Well, hello everyone.
Yes, I’m still alive. Yes, Christmas was wonderful. Yes, it was nice to go ‘home’…though even the whole idea of ‘home’ is shifting and changing.
This is a weird stage of life; there isn’t any other way to explain it. You know just enough (hopefully) of your job and life to manage on your own but aren’t used to it enough to feel comfortable in it. If you’re anything like me, you feel awkward one minute, totally fine the next, like there’s something you should be doing, like you don’t know what to do…the emotions change minute by minute.
This is reality. This is ‘adulting’.
I have a complicated relationship with that word. On one hand, it annoys me, because I feel like some people use it as an excuse not to grow up. “Oh, I can’t ‘adult’ today; I just want to curl up and drink hot chocolate and eat pizza for dinner.”
(Trust me, that is a very real temptation! Thailand has good pizza….)
On the other hand, it’s a useful word that sums up a very real feeling. When kids are kids, we think that adults know everything. They seem so wise and strong and capable. Then, we grow up and learn that adults are really just people who have tried, tried, and tried again, and get to live with the wisdom of experience. We watch our parents, who are living with that wealth of experience, and think we should look like them. Where we think we should be is a far cry from our physical and emotional reality.
When I was back in the States, I passed a church sign that listed the sermon for the week after Christmas, titled “Life After the Manger”. I have no idea what exactly that sermon would have entailed, but the title stuck with me. It’s such an appropriate title for that time right after Christmas, and for me, right after finishing my last part of college. The student teaching is done. This is my JOB.
The Messiah is born.
…so what happens now?
I imagine Mary and Joseph must have been asking that question. Probably a lot of other people: the shepherds, the wise men, anyone who saw the star, Simeon and Anna in the temple…
They had just lived through this huge, major event. But then…life went back to normal. And minus a few hiccups, life would stay “normal” for the next 30 years, until Jesus started His ministry.
It must have seemed like a letdown, a bit.
The Messiah is here…now what?
I’ve got a job, I finished school, I’m living in Thailand…now what?
Some of you reading this are in the same place I am. Some of you are nodding your heads as you remember being in that place.
I don’t have any clever answers for you. All I know is how to look to God, shaking and nervous as I am, and follow His lead.
Because after the manger, God was still there, as He had been for the past thousands of years. After the manger, He was still guiding people. And after the manger, His plan was far from done.
I don’t know what the next five-ish months have for me. I don’t know what my life holds around every corner. I certainly have no clue what will come in the next thirty years!
But I know that God is still here. He is Comforter and Guide, when I am clueless, and He is the orchestrator of every victory I see.
After the manger, God doesn’t stop being Emmanuel.
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On a strictly practical note, I am currently in Nonthaburi, Thailand, still working with the same kids I was last semester. My kids are the ones that have a lower skill level in English, and my biggest challenge is figuring out how to help each child improve in the areas that they are weak in, while still teaching a class with curriculum. My second-grade class is also high-energy and has very low classroom independence. I am trying to work on teaching them that independence without throwing too much at them at once. I would appreciate your prayers as I seek the wisdom to teach and encourage these students.
For myself, I’d ask for prayer regarding all my Visa paperwork, as I get approved to stay in the country longer-term. I recently found out that due to a mix-up, my temporary Visa expired over break, which will probably require me to go on a quick trip out of the country, so I can renew it. While a headache, I’m hoping something nice will come out of it, if only the chance to stay in a hotel with wifi 😉
Thank you all so much for your readership and comments. It makes me feel good to keep you all updated on my life and progress. If there is anything you are curious about in my life in Thailand, let me know! I’m happy to answer.
Next update should be sooner. I’m trying to aim for 2 postings a month. If there are any topics you’d like a blog post on, again, I’m all ears.
I love you all, signing off for now!
Julianna
Teach; Think; Write. 