It was this exact day last year that Jamie came to me and told me that we needed to move with 100% certainty in his voice. He had actually approached me 2 days prior to this at a spring break camp that we did with the youth. Jamie already had resumes out (since January), we were just waiting on God's intervention, and trying to be patient. Things kind of hit us in the face at camp and it became a more urgent situation quicker than we were mentally or physically prepared for.
I don't really remember the exact words of the conversation that night, but I do remember my rush of feelings, the look on my husband's face with tears streaming down his face and the urgency in his voice. I was frightened beyond anything that I had ever felt before. I cried, and looked over at him as he pleaded with me to understand. He promised me that he would take care of us, but that we had to go. I looked up at him and told him that I trusted him. He called his parents right after that conversation and they offered us a place to stay while we were in limbo. It was not ideal for them or us, but it was a necessary thing for us to hear to move forward in this decision. That night, we layed in bed and prayed together for things to come. He went into work the next day and called me later and told me that he had resigned with a 2 month notice. I cried pretty much the entire day away (from beginning to end). My friend that I met every week for a playdate, had postponed to Thursday and I was so thankful!
We carried on as usual that week with church activities, teachings, etc. It was awkward. I lived in a puddle of tears and stress, lack of sleep, and by the end of the week, Jamie had changed the 2 month resignation to a 2 week resignation. Now things got even scarier and crazier in our lives. There were a couple of frantic phone calls to my sweet mother where I literally was freaking out and bawling on the other end. I was sending resumes out like crazy. Jamie was on the phone to everybody he knew trying to line up a job....anything to pay bills and possibly give us insurance.
So that next Wednesday night, he officially resigned with the church with no job prospects, home, or real sense of what was going on in our lives. It was uncomfortable, but Jamie held it together beautifully. We got some questions that were difficult to answer along the way. We told everybody that God was moving us on. No lie! We just didn't know where at that moment!
We were obedient to God's wishes, and you know what we got almost as soon as we walked in the door that SAME night? A phone call from Dr. Cecil (Mid-Continent University) and they wanted Jamie's resume emailed to them immediately. I think we were both too scared to be excited at the time. But things moved quickly and he had an interview the next Monday and a job lined up 30 minutes after the interview. All these things are amazing!!!! We never expected this, but it confirmed to us that God was watching out for us and we were smack dab in the middle of something amazing he had planned. Jamie was slated to start 2 days after we moved:-) The rest is history there. He loves his job!
We lived with Jamie's parents 3 1/2 months. It is weird to me now, because I don't really remember a lot about last summer. Bits and pieces come to me, but sometimes the kids will say, "remember last summer when..." No, I really don't. That kind of freaks me out in a way. I know that I was in a weird depressive state that I tried desperately to hide, but probably didn't succeed to well most of the time.
We moved again at the end of August on a very hot summer day to our new home. The first real home we've ever owned! It was a dream come true! Jamie is working on his master's degree, loves his job, and off every weekend (for the first time in 11 years). We started homeschool and house renovation and it was overwhelming, but it was hard to really care since we didn't even have a home for almost 4 months.
We also found a church that is just a breathe of fresh air to my soul and mind. I have learned so much in this short period of time. I'm not being "preached at," I'm being challenged and made to think...big difference!
I know this post is long, but I contemplate the past year a lot. It is still a regular conversation in the Hughes house, but the conversations are turning around. I still won't look back and think, "yippee I'm so happy that happened to us" but I can look back and see where God just carried us along his will and path. We had to put our faith and trust in him like never before and he blessed us so much for it. My faith in God is different having experienced the things we endured. Our decisions were not logical, but they were God's will. I'll never understand it all. We will forever wear a scar from the experiences we have encountered, which hurt sometimes, and still brings tears in our eyes and sometimes negative feelings, but more often than not, we are so glad that God changed our direction.
We are blessed above imagination!
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