As Christians, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves us and cares for us. We know that He chose us before time to be His elect.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ." Ephesians 1:3-9
We are stunned by the fact that, out of His great love and mercy, He'd provide a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to God through Christ.
We marvel that He would count us as righteous (in Him) when we fall so utterly short on our own. We also know that He formed us, knows us inside and out, and has every day planned according to His wise will.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:14-16
These truths provide us with such a wonderful sense of joy and peace and cause us to worship Him all the more. We can rest in His perfect plan, wherever it may take us, knowing that He is in control, He is good, and He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). He's already provided for our greatest need--a perfect Savior--so, of course, He'll provide for all of our other lesser needs.
These truths are just some of the things that have been on my mind lately as I've considered leaving the UAE. After six years, I found myself wondering what it might be like to make a change, wondering if it's time, and wondering where God would have me go next?
Why, Norway, of course!! It just has to be Norway!
Yep. After Julie, my mom, and I spent a week there in September, I absolutely fell in love with it--the fresh, clean mountain air, the gorgeous (tall!) people, the unique food (especially those amazing local berries), the Nordic culture (I'm part Norwegian, after all), their view on education and child-rearing, not to mention the incredible landscapes. I knew it was a place that I could see myself living...even in those dark and cold winter months. (Hey, that's what fireplaces, Uggs, and sweaters are for, right?)
So, in early November, I stepped out in faith and applied to three schools: Stavenger International School, Oslo International School, and a public school called Manglerud Skole, which is piloting a program for international classes.
I waited in faith for God to open a door, ever so hopeful that he would. But, at the same time, I knew I had to really submit to whatever He had for me, so my prayer was, "Thy will be done."
Then, I heard back from the principal of OIS, Susan, who said that there were no openings, but to check back in May. (sigh) Then, I heard back from Nina from the public school, who said that there would likely only be one position available and it would be posted in February or March, so I should check back. (another big sigh) And, I never heard anything back from the school in Stavenger. (Apparently, North Sea Oil is laying off employees, so this will have an effect on the international school there.)
Ok, Lord. Does this just mean to wait??
After a few more weeks of thinking and praying about it, I decided to just stay put in the UAE. And, why not? My job teaching Grade 3 is a joy. I love my colleagues and school. My little church, Grace Family Fellowship, is a rich blessing to my soul. And, my Jumeirah beachside apartment is a cozy haven that brings me happiness every single day. So, it was settled.
Well, it was settled until my parents came to visit in late November...
While their visit was enjoyable, the timing of our school holidays didn't exactly line up as planned, since Islamic holidays aren't announced until just days before. In the past, I've had several consecutive days off for National Day and Martyr's Day, but this year, we only got one Thursday off, in addition to Thanksgiving, which was also a Thursday.
This meant that over the course of their visit, I had to work the whole two weeks (with the exception of those two days off), while they waited at home in my apartment. (It broke my heart to have to leave them each day.) Then, for some reason, my dad had difficulty sleeping. This could've been because he never fully recovered from jet-lag because he was napping during the day, or because he had several things on his mind. In any case, God used these factors to cause them to tell me that the didn't know how much longer they could keep making these long trips over, which was the impetus to shift my thinking back to leaving the UAE.
But where should I go if Norway was a closed door (for now)??
It was actually on my parents last night that we had a family chat with Peter (Julie was scuba diving). I can't remember who actually suggested it, but one of them said that I may want to consider moving back to Europe. "Hmm, now, that is interesting..." I thought. Why not? It is definitely moving in the direction of Norway, so there is that...
In order to get a job in Europe, however, I knew I had to join Search Associates, which is a recruitment organization for international education. So, I did. I paid the fee, asked my current and former administrators to complete confidential references, filled out pages of information, and finally completed my profile. It was definitely a process.
From there, I was able to see what jobs were available in Europe. Of course, I immediately searched for job opportunities in Norway, but nothing whatsoever was posted. (Boo!) Then, I widened my search to Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
Then, in mid December, I was invited by my Search Associates representative to attend a job fair in London in early January, but after thinking about it over my 2-week Christmas holiday, I felt like it would be a waste of time and money, since I only really wanted a couple of specific schools. (These schools prioritized candidates with experience with the IB program, particularly the Primary Years Programme, and my experience in PYP is fairly limited, which would've reduced my likelihood of being hired.)
