In China. Now what?

China was the last place I thought I would end up teaching English, but God had other plans. Ever since I spent that summer in India as a volunteer ESL teacher, once I got back, I was certain I knew what I wanted to do after I graduated from college. During my senior year, I spent months researching how to get jobs abroad and what qualifications I needed. I discovered that I would need a TESOL or TEFL Certificate to go with my bachelor's degree. Not only that, but I found a teaching abroad program that connects you with various job opportunities in different countries. The last semester of my senior year, I decided to pursue the Teach Abroad Thailand program. But paying a $500 deposit just for them to find me a job didn’t sit right with me. After graduating from college, I began searching on my own and found this teaching position in Thailand. I interviewed, got the job, and then later the job offer got rescinded. I was crushed. But in actuality, it was God’s protection. I didn’t need to be there anyway.

That time, I surrendered everything to God. But I know faith without works is dead. I decided to apply for a master’s program in TESOL. I was accepted and was set to start that fall. I knew that pursuing that master's degree would make me more competitive when getting a job teaching abroad. As I pursued my graduate degree, I ended up working full-time at a job I hated, yet I was thankful. I was still applying to other jobs abroad, but still no luck. In December 2024, I had an interview with Rosetta Stone, a language learning company. At the time, they were looking for an online English teacher. I was praying I would get the job, but that prayer wasn’t answered. But I was still thankful that I even got to interview with Rosetta Stone, which just made me realize how close I was to actually getting a job abroad. In the same month, my boss selected me and other staff to attend a teaching workshop, and I was not looking forward to it. I ended up going anyway. The facilitator was awesome. I will never forget her amazing spirit, and how she lit that room up every time she walked in. But I did notice how she really didn’t talk or acknowledge me like she did others. One day, we came in and she made us write notes to our colleagues that we were in a group with, these notes had to be written as words of encouragement. After everyone was done, the facilitator read her note first, and it was addressed to me. It said, “Fantasia, Everything you need to be successful is already inside of you. You are gifted and purposed to serve people like only YOU were designed to. I see you as a quiet storm and I believe that you will transform lives beyond your current ways. Believe, → trust the inner voice that He is going to use you in a mighty way. Our future needs YOU.” Tears just flowed from my eyes. It was more confirmation from God. He used someone else to speak to me when I was feeling like he wasn’t hearing me. I’ll never forget that day.

I started looking back into the teach abroad programs. I decided, okay, let’s go to South Korea, but I wasn't set on going there, and the same feeling of me paying to get a job still didn’t sit right with me. But I was going to do it anyway. I asked God to guide me on where I needed to teach abroad before I had to pay the deposit. The day before I was going to pay my deposit, I was praying and doing Bible study, and I heard him clearly as if it were day, and he said, "China." I brushed it off and continued doing Bible study. In my Bible, at the end of the books, there would be a page. This page could serve as a background for someone in the Bible or someone's personal testimony. As I continued, I stumbled across this person named Gladys Alyward. As I was reading about her, God told her to go to China to be a missionary. This was all on January 2nd, my deposit was due on January 3rd. As I did more research on Gladys, her birthday was January 3rd. With more and more confirmation, I decided to switch my application from South Korea to China, but it was going to take a few days. The following week, I received a call from one of the owners at a school in Beijing. They interviewed me and offered me the job, but I couldn’t continue with the process because I didn’t meet the visa requirements at the time. Then I remembered that I had an interview for my current job, but I said I would never go to China. So, I interviewed and now I’m here. But the thing is, if I had gone with the teach abroad company and paid the deposit, I would’ve had to switch to another program again because the China teach abroad program ended up getting cancelled. As I've been here for about three months, I’m thinking, did I hear God clearly? I say this because my faith has been tested so much since I got here. There have been times when I have thought I could pack up everything and return home. But even with things being challenging, I am still going to give God thanks in all circumstances.