There's a new teacher in town

To all of you who have been praying for me and thinking of me as I have had interviews and observations, I wish to extend "Thank you's" over and over again.

The Lord was faithful and heard our prayers. I was told yesturday that I would start at GEOS Language Academy in two weeks time. Praise the Lord, for He is good.

My lesson was on the use of Must, Get and Have in terms of getting things done around the house. It was not an easy lesson to make fun or non-repetitive but i did the best i could. My lesson plan was pretty good, though i gave too much time to a game, so i had to be quick on my feet to come up with a new idea to finish up the class. It was successful, though, as i said above, slightly repetitive.

At the end of the class I met with Neil (the man observing me) and we went through his comments. Then he went to talk to the manager and when he finally returned ( It seemed i was waiting forever) he told me they were pleased to have me as a teacher with their school. (The tall building in the picture there is where you would find the school. Its located on the 9th floor and is quite a nice little place.)

The moment i was told, i let Dave knew. He congratulated me and was so excited for me. I was glad that he could be as excited as i was for this job. then i went home and told my mom. I would have written here sooner but i havent had a chance. my computer was being slow and wasnt letting me get on to fill you in.

To Sylvie who was trying hard to help me find ideas, I didnt end up using the props idea because i couldnt make it work in my head. I did, however, use cards with people on them and they had to make sentences with the appropriate verb (have, get, make). Now when i think about it, i can think of a few more ideas that could have been more fun but whats done is done and the Lord blessed my stuggle and hard work, and he answered our prayers.

I think the most special thing about this whole process is the confidence I had during it. I was barely nervous for my interview because i knew i was well enducated for the position and that i had experience. Similarly, i wasnt terribly nervous about being observed by Neil. After about the first minute I forgot he was even there. I was so comfortable being in the front of the class and teaching. The students were awsome and i wish they could know how hard i tired to make grammar fun. They each got to give their opinion to Neil after i was done and they seemed to only have positive things to say.

This confidence I had was not from myself. Though i knew i was educated and possessed a lot of experience, i knew God was with me and that is where my real confidence came from. My pastor told m,e not too long ago, that anyone who would invite me for an interview would hire me because of the light that radiated from me. I thought it was sweet of him to say that but i really didnt believe it could be that easy. God has the power to work that way. I wasnt nervous, i was able to be me and when Neil hired me he said it was because i seemed like a really nice girl who liked to be in a good environment. He said he could see that i was passionate about teaching and that i would be a good team worker. My pastor was right, that shone through by simply letting me be me. And that ability to be me was an answer to prayer. I could approach God in prayer and I knew he would hear me. Not only that, but i knew he would answer me.

I read this passage today and thought it quite fitting:
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." Philippians 2:14-16

The confidence I have is from Christ. I can go to God with confidence because Christ took upon his perfect self all of my sin. When he died, he paid for all sins, none of which were his.

Again, praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord!