A Year in War

Well, I am now back in Ohio with my family and can thankfully say that I have completed my first year of teaching. I have been home for a little over two weeks and have been busy. I first got to be a part of the beautiful wedding of two wonderful friends, Dauthan and Amanda. Not only was it wonderful to celebrate the love of these two, but almost all of my Taylor friends were there as well. It as a weekend of total bliss! It reminded me how thankful and blessed I am to have gone to a place like Taylor and to experience friendships that will be a part of my life forever! Other than that, I have been chasing around a busy little nineteen month old baby which has made me one happy and tired aunt. He is now full of personality and makes me laugh all day long. Also, I've spent lots of time with my family...we are all back at home this summer...so it is a full house. I absolutely love my family and am so thankful that I get to be a part of everyday life for at least this summer.



I would love to be able to tell you where I will be next year; however, I have absolutely no clue. All I know is that God knows, that He is faithful, and that I will wait and trust in Him. I've applied to the three states in which I hold teaching licenses and am willing to go wherever God leads me. Please pray that I will listen to His voice and direction.



Before I left, I was asked to write a reflection of my year in War. It was a great way for me to think about what God has done in an overall perspective instead of just day by day. I thought that I should share it with all of you, so if you're interested....follow the link!



Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement this past year. It was by far the most difficult year of my life, and I know that God put people like you in my life to lift me up and continue each day.



Much love.

The biggest thing that God has taught me this year through my experience living and teaching in War, WV is that God is faithful to meet my needs. I have known this my whole life, but starting my life on my own for the first time, I got to experience this faithfulness personally. From finding Laura, my roommate, to a car, to Christian landlords, to amazing friendships and a Bible believing church—God has met my every need. This doesn’t mean that living in War has been easy. Honestly, some days I feel like it has been literal war. There have been days that I’ve wondered what I’m doing here and why God led me here to a place that is seven hours from my family and feels like another country…especially when I am hand drying my clothes, driving over thirty minutes to a store or cell phone reception, and constantly being asked if these are my real teeth! However, God has continued to confirm in my heart that He has led me here. He has given me a peace that I am right where I need to be even if it isn’t easy. Through these times He has reminded me that His grace is enough for me. That is all I need. And that is what He has given me—enough to take one day at a time in His hands and not my own. He knew that I was not strong enough to endure this all on my own, and He has kept me on my knees. I am so thankful for this because it has brought a new dependence on Him.

At the end of October, I walked into a room of 18 second and third graders that had been sitting and goofing off for two months with a substitute who told me, “Good luck; these kids cannot learn.” She went on to point to the kids who were behavior problems and then pointed to one of my second graders. She told me that he often put the desk on his neck and would try to kill himself. Then she left. I was told that I would have help that entire first week and to just observe. No one came; so I hit the ground running. I knew that I had my work cut out for me starting late, having a classroom full of behavior issues, and being a first year teacher. Even though I was overwhelmed, I came in very confident that I was going to change things. Quickly God showed me that I had to rely on Him not only every day but almost every second in my classroom in order to survive.

I asked God for His eyes and His heart, and He has given that to me. During these past eight months, I have grown to love these kids like my own. I ended the year with 22 students as they come in and out from home to home. They each have a story that will break your heart, but under each of their anger and pain is a soft heart that is screaming for love and for structure. I honestly don’t know how much they will take away from this year academically, but I know they will leave knowing that their teacher loves them and believes in them.

Being very inquisitive children, they have asked me a million questions throughout the year. A lot of these have been about who I am as a person. They immediately saw a difference. It could have been my full set of teeth or my northern accent, but I know that it was more than that—it was God. They didn’t understand at first why I didn’t yell and why I’d never tried drugs or why I didn’t have babies even though I wasn’t married. They would often say, “Miss Marshall, you’re crazy.” Through these times, God gave me countless opportunities to tell my kids why I live the way I do and why I have joy. Once I even shared the whole Gospel. There were a few times when my kids even asked to pray in my class. I know that God worked in this little room where a group of kids thought that they were extras and unloved. He loved them enough to send a sheltered girl from Ohio all the way to them. The kid who tried to kill himself has turned out to grab my heart more than I could have imagined even though he probably has caused the most trouble. He has seen that no matter what type of fits he throws, I still love him. After about a month of these spells, he calmed down. Not saying that there were never bad days that followed, but he learned to control his anger more. And there was seldom a day that went by that I didn’t get a hug and a “I love you” from this kid. Changes like these have given me hope.

I know that I serve a big God that is mighty to save. The children and the people of McDowell county need to see that there is hope and light instead of darkness and despair. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be a missionary to this area through teaching. It is exciting to know that God is not finished here. He is the God of this city.