12 Years Ago

At the end of this week, it will be 12 years.

12 years ago...

I landed in Senegal for the first time.

So as I thought back to that time, I started to thinking of all the emotions I was feeling then. I started thinking of all the thoughts I was having. And I decided to write a letter to the Me of that time in my life...

Dear 23 (almost 24) years old Me,

Wow! You are so brave! 

You may not realize it yet. 

But trust me...

You are, indeed, brave. 

At this point, you're on an adrenaline high. 

You've had a roller coaster of emotions zooming through your heart and mind. ...from the extreme lows of saying goodbye to your family at the Atlanta airport to the extreme highs of the excitement of landing in Dakar. 

I realize it's scary. 

You've never even lived away from home.

 So I know you're nervous right now.

And while you've got a bit of teaching under your belt, it's not a lot. So your confidence in yourself as a teacher is quite low. 

Trust me... 

One day, twelve years from now, you'll be writing yourself a letter and smile at how confident you now (then?) feel as a teacher. After all, by that point, you'll know you're actually an Educational Rockstar ;)

And yes, you did read that correctly.

I said twelve years from now...

I know you're thinking you'll only be staying for one year (maybe 2 max). But just so you know... God has a sense of humor. So go ahead and get comfortable. You're going to be there a while. And in a few years, when you leave for a bit, you'll still end up coming back.

You're still finding your footing as a Missionary Teacher. 

Many of your missions supporters don't fully get what you do. You'll hear the following question a lot...

"So are you a missionary or are you a teacher?"

And each time, you'll take a deep breath, smile sweetly, and say...

I am a Missionary Teacher.

And then you'll explain what that means.

I won't lie to you.

Sometimes it's going to be hard.

Friends will leave.

There will be hard things to deal with back home in the US.

And the list goes on...

But trust me...

There will be plenty of good.

Today, you stepped on Senegalese soil for the first time. And when you did you instantly felt that you were at home.

Today, you fell in love with the country whose sandy streets and tall buildings, whose colorful outfits and lively music, whose open doors and hospitable people all make it the fun place you love.

12 years from now, you'll be in line at the post office, chatting with the worker, and tell her that while the U.S. will always be home... In a way, so will Senegal. Senegal is where God called you to go AND where you choose to live and the U.S. is where you visit. 

And you love the truth in that statement.

The past 12 years have produced rich memories that will last your heart for a lifetime. Take time to remember them. Take time to truly notice the goodness and faithfulness of God each step of the way. 

Take time to be grateful for all God's doing in your life in the next 12 years (and beyond). 

See ya in 12 years ;)

Sincerely,

35 (almost 36 year old Me)

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Today, I'm joining Erika and Andrea, for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup and sharing about one of my most favorite topics to discuss - Today's my Senegal-iversary... The anniversary of the date I landed in Senegal for the very first time.

What's Up July

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

All the shaved ices I can get... Fun fact - It's hotter and more humid here at my mom's house in the U.S. than it is at my apartment in Senegal. Seriously. Another fun fact - The A/C in my mom's truck went out the other day. And since she and I both are using her truck this summer, we're on the road a lot. So shaved ices and their incredible coldness are pretty awesome ;)

What am I reminiscing about?

All sorts of memories made from the years of working in Senegal with these sweet friends... It was such a fun, unexpected gift to be able to get together for lunch last week, to take a few hours to sit and chat, to catch up on each other's lives, and to reminisce about all sorts of fun memories. I definitely consider these three ladies to be sweet sweet friends. What a blessing this time with them was!

 What am I loving?

Having extra time with my Mama. Thanks to a change in the date of my return flight, I was able to have 3 extra days with my mom. I have so enjoyed having this summer with her. I must say... She's pretty awesome. And I'm pretty blessed to call her mine :)

What have I been up to?

This summer has found me spending a lot of time on the road, traveling to speak at churches, to meet with pastors and other missions supporters, to visit friends and family, to attend meetings, etc. I don’t drive in Senegal. So I love when I’m back in the US and able to be back behind the wheel. 

What am I dreading? 

The goodbyes happening tomorrow night/Friday morning... I love being able to follow the call of God on my life. I 100% do. But I absolutely hate the goodbyes/see ya laters that must happen as a result :(

What am I working on?

A blog post about my "Senegal-iversary," which happens later this week... Somehow time has flown by and July 30th will be 12 years from the day I landed in Senegal for the very first time. 

 What am I excited about?

In church a couple weeks ago, my pastor spoke on the first part of 1 Peter, Chapter 1. And it's stuck with me. He asked us the question, "Are you excited?" pointing out how God chose to create us. That, in itself, should make us excited. After all, the same God who created THE ENTIRE EARTH actually CHOSE to create you and me. How cool is that?! :)

What am I watching?

I've been watching very little TV... 

What am I reading?

At the moment, I'm finishing up "The Common Rule" for our required Staff Development book study. It's a good book. I'd definitely recommend it.

I'm also reading "Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman. The TV series version came out on Netflix a while back, but I wanted to wait to watch it until I'd read the book version. I'm not too far into it yet. But, I can say this... Wow! What a story!

What am I listening to?

