My first wonderful year
Added on: Mon - 18 Aug, 08 - 03:56:48
The last day of my first wonderful year
It was breaking-up day at Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At 11 am, after much clearing of lockers, paying of library fines and issuing of reports, there was an all-school chapel service at which graduates were honoured and leaving students farewelled. In the evening graduates, teachers, family and friends met at the Sheraton for the graduation dinner. It was a busy, emotional, deeply meaningful and thoroughly enjoyable day.
It was also the last day of my first, wonderful year as a missionary school teacher. I have been a Christian since my teens, taught in Queensland state schools since 1974, served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Australia since 1981, and recently celebrated my 56th birthday; but I became a member of SIM Australia and a teacher at Bingham only last year.
God cleared the way for me by enabling me to “retire” at 55. Most early retirees I’ve met have no intention of simply putting their feet up; for most, retirement means the opportunity to move with a certain guaranteed financial independence into a different sphere of life, to give more quality time to things pushed to the edges of life by the exigencies of earning a living and meeting numerous responsibilities. For me, early retirement has meant all that, in accepting the call to Bingham Academy.
I could devote pages to stories of how God has confirmed my call since my arrival here. If I took off the rose-coloured glasses of the first morning of summer vacation, I could recall a few challenges the year has provided as well. What I really want to do now, is to point out to any fellow teacher contemplating early retirement just how many schools like Bingham there are around the world, how critical is the role they play in the education of missionary’s children, what a mission field every such school is in itself, and how glad every one of them would be to hear from experienced, Christian school teachers willing to volunteer to fill their staffing needs.
Early retirement is a tremendous privilege available to relatively few. I give thanks to God for the opportunity it has provided me to serve Him in a new and richly fulfilling way. I thank God for Bingham Academy, a place where someone like me seems to be required at the present time. I am grateful that He has graciously brought me to play a small but exciting role in His amazing, advancing, worldwide work.
I challenge any Christian brother or sister blessed with a similar opportunity to seize it.
Rob Handicott June 2008
Go:
SIM provides education for missionary and expatriate families as well as children from the local community. We need almost 500 teachers throughout many parts of the world - teachers for many different age groups and in almost every subject.
If you are a teacher who is passionate about world mission, talk to us about where you might be able to share your life, your faith and your experience. God will open doors you may never have imagined.
Contact your nearest SIM office
To view other news articles click here