When passion and ministry collide...

Do you love your job? Like seriously, can't wait to spend all day there, nothing makes you happier, love your job!?! I do! Seriously! Don't get me wrong, there are days I don't want to get out of bed, a few extra hours of sleep would be fantastic. And there are days that I come home so mad that I can't stand it. And there are days where I think that if I have to see another teenager I may lose my mind. But, overall, I love my job, and I know without a doubt that it's exactly where God wants me right now.

If you had asked me 5 years ago if I could ever imagine working where I work, I would have died laughing and then ran for cover... Who would have ever thought that a middle class, white, preppy, Canadian, big city, sheltered girl would be working in a poverty, black, ghetto, American, rural school!?! Especially someone who didn't want to be a teacher? That ladies and gentlemen, is God at work! God has given me such a heart for those kids, and when everyone else is ready to walk away and give up on them I'm ready to dive right in and love them. I love seeing a kid's head pop around my door to my office, smile, and then yell that they love me as they run down the hallway to their next class. I love walking down a hallway and being stopped by 50, 000 teenagers who have to tell me a story, give me a hug, or just smile and say hi. I love getting back to my office and finding it or my door covered in sticky notes from the students. I love being in the middle of a class when my door flies open, students from another class run in, steal everything on my desk, and then run back out of the room. I love sitting at athletic games with students sitting all around me. I love realizing I could have left work 2 hours ago but I was having too much fun hanging out and talking to my students that I didn't even realize what time it was. I love seeing a group of huge teenage boys running across a parking lot yelling my name and then giving me hugs. I love the fact that the kids know that they can come to me and I will do everything within my power to help them. I love seeing my students learning, laughing, and growing to become amazingly awesome people!

To have a God-given passion is an amazing thing that I can't even begin to find words to describe. To have a God-given ministry is an inspiring responsibility. To have those 2 things collide is an incredible experience.