October 1, 2024 • 40 mins
What does it take to navigate a career change during a global pandemic? Mackenzie Reynolds shares her story of resilience, faith, and divine timing as she transitioned through different jobs and countries.
Imagine moving from the comfort of the Southern United States to the high-altitude challenges of La Paz, Bolivia. Mackenzie recounts the hurdles she faced, from severe altitude sickness to language barriers, and how the warmth and hospitality of the Bolivian people mirrored the comforting familiarity of her Southern roots. Her family's journey underscores the crucial roles that faith and community play in overcoming life's most significant transitions, highlighting key moments of emotional relief and divine faithfulness.
Upon returning to NorthStar Academy, Mackenzie utilized her skills to assist families and schools with blended learning. Listen in for her reflections on the awe-inspiring ways God prepares and positions us to serve, the global impact of North Star, and advice for students navigating significant life changes.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi, this is Stephanie Schaefer and you're listening
to the North Star Narrative, apodcast from North Star Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey everybody, Thanks forjoining us today.
I'm excited for ourconversation because we're going
(00:24):
to get to talk to MackenzieReynolds, who has been with
Northstar and the NICS networkfor several years and she has a
really cool story how she waswith Northstar for a while,
transitioned to some differentroles, moved to another school
in the network in Bolivia, butalso remained with North Star
during that time and now she'sback full time.
(00:47):
So her story is really cool.
It started in COVID time and soI just want y'all to hear it,
and she's got a lot of insightfrom all of her experience
around the world.
So, Mackenzie, thanks so muchfor joining me today and sharing
your adventurous story.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
I'm super excited to get toshare what the Lord did and just
the journey that has been thelast three, almost four years
for my family and I.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yes, it's been awesome, and when I think of
Mackenzie, the first thing thatpops in my mind is always her
coming into my office atNorthstar at a really pivotal
time where I was like, what arewe going to do?
And God answered the cry for meand the prayer for me, but also
for her and her family and Luke, and so it's really cool.
(01:38):
So we can't do this withoutsharing the very beginning of my
meeting Mackenzie and herhelping Northstar, without
sharing the very beginning of mymeeting Mackenzie and her
helping Northstar.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, Way back in 2020, the pandemic had hit and I
had quit my teaching job in theStates here and I was looking
for anything.
I was reaching out to everybodyand anybody and I was just all
over the place trying to find ajob, because everybody was
trying to find a job then too.
(02:08):
And I got a call from Mr TimMutter and he said hey,
Mackenzie, I see that you'relooking for a job and Stephanie
Schaefer over at Northstar islooking for somebody.
Do you think you could bepart-time?
And I was like absolutely Idon't even know what Northstar
(02:29):
is.
But let me talk to this lady.
I don't know who Stephanie is.
And, yeah, I went over to youroffice, I think almost the same
exact day that Tim called yeah,it was the same day.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It was like within 30 minutes or an hour, I don't
know.
It was so quick.
Yeah, yeah, it was the same day.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It was like within 30 minutes or an hour, I don't
know, it was so quick.
Yeah, I happened to be in theChick-fil-A line when he called
me and so I think I ran homereal quick, yeah, and then came
over, and then I just rememberwe had such an awesome
conversation of just here'swhere North Star's, at here's
what the Lord is doing, are youwilling to listen?
And I was like, absolutely,let's do this.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, it was so good.
So North Star was growingbecause of COVID.
So North Star has been aroundfor a long, long time.
So North Star has been around along time 27 years and so we've
had many years, before COVID,to position ourselves really
well in the market and to beknown as a school that has a
deep, rich community, incrediblecourses that we write and we
(03:31):
offer and dynamic teachers andall about relationships.
So we worked really hard forthat, and so when COVID hit, you
know, students had the optionof continuing on in their school
, with teachers trying to dosomething online or just saying,
hey, we're not even meeting atall, you know.
And so I think people wanted,if they had the resources, they
wanted, a school that reallyknew what they were doing, and
(03:53):
so we had 65% growth during thattime, with families flooding in
, with us being able to helpschools all over the world.
So it was an incredible time tobe a blessing, but a super hard
time on all of our staff andteachers because we weren't
equipped at that time I mean,nobody was equipped during that
(04:14):
time for what COVID was bringingfor that rapid growth, and so I
was looking for help to help usout in the office with all the
people calling and joining.
And here comes McKenzie in theoffice and I was like, mckenzie,
here's what we need.
You know, you're going to needto be on the phones ASAP, you're
going to be able to need to behelping these families, answer
(04:36):
questions for them.
And so you're like yeah.
And I said, okay, go see TinaTandy next door, she's going to
explain to you a little bit more.
She literally had one phonecall that you listened to.
And then it's like, okay, jumpin your office and let me tell
you everybody could not havedone that or wouldn't even try.
But Mackenzie immediately justtook it and ran with it and she
(04:57):
was great, a great blessing tofamily.
So tell us, that's my side ofit.
But what did you feel duringthat moment?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Oh, my goodness, I was just completely overwhelmed
because I had been looking for ajob all of May of 2020, june of
2020, and nothing was coming upbecause nobody was hiring due
to the pandemic.
Everything was closed at thetime for safety purposes.
(05:25):
And so when July hit and we hadthat awesome conversation in
your office and man, like theHoly Spirit, was just in your
office, like I remember crying,just because it was like such a
perfect connection for my familyas well as North Star, and just
like the beauty that it was.
And then, yeah, running over toTina's office, talking to Tina
(05:47):
for a couple minutes, just sothat I wasn't some random person
in her office, and thenlistening to that first phone
call and I was like, man, I cando this, I can handle this, it's
going to be great.
And so, yeah, as soon as Ilistened to that first phone
call and kind of stuck my faceinto everybody else's office
(06:08):
when we had buildings at thattime, I jumped right in and I
was enjoying it, I was loving it, I was praying with families,
constantly on the phone and justchecking in on families and
making sure that they weregetting what they needed.
(06:28):
Sure that they were getting whatthey needed, and North Star was
just the perfect solution forso many families looking for
that quality education online.
That was just hard to find atthe time.
It was really overwhelming andit was a really great feeling.
But it was also just wow.
There's so much to do, there'sso much sowing and harvesting to
(06:48):
be had, and so it was supergreat, super cool.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah, I'll always remember that.
So good to watch God at workand how he equips you for
whatever you need in the moment,whatever he's called you to.
So he equips you to beconfident and bold and go
forward with his family.
Yeah, so good, all right.
So let's talk a little bitabout your transition.
(07:15):
How did you and Luke know youwere called to move to Bolivia?
Sell everything?
I bought your refrigerator.
I remember like you weregetting rid of everything.
Um, what was that like?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
And then, arriving in Bolivia, yeah, so um in, I
started with North star in Julyof 2020, jumped right in
headlong, uh, jumped in the deepend with North star and um over
the pandemic of, of course, alot of us were at home, and so
what did we have time to doother than spend time with the
(07:50):
Lord and turn our eyes upward?
And so little did I know, andlittle did my husband know, that
during the summer months of thepandemic in the United States,
as well as the beginning monthsof the 2020-2021 school year, we
had been spending time with theLord and slowly, the Lord had
(08:13):
been tearing down these walls inour hearts of we're not going
to move overseas.
We're not going to do it.
Because a little backgroundabout my husband's family my
husband's oldest sister is alsoone of the recruiters for the
Network of InternationalChristian Schools, and so she
has always been our biggestcheerleader for going overseas
(08:34):
and we've always turned her downup until 2020.
And so, slowly, individually,the Lord was breaking down these
walls in my heart and myhusband Luke's heart, and we
were both being very quiet aboutthat.
