Today marks my first full day in Alexandria. After delayed flights, rescheduled flights, crazy gurgly anxious stomach pains, a luggage fiasco, and countless "Why on earth did I decide to do this" moments, here I am. Excited? Of course. Anxious, lonely, slightly terrified, a little sad? You bet. Regretful? Not in the slightest. If there's anything I have learned in the last 3 years, it's to take more chances. Say yes a little more, stop being so afraid, live purposefully, do the things that you know will ultimately be good for you even though they make your gut hurt a little.
So I made the move. I packed away all my fleece leggings, puffy jackets, XtraTufs, and beanies and traded them in for sandals and lots (and lots) of linen clothes. I said goodbye to my mountains, all the green things, temperate climate, and the land of Amazon Prime, and I am entering a world instead of little tiny shops, year round sun (!!), the Mediterranean Sea, and a brand new culture.
If there was one thing I heard whispered throughout this entire transition it was, "My God will supply every need of yours..." Philippians 4:19. Every need. The whole verse says "My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." As much as I wanted it to, this didn't necessarily mean that when I was a dummy and didn't quite get around to opening a new bank account with no foreign transaction fees, and that I might have to pay a fee each month just to receive my paycheck, that God would miraculously orchestrate a way for me to waive all these fees and I'd receive no consequences from my irresponsibility. But it does mean that God has riches in store for me that are far greater than the material ones here on earth. God meeting my needs doesn't necessarily mean that I will arrive in Egypt and automatically make tons of friends and be surrounded by great community (I hope it happens, but it's not a guarantee!) What it does mean is that if I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me, and His love is greater than that of any friend or coworker. It doesn't mean that I will be successful, that my lessons will go as planned, or that I won't experience failure. It does mean that He is the God of comfort and will be here when I do. He will meet my every need, as He promised. I need to trust that how He chooses to do that is far better than how I might want Him to.
I anticipate that the days ahead will be hard. I've heard that many international teachers are in a honeymoon phase in the beginning, and once October rolls around, the shock of everything really sets in and becomes overwhelming. I pray for a good attitude, patience with myself and joy in the hardships. My first flight over here was delayed, making me miss all my other flights and sending my anxiety through the roof. In the midst of rescheduling flights and trying not to cry in the middle of the airport, I reached out to some of my college friends and asked for prayers for my perspective. My friend Tisa responded with incredible insight :) She mentioned the importance of keeping a joyful attitude in poopy situations. Then she wrote, "Maybe there is a reason the poop emoji is smiling? Perhaps it knows that even though it is a poop and has had a bad day, it is loved and under God's care and that makes every poopy day amazingly blessed."
Cheers to living out the rest of my days as a happy poop emoji.
