One of the coolest parts about serving at Palm Valley for 3 years is you get to know families. I taught 2 out of 3 Gregg kids, 3 out of 4 Rohlingers and 2 out of 3 Slonigers. I have to say I was partial to the last two since they were so fun, but also because their mom, Jen, has a great blog. I've been able to follow their family's journey to adopt a little boy from Ethiopia. It's been a long wait and it's not even my kid!
But today, yes, TODAY WAS THE DAY! They got their referral with the first picture of their son!!!!!
So head on over to Jen's blog to watch the video. It's worth every second.
Congratulations!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Standing on holy ground
There are times in your life when the presence of God completely overwhelms you. In those time, I feel like Moses who had to remove his sandals and later wear a veil because God's glory and power was so evident.
Wednesday morning I had a take-your-sandals-off moment. The high school I'm teaching at is the same one I graduated from 7 years ago. Still, many of the stalwarts, the best of the best, are still there. These are the people that inspired me to teach. These are people who are spiritual giants in my world. And every Wednesday morning they pray before school together. For the first time, I got to sit in on it.
For 30 minutes, I heard the genuine heart-felt cries to God from people I love dearly. I started to cry when I realized I was surrounded on both sides by cancer survivors. Terri was stage 4. She was supposed to be dead 5 years ago. Linn was told there was nothing they could do. And here both of them were, preserved by God for a greater purpose. Then there's Karen who has done nothing but encourage me and laugh with me for two weeks straight. Kris, who I've known for 17 years of my life whose daughters were my friends in tough times, I could go on and on.
I think what the Church today is missing is that overwhelming feeling of real community. Surrounded by a literal "cloud of witnesses" who rely on God for every single breath they take and walk alongside of you. Their lives in everything point directly to the Savior. It's a humbling to life-giving experience.
I feel so blessed and in awe of God's sovereignty. Never would I have thought I could be a part of something as big as this. I am truly thankful and know that next week, I need to wear sandals.
Wednesday morning I had a take-your-sandals-off moment. The high school I'm teaching at is the same one I graduated from 7 years ago. Still, many of the stalwarts, the best of the best, are still there. These are the people that inspired me to teach. These are people who are spiritual giants in my world. And every Wednesday morning they pray before school together. For the first time, I got to sit in on it.
For 30 minutes, I heard the genuine heart-felt cries to God from people I love dearly. I started to cry when I realized I was surrounded on both sides by cancer survivors. Terri was stage 4. She was supposed to be dead 5 years ago. Linn was told there was nothing they could do. And here both of them were, preserved by God for a greater purpose. Then there's Karen who has done nothing but encourage me and laugh with me for two weeks straight. Kris, who I've known for 17 years of my life whose daughters were my friends in tough times, I could go on and on.
I think what the Church today is missing is that overwhelming feeling of real community. Surrounded by a literal "cloud of witnesses" who rely on God for every single breath they take and walk alongside of you. Their lives in everything point directly to the Savior. It's a humbling to life-giving experience.
I feel so blessed and in awe of God's sovereignty. Never would I have thought I could be a part of something as big as this. I am truly thankful and know that next week, I need to wear sandals.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Lessons learned from my first week as a high school teacher
1. High school teaching means short, intense bursts of creative genius
In elementary school, I had 6 hours in which to impart knowledge. In high school, I'm a 50 minute segment in a long stretch of information. It has to be memorable and concise. In other words, I have to be smart and quirky. There has to be a hook that by the end of the day when they are doing their homework, they'll go, "Oh, I remember that. Miss Ernst explained what adultery was. THAT was awkward."
PS: We're reading The Scarlet Letter so I'm not a complete perv.
2. In high school, they talk back...in a good way.
I'm used to elementary kids talking back in inappropriate ways. High school kids (at least my fabulous Korean and Chinese kids) talk back and make me laugh. Case in point: I was told by an administrator I talk too fast for ESL students. So I talked slower. And here was the conversation that ensued:
Sam: Miss Ernst, where are you from?
Me: San Diego, but I've lived in a lot of different places.
Sam: Why do you talk so slow?
Me: Hahaha...should I talk faster?
Sam: YES!
Me: How'boutthis? ShouldItalkthisfast? Canyouunderstandme? Yagoodyagood?
Sam: (laughing) YES, YES!!
3. I can have conversations that have nothing to do with Hannah Montana.
Thank God. I can have real conversations during passing periods. I can sympathize with their frustration at not knowing where anything is. I remember what it was like to forget your homework assignment on the first day and feel like the world had collapsed.
Hopefully I'll continue to learn more about this strange and fun world called high school ESL. My department head has been astounded at how well I've adapted considering I had two days to prepare. I'll keep you updated with any more epiphanies that happen to bonk me on the head.