We were not vocal to each otherabout what the Lord was doing
individually in our hearts, andso, with that we then came
(08:59):
together in September of 2020,because, unfortunately, my
husband lost two of the studentsthat he had been working with
in public schools in a tragicand unfortunate accident and he
was just broken.
He was heartbroken because herealized he had never really
(09:19):
gotten to share the gospel withthose two children and so and he
never really gotten to havethat conversation, and so he
finally sat down and was like Ineed to tell you something, and
I was like I got to tell yousomething too, and we realized
in that conversation that theLord had been preparing our
hearts to go overseas to be ableto share the gospel and to do
(09:44):
that in our profession right,which we're both trained to be
teachers.
I'm a math and science teacherby trade, he is an English
language arts teacher by tradeand so we realized in that
conversation that the Lord hadbeen doing this.
And then the Lord startedrevealing all of these different
things, because we had beenmarried for oh gosh, almost four
(10:08):
years at this point and we hadno kids and we had no desire for
kids.
At the time, the Lord had notput that in our hearts.
We didn't own our house.
We actually rented our house.
We had just finished paying offmy student loans.
So we had no debts and, all inall, looking back, we had no
(10:30):
real quote-unquote assets thatwe needed to hang on to or we
needed to think about.
We had a checking account, wehad a savings account and we had
a dog.
Those were the only things thatwe had to think about, really,
and then everything else couldbe sold really easy.
As you said, you bought one ofour refrigerators and we sold
(10:50):
pretty much everything thatwouldn't fit in a suitcase.
And for the dog lovers outthere, don't worry, my dog ended
up going to live with myparents for the three years that
we were in Bolivia, so she waswell taken care of.
And so I got really nervous inSeptember and October because we
(11:12):
put in our application for theNetwork of International
Christian Schools, or NICS, inOctober and I was like I don't
think that I'm going to you knowthat we're going to get
approved Like they're probablygoing to find a reason to reject
us, and so I'm not going to sayanything to Stephanie and North
Star just yet, I'm going towait.
That are both teachers withinthe network.
(11:44):
And so we did, of course, getapproved and we started the
process, and once we gotapproved, I said, hey, stephanie
, my husband and I are feelingcalled to go on the field, and
Stephanie, being the amazingleader that she is within North
Star, was like, well then, yougotta go.
She was like I love you andyou've been a great help and
we're going to be here for youuntil it's time for you to go.
(12:07):
But you got to go if that'swhat the Lord is doing in your
life and doing in your heart.
And I was like, oh, big sigh ofrelief because this boss that I
just met a couple months ago isokay with me leaving soon.
And so we, of course, wentthrough our interview process
(12:28):
and we matched with a coupleschools within the network, but
ultimately we decided to move toBolivia, in South America,
because it was an open schooland an open country.
They were open to Christianity,and one of the things that the
leadership in Bolivia said to usas we were moving was, as much
(12:52):
as I'm grateful that you arecertified and qualified teachers
, what I'm more concerned withright now is just your love for
the Lord and if you're willingto share that or not.
And it was just like anindicator of like, hey, this is
the school for you, especiallyMackenzie.
You're going from a school thathas a very similar mindset
right now of we're just lovingon people and we're just trying
(13:13):
to take care of them as they'renavigating life, and that's just
going from one location, wherethe Lord is already doing that
with North Star, to anotherlocation.
And so my husband and I movedto La Paz, bolivia, in July of
2021.
And I thought my journey withNorth Star was over and that
(13:35):
those doors were closed, but theLord was doing other things and
yeah, you're able to stay on asauthor and teach over the last
three years.
Yeah that that the Lord wasbeing gracious and kind and um,
I've been able to author acourse for North star.
I'm working on another courseright now and, um, I was able to
(13:58):
teach through that andStephanie and the whole North
star team has been reallyflexible with me as I've been
overseas doing another full-timeministry job and teaching
elsewhere.
And so that move to Bolivia washard and it was difficult and
we lost people along the way andstill the Lord was faithful and
(14:19):
it was still a really beautifultime.
And I say, like we're moving toBolivia and we're doing great.
My husband and I knew noSpanish.
I took French in high school,he took German in high school,
so it was a completely newexperience.
I had never left the quoteunquote Southern United States
before we moved.
I had to get a passport becauseI signed a contract to move to
(14:44):
another country, and so my firsttime out of like the Southern
United States was to move toBolivia.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Wow, first time on a plane.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
No, thankfully.
I'd experienced planes a coupleof times before, but it was my
first international flight.
The longest flight before thatwas to Dallas, texas or Orlando,
florida, so I'd never done morethan a two-hour flight before.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
It's not too too far, but for your first one, I guess
I think my first internationalflight gosh one of the flights
was 15 hours, which was, yeah,that's hard, yeah, no.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Bolivia is not that intense.
There are breaks in there.
I think the longest leg thatI've ever seen is seven hours.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
So, but there are hard things at Bolivia.
One of the things in La Paz isthe altitude.
I know a lot of people havealtitude sickness, headaches,
but just the transition ofmoving somewhere different
without your family.
So what was the hardest thingabout transition in the first
few weeks?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Oh goodness, the hardest thing for one was the
health aspect to it, becauseMississippi is basically at like
zero feet of altitude and LaPaz and the neighboring city, el
Alto, are at 11,000 and 13,000feet, and so that was really
(16:10):
difficult.
My husband and I were both verysick that first two weeks just
readjusting, trying to figureout our bodies, trying to figure
out how to breathe, and thenalso, um, we knew zero Spanish.
Uh, honestly, like we could sayyes and no and thank you, and
(16:32):
that was all we could say.
And so, um, getting intoBolivia was really difficult
because we couldn't communicate.
Um, but the Lord provided people, uh, random airline workers who
were willing to translate forus, to help us get into the
country, and then also, just theleadership at Highlands really
(16:54):
took us into their arms.
I can still remember the firsttime that we got through the
immigration desk and throughcustoms and I saw the principal
and director of schools, lily,on the other side of customs and
I just ran to her and I justhugged her.
I love Lily, she's so sweet,yeah, and so culture is
(17:17):
different, where there's lots ofhugging.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Yes, embracing and warm.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yes, lots of Latin.
Yes, lots of embracing andwarmth.
Yes, lots of Latin Americancountries.
There's lots of touching andcheek kissing and things like
that, and I always kind of jokedthat South Americans are very
similar to Southerners in thatyou're always welcome in their
homes.
They'll feed you, they'll takecare of you however they can.
You, they'll take care of youhowever they can.
(17:48):
And so it was really hard,especially the first couple
months, before we had reallyconnected with our coworkers or
our students or anything,because it was just Luke and I
and we didn't have any knowledgeof the culture or the language
or anything like that.
So, but still, the Lord wasfaithful.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
So faithful always when we answer his call.
So when you look back, how didyou see God moving as you
continued in you know, two orthree years after you'd been
there a while?
What do you remember the mostabout God's faithfulness?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
um, yeah, what do you remember the most about god's
faithfulness?
Um, um, man, it's hard to likepick out uh top ones from the
three years, but I'll do my best.
Um what, luke and I were, ofcourse, teaching full-time.
We were both, uh working tomake sure that the gospel was
known, as well as the content,because Highlands is, of course,
an accredited school and so westill had to teach quality
(18:51):
content for our students.
And then also my husband and Iwere each leading a discipleship
group and I really got to watchthose girls grow up and grow
and ask hard questions of thegospel and of themselves and of
me and other leaders, and sothat I'm really grateful for
that group of girls and just theblessing that they were to my
(19:12):
life.
I pray that what I said hasplanted seeds in their hearts.
