Sometimes it's hard to trust God.
Hard to really believe He'll answer prayer.
Harder still to believe He'll answer specific prayers.
But sometimes God blows any doubt out of the water.
Sometimes He does this with some stories from other people - like at Music Camp, hearing some incredible stories of God's faithfulness.
And other times He does this by answering your prayers in totally awesome excessive goodness - more than we could have dared to hope for.
I sent out my first "prayer email" a few days ago* and one of my prayer requests was:
"I still have basically no idea of what will be expected of me here teaching-wise....
Next Thursday (4th Aug) I'll have a meeting about my job description, although this leaves me with very little planning-for-teaching time. (Term starts 8th)
So please pray that I would be calm about this..."
Well.
Hello answered prayer.
The Secondary Principal (who is also a music teacher and head of arts faculty) returned to school yesterday, and I had a quick chat with her then, and even after this I was feeling better about what I'll be teaching.
Then today I spent 2 hours with her up in the music room going over exactly what each class needs to cover in Term 1.
Slightly more than I might have bargained for in terms of information-overload...
BUT
Here's the cool bit.
Not only do I feel better about what I'll be teaching.
Not only do I feel like I can do this.
But I also am excited!
I get to properly teach music here!
I won't have tutors or other teachers looking over my shoulder.
I won't be in the Academy for some days, and Uni some days, and School others.
I won't have a teaching file to keep up to date.
I won't be teaching someone else's classes.
I won't be teaching in someone else's classroom.
I get to organise things howsoever I wish.
Granted, I will have a lot of paperwork to track and assess all my pupils, and this will be like a teaching file, but for real, but, like, I'm actually looking forward to this.
I have a teacher planner and everything!
This is it.
My first taste of full-time, proper, real, actual teaching.
And I'm not scared.
And I'm not just calm.
I'm excited.
"please pray that I would be calm about this..."
Answered. In overflow.
God is good.
*if you've missed this, then it may well just be that I couldn't find your email address...give me a shout and I'll add you onto the list to get the updates!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Body Clock
Bodies are clever.
Even though this is the third night I have been telling my body GO TO SLEEEEEP when it becomes night time here, it knows.
It knows that I'm now 4 hours and 45 minutes ahead of what it's used to.
It knows, even though it's reeeeally dark outside and has been for several hours.
Even though I am lying in a dark room in a bed trying to think sleepy thoughts.
Even though I've been awake all day doing lots of things and using my brain lots.
It knows.
And that's pretty cool, in a aren't-our-bodies-amazing-and-clever way.
Less cool in a I'm-super-tired-and-just-want-to-sleep way.
In 2 mornings time (Friday morning) I am being picked up at 5.30am to go with Christine on a 5 hour drive to get to a training she's going to be doing with some lower secondary Nepali teachers over Friday and Saturday.
This is super exciting because it means:
1. I'll be 5 hours out of Kathmandu - properly into the countryside of Nepal.
2. I'll be with Christine, who tells me she's going to point out various things to me on the way, like a tree near the village she first lived in when she came out here 30 years ago.
3. I get to see Christine do some teacher training, and it'll be in English so I'll actually understand it!
This does, however, mean that my body needs to stop trying to be so clever and GO TO SLEEP WHEN I TELL IT TO!
Even though this is the third night I have been telling my body GO TO SLEEEEEP when it becomes night time here, it knows.
It knows that I'm now 4 hours and 45 minutes ahead of what it's used to.
It knows, even though it's reeeeally dark outside and has been for several hours.
Even though I am lying in a dark room in a bed trying to think sleepy thoughts.
Even though I've been awake all day doing lots of things and using my brain lots.
It knows.
And that's pretty cool, in a aren't-our-bodies-amazing-and-clever way.
Less cool in a I'm-super-tired-and-just-want-to-sleep way.
In 2 mornings time (Friday morning) I am being picked up at 5.30am to go with Christine on a 5 hour drive to get to a training she's going to be doing with some lower secondary Nepali teachers over Friday and Saturday.
This is super exciting because it means:
1. I'll be 5 hours out of Kathmandu - properly into the countryside of Nepal.
2. I'll be with Christine, who tells me she's going to point out various things to me on the way, like a tree near the village she first lived in when she came out here 30 years ago.
3. I get to see Christine do some teacher training, and it'll be in English so I'll actually understand it!
This does, however, mean that my body needs to stop trying to be so clever and GO TO SLEEP WHEN I TELL IT TO!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Where is the Rain?
My First 12 Hours in Nepal
The greenness.
The heat.
The roads.
These are the things that hit me first.
In that order.
From the plane, the whole place just looked so lush and green.
Which is understandable. It is the monsoon after all.
But here's the thing - my entire first day here there was no rain!
Apparently there was a MASSIVE burst of rain a few days ago, and since then it had been dry.
Which was what caused the heat to be so intense.
I was met at the airport and driven to the KISC Guest House.
The roads are fully mental.
Imagine how you expect crazy roads to be in a foreign country.
Then try to imagine being there.
Then think crazier.
Then times that by YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY IMAGINE!!
But the cool part is that I was actually quite calm.
I thought I'd be scared, but I wasn't.
I was mostly just amused.
The motorcyclists are the craziest. Christine reckons at any one time there is at least 60-70% of the motorcyclists on the WRONG side of the road.
Anyway.
(Penniway...hehehe)
There you have my first impressions.
I have been told many other things, and shown lots of things, and have an induction schedule, and met lots of people (there are sooo many Sarahs; it's like Music Camp 2004 all over again...) and been generally overloaded with other information.
It's crazy.
The greenness.
The heat.
The roads.
These are the things that hit me first.
In that order.
From the plane, the whole place just looked so lush and green.
Which is understandable. It is the monsoon after all.
But here's the thing - my entire first day here there was no rain!
Apparently there was a MASSIVE burst of rain a few days ago, and since then it had been dry.
Which was what caused the heat to be so intense.
I was met at the airport and driven to the KISC Guest House.
The roads are fully mental.
Imagine how you expect crazy roads to be in a foreign country.
Then try to imagine being there.
Then think crazier.
Then times that by YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY IMAGINE!!
But the cool part is that I was actually quite calm.
I thought I'd be scared, but I wasn't.
I was mostly just amused.
The motorcyclists are the craziest. Christine reckons at any one time there is at least 60-70% of the motorcyclists on the WRONG side of the road.
Anyway.
(Penniway...hehehe)
There you have my first impressions.
I have been told many other things, and shown lots of things, and have an induction schedule, and met lots of people (there are sooo many Sarahs; it's like Music Camp 2004 all over again...) and been generally overloaded with other information.
It's crazy.
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