I'm here!

Well, I have been a little busy recently driving and getting settled, but for now, a quick update! I arrived in Sun Valley, Arizona, my new home last night at about 7:30. I was greeted enthusiastically by 10 girls with hugs and other great excitement. In fact, Janna's (one of the teachers here) mother was here from Hawaii, and she had taught some of the students how to make leis. Two of the kids gave me their leis to welcome me, which was really cool.

To back up a bit, driving for the last two days was exhausting, but good. I have tons of pictures to post, but am way to tired to do any editing or anything, so I will include a few of my favorites as a preview of what is to come. Needless to say, but the time I got here I was really glad to be done driving for a while. Thanks for the prayers!

I had a few wonderful helpers empty my car with me, which was great considering that it was unloaded in about 15 minutes. I mean, it only took me like 2 days to pack! Anyway, I got to know the girls a little, and learned a little about the routine. The girls are amazing, and I am so excited to be a part of this community. I know it will not be easy, that's already clear, but I'm so excited to see God work.

After the girls went to bed, and having a quick chat with Holly, the other dorm parent I'm working with, I did some unpacking. Ok, a lot of unpacking.  The mess was too overwhelming to sleep in, and I had to find sheets. I finally got to bed, and was awakened with a lovely surprise about 4 AM.

Ok, so I've been living in the rainy northwest for the last while, so the sound of rushing water is nearly soothing for me. And it was, until I realised it wasn't rain. My bathroom sink faucet decided the pressure was too much and one of the handles basically broke off, and so there was water rushing in my sink. Most of it went into the sink, but there was a nice lovely puddle on the floor too. So after waking Holly and her husband Bernie up, Bernie graciously helped turn the water off under the sink. (Side note: If I knew there was a knob under there I would have done it myself, but having just moved in, I really didn't want to break anything else.) Nothing like a little fun to wake you up in the middle of the night.

Luckily, the maintenance people here are amazing, and I have a new faucet in my bathroom that works now! The staff have been very welcoming, and I so appreciate them already. These are tough kids. In fact, two of the girls in my dorm stole something from a gas station on their cross country trip today, but that's another story. The point is, these are not your average kids, but everyone here has a huge heart for them. When I met with Mardell, the administrator, today, she shared that no matter what your background, whether reservation schools, teen challenge, or anything else, this job is still challenging in a new and different way. Nothing can compare to it. But she also shared that she has never seen God work quite the way he does here anywhere else. God is amazing, and he is the reason I am here. I'm looking forward to walking through this adventure with him.

Now then, I need to get some sleep, because my 4ish hours from last night are not holding up so well. Thanks for taking time to hear about my journey.

Moving Day 1

So today I embarked on my journey to Arizona. It was a short day of driving, which was nice. I’m spending the night in Kennewick, WA with friends. It has been nice to spend some time with a few good friends before living the area. I will miss them all a lot! Leaving the northwest will be hard mostly for leaving the people. I’ve spent the last few years living here, and call it home. Having been born and spent the first few years of my life in western Washington, and now being back for the last few years, I will miss the familiarity. Leaving is a little bittersweet. I will miss so much of the area, but am ready for a new challenge. Also, knowing that God has so clearly called me to Arizona has made the entire transition a little easier. There is so much freedom in knowing I’m going to be where God has called me. Even though it will not be easy, I’m excited to know I will be where God wants me.

Just a view of my beautiful drive

And now of a random note, the funniest thing I saw while driving was a smart car driving over the Snoqualmie pass. I know they exist in cities, but seeing one travel to the eastern side of the state is pretty darn funny.

Change is in the air...

Change today means a moving for a new job to Arizona. It’s a slightly bigger change than I may be ready for, but here it is. I accepted a position today to be a dorm parent at Sun Valley Indian School, a Christian boarding school for Native American (Navajo) kids. Sun Valley, Arizona is located about an hour and a half east of Flagstaff, in the North east of Arizona.



I’m incredibly excited for this change, but more than a little apprehensive. Moving to a new place where I know no one is a little scary, although it seems to be a theme in my life (moving to college, then two different camps where I knew no one). I’m excited for this opportunity to learn about a different culture and do something a little different. This is a cool job that may eventually lead me back to teaching, but in the mean time it will be a fun adventure.


You may be wondering how in the world I found this place. The simple answer is God. You see, a few years ago an acquaintance of mine mentioned working at this school, and a few months later, I check out the website and booked marked it on my favorites thinking it looked interesting. I found it about 2 weeks ago when trying to not freak out about jobs, and decided to send an email to see if there were any openings. A day later I got an email back, only to learn that they had just had an opening come up the same week. Their school year begins in August, and they started the year with a full staff. The timing is all God, and it’s absolutely clear that he has led me to this school at this time.


That said, I’m moving to Arizona in about a week. (Insert panic attack here) I would appreciate your prayers through this process as I attempt to figure out the timing, sorting/packing and all the pesky details. I would also love to see people before I leave the area, so please let me know if that is possible!


“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13