I guess it is a bit early for musings on 2009, but I thought I'd get a head start because lots of things have happened this year.
CHANGE. That pretty much sums up my whole year.
The year started with me being fresh out of university and waiting for the DET to tell me where they wanted me to teach. We were told that we'd get a call in January, yet no one got the call. So that was a bit of a bummer - 4 years of training and no jobs. So I used up my free time to write an impressive resume and lots and lots of cover letters. I applied for every single teaching job that came up even if they were in schools far away. And in God's providence, I ended up at Casula high. When I went in for my "interview" their intentions were clear - they were desperate and no one wanted the job. But being new and eager I took up the job - a one year placement. I'm really glad I did actually. It was a rougher school than I was used to but it really opened my eyes to the south-west and the people there and their needs. I was sad to find out that my placement was going to be cut short, but the school was gracious enough to hire me for the whole of term 2 as a support teacher. All the teachers there were lovely and gave me excellent support. It was like we all understood that Casula was a hard place to teach and we needed to keep on encouraging each other in order to persevere.
Something else very exciting also happened in January (gosh we'll never get to february, march, april....). Rob proposed to me and I gladly accepted. I must say it wasn't easy getting to that stage. Some thought the timing was not good but both Rob and I were ready.
Not only did Rob and I get engaged in 2009, but we also got married! On the 11th of July 2009 we were married at St. Andrews Anglican Wahroongha. At first the time between engagement and marriage seemed so small... but by the middle of June, my Mum was definately thanking God that the whole wedding planning fiasco was not going to be dragged out any longer. We easily planned our wedding in 6 months and had the most fabulous day. Everything went perfectly and I'll remember the day forever.
And so with marriage comes more change. I was no longer living with my parents but was now living with my husband. And with this brought so many new responsibilities that I had not had to think about before. There was grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, bills, etc! Not to mention living with Rob. But I do love it. It's great living with someone who you want to serve and who serves you. It's also nice having your own home and organising things the way that works for you. I love our flat and it's in such a convenient location. God has truly blessed us in this.
I also left my church of 22 years - Penno Baps, to join Rob at his church - St Andys Wahroongha. It has been very sad to leave my family church of Penno Baps. It's been good to visit or catch up with people there - it's always as if I've never left when I see them. However starting at St Andys has opened up opportunities for me to try out different ministries. I've started leading the pre-school to year 1 age group Sunday school which has been so much fun. I've always been scared about teaching little kids a dumbed-down gospel, but all the leaders there are so good at teaching a true fullness of the gospel - it has been a priviledge learning from them and being able to be a part of this very important ministry.
With only 2 terms of work at Casula, I was on the job search again. Now with some extra experience to add onto my resume, finding work was quite a bit easier. I had a few casual teaching stints at some local schools and a few interviews. Then I got a job at Crestwood High. It was only part time, but there was the possibility of it becoming permanent. I started at Crestwood in the middle of term 3 and am still there now... and am contracted for the next year as well. Although the culture is very different from Casula, I'm still enjoying it and thanking God for providing work for both Rob and I.
I probably shouldn't bore you with much else. Rob and I are still enjoying being married and have almost had a second honeymoon this past week as we are both on holidays and making an effort to do exciting things together. The next few days will be very busy as we have our first Christmas together and our first Christmas where we will be scooting around both sides of our family. We aren't sure exactly what 2010 will hold but we are excited to find out what God has in store for us. We praise God for his faithfulness to us in 2009. At this time of the year, we also thank God for his grace in giving us the Lord Jesus Christ who saves us from our sins and brings us into relationship with Him.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.
From Car-O-Line
