Once upon a time there was a teacher going about her Saturday morning, totally unaware of the surprise waiting in her email's inbox. She went about her morning as usual and scrolled through said inbox on her phone while eating breakfast. One email caused her to pause...
It was an email from the elementary principal at the school where she'd worked before. Since she was planning to start back there in August, she naturally assumed that's what the email was about, but no...
We have an open position at DA this semester and are exploring all options. Is this something you would possibly consider?
The teacher was surprised.
...only not completely. Lately the teacher had been getting all sorts of "signs," pointing towards a sooner return to that West African home she loved so much, which didn't really make sense at the time.
The teacher said she'd pray, but she knew in her heart... She just knew.
Back and forth she went with emails to the elementary principal, the school director, her missions supervisor, etc. and all the while, she prayed...
God, if it is your will, let them offer me the job. But God, if it is not your will, don't let them offer me the job.
Then the confirmation email came...
Hi Elisabeth. We'd like to officially offer you the 4th grade position at DA.
Eek! The teacher was so excited! She could scarcely contain herself. She told her mom and her pastor and family and filled them in.
Then came the hard part. She had to write a resignation letter and discuss it with the principal. It went well.
Then came the tough one. ...her co-Special Ed. Teacher. Her stomach was tied in knots. She knew what it'd mean. It'd mean letting her down. It'd mean adding more to her load. So she prayed.
God, I know it's your will. But I don't want to overload her. It's not fair to her. Lord please work everything out.
Then she took a deep breath and walked in her classroom and told her. And you know what... It all worked out well.
And now you know the story behind why I am leaving February 1st and flying back to Senegal.
And yes you did read that correctly...
I will be flying out in a little less than 4 weeks :)
Questions...
How can you leave in the middle of a school year?
We didn't sign contracts in my school system. So I didn't have to worry about that.
Why not finish out the school year in Alabama and then go to Africa?
Trust me. I have asked myself that. But you know - When God called me to the mission field, I said yes. I said I'll go when/where You want me to go, God.
What will you be teaching?
4th grade - Oh and a fun side note... I taught this class as first graders. So it'll be neat to see how they've grown :)
How will you be paid?
DA provides housing, utilities, insurance, and a small ($500) monthly stipend. On top of that, I have had some family and friends say they'll send support directly to me (via my mom depositing it in my checking account). Honestly, things will be tight, but if I watch what I spend, it will work. And y'all... I fully believe that God knows what we need. So I know He'll provide.
How can we get you money to use while you're there?
I won't be leaving AL until February 1st, so if you can get it to me before then, that'd be the easiest. If it's after February 1st, you can send it to my mom with a note explaining what it's for and she'll notify me and deposit it into my account. Let me know if you don't have our address and I'll give it to you.
*Just an FYI though... Anything given this way will not be tax deductible.
Wait. I'm confused. I thought you were going as an AG missionary. Why won't you get paid through them?
Because my full AGWM budget isn't raised, I cannot go as a Missionary Associate with them just yet. Therefore I cannot access that missions budget and be paid through them.
So how are you going to raise that budget since you're leaving the country?
I actually did that my first year Dakar, back in '09. I will do a lot of email and skype and telephone work, versus face-to-face meetings, to raise my budget. Will it be easy? No, probably not. But is it impossible? Definitely not. I remember clearly my first year there, wondering how it would get done. But you know what, it only took a few months, and God totally and awesomely worked it out!
So just as I have been now, I will continue to be raising cash donations and monthly support commitments, in order to reach my budget of approximately $10,000 in cash and $1000 in monthly commitment.
And hey, I have already raised 20% of the cash and 10% of the monthly commitments. So I am definitely on my way.
If we would rather support you in this way, what should we do?
If you would like to do it online, that is the easiest way. Just copy/paste the URL below and follow the prompts...
https://giving.ag.org/Give/Details/aec97232-a98e-467c-a25b-5a48f73940f3?
Or if you would rather do it via paper and snail mail, it is super easy as well.
Just send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com
and give me your address and I will send you a form to fill out and mail in.
How will you ship your things to Dakar?
I will be allowed to bring two free suitcases with my flight. I could pay for more suitcases, but that can get very pricey. So I doubt I will be bringing any more than that.
Do you need any supplies to take with you? Can we get you some of that?
That would be awesome! I do have a wish list started. If you'd like to help out with that, send me an email and I can get that to you.
How can we pray?
Pray for God to continue working out all the little details.
Pray for finances. I can't get paid by the AG until my full budget is raised. So prayed that either my budget gets raised before I go or my savings multiply :)
Pray for strength and perseverance to tackle my massive to do list. My last day here in Selma will be January 29. So obviously, I will still be teaching, leading meetings, and doing lots of paperwork before I go. ...not to mention, packing :)
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