Currently Listening True Beauty By Mandisa see related

Prayer progress--yay!

Hello to anyone and everyone who still reads my xanga!

I lose all ambition to write epic xanga posts anymore, so I'll make this one short and sweet.  I'm going to Indonesia after all!  (And there was great rejoicing.)  I made the decision a month ago, officially, and am not looking back.  Knowing that you don't have regrets about doing something is such a great feeling!  I don't know too many details yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be teaching English, Drama, and Humanities to grades 7-10.  I'll be leaving at the very end of July for the Bahamas for my roommate's wedding, then I'll leave for Indonesia a few days afterwards.  Talk about a major trip around the world!  I can't wait!!!

I have 8 more weeks of school left, of which only 6 are actual teaching weeks b/c the kiddos take finals for the last 2.  So that means I have about only 2 months left of living in Okeechobee.  Praise God.

And I really do mean that.  I do praise God.  He's awesome!

I've learned to be thankful for so much.  Even though I'm doing eHarmony (out of sheer boredom, I promise!) and sometimes wish I were dating/not living alone, being single has been more of a benefit than a disadvantage this year for me.  My eating habits are horrendous.  If I had a husband or kids, they'd probably be dead from starvation or malnutrition.  I'm surprised I'm not by now, actually!

When more exciting things come my way, I'll be sure to let you know. :)

Wanted: your prayers!!

So this is a bit random, but lately I've been watching the movie "The Sound of Music".  It's one of my most favorite movies of all time, so that's no real shock there, but I haven't been watching it to see hott-Nazi Rolph, or the way-cute marionette scene, or the movie's general greatness.  I've been watching it b/c I've been identifying with Maria. 

If you've seen this movie-which I hope you have, b/c it's the ultimate classic-think back to the beginning, where Maria runs into the abbey, late and out of breath from running in from being up in the mountains.  She then has a talk with the Rev. Mother.  To make a long conversation short, Maria tells her of how she grew up wanting to be a nun and serving God in that way.  She thinks the Rev. Mother is sending her away for not being the perfect nun, but the Rev. Mother sees her spirit and good heart and says God has other plans for Maria, rather than being confined to an abbey.  Later in the movie, Maria discovers her calling in being a governess for 7 children.  (And she marries their father; that's always a sweet deal!)  

It's so weird how I've caught onto this message from the movie.  I grew up watching it, so I've seen it hundreds of times.  But I watched it a few months ago when I was grading mountains of papers, and something in me clicked with Maria.  Right now, I feel like her b/c I feel restricted, living in this boon-dock town.  (Even though I flee here on the weekends to go have a social life an hour away.)  I'm here physically, but my heart's not, like Maria's situation.  Maria was growing spiritually at the abbey, which paid off when she became a governess.  I've definitely grown spiritually, too, which will have been a God-thing for whatever lies ahead of me. 

Maria had no idea that she was to become a nanny; she had to step out in faith to obey the Rev. Mother.  I still have no idea what I'm supposed to do for next year.  Whatever it is, I know it'll involve much faith and trust in God.  So, like always, I appreciate any and all prayers!  (If anyone still reads this thing...)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

Whew, 5 months since I've been on Xanga!  Not because there's nothing to write about, but because I've been overwhelmed with life.

Teaching sure keeps me busy.  I can't talk about it too much on here cuz this is a public thing, but I hate living in Florida.  I know I'm meant to be a teacher, and I have nothing against my school here or my fellow teachers.  In fact, I'm 100% appreciative of EVERYone at the school for their continual help, support and patience.  It's just that I hate Florida.  I always have, and I think I've figured out why:  the weather doesn't change, so not much else changes, either.  Because the weather never changes, I feel like I'm stuck in time and that life is just dragging on and on, with no end in sight.  When we start wearing sweaters and winter coats instead of shorts and sandals, or vice versa, we are transitioning from one stage of the year to another.  Here, all people do is throw on a jacket occasionally.  I know this doesn't make sense to probably a lot of people, but it's how I feel.  Combined with an extremely small, rural community, I've undergone so many overwhelming emotions that I can't describe.

It's obvious that God wanted me to be here, but I don't know why.  Maybe it's to be an encouragement to a few students who sometimes hang around my classroom after school.  Maybe it was to hook my "sister" teacher up with a guy through Eharmony. (Yes, this really did happen.  I convinced her it was legit, she signed up, and is dating a great guy that lives a few hours away.  Eharmony just sucks my money away...no luck there...)  Or maybe God wanted me to come here to really be out of my comfort zone so I could know what it truly feels like to be depressed, to know that He's the only one that can ever lift us out of that, and to lean on Him with 110% of all of us.

Although my school staff is incredibly supportive and my principal says I'm doing a great job, I'm not happy here.  I'm applying to teach next year at a Christian school in Indonesia.  I have 2 great TU friends who are married and teaching over there.  Through their persuasiveness and much prayer, I've begun applying for the position.  The school's headmaster interviewed me a few nights ago, which seemed to go well.  

