An update to the crazy thing I call life

So I made a choice in the fall to take a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course through Oxford Seminars, thinking to myself "English, how difficult can it really be?" Wrong question, because the answer is "very difficult!" So it has been a very humbling process for me. The first part of the course was a 60 hour weekend class at Macalester College in St. Paul throughout November. The in class part was more geared towards how to teach and also included making impressive velcro charts on uncountable and countable nouns.

Now I'm working on completing the online section, which is more based on grammar, the good stuff. There are dangling participles, interrogative pronouns and all sorts of other goodies. I have completed about 50% of the online component, so I have a little bit left to go. Once I have completed the online part I will get in contact (or in communicado as my dad would say) with a recruiter who will help me with sending out my resume to different schools in Kathmandu that they have connections with. The other amazing part of this, is that they will also help with reviewing contracts, so I don't end up signing a contract for a 32 year position located at a school on top of Mt. Everest that pays only in yak milk (which would still be pretty great). Currently I'm planning on finishing the online section soon and preparing to leave here in the next couple of months. That is my current update for now, I'm sure there will be a lot more to come in the next couple of weeks.

Oh yes, and I bought another suitcase that is big enough to fit my Ticket to Ride board game :)

In The Beginning

A small history lesson as to what has brought me to the decision to live in Nepal.

First lesson: Christ. Without him I wouldn't be heading on this path. I wouldn't even know that this path existed. He changed my life forever and I am forever grateful for who he is and what he has done. Throughout the years Christ has shown me how he pursues and loves people and wants them to know him. Sure he could do huge fireworks in the sky to proclaim who he is but he, like any of us wants to be sought after as well.

Second lesson: I love people, I love other cultures, I love traveling and I love Christ. So I was like "Hey! Why not travel and live in another culture where I could love/serve others as Christ would serve them?" Makes sense. Thus the journey began. I began to ask where and if this was really what he wanted me to do. I got many green lights and this desire to go to Nepal started leaking into my heart. So now, how does this all work?

Third lesson: He responds. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do, but I did it anyways. I made a list of things to happen if God really wanted me to go to Nepal. I want to share three things off of my list. First I wanted to travel to Nepal before I committed to live there and I wanted to go with one of my girl friends from Nepal at Stout and stay with her family. Two weeks later my friend Dechen asked if I would go with her to Nepal and stay with her family. Check. I began to save up, but things came crashing down and I lost all my savings, due to things that occurred in life. I had nothing to pay for my plane ticket and I was leaving in less than 2 months. My lovely, beautiful roomies threw me a surprise birthday party and told people there was no need to bring gifts, but if they were planning on it, instead they could all chip in to help send me off. So to my surprise, there was a birthday party, to my second prize there was a treasure hunt that led me to a suitcase (sweet!) to my third surprise it was filled with cash totaling $1,500! Plane ticket issue resolved, point God. He did this to humble me, saying I'll get you there, stop trying to do everything yourself.

Another thing on the list was that I wanted scripture from him, that I could hold onto when I doubting and struggling. Jeremiah 1:4-8 "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' 'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." Check. So the amazing thing about this was I got this passage before the suitcase scenario and lo and behold in the suitcase was a card from a woman from church with this same passage. I think God is pretty awesome. 

A third thing on the list was to have all my student loans paid off before I went. Well I graduated from UW-Stout December of 2008 with a lovely total of $20,000 in college loans. I thought, "Wow, this could take some time." Or not, if you are God. I was in a car accident March of 2009 which involved me, some friends and a semi on I-94. The semi truck company took full responsibility and sent me this check in the mail. That one knocked me off my rocker. So in one payment all my college loans were settled.

Forth Lesson: What are you waiting for? I realized God had come through on his end, so it was my turn. I spent several years going to Urbana, attending cross-cultural training sessions and checking into different organizations and groups. Nothing really led anywhere though. So I was fairly discouraged. I began to question if this was really suppose to be or if I made this all up in my mind, but God was faithful in renewing this passion and vision. I was reading through the story of Abraham and realized that he had no game plan when God asked him to go, he just went. God said to Abram "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Verse 4 "So Abram left, as the Lord had told him". He didn't know why or where he was even going; he just stepped out in faith that God would lead him. That's not always how God works, but it's important to be prepared for those times when God just asks you to go and you have to trust. So that's where I'm at right now, how can I trust? Then I thought, how I can I not trust?