Faith

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

That was my mom’s favorite bible verse, so naturally I have always been drawn to it as well. This phase in life is has really been about stepping out on faith; hoping and praying for things to come to fruition. When I started this journey back in November of 2017, I could literally see myself living in another country. Just in case you’re wondering what it takes to get here after a job offer, here you go:

Attestation of degrees, transcripts, background checks at the FBI, state, and local level (I have always followed the law). These documents are notarized and attested at the state level. The documents are then sent to D.C. to be signed by the Secretary of State. Once those documents are cleared by the United States, then you send them to The General Consulate of Qatar in Los Angeles to complete the process. In terms of medical, you are required to submit blood type, HIV/Aids testing, TB test (chest x-ray) and letter from doctor stating you are physically able to complete job duties. This took March through May to complete.

In the meantime I had to make some decisions that were obviously based on having faith that it would all work out.

• Am I going to sell, rent or just maintain my home in Arizona?
• If I keep my home, who will manage my property? If I keep my home, where will I store my furniture?
• What am I going to do with all of these clothes and personal belongings that have accumulated over the years?
• What am I going to do with Blueberry (my car)?

The questions just kept coming, I can’t even recall all of the things I had to process in my mind during this time. So, I decided regardless of the outcome, I was done with Arizona and was ready for a new phase in life and God would place me where he thought I needed to work. Ultimately, I sold my home for a pretty penny. After lots of research I chose to sell my home with Open Door. You would be amazed at how some business people tried to get over on me profit wise. I am so grateful for my friend Danielle that allowed me to move into her home with my 10 bins. My clothes, car and important documents are the only things that I own right now. Do you know how freeing that can be? I will write a blog about purging one day. Let me tell you… I let go of some things when I was cleaning my house.

But back to the purpose of this. I have been operating in place of strong faith. I was told that Qatar is one of the hardest countries to get a job. So they don’t care that you came here medically cleared. During the first week they take new hires to the Ministry’s Medical Division to redo all test. It’s kind of like an assembly line. Sign in, blood drawn, and chest x-ray. So this is where it gets unstable for me, because I need stability in life (most Libra’s do).

At 7:00 a.m. the next morning, HR calls and says you have to go and get a TB test. I was like shit, “Did I get TB in South America this summer?” I go and get my squirt of TB in my arm. I spend the next two days analyzing TB results on WebMD. That wasn’t a good choice. I go back to have the results “read” on my arm. The HR guy sends be back in and is like you need to know if you are okay. I go back. Just my luck the team that reads the results are in a meeting and then heading into the Eid break. I was told that I couldn’t come to work until they received clearance. So I spent 11 days stressed, but trying to enjoy the break.

I prayed every night and morning and included my Tribe for support. How could I not be available for my students the first day of school? Around 7:30 a.m. Sunday HR called to say I was cleared (insert praise dance here). It all worked out because there was an alternative schedule for the first day and I was able to be on campus in time for my third period class.

My purpose in sharing is to be transparent for those of you that may consider this path one day. This is not for the faint of heart. You must have faith and endurance.

When I got up this morning, my friend Aimee had this picture posted and I asked her for permission to use. Everything always aligns and this is truly where my faith has grown.

On a side note, I am excited to start looking for a church home this weekend. Christian or non denominational services are on Friday mornings.

#gottahavefaith