But a huge reason that we didn'tjust do the two year initial
contract um that Nick'semployees sign when they sign up
to go overseas there they werea big reason that we signed on
(19:34):
for a third year um withHighlands, and so that was a
really big deal for me and thenalso for for my husband, luke.
Uh, he is just so passionateabout helping students
understand that the Bible isn'tjust a storybook and that it is
history come to life, um, andthat it is the living, breathing
(19:56):
word of God.
And, uh, he just loves to breakit down into all of the
different literary pieces andshow students where all of the
different things are within theword of God.
And so I think just getting tobreathe gospel truth into our
lessons as teachers was one ofthe biggest blessings that we
(20:19):
hadn't gotten to experiencepreviously, and so three years
in Bolivia had a lot of ups andit had a lot of downs, but just
the overall relationships thatwe built with those kids was a
really big deal.
There was one school year whereLuke and I were the only two
middle school teachers.
We had other teachers that werecoming in from other
(20:41):
departments to help fill rolesand things, but Luke and I were
the only two, and so we somewhatbecame like the mom and dad of
middle school.
They knew that if mom was upset, they needed to go talk to dad,
and if dad was upset theyneeded to come talk to mom, and
so we had a lot of kids reallybecome like our children.
(21:05):
Like I mentioned earlier, wehave no children, and so the
kids at our school really didbecome our kids.
We were really invested in them.
We went to a lot of footballgames, we listened to a lot of
tears, we listened to a lot ofanger, we counseled a good
(21:27):
amount, and so thoserelationships that we built with
those kids are just pricelessfor us so good.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So I think about that verse from Esther that who
knows that God has you here fora time such as this, if he has
you here?
And so I think about North Star.
God brought you right when youneeded this, if he has you here.
And so, um, I think aboutNorthstar.
God brought you right when youneeded it, when Northstar needed
it during our really busy timeof enrollment that August,
september, october and thenstill being able to stay on,
(21:55):
even while you were working onyour transition, um, yeah, and
then now coming back toNorthstar full time.
Um, I know you reached out to meand said, hey, we're going to
be coming back home and I waslike, oh gosh, mackenzie is
awesome and we're making sometransitions and we're really
going to need someone to help us.
(22:15):
And so you've come along andyou're still doing some of the
things you did before reachingout to families, loving on them,
answering questions, but alsohelping more with our school
side.
And I love how God prepped youfor that so well, because while
Mackenzie was at the school inLa Paz, she actually was the
North Star Academy supervisor,so the students that were using
(22:37):
us there for some blendedlearning she was able to help,
so you learned exactly what it'slike to be a supervisor, the
need.
So now you get to talk toschools that want to use us and
are using us and helping.
So I mean, god just always putsyou right where he wants you
and prepares you for that.
So how does that make you feelas a child of God?
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Oh goodness it gives me so much peace.
I am naturally a pretty anxiousperson, a pretty fearful person
, and so like knowing that theLord is orchestrating everything
and has everything already laidout is so life-giving and so
peaceful for me.
So knowing that it is reallyreally helpful because, yeah,
(23:25):
while I was in at Highlands Inever would have thought, I
thought I was not going to getto come back to North Star.
I thought, oh my gosh, I leftafter less than a year.
They're going to think I'mcrazy, like no, like I don't, I
don't know if this is going towork.
Like no, like I don't, I don'tknow if this is going to work.
And so my husband was themouthpiece of the Holy Spirit at
(23:47):
the time and encouraged me hey,just reach out to Stephanie,
you never know what's going on.
And I was super grateful that heencouraged me to do that and
that the Holy Spirit used him tospeak that into me and that we
were able to connect again, timto speak that into me, and that
we were able to connect again.
And little did I know all ofthese things that I was
(24:15):
experiencing in internationalschools in Bolivia with my
students there was preparing mefor life back here at North Star
and connecting with theseschools and talking to them
about how North Star can reallyfit the needs of the students
that they have and the teachersthat they have.
And it's been really great toconnect with not only families
but also other schools andreally be able to speak truth
(24:37):
and say like hey, I have been onyour side, I have seen what
North Star has done, I am aliving testimony to what the
Lord does through Northstar andthe way that Northstar can
really serve your school andserve your students and your
families and so, um, it has beenjust a true blessing and, as a
(24:58):
child of God, like watching thisall unfold it's just total awe
of the Lord, like total awe.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah, praise him.
And it's exciting becauseyou're not unique in this.
He does this with all of hischildren, exactly as we learn to
walk with him, trust him, turnour eyes to him.
You know I love how youmentioned how our will has to
match His, and I love Psalms37.4,.
(25:27):
What's some of your favoritescripture that plays often in
your mind?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Some favorite scripture man.
I keep Isaiah 43.2 on mydesktop, and it says when you
pass through the waters, I willbe with you, and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelmyou.
When you walk through the fire,you shall not be burned and the
flame shall not consume you.
And so for me, as an anxiousperson, I see everything as big
(25:59):
waters and big flames and big,overwhelming things, and so
knowing that the Lord has spokenthat in the past and knowing
that that can still be truetoday is kind of what rings out
throughout my heart.
And then also Romans 8.1 isjust one that I always go to,
(26:20):
and it says therefore, there isnow no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus.
And so that is one that justechoes through my brain all the
time of hey, I'm a sinful personand yeah, I messed this up, but
I'm in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, there is nocondemnation for me.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Yeah, I love how you told me you love sharing.
You're really passionate aboutsharing with people that maybe
some choices or roads we've gonedown do not define us Right.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
So tell me more about that.
Especially noticed in mystudents in Bolivia, as well as
my students that I've had herein the States in the past, is
just there's this heavy weightthat seems to weigh on a lot of
people of I've made this choicein the past and there's no going
back and that's just not thetruth, right, I can fall into
(27:22):
that trap myself of man.
I made this decision, I messedup, I have to own it, and it's
like we almost put ourselves inthe corner of punishment of I
can't reach out to other people,I can't reach out to the Lord.
I messed up, and one of thethings that has been spoken to
me over many years and that Itry to speak to people is that
(27:45):
it's never too late.
The Lord is always there.
He's been there for thousandsof years, and so the decisions
that we've made can be reallydifficult for the world to
overcome, but it's not difficultfor the Lord to overcome.
Difficult for the Lord toovercome.
(28:07):
And so, as a teacher and as achild of God, I really try to
speak that to my students of hey, that might have been a dumb
decision or that might have beenthe wrong decision at the time,
but it's not too late to tryagain.
Especially as a math teacher, Isee a lot of students who get
really down on themselves ifthey maybe mess up on a math
test or quiz and they think, oh,I'm just not good at math and
(28:29):
that's not the truth.
You just messed up on onesituation or one problem or
whatever it may be.
And so just because you messedup on one doesn't mean that that
is the entire truth of who youare, because you messed up on
one doesn't mean that that isthe entire truth of who you are.
(28:50):
And so, as a math teacher, I'vesaid that a lot of times that we
are practicing and perfect.
Practice is what makes perfect,but practice is what leads us
to progression, and we arealways in this process of
progression and growing, and wesee that through our walk with
the Lord as well.
We see that through the processof sanctification.
Just because you're not perfectdoesn't mean that the Lord
can't refine you and can't bringyou through a process of
(29:12):
sanctification further, and sothat is something that I always
share with my students and withmyself.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
The freedom, freedom that comes through Jesus' blood,
what he's done, and I love thatbecause at Northstar our
teachers do get to speak freedominto our students, with the
feedback they're able to giveand the relationships, the
conversations.
So it's an amazing global place.
And, as you've been atNorthstar, just because you left
La Paz overseas doesn't meanyou're not still having an
(29:44):
incredible global impact, right?
