I hope this post finds you well. I know we
are all in different seasons of life, and in the last couple months I have
found myself in an interesting predicament. This March I had envisioned myself to
be in Europe this year and had tried to find a job in Germany before I left
South Korea, but because I was unable to find anything, I made a last minute
decision to sign a contract with a school in Jinju, South Korea. When this
summer started and I flew to Germany, I was relaxed and planned to have fun and
not worry about finding a job. However, God had other plans. Five days before
my flight was supposed to leave Germany for Seoul, my contact at my new school
let me know I didn't have a job waiting for me anymore because I was unable to
secure the documents needed for the new visa in time. (This hadn't been a
problem at my first school so I didn't expect this news.)
After a phone call with mom, canceled flight,
multiple trips to the internet cafe in Bonn, Germany, and seven days, I
procured a job at the International Christian School of Vienna as an English
teacher for 6th, 11th, and 12th grade. Two days later I was on my way to start
the new job. On my way there I lost my makeup bag, so I arrived in Vienna with
no makeup, no professional clothes, and no place to live. I started teaching
three days later. It's been stressful to say the least, but the silver lining
is that all along I wanted to be in Europe, especially a German-speaking country.
My things continue to arrive from Korea, and soon I will have all my belongings
again.
Some of you may remember that about three years
ago when I was in college at Texas A&M, I had made plans to be a missionary
to Germany. I ended up getting teacher certified and heading to Korea because
those plans never materialized. After that disappointment, it was never my goal
to become a missionary again. Ironically, the school in Vienna is a missionary
school, and the majority of staff must raise their own support. I am happy to
be here and be able to be a missionary this year, I just never thought it would
happen like this (or happen at all, for that matter).
Most missionaries at ICSV raise their support
before they arrive, but because of my unique circumstances, I am unable to
follow this pattern. If you are able to help me financially with a commitment
for this school year (October to June), I would really appreciate it. And if
you cannot commit to a year, a one-time gift will go a long way in helping me
get settled here in Vienna. These donations are tax-deductible.
To speak candidly, the start-up cost is around
$6,000 and includes visa fees, apartment deposit (around $1,500), rent, travel
to Vienna, the yearly card for the U-bahn (subway), and food and daily living
costs for the past month. Thankfully I have been able to use money from savings
so far, but obviously this situation is not ideal. If you are able to help with
a one-time gift for these start-up costs, I would really appreciate it.
My initial goal for support this year is to
find 25 people willing to send me at least 25 dollars a month from October to
June. Next year is not until next year (and if I’ve learned anything in the
last few months it’s not to count my eggs before they hatch), so at this point
I would only ask for a commitment for this year. These 25 people would be
helping me with daily expense needs and any excess will go towards off-setting
the cost of what it takes to run the school.
ISCV is run as a non-profit organization,
charges about half the tuition of other international schools in Vienna, and
offers scholarships to many students. Most staff raise support, covering their
own living expenses and helping fund student scholarships. The student
scholarships allow kids who would otherwise be unable to attend the school to
have an alternative to the Austrian school system, which can be rigid and
unaccommodating to speakers of languages other than German.
Even more than money, I covet your prayers. To
be able to relax and stay at peace during this stressful situation is not in my
nature, so thank you for praying for God to be in control of my circumstances
and stay focused on him instead of the chaos. Also pray that I will be a light
to the students and be an effective teacher.
If you are interested in helping me financially, shoot me an email and I can send you the necessary forms to donate.
Donations need to be made out to RCE and not me so that they can be processed
correctly. The money goes to RCE based in the United States, and then it is
sent from there to ICSV, and then to me.
Thank
you so much for your prayers and concern.
