The Power of Encouragement...

There are many things in life we face on a daily basis - things that become part of our daily routine or things that are surprising to us yet we continue to face small obstacles. 

Currently I am facing the mammoth task of applying for Teaching Positions for 2013 - when I say mammoth task, I most certainly do mean this a massive task. Its a task that to be honest I am well and truly over doing and one that I would quite happily not continue to do however I know that I need a teaching job for the coming year. 

When we are constantly having to do such repetitive tasks (which in this case provide us with rejection, rejection and more rejection), the task can seem insufficient and unworthy of all the time and effort put into it. 

This afternoon I was meant to be doing these letters and CV's yet again and all I was doing instead was watching High School Musical on TV and asking my husband if there was any work around the house that needed to be done instead - basically I do not want to do letters. 

Nat and I had a conversation about teaching jobs, and so much more (including the rewards I would receive and the positive results of continuing these applications) and I then decided to curl up in bed with my laptop and get some work done. 

I am now writing this as I listen to K-Love Radio Station online and am currently thriving with the job application process thanks to the encouragement I am receiving. I keep hearing on the radio station "Positive, encouraging K-Love" and I must say that this is true, it is most certainly a radio station that is both positive and encouraging. 

This afternoon I have received encouragement in the form of music, through the words of my husband, through the thought of having a job at the end of this process, through the mouth watering taste of chocolate in my mouth once I get some applications done, through the words of friends on Facebook, through reading a typed letter from a friend and through many other aspects of communication. 

At the start of this blog post I mentioned those things in life we face on a daily basis - the things that become part of our daily routine, the things that sometimes we would rather not do. Although we may not want to do those things, through the Power of Sincere Encouragement, those sorts of tasks seem much more achievable and realistic - whether the encouragement is a goal we have set, words of support from others or even the sweet taste of chocolate in our mouths at the end of the process. 

The power of encouragement (whatever the shape or form it takes), is incredible and has a massive impact on how we carry out those tasks we know we need to do. 

11 months and still counting...

Today I woke up and realised I have been married to the love of my life, my amazingly caring, honouring, supportive, mentoring husband for a whole 11 months. 

When I realised this, I also noticed how quickly the last 11 months have gone by - how fast they have come and gone and yet at the same time, how much has happened during the past 11 months. 

As I look back over the past 11 months, I realise how thankful, lucky, privileged, honoured and blessed I am - both for being able to marry and spend these past 11 months with the love of my life and also because of the people God has placed in my life before I was married and also during this time. 

Before December 3rd last year (and even on that day) I had people say to me the first year of marriage is often the hardest and most tiring - establishing routines, combining lives together, getting used to living with another person, planning your future, acknowledging the role and support of another person being constantly in your life and so much more. During this year I have had people say to focus on your marriage because the first year is the year most couples throw it in and give up on the commitment they made to each other. 

Looking back at my life at that point in time, I realise I was so naive, innocent and in some ways did not even realise what I was getting myself into - I thought marriage would be exactly as it is in fairy tales  I thought from the wedding day onwards, I would be a princess and my life would be perfect. Clearly I had watched too many fairy tales and not enough reality tv shows or drama movies with newlyweds :)

There are times over the past 11 months when life certainly has been a fairytale, there are other times when life has been a challenge and sometimes I have wondered if getting married so young was such a wise choice. There have been times I look back and know I made exactly the right choice for that moment in time in my life and there have been other times I have wondered if things would ever get any easier. 

The last 11 months have been a roller-coaster of a journey and have caused both Nat and I to not be on the same page at certain moments on our journey together. Through it all, we have stuck by each other, been strong and have on most occasions presented a united front to what has come our way. 
I am pleased to say we will definitely make it to our first year anniversary and we will not be another statistic of those young couples who get married early on and do not progress far in their marriage. 

Marriage is great, marriage is challenging, marriage is hard, marriage is exciting, marriage is scary, marriage is a job, marriage is a lifestyle - marriage is what you make of it!

Stay strong in your marriage and be true to yourselves. 

Happy 11 monthiversary Nat and I look forward to many more months and years ahead together. 

Love you always and forever,
xoxoxox

All in God's timing...