So, back to square one. I wasn't going to go to the job fair. I wasn't going to be actively pursuing a job in Europe, and I wasn't going back to the US. So, that meant, staying put unless God decided to bring something my way. "Lord, please let it be Norway!!"
I should mention that throughout this whole process, I felt it was important to keep my Head of School, Jim, involved, since leaving Dubai American Academy would impact their recruitment. I also chatted openly with my principal, Roberta, and assistant principal, Kit. And thankfully, because this is my fourth year at DAA, I feft at ease speaking openly with each of them because I knew that they truly care about me and want what is best for me.
So, where were we in this story? Yes, I was in the middle of praying that the Lord would somehow do a miracle and cause Norway to come knocking.
Well, someone did come knocking, but he wasn't Norwegian. He was the American principal of a renowned international school in Shanghai, CHINA, of all places!
Imagine my surprise when I had just slipped under my cool sheets to go to sleep last Sunday (January 15) and I received an email from Shanghai American School. I literally bolted upright in bed and rubbed my eyes to make sure I was reading it correctly. "CHINA?! Oh, Lord, seriously? China?!"
After I caught my breath, I read the email from Michael, the principal, who gave me some information about the school and also asked if I would be interested in talking to him via Skype (i.e. an interview). Oh, boy.
So, I immediately messaged my family on our Whatsapp group and my mom's reply was pretty amazing. She said, "Ironically, Laura, we're meeting friends tonight whose daughter teaches in China, so that's really interesting. It sounds exciting, Laura. You never know! I'll be praying for you, honey."
What are the chances of those two events happening on the same day?? (It definitely got my attention.)
The next day at school, I chatted with a couple of trusted colleagues, one of whom (named Jamie) had actually taught in Shanghai for four years. Hearing their impressions of the school, the city, and the country as a whole really helped me to have a more open mind about the idea. The other colleague, Jennifer, even graciously connected me to two of her friends who taught there. (How nice to have some of my initial questions answered almost immediately. By the end of the day, my curiosity and interest had certainly piqued. Could this be how God was answering my prayers?
As soon as I got home, I jumped on Skype to have a quick family chat about it and, to my surprise, the whole family was on board. (Remember that part about my parents thinking the Middle East was becoming too far of a journey? Yeah, well, that went out the window real fast. Lol.) They said they'd be praying about it with me and trusting that God would lead the way. And, they were really excited!!
So, the next step was replying to Michael's email and having my first interview, just a few days later (Friday at 7:30 am). That interview with Michael and the Assistant Principal, Teri Lynn, went very well and before I knew it, I was having another interview with four teachers/team reps (at 5:30 am on Monday), followed by yet one more with the Deputy Head of School, George, on Wednesday evening. Whew!!
Thankfully, all of them went very well and before I knew it, I was offered a position teaching either Grade 2 or 4!
So, it would seem that I'm moving to Shanghai, China! No, it's not Norway, but that's OK. I trust God and know that His plan is always best. I'm content with whatever He has for me, even if it's something that was never on my radar!
Actually, this whole series of events is just a bit surreal to me because I see God's fingerprints on every step, even the last minute trip Julie, my mom, and I took to Norway in late September. If I hadn't gone to Norway, I would never have wanted to move there. If I hadn't wanted to move there, I would never have thought about making a big change in my life. If I hadn't wanted to make a big change in my life, I would never have created a Search Associates profile, and if I hadn't done that, Michael in Shanghai would never have known I even existed.
It's so incredible to see how God put it all together and actually caused this remarkable opportunity to fall right into my lap! In these of moments of reflection, which are frequent these days, I'm just in awe of the way He really is moving in our lives in a very personal way. I'm humbled by the fact that He'd bless me with such a wonderful, exciting new adventure, knowing just how I'm built and just what I need, far more than I ever could.
It brings me back to the verse I mentioned earlier, Psalm 139:16b, "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
God had this planned for me all along and I'm just walking in the path that He has laid before me. (Funnily enough, this is a lot like what happened in 2011 and I was determined to move to France. God plopped Abu Dhabi, of all places, right into my lap!)
