On the bus ride from Maun to Gaborone, Botswana God gave me something I’ve been searching and asking about, for longer than I’m willing to admit and honestly I’m taken aback at how it came so easy….
I’m 99% sure that God thinks I’d be a GREAT TEACHER!!!
(Him and 24675689752 other people who have told me that my entire life.)
of course I’ve flirted with the thought but you see… school and I do not/ did not see eye to eye. I never felt ‘smart’ in school, I never excelled academically… like ever. I never put weight in scholastic success. I was a full, lively, happy B-C student excited about Choir, Lunch, PE, and after school activities….
This is my FAVORITE Education Inspired Quote…
I totally felt like that little orange fish you barely see in the bottom left corner….
Mid race I “deleted” the thought of becoming a teacher. I was certain it came out of a place of fear. I thought I was scared that I couldn’t or wouldn’t get a job in my degree field. I love recreation leadership and I have always dreamt of working at camp forever. The thought of being a teacher was more of a back up plan just in case Rec. didn’t work out… I convinced myself that I didn’t want to be a teacher because that’s what everyone wanted me to be. (Makes a lot of sense I know lol)
On that bus ride from Maun to Gaborone while staring out the window I asked God a lot of questions…. The end of this amazing year is nearing it’s end.
Lord…. What am I going to do when I get home? Where am I going to land? Where will I work? When will I get engaged? How will I grow your Kingdom at home the way I have around the world? How will I serve you with my career? Where will home be? Lord I thought I’d fall in love with a specific ministry this year but…I didnt. I though I’d know what to do with my career, my life, my uhhmm everything? And the questions continued. As I threw them all at the Lord I finally stopped… pondered for a moment… maybe there was even a head tilt…
“God do you want me to be a teacher?”….. and you know what HE said?
YES!
He said YES!!!!
I said WOW!
j/k I said…. Ok, What?…. really? Wait what????? WHAT?
It’s that easy Lord? Seriously?????
I mean … ok. Thank You? THANK YOU! I was a substitute teacher my final semester of college. I did LOVE IT. And I’ve always taught in different capacities at camp. Also I have found myself in the classroom almost every month on the race! But Lord WOW! This is a surprise!
I’m baffled that it came so easily… God’s goodness and answers….. I’m shocked that it wasn’t a message in the sky written out in the clouds, it wasn’t spelt out in my cheerios (Ha haven’t seen those in 10 months lol) and it wasn’t a struggle of “is it really you Lord?”
It was answered staring out the dirty,cloudy bus window eyes full of tears watching donkeys and the occasional zebra pass me by lol…
While I had His attention I also asked…What grade? What subject? Where am I going to get my masters? Or will I do a 5th year program? I know that some of these will be worked out along the way as I research my options and opportunities. But a few were answered.
Annnnddd I think I’m going to 8th grade…. again…..WHAMMY.
This is a BIG DEAL y’all……
Fun Fact about Beth: I failed that 8th grade. Its true. Even went to summer school to “really” learn pre algebra before going back for 8th grade round 2! From time to time you can hear me say there are a few things I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy and failing the 8th grade is one of them….. so there it is folks!
Why would I ever go back to middle school and 8th grade of all places?
Because JESUS.
And the best part is…. I’m EXCITED! I want to do this because I know that God wants me to do this!
A verse I live by is Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and HE WILL give you the desired of your heart!
I love this, I feel like it’s a sure sign that I AM delighting myself in HIM and He is revealing to me the things that HE has designed me to do!
It didn’t matter that literally everyone from friends, college professors, campers parents, boyfriends, and my mom told me that I ‘d be a good teacher. I had to hear it from HIM. I had to recognize that it was Jesus pushing me in this direction, not the world.
I know now that the passion and desire inside me for this is from HIM and thats what will sustain me.
I can’t wait. I can’t believe I’m going back to school to go back to school… the last place I thought I’d find myself… I try to imaging what goofy, scared, big haired, smiley, middle school Beth would think of this and I laugh because I know she’d be just as surprised as 25 year old Beth!
So here we go again. I’m happy to have a direction to head in when I get home and I look forward to this next chapter with great joy!
If I dare to become a teacher then I guess I dare to never stop learning myself. And that’s a future I’m really looking forward to!
Guatemala- I worked at Escuela Especial in Quiche Guatemala! What a memorable month 1 working with over 30 kids with varying needs and languages of love!!
Nicaragua- I worked with a feeding program in Granada that doubles as a gospel sharing, Jesus teaching, preschool!!
Thailand – I taught Christmas themed english classes at the local Buddhist and Muslim elementary school!
Cambodia- I worked in 2 schools! Bykota House homeschool in Phnom Penh and at a private Christian school in Siem Reap.
Nepal- With a team of 14, I carried over 1,000 bricks more than a kilometer up to a solar powered school to build new classrooms in the foothills of the Himalayas.
India- Every day I got to work in a preschool for blind children at Sarah’s Covenant Homes in Hyderabad.
Swaziland- Working at a Preschool at the Entabas Carepoint and after school feeding, shepherding,and discipleship program.
Botswana- Hosting a morning program on Joseph and his coat of many colors at the local elementary school in Maun Botswana!
Peace and Blessings,
Beth (in Macedonia) Milam
#InTheClassroomAsItIsInHeaven #InTheWorldAsItIsInHeaven
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10
