Hello! I am a college graduate teaching English and Math in North Africa. Through these blogs my hope is that you are able to see how unqualified I am, but just how good and qualified the Lord is.
When I graduated high school, the two questions people asked me the most were: first, “Where are you going to college?” and second, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Thankfully, I knew what college I was going to attend, so that answer came quickly. However, the second one was a bit more difficult. My answer changed a little bit depending on who asked me. To some people I would reply, “I hope to be finishing my credential program and becoming a teacher as soon as possible.” To others I would say, “I’m not quite sure, I think I would like to serve overseas for a while..” I didn’t…
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The American holiday season is upon us, although it has a much different feel than I am used to. Being from Southern California, I didn’t have trees changing color to signal the beginning of fall. However, I am used to stores having Halloween decor up from late August until October and then being overwhelmed with Christmas items from November 1st to December 30th. I am used to passing out candy or getting free chipotle burritos on Halloween when I show up in costume. Fighting against Christmas music until after Thanksgiving is something I am always passionate about. Holiday parties,…
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I had just landed in the Chicago airport. I had gone through customs, re-checked my bags, and gotten on to the shuttle that would take me from the international terminal to the national one. I still had one plane to go. About 5 minutes into the drive, I noticed the woman next to me was starting to get anxious. She had a baby strapped to her back and was probably around my age, maybe a couple years older. The longer we were on the shuttle the more nervous she got. Finally, she pulled out her boarding pass and started to speak. I couldn’t understand her fully, she spoke very very little…
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Over the past seven months I have realized that we are taught everything. This sounds weird, but think about it. Everything we do, say, think, or feel has been taught to us in some way or another, either implicitly or explicitly. Most things were taught to us by others, some things we probably taught ourselves. My language, classroom behavior, what I eat for breakfast vs what I eat for dinner… I was taught all of that. For the first 22 years of my life, it worked well! I was always a great student, I had good manners.. I knew what was expected and I knew how to handle most day to day…
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I live in a country where it is okay to be a Christian if you’re a foreigner. Locals who know me and care for me have suggested I become a Muslim; I know it’s because they truly love me and want what they think is best for me. When I hear this, I am both appreciative that they care for my soul and longing for them to know the real Truth. It is fine for me to be a Christian and having conversations about faith and beliefs are quite common. However, this is a place where the seeds are still being sown and we are praying for even just one to come to JC.
This dynamic can make fellowship…
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