God's Direction For Gillian

For a while there was a school very close to us that was recruiting me quite passionately to teach their 4 year-old class, which would allow Nathan to attend with me. I prayed vigorously about this and sought the prayers of friends and family. After a visit to the school with Nathan I decided not to accept the position. This was an excruciating decision, but I just knew for certain it was not the place for me to serve most effectively.

So I stepped out in faith and offered my resume to Alex’s school. It is a non-denominational International Christian School accredited with American Christian Schools International. Its mission statement aligns with our beliefs, and we feel it is the best place for our kids while we are here in Lima. Their mission is to reach out to internationals living here in Peru, so Alex has students in his class from Peru, the United States, Ecuador, England, and more. After I interviewed, it was over a month before I heard a response. During that waiting period I learned to surrender my direction to God, and the Refiner’s Fire truly brought me to an awesome place spiritually. Finally, the principal asked for a meeting and offered me a position teaching one section of English 10 to students who speak English as a second Language (ESL), and he wanted me to start IMMEDIATELY.

Added Bonus: a mom of one of the boys in Alex’s class offered to watch Nathan free. She stays home with her 4 year-old daughter who, at this point, only speaks Spanish. So her daughter is teaching Nathan Spanish, and Nathan is teaching her English. So I have one semester with my one class of 10th grade English students who are from Korea, Japan, and Thailand. I started in the classroom on Monday, March 10. It’s challenging to jump in mid-quarter with no orientation, but the other teachers are coming along side me, and I serve a God who is strengthening me for the task.

For next year the principal has offered me a position working in the library—I’ll be surrounded by books 4 days a week, I’ll be working with international children grades K-6, and I’ll be near our boys. God is so good.