TRANSITION

TRANSITION 

Q: Why not return to work with YWAM in Kona?

A: This is something that I have fast and prayed about for months and asked others to corporately join with me in prayer.  The main reasons, 1) Financial –I was not able to gain enough support promised to cover my living costs once I would arrive. My only option would be to work while in Kona at an outside job. Wisdom and counsel from others in this position told me that this would defeat the purposes in going to teach missionaries on campus and would involve many logistics with time, since I do not have a car at the University of the Nations. 2) Vision – Many believers in prayer have given encouragement, scripture and verbal support towards my missionary calling, but it has been for overseas. It has called me to humbly question that without the provisions should I move ahead in the temporary step of moving back to expensive Hawaii?

Q: So what are the other options and challenges?

A: I still have very much has an open door to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil and stay with a friend and work for a month with their project with children and stay for a crusade that my current church in Pennsylvania will be a part of. Then, there is the option of going on staff in April with Youth With a Mission teaching the English as a Second Language School in Recife, Brazil and staying with a long time missionary friend.  The challenge: 1) Timing – These events would not occur until mid-February early March. 2) Financial – I have to be working to provide for my basic needs such as health insurance. It is very hard to find a job and then say I will be leaving again. Jobs are hard to come by, and I must be flexible and responsible to my own needs. I still do not have the monthly commitment to provide for even my first month of living in another country. (I only had a 10 percent proposed budget in promise) and it hard to leave for another country with no actual money to pay a first month’s bills and the inability to work in another country. 3) Visa- I could only secure a temporary tourist visa. In the future I would like to go for my next assignment for at least a year and I am seeking ways to see how this would be possible.

Q. What is your job situation now? 

A. I just completed a temporary substitute job in the North Penn School District as an Assistant Teacher in the English as a Second Language Dept. It was a great job, but did not provide much financially and is now over. Since then I have been day to day substituting. However, in the age of technology (and I have no I-phone) the jobs are gone very quickly. In addition, I did not pass my Praxis test making it hard to find jobs with an emergency certification.

Q. What are you aiming towards in a job now? 

A. I am applying everywhere from higher level education jobs that do not require a certification and will look kindly on a Master’s degree and to towards lower skilled job such as Starbucks to pay my bills. Basically, I am trying to get my needs meet and any open door I will quickly go through. 

Q. What about the money given towards missions? 

A. I was able to raise enough money for airfare and a tiny part of one month’s living expenses in a missionary assignment. I am thankful for this. All of that money is in the Colink account and legally will ONLY be utilized for missionary events in the future. It will all be saved for that time and can be trusted to only be used for missionary purposes. 

Q. What do you think of the future?

A. I really believe that God has called me into full-time ministry as a missionary. Yet, in many ways it has been a timing piece that has to be in God’s hands. The finances and prayer support need to come together and be in place to go. As a single missionary on my own, there are realities to be dealt with and without those pieces in place, I must wait. Brazil the country that I once served in continues to be upon my heat and has grown. I look forward to see what God will do with that.  

Q. How has your faith grown in this process?

A. Many things did not turn out the past year as I had hoped possible. However, God has continued to supply for me and sharpened my desire for missions and given clearer vision. I have learned to trust God for what I cannot understand and believe in him for my future. I continue to be very involved with prayer and have seen God do some amazing things with the people around me. 

Q. How can others help?

A. Continue encouragement and prayer. Believe God for the miracles and trust that He has a plan in the ways He will take me in the coming days. Seek God as you give counsel and give suggestions birthed in prayer.

Thanks so much, if you have further questions please feel free to contact me!

JoEllen