I love teaching with NICS/OASIS for more reasons than I can explain here, but the biggest reason is getting to see a clearer picture of God through the students at our school. We have the world in our classrooms, and serving Him through loving them is greater than any job I could have imagined. There are over 70 passport countries represented at our school, but our students carry so many more cultures inside them. They are my heroes.

As a student, I attended two NICS schools: BAIS (Bandung, Indonesia), and ICS (Singapore). My life was made so much richer by my involvement in two schools that truly cared about investing into their students, pouring Jesus into them, and providing an excellent education. Thus, when the opportunity to teach at ICS came up, I knew I had to jump at it. I love teaching with NICS because I get to fulfill the Great Commission every day: the nations are in my classroom, I get to tell students about the Gospel, and I get to teach in a way that encourages critical thinking and a faithful foundation. I love being able to serve my students and to serve with my students in various capacities. Investment truly matters, and I know I would not be the person I am today without attending AND teaching in the NICS network.

I have loved being a part of NICS for the past decade. I get to build deep, vibrant relationships with my students, I am continuously being challenged to grow in my faith, and I have learned to appreciate a variety of cultures. But what I love most of all is that being a part of NICS means being a part of a global family spread out all over the world, a family that prays for one another, encourages and supports one another, and serves one another. The way the NICS community loves each other is a reflection of the way Christ loves us, and I am so grateful to be a part of this family.

I love teaching at NICS because I get to show children the love of Christ through music. In the classroom, I get to daily see my students use their God given talents to praise and worship Him. I also really enjoy teaching at NICS because I found the love of my life, Laura Johnson, 4th grade ICS-P teacher, and I get to marry her this June!

I have loved working for NICS over the past two years. I work in Seoul, South Korea at Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS), as a fourth-grade homeroom teacher. I have enjoyed teaching at a high academic level, while using biblical integration to share my faith. YISS has a great community that works together to grow spiritually and academically. The teaching staff is friendly and supportive of each other. The school offers a Christian and Oasis path for religion, so there are many different religions represented by students. This presents a great opportunity to share God’s love with people who believe differently. The best thing about working for NICS and YISS is being in community with other believers for a united goal of furthering God’s kingdom.

In Matthew 28, God calls us to make disciples of all nations. It always amazes me how he brings these precious souls from all nations straight into our school. In only 3 years teaching Kindergarten, I have taught students from 24 nations. In our entire school, students have come from over 70 nations. I get to teach my students how to read, write, and count, but my favorite thing to teach them is how much God loves them. Some of them have never been told that before, and it is such an incredible privilege to get to love them with God's love. I love my job. I love the laughs, the hugs, the creativity, the diversity, and the tender hearts. I love the curiosity, the kindness, and the heart-melting smiles. Sometimes I think they teach me more about God's unconditional love then I could ever teach them. Teaching for NICS has truly been a life-changing experience for me. I am thankful for it everyday.