So many students.
So, thinking now about yourexperience in La Paz, all your
experiences at Northstar, whatare some of your favorite things
?
I know one of mine is theglobal impact, like I mentioned.
But what do you love about justyour daily work here at
Northstar?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Yeah, um, so for sure .
Going from living overseas andgetting to be at an
international Christian schooland talking to all of these
people, um, and just interactingwith their culture, that has
become a big part of my heart,and my heart is really for
(30:26):
Spanish-speaking countries andSpanish-speaking people, and so
just getting to be a part of aschool that is seeking that
global reach and thatinternational impact for Christ
has been a huge blessing for myheart, because I've been able to
connect with so many peoplefrom all over the world on a
(30:49):
regular basis, and so part ofNorth Star that I love is that
global impact.
But also, if I could be afull-time student as a job, I
absolutely would Give me all thebachelor's degrees, all the
associate degrees.
I would love that, butobviously I haven't found a
career path that lets me do thatjust yet.
(31:10):
But Northstar has been soencouraging in all of the ways
that it is growing and learningand reaching out to students and
looking towards the future ofwhat does this look like and
what does this mean?
One of the things that I'vereally loved about North Star is
(31:30):
, as AI has become moreprominent, north Star has not
been reactionary to that.
It has been very proactive inhow can we use this, how can we
benefit our students, how canthis grow?
And so I love the innovationthat we have within North Star
and I love the fact that ourstudents leave being lifelong
(31:51):
learners.
And it's not just our students,it's also our staff and our
faculty that are doing that aswell and living that on a
day-to-day basis.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
I love all that too.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
You should see some of the emails that go back and
forth of oh, let's try this,let's try this, it's really cool
.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, I love all of that too, so, so fun to be a
part of North Star.
Okay, for students that arelistening and are about to
transition in some big way maybeto another country, or maybe
they're transitioning back totheir home country what advice
would you give?
What have you learned that's soimportant for them to know?
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Oh, my goodness, it is so important to let yourself
grieve what you are leaving, andit is so important to be vocal
about that and to tell peoplehey, I am sad about this, I'm
angry about this, I am literallygrieving a life that I am
(32:53):
leaving right now.
And that has been somethingthat has been a big help to me
is to not be shy about sayinglike hey, I am sad, I'm angry,
I'm frustrated, I am insert youremotion here, um, as you grieve
(33:13):
what you are leaving.
Um, because if you are notgrieving that, then there are
emotions that are goingunrecognized, and that's not
healthy.
And the people around you asmuch as we want them to be mind
readers and to just know what'sgoing on, transition is hard,
(33:35):
and unless someone around youhas gone through the same exact
transition that you're goingthrough, they probably don't
realize what you are feeling andwhat's going on.
And so even for my husband andI, who have gotten on the same
airplanes at the same times, wehave grieved in very different
ways and we've had to be verycommunicative about hey, this is
(34:00):
what's going on in my heart andin my brain right now and I
need you to help me withwhatever it may be, and so,
especially for new transitions,I'm pretty new to my transition
still.
I left Bolivia in June of 2024.
(34:22):
And it is currently Septemberof 2024 when we're recording
this, and so I still have a longway to go.
And one of the things that Ihave heard and I have been told
with my transition is for everyyear that you were experiencing
life out there, doing whateverit was, for me, it was Bolivia.
(34:43):
For every year that I was inBolivia, I need to give myself
about four months to transitionto my passport country again,
and so three years in Boliviameans that I'm looking at about
a year before I start to feelquote, unquote normal again in
the United States.
And so, yeah, just grieve andtell people.
(35:06):
It's okay to be a littlestrange, it's okay to be a
little weird and to be grievingin different ways and to say
like, hey, I know you asked meto do this, but I don't have the
capacity right now.
Keep asking me, though, becauseI do want to do that in the
future.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
That's good, good advice me though, because I do
want to do that in the future.
That's good.
Good advice, yeah, absolutelyReally good.
Okay, so what is the strangestthing coming back?
So something that may have notbeen strange when you left, but
now, when you come back, you'relike why do we do that?
Or that's so weird.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Strangest thing about coming back is just the pace at
which people in the UnitedStates live life.
Oh, my goodness, southAmericans, especially Bolivians,
do not live life at this pacethey are.
We'll get there when we getthere and we'll stay for as long
(36:00):
as we're going to stay and thenwe'll leave.
When we leave, um, there is nolike, oh, you get there at six
o'clock, you leave by nineo'clock, you go to the next
thing.
Um, and so for me, that pattern, that structure of the United
States, who was not strange whenI left?
Um, that was, that was normal,uh, and that was typical for me.
(36:23):
But now, after having been, uh,in a different culture that
just sees time differently, um,yeah, that has been really
strange coming back of oh, I'msupposed to be there at 5.30.
I can't be there at 5.45, 6o'clock.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Like everything starts, 5.30 means 7.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, like I can't do that, and so that has been
really strange.
I also really miss tea time.
Bolivians do tea time in theafternoon from like 2 to five or
two to six somewhere in there,and they just have a little
snack and a little tea and theyjust take like a little break.
(37:02):
And so it's really strange thatwe, as Americans, don't do tea
time.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Let's do tea time yeah, sounds fun.
Well, I just really love you,talking to you and that you're
so passionate and living outlike North Star's core values,
which I think we've touched onthem all Right, I mean the
mission and global mindedness,the community and collaboration,
the innovation and lifelonglearning.
(37:30):
I mean we have many more corevalues than that, but those are
the ones we've really beenlisting and focusing on because
they're so important.
And I love that you're herebecause I know everybody you
talk to.
You're going to lead out inthat, you're going to encourage
in that and, yeah, you aremaking an impact.
You have made an impact Anytimeyou're in Bolivia, just sharing
your smile and your light ofJesus and the word like so many
(37:53):
seeds have been planted and soyou'll never know I mean, we'll
never know how those are goingto continue to be watered and
grow and so, yeah, but thank youso much for listening to God
obeying him when he says go andto be, and so I'm excited to see
how God's going to continue towork in your life and do it here
through Northstar, so it's beengreat just sharing and talking.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me and just
letting me share a piece ofBolivia with you, um, just
because it means so much to meand the work that so many
faithful brothers and sistersare doing across the world, um
is so beautiful to see in person.
Um, and then also just to beable to continue that
internationally online withNorth Star is such a blessing,
(38:41):
especially as transitions arehappening.
North Star is a constant for myfamily and for me, because I've
been able to take it across theworld with me as I've moved
from one continent to another,and so I'm really grateful for
North Star and you, stephanie,and your willingness to listen
to the Lord and take me on asthe young person that I was back
(39:04):
in the day during the pandemicand just watch me and help me
grow through that.
So I'm super grateful to NorthStar and to you, stephanie, as
you've seen a lot of thesetransitions.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
So incredible to watch and so, if you're
listening today, reach out toMackenzie here at Northstar,
because I know she would love topray for you, listen to you,
help you in transition orwhatever you might be going
through, and that's not justMackenzie, all of us want that
opportunity.
So please reach out in any waythat you can Phone, email, chat
(39:39):
on our website, so we aredefinitely here for you and pass
the podcast on to other people.
There's other people in yourlife that need to hear little
nuggets.
Every podcast I've everrecorded and we have done a lot
always have incredible nuggets,even if it's not about a topic
you're interested in.
Like there's a nugget of wisdombecause you're hearing
somebody's story, someone's life, what they're learning.
(40:01):
Yeah, and if you've got gueststhat you know would be great to
tell their story, call us, tellus, reach out to us, because
that's why we're here to sharethe love of Christ and the
stories that God is writing.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
He's doing it, and so thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Thank you so much for listening today.
