My Journey to Becoming a Teacher….

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember wanting to be a teacher. I would line up my stuffed animals and dolls and pretend to teach them things, or force my little brother and all my friends to be my students in my imaginary classroom. I loved school as a kid. I moved a lot, but everywhere I went, school was a safe place for me to play, learn and make new friends. I’m so thankful for the many teachers and many schools that invested in me. 

When it came time for college, after some turbulent high school years, I wasn’t quite sure what direction I wanted to go in. I took a child development class in community college and was quickly reminded of that passion to teach and work with children, so that is the path I set on. 

After I finished my studies at community college, I transferred to San Diego State University into the impacted Child and Family Development program. A miracle! I was ready for a new start in a new place. This is also the time in my life where God was about to intervene when I needed him most. 

See, I thought moving to a new place and starting over was going to be the answer to the turbulence of the previous years of my life, but I quickly found out that none of us are strong enough to do that in our own strength, we need God. 

In November 2009, shortly after my 21st birthday, and just a few months into my CFD major studies at SDSU, God changed my life forever. God spoke to my heart and asked, “Are you done yet?” Yes, I was done. I was done trying to control my life and change for the better in my own strength. I was done trying to achieve happiness and peace in the destructive ways I was living my life. I was done living my life without God. That day, with tears streaming down my face literally all day long, I surrendered my life to God and my life has never been the same again. I finally felt the love of my heavenly father that I had longed for and searched for all my life. 

So what does this have to do with my journey in becoming a teacher? Well, alot. 

After my life was radically changed, I began to seek God for his purposes in my life. My original plan was to finish the CFD program at SDSU and then pursue a teacher’s credential and begin teaching. Pretty standard right? Well, as the time came near for graduation, I felt God’s call on my life to ministry and overseas missions work. So after graduating from SDSU, I did a discipleship school through my church in San Diego instead of getting my teachers credential. Half way through that program, I started dating my now husband, and a year later we were married, pregnant with our first child, and preparing to leave for Thailand. 

In 2013 we moved to Thailand where we have lived ever since. All 5 of my children were born here. I have seen how God has used my studies in Child development in so many ways, including but not limited to: Raising my own babies, homeschooling my children, leading homeschool co-op groups, leading children’s ministries in church plants and churches here in Thailand, volunteering in schools, training teachers, and other ministry opportunities. A little over a year ago, God started resurrecting that dream of mine to be a kindergarten teacher. It seemed so far-fetched and impossible, but I decided to leap in faith knowing that with God all things are possible.

Doing online school when you have 5 kids is not easy (obviously) but by the grace of God, I got through it! And now God has blessed me with a job! I get the privilege of serving as a KINDERGARTEN TEACHER at International Community School of Udon Thani, and I am so excited! My kids have been attending the International Community School of Bangkok the past three years and it has been such a blessing to be part of this school and their mission that is bringing the light and hope of Jesus to Bangkok. It is an honor and privilege to be stepping into this new chapter and moving as a family to Udon Thani to be part of the ICS Udon community. 

God is so good. We can trust him with our dreams. We can trust him with our whole lives. We can trust that he knows the desires of our hearts and he fills them with good things. We can trust that His ways are higher than our ways and His plans are far beyond what I could have imagined. Let this be a testimony to trust God in the journey, to praise him when it’s hard and also praise him when those dreams come true! He is with us always.