Merry Christmas

Linus Van Pelt: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Waiting

Zechariah and Elizabeth waited to get pregnant, then they waited for the birth, then they waited for John to grow up to fulfill the calling God had on his life. Mary and Joseph waited for Jesus' birth. Simeon waited so many years to see the Messiah, to see the promise fulfilled. All of Isreal waited for the coming of the Messiah. Mary and Joseph waited for Jesus to grow up, treasuring and pondering in their hearts the words spoken about him, they waited as he learned the family trade and lived 30 years before they could even begin to understand the mysteries of his birth.

Waiting. We're all waiting on something, trusting God's timing that just as he did with the birth and life and death of his Son, he will bring all things at their proper time. I have to say, I'm not the biggest fan of waiting, of putting the Chrismtas holiday (and school break) right smack in the middle of international schools job hunting season. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, just as the applications have all been sent out with a prayer. Waiting.

One of my favorite songs of all time is 'O Come O Come Emmanuel'. One of my favorite lines is "Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Isreal" reminding me that we are to rejoice in the waiting, rejoice in knowing that Emmanuel will come again, rejoice knowing that our Savior lives and our God is faithful. Rejoice not inspite of the waiting, but because of the waiting. Answers will come at the proper time, and Christ will come again, just as it was promised.

TCK's

TCK stands for Third Culture Kid, people who spend a significant number of their developmental years living outside their parents' passport country. There are a few of them in my classes right now and today I had the opportunity to talk to one of them. He told me about his time in China and his school there and how hard it was to come back "home". As he talked, my heart went out to this student. Two years later, he still very clearly misses China and doesn't feel at home here. He blossomed and lit up as we talked. I loved it just as much as he did, connected with someone who knew my experiences and understood what I was talking about.

I was also reading Matthew this morning and thinking about how Jesus himself was a TCK. Joseph took him and Mary to Egypt where they had to adapt to a new culture, language, and life. And they too returned, to Galilee, and had to resettle at home. A great reflection for this advent season, that we await the coming of the King, a Lord who understands our struggles, even those as global citizens.

Letting Go

Some days, I just really miss Argentina and everyone there. I woke up that way today, missing my kiddos especially. So how excited was I when one of them chatted with my on facebook? Say what you will about facebook- it gave him an easy way to get in touch with me and say hello. And today especially, I appreciated it.

It's job hunting season and the sad news is that it does not appear that BAICA has any job openings for next year, much less one that would fit for me. Murphy's Law I guess- it's probably the only year in BAICA history that they're not hiring. And though I am excited about some of the other prospective jobs out there, I do feel like I am losing Argentina all over again as I lose the hope of returning. Letting go is hard, and I am finding that in comes in waves and stages.

It's at that point that I have to stop and trust that God does indeed have a plan for my life, that it's not as aimless and wandering as it sometimes feels, that if this door is closed it's because he has another one to open. Trust is a daily exercise- a daily choosing to lay down my life to the King of kings.

Science Teacher!

Yesterday I started my temp job as a 7th grade science teacher. I'll be subbing for this teacher at least until Christmas break, and most likely a week or two afterward as well. Luckily, she is extremely organized and the other 7th grade science teacher is very friendly and helpful, so it's not to overwhelming. I do find it a bit ironic though, because science is really not my specialty. Today we did a lab, which had its rough moments but went well. Only 4 test tubes were broken and one substance spilled all over- luckily it was just salt:) The first two days have been fun, but have also brought out the stark contrasts between the large public school and the small international Christian school.

• The distance between teachers and students seems weird to me here. I am so accustomed to interacting with the students on a deeper level, not only because of class size (though that definitely plays a part) but also because of the nature of the school and teacher-student relationships.
  
• My instinct to pray with the kids or talk about prayer with them is still there, and I find it pops into me head fairly often. The teacher I am subbing for is out for hip surgery, and I keep wanting to pray for her in class or with other teachers or something like that. A few weeks ago a second grader told me in class that his grandpa was in the hospital. I couldn't think how to respond other than saying we could pray for him!
  
• Then there's the difference between teaching 5 classes once each verses one class 5 times a day (which is what I do now). Mostly, it's just a difference in the size of the school. As a sub, the set up is nice because I only have to get my brain around one lesson per day, but I will admit, I'm pretty sick of it by the end of the day, or by the time I've read the same answers 120+ times.
  

I'm very thankful to have this job and bit of consistency in my life. The staff and teachers at the school are wonderful and have made me feel very welcome- something you don't always find in the public schools.