Since I'm transferring to UA this semester, I was forced to find a new job. My last day at my previous job was July 31, so I figured I'd take a couple of weeks off. Then I planned on finding a new job in Tuscaloosa. Well, I decided last Thursday (August 2nd) that I would start calling day cares and child development centers in the Tuscaloosa area just to see who was hiring. As luck would have it, the very first place I called was currently hiring and wanted to speak to me in person because she was interested in the fact that I am an education major. Did I plan on anybody actually being interested so soon? Absolutely not, but I planned on going by there the following day to put my application in.
As I drove to the child development center, I said a prayer asking God to just let me know where I needed to be. Anybody that knows me knows that I like to have everything in place at all times. I absolutely hate not knowing what's going to happen from day to day. Obviously I know there are some things I will never know simply because that's how God works, but I still like to have some sort of routine. Anyway....I get to Imagination Station and fill out my application. God knew exactly what He was doing (as always) because the director decided she wanted to interview me right on the spot. That never happens to me! I ended up being there for over an hour. During that hour, I quickly found out that they relied heavily on God's guidance and used the Bible every day in each of the classes. I was already in love with the place! I knew that was where I wanted to be, but is that where God wanted me? The director said she would call me over the weekend if she saw that she could work me in the schedule; if I didn't hear from her, she said it would only be because she couldn't fit me in. And so the waiting began.
I'm a worry wart, so I feared the worst. Friday afternoon passed...she didn't call. I woke up Saturday morning waiting on a phone call. It never came. By that point I just assumed she couldn't fit my school schedule into her schedule. I was officially discouraged. Little did I know that God still had a few tricks up His sleeve. Craig kept telling me that he had a feeling she was going to call Sunday; I, however, felt like she wouldn't. Sunday morning came, and I was still thinking about how badly I wanted this job because I desperately need the experience for my major. At about 5:00 that afternoon, the call finally came. She extended a job offer to me, and I was elated! I was so excited that I was able to not only find a job after my first interview of my job search, but also because I would be working with children in a loving, Christian environment. God had truly answered my prayers.
However, after the excitement wore off for a bit I began to have some fears. Would I be a good teacher? Would I be a good fit for these kids? Do I have enough experience? How would the children react to me? Where do I even start in a classroom? Monday and Tuesday were work days at the center, so I had a couple of days to adjust and let things really sink in. After today, my fears are even greater than they were to begin with because I actually got to meet a few of the toddlers during our open house. It hit me that I would be partly responsible for fourteen 19-24 month olds. Even though I'm not the lead teacher, I still have plenty of fears. Once she leaves at 4:30, what am I going to do with these children until 5:30? What if I do something wrong? What if someone picks up a child that's not supposed to? I feel like a child on the first day of kindergarten. I feel absolutely lost because I have no clue what is going to happen tomorrow. I've thought about it off and on all day, then I began to pray about it. While praying, a verse came to mind that gave me peace like none other.
"The Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life, whom shall I fear?" -Psalm 27:1
God tells us not to fear because our strength is in Him. So no matter what our fears are, we can lay them to rest because God holds everything in the palm of His hands. God would not have led me to this job if He didn't know that I could handle the responsibilities that come along with it. Will it be easy every day? Absolutely not. Will I be tired when I get home? Probably so. Will it be worth it? More than you'll ever know.
I know that my heart is truly with special needs children, but I know that this will be an amazing experience for me. Not only will it give me child-care experience, but it will help me gain knowledge and skills related to education. Imagination Station is not simply a day care, it's a child development center. As our director stated, "We don't baby-sit children, we teach them." I am beyond excited to not only gain this experience, but also gain it in a Christian environment. I'm excited to grow in my spiritual walk as I help teach these children about our sweet Jesus, and show them how important He truly is.
What I already knew was reaffirmed during our staff meeting Monday when our director opened up the meeting with a lengthy discussion from the first chapter of Joshua. She focused on how the Lord tells us to be strong and courageous in the midst of the hardships that come our way. God knew exactly how I was feeling about starting this new job, and I know that He gave her just the words that He knew I needed to hear. I feel unbelievably blessed to have been given the opportunity to work among stewards of Christ every day while helping children grow both spiritually and developmentally. My doubts and fears have been laid to rest because my God has assured me that everything will fall into place perfectly in His timing. So whom shall I fear?
I ask each and every one of you that has taken the time to read this entry to pray for me as I begin this new chapter in my life. Pray for my fellow teachers and the children that we will be teaching as this new school year begins tomorrow. Pray that we will teach them in a way that glorifies God and His promises. Most of all, pray that we follow His will for our lives as we embark on this journey. God bless you all!
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