Tuesday, July 18, 2017

God is faithful

This has been a huge summer of God's blessings and provisions. HUGE. Short story: He has blessed my family with a new car (mine was in dire straights for awhile), a new job, and a new house. Can I tell you about how faithful He's been?

Last year I wrote a post about how I was starting a new adventure, how God was calling me back to teaching and the journey was starting. For the last year I have prayed, emailed, fasted, cried, worried, lost hope, gained hope, trusted, interviewed, and held my breath. I wasn't sure how He was going to work it all out but I was (okay, mostly) sure He had a plan. By about March is when I really had to step up my trust game. See, the school that God had led me to was shrinking. There weren't any new positions opening up for next year. The district I am in is also not doing well. They are out of money and not hiring...in fact they are cutting a bunch of positions. I couldn't figure out why He would put me THERE. A place where there wasn't any foreseeable future beyond being an aide. I didn't have an "in" in any other district, so no one was looking twice at me when I contacted schools outside of my district.

Here's where the good stuff happens. As an aide, I've worked really closely with two third grade students, and coincidentally, the third grade teachers. One of the third grade teachers is very close friends with a third grade teacher at another school. When she knew of an opening on their third grade team, she called her friend and got me an interview. So about two months ago, I interviewed at this school for a third grade ELAR position. It went fantastic. I mean, I went back to school beaming and told my girlfriends that I nailed it. The next day I found out I'd been passed over and I was crushed. Back to wondering what I should be doing, why God had put me here, was I even doing the right thing. I've spent another month sending out fourth and fifth rounds of emails to principals, just trying to keep my name out there.  I didn't know what else to do.

Three weeks I was on the phone trying to figure out how to run an estate sale (my grandmother died at the beginning of June. It was quick and so sad to watch, but that ties into the house story) when I heard my phone ding that I'd received an email. When I hung up, I check to see what had come in.

Y'all. It was the principal from the month before offering me at fourth grade ELAR/SS position. A job. A real, actual, money-paying job. I screamed, I danced, I didn't know what to do with myself except call my momma. God had come through, He hadn't forgotten me. The plan He had set in motion last March had finally been brought into the light. The plan is by no means finished...I still have to, you know, do the job. But I am beyond thrilled to be in a place He has put me. None of it was me, it was all God. Then yesterday my principal emailed me again and told me she was actually going to move me down to 2nd grade. The grade I've thought for years was "the perfect grade". How amazing is the God we serve?

When my grandmother died in June, that obviously left her house vacant. Guess who is going to buy it from my dad and aunt (who are in charge of the estate)? ME! I am hopeful to move in a couple of months!

As for the car....I can't even with that story. Lets just say that I can't wait to pass on the blessings that received through that process and now have a reliable car that has a third row. Luke doesn't have to sit in the front seat any more!

There is so much He has done for me over the last year. He has brought me new friends that I can't believe I won't get to see every day next year. He has taken care of us financially, making things work that I didn't believe possible. He has granted me patience and a network of people praying for me. It has been so fun to share my good news with each person that I know has been praying for months and months about this. God is so so good, all the time, in everything. If you don't know my God please ask.