In anticipation for my next step after Mexico, I spent many
hours in conversation with God, friends and family. All arrows seemed to be pointing towards
moving back to Colorado and working at the same middle school I was at B.M.
(Before Mexico—that’s right folks, this has been a major turning point in my
life just as Christ’s death was for the world… although not quite to that
scale!). All I had to do was go through
the formality of an interview and the job would be mine! I started to get excited about the
possibility of returning to my old life, dear friends, and something that was “known”. All the while I kept in the back of my mind
my parents words of encouragement, “What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t get the job, come home to raise
support, and go back to Kenya!” I don’t
think my parents realized that their encouragement was actually a prophecy. So plan “A” was returning to a known life in
Colorado, plan “B” was continuing on my journey of the unknown with a glimpse
of Kenya in there somewhere. After a
decent phone interview and a week of waiting, God slammed the door to my plan “A”. See, with us Kisers, God has to be firm in
His directions. If there is the
slightest crack or doubt that an option has ended, we will figure out a way to
shove a toe or finger to wedge back in. Sure,
I could have looked for another teaching job in Colorado, but if I couldn’t get
a “guaranteed” job there, I think that’s a pretty good indication that’s not
where God wants me.
Now that I’ve had some time to mourn with my Savior over yet
another broken dream and ponder other options for my future, I’ve chosen a new
path to continue my journey. After
devoting about eight years to teaching (training for and becoming a teacher), I’m
taking a break from it. A difficult
decision to say the least, but I’m not quitting forever, just for a while. My focus has become getting back to Kenya,
but with more of a purpose than just holding babies (which I still plan to
do!). God revealed two specific needs at
Instep Children’s Home while I was there in April: 1. The special needs kids need more attention
and someone to work with them on basic skills, and 2. Many of the kids will at
some point come to grips with their abandonment and/or abuse issues and need
someone to talk with—currently, there is no on-sight counselor, and there are
so many more kids than ears to listen to them.
While I am in no way an expert in either of these areas, I have a heart
to help in them.
After looking into possible Master’s in Christian Counseling
Degrees, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do not have the resources to invest
in something like that. And as my mom
says, “You don’t need a degree to talk to kids.” My dad pointed me towards Larry Crabb, a man
well known in the Christian sphere for counseling, and I’ve found what I want
to do. Dr. Crabb has four online courses
entitled “SoulCare” that delve into the heart and mind of entering into
authentic relationships with people to help point them to Christ. There is also a week-long seminar that goes
into more depth about what that looks like.
This is the kind of base-knowledge I think would be useful in Kenya at a
fraction of the price of a Master’s Degree, plus I can complete all of these
courses in a few months as opposed to a few years. So my plan is simple: 1. Return home and live with my parents to
cut down costs of living; 2. Obtain a full-time job wherever I can to earn as
much money as possible while living at home; 3. Complete all four online
classes while working full-time, get accepted into the week-long seminar and
attend (minimum age is 30 years old, but with God’s help I just might be
accepted anyways), and take a few courses in Special Education; 4. Network like
crazy to find people who can help answer my questions and give me guidance when
I’m in Kenya and have no answers; 5. Return to Kenya sometime after Christmas
for as long as I can on the money I’ve earned.
I need to experience Kenya when it is not an escape from Mexico, and if
I still feel like God is calling me on a more permanent basis in Kenya, I’ll
return home to elicit sponsorship and help financially.
Is this the right direction? I’m not sure, but as my dad says, “God likes
to steer a moving object.”
I'll be praying that God keeps steering!
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