Though I have many questions and wonder what life in China will be like, I know I can rest in faith, trusting that He goes before me and that He does all things well. I don't need to fret or worry because He is good and does good. I'll just take one day at a time, entrusting myself to Him each and every step of the way.
It's a beautiful testimony of one of my favorite life verses, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Amen and amen! Let the next adventure begin! (Ok, well on July 29.) :)
If you're interested in the school, these videos give a great picture of what it's like:
Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to read about this remarkable testimony of God's goodness. (I know I'm verbose. Sorry!) I would ask for your prayers as I transition from the Middle East to a whole new kind of foreign. I'm also praying to find a solid, Bible church, so please let me know if you know of one. (I have asked a few people, but I haven't heard back from them yet.) I know the Lord will provide, since he's brought me this far and He's faithful.
The UAE has been a very special place to me and I'll greatly miss it. I've made some wonderful friends here, whom I'll sorely miss, and I've experienced things I could never have imagined. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams, even though I'm completely undeserving, and I praise Him for His goodness to me, His protection, and for helping me to seek Him first in a city that can swallow people whole. It's only by His grace that my time here has been so wonderful.
You know, it's funny. When I look around now, everything looks different. It looks so temporary and somehow even more precious to me because the clock is ticking and my days are numbered. I am determined to treasure every day of the last five months I have left.
Finally (since I really should end this at some point), just as the UAE has been a unique place to minister God's love and grace to people, I hope and pray that God would use me for His glory in China. The challenges will likely be very similar, so it seems the Lord has already prepared me to some extent. Apart from Him, I know can do nothing, so I'm completely dependent on Him to equip me to boldly share Christ, to give me strength, wisdom, and sufficient grace, as well as to help me remain faithful to Him. I'd covet your prayers to that end and know that they are powerful and effective (James 5:16).
I'll be home in the US this summer for a brief time (June 23-July 28 with a cruise in between) and hope to see many of you then!
è°¢è°¢ä½ çš„ç¥ˆç¥·
(Thank you for your prayers!)
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ." Ephesians 1:3-9
We are stunned by the fact that, out of His great love and mercy, He'd provide a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to God through Christ.
We marvel that He would count us as righteous (in Him) when we fall so utterly short on our own. We also know that He formed us, knows us inside and out, and has every day planned according to His wise will.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:14-16
These truths provide us with such a wonderful sense of joy and peace and cause us to worship Him all the more. We can rest in His perfect plan, wherever it may take us, knowing that He is in control, He is good, and He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). He's already provided for our greatest need--a perfect Savior--so, of course, He'll provide for all of our other lesser needs.
These truths are just some of the things that have been on my mind lately as I've considered leaving the UAE. After six years, I found myself wondering what it might be like to make a change, wondering if it's time, and wondering where God would have me go next?
Why, Norway, of course!! It just has to be Norway!
Yep. After Julie, my mom, and I spent a week there in September, I absolutely fell in love with it--the fresh, clean mountain air, the gorgeous (tall!) people, the unique food (especially those amazing local berries), the Nordic culture (I'm part Norwegian, after all), their view on education and child-rearing, not to mention the incredible landscapes. I knew it was a place that I could see myself living...even in those dark and cold winter months. (Hey, that's what fireplaces, Uggs, and sweaters are for, right?)
So, in early November, I stepped out in faith and applied to three schools: Stavenger International School, Oslo International School, and a public school called Manglerud Skole, which is piloting a program for international classes.
I waited in faith for God to open a door, ever so hopeful that he would. But, at the same time, I knew I had to really submit to whatever He had for me, so my prayer was, "Thy will be done."
Then, I heard back from the principal of OIS, Susan, who said that there were no openings, but to check back in May. (sigh) Then, I heard back from Nina from the public school, who said that there would likely only be one position available and it would be posted in February or March, so I should check back. (another big sigh) And, I never heard anything back from the school in Stavenger. (Apparently, North Sea Oil is laying off employees, so this will have an effect on the international school there.)
Ok, Lord. Does this just mean to wait??
After a few more weeks of thinking and praying about it, I decided to just stay put in the UAE. And, why not? My job teaching Grade 3 is a joy. I love my colleagues and school. My little church, Grace Family Fellowship, is a rich blessing to my soul. And, my Jumeirah beachside apartment is a cozy haven that brings me happiness every single day. So, it was settled.
