How to use this Page

Well, I did it.

I survived my first year teaching abroad. It was a challenging year, but through God's strength, I made it. The school year is finally over.

The students' last day of school was officially June 21st, though many stopped coming before then. Unfortunately for teachers, the last day was July 12th. Why the powers that be chose to have that 3-week gap, I don't know, but it was excruciating. At least for me. Many teachers spent the last three weeks doing absolutely nothing. Well except for working out (at school), eating, reading, or chillaxing.

Not us.

Our last few weeks were spent in PDs (professional developments), preparing for the next school year, blah, blah, blah. To be honest, I mentally checked out sometime around week one. I was done working. My body was there, but my mind had already gone on vacation. It was a struggle to get up in the mornings and go to work, but nevertheless, we did. And we're finished. Thank you, JESUS! I'm seriously contemplating getting a shirt that says, "I survived teaching in Abu Dhabi." I have that Destiny's Child song in my head. "I'm a survivor. I'm not gon give up. I'm not gon stop. I'm gon work harder." Describes this year perfectly.

My brain rejects anything school-like, so enough about school.

My vacation will consist of a trip to Phuket (pronounced Poo-ket) Thailand, home (the US), and Puerto Rico. I know, awesome, right???

Tomorrow morning, my friends and I leave for Phuket for a 6-day/5-night vacation. I so can NOT wait. There is fun - and relaxation - to be had. Next week, I leave for home. I can't wait to see my family! Oh, how I miss them so. Then, it's off to San Juan, Puerto Rico with the sis for a 7-day/6-night vacation. Seven days may not be enough, I know but we'll make the best out of the time we have. I can't wait to see the gorgeous men...uh, I mean the gorgeous beaches of Puerto Rico. Heehee. I spend the rest of my vacation back in Houston with the fam before I come back to Abu Dhabi for another great year of teaching.

I'm thinking this summer may turn out to be the best one yet.

Rae’s Thought: There have been an alarming number of murder/suicides within this country in the last few months. These people, who had given up on life, chose not only to take their own lives, but also the lives of innocent people around them (including children). For some reason, these people felt there is no hope.

Our country is going through a major economic crisis right now. What’s worse is we don’t know for sure how long this crisis is going to last. Words like ‘recession’ and ‘inflation’ strike fear and terror (and cause depression) in many Americans. Companies are cutting positions, people are losing their jobs, families are being forced out of their homes…many Americans are losing hope.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, over 2000 years ago, His followers and those that loved Him lost all hope. They were so sure He was ‘The One’ – the Messiah sent to save their people – and yet He was dead. The man they followed for the past 3 years (33 years for some)…the same man who warmed their hearts with His presence…was no longer there. The silence must have been deafening. No more parables. No more miracles. No more Jesus. I can only imagine how depressing that Friday and Saturday must have been. The future, in their eyes, was bleak. Their hope was buried in a tomb with a huge stone covering the entrance and huge guards protecting the area…or so they thought…

Imagine the emotions going through the three women as they went to the tomb Sunday morning to clean their Lord’s body. Imagine their pain as they walked the road leading to the tomb, remembering how He was beaten, laughed at, and nailed to the cross. Imagine their surprise when they saw no guards and the stone rolled away. Imagine their joy when they were told by the angel that Jesus, their Lord, had risen. Hope had been restored.

I know the Easter story is about Jesus’ crucifixion/resurrection for my salvation, but it’s so much more than that to me. It’s about hope, even in the bleakest of times. It’s about not being afraid, even when the situation looks bad (“Do not be afraid…” Matthew 28: 5). It’s about believing that God will do exactly what He said He’ll do (“He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said.” Matthew 28: 6). Despite what may seem like a desolate situation in the American economic crisis, I still have hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. My hope isn’t in the new president or American financial institutions. My hope isn’t in anything of this world. It’s in Jesus and I’m clinging to Him like a lifeline, refusing to let Him go. I have a RISEN SAVIOR who is taking care of things in the background for me. HE IS IN CONTROL, therefore, I still have hope.

So, this past weekend, I was busy trying to survive my first hurricane. I've been living in Houston most of my life (24 of my 32 years) and have never encountered a the force that is...the hurricane. The year before we moved here, Houston and Galveston were devastated by Hurricane Alicia (1983). Rita, a 'cane people thought for sure was going to hit Houston, only ended up hitting surrounding cities like Beaumont. Gustav, earlier this month, skipped H-town, also. We were affected by Allison (2001?), but that was a tropical storm. That leaves, Hurricane Ike.

When we rode around to see what Ike had done, we realized just how blessed we were. The only damage we'd gotten was part of the backyard fence being knocked down.

We went around the neighborhood and saw people with most of their fence damaged, shingles torn off the roof, trees (I'm not talking about small trees either) knocked down. One person had a damaged car because the basketball goal had fallen on it. We had lots of shingles in our yard (front and back), but the shingles did not belong to us. Our roof survived. The roof of the person who lived behind us had damage. This is a short vid I took while riding around the neighborhood.

I realize that my fam and I were blessed. We've only got a damaged fence. It could've been a whole lot worse. Our house could've ended up like so many of our neighbors' houses or, worse, like those who live in Galveston. We didn't lose anyone to Hurricane Ike and our house was not flooded. I am truly blessed. Those who were devastated by Hurricane Ike are in my prayers. Kinda makes me feel grateful for what I have and appreciate it more.