“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Isn’t it wonderful that God placed promises for us in His Word? Even when we feel that He is nowhere near us, He never leaves. For this reason, we are to not fear our circumstances and should be encouraged to continue in how we sense the Lord leading our lives, even if it seems that everything is falling apart around us.
Last week was a low point for me (Jessi). The job interview that I was sure would be a breeze and find me employed came… and went. I received the party line of “we do hold onto applications for a year” and no callback from the manager that seemed over-eager to hire me the week before. I was devastated. I cried, I moped, and I had the pity party that had probably been brewing under my determination to paint a rosy picture on being down here with little income, no friends, and a lot of financial stress. I was, to be blunt towards myself, a mess.
But as I started pulling myself back out of the dumps, I found myself being encouraged. Guy was wonderful, letting me cry and vent my frustration, and then participating in some long talks about what we’re going through, how we’re feeling, our expectations, etc. I had the opportunity to call my mom and have a really long conversation with her. Then, through conversation with the pastor’s wife of the Methodist church I’ve been filling in as pianist for, she is encouraging me to write a book! No, it’s not about the perils of moving to attend seminary. Rather, the book would be about the need for bringing back craft-based fellowship and mentoring opportunities in the church.
Now firmly out of the dumps and back on my feet, I was surprised today to find an email asking me to come for an interview at the Seminary. I interviewed this afternoon, and will be hearing back by this weekend – hopefully with a job offer!
Guy is still plugging away at Greek, and is counting down the days to the end of the semester – August 9. They’ve got 3 more chapters to go, and the Final. The last time he checked he was sitting at a 92%, which I’m thrilled about, especially since this is a foreign language course that combines 2 semesters’ worth of material into 2 months.
Guy is hard at work at Bass Pro, but we’re wondering if we’re going to have problems with hours. The first 3 weeks he worked 17 hours per week, but this week was only given 11 hours. Considering the distance to work (approximately a 45-minute drive), with the cost of fuel and wear-and-tear on the car, we’re starting to wonder if he needs to see about a different job closer to home. He’s also looking into the possibility of trying to go full-time at Bass Pro. He does have some applications pending at the seminary, which would really be the most attractive option.
We’re having to weigh options regarding class schedules/options due to the finances. Guy’s planning to drop from his original intention of 13 hours in the Fall to 6, and I’m looking at around somewhere between 9 and 12, since one 3-hour class is free to student wives. Hopefully we’ll be able to work on scholarship applications (and get awarded some) that will help us for upcoming semesters.
We are continuing preparations towards family coming mid-August. We keep arranging things in the house, are trying to clean often, and I keep fiddling with my menu plans! Next week will be a lot of cooking as I try to get some of the preparation out of the way: making sauce for the enchiladas and spaghetti sauce for the lasagna, plus assembling the lasagna. These items can freeze well, so I plan to take advantage of that!
Prayer Requests:
* A job for Jessi and more work hours/different job for Guy
* Endurance for Guy as he finishes classes
* Financial stresses to lessen
* Fortitude to carry out convictions
* Safe travel for family and a good visit
Seminary Journey 