Finished at last!

I am finished!!!! It's kind of a long story how it all started and how it all ended, but I now have my Master's degree in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College Graduate School! Diploma is in the mail! My organization offers 4 graduate programs (from 3 different schools) tuition-free during our tenure teaching English in Asia. We take classes in one-month or two-week periods in the winter in Thailand, and then in the summer at the Wheaton College campus. During the semesters we do all of the reading and paper writing. I started in the winter of 2003, but soon saw that my heart was not in it and did not think I was doing it for the right reasons, so I dropped out. About two years later my new teammates (two guys) were in the program and I was already reading their books and saw that my own passions had changed. If I'm reading the books anyway, why don't I just take the classes again? So, that's what I did.

Finally came an opportunity for me to go to northwest China, and while I knew I was being called in that direction I also knew I needed to finish my degree first. It would have taken me another two years or so, so instead of doing it the normal way I fast-tracked it by spending a semester on Wheaton's campus as part of my "home leave"(which is an exception they made for me--it never hurts to ask :)). I didn't have a place to live, so this family I grew up with in Indonesia called people in their fellowship and this nice couple with two grown daughters off at college invited me to live with them- for free! My semester with the Brown family and with the Wheaton folks was amazing! I was even able to be part of a Chinese fellowship and volunteer once a week in Chicago's Chinatown tutoring English. I really began to sincerely appreciate this precious gift I had been given. While my place in the northwest was then put on hold indefinitely I know Dad used that as a way to lead me where He needed me for that semester. A lot of healing and rest and family time was able to happen! (and to think I originally went reluctantly! :) )

After that time I had one last paper to write as part of an independent study that would take the next six months. The paper only needed to be 25 pages, but it was about a subject I deeply cared about, so I put my whole heart into it and in the end (and 2400 pages of reading later) the paper was over 60 pages long! A mini book, my parents always tell me. :) And now I am finished. Woohoo!

The graduate programs my organization offers are an amazing opportunity because it is so applicable to where we are at. Thank you to the folks in the organization for giving me this opportunity and for allowing me to extend my knowledge base so that I can be better at what I am doing now! It is humbling. May it be that I use my education for the Father's glory! :)