As humans it is natural for us to go through life expecting things to happen at certain times (just to suit ourselves and our current situations) and then we end up getting disappointed when things do not end up going the way we want them to - we get annoyed, disappointed, angry, stressed, jealous of others and so the list goes on and on. 

The thing I have come to realise so much over the last few years of my life is that everything in our lives happens at the perfect time - the perfect moment in time.... not our own timing but all in God's timing. 

What we desire and dream for our own individual lives, what we have individually worked towards (at the same time as others) may not give us the results we need when we think we need them but it will give us the results we need we God knows we need them. 

As humans we are quick to jump to conclusions and give up on our dreams and desires when things do not work out the way we want them to when we want them to - it seems much easier than sticking it out and waiting for the real 'right time' to achieve what we have been waiting for. 

Just because things have not worked out the way I have wanted them to this year with my studies and things have not happened in the right times that I have expected and thought I have needed them to happen, does not mean for one second that I need to give up on my dream of being a teacher. Things are now working out perfectly and I am having the most amazing experience on practicum - this time I have no doubt I will pass and it will all be in God's timing. 

So many people I have gone through university with seem to be getting teaching jobs for next year already and here I am sitting here and thinking am I not good enough? I'm wondering where god is in all of this and then I suddenly realise after talking to a good friend today that to be honest it is perfectly fine I don't have a job yet - Yes granted I would love to know I have a secure job for next year but at the same time, clearly it has just not been the  right time or the right place with the jobs I have applied for so far - for goodness sake I am still on practicum and still have another five weeks of experience to go before I feel I will be ready for my own class.

When will I have the chance to go for the right job? When will I finally get an interview for a teaching job? I'm not sure how long or how far away it will be but one thing that I am sure of is that it will all be in God's timing. 

It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, it may not even be before the end of the year, then again it might be but when it does happen it will be perfect because I know it will be all in God's timing. When the job offer comes, I will be overwhelmed, will be excited, happy, feel secure, feel scared for what lies ahead and also most grateful and appreciative for what I would have learned throughout the application process and how much I would have grown in my faith and my relationship with God as well as with my husband. 

Congrats to those who already have secured teaching jobs for 2013 and to those of you who are in a similar boat to myself, just remember its all in God's timing!! 

Keep watching for All in God's timing future updates and that all amazingly perfect teaching job notification. 

Final 1st week of practicum

This week I started my fourth and final practicum of my teaching degree! What a week it has been but it most certainly has been one of the best first weeks of practicum I have ever experienced - so many highs throughout a slightly disruptive week but at the same time I have already learnt so much, feel much more confident in my teaching ability and also am beginning to feel more equipped and ready for what lies ahead in my teaching career.

Matamata Primary School is certainly an amazing place to do a teaching practicum and after the vast range of experiences I have had throughout my teaching degree, I am highly valuing the place and position I am in right now - this particular experience is one I know I will look back on and note it was a defining point in my career... certainly a positive defining point.

The staff are so welcoming,friendly and helpful - willing to share so much knowledge and expertise with you as a student teacher. The students are honest and truthful yet just as amazing as the staff and really and truly have pride in their school which gives the school a real strong positive feeling. Just the whole school has so much to offer and share with others yet this is also done in a real relaxed and down to earth kind of way.

It is a school that offers so much and really involves the community in what they are doing as well as being active participants in what the community is doing and from a future teacher perspective, this is one school I would love to work and teach in, one school community that I could really see myself being a part of.

On my first day of practicum, I taught PE with the students - let me just say it was slightly scary for day 1 but it was a real learning experience.

I have already been given so much responsibility, been a part of the school life and really just been thrown in the deep end which could have been in a way that I either ended up sinking or swimming. Through the positive support and mentoring through this first week I can say I have definitely been more of a swimmer this time round rather than a sinker and hope and pray things continue to help me swim over the next five weeks.

I am extremely appreciative of what I have already been offered and been exposed to in this first week and with much delight and excitement, I very much look forward to how the next five weeks will unfold before my eyes.

Time to get off and get some sleep/pack for camp/enjoy the week that was and look forward to what is to come :)

Mrs Feldon over and out!