I think my journey began in October 2009, when I met with a recruiter from Black Forest Academy. Speaking with the recruiter energized me; I could definitely see myself teaching elementary school or serving as a resident assistant at BFA. I wondered – is this where God is calling me? I submitted my application to BFA just after Thanksgiving break of 2009. I decided to take this next step of obedience, prayerfully seeking God’s guidance and the advice of others.
The journey continued when I applied to TeachBeyond, my mission agency, and met their recruiter at InterVarsity's Urbana missions conference in St. Louis over Christmas break. The personal testimonies of several former BFA staff members at the conference encouraged me to consider BFA more seriously. Moreover, as session speakers challenged us to think about global issues -– Muslims in Europe, modern-day slavery, racial tensions, poverty –- God helped me to realize that my service at BFA could actually empower missionaries to address these big issues around the world!
Over the next month and a half, as I traveled to London for a multicultural student teaching experience and returned to Grove City College for my last semester, I prayed and sought the advice of others. I am so thankful for those who affirmed my strengths, held me accountable in areas of weakness, and prayed for me to have wisdom. Some days I was convinced that BFA was where God was calling me, while other days I was discouraged with confusion and indecision.
An interview with TeachBeyond was the next part of my journey, which provided a lot of confirmation; God filled me with a true "joy in the journey" of seeking His will above all else. Only two days later, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter of invitation to be an elementary teacher at the Black Forest Academy! God was clearly at work.
In each of these steps, it’s clear to see that God has been guiding me in this journey. I continue to see God's faithfulness after completing several years of teaching at BFA. I am committed to staying in Kandern through the end of the 2014-2015 school year, and then we'll see where He takes me from there!
