Oxford: Change of Plans

This is my Grandma. At 90, she's the only grandparent I've ever really known.
I'm so excited to live near her again this next year.

It's been a really busy month. JBU's first summer teams arrived - both the studies team (16) and the missions team (8) - so we're nearly a full house with almost 30 people. There was a lot of last minute stuff for David and I to do in getting ready for their arrival, but it's been a lot of fun to have them here.

Once they got here, I had two weeks to pour myself into a 15,000 word paper on the MI5 files I've been looking at. I'd never heard this term before, but what they had us creating was a 'calendar'. Basically, it's synopses, date/name data, and extracts from a group of archival records. On top of providing summary references for the individual 'artifacts', we also had to provide biographies for as many of the names mentioned as we could - which is a bit of a challenge with these MI5 files from 1947-8 that cover topics and people both in England and in Kenya, but I gave it my best shot. Lastly, we had to write a 5,000 introductory essay to the resource to explain/describe the original material as well as explain how the calendar has been set up. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much sleep in the last week. Turned that in on Tuesday and I'll need to start on my dissertation soon.

But, beyond that update, here's the news on Oxford for next year:

Update on Oxford

Plans for Oxford next year have taken a significant turn, but it's not a 'downturn' or a 'turn for the worse'. While unexpected as of three weeks ago - it's exciting!

In looking for funding for next year, nothing has come through, and the possibilities are now quite limited in what could happen. I got in touch with Dr. David Anderson - my potential supervisor there - about delaying a year and it'd be fine by him. So, the big change of plans is that....

I'm coming back to the US!

I'll likely come back shortly after turning in my dissertation (due Sep 15) and be back in the states for a year. During that year, I'll reapply to Oxford (they don't defer) and apply for funding/scholarships/grants. The hope is that, in a year, I could return to Oxford with it mostly or completely funded. I'll also be applying to some really good African PhD programs in the US - Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Indiana at Bloomingfield, all have really strong programs.

It also means I'm on the job hunt for this next year, so I'm going to be looking for history teaching positions at community colleges or private high schools. (If you know of anything, let me know!)

The way the decision has come about has been really great and it's so clear that it's God's direction. I'm incredibly at peace about it. My grandma was recently diagnosed with mild-altheizmer's, so this will allow me to be near her, which I'm so excited about. I call her 'Beautiful', because she is, and I'm looking forward to loving on her for a year (she's nearly 90!). As well, my twin brother's back in Little Rock, so I'll get to be near him - which is something I've been wanting to be for a long while now. So, I'm hoping I can come alongside and encourage him and just enjoy some good 'twin brother' time. :-)

I have a friend who's been praying for me and for Oxford. She emailed me last week with a real sense that there might be something in store for me this next year, something that I wasn't giving much attention to, that, if I were to go to Oxford, would be drowned out. That was long before anyone knew I was thinking about not going. We'll see what God's got planned! Whatever it is, it'll be incredibly exciting! It's another adventure!