I can point directly to moments where He provided and protected. He never lets go.

You Never Let Go
By David Crowder

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
When waters rise
And hope takes flight

Ever faithful Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills with hope
Perfect love that never lets go

In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You’re the same Oh, You never let go

Through the transitions of this summer, He opened my eyes to see that life is not supposed to be easy and predictable all the time. Change will come, and will probably not be fun, but He’s still going to be there. I am not called to have everything figured out and together, I am called to trust Him and follow Him wherever He leads. He opened my eyes to the fact that my home is neither here in Indonesia or there in Flagstaff, my home is with Him. It’s not about my job, my location or even the people around me. It’s about Him getting the glory He deserves.

So, it is with fresh perspective and an excitement for what He's got planned, that I begin my third year of teaching at Bandung Alliance International School tomorrow!