If you have any questions forour guest or would like
information about North Star,please email us.
At podcast at NSA dot school,we love having guests on our
show and getting to hear theirstories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
(40:45):
upcoming stories.
Hi, this is Stephanie Schaefer and you're listening
to the North Star Narrative, apodcast from North Star Academy.
I want to thank you for joiningus.
I hope you're encouraged,challenged and motivated by what
you learned today.
Enjoy the story.
Hey everybody, Thanks forjoining us today.
I'm excited for ourconversation because we're going
(00:24):
to get to talk to MackenzieReynolds, who has been with
Northstar and the NICS networkfor several years and she has a
really cool story how she waswith Northstar for a while,
transitioned to some differentroles, moved to another school
in the network in Bolivia, butalso remained with North Star
during that time and now she'sback full time.
(00:47):
So her story is really cool.
It started in COVID time and soI just want y'all to hear it,
and she's got a lot of insightfrom all of her experience
around the world.
So, Mackenzie, thanks so muchfor joining me today and sharing
your adventurous story.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
I'm super excited to get toshare what the Lord did and just
the journey that has been thelast three, almost four years
for my family and I.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yes, it's been awesome, and when I think of
Mackenzie, the first thing thatpops in my mind is always her
coming into my office atNorthstar at a really pivotal
time where I was like, what arewe going to do?
And God answered the cry for meand the prayer for me, but also
for her and her family and Luke, and so it's really cool.
(01:38):
So we can't do this withoutsharing the very beginning of my
meeting Mackenzie and herhelping Northstar, without
sharing the very beginning of mymeeting Mackenzie and her
helping Northstar.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, Way back in 2020, the pandemic had hit and I
had quit my teaching job in theStates here and I was looking
for anything.
I was reaching out to everybodyand anybody and I was just all
over the place trying to find ajob, because everybody was
trying to find a job then too.
(02:08):
And I got a call from Mr TimMutter and he said hey,
Mackenzie, I see that you'relooking for a job and Stephanie
Schaefer over at Northstar islooking for somebody.
Do you think you could bepart-time?
And I was like absolutely Idon't even know what Northstar
(02:29):
is.
But let me talk to this lady.
I don't know who Stephanie is.
And, yeah, I went over to youroffice, I think almost the same
exact day that Tim called yeah,it was the same day.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It was like within 30 minutes or an hour, I don't
know.
It was so quick.
Yeah, yeah, it was the same day.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It was like within 30 minutes or an hour, I don't
know, it was so quick.
Yeah, I happened to be in theChick-fil-A line when he called
me and so I think I ran homereal quick, yeah, and then came
over, and then I just rememberwe had such an awesome
conversation of just here'swhere North Star's, at here's
what the Lord is doing, are youwilling to listen?
And I was like, absolutely,let's do this.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, it was so good.
So North Star was growingbecause of COVID.
So North Star has been aroundfor a long, long time.
So North Star has been around along time 27 years and so we've
had many years, before COVID,to position ourselves really
well in the market and to beknown as a school that has a
deep, rich community, incrediblecourses that we write and we
(03:31):
offer and dynamic teachers andall about relationships.
So we worked really hard forthat, and so when COVID hit, you
know, students had the optionof continuing on in their school
, with teachers trying to dosomething online or just saying,
hey, we're not even meeting atall, you know.
And so I think people wanted,if they had the resources, they
wanted, a school that reallyknew what they were doing, and
(03:53):
so we had 65% growth during thattime, with families flooding in
, with us being able to helpschools all over the world.
So it was an incredible time tobe a blessing, but a super hard
time on all of our staff andteachers because we weren't
equipped at that time I mean,nobody was equipped during that
(04:14):
time for what COVID was bringingfor that rapid growth, and so I
was looking for help to help usout in the office with all the
people calling and joining.
And here comes McKenzie in theoffice and I was like, mckenzie,
here's what we need.
You know, you're going to needto be on the phones ASAP, you're
going to be able to need to behelping these families, answer
(04:36):
questions for them.
And so you're like yeah.
And I said, okay, go see TinaTandy next door, she's going to
explain to you a little bit more.
She literally had one phonecall that you listened to.
And then it's like, okay, jumpin your office and let me tell
you everybody could not havedone that or wouldn't even try.
But Mackenzie immediately justtook it and ran with it and she
(04:57):
was great, a great blessing tofamily.
So tell us, that's my side ofit.
But what did you feel duringthat moment?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Oh, my goodness, I was just completely overwhelmed
because I had been looking for ajob all of May of 2020, june of
2020, and nothing was coming upbecause nobody was hiring due
to the pandemic.
Everything was closed at thetime for safety purposes.
(05:25):
And so when July hit and we hadthat awesome conversation in
your office and man, like theHoly Spirit, was just in your
office, like I remember crying,just because it was like such a
perfect connection for my familyas well as North Star, and just
like the beauty that it was.
And then, yeah, running over toTina's office, talking to Tina
(05:47):
for a couple minutes, just sothat I wasn't some random person
in her office, and thenlistening to that first phone
call and I was like, man, I cando this, I can handle this, it's
going to be great.
And so, yeah, as soon as Ilistened to that first phone
call and kind of stuck my faceinto everybody else's office
(06:08):
when we had buildings at thattime, I jumped right in and I
was enjoying it, I was loving it, I was praying with families,
constantly on the phone and justchecking in on families and
making sure that they weregetting what they needed.
(06:28):
Sure that they were getting whatthey needed, and North Star was
just the perfect solution forso many families looking for
that quality education online.
That was just hard to find atthe time.
It was really overwhelming andit was a really great feeling.
But it was also just wow.
There's so much to do, there'sso much sowing and harvesting to
(06:48):
be had, and so it was supergreat, super cool.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah, I'll always remember that.
So good to watch God at workand how he equips you for
whatever you need in the moment,whatever he's called you to.
So he equips you to beconfident and bold and go
forward with his family.
Yeah, so good, all right.
So let's talk a little bitabout your transition.
(07:15):
How did you and Luke know youwere called to move to Bolivia?
Sell everything?
I bought your refrigerator.
I remember like you weregetting rid of everything.
Um, what was that like?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
And then, arriving in Bolivia, yeah, so um in, I
started with North star in Julyof 2020, jumped right in
headlong, uh, jumped in the deepend with North star and um over
the pandemic of, of course, alot of us were at home, and so
what did we have time to doother than spend time with the
(07:50):
Lord and turn our eyes upward?
And so little did I know, andlittle did my husband know, that
during the summer months of thepandemic in the United States,
as well as the beginning monthsof the 2020-2021 school year, we
had been spending time with theLord and slowly, the Lord had
(08:13):
been tearing down these walls inour hearts of we're not going
to move overseas.
We're not going to do it.
Because a little backgroundabout my husband's family my
husband's oldest sister is alsoone of the recruiters for the
Network of InternationalChristian Schools, and so she
has always been our biggestcheerleader for going overseas
(08:34):
and we've always turned her downup until 2020.
And so, slowly, individually,the Lord was breaking down these
walls in my heart and myhusband Luke's heart, and we
were both being very quiet aboutthat.
We were not vocal to each otherabout what the Lord was doing
individually in our hearts, andso, with that we then came
(08:59):
together in September of 2020,because, unfortunately, my
husband lost two of the studentsthat he had been working with
in public schools in a tragicand unfortunate accident and he
was just broken.
