Questions and Answers.

Okay, friends. There were lots of questions regarding the decision to go back to school, and I've decided to answer some of them for you :) In no particular order, here are some of the questions I received! I am answering them to the best of my ability, and am praying that thoughts are expressed clearly and effectively. Thank you for your support and concern!

1. What happened to Germany?
This wins for "most-asked-question"! I had the opportunity to fly across the world and spend a year in Germany nannying for a beautiful family while experiencing a different culture and learning a new language. Sounds dreamy, right? I was all over it. I was researching plane tickets, talking with friends and family, and even had a skype date with the family. So, why did I suddenly change my mind? First of all, it was FAST. Fast isn't bad all the time, but I would've been leaving March 19th. At the latest. That was less than three weeks to quit my jobs, PACK, and say goodbye. Yikes! Daunting, but I was still considering it. Then, there was the financial side. Reality kicking in, here. Plane tickets all the way around the world are expensive. and I would be buying four of them! Why four? Because there was no way I was going to miss Caitlin's wedding in June. Oh, but I would be missing the bridal shower and all of the planning process. Some of the biggest concerns I had were the lack of fellowship and community, and not being plugged into a Bible-believing church. A LARGE majority of Germany is Catholic, and the town I would be living in was small, so variety would've been scarce. Then, what would I do once I got back? I would have an empty bank account, no job, and no degree to get a job. It just wasn't making sense. However, sometimes God's perfect plans don't seem to make sense. So I prayed about it :) and simply didn't feel peace about going. So I made the decision to stay!

2. Does going back to school mean you want to be a career woman now?
No. Not at all. My deepest desire has always been to be a wife and a mom. But I also now that every one of us is called to serve the Lord in each season of our lives, and right now that means serving Him while I'm single. If that means getting a degree and working, then I will do it gladly for the glory of God.

3. You mentioned going to LA and making the decision not to go back while in a dorm room with your friends. Do you look back and see that peer pressure played a part in your decision to leave school?
This is an excellent question. and I appreciate that it was asked! For those of you that don't understand this question, one of the girls I was staying with the week I was there is an excellent photographer and nanny, and had made the decision long before I even considered it to only go to school for a year. and I deeply respected and trusted her opinion and thoughts. So I absolutely understand the inquiries about peer pressure! Let me just say that I take full responsibility for the decisions I have made and will make, and would never place that upon someone else's shoulders. Sure, there will always be plenty of influences and voices in our lives (some good, some bad), but ultimately, choices are ours to make. I made the decision not to go back to school. I did. Not my friends. Not my family. Not the girls in that dorm room that week in LA.

4. Is going into debt and having to take out loans really the most responsible option?
I could dedicate a whole blog post about thoughts on doing what's "responsible." But for now, I will just say once again that my security does not lie in finances. Going back to school is where I'm meant to be, and taking out loans is part of that process! The rest is up to my perfect God. I know that the long term gain seriously outweighs the short-term sacrifice. So as long as I am being obedient and placing my trust in Him, I need not worry.

5. What happened to God's call on your life to pursue sex trafficking relief?
Love this question. This is still very much a HUGE part of my heart, and nothing about going to school takes that away. Getting a degree is simply a means to pursue this deeper and more fully. Lots of organizations and programs require/prefer the individuals that have close contact with the girls that have been brought out of such horror have a degree in one of three things: child development, education, or nursing. I'm already half-way through the nursing track, so it made the decision easy. The degree is a vessel in which I will be able to (Lord-willing) carry immense love and deep hope into the homes and hearts of these girls.

6. Did you lose your nanny jobs?
NO! In fact, the women I work for played a huge part in my decision to go back! They were nothing but supportive and encouraged me to pursue God's call on my life. I am so thankful. I will continue to work for both of them when I go back to school, though obviously the schedule will look different :)

7. What do your friends think? The same ones who encouraged you in your decision not to go back?
I've said it so many times. I have incredible friends. When I mentioned the idea of not going back to school, the thoughts were almost completely synonymous: we'll be praying alongside you. There were many concerns expressed, and encouragement was given, too. Ultimately, each of the women in my life support any decision that I make if it's what God is calling me to do. What an undeserved gift from the Lord.

8. I thought you were only doing nursing because others wanted you to?
Those of you who have thought this are correct! I WAS doing it for other people. To make my parents proud, for the status it incurs in society. It looked good, it sounded good. I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. So I needed to step out of it, and realign the purpose. It's not for me. It's not for my parents. and it's certainly not for accolades or certificates. It's for Jesus. and for those girls living in bondage, too.

9. Do YOU want to go back, or are you going back because God is calling you to?
Easy answer to this one. I want to go back because God is calling me to :)

10. Do you regret taking a break? You'd be so much further ahead if you hadn't.
Easy answer for this one, too: NO. I don't. If I could go back, I would change some of the decisions I made along the way that lead to the break... but the break itself? No way. It was absolutely what was needed in this season. and more practically speaking? I am able to do things in this season that I would not have been able to do (to the extent I am doing them) if I was in school. I might've been further ahead academically speaking. But that's not really what's most important to me. I just want to be pleasing my Savior. So if being obedient to Him means I am "further behind" in school, then that's alright with me :)

I hope this gives you a little bit more insight into the heart behind the decision. Thank you again for your prayer and concern. I sure do love that I get to walk life with such beautiful people.

Thankful for the perfect provision of my perfect God.

Love,
Lyss