I went to Hawaii last summer for seven weeks to volunteer at the University of the Nations, the Youth With a Mission main base. Words cannot describe how amazing my experience was. Someday I'll attempt to describe it. Anywhoo, a year went by and I found myself a bit dissatisfied with my job at Sentinel, only because I wasn't being used to my full capacity. Don't get me wrong, the job was a breeze, the staff was wonderful, and the students were and still are some of my all-time favorite people. I just wasn't being challenged. So, I applied and interviewed for a handful of jobs across the state of Montana. The one job I was offered didn't feel right, so I turned it down, much to the chagrin of my Principal and probably my parents.
Around the middle of July I decided I needed to go back to Hawaii, just to visit for a week or so. I missed the community and atmosphere of the campus, and I just wanted to see the island one more time before school started and winter descended. I woke up on a Thursday morning, purchased a ticket, and hopped a plane, all very last minute.
Of course, nothing on campus was as I remembered it as all of the people I'd hung out with last year were scattered across the globe. I wandered, directionless and alone, wondering why I'd come back. Standing on the balcony of the visitor's center, watching the sun setting over the ocean, I asked God, "What do you want me to do? What's next? Why am I so restless? I really need answers."
The following day I found myself at a party full of people I mostly didn't know watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I had come without a car so I found myself hitching a ride with a stranger who wasn't all that thrilled to be saddled with me, but by the time we made it to Hale Ola, we had decided we like each other well enough to go to coffee the next morning.
Stani picked me up the next morning and we drove to the Coffee Shack up in Captain Cook, one of my favorite breakfast spots on the Kona side of the island. She wanted to chat about theater and life and after we ordered our coffee, we settled in for a chat. She had just asked me about my future plans and I was explaining that I'd just finished my library endorsement and wasn't sure what to do next. As focused as I was on the conversation, I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings, but had registered that a woman had just walked past our table. At least, I thought she'd walked past, but as the word "library" slipped past my lips, the woman spun on her heels, slammed her hand down on the table in front of me and said in emphatic tones, "We need you! We need you!"
I'm surprised I didn't spill my coffee. Before I could ask what in the world she meant, she continued, "School starts on Monday and we can't find a librarian anywhere." She proceeded to introduce herself as a fifth grade teacher at a local school, invited me to come visit the school, and gave me her phone number, as well as the phone number of the principal. She encouraged me to call, the sooner the better, and then went back to her table to enjoy her breakfast with her circle of friends. I just sort of sat and stared at the napkin with the phone numbers, and then looked up at Stani. "Ummm, I think I'm going to go make a phone call."
"Go for it, girl!" was her reply, and I stepped outside to talk to the principal. I knew if I waited and weighed the decision, I'd never call. After a brief conversation an interview was arranged...and the rest is history.
Do I consider myself lucky? I'd written in my journal, only moments before the coffee encounter, "Lord, put me in the right place at the right time." From that point things worked together so well that I must say, no, I don't consider myself lucky; I consider myself well loved, cared for, looked after, and championed. I could never have lined things up to work the way they have. It was, and has been, all His doing.
The job is not easy. There are days when I cry. There are days when I don't think I can get out of bed. But there are moments, so many moments when I'm reminded of how I am loved. Hugs from kindergarteners who still know what it means to love unconditionally, thanks from students who have just had a relative die and need something to cheer them up, encouraging notes from fellow teachers, impromptu dance parties in the aisles of Costco with friends, worshiping on the beach with earnestly off-key singers, and so many other little moments that fill me back up again.
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