He said go

“The LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.’”

“’Come, follow me,’ Jesus said. ‘And I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

God calls us to go, and his Son urges us to follow him wherever he leads – even to the ends of the earth. So right now, that’s what I am doing. God help me. Here’s the story:

A few days ago the Director of Education, his wife, and a few other people from the mission were making their rounds to the islands and had stopped in Kosrae. On Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Quaile were meeting with the SM’s at Kosrae, asking us about our stay so far and getting our opinion of the orientation that we attended in Hawaii. During the conversation he mentioned that our school was super overstaffed – which is very true. We have around 40 students, and 8 teachers available to teach them. Over in Chuuk they have around 170 students, and 7 or 8 teachers. Both ratios are pretty skewed.

Mr. Quaile asked us if we knew the names of anybody who would be willing to go to Chuuk.

In other situations I’m never sure if I’m hearing God speak to me, or if it is just me putting words into my own mind. But at that moment my mind was filled with one thought: Go to Chuuk! I looked over at the other SM’s and noticed Julianne was feeling the same thing, eyes alight with realization and determination to go where she was feeling called to at that moment.

We finished our meeting, went back to our apartment, and right after worship that night I asked, “So, what if one of us went to Chuuk?”

Silence. Alisha and MaKayla stared at me, and then Alisha put out a well-said “Wow.”

“What if two of us went to Chuuk?”

It was a long time until any of us went to sleep that night. We prayed about it, discussed possible new schedules, and prayed some more. The next morning – Monday – Jules and I went to find Mr. Quaile and Mr. A to tell them our idea. Jules was fixed on leaving, I wasn’t quite yet. Mr. A was hesitant but open to the idea, but Mr. Quaile agreed whole-heartedly. He wasn’t expecting that when he asked us for names we would give him ours. But honestly, this move will be good for the mission. Kosrae SDA School will still be able to function, and the school in Chuuk will get two much-needed teachers.

Now, I was thinking that if I chose to leave, it would be at the end of the quarter – giving me time to wrap things up and give time for the teachers to work out a new schedule. But there was a bigger plan, one that said if we were willing to go we would leave with the Quailes the very next day.

What?

I paced the rocks lining the beach during high tide, asking God if this was really what he wanted me to do. Leave Kosrae, a beautiful island that had quickly and quietly stolen so much of my heart. God calls us to follow him, and he definitely doesn’t promise that the road is going to be easy. If I were to leave Kosrae I’d be jumping into the unknown. In Kosrae, we have a brand new apartment, our own little truck, free snorkel gear rentals, good food, and a cute little campus filled with the most incredible people that I’ve ever met. The sunsets are beyond gorgeous, and I feel completely safe and comfortable.

In Chuuk? I honestly have no idea. I know the ocean is just beyond the basketball court past a tangle of jungle, and the people at the school are nice. But I don’t know much else or what I would be teaching.

But there are holes there that need to be filled. I didn’t go as an SM to be comfortable. There are a lot of reasons I went, but one was to learn how to cling to God. To learn how to trust him with whatever life threw at me, no matter how hard. Usually, I would have asked God for a sign, to show me that I’m supposed to go. But through this experience he’s teaching me that sometimes I just need  to take a leap of faith and to trust that he will be there to catch me.

So I sat down, looked to the sky and said, “Alright God, I’ll go. It’s you and me.”

That was early Tuesday afternoon. The rest of that day was a mess of informing parents and Jeanne, buying tickets, a last trip to the waterfall with our Kosrae friends, packing up our stuff, and wondering what we were getting ourselves into. “This is crazy!” We said more than once. Shout-out to Alisha and MaKayla, who were pros at making a new schedule for the school, and who accepted the new change of pace with a steadfast determination that could only come from God.

We went to talk to Pastor William and Mrs. Triss, a couple who has taken us girls under their wings and have treated us like family. I started to explain why we were leaving, but honestly I doubt they could understand me because I was crying so much. I’m going to miss Pastor’s stories, Mrs Triss’ cooking, and the kindness and love they showed even the first day. They gave us their blessing, prayed for us, and then through tears from most every eye we hugged good-bye.

This was harder than I ever imagined it would be.

The next morning we said goodbye to the students; first and second graders are so resilient. For the last time I said good morning to my students and led them in singing some of their favorite songs – Good Morning, Thank you God, and My God is so BIG. Then we pulled out a Go Fish game with uppercase and lowercase letters and played matching until I could figure out who was actually supposed to be teaching my kids. I taught science to the 7^th and 8^th graders, and when walking kids down to the bus stop I had gotten to know the kids from the other four grades. It’s amazing the type of connections you can make with people over only a month, a few short days, or even only a couple of laughs.

“Goodbye Teacher! I’ll miss you!” The words chorused over and over again. Then we were in the van, headed to the airport and there was no turning back.

I’m in Pohnpei right now. It’s great to see friends and to be almost barreled over with hugs, and if anybody wants to go to Pohnpei they really need an elementary teacher and a 7^th grade teacher. The campus is so much bigger than on Kosrae’s campus and the people are nice! Jules and I would be a good fit, but this isn’t where God is calling us. 

Tomorrow (Thursday) we leave Pohnpei for our new home, and I’m nervous but at peace. Thank you for your continuing prayers and support, and the next time you’ll hear from me I’ll be in Chuuk!