Unconventional Answers

I know that there are many people out there who insist on the fact that God is a myth. A figment. Some religious form of dogma that we Christians mindlessly follow.

I find that hard to be true when it is so obvious that He is so alive.

After 24 bug bites, shuffling through classroom papers, adjusting my pallete to a spicer diet, adjusting to time, and just adjustig, I have almost made it through my first week on the island. Eventhough I've already been here about 6ish days I've already had confirmation from God that I am indeed doing the right thing by being here.

Flash back to yesterday. It was my fourth day working in the classroom and I had already gotten word that three of my students were, to put it nicely, "naughty." On top of that I was struggling to keep my head above stacks of curriculum that were as deep as the ocean across from the playground. I think my biggest problem though was feeling that I needed to do everything the same as the teacher before me did...eventhough our styles are like apples and oranges. Stress. Worry. Concern. I expressed my fears to Principal and he was so understanding. I think the best thing he said to me and kept saying was "You do it your own way. You don't have to answer to anybody but God, and me, but even I have to answer to God." Though talking with him did help, it didn't calm my thoughts completely.

After spending some time relaxing in the water I came back and prayed. I asked God why I was here, why I was going to be stuck with the trouble class, and again why I was here.

That night we all went to the Thursday street fair in Garapan. It's a really neat experience. All the restaurants serve food for cheap, venders sell goods, and different groups of people come out to dance. AVH and I were walking our way through some booths and out of nowhere these two girls came up to us.

They said they were both 19. One was from the Netherlands and the other was from England but they both went to a Bible college in Australia and were on the island for missions with YWAM. They asked us where we were from and we told them that we were recent locals who came to teach. Our conversation continued for a bit until one girl felt the Spirit move her to pray for us. With our eyes closed and heads bowed they placed their hands on us and I felt a feeling of calm spill over me. After they had finished praying the Dutch girl began giving us words of encouragment, however these words were different. It was like God was speaking through her. She said something along the lines of "You are here for a reason, you are going to teach and bless those children, you are meant to be here." My arms began to tickle with goosebumps...all I could think about were the questions I had prayed to God mere hours prior to our meeting. The girls left and AVH and I just looked at each other...it had been a God moment for both of us.

Today I walked into my classroom with my head a little higher and a new-found confidence in my heart. This is my class.

GOD LIVES. GOD LOVES. GOD LISTENS.