Now...I'm off to learn my own language so I can teach it...past present progressive tense anyone?
In elementary school, I had 6 hours in which to impart knowledge. In high school, I'm a 50 minute segment in a long stretch of information. It has to be memorable and concise. In other words, I have to be smart and quirky. There has to be a hook that by the end of the day when they are doing their homework, they'll go, "Oh, I remember that. Miss Ernst explained what adultery was. THAT was awkward."
PS: We're reading The Scarlet Letter so I'm not a complete perv.
2. In high school, they talk back...in a good way.
I'm used to elementary kids talking back in inappropriate ways. High school kids (at least my fabulous Korean and Chinese kids) talk back and make me laugh. Case in point: I was told by an administrator I talk too fast for ESL students. So I talked slower. And here was the conversation that ensued:
Sam: Miss Ernst, where are you from?
Me: San Diego, but I've lived in a lot of different places.
Sam: Why do you talk so slow?
Me: Hahaha...should I talk faster?
Sam: YES!
Me: How'boutthis? ShouldItalkthisfast? Canyouunderstandme? Yagoodyagood?
Sam: (laughing) YES, YES!!
3. I can have conversations that have nothing to do with Hannah Montana.
Thank God. I can have real conversations during passing periods. I can sympathize with their frustration at not knowing where anything is. I remember what it was like to forget your homework assignment on the first day and feel like the world had collapsed.
Hopefully I'll continue to learn more about this strange and fun world called high school ESL. My department head has been astounded at how well I've adapted considering I had two days to prepare. I'll keep you updated with any more epiphanies that happen to bonk me on the head.
Now...I'm off to learn my own language so I can teach it...past present progressive tense anyone?
Friday, August 22, 2008
Grandma Jean
My Grandma Jean passed away a week ago. Her burial was today in Phoenix.
Grandma Jean, me, Grandma and ChristianTechnically, she wasn't my "real" grandma, but she really was a grandma to my brother and I. She was my paternal grandmother's best friend and the two of them did shopping trips to San Diego, lunches and all the fun stuff that two gals named Jean and Betty can do in Hemet, California.
Grandma Jean had several loves in her life: playing the organ at church, collecting bells (she had thousands), offering her opinion with a toss of the head and fabulous intonation, rooting for the Dallas Cowboys(she had the official football phone!) and loving Jesus.
Our family is going to miss Grandma Jean a lot. She filled a gap in our family and we filled one in hers. When her daughter-in-law went to put together the pictures for the funeral bulletin, 3 out of 5 of them are of her and our family. Right now I just can't believe that she won't be coming down for her annual birthday dinner at Seaport Village. Or sending me cards with her meticulous handwriting. Or coming down to visit the Christmas tree at the Hotel Del.
Please pray for our family as well as Grandma Jean's family through this time. Especially pray for my grandma. I can't imagine losing your best friend of 30 years. It's going to be hard for her.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
God has a sense of humor(aka I have a job!)
When I graduated from college, I told my mother two things:
1. I would never teach high school
2. I would never teach in her district
Let's just say I've been laughing for the past 24 hours at God's sense of humor. I'd like to think He's laughing along.
I got offered (and accepted) a job yesterday teaching part-time high school English to international students. In my mom's district.
It's crazy reflecting on how perfect this position is. Who else but God would take a 5th grade teacher and plunk her with no experience, no credential in a high school classroom. I start Monday. As in 48 hours.
The class is all set up. The lesson plans are done through the semester. I'm only teaching two classes of advanced students.
My biggest fear was that I wasn't qualified for it. I wrestled with God for a good hour, but decided to take the step of faith and go for it. As I'm looking through the lesson plans and what I'll actually be teaching, it's stunning. It's what I taught in 5th grade.
In elementary, I guess I always thought of myself as an average teacher. I was effective, yes, but never really thought I was anything exceptional. Until last night. When I realized I was teaching my 5th graders high school vocabulary and writing skills. I taught 10 year-olds MLA formatting. I taught a kid who had almost no English language skills how to use the word "juxtapose" correctly in a sentence.
Dang. I'm good.
I'm still looking forward to teaching internationally someday, but how perfect, how terribly and wonderfully perfect is my position right now. It's preparing me for the next step.
I keep reflecting on what Pastor Greg said a few months ago that has just stuck with me:
God will prepare you for what He has prepared for you.
This is true. So very true. God has an amazing sense of humor.
1. I would never teach high school
2. I would never teach in her district
Let's just say I've been laughing for the past 24 hours at God's sense of humor. I'd like to think He's laughing along.
I got offered (and accepted) a job yesterday teaching part-time high school English to international students. In my mom's district.
It's crazy reflecting on how perfect this position is. Who else but God would take a 5th grade teacher and plunk her with no experience, no credential in a high school classroom. I start Monday. As in 48 hours.
