Some things God did this year...

It's amazing to me that the end of 2008 is just 4 days away. It's the perfect time of year to spend some time reflecting on what God has done in my life in the past 12 months. It has been a very full year. During my brief visit home right now, several people have been asking if they have missed the "monthly updates" that I promised to send. No, you have not. I have just been very poor at keeping up with that commitment. Other than posting pictures on facebook, I haven't been very faithful at keeping anyone up to date. Hopefully, this "end of year" update will fill you in a little bit, and then it is my New Year's Resolution to spend some time blogging and emailing more regularly in 2009.

January - June 2008:
- completing the second half of my first year of teaching, which was a big challenge, to say the least. By the end of it, I was seriously questioning whether I had chosen the right profession and wondering where the "way out" was. Thankfully, God provided a support network of friends and colleagues to give me advice and help me through. It was hard and I sometimes sturggled with depression because of how overwhelming things seemed, but it was a big victory for me to keep going even when it got so difficult. As James writes, "Perseverance must finish its work so that we can become mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:3-5)

July - Aug 2008:
- came home to reconnect with family and friends and be refreshed physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. God really provided "times of refreshing" and gave me a renewed sense of purpose and vision for my time in Japan.
- spent a week serving at a camp for Native children in Quebec, where God reminded me of the joy of sharing the gospel with hungry hearts, and also that 10-12 year olds are lots of fun!

Sept 2008:
- returned to Japan to teach 6th grade for the second time. I found that, just like they say, everything is easier the second time around. I was (and am) still putting in lots of hours as a teacher, but the stress and anxiety of having to figure everything out for the first time is gone. There's still lots to figure out, but I am actually able to enjoy my students this year.
-almost immediately, I sensed an openess and sensitivity to the things of God in my class. Their hearts are open to learn from Him. My prayer became that their eyes would be open to see wonderful things in God's Word and His world, and that He would give me wisdom and guidance as I teach them and interact with them day by day.

Oct 2008:
- went on a retreat with our middle school students, where I drank in the beauty of God's creation and also had some really significant conversations with some of the girls. God gave me some words of encouragement for those who were seeking direction.
- spent some time talking with my friend and co-worker, and then praying about God's direction for the following year. I came home from the retreat with a strong sense of peace about staying in Japan for a 3rd year. I know that God is directing my steps to be here for a slightly longer season than I initially had in mind, but I am excited about that and looking forward to what He will do.

Nov 2008:
- November came and went quickly as I walked through daily tasks like report cards, parent conferences, committee meetings for school curriculum, and leading English Club once a week after school. It was an exciting/historic moment for our school when we started our first basketball team and played our first game against another international school. Students are so thrilled to have some extra-curricular activities!
- Our school is going to be adding a high school next year so we had some Parent Information meetings about that. We will be adding one year at a time, starting with grade 9 for next year. We will have a new teacher coming to teach Bible and English next year, I will begin teaching 9th grade Biology instead of 6th grade Bible, and the two other middle school teachers will move to subject-based teaching and we'll have more of a rotary schedule. It's a big step forward for our school. We are praying that God will provide the right building to meet our needs, since the one we are currently in is great for now but could not contain a high school.
- I took a break over Thanksgiving weekend and went to Seoul, Korea, where I reconnected with a few friends I'd met at our big training session for internaitonal school teachers in Memphis during July 2007. It was really great to see them again and also to explore a new part of Asia!

Dec 2008:
- Our school Christmas program went well, and we were able to share the true Christmas story with many parents and friends of families who might not have heard it otherwise
- One of my students was playing piano for the prelude and when she got too shy to perform after hearing another girl, I was able to share with her a story of how my own jealousy of others' gifts had held me back for a long time from doing what God wanted me to do. I encouraged her to play because she played well, too, just in a different style! We can't compare ourselves to others.
- I actually stayed on track with my curriculum plans this year, so I was able to spend time celebrating Christmas with my class. The party went well but the best part for me was the devotion, after a guest speaker shared her over-the-top reaction about meeting someone famous and I connected that to what it must have been like to meet God incarnate for the very first time. There's a big difference between seeing someone on TV or hearing about them versus meeting them IN PERSON. We're bound to react somehow when that happens, and when a GREAT BIG GOD who made the universe steps onto earth, that deserves a big reaction. Their eyes showed true understanding and I could tell that several were touched.
- Throughout December, we had been studying about the Solar System in math and then about how God reveals Himself thorugh creation in Bible, and it was really cool when one of my students made this remark: "People on earth are so proud. We spend so much time fighting and really, we're just such a small part of the universe." It was an amazing "AHA" moment, when we were able to see God's greatness and His love, in the face of our smallness

I've come home to spend Christmas with my family and to visit with some friends, while trying to relax and regain focus for the New Year. I'm thankful for those of you that I've been able to see so far and I look forward to catching up with those that I'll be seeing in the next few days. I hope that you've all had a great Christmas and I pray that you will know God's presence with you throughout the New Year!