Sand, Sorrows, and Shadows

Welcome to the Sandbox! Saddle up and take a ride with us.

It's been long overdue, but we finally settled enough to take a break and relax...long enough to fill you in on our adventurous new beginnings. As we approach the one month anniversary of our arrival, we want to spend some time to reflect and grant you access into our lives, the struggles and victories all-inclusive. 

We began this journey early in 2013 and started the process of applications and initial phone interviews before we gained major interest in taking on this challenge. After months of carrying on our daily lives, without giving the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a second thought, I was contacted again in the fall of 2013.  As most of you may know, this was one of the darkest yet most rewarding times in my life. I was struggling to continue my young teaching career after losing my position as a teacher at a school in Savannah, GA. Around this time last year, I was given a second chance to teach once again in Savannah, just 4 months after what I considered would be the last time I would ever teach in that area again. I've held 3 teaching positions in the States and each one prepared us well for this adventure. The first and the last prepared me well for the conditions and challenges of dealing with kids who are more resistant. The second allowed me to meet 2 co-workers who, now, are both "playing" in the sandbox with me and have been here for a few years. Isn't any cool how God works all things out? The second also allowed me to experience teaching at a high level and maintaining high expectations for my students as well as myself. All three positions and the challenges we faced enduring them has supplied us the necessary tools to take this new journey head on without fear. In October, 2013, I had a second phone interview with my recruiting company.  After issues with the Embassy and delays with processing new teachers, I was finally asked to fly to New York and interview in February, earlier this year. I prepared well for the interview, but left feeling unsure how well I measured up to the qualifications the ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) sought after. Much to my surprise, however, I received an email just a few hours later stating my interview was successful and was going to be offered a position to teach in the great nation of the United Arab Emirates!  The challenge begins!

The following 6 months were nothing short of pure chaos and frustration. I began filling out paperwork and dealing with the local, state, and federal government entities much more than I cared to. I finally learned what it meant to cross my "t's" and dot my "i's". I was overcome with deadlines, expectations, and learning the transition, all the while teaching inner-city middle school students and walking the path of day-to-day life.  Summer came and our lives settled down.  This was the first time we really started to feel the weight of what we were getting ourselves in to. We started to sell EVERYTHING we had, eventually selling our first house in the first few weeks it was on the market. We were consumed by a whirlwind of emotions, each trying to capture our undivided attention. We were nervous because we were moving to another country, the Middle East at that! As stated, we practically sold everything we had except the clothes on our back and put all our "eggs into this basket". We were sad. We were leaving our family, friends, and every bit of comfort behind.  We realized we couldn't just decide to drive up to North Georgia for a weekend any longer. We realized we were going to miss out on holidays and other special events. We realized we were leaving a great, genuine, body of believers of whom we new would be hard to find here. We came to terms with the reality we could feel lonely for extended periods of times.  We also felt excited, though. We felt at peace with the decision. We knew that God was going to be with us every step of the way. He had already providentially paved the way for us to embark on this trek. We were ready to face adventure and challenges. We were ready to experience a new culture and gain a broader perspective of the world we live in. We were ready to, every so often, "play in the sandbox". These emotions, as a package deal, engulfed us for the months leading up to our departure on the 4th of September. We took comfort in leaning on God's promises: He is sovereign, faithful, and will be with us everywhere we go. Our next step was to take a leap of faith. Sure, the country seems luxurious and full of exciting attractions to partake of. Sure, we would be earning a better income than we did in the States. However, we weren't naïve as to think there wouldn't be more famine than feast.  We knew we would struggle to fit in, DAILY. We knew we would have to be more wise and prudent with our money. We knew it would take months, if not years, to adapt to the culture and build relationships. God had prepared our hearts for all of this. We knew we would have to take one step at a time, one day at a time. We could do this only through living by faith.

I will update in a few hours. I have my PADI Open Water training at 15:00 and need to leave. Michelle will join in updating in the near future as well with pictures and her experiences through this voyage. For now, though, I hope all is well with everyone and look forward to talking to you soon! Take care and God bless!