Colombia, here we come
Yay! Great news. Our dossier was sent to Colombia today. Now the “official” wait begins. Colombia will review it and approve it. Once it is approved, the search will begin for our children. There really is nothing left for us to do except to prepare for travel and parenting. I hope part of the preparation for travel will include us doing some type of fund raiser to help out an orphanage in Colombia. I’m not sure how that all works but a lot of families do that so we’ll try to learn more about how we can help. Be sure to look for updates on that front.
All I can say right now is “God is good, all the time!”
Last day at Heritage Elementary
These were the two best years of my teaching career so far. I loved working at Heritage Elementary and I will miss everything about it. The students are the sweetest I’ve ever taught. The staff is the most caring, dedicated, and supportive that I’ve ever worked with. The administration took my position and ideas seriously which made me feel more valued than I ever have at a job. Why am I leaving? That is such a good question.
My answer is that I’ve come full circle, in a sense. When I entered the teaching field, I have to admit that I did so kicking and screaming. I had the stereotypical dreadful first year (ended up in the ER with anxiety caused by job stress). But, kudos to my parents’ work ethic, they encouraged me to stick it out and promised that things would get better. And they did.
After 6 years of teaching in middle school, I decided that I wanted to be a librarian, the position that incorporated only the best parts of the teaching field: teaching kids, encouraging reading, no tests or grades, less stress. It is the perfect job for me. So, I started a Master’s program and continued teaching ESL.
After a year went by, a former principal of mine called me up and told me about a high school library opening that she thought I would like. I applied and accepted a job. I loved it. My first library. It was in an inner city, very poor, rough school in Houston. Those kids swarmed the library. Not an hour went by when students weren’t in there studying, reading, researching or drinking coffee and meeting with friends. I had the opportunity to get to know these students in a less “structured” way than classroom teachers. They felt comfortable and relaxed in the library. We had time to talk about their lives, struggles, hopes. I began to see the impact I could have as a positive influence in their lives. And that’s what I wanted to continue doing.
When Zach and I moved up north, we were both blessed to find jobs in our fields. God is good. All the time. He provided the right jobs for us at that time and we were able to be closer to our families. Of course, we had reasons for wanting to move close to family . . . to start our own family. God had different ideas about what that family would look like 
“A man plans out his ways, but God directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9.
Anyhow, when a junior high library opened up in Lakota, a district that I’ve become attached to and have great hope for, I felt a surge of excitement when I considered that I could once again teach pre-teens and teens. While I love the elementary students I’ve worked with the last 2 years, I’m so excited about making connections with kids who are starting to figure out where they want life to take them. I want to be that positive influence that can make an impact on their lives, hopefully encouraging then to make choices that will lead them down paths of happiness. I want to help them change the world.
Today is bittersweet.