He was heartbroken because herealized he had never really
(09:19):
gotten to share the gospel withthose two children and so and he
never really gotten to havethat conversation, and so he
finally sat down and was like Ineed to tell you something, and
I was like I got to tell yousomething too, and we realized
in that conversation that theLord had been preparing our
hearts to go overseas to be ableto share the gospel and to do
(09:44):
that in our profession right,which we're both trained to be
teachers.
I'm a math and science teacherby trade, he is an English
language arts teacher by tradeand so we realized in that
conversation that the Lord hadbeen doing this.
And then the Lord startedrevealing all of these different
things, because we had beenmarried for oh gosh, almost four
(10:08):
years at this point and we hadno kids and we had no desire for
kids.
At the time, the Lord had notput that in our hearts.
We didn't own our house.
We actually rented our house.
We had just finished paying offmy student loans.
So we had no debts and, all inall, looking back, we had no
(10:30):
real quote-unquote assets thatwe needed to hang on to or we
needed to think about.
We had a checking account, wehad a savings account and we had
a dog.
Those were the only things thatwe had to think about, really,
and then everything else couldbe sold really easy.
As you said, you bought one ofour refrigerators and we sold
(10:50):
pretty much everything thatwouldn't fit in a suitcase.
And for the dog lovers outthere, don't worry, my dog ended
up going to live with myparents for the three years that
we were in Bolivia, so she waswell taken care of.
And so I got really nervous inSeptember and October because we
(11:12):
put in our application for theNetwork of International
Christian Schools, or NICS, inOctober and I was like I don't
think that I'm going to you knowthat we're going to get
approved Like they're probablygoing to find a reason to reject
us, and so I'm not going to sayanything to Stephanie and North
Star just yet, I'm going towait.
That are both teachers withinthe network.
(11:44):
And so we did, of course, getapproved and we started the
process, and once we gotapproved, I said, hey, stephanie
, my husband and I are feelingcalled to go on the field, and
Stephanie, being the amazingleader that she is within North
Star, was like, well then, yougotta go.
She was like I love you andyou've been a great help and
we're going to be here for youuntil it's time for you to go.
(12:07):
But you got to go if that'swhat the Lord is doing in your
life and doing in your heart.
And I was like, oh, big sigh ofrelief because this boss that I
just met a couple months ago isokay with me leaving soon.
And so we, of course, wentthrough our interview process
(12:28):
and we matched with a coupleschools within the network, but
ultimately we decided to move toBolivia, in South America,
because it was an open schooland an open country.
They were open to Christianity,and one of the things that the
leadership in Bolivia said to usas we were moving was, as much
(12:52):
as I'm grateful that you arecertified and qualified teachers
, what I'm more concerned withright now is just your love for
the Lord and if you're willingto share that or not.
And it was just like anindicator of like, hey, this is
the school for you, especiallyMackenzie.
You're going from a school thathas a very similar mindset
right now of we're just lovingon people and we're just trying
(13:13):
to take care of them as they'renavigating life, and that's just
going from one location, wherethe Lord is already doing that
with North Star, to anotherlocation.
And so my husband and I movedto La Paz, bolivia, in July of
2021.
And I thought my journey withNorth Star was over and that
(13:35):
those doors were closed, but theLord was doing other things and
yeah, you're able to stay on asauthor and teach over the last
three years.
Yeah that that the Lord wasbeing gracious and kind and um,
I've been able to author acourse for North star.
I'm working on another courseright now and, um, I was able to
(13:58):
teach through that andStephanie and the whole North
star team has been reallyflexible with me as I've been
overseas doing another full-timeministry job and teaching
elsewhere.
And so that move to Bolivia washard and it was difficult and
we lost people along the way andstill the Lord was faithful and
(14:19):
it was still a really beautifultime.
And I say, like we're moving toBolivia and we're doing great.
My husband and I knew noSpanish.
I took French in high school,he took German in high school,
so it was a completely newexperience.
I had never left the quoteunquote Southern United States
before we moved.
I had to get a passport becauseI signed a contract to move to
(14:44):
another country, and so my firsttime out of like the Southern
United States was to move toBolivia.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Wow, first time on a plane.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
No, thankfully.
I'd experienced planes a coupleof times before, but it was my
first international flight.
The longest flight before thatwas to Dallas, texas or Orlando,
florida, so I'd never done morethan a two-hour flight before.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
It's not too too far, but for your first one, I guess
I think my first internationalflight gosh one of the flights
was 15 hours, which was, yeah,that's hard, yeah, no.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Bolivia is not that intense.
There are breaks in there.
I think the longest leg thatI've ever seen is seven hours.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
So, but there are hard things at Bolivia.
One of the things in La Paz isthe altitude.
I know a lot of people havealtitude sickness, headaches,
but just the transition ofmoving somewhere different
without your family.
So what was the hardest thingabout transition in the first
few weeks?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Oh goodness, the hardest thing for one was the
health aspect to it, becauseMississippi is basically at like
zero feet of altitude and LaPaz and the neighboring city, el
Alto, are at 11,000 and 13,000feet, and so that was really
(16:10):
difficult.
My husband and I were both verysick that first two weeks just
readjusting, trying to figureout our bodies, trying to figure
out how to breathe, and thenalso, um, we knew zero Spanish.
Uh, honestly, like we could sayyes and no and thank you, and
(16:32):
that was all we could say.
And so, um, getting intoBolivia was really difficult
because we couldn't communicate.
Um, but the Lord provided people, uh, random airline workers who
were willing to translate forus, to help us get into the
country, and then also, just theleadership at Highlands really
(16:54):
took us into their arms.
I can still remember the firsttime that we got through the
immigration desk and throughcustoms and I saw the principal
and director of schools, lily,on the other side of customs and
I just ran to her and I justhugged her.
I love Lily, she's so sweet,yeah, and so culture is
(17:17):
different, where there's lots ofhugging.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Yes, embracing and warm.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yes, lots of Latin.
Yes, lots of embracing andwarmth.
Yes, lots of Latin Americancountries.
There's lots of touching andcheek kissing and things like
that, and I always kind of jokedthat South Americans are very
similar to Southerners in thatyou're always welcome in their
homes.
They'll feed you, they'll takecare of you however they can.
You, they'll take care of youhowever they can.
(17:48):
And so it was really hard,especially the first couple
months, before we had reallyconnected with our coworkers or
our students or anything,because it was just Luke and I
and we didn't have any knowledgeof the culture or the language
or anything like that.
So, but still, the Lord wasfaithful.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
So faithful always when we answer his call.
So when you look back, how didyou see God moving as you
continued in you know, two orthree years after you'd been
there a while?
What do you remember the mostabout God's faithfulness?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
um, yeah, what do you remember the most about god's
faithfulness?
Um, um, man, it's hard to likepick out uh top ones from the
three years, but I'll do my best.
Um what, luke and I were, ofcourse, teaching full-time.
We were both, uh working tomake sure that the gospel was
known, as well as the content,because Highlands is, of course,
an accredited school and so westill had to teach quality
(18:51):
content for our students.
And then also my husband and Iwere each leading a discipleship
group and I really got to watchthose girls grow up and grow
and ask hard questions of thegospel and of themselves and of
me and other leaders, and sothat I'm really grateful for
that group of girls and just theblessing that they were to my
(19:12):
life.
I pray that what I said hasplanted seeds in their hearts.
But a huge reason that we didn'tjust do the two year initial
contract um that Nick'semployees sign when they sign up
to go overseas there they werea big reason that we signed on
(19:34):
for a third year um withHighlands, and so that was a
really big deal for me and thenalso for for my husband, luke.
Uh, he is just so passionateabout helping students
understand that the Bible isn'tjust a storybook and that it is
history come to life, um, andthat it is the living, breathing
(19:56):
word of God.