The class is all set up. The lesson plans are done through the semester. I'm only teaching two classes of advanced students.
My biggest fear was that I wasn't qualified for it. I wrestled with God for a good hour, but decided to take the step of faith and go for it. As I'm looking through the lesson plans and what I'll actually be teaching, it's stunning. It's what I taught in 5th grade.
In elementary, I guess I always thought of myself as an average teacher. I was effective, yes, but never really thought I was anything exceptional. Until last night. When I realized I was teaching my 5th graders high school vocabulary and writing skills. I taught 10 year-olds MLA formatting. I taught a kid who had almost no English language skills how to use the word "juxtapose" correctly in a sentence.
Dang. I'm good.
I'm still looking forward to teaching internationally someday, but how perfect, how terribly and wonderfully perfect is my position right now. It's preparing me for the next step.
I keep reflecting on what Pastor Greg said a few months ago that has just stuck with me:
God will prepare you for what He has prepared for you.
This is true. So very true. God has an amazing sense of humor.
Friday, August 8, 2008
The purpose of prayer
Deb...what can I say? Deb is awesome. She's the iron that sharpens my iron. The matching pea in my pod. We were having a conversation about prayer Wednesday night when she read to me Wednesday's My Utmost for His Highest reading.
"We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.
'Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him' ( Matthew 6:8 ). Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.
'. . . I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you . . .' ( John 16:26-27 ). Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His vital life? If so, then "in that day" you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason— God uses these times to give you deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you."
I'm still chewing on this. It rocks my view of prayer. Suddenly prayer isn't all about me and my wants and desires, it truly becomes all about Him.
"We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.
'Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him' ( Matthew 6:8 ). Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.
'. . . I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you . . .' ( John 16:26-27 ). Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His vital life? If so, then "in that day" you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason— God uses these times to give you deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you."
I'm still chewing on this. It rocks my view of prayer. Suddenly prayer isn't all about me and my wants and desires, it truly becomes all about Him.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Dealing with Disappointment
After a week of waiting and praying, several international phone calls and lots of positive feedback, I got a message back from my possible employer. The answer was no.
In some ways I had been preparing myself for that answer
1) because everything seemed too good to be true and
2) because I had been rejected by so many schools before this one.
But on the other hand what makes this such a disappointment was that yesterday was the first day I really let myself dream the "what ifs". What if this really worked out, what would life be like? What if I had to start packing and this and that. I had so many friends and relatives and random people who were so excited for me that it was easy to fall into the "I've got it in the bag" mentality.
And it's hard to go through 6 months worth of rejection then hear that someone is super excited about you and thinks you're wonderful and just perfect but... That's almost worse than the standard "Thanks for applying, but..."
So this is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. I have a choice:
1) Give up, second guess God and my calling, fall back into what is comfortably mundane and close off my heart or
2) Cling tightly to God's promises, thank Him for what He's done and listen closely for the next step.
I'm sticking with choice #2 simply because I've seen too many people fall into #1 and live the rest of their lives unhappy, bitter and just generally unfulfilled.
And God, as ironic as He is, gave me what I wanted: the approval of people. And you know what? It still didn't work out.
Anyway, this seems a bit rambling, but so do my thoughts today. Part of me still wants to cling to a job that no longer exists and the other part knows I need to learn my lesson well and move forward.
As Perry Noble said, "God does a work in you before he does a work through you." Apparently, my in isn't done yet.
In some ways I had been preparing myself for that answer
1) because everything seemed too good to be true and
2) because I had been rejected by so many schools before this one.
But on the other hand what makes this such a disappointment was that yesterday was the first day I really let myself dream the "what ifs". What if this really worked out, what would life be like? What if I had to start packing and this and that. I had so many friends and relatives and random people who were so excited for me that it was easy to fall into the "I've got it in the bag" mentality.
And it's hard to go through 6 months worth of rejection then hear that someone is super excited about you and thinks you're wonderful and just perfect but... That's almost worse than the standard "Thanks for applying, but..."
So this is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. I have a choice:
1) Give up, second guess God and my calling, fall back into what is comfortably mundane and close off my heart or
2) Cling tightly to God's promises, thank Him for what He's done and listen closely for the next step.
I'm sticking with choice #2 simply because I've seen too many people fall into #1 and live the rest of their lives unhappy, bitter and just generally unfulfilled.
And God, as ironic as He is, gave me what I wanted: the approval of people. And you know what? It still didn't work out.
Anyway, this seems a bit rambling, but so do my thoughts today. Part of me still wants to cling to a job that no longer exists and the other part knows I need to learn my lesson well and move forward.
As Perry Noble said, "God does a work in you before he does a work through you." Apparently, my in isn't done yet.
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