Its been a month and a day since I've returned to Ohio. This being the 3rd time to make the transition from NJ to Ohio, you'd think I would get the hang of it, but once again, my transition back is...well, its a little more complicated that I would have anticipated.
The first fall I came back to Ohio was filled with all sorts of new things. I had only worked out here 5 weeks, then spent the summer in NJ, then returned to start my part time job as an after-school program director.
God had other ideas.
Three days before I was set to move out here, I was called and offered a second part time job to be the director of the entire department I was going to be working in, not just of the after-school program. God very specifically affirmed it, so I took it, and so began my career as "The Sex Lady."
Yes.
"The Sex Lady." A nickname given to me by a student, then repeated constantly by my coworkers. Thanks guys.
The second time I moved back to Ohio after a NJ summer, I knew I would be dealing with a few more transitions, specifically finding a new apartment and having a new roommate. However, a few extra complications were sprinkled in, just to keep me on my toes. My first day back at work, my dear coworker, my friend, my fellow "Sex Lady," told me she had to quit. Her availability was changing and she wasn't going to be able to keep working with me. Fortunately, I still see her and we have a common love of crafting and thrifting, so many a day has been spent with her perusing the isles of Goodwill. But my return to Ohio included an unexpected search for a new assistant. God answered with Linda, a former teacher, fellow Whovian, and someone passionate about teaching students to make wise choices.
But then an extra complication occurred. My living arrangements weren't quite what I was expecting. So at the end of the school year, I found myself yet again packing all of my stuff up and preparing to apartment search.
So the third time I moved back to Ohio after a NJ summer, I knew I'd be looking for an apartment, transitioning back into work, AND I added on my own extra transition of finding a student ministry to finally get involved in. I decided that I wouldn't in fact be cheating on SRCC student ministry by joining another one. After another great week of leading a small group at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference this summer, I realized I couldn't go another school year without serving in some kind of youth group setting. I may lead an after-school program, but nothing can replace leading teens through biblical truths, after playing an awkward and corny crowd game of course.
I was still nervous to get involved in a new group, but God made sure I never had enough time to rethink it. Here's the low-down of how I got involved: On Sunday, I spoke with a woman at church who said she could connect me with one of the youth pastors at church; I was sent an email from said youth pastor (Sharon...a Jersey girl!) on Sunday night, got a call from Sharon on Monday, met with Sharon on Tuesday, and was assigned the 12th grade girls Wednesday, met my co-leader and attended the leader meeting Sunday, then attended the first night of youth group the following Sunday. So two weeks and I'm in.
So yeah, I shouldn't have to deal with any more transitions, right? Finding a place to live, running two ministries, starting at youth group, and leading at BSF should be enough...right??
Nope.
So here are the latest transitions I have been dealing with. Its kinda big stuff. Are you ready?
While I'll still be leading the after-school program, I will no longer be able to hold the title of "The Sex Lady." At the end of the month, I will no longer be the director of the department or leading the abstinence awareness program we have.
A lot went into this decision, it was certainly not made lightly. I realized, after a lot of prayer and tears, that God is still not done with me (who knew?) and this was yet another part of His plan for me. God had given me the grace and strength to change the program and bring it to where it was, and it was always difficult for me, but this year felt different. Both of these programs I was running are growing--not only growing, but over-lapping, so there's a reason I felt weighed down and overwhelmed at the prospect of another year. I made the decision to focus just on what brought me out here in the first place, my 6th grade girls.
But of course, I can't live on just a part time job, so that means I have to find something else to help with my financial woes. Once again, God showed He's not done with me yet. I already have my second source of income. Remember that meeting I told you about with Sharon? We met for coffee and talked about student ministries, and I mentioned that I was looking for some extra part time work, and she off-handedly told me that the church was hiring a few part time positions, so I should send my resume in. I got home, dusted off my resume, wrote a cover letter, and applied. And you guessed it, I got the job.
Replace the slightly inappropriate title I had before with barista. Yep, my church is large enough to have a coffee shop inside of it, and I will be one of the lucky few to stand behind the counter and concoct different ways for people to ingest the wonderfulness that coffee provides. I was also told that I would be able to pick up extra shifts helping people in the office, so watch out Fairhaven Church, I'm taking over.
I have a couple apartments that I'm looking at this coming week, so we'll see what happens. Maybe I'll have more updates for you soon.
After re-reading this for typos (of which there will always be plenty), I feel this post may be slightly disjointed. But that's how I have felt lately, so why wouldn't it be reflected in my writing? The point was to update everyone, so there you go. I also feel like my excitement may not have come through very well. I am really excited to be a part of a youth group again and to claim "barista" as one of my many job experiences. More importantly, I'm excited to see how God is confirming constantly that He is still there and still sovereign, regardless of my limited understanding. After finally making the decision to step down from the one ministry, everything else with work has fallen into place. Telling my boss was much easier than I expected, interviewing my replacement was exhausting but worth it because we've found a great candidate, and I already have my second job lined up, and will start training this Sunday! Its easy to get frustrated when we only look at the issues and the frustrations, but I have to remember that just because I can't see a solution doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and that just because I can't figure out how everything is going to work together doesn't mean that God doesn't know exactly how it all will. He has each and every one of us, and He won't let a little thing like confusion get in His way. "For God is not the God of confusion but of peace." Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment