My Cup Overflows

Tomorrow is the first day of school at Haven of Peace Academy, and I get the privilege of being the elementary school principal.  This picture was taken on Thursday, and this is the incredible staff I get to work with this year.  We are from probably over a dozen different countries, and together we get to create an amazing community of learners for almost 400 students.

When I was at my parents' house in July, I was going through old papers and I found this:

The letter is dated April 4, 1999, and it's the original invitation HOPAC sent me to come and teach.  

I didn't make it here until August of 2001, but I eventually did arrive, and I taught this wonderful group of kids for two years.  

In 2005, Gil and I came back to Tanzania, this time with him as chaplain and Bible teacher, and HOPAC became our entire life for 8 years.  We ate, slept, and breathed HOPAC.  If you cut us open, HOPAC blood would have run out.  

Then we left in 2013, and I thought that was the end.  

We would be returning to Tanzania, and our kids would be attending the school, but I knew it wouldn't be our life anymore.  

I joined the board as a parent volunteer.  

Pictures of board meeting aren't very exciting.  The meetings themselves weren't very exciting either, but they sure were interesting.  My devotion to this school just continued to grow.

So when it became apparent that God was leading me back to working at HOPAC, and I applied and was granted the position of primary school (elementary) principal, well, it just seemed to good to be true.  Truly, far more than I imagined.

But it is true. And it's happening, and here I am again, immersing my life into this place which I dearly adore.  My cup overflows.  I can't think of any place I would rather be.  

These last two weeks have been crammed with all the things that are needed to open a school year--orientation sessions, organizing, scheduling, helping new teachers.  And though my first week was rough as I struggled through jetlag and an abundance of nerves, I love this job more and more with each passing day.  Which is pretty cool considering that the school year hasn't even started yet.  

This is a new season for me.  And one thing many friends asked me while I was in the States was, "Are you going to be able to keep blogging?"  I sure hope so.  That's my plan.  But it might be different.  I won't have as much time to write and I won't have as much mental space to think about writing.  There might be a lot more things in my life that I won't be at liberty to share publicly.  But I hope you'll stick with me anyway, because this a journey I will want to share.  

I will sing the Lord's praises, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:6