I heard Switchfoot's "The Strength to Let Go" on the radio the other day and fell in love with the lyrics / music. 

 What am I doing this weekend?

I will be leaving my brother & sister-in-law's house in the wee hours of the morning Friday, starting my 24ish hours of travel back to Senegal. If all goes according to plan, I should be back in my apartment by mid morning on Saturday. So my weekend will primarily be spent in airports and on airplanes, and then unpacking when I finally get home.

What am I looking forward to next month?

My birthday

School starts back

Seeing my students again

Seeing friends again

What else is new?

I ordered this fun notebook to take back to Senegal with me. IEP Season at our school is at the beginning of the school year. So I thought this would be the perfect addition to the stack of school supplies I’ll be taking back with me :)

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month? 

Currently

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

July's prompts are...

  * eating *  feeling * going * ordering * realizing *

I'm currently eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies. All sorts of fun things I either can’t get in Senegal or are far too expensive in Senegal. 

I'm currently feeling grateful for all the time I've had with my mom during this break from school. And I'm glad I still have a few more weeks here, too. She really is the best and I'm blessed to be her daughter. 

I'm currently going to be spending the day with my mom and my nieces. Our big plans for today? Coloring in our new sketch books, playing hide and seek, and watching something fun on TV :)

I'm currently ordering nothing. I did recently order this shirt from Amazon, though. It was cheap and fit my roles at work pretty perfectly. So, I thought it'd be a fun purchase. Past that, I still need to buy some supplies to take back to Senegal. But I'm thinking I'll just make a Wal-Mart run the week before I leave and get everything else I need...

I'm currently realizing that taking the time to truly rest is actually okay. This is hard for me. But after getting to the borderline of burnout made me realize I need to help myself more and actually embrace the art of rest. 

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently reading/studying all about the Understanding by Design method of curriculum planning, as it’s the topic of my current grad school class. And since my mom doesn't have internet (nor do I have cell service there either), I'm thankful for Jack's and their inexpensive/tasty breakfasts, large cups of ice water, and most importantly, their free wifi for helping me get my coursework completed :)

I'm currently packing for a mini getaway happening this upcoming weekend, when I'll be traveling to speak at a church a few hours from here. I love sharing my heart for the incredible work God has called me to do. 

I’m currently enjoying my time in the States, albeit shorter than I'd prefer thanks to a much longer professional development time than usual before the school year starts. I'm grateful for this time to spend with family, to reconnect with many of my missions supporters, and to soak up all sorts of Americanness, too. I have a few more weeks and I truly intend to to take full advantage of them.

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

What’s Up June

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

All this homegrown veggies and Diet Dr Pepper I can find :)

What am I reminiscing about?

Graduation - Y'all... My teacher heart was bursting with pride over one of my guys graduating. My guy has spent his entire life working to overcome obstacles. He has the most positive, joyful outlook on life. He's full of energy and loves school and everyone around him. In a position like mine, I teach kids for multiple subjects a day, every day, for years and years in a row. ...versus most teachers who might teach a kid once or twice in their high school career. But for 4 years, I've taught this kiddo. So yeah... My heart was bursting with emotion at graduation and I was totally crying, what we've dubbed "proud tears" throughout the whole thing.

 What am I loving?

My mom and I snuck away for a few days earlier this month. It was a nice way to start my time in the US. I was able to unplug/recharge a bit and spend some quality time with my mom. We got to meet up with my brother and his family, as well, since they were vacationing not far from where my mom and I were staying. So that was a fun bonus, too. It was nice to have this time to unwind a bit before starting the "work" part of my summer - traveling to churches to speak, attending meetings, participating in trainings, etc.

What have I been up to?

In between speaking engagements and meetings and such, I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with my people. I so love these girls.

What am I dreading? 

Bad weather... Living in Alabama, you prepare for hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, etc. It’s not fun. Especially for someone who is as terrified by them as I am. 

What am I working on?

This summer is full of meetings with pastors and speaking at churches, sharing my heart for the work God's called me to do...

 What am I excited about?

Having a few more weeks in Alabama, giving me time to speak at a couple more churches, time to meet/connect with a few more pastors and missions supporters, time to visit with a few friends I haven’t seen in a while, and time to spend with my family as well. But most of all, I’m excited for a bit of time to rest before the busy-ness of a new school year begins.

What am I watching?

Very little - I honestly think I could live my life without TV.

What am I reading?

I just finished my 24th book of the year, a book on the life of Ronald Reagan. It was a book full of history a s a glimpse into the former president’s life. It was such an interesting read! I’ve got another book downloaded to my iPad, ready to begin reading. But since grad school started back today, I may be reading more for that for a few weeks, than I will be reading “for fun.” :)

What am I listening to?

Nothing new - Any suggestions?

What am I wearing?

I’m basically living my life in these sandals, or others of the same style but in different colors/designs. They’re so comfortable! My ankles won’t allow me to wear flip flops anymore. But these are perfect :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Celebrating the 4th by going to church and then finding something good to eat, I’m sure :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

I’ll still be in Alabama for most of it. I have a couple more services planned. I’ll be meeting up with a few different friends here or there. I’m planning to spend plenty of time with family, too. And towards the end of July, I’ll head back to Senegal to wrap up Summer Break with a few more days off before our super long 2 weeks of professional development starts.

