When the Detour Becomes the Direction

A failed class, a tiny Chevy S-10, and a job she never expected all became part of Mrs. Kerri Holmes’ journey to teaching. Looking back, she sees God’s hand in every unexpected step.

A Dream That Didn’t Go as Planned

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a nurse. I went to college convinced that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Unfortunately, during my first semester of college, I failed Biology for Majors, and that dream ended. This was only the beginning of my uncertain future. I changed my major five times during college. I finally graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Spanish. I was 22 years old and clueless.

A Little Truck and an Unexpected Adventure

Three days after graduating from Berry College, I loaded up a few belongings into my brother’s tiny Chevy S-10 pickup truck. I set off on a four-day journey to Morelia, Michoacán, in central Mexico. 

I didn’t have much of a plan. I was just excited to practice what little Spanish I had learned and experience another culture. I loved it so much that I decided to stay for a while, but I was running out of money fast. My brother helped me land a job teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at a private language school, Baden-Powell Institute.

It was during these months that I discovered something I never expected…I loved teaching! Mind you, I had never taught anything in my life and had no idea what I was doing. Looking back, I can see that what seemed like an unplanned adventure and a job to meet a financial need was actually God directing my steps.

Saying Yes to Unexpected Opportunities

When I returned home, I continued teaching through ESL ministries and anyone else who would hire me while working a job in the corporate world to support myself. My teaching opportunities eventually took me to places I never could have imagined. 

I had the privilege of traveling to Afghanistan on five different occasions. Each experience grew my understanding of different cultures and God’s heart for all of creation. It opened my eyes to the incredible opportunity that we have to serve others through education.

On one particular trip, I ended up taking over some English classes at Kabul University after all of the foreign English teachers had been unexpectedly evacuated from the country. One particular student has stayed in my heart all these years later. I vividly remember the day I was leaving. She began to cry as she hugged me and said, “I don’t know why, but I just love you.” I believe that she was experiencing God’s love through me, an ordinary teacher who said yes to an opportunity placed before me. All these years later, I still think of her often and pray that God would reveal Himself to her and that she would come to know His love. One of my greatest joys would be to meet her again someday, only next time in Heaven.

Another Open Door

As my love for teaching continued to grow, God provided yet another open door. In 2008, I returned to school and earned my M.A. in Applied Linguistics and ESL from Georgia State University. I went on to teach in the Intensive English Programs at Mercer University and Kennesaw State University.

I eventually found myself in a new season of life when God blessed me with a husband and family, and I chose to stay home to teach my own children. We have been blessed to call Cornerstone home since 2016. Being a part of this amazing school has taught me that education is about far more than just academics. It is about knowing students, encouraging them to use their God-given abilities, and pointing them toward truth.

Trusting the Next Step

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” When I look back on my journey to where I am today, I am in awe of how God was continually directing my steps even when I didn’t realize it. I didn’t know where failing Biology would lead me. I didn’t know where that little Chevy S-10 was going to take me. But God did. His plan isn’t always clear. Sometimes it just means taking the next step in obedience and trusting Him with the rest.

Love God. Love Others.

This year’s school theme is particularly meaningful to me. Love God, Love Others. God has given me opportunities to love Him by serving others, to love people from many different cultures and backgrounds, and now to invest in the lives of our students. I look forward with great anticipation to seeing how the Lord directs each of our students’ steps in the years ahead, just as He has and continues to direct mine.