And, uh, he just loves to breakit down into all of the
different literary pieces andshow students where all of the
different things are within theword of God.
And so I think just getting tobreathe gospel truth into our
lessons as teachers was one ofthe biggest blessings that we
(20:19):
hadn't gotten to experiencepreviously, and so three years
in Bolivia had a lot of ups andit had a lot of downs, but just
the overall relationships thatwe built with those kids was a
really big deal.
There was one school year whereLuke and I were the only two
middle school teachers.
We had other teachers that werecoming in from other
(20:41):
departments to help fill rolesand things, but Luke and I were
the only two, and so we somewhatbecame like the mom and dad of
middle school.
They knew that if mom was upset, they needed to go talk to dad,
and if dad was upset theyneeded to come talk to mom, and
so we had a lot of kids reallybecome like our children.
(21:05):
Like I mentioned earlier, wehave no children, and so the
kids at our school really didbecome our kids.
We were really invested in them.
We went to a lot of footballgames, we listened to a lot of
tears, we listened to a lot ofanger, we counseled a good
(21:27):
amount, and so thoserelationships that we built with
those kids are just pricelessfor us so good.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So I think about that verse from Esther that who
knows that God has you here fora time such as this, if he has
you here?
And so I think about North Star.
God brought you right when youneeded this, if he has you here.
And so, um, I think aboutNorthstar.
God brought you right when youneeded it, when Northstar needed
it during our really busy timeof enrollment that August,
september, october and thenstill being able to stay on,
(21:55):
even while you were working onyour transition, um, yeah, and
then now coming back toNorthstar full time.
Um, I know you reached out to meand said, hey, we're going to
be coming back home and I waslike, oh gosh, mackenzie is
awesome and we're making sometransitions and we're really
going to need someone to help us.
(22:15):
And so you've come along andyou're still doing some of the
things you did before reachingout to families, loving on them,
answering questions, but alsohelping more with our school
side.
And I love how God prepped youfor that so well, because while
Mackenzie was at the school inLa Paz, she actually was the
North Star Academy supervisor,so the students that were using
(22:37):
us there for some blendedlearning she was able to help,
so you learned exactly what it'slike to be a supervisor, the
need.
So now you get to talk toschools that want to use us and
are using us and helping.
So I mean, god just always putsyou right where he wants you
and prepares you for that.
So how does that make you feelas a child of God?
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Oh goodness it gives me so much peace.
I am naturally a pretty anxiousperson, a pretty fearful person
, and so like knowing that theLord is orchestrating everything
and has everything already laidout is so life-giving and so
peaceful for me.
So knowing that it is reallyreally helpful because, yeah,
(23:25):
while I was in at Highlands Inever would have thought, I
thought I was not going to getto come back to North Star.
I thought, oh my gosh, I leftafter less than a year.
They're going to think I'mcrazy, like no, like I don't, I
don't know if this is going towork.
Like no, like I don't, I don'tknow if this is going to work.
And so my husband was themouthpiece of the Holy Spirit at
(23:47):
the time and encouraged me hey,just reach out to Stephanie,
you never know what's going on.
And I was super grateful that heencouraged me to do that and
that the Holy Spirit used him tospeak that into me and that we
were able to connect again, timto speak that into me, and that
we were able to connect again.
And little did I know all ofthese things that I was
(24:15):
experiencing in internationalschools in Bolivia with my
students there was preparing mefor life back here at North Star
and connecting with theseschools and talking to them
about how North Star can reallyfit the needs of the students
that they have and the teachersthat they have.
And it's been really great toconnect with not only families
but also other schools andreally be able to speak truth
(24:37):
and say like hey, I have been onyour side, I have seen what
North Star has done, I am aliving testimony to what the
Lord does through Northstar andthe way that Northstar can
really serve your school andserve your students and your
families and so, um, it has beenjust a true blessing and, as a
(24:58):
child of God, like watching thisall unfold it's just total awe
of the Lord, like total awe.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah, praise him.
And it's exciting becauseyou're not unique in this.
He does this with all of hischildren, exactly as we learn to
walk with him, trust him, turnour eyes to him.
You know I love how youmentioned how our will has to
match His, and I love Psalms37.4,.
(25:27):
What's some of your favoritescripture that plays often in
your mind?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Some favorite scripture man.
I keep Isaiah 43.2 on mydesktop, and it says when you
pass through the waters, I willbe with you, and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelmyou.
When you walk through the fire,you shall not be burned and the
flame shall not consume you.
And so for me, as an anxiousperson, I see everything as big
(25:59):
waters and big flames and big,overwhelming things, and so
knowing that the Lord has spokenthat in the past and knowing
that that can still be truetoday is kind of what rings out
throughout my heart.
And then also Romans 8.1 isjust one that I always go to,
(26:20):
and it says therefore, there isnow no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus.
And so that is one that justechoes through my brain all the
time of hey, I'm a sinful personand yeah, I messed this up, but
I'm in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, there is nocondemnation for me.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Yeah, I love how you told me you love sharing.
You're really passionate aboutsharing with people that maybe
some choices or roads we've gonedown do not define us Right.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
So tell me more about that.
Especially noticed in mystudents in Bolivia, as well as
my students that I've had herein the States in the past, is
just there's this heavy weightthat seems to weigh on a lot of
people of I've made this choicein the past and there's no going
back and that's just not thetruth, right, I can fall into
(27:22):
that trap myself of man.
I made this decision, I messedup, I have to own it, and it's
like we almost put ourselves inthe corner of punishment of I
can't reach out to other people,I can't reach out to the Lord.
I messed up, and one of thethings that has been spoken to
me over many years and that Itry to speak to people is that
(27:45):
it's never too late.
The Lord is always there.
He's been there for thousandsof years, and so the decisions
that we've made can be reallydifficult for the world to
overcome, but it's not difficultfor the Lord to overcome.
Difficult for the Lord toovercome.
(28:07):
And so, as a teacher and as achild of God, I really try to
speak that to my students of hey, that might have been a dumb
decision or that might have beenthe wrong decision at the time,
but it's not too late to tryagain.
Especially as a math teacher, Isee a lot of students who get
really down on themselves ifthey maybe mess up on a math
test or quiz and they think, oh,I'm just not good at math and
(28:29):
that's not the truth.
You just messed up on onesituation or one problem or
whatever it may be.
And so just because you messedup on one doesn't mean that that
is the entire truth of who youare, because you messed up on
one doesn't mean that that isthe entire truth of who you are.
(28:50):
And so, as a math teacher, I'vesaid that a lot of times that we
are practicing and perfect.
Practice is what makes perfect,but practice is what leads us
to progression, and we arealways in this process of
progression and growing, and wesee that through our walk with
the Lord as well.
We see that through the processof sanctification.
Just because you're not perfectdoesn't mean that the Lord
can't refine you and can't bringyou through a process of
(29:12):
sanctification further, and sothat is something that I always
share with my students and withmyself.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
The freedom, freedom that comes through Jesus' blood,
what he's done, and I love thatbecause at Northstar our
teachers do get to speak freedominto our students, with the
feedback they're able to giveand the relationships, the
conversations.
So it's an amazing global place.
And, as you've been atNorthstar, just because you left
La Paz overseas doesn't meanyou're not still having an
(29:44):
incredible global impact, right?
So many students.
So, thinking now about yourexperience in La Paz, all your
experiences at Northstar, whatare some of your favorite things
?
I know one of mine is theglobal impact, like I mentioned.
But what do you love about justyour daily work here at
Northstar?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Yeah, um, so for sure .