Well, it was settled until my parents came to visit in late November...
While their visit was enjoyable, the timing of our school holidays didn't exactly line up as planned, since Islamic holidays aren't announced until just days before. In the past, I've had several consecutive days off for National Day and Martyr's Day, but this year, we only got one Thursday off, in addition to Thanksgiving, which was also a Thursday.
This meant that over the course of their visit, I had to work the whole two weeks (with the exception of those two days off), while they waited at home in my apartment. (It broke my heart to have to leave them each day.) Then, for some reason, my dad had difficulty sleeping. This could've been because he never fully recovered from jet-lag because he was napping during the day, or because he had several things on his mind. In any case, God used these factors to cause them to tell me that the didn't know how much longer they could keep making these long trips over, which was the impetus to shift my thinking back to leaving the UAE.
But where should I go if Norway was a closed door (for now)??
It was actually on my parents last night that we had a family chat with Peter (Julie was scuba diving). I can't remember who actually suggested it, but one of them said that I may want to consider moving back to Europe. "Hmm, now, that is interesting..." I thought. Why not? It is definitely moving in the direction of Norway, so there is that...
In order to get a job in Europe, however, I knew I had to join Search Associates, which is a recruitment organization for international education. So, I did. I paid the fee, asked my current and former administrators to complete confidential references, filled out pages of information, and finally completed my profile. It was definitely a process.
From there, I was able to see what jobs were available in Europe. Of course, I immediately searched for job opportunities in Norway, but nothing whatsoever was posted. (Boo!) Then, I widened my search to Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
Then, in mid December, I was invited by my Search Associates representative to attend a job fair in London in early January, but after thinking about it over my 2-week Christmas holiday, I felt like it would be a waste of time and money, since I only really wanted a couple of specific schools. (These schools prioritized candidates with experience with the IB program, particularly the Primary Years Programme, and my experience in PYP is fairly limited, which would've reduced my likelihood of being hired.)
So, back to square one. I wasn't going to go to the job fair. I wasn't going to be actively pursuing a job in Europe, and I wasn't going back to the US. So, that meant, staying put unless God decided to bring something my way. "Lord, please let it be Norway!!"
I should mention that throughout this whole process, I felt it was important to keep my Head of School, Jim, involved, since leaving Dubai American Academy would impact their recruitment. I also chatted openly with my principal, Roberta, and assistant principal, Kit. And thankfully, because this is my fourth year at DAA, I feft at ease speaking openly with each of them because I knew that they truly care about me and want what is best for me.
So, where were we in this story? Yes, I was in the middle of praying that the Lord would somehow do a miracle and cause Norway to come knocking.
Well, someone did come knocking, but he wasn't Norwegian. He was the American principal of a renowned international school in Shanghai, CHINA, of all places!
Imagine my surprise when I had just slipped under my cool sheets to go to sleep last Sunday (January 15) and I received an email from Shanghai American School. I literally bolted upright in bed and rubbed my eyes to make sure I was reading it correctly. "CHINA?! Oh, Lord, seriously? China?!"
After I caught my breath, I read the email from Michael, the principal, who gave me some information about the school and also asked if I would be interested in talking to him via Skype (i.e. an interview). Oh, boy.
So, I immediately messaged my family on our Whatsapp group and my mom's reply was pretty amazing. She said, "Ironically, Laura, we're meeting friends tonight whose daughter teaches in China, so that's really interesting. It sounds exciting, Laura. You never know! I'll be praying for you, honey."
What are the chances of those two events happening on the same day?? (It definitely got my attention.)
The next day at school, I chatted with a couple of trusted colleagues, one of whom (named Jamie) had actually taught in Shanghai for four years. Hearing their impressions of the school, the city, and the country as a whole really helped me to have a more open mind about the idea. The other colleague, Jennifer, even graciously connected me to two of her friends who taught there. (How nice to have some of my initial questions answered almost immediately. By the end of the day, my curiosity and interest had certainly piqued. Could this be how God was answering my prayers?
