Ok...I mean ALOT. This might be a long post so...buckle your seat belts. Or just come back when you have some time : )
So to effectively tell this story I have to start back in August of last year. As I'm sure everyone knows, Chris and I moved here to Kansas City last May right after graduation. All summer long I applied for job after job in the infamous school districts of Johnson County. (Basically the surrounding school districts are sub par so everyone and their dog wants to work in Johnson County so it is NOT easy to get a teaching job, especially when you know NO ONE.) Ok so...August was upon us and I basically had two options. A.) I could substitute teach for a pretty good pay check but no health insurance or B.) I could take a Para job with a tiny pay check but I would have health insurance. So we prayed about it and really felt , for several reasons, that the Lord was leading us to take the Para job. So I spent all of last year at wonderful Leawood Elementary as their Math Para. Honestly it was the most unfulfilled job I have ever had. Everyday I just felt like I was surrounded by all these fabulous people who were doing the job I really wanted to do...teach. So there were many hard days, and lots of tears and lots of confusion as to whether or not we made the right decision.
So this Spring rolled around and I had all my ducks in a row to get a teaching job all lined up for this year. Well...I applied and applied and applied some more and nothing really came of it. I should also mention that there was a possibility that a new section of 3rd grade would be opening up at Leawood but nothing would be sure until the numbers came in. So all Summer long we just waited. I had a few interviews but none were the right job for me and the Lord took care of that by graciously giving them to other people : )
Ok...so fast forward to this past Monday. I knew that the numbers were supposed to be in at my school (Leawood) by then so I rang up our trusty secretary with a huge knot in my stomach waiting to hear my fate. Well she let me know that they did in fact get approved to open up a new section of third grade...YAY!! But....due to teachers being displaced from their classrooms in other schools the district had already appointed one of them to be the new 3rd grade teacher. So I hung up the phone with her and immediately burst into tears. All of a sudden this job we had been praying and praying for was gone. We had prayed for more students to enroll so that I could have that job and in an instant I had nothing. So we did the only thing we could do and prayed like we have never prayed before. And y'all I have to tell you that God made a way, little by little, one step at a time. Every time we prayed it seemed like soon after we would get another phone call, or hear some encouraging news.
SO...on Wednesday afternoon I got a call to come into our District Office and was offered the 3rd grade position at Leawood Elementary! Praise Jesus! We had been up and down on an emotional roller coaster all week and finally the Lord did what he was planning to do since a year ago. I just love being able to look back already and see how the Lord led us to our apartment, which is a 5 minute drive from my school, and how He led us to that school last year knowing all along what would happen. It has just completely filled my heart to overflowing to be able to be a teacher in this school. I love that I already know all the staff...and they know me. I love that I already know a lot of the kids, and their parents. And I love how everyone has been so excited for me and how I know it is going to be an awesome year.
So even though I didn't get a full time teaching job last year (which was probably the hardest year of my life) I feel like I have gained something so much more valuable and that is the powerful, powerful lesson that I learned on prayer. I have experienced what its like to pray constantly and consistently and see God move. He hears ours prayers y'all and He is faithful to answer.
Well school starts here on Monday and I am completely excited and overwhelmed at the same time. I never expected to have such a short time to get everything ready but I don't think I would have it any other way. My team has been absolutely amazing on helping me, even teachers who I didn't know that well last year have been in my room helping me with stuff.
I think hands down the best part is knowing that I am absolutely exactly where the Lord wants me to be and it could not be more clear that this was ALL Him working it out and nothing that I did at all. And eventhough I had to wait a year, it was a year that was well worth the wait.
Glory to God y'all, Glory to God...
I'll try and put up some pictures soon!!
