Situations...

Well, life continues to be an amalgam of chaos and peace around the house here. On the one hand, our June deadline of finding a full-time job or additional part-time job for me is bearing down pretty hard, without any definite answers. There are a lot of possibilities, but it's very hard these days to find a job where you can just walk in and start. Moving through this, though, is a sense of peace that God will provide.

This is something that we're really struggling with. First of all, we all like to talk about knowing God is our provider, but our budgets and lives are based around making sure we have enough employment to cover our bills. To be still and trust goes against our 'common sense' and leads to the belief that someone in our situation should just 'go out and get a job.' Or, since I already have one, I should go get another one. Trouble is, I've been looking, but I haven't found anything on third shift, which is the only available time for me. And if you haven't priced daycares lately, don't ask about sending Ann to work. It's not feasible. The only daycares that are affordable are the ones that tend to leave kids in hot vans in the summertime. So, we're still praying and asking God for direction.

Meanwhile, we have been approached by a few churches about working with them in various roles. A couple of them could provide a full-time living, one couldn't provide anything but the opportunity to preach when their pastor is out, and others are just beginning their process. We don't know yet what will happen. Any of the full-time situations will require a move, selling our house, with its unfinished repaint and restoration from it foreclosure, in a market with lots of houses available. I've looked at some job possibilities in financial services, but I just don't know if I'm cut out to sell insurance. First, I've never successfully sold anything in my life, and second, I would have to start part-time, which would be fine, if the best part of the day wasn't sucked up in a hot, sweaty, UPS hub. By the time I got home, showered, and back out, I wouldn't see very many people, and I don't know how well that would work.

So, we're left here, waiting and praying, and praying, and waiting, and, to be honest, not sleeping very well. Some nights I'm fine, not stressed, but most are pretty rough. It's easy to get through the days when I'm busy, but when the lights go out, it gets hard.

If you would pray for us, please do. We know that there are solutions, but we just don't know what they are.