What else is new?

My latest class started today. It’s all about curriculum building and lesson planning and stuff like that.

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Currently

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

June's prompts are...

  * celebrating *  collecting * gifting * thinking * trying*

I'm currently celebrating the end of the school year. Let’s be honest. This year’s been tough. And I’m ready for Summer Break.

I'm currently collecting an assortment of boxes in my classroom, full of all sorts of fun books and games and educational tools we’ll be using next school year. Upon getting the news that our school’s shipping container had finally arrived, we joked that it was basically Christmas in May :)

I'm currently gifting a super secret gift to my student who will be graduating soon. All of my other students are in on the surprise, which we’ll give him later in the week. And it’s been super fun to see how excited my guy gets every single day about his secret graduation gift :)

I'm currently thinking about friends leaving... Such a non-fun part of this job. Just sayin’.

I'm currently trying to work without much use of my dominant hand. Trust me. It's not easy.

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently counting down the days 'til I get to see my family again. I love my work. I 100% do. But y'all... I miss my family. And in case you're wondering, there are only 11 more days (from the day this post goes live) 'til I can see my family :)

I'm currently using up the food that was in my freezer and fridge and not buying new food. After all, I'm leaving in a couple weeks. As a result, I've had some unique/creative meals lately. 

I'm currently prepping to give final exams next week. When you teach as many classes as me, you have a lot of exams/final projects. I'll have 9 exams and 4 projects. Although, the exams are done and just waiting to be printed. 

I'm currently falling behind a bit in reading. But I'm hoping a whole lot of time stuck on an airplane and a lot of time on my hand this summer will help me make up for lost time.

I'm currently having trouble sleeping. My brain is in overdrive with all that's going on in my world. It just doesn't want to slow down when night time comes. But summer is almost here and with that will come time to finally slow down and relax a bit, and hopefully catch up on some sleep too :)

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

What's Up May

   Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

I tried out a new (to me) pizza place here in Dakar the other night with some friends. It was super tasty and authentic, too. So good!

What am I reminiscing about?

This school year... It's been a doozy. I was dealing with a nagging injury for a large portion of the year. We've been in person. We've been online. We've had a bit of both. I've planned a semester's worth of sub plans, which I thankfully didn't need. I've prepped assignments in person and I've planned lessons via Zoom while being a few thousand miles and an ocean away. We've dealt with civil unrest in our city. We've dealt with power cuts and ridiculously high heat/humidity. We've said goodbyes/see ya laters to some friends. And we've said hello to new friends. We've worked hard. We've played hard. We've learn and grown together. My students have gone above and beyond, proving over and over again, just how incredible they truly are.

 What am I loving?

The instant pot... Y'all my life has improved so much with the addition of this thing to my cooking world. Seriously, it's so nice!

What have I been up to?

I was recognized a couple weeks ago for having 10 years of service at my school. So that was pretty cool. It's hard to believe it's been that long...

What am I dreading? 

Goodbyes that are coming. One thing about this line of work is the frequent goodbyes/see ya laters. You'd think I'd be used to it. But alas, it's still hard when someone you've gotten close to leaves...

What am I working on?

Wrapping myself in bubble wrap... Or, at least, that's what some friends jokingly said I should do. Y'all, I am just not having great luck. And while a knuckle is a very small part of the body, it sure is dealing me some pain. Just saying.

 What am I excited about?

I get to see my Mama in just 2 1/2 weeks!!!

What am I watching?

One of my guys is almost finished with a novel study on Where the Red Fern Grows. So once he's done, I figure I'll let him watch the movie. I'm not sure that I'm ready for the emotions that come along with watching this movie though. Oh my... 

What am I reading?

I'm in the middle of a study on 1 Timothy with one of my classes. And this is one of my most favorite parts of working at a Christian school. I love being able to study the Bible with my students. And I especially love seeing their eyes light up and their minds going as they're digging deep into the Word of God, learning more and more. Seriously. I love it!

What am I listening to?

Nothing terribly exciting... Although, I am getting ready to make up my newest playlist to listen to while flying home to Alabama in just a few weeks. Anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm not terribly picky. I have quite the eclectic range of taste when it comes to music interests.

What am I wearing?

These shoes... My favorite pair of black shoes sadly "died" last month. But thankfully, some friends who were in the States kindly offered to bring back this pair with them for me. Yay!

 What am I doing this weekend?

I have a couple school events (a couple parties and a concert) to attend this weekend. Then, there's church on Sunday. And I'll need to print off all of the study guides for the exams I'll be giving. Next week is our last week of classes. Then we have a week of exams. And then we'll be done. Somehow, I blinked and the school year has just flown by...

What am I looking forward to next month?

What else is new?

I'm scheduling services for this summer. If anyone would like to hear more about my work here in Senegal - either in a church service, or over coffee/dinner - just let me know. I've got all sorts of fun stories to tell of how God is working in this journey He has called me on. I'd love to share with you just a bit of my heart/passion for the incredible work I get to do.

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?