Tuesday, August 26, 2008

job update!

hello friends!

well, after weathering an emotionally-draining storm of despair this weekend, i'm on a bit of an upswing. in one day i went from zero jobs to two! okay, well only one of them is official, but still! after a month of nothing much, i am very much encouraged!

the official job is this--the half-day pre-school. for awhile i was considering not taking this job (if it was offered) since it was only part-time & sounded like as much babysitting as teaching (more to come on what that ratio actually will be....). but then i decided that beggars (even those with college degrees) can't be choosers, and in all honesty, if i'm headed towards a career in children's ministry, working with children at a church will be good experience. and i already know that i thrive when i work with kids, so i think it will be enjoyable and rewarding. also, i don't expect to fall heavily under a lot of mental strain from this position, so it won't leave my life consumed by job-related stress (hopefully) and i'll have time to ponder my future and pursue God's heart.

i have two days of training at the church this week, then we have an open house next week, and "class" starts in two weeks. i am with older twos/younger threes :)

the second job is working at the Christian bookstore. this weekend i decided that i would call the store on Monday because i submitted an application awhile back & hadn't heard anything. so i call & talk to the manager, who said i didn't receive a call from him because i indicated on my app. that i was looking for full-time work. so after explaining to him that i was starting this other half-day job, he said that they'd probably be hiring within the next month & he would give me a call in the next couple of weeks.

last night when i left the YMCA i had 3 missed calls, 2 of which were from the bookstore number...but no message. hmmm, odd. then, at precisely 5:51 am this morning, my phone jangles and i groggily pick it up. it tells me i have a "new" voicemail (it must be on reverse Beijing time or something?! the Olympics are over, little pink phone!), which was from the store manager. he said that he talked with his assistant manager, and they'll be able to offer me a position right now after all! so i'm going in on Friday morning for an interview :)

God is faithful. these jobs aren't world-changing, but they're both at least vaguely ministry-related, and will give me purposeful work for the next 6 months to a year while i figure out my next step.

now that the unemployment weight has been lifted, the only ache that still lies on my heart is the notable absence of my Carolina community. all my beloveds and the school itself. that, i know, will not be a problem solved in one day like seemingly the job situation was. but i'm hoping these two work environments and hopefully the choir i'm auditioning to join (tomorrow night!) will provide my first dose of post-college friendships.

1 comment:

fiercest said...

hooray! for kids and bookstores! i'm glad you're finally on the upswing, whit. muchas felicitaciones.