Let's do lunch! All day!

Lunch is dominating my life at work! Our charter school just opened a cafeteria and is serving a boxed breakfast and hot lunches. Guess who gets to handle all the accompanying paperwork and money flow? That would be me, the entire administrative staff at the school! By the end of the week, I actually got to where I could spend a few minutes on things not lunch-related. But I was glad to have an entire day to get out report cards on Friday! It was a teacher workday, totally devoted to report cards. That, coupled with 10 hours of overtime on Wednesday and Thursday nights, got our report cards out on time!

I had a visit with my former project manager. I was impressed that he started the conversation with an apology for how he treated me at the end of our time together at the former workplace. I was interested in what they were doing at this new company and wouldn't mind being a part of it. It is much more "start-up" than I expected. After a follow-up call, it sounds like he will pitch the idea of hiring me to the higher ups. Even if an offer comes around, I still will give it a lot of prayer and thought. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for me! And if I do leave the school before the year is out, I will make sure their transition will be as painless as possible. I would want them to hire a replacement and let me assist in training that person thoroughly. (Then they can un-train them when I leave!) It may be that I will finish out the school year and make a change, or stay with the school for years to come!

We have not submitted our applications to Agape Flights yet. Mark is still finishing up his. I just noticed information on their website about the loss of their plane. You can read about it here.

If you read my daughter's blog, you know this has been a challenging month for us. Sometimes it takes the challenges for us to be dependent on God for His provision. God revealed his provision through an unexpected gift that taught my daughter the humility of allowing others to bless you in your need. Yes, we have made mistakes and poor choices and will have to face the consequences thereof. But I do not regret that our children have had to learn that at times we must wait for things and make choices between needs and wants. Hopefully, they will be better prepared for life because of this.

A New (Year) Start

Today was my first day back to school as school secretary. It was a zoo! We enrolled 4 new students and had several calls inquiring about openings. If they all come, we'll be maxed out on enrollment!

It was hard getting back in the swing of things. I felt like I couldn't complete a task before getting interrupted. But it was good to see the teachers, the students, and my campus director again.

I had something unexpected happen today. My project manager from my previous employer called me to try to woo me to the new company where he is working. I'm not sure what to think. This is a company that was started by a very respected coworker at my previous place of employment. However, the guy that called is the same guy that, for all practical purposes, fired me a year and a half ago. I was a temp, so I wasn't really fired -- just "no longer needed". But since he bantered around words like "insubordination", it makes me wonder why he's after me now.

As I look back on that time, we were both put under a lot of stress by those above us. And it was a weird situation, as far as chain of command goes. He was my project manager but not my supervisor, and it was unclear who I actually supposed to report to. (If he's not your supervisor, is it insubordination?) He pushed me to cut corners, which I felt compromised the procedure, if not the product as well. I questioned him one too many times. However, before those last few months, we actually worked well together, and he elevated me to positions that stretched me and challenged me.

I'm also reminded of an old adage with a twist: Fire me once, shame on you; fire me twice, shame on me.

From another angle, the money was good, and the family made the best progress in recent years of retiring our debts. Since I lost that job, we have made negative progress in that regard. Money isn't everything, but it has been keeping us back from possibly pursuing missions.

Another important aspect is how this would impact the family. William is in school now. They have after school care for a very reasonable price, but we'd also have to work out getting him there every day at an acceptable time for all. I've also been spending lots of time working with him to get him to do his schoolwork in a timely fashion. Would I have that time at another job? It also has helped for me to be on campus and chatting with his teacher on a regular basis.

This phone call was so out of the blue that I know I need to mull it over a bit before I decide anything. And just because I investigate this new company doesn't mean I'll accept an offer. But this is one time that I wouldn't mind if God dropped down a billboard with directions!

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your time with family and friends.
Enjoy the food and the gift-giving.
But don't forget the best and most expensive gift of all.

Please pray

I just got an e-mail from missionaries in Haiti. They use Agape Flights to supply their mail and package service. They received this news from Agape Flights:

There is no easy way to share this with you. Today (Friday, 12/21) on its return flight Agape's Caravan experienced an engine failure and ditched into the Caribbean off of Chub Cay near Abacco and not for from the US.

