Well, I have some exciting news :) And it's a bit long and complicated, so bear with me!
Over the past month, a few things have happened that have changed my life here in Portugal a bit. As I've written on this blog before, I've been volunteering with an organization called Young Life (a non-profit Christian Youth Organization) since I moved here in August. I've really enjoyed working with them, and I've been able to have more and more responsibility in planning activities and events in the past few months.
As I started becoming more involved with Young Life, I just began to question if teaching was really what I wanted to do. The truth is, and all of you probably know this because I've definitely said it before, I've never really wanted to be a teacher. It was just a way for me to be able to come overseas for awhile. Now that's not to say that I haven't completely loved working with ICSC kids--because my students here are so amazing and I love them to death!!! But when I came here, it wasn't because I was dying to be a teacher. It was because I was excited about mentoring teens, building relationships with them, and leading them towards Christ.
This whole year when I've been teaching, I've wanted to able to talk to my students about everything they are interested in. I've wanted to take them out for coffee and to the movies and just be able to be there for them! But, as a teacher, I have to maintain this professional boundary--which I totally respect and agree with. But still, I found it frustrating. And on top of that, if I was going to be a teacher, I wanted to be an excellent teacher. And the planning and paper-work part of teaching takes up so much time, that by the end of the day, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even think of taking some kids out to the movies! So here I was...trying to reconcile all of this in my head.
That's when I talked to Sarah--the area director for Young Life here. She saw me working with Young Life, and noticed how very "alive" that made me feel. In Young Life, I could have the friendships with these teenage girls that I wanted to have. These girls were starting to trust me, tell me about things in their lives, and I was able to just love on them and support them. This is what I was saying I really feel like I was made for--relational ministry like this. Sarah gave me one heck of an idea...Young Life could be my job! I hadn't really thought about this before. I can do what I really want to do...and still afford to live? Novel concept--I know!
Making this decision final though, was hard. I went back and forth--trying to decide what's the best decision. At the school, I get paid a salary (it's not much, but it's almost enough to get by--with a bit of help from home). With Young Life, I'd be agreeing to a three year commitment--for which I'd have to fund raise a huge budget. Young Life is a non-profit missionary association, so it's like most other missionary boards...I have to riase everything! And this is a scary thing, becuase the economy is so rough right now in the States, and I don't even know how to begin to or who to ask for money. And I hate having to ask for money :/
So this was certainly something I struggled with. I only told a few people about this job opportunity, and had them just praying with me as I tried to make this decision. And I finally have! Because I have the support of my soon to be-future-boss here, the application process has already been on a roll. I've had one interview with YL in the States, and they are currently finishing up checking all my references. Once that is finished, I'll meet with them again and take a strengths and personality test to make sure I match up with the team here in Portugal.
By the end of April, we hope that I'll officially be a staff member at YL! This means that when the school year is over in June, I'll be heading back to the States to try to fundraise as quickly as possible. It's not such a big deal that I'm not here for the summer, since most of the kids I work with will all be gone for the summer as well (the international school population is all over the place!) but it is important that I try to get back here as soon as I can when school starts. Since this ministry is relational, I need to be here to maintain the friendships I've already formed with some kids, as well as start building relationships with the new ones! We are hoping I can raise enough to be able to come back here in September.
I talked with Pastor Carlos, the Director of ICSC, all about this a few weeks ago. I told him that I was thinking about Young Life, and he joined me in praying about my future. I had another meeting with him on Wednesday, and I told him I had made a final decision to not return to the school for another year, but to pursue YL. He was sad and disappointed about me leaving, but I think that ultimately, he wants me to pursue what I feel God is leading me towards. And, as I told him, I don't want to disappear from this school--I'm open to subbing and being involved in activities or whatever!
So here it is--all the drama of my life over the past month or so! I'm really excited about it, but kind of nervous too! God's going to have to do some sort of miracle! But I honestly feel like this is the right decision for me, and I believe it's all going to work out :)
Take a look at what I'm going to be a part of! www.younglife.org
Love you all so much!
Ariel
