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Those Who Fail to Plan...

According to Webster's Dictionary,
 the Definition of prepare is as follows.
1a: to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activityprepare food for dinner
b: to put in a proper state of mindis prepared to listen
2: to work out the details of : plan in advancepreparing a campaign strategy
3a: to put together : COMPOUNDprepare a prescription
b: to put into written formprepare a report

As a teacher I am quickly discovering that being prepared is of the upmost importance. Because and I quote, "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." So, with all this in mind I am so thankful for the gift of time that I have been given between the end of one job and the beginning of the other. Not time to sit around twiddling my thumbs but time to prepare for the start of the school year.
Truth be told I was given a stack of curriculum and the school calendar a few weeks ago and it was like being given a birthday gift! I know, it sounds odd, but as a new teacher being given the tools I need to get a jumpstart on the upcoming year was a true joy. I dove right into the books. And took joy in learning all about the new ways of teaching I would be employing, I overshared with close friends and family about how great these new (new to me) approaches were and they kindly let me gush on about literacy and classroom management. 
But then came the overwhelming part. Where to start. Of course I turned to Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers to get inspired and it quickly became obvious that a good teacher needs the perfect Teacher's Planner. But how to pick. I spent too much time trying to figure this out and then decided that I was wasting the gift of time I had been given on picking a planner. I turned to my trusty Google Calendar and created a new section and within minutes I had a very functional teacher's calendar, sure it's not so fancy or cute as an Erin Condren or a Happy Planner but in just a few hours I created a perfectly functioning color coded yearly plan. I cannot express to you adequately how good it felt to have a plan for every subject mapped out for the coming year. (insert big sigh of relief)
I am not the only one who has a plan. God also has and has had His plan long before I existed. And as I dug into the Bible lessons I will be teaching the first week of school I was reminded of God's perfect plan. Not only for me, as we are often reminded that God has a plan for us, but I was reminded of His good and perfect plan for;each of the students who will be sitting in my class this year, and for those whom I just said farewell to, His plan for the teachers and staff, His plan for my family and the families of my new students. and His plan for the people here in Santa Cruz and I was humbled to remember that it is for His plan that I am being prepared and have been prepared for. 
Our memory verse for week one is Romans 15:4

For everything was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.


Hope, that is what I have as I think upon and pray for the year. Hope that the God who has planned everything long before the beginning of time will show up in my class, school, home, and in my community this year. Hope that because of this time to prepare and think upon such things I will be fortunate enough to join Him in the work He is doing, and bear witness to His goodness and mercy. 
In all of this, I know that regardless of whether or not all my plans succeed God's plan never fails!
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Location: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

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