We ask you to share in praise to the Lord for the safety of Agape's crew Rocky and Paolo... I have just spoken to them and all is well...

Pray with us as we regroup... Please be assured we will persevere...

Please share this with other members of the Agape family, thank you...

God Bless,
Charlie (Gardner, Director of Agape Flights)

Please pray for Agape Flights. As far as I can tell, this is their only plane used for delivery service. They had just spent a lot of money to have the engine rebuilt this fall. This loss will impact the missionaries they serve in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Thanks for praying with me.

Bummer

I've had to sit out of participating in worship teams for over two months now. If you know me well, worship is a passion for me.

God has his way of keeping me humble. He has shown me that sometimes things are right for a season, and sometimes not. His ways are not our ways, and His timing is not our timing.

At long last, I commit to sing this Sunday. I got my rehearsal notification e-mail today. And I came home from the school running a fever. And as my friend calls it, having a face ache. Probably a sinus infection.

Pastor Steve said that Joseph, the father of Jesus, just did the next right thing. It's never fun when the next right thing is stepping away from something that is your passion. But when the time's right, I'll be up there again, singing my heart out. For now, I'll just sing in my heart!

I hope you and yours are escaping the many ailments that are going around this fall and winter.

Blessings!

Realizations

I've come to realize a few things over the last few weeks.

I realized I don't spend near enough time communing with the Father.

I realized that I need worship. The times I have missed it due to illness, trips or serving at church have been felt deeply.

I realized I need my friends. For support and encouragement. To share my joys, sorrows and concerns. To share their joys, sorrows and concerns.

I realized I like my job. There's never a dull moment and I don't get bored! I love working with the kids and the parents and the teachers.

I realized I like my new campus director. She is the superintendent's wife, but she has her own educational experience as a principal and assistant principal, and also has special ed training. She'll be great for our school, and I think we'll be good friends! (For those concerned about nepotism, she reports to the board, not her husband.)

My hubby and I realized we could not make it on the maximum salary the school could offer. Not to mention wondering what would happen in summer. It would be an hourly position (as mine is), so it would be "No work, no pay."

I realized that following your convictions is better than trying to please others based on their convictions.

One other bit of news: We've begun a dialog with Agape Flights, a mission organization that provides mail and delivery service for missionaries in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They also provide transportation for missionaries and bring in short-term teams for mission trips. They are in need of a field director for Port au Prince. The position requires organizing volunteers to sort mail, interfacing with customs officials, hosting teams, and record keeping, among a multitude of other duties. We're not sure how well we fit what they are looking for, but after having them "coincidentally" cross my path several times in different ways, we've decided to talk with them further. Please pray for wisdom as we investigate one another.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every
circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

-- 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Career Change?

I'm trying to work my husband into a new job. In some ways it would be a step forward. In others, a step back.

Our school is going to be putting in a cafeteria to be able to serve lunches to the students. They will need someone to run the kitchen operations. If you know my husband at all, you know he loves to cook! He's always one of the "kitchen ladies" working on Mission Meals. Plus, he's often there to help out and clean up at other events at the church.

We have been feeling that God is leading us into a hospitality ministry in missions -- running a guest house or hosting short-term teams. This would be an opportunity to try his hand at cooking for a crowd (probably only about 100) on a daily basis.

Sounds good, huh? Well, the down side is that it would be a significant reduction in pay. But it would also be a significant reduction in commute time and cost, a significant reduction in stress, and a way out of a bad work environment. We're willing to take the pay cut if we can make it on our salaries. I know we can stand to reduce our living expenses a little bit. We've done it before.

I know that God has put me in my current job for a reason. For me, it meant a bit more pay. It also meant a change in lifestyle for myself, for William (going to school for the first time), and the rest of the family. But now that we've settled into a routine, I'm finding I really enjoy my position. It really is a ministry -- to the students, the parents, and the staff.

Please pray for wisdom for us as we contemplate this career change and for the school leadership as they make their decisions.