As soon as I got home, I jumped on Skype to have a quick family chat about it and, to my surprise, the whole family was on board. (Remember that part about my parents thinking the Middle East was becoming too far of a journey? Yeah, well, that went out the window real fast. Lol.) They said they'd be praying about it with me and trusting that God would lead the way. And, they were really excited!!
So, the next step was replying to Michael's email and having my first interview, just a few days later (Friday at 7:30 am). That interview with Michael and the Assistant Principal, Teri Lynn, went very well and before I knew it, I was having another interview with four teachers/team reps (at 5:30 am on Monday), followed by yet one more with the Deputy Head of School, George, on Wednesday evening. Whew!!
Thankfully, all of them went very well and before I knew it, I was offered a position teaching either Grade 2 or 4!
So, it would seem that I'm moving to Shanghai, China! No, it's not Norway, but that's OK. I trust God and know that His plan is always best. I'm content with whatever He has for me, even if it's something that was never on my radar!
Actually, this whole series of events is just a bit surreal to me because I see God's fingerprints on every step, even the last minute trip Julie, my mom, and I took to Norway in late September. If I hadn't gone to Norway, I would never have wanted to move there. If I hadn't wanted to move there, I would never have thought about making a big change in my life. If I hadn't wanted to make a big change in my life, I would never have created a Search Associates profile, and if I hadn't done that, Michael in Shanghai would never have known I even existed.
It's so incredible to see how God put it all together and actually caused this remarkable opportunity to fall right into my lap! In these of moments of reflection, which are frequent these days, I'm just in awe of the way He really is moving in our lives in a very personal way. I'm humbled by the fact that He'd bless me with such a wonderful, exciting new adventure, knowing just how I'm built and just what I need, far more than I ever could.
It brings me back to the verse I mentioned earlier, Psalm 139:16b, "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
God had this planned for me all along and I'm just walking in the path that He has laid before me. (Funnily enough, this is a lot like what happened in 2011 and I was determined to move to France. God plopped Abu Dhabi, of all places, right into my lap!)
Though I have many questions and wonder what life in China will be like, I know I can rest in faith, trusting that He goes before me and that He does all things well. I don't need to fret or worry because He is good and does good. I'll just take one day at a time, entrusting myself to Him each and every step of the way.
It's a beautiful testimony of one of my favorite life verses, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Amen and amen! Let the next adventure begin! (Ok, well on July 29.) :)
If you're interested in the school, these videos give a great picture of what it's like:
- Introduction to Shanghai American School
- One day at SAS
- Funny story: When I told my class all about the big move on Thursday afternoon, I also showed them this video and they absolutely loved it. So much so that one of my cuties said, "Can we see what happened on Friday?"
Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to read about this remarkable testimony of God's goodness. (I know I'm verbose. Sorry!) I would ask for your prayers as I transition from the Middle East to a whole new kind of foreign. I'm also praying to find a solid, Bible church, so please let me know if you know of one. (I have asked a few people, but I haven't heard back from them yet.) I know the Lord will provide, since he's brought me this far and He's faithful.
The UAE has been a very special place to me and I'll greatly miss it. I've made some wonderful friends here, whom I'll sorely miss, and I've experienced things I could never have imagined. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams, even though I'm completely undeserving, and I praise Him for His goodness to me, His protection, and for helping me to seek Him first in a city that can swallow people whole. It's only by His grace that my time here has been so wonderful.
You know, it's funny. When I look around now, everything looks different. It looks so temporary and somehow even more precious to me because the clock is ticking and my days are numbered. I am determined to treasure every day of the last five months I have left.
Finally (since I really should end this at some point), just as the UAE has been a unique place to minister God's love and grace to people, I hope and pray that God would use me for His glory in China. The challenges will likely be very similar, so it seems the Lord has already prepared me to some extent. Apart from Him, I know can do nothing, so I'm completely dependent on Him to equip me to boldly share Christ, to give me strength, wisdom, and sufficient grace, as well as to help me remain faithful to Him. I'd covet your prayers to that end and know that they are powerful and effective (James 5:16).
I'll be home in the US this summer for a brief time (June 23-July 28 with a cruise in between) and hope to see many of you then!
è°¢è°¢ä½ çš„ç¥ˆç¥·
(Thank you for your prayers!)