I'm dreading telling my extended family what I'm doing.  I think my sister's a little shocked, but she sounds supportive.  My mom said she had a feeling I would be going overseas.  My dad says al-Qaeda will get me over there.  (Thanks, Dad.)  Everyone else will hit the roof and will be really hurtful and unsupportive again, just like with Thailand.  But I've learned to not care about their opinions, even though they hurt.  If God calls you to do something, you HAVE to.  He definitely doesn't call us to do the same things, and I'm by far the most ambitious and cultural member of my family, on both extended sides.  So while I'm excited to see my family again in less than 48 hours, I'm also praying about their reactions.  Maybe I'll tell them after Christmas so they won't ruin the holidays.

Anyways, if anyone even reads my xangas anymore, I'd love to hear from you!  When things start happening in my life, I'll try to post more regularly again.  Until then, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! :)

Currently Listening Alien Youth By Skillet Alien Youth see related

Greetings from sunny Okeechobee!

So I've been in Florida for a little over a week now.  I'm actually enjoying it, too, which is a God-thing in itself.  I won't bore anyone w/ details of getting settled in, but it's been an interesting ordeal.  The only major things I have yet to do sometime are getting my new car license plate, and acquiring stuff for my emergency hurricane evacuation kit.  (I got my FL driver's license today.  Of course my hair is sticking out and I look dumb, but what else is new? )

Blessings:

*NO ALLIGATORS IN MY YARD!  It's been a dry summer, so there's no water in my backyard canal...which means no alligators, either.  *Happiness*

*I've found a church-and a friend.  She is a teacher at my school and just graduated from college.  She invited me to her church, which I like already and will probably go to instead of doing the whole church-shopping thing, cuz that wastes precious time.

*The school personnel is amazing, friendly, and helpful.  That pretty much sums it up.

*I can feel God helping me grow spiritually.  (Ditto on the summing it up.)

*I've been to the malls-twice!  (Yes, this is a blessing, but it's not as important as the other ones are.)  I looked at my teaching wardrobe when I got down here and realized I'll probably melt in my suits I'd brought, so I got some new clothes.  This week only, Florida tells certain stores that school clothes and supplies are TAX-FREE, and most stores were doing major discounts, so I got some amazing deals.  But I won't be going back to the mall again for a few months, cuz they're over an hour away...

Random sidenote:  Christian singer, Shawn Groves, is coming to Okeechobee in a few weeks, which I think is really funny.  You can buy tickets at churches, the Christian radio station--and the gun shop.  Also very funny.

So, all this to say...I'm content to be here after all.  It's a far cry from being Chicagoland, but it's got culture, and I've got a great support system at the school.  Okeechobee's not as boony and hick as my parents made me think it was, either.  I mean, yeah, you have the people who have a deeep accent and wear cowboy stuff (did I mention there's a rodeo club at my school?), but then you have normal people, too.  The town is definitely a bilingual/bicultural town; we have lots and lots of Hispanics. (!)  Although Starbucks is nowhere in sight, I'm happy w/ Wal-mart.  OHH:  Wal-mart is a family affair, no lie.  Whole entire families go there, together, all the time.  It is, literally, the teen hangout spot, too, which is really sad...

I start my first day of new teacher training tomorrow!  Yay! I'm finally officially a teacher! :)  This means...I'll finally officially get a paycheck! :) :) :)

Currently Listening Only The World By Mandisa see related

Calling all masseuses: I'm tense and need a shoulder rub! :-P

Yay, I leave for Florida on Sunday earrrly morning with my mom!  Thrills, chills, and excitement, I know...

Thanks to all who have prayed for me over the past few months...really, over the past year.  I wish I could have been a better friend and less self-centered.  It's hard to find a balance between focusing on yourself and what God wants you to do vs. pouring yourself into others, too. 

But life goes on, and so you can only maintain so much consistent contact w/ friends.  I do plan on sending out Christmas cards to all my friends, not just the 10 few that I frequently talk to.  So if I don't have your address, please send it to me!  Email or Facebook or MySpace it to me, or whatever.  (That's a sign of the times, isn't it?)

I can't wait to finally have my own classroom!  I can't wait to organize it....and decorate it, especially for Christmas....and, oh yeah, teach in it!

I should start praying for my students now.

Disclaimer:  I'm not sure exactly how soon I'll have the Internet at my house.  I won't be able to check personal messages while at school, so I'll have to head to the local library for a few minutes each day for a few weeks to check personal websites.  If you really need to get a hold of me, call my cell.  Contact me if you need the number.  Oh yeah:  if you call after August 9th, please don't call during the daytime (minus the weekends).  That's when I start training, and then school starts.  Thanks!  Love you all!