A Full Five Years

Five years ago, my reality looked a little something like this:

I was finishing up my undergraduate studies at MTSU with an Education degree in my hand and a terrible pain in my heart because the time had come for all of "the girls" to go our separate ways. I sat on the cliff of an encroaching Dominican adventure with my feet dangling over the edge but my hands still gripping tightly to the comfortable familiarity of the known. I was unsure of what letting go all at once would be like, so I decided 3 months would be enough.

Here's a glimpse at what those 3 months looked like:

My internship with Orphanage Outreach in the Dominican Republic was exciting, challenging, fun, and rewarding. I taught pre-school in the mornings, English in the afternoon, and fell in love with some of the most beautiful kiddos I'd ever met. Still, I felt like I was in a dream world and that "real life" was just on hold for a while. I figured this experience would give me a more well-rounded resumé that would help me stand out against my peers and, even during my internship, I sought after and applied for teaching jobs in the States.

After 3 months of quitely listening as I plotted and planned out the direction my life was to take, God chimed in and let me know that, even though my intership was over, my time in the DR had only just begun. He made it clear that after celebrating Christmas at home, I was to return back to Monte Cristi.

The next year and a half of my life went something like this:

I joined the Orphanage Outreach staff, and my amazing group of co-workers and I worked around the clock to coordinate programs and facilitate volunteer experiences for a countless number of internationals. Every week, we would orient them about what to expect from both our program and the Dominican culture, and then lead them into the public schools to teach English or out to the banana farming communities to provide medical care. I lived at the same location where I did my internship, so much of my free time was spent hanging out/cultivating the relationships with the same kiddos who stole my heart during my first 3 months.

The spring of 2010 brought the end of my time commitment to OO and another season of trying to figure out just what in the world I was supposed to do next. I spent the summer in the States applying for practically every teaching job I was qualifed for, and after submitting about thirty applications and receiving responses of interest from zero principals, I began to rethink my options. 

Ya see, there was one principal who I knew was more than interested and willing to have me join her faculty. The only catch was that the school was located in...you guessed it...the Dominican Republic. I remember thinking, "Well, you can keep trying to get into all these places where no one wants you, OR you can move to a place where they're waiting with arms wide open." That was pretty much the starting thought that lead the way for the ensuing 3 years. 

Here's a quick look at what these years have held:

Each of the past 3 years has lookd COMPLETELY different. I've taught in different schools, lived alone and with roommates, spent much of my time in MC hanging out with the kiddos on the weekends, and then traveled around the country when many of them moved away. At the end of each year, I always reevaluate and ask the Lord where He wants me next. His answer has always been for me to stay put...until now...

In the Fall of 2012, some drastic changes got me thinking that I might be approaching a closing chapter of life here in Monte Cristi. I slowed my pace a bit so I could listen, and sure enough, divine encounter after surprise email after ordained conversation lead me to agree to make the cross-country move to San Pedro de Marcoris and join the staff at The Palms Bilingual Christian School!

This last collage is an idea of what's to come. The map shows the trek I'm about to make, the top-right pic is the school, in the middle is the church, and the 2nd floor of the house on the bottom-right is where I'll be living.:

The Palms is one of the ministries of DR Vision, which is a ministry of Daystar Baptist Missions. I will teach 4th grade English, Math, and Science in English, and my teaching partner will teach Spanish and Social Studies in Spanish. The majority of the student population is Dominican, and the faculty works hard to provide American-quality education while remaining sensitive to Dominican cultural norms. The move will not only be good for me professionally, but will also put me in a solid community of like-minded people who share my love for the Lord and the Dominican.

It is SO HARD to leave the place the people who taught me about what it takes to live life in this country, and I know a huge chunk of my heart will remain in MC long after I've moved and settled in to my new routine in San Pedro. The move is 100% exactly what is supposed to happen next, but that doesn't keep it from being any less bittersweet. However, if there's anything I've learned over the past 5 years, it's that when Papa Dios speaks, what He says goes. He gives us the choice of acting quickly or taking our sweet time to figure out a "better" way but, in the end, He wins. He. always. wins. 

And, when we realize He's GOOD and KIND and has THE best plans for us, surrendering to His will tends to feel more like the sweetest of victories instead of a nasty, ugly defeat.