Part 1: The Direction

Folly delights a man who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
(Prov. 15:21-23)

Several weeks ago I posted a blurb about my upcoming move to Egypt. I didn't elaborate any further because I didn't want to talk about it. So you're wondering what would possess me to post something so private on a BLOG of all places? I don't know! Later on, I wished I hadn't posted after all. Though excited about this significant life change, I experienced a deluge of emotions and required processing time. I became substantially more comfortable with my "news" when- two weeks ago at a district meeting- my boss made an impromptu announcement to 35 of my fellow home ec teachers! It was sort of embarrassing (my ears turned bright red), but I'm not exactly sure why. I suppose I don't enjoy being the center of attention as much as I once did.

All that to say, after 5 weeks of "processing time", I DO want to talk about it and I'm writing these stories for myself so that I will remember. I am oft guilty of spiritual amnesia: I fail to record and then forget the things God does in my life. When I don't recognize His Sovereign Hand orchestrating all details in my life for His purpose, I wallow in cynicism and a lack of gratitude.

I think I've mentioned this on here before, but I've known since childhood that I wanted to live overseas. It was just a matter of timing. My jaunt to Morocco last summer was a trial run to make sure I was still gungho. I had an amazing seven weeks in Fez. Frankly, I wouldn't have come home save for my teaching contract and housing lease. The passion I have for that particular people group, culture, language, and religion had been lacking in my previous journeys to other places. While there, I realized without a doubt that the overseas life in that region was for me. I just thought I would undertake it as an "M" worker.

I phoned home one day last summer from Morocco and talked to my dad. I conveyed to him my plans to return the following year on support with a miss. organization. He was less than impressed. He (wisely) suggested that, given my significant graduate school loans, I seek out a job that actually paid me. He reminded me that no organization would welcome such a hefty debt as mine, albeit low-interest school loans. I was discouraged and frustrated. I prayed and I pondered that afternoon. But I knew my dad was right. It would take years to pay my loans off. How on earth would I find a job overseas? Certainly God knew best my desire to live abroad?

This is my favorite part of the story because many times- in the pride and impatience of our human hearts- we think God is slow in answering the petitions we've laid bare before Him. Other times, He seems downright SILENT. A day is like a thousand years to Him, but sometimes it sure seems like ten thousand. That spouse, child, new job, or trip abroad for which we've poured out our hearts in prayer never seems to come. So we seek Him. And we wait............ wait................. and wait. The excruciatingly long seasons of waiting and praying make me all the more exhilarated for those times that He answers immediately. Give Him the glory!

That same night, while out with my roommates in Fez, we struck up a conversation with an American lady dining solo at an adjacent table in a little Italian cafe. As it were, this woman happened to be a teacher at an international school in Kuwait. With some mild interrogation from me, she spoke candidly about her school experiences, the expat lifestyle, the pros and cons of teaching internationally, how she procured her job, wages/benefits, housing...everything you could imagine. She provided resources, websites to peruse job listings and school profiles, and suggestions for my overseas job search (ie: attendance at a job fair).

If that's not direction, I don't know what is?!...