Going from living overseas andgetting to be at an
international Christian schooland talking to all of these
people, um, and just interactingwith their culture, that has
become a big part of my heart,and my heart is really for
(30:26):
Spanish-speaking countries andSpanish-speaking people, and so
just getting to be a part of aschool that is seeking that
global reach and thatinternational impact for Christ
has been a huge blessing for myheart, because I've been able to
connect with so many peoplefrom all over the world on a
(30:49):
regular basis, and so part ofNorth Star that I love is that
global impact.
But also, if I could be afull-time student as a job, I
absolutely would Give me all thebachelor's degrees, all the
associate degrees.
I would love that, butobviously I haven't found a
career path that lets me do thatjust yet.
(31:10):
But Northstar has been soencouraging in all of the ways
that it is growing and learningand reaching out to students and
looking towards the future ofwhat does this look like and
what does this mean?
One of the things that I'vereally loved about North Star is
(31:30):
, as AI has become moreprominent, north Star has not
been reactionary to that.
It has been very proactive inhow can we use this, how can we
benefit our students, how canthis grow?
And so I love the innovationthat we have within North Star
and I love the fact that ourstudents leave being lifelong
(31:51):
learners.
And it's not just our students,it's also our staff and our
faculty that are doing that aswell and living that on a
day-to-day basis.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
I love all that too.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
You should see some of the emails that go back and
forth of oh, let's try this,let's try this, it's really cool
.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, I love all of that too, so, so fun to be a
part of North Star.
Okay, for students that arelistening and are about to
transition in some big way maybeto another country, or maybe
they're transitioning back totheir home country what advice
would you give?
What have you learned that's soimportant for them to know?
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Oh, my goodness, it is so important to let yourself
grieve what you are leaving, andit is so important to be vocal
about that and to tell peoplehey, I am sad about this, I'm
angry about this, I am literallygrieving a life that I am
(32:53):
leaving right now.
And that has been somethingthat has been a big help to me
is to not be shy about sayinglike hey, I am sad, I'm angry,
I'm frustrated, I am insert youremotion here, um, as you grieve
(33:13):
what you are leaving.
Um, because if you are notgrieving that, then there are
emotions that are goingunrecognized, and that's not
healthy.
And the people around you asmuch as we want them to be mind
readers and to just know what'sgoing on, transition is hard,
(33:35):
and unless someone around youhas gone through the same exact
transition that you're goingthrough, they probably don't
realize what you are feeling andwhat's going on.
And so even for my husband andI, who have gotten on the same
airplanes at the same times, wehave grieved in very different
ways and we've had to be verycommunicative about hey, this is
(34:00):
what's going on in my heart andin my brain right now and I
need you to help me withwhatever it may be, and so,
especially for new transitions,I'm pretty new to my transition
still.
I left Bolivia in June of 2024.
(34:22):
And it is currently Septemberof 2024 when we're recording
this, and so I still have a longway to go.
And one of the things that Ihave heard and I have been told
with my transition is for everyyear that you were experiencing
life out there, doing whateverit was, for me, it was Bolivia.
(34:43):
For every year that I was inBolivia, I need to give myself
about four months to transitionto my passport country again,
and so three years in Boliviameans that I'm looking at about
a year before I start to feelquote, unquote normal again in
the United States.
And so, yeah, just grieve andtell people.
(35:06):
It's okay to be a littlestrange, it's okay to be a
little weird and to be grievingin different ways and to say
like, hey, I know you asked meto do this, but I don't have the
capacity right now.
Keep asking me, though, becauseI do want to do that in the
future.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
That's good, good advice me though, because I do
want to do that in the future.
That's good.
Good advice, yeah, absolutelyReally good.
Okay, so what is the strangestthing coming back?
So something that may have notbeen strange when you left, but
now, when you come back, you'relike why do we do that?
Or that's so weird.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Strangest thing about coming back is just the pace at
which people in the UnitedStates live life.
Oh, my goodness, southAmericans, especially Bolivians,
do not live life at this pacethey are.
We'll get there when we getthere and we'll stay for as long
(36:00):
as we're going to stay and thenwe'll leave.
When we leave, um, there is nolike, oh, you get there at six
o'clock, you leave by nineo'clock, you go to the next
thing.
Um, and so for me, that pattern, that structure of the United
States, who was not strange whenI left?
Um, that was, that was normal,uh, and that was typical for me.
(36:23):
But now, after having been, uh,in a different culture that
just sees time differently, um,yeah, that has been really
strange coming back of oh, I'msupposed to be there at 5.30.
I can't be there at 5.45, 6o'clock.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Like everything starts, 5.30 means 7.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, like I can't do that, and so that has been
really strange.
I also really miss tea time.
Bolivians do tea time in theafternoon from like 2 to five or
two to six somewhere in there,and they just have a little
snack and a little tea and theyjust take like a little break.
(37:02):
And so it's really strange thatwe, as Americans, don't do tea
time.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Let's do tea time yeah, sounds fun.
Well, I just really love you,talking to you and that you're
so passionate and living outlike North Star's core values,
which I think we've touched onthem all Right, I mean the
mission and global mindedness,the community and collaboration,
the innovation and lifelonglearning.
(37:30):
I mean we have many more corevalues than that, but those are
the ones we've really beenlisting and focusing on because
they're so important.
And I love that you're herebecause I know everybody you
talk to.
You're going to lead out inthat, you're going to encourage
in that and, yeah, you aremaking an impact.
You have made an impact Anytimeyou're in Bolivia, just sharing
your smile and your light ofJesus and the word like so many
(37:53):
seeds have been planted and soyou'll never know I mean, we'll
never know how those are goingto continue to be watered and
grow and so, yeah, but thank youso much for listening to God
obeying him when he says go andto be, and so I'm excited to see
how God's going to continue towork in your life and do it here
through Northstar, so it's beengreat just sharing and talking.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me and just
letting me share a piece ofBolivia with you, um, just
because it means so much to meand the work that so many
faithful brothers and sistersare doing across the world, um
is so beautiful to see in person.
Um, and then also just to beable to continue that
internationally online withNorth Star is such a blessing,
(38:41):
especially as transitions arehappening.
North Star is a constant for myfamily and for me, because I've
been able to take it across theworld with me as I've moved
from one continent to another,and so I'm really grateful for
North Star and you, stephanie,and your willingness to listen
to the Lord and take me on asthe young person that I was back
(39:04):
in the day during the pandemicand just watch me and help me
grow through that.
So I'm super grateful to NorthStar and to you, stephanie, as
you've seen a lot of thesetransitions.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
So incredible to watch and so, if you're
listening today, reach out toMackenzie here at Northstar,
because I know she would love topray for you, listen to you,
help you in transition orwhatever you might be going
through, and that's not justMackenzie, all of us want that
opportunity.
So please reach out in any waythat you can Phone, email, chat
(39:39):
on our website, so we aredefinitely here for you and pass
the podcast on to other people.
There's other people in yourlife that need to hear little
nuggets.
Every podcast I've everrecorded and we have done a lot
always have incredible nuggets,even if it's not about a topic
you're interested in.
Like there's a nugget of wisdombecause you're hearing
somebody's story, someone's life, what they're learning.
(40:01):
Yeah, and if you've got gueststhat you know would be great to
tell their story, call us, tellus, reach out to us, because
that's why we're here to sharethe love of Christ and the
stories that God is writing.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
He's doing it, and so thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Thank you so much for listening today.
If you have any questions forour guest or would like
information about North Star,please email us.
At podcast at NSA dot school,we love having guests on our
show and getting to hear theirstories.
If you have anyone in mind thatyou think would be a great
guest to feature, please emailus and let us know.
And don't forget to subscribeso you don't miss out on
(40:45):
upcoming stories.
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