Our son, Isaiah, will be six weeks old tomorrow. He is doing pretty well, but the going has definitely been slow as we have longed so much for the day when our family is fully together. We are hoping to have him home in a month. That is my prayer. I have basically traveled to the hospital everyday for the past three months, a very long three months. It is so good to have Pam home, and I am thankful for what seems to be a speedy recovery for her. Joshua and Nadine have been through so much, and it breaks my heart that I haven't been able to create greater stability for my family. The next few months will definitely bring even more changes to our family, and I need to be faithful to pray for my children and shepherd them through those changes. It is easier to roll with the punches when you are older, but children love routine and normalcy; our family has definitely experienced no such thing in the past few months.
I have three weeks of school left. I am part of what is called a reduction in force (rif), so now my title has changed. I am no longer just an English teacher; I am a RIFed English teacher, running out my time. There is a decent possibility that I would get my job back; in fact, my district has to give me top priority for three years when they need to hire new teachers. However, I have informed my department chair that I will not be returning if they were to rehire me, and I have asked the best English teacher in the school to write me a letter of recommendation; he said he would write me a "glowing" one, praise God. I am thankful that God has given me the past three years to work with teenagers and make them appreciate literature that I found mediocre in high school. I am finishing up Romeo and Juliet and Taming of the Shrew with my students, and that has been a lot of fun to see them take an interest in these timeless plays. I do not know for sure what the future holds for me regarding education, but Pam and I have decided that it will not take place in Arizona.
We are taking a leap of faith similar to the one that we took about four years ago when we moved to Arizona: we are moving back to Spokane. Once our lease runs out at the end of July, we are going to head back to the inland northwest, our home. We love it, we miss it, and we have desired to return to it for over two years now. What I will be doing in Spokane remains to be seen. I do have some wonderful friends and family whom I know are, and will be, looking out for me. I do have faith that there will be some kind of work in Spokane for me because I am willing to do whatever it takes. We are so excited to begin this new chapter of our life.
I am looking forward to using my hip hop passion up in Spokane. Spokane definitely has an artistic side, and I want to use this "strange" talent of mine to proclaim the gospel during big community events. Open air hip hop. Also, Pam and I both have a desire to really look out for people who are new to church and reach out to them. It is too easy for us as believers to get comfortable with our circles and never look outside of those. We develop this Sunday routine of looking for the people that we already know. Meanwhile, people who are new to the church don't know anyone, and they stand around seeing people walk by them to go talk with their friends. We want to be sensitive to that for the rest of our lives.
As we wait out our time here, my hope is that we make the most of our time here. Leaving here will be very bittersweet because we will be leaving behind some very dear and valued brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to be a part of their lives up until the minute we leave here (as well as after we depart). I don't want to check out on our church or our church family since we know we will be moving. I am thankful for the internet and how that will keep us connected to our wonderful friends here in Arizona. I am still trying to figure out what to do for income from the time that school ends to the time that we move. I will also be actively trying to figure out exactly what I will be doing for work in Spokane during that interim.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. We look forward to what the Lord is going to do in our lives. It has been an amazing journey. Grace and peace to all.
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