Since then life has thrown many surprises my way, both pleasant and not. I have loved and been betrayed. I have wept and have healed. I have made mistakes and have tried so hard to learn from them. Through all of this I have seen more and more how truly loving and faithful God is to me. This is a time that I have learned I would not trade away for anything.
The best surprise that I have had happened this past year. I went to Spain last year simply because I missed it! When I landed and began traveling south, I realized how truly homesick I was for Spain. I began sharing with people how I wanted to return to live someday. As I talked through this with several people, I realized that I wanted to blend both my love of Spain and my passion for teaching together. I left southern Spain feeling encouraged and eager to see what was next.I spent the last two days of my trip in Madrid catching up with some dear friends. I spent a day in Tres Cantos, a small town in northern Spain, and I had the morning free as my friends headed off to work. That morning I received an e-mail from a woman who had gotten my information and knew that I was interested in teaching in Spain. She knew that I was in Spain and asked if we could possibly meet or have a phone conversation. I called her to tell her that I would love to meet, but I was not very mobile as I was carrying all my luggage with me and was in a small town in northern Madrid. When I told her I was in Tres Cantos, she informed me that was where she lived! We met for coffee and she shared about the school she and her husband will be starting. It will not be ready for the older students that I teach for many years, but she promised to keep in touch. I left Spain encouraged and feeling that I could
In the fall this woman encouraged me to send my information to a Christian school in Madrid. I had hesitations about it, but decided to try it anyway. I got a quick response from the headmaster, and he was very interested in my story. He told me that it was a volunteer position (as are all the teaching positions), but they worked with several sending organizations who could help. When I called one, I began to feel more excited as I talked about wanting to work in a school that is for Spaniards. They are an organization that works with schools in about 40 countries around the world, and when the time was right, I could move into such a school. I started to see my dreams come true.
I am still watching this dream take shape. With one more year here in the United States, I am diligently seeking people who will walk alongside me. Most of all, I am trusting in the One who has brought me this far. I cannot wait to see where we go next...
