Our adventure continues

Three days ago at around 5:00 PM I received a phone call from a Jordan School District area director, asking me if I would accept an administrative intern position at Eastmont Middle School. Heck yes I would! I inquired as to salary. Since I am going to be considered an intern, I will be receiving my teacher salary plus a “stipend,” which he was not quite sure of.

It turns out that not only is my good friend, who is currently an assistant principal there, suffering from yet another brain tumor and hence out of commission, but their principal is also battling cancer and will be out for a while too.

The director further informed me that the following day (Wednesday) would be my last day as a teacher, and that on Thursday I would begin at Eastmont. Whew! Talk about fast. So that morning I arrived at West Jordan Middle School extra early, packed up my belongings, wrote lesson plans, typed up general instructions, and did my best to get all things in order for the substitute and an eventual permanent hire to replace me. This wouldn’t have been as intense if it hadn’t been for the parent teacher conferences that night and the following night, which I also had to prepare for.

Telling the students good bye in each period today was difficult. I hadn’t been with them for even a month yet, and now I was telling them adios. Many were angry; many dreaded aloud that they were going to get some “fat old lady” to be their new teacher. They drilled me with questions. Many gave me good-bye hugs. And this evening’s parent teacher conferences were filled with me explaining over and over again why I was leaving so abruptly.

We have worked so hard since 2006 for this moment: the numerous applications and paperwork to get into BYU; the sucker punch of not getting a sabbatical; the endless amounts of homework; the thousands in debt we incurred; the strain on our marriage, and on the relationship with my daughters; the salary we went without for over a year (yesterday was our first paycheck since September 2007); the rejections from all districts but Jordan; waiting well over half a year for a placement. There were so many times when what we wanted didn’t happen. It has been very trying on our faith, yet at the same time strengthened it. We trust Heavenly Father more now (and not just because we got this new job). Tonight as Karin and I prayed, I remembered the fast we held back in July, where I fasted for longer than I have in years and prayed steadfastly to Heavenly Father that He would bless us with an administrative position this year (I was very specific to Him). At that time he instilled in me a faith and a trust in Him that I hadn’t felt with such power in years. I felt completely confident in and content with Him and His will. I made it clear numerous times to Him that I wanted an administrative position this year, but that His will must be done over mine. And when the school year started and I had no job, I was not bothered or worried, because I trusted that Heavenly Father had some good reason behind it (I assumed that He wanted me to do something or touch somebody specific while as a teacher at West Jordan Middle this year -- or test my patience a little longer -- and I was content with that). It felt good to let go and trust Him, having done all I could. I want to keep this practice up.

We have jumped in the river again. I can see that I’ve got let God do a little bit of the driving. I am not in total control. I am excited to see where this leads.