January 13, 2011

Wow. It's been a long time since I've updated! This entry isn't going to be solely about my seminary journey. But I think everything that I'm going to include here is related. God works in so many ways, and something that seems completely unrelated to my journey may just be the cause of another step.

After working with the new online forms for about a week and emailing Pastor Wood several times, I finally managed to fill out the online forms and get them to actually send. I think there are some kinks that still need to be worked out!!

I thought I was going to have my Entrance Panel in November. Or not. Pastor Wood said that they try to do all of the Panels in April. So I'm waiting to hear from him on when that will be.

In September, I turned 30. I celebrated by going to Las Vegas in October with a bunch of friends and family. Had a blast! (Ok...so this one probably has nothing whatsoever to do with my seminary journey).

In October, I also quit my jobs at A+ Paper Shredding and Empire Tax Service and went to work at Target as a Seasonal Early Morning Flow Team Member. I also found out that since Carolyn, St. John's Administrative Assistant of 27 years, was retiring, that my job as Office Clerk was going to be gone. Carolyn worked 20 hours a week and I worked about 10 (well, usually less than that). Her replacement is going to work 30 hours a week and do both jobs.

I spent the next six weeks applying for any and every job I could find that was even remotely interesting and applicable. No legitimate responses. Whatsoever. Got some spam responses, though. And a few that told me I would be PERFECT for their opening......for an insurance salesperson! Any of you who know me will know how well I would perform at THAT job!!

Sometime in December, Forest told me that they had had a Team Lead Meeting and they were happy with me as an employee and would I like to stay on past Seasonal? I never would have thought I would be so relieved! I wasn't going to be unemployed come January!!

St. John hired a new Administrative Assistant and she trained with Carolyn the three days before Christmas.

So Christmas came. I went to Seymour and spent a few days with the family. It was a good time. :D

So then my next Target schedule is posted. I had been getting 30+ hours/week. Now I'm scheduled for 18!! Sunday night is spent working with my numbers...and coming to the realization that 18 hours at my Target salary just isn't going to be enough! Panic attack time!

I stop at church after Target on the 27th because I hadn't put the reminders out for the new girl to mail. Pastor is sitting in the office. I see no white car in the parking lot that belongs to the new girl. "Are you alone?" I ask. He responds that the new girl decided that the job wasn't for her.

So, after talking a while, Pastor asked me if I would be interested in taking the job, on an Interim basis, until I go to school in the fall. I went home, thought about it, prayed about it, called Rebecca and talked about it. Called him that evening and said I would. It was approved at the Council meeting that Tuesday. So the rest of that week, I worked at church a bit after Target, and I started the church job full time (well, 6 hours/day) after the new year. (no, I haven't given up Target, nor do I intend to).

Of course, on the Monday and Tuesday of my new job, I got not one, not two, but THREE people responding to job ads I had applied to. God does play jokes on us sometimes, doesn't he?