I grew up half in America, half outside of it. In high school I began considering seriously what to do with my life. My first priority was to serve God with my life--and to be part of what He is doing in the world. But how? I wasn't sure. I did enjoy working with children, and I had seen how I could serve others by helping with their kids. Coming from the missionary world, with my family's time in Albania, I knew that children's education can be a challenge for those working in other countries. I put all that together and thought, "Maybe I can serve God by helping His workers--by teaching missionary kids."
Funny bit: At that time I had no idea if I would be any good as a teacher, or if I'd even like it. Sometimes God gives you an idea and then grows you to be ready for it!
With that goal in mind, I went to college. I graduated with the same goal still firmly in place. However, I still didn't have a plan of action. There are great MK schools in different parts of the world with very real needs, but that wasn't really what I wanted to do. So many missionaries work in places where schools aren't available. (And kids' education is one of the biggest reasons missionaries leave and go home.) These are the people I wanted to serve, to make a difference in one location, somewhere.
Thus for a few years, I did this and that (usually involving kids and teaching), and I learned a lot. Then a family from my church who work overseas needed a teacher for their kids. "Hey, wait, this sounds just like what I've always wanted to do!" I went... and I loved teaching those precious girls! When the year was over I returned home and wondered, "Where next?"
So I asked around within the organization. I was particularly interested in a team situation, and I didn't know if they did that. Lo and behold, I got some responses, and one of them came from this group in Tanzania. Now, although I have never had a strong inclination toward any one part of the world, I somehow never really thought I would go to Africa! But the more I dialogued with them, the more Tanzania sounded like the place I should be.
That was 2009, and now in 2011 I'm still convinced. This life has its own challenges, but I feel privileged to work there. We have a great team, and I love my job!
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| Taken in Musoma, Tanzania, on the edge of Lake Victoria |
2014 UPDATE:
What's with the title? What on earth is a three-room school house? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. Because I was always interested in non-traditional settings, I used to picture myself in something like a frontier one-room schoolhouse. That's pretty much what I have here in Musoma--except it has three rooms. And the extra rooms really do come in handy for dividing up the kids. (Eat your heart out, Laura Ingalls Wilder.) These days I have another teacher working with me, too; I'm so glad for a place with options. As the missionary families come and go, we set up our three rooms differently every single semester. :)
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