Faith In God by Judel

When you allow your courage to plunge into uncertainties, it’s almost impossible to believe you can fly high!

But because of your enormous faith in God,  you'll have a spirit of a prayer-laden eagle which allows your strength to fight your battles!

This was exactly my experience with life the moment I entered into a grace-filled journey in my quest for a better future for me and my family. I personally had many battles before but I didn’t realize their nature. 

Doubtless to say, it was when we embark to walk with God when we are face-slapped with the realities of the world — that trials are real, and challenges are unstoppable. 

Apparently, faithful believers tend to have more of them in life than those whose faith are left unto the hands of the erring odds for favor. 

When I started my Teach-USA journey last 2018, I was full of frustrations. 

They come from some mess I chose to endure because of bitterness. So I wasn’t serious of the process, even though I was kind of excited that time. It was only in April 2019 when I completed my credential evaluations and US license processing through Teach-USA. 

I got a nod to apply to some school districts and got an invitation for interviews but I didn’t get the job because I wasn’t prepared for an impromptu teaching demonstration in front of the camera. 

I failed at my first attempt. Only to realize later in June, perhaps God forbade me to get the job because my sister was hospitalized for a critical illness that cost us almost half a million pesos for her operation. I had to apply for a 200K salary loan to help cover the hospital expenses. I was so emotional that my illness anxiety started to show up, and I was admitted two months after because of stress. I was so disturbed that I could say during that time I felt like I was experiencing mild depression. I was so unmotivated to go to school to work, I was desperate and kind of hopeless with my life that I seldom go to church. I admit I lapsed from grace. I wasn’t able to concentrate for the next hiring season until 2020 came. 

So happy I was able to regain strength at the start of the year, but the coronavirus scare started to creep into everyone’s senses including myself. Anxiety attacked again. I was ready to make 2020 a year of career change when the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. 

Despite fears, I got another job interview, this time, in Arizona. 

A principal from an AZ District was eager to hire me. She wasn’t sure though what the pandemic would bring given the fact that former President Trump has become so strict at border controls. True enough, the odds did not favor us because the EVP Committee of the CFO in the Philippines decided to release moratorium orders for the J1 program in the US citing pandemic reasons. 

The year 2020 was not dream-friendly for us, Teach-USAsians. 

My faith told me to stand still because I could see signs God was willing to give me what I wanted, until I was again tested for the faith in me that started to grow stronger. It was in the month of June again, when I met a road accident. 

I was riding on my motorcycle one rainy afternoon, when all of a sudden a big tree fell right on me and my motorbike. I didn’t know exactly what happened. I was unconscious according to a rider who told me everything later after rescuing me. I was so numb I couldn’t feel everything. My motorbike was so damaged that it was like crushed into a scrap one. But I was alive, although nobody would wanted to believe I was after looking at how damaged my motorbike was. 

My faith though, was so much alive that it saved me from that terrible accident. Excruciating perhaps were my body scratches and big wounds, I was so much more thankful of the miracle I received from God that time. It was indeed a miracle after knowing later I was saved because I was at the middle of the two big branches of that letter Y-forming tree when it fell on me. 

I was so close to death, but God spared me, and it was only the front and back parts of the motorcycle that were hit. I could still feel the pain in my left shoulder until now, but by the grace of God, my body was getting stronger everyday. 2020 tested my faith big time! 

Then came 2021. After knowing God still has a purpose in my life, I never regretted with my dreams. I offered all my plans to God including my sinful life. I admit sometimes I fall short of His glory, but I cling to His everlasting promise that He is ready to forgive me so long as I know how to ask for forgiveness with humility. Then I walked with Him, not by sight but by big faith. 

I started to revise and update my resume, my other credentials, and even myself. Then I started to apply in April. 

Luckily, more states opened for our dreams, and more schools offered job interviews for me. I was interviewed thrice. 

The first one was in Texas, the second one was in NM, and the third one was in AZ.

Of all three, I was a bit biased to the first one. It was a good school, has a very nice environment and I like the principal’s aura. But God always has a nicer plan because He put me in a school where there are more Filipinos to connect with (for in fact, there are three of us hired in this AZ school), a serene environment that I surely can relate to (since I am a probinsyano), and a very responsive principal. 

I was also offered with a job at Texas (which by the way offers a higher pay), but was offered late that I already made a commitment with with the other school, and after also contemplating from the advices of Ma’am Gemma and Ma’am Hazel about licensing processes in Texas, I made a decision. I have to pursue AZ, because it is where God gave me an offer first. I was rejected in NM, but it's all for good.

Then, visa interview came. Days before the scheduled date, I was so nervous. Just when I turn in my courage again to fears of rejection, I read a book about overcoming fears, worries and anxieties. I always thank God for providing me instruments by which life becomes easy to deal with. As the day comes near, I was surprised at how confident I was at thinking everything will go well with me at the embassy. 

True enough, if you let your fears overrule you, problems will always find a way to haunt your inner peace which can lead you to a troubled life. You will become stressed, anxious and dubious of your plans and goals.

Certainly, it is always wise to allow God to take over your life so that everything will be laid-out good. Last August 23rd, the happiest day for my plans in life happened as I heard the vice-consul simply said, “Your visa is approved!”. 

I wanted to thank the officer for giving me an easy and approved one, but in silence and humility, I offered a short but special prayer of thanks to our God Almighty, for giving me such a big courage to stand before the strict-looking consul at the embassy (there were four of us under Teach-USA, I was the only one in queue for Window 26, all three of them were interviewed by the most friendly one in Window 24 hehehe). 

All in all, my journey had been hit by so many challenges and setbacks until this very age of my life. For most of you who did not know, I live in a hinterland area where Telco signal and internet can only be reached if you climb up a mountain, or drive a motorcycle for some 30km-ride. 

Luckily this year, our barrio was provided with deadspot wifi vendo machines which is why my interviews this year were done either under an electric post, under a coconut tree, or in an open school guardhouse. Funny might that seem, but I realized the most humble places offer the high prized graces. The latter was the one I first got a job offer.

 

Just like what Joshua in the Bible felt and realized he had some fear of going after what God has commissioned him to do, I know it’s going to be a tough journey to continue to pursue another mission, this time in my life, a teaching career in ‘The Land of the Brave and Free’. 

Laid out ahead are the challenges which would take more than courage and bravery to face. I’ll be (supposedly) on my own, but because God is walking with me, as He has always been, it will be hard for ‘fear’ to find its way to me and the paths I’m going to take. 

God is in this journey, so who can be against me? 

P.S. Daghang salamat Teach-USA! 

 #PandemicUSAsianTeacher

-Written by Judel

Watch Judel here: https://youtu.be/19B3SVh0WAM