9 years ago...

9 years

It’s been 9 years since I landed in Senegal for the first time.

How is that possible?!

I remember, as clear as if it were yesterday, stepping off the plane, taking a whiff of that signature smell in the early morning air, and thinking...

This is it.

I’m where I’m meant to be.

I’m home.

I truly believe God let me immediately fall in love with this new “home” because I was, indeed, where I was meant to be.

Leaving Alabama was hard. 

I was leaving my extremely close-knit family, a familiar style of church services (in English), and all sorts of the comfort type things that made sweet home Alabama, “home.”

But I swear...

The minute I landed, it felt like I was “home.”

Now, fast forward 9 years.

I taught 3rd grade that first year at Dakar Academy and those kids are about to start their senior year of High School (minus the two who graduated a year early). 

I’ve also taught 3 more Elementary grades. Plus I taught a year of ESL, in which I had students in 1st through 12th grade.

And then this past year, I helped reinstate a class that was so desperately needed at DA. A class for students with moderate to severe special needs... 

And while I had 4 last year, I’ll have almost triple that amount when school starts back in a couple weeks because I’ll have 9 students. And to keep things interesting, those 9 will include Elementary, Middle School, and High School students, with a wide range of cognitive, behavior, and physical needs.

And I’m so excited! 

Over the past 9 years, I feel I’ve grown tremendously in my role as a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God and in my role as a Teacher at Dakar Academy. My confidence has soared. And even though it’s a challenging position, I truly do love it so incredibly much!

I can’t say that I saw myself at this point when I first arrived in Senegal 9 years ago. But that’s okay because this point has far exceeded any plans I could have made for myself :)

And you know...

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next 9 years!