An Epiphany at Walgreens

April 24th, 2010

So this past week as been quite the week for AJ and I. AJ got a phone call on Monday night. He was offered a teaching position! We were both ecstatic! His first job offer! And for a great position! 6-12 general music and choirs! There was just one problem, the offer was from the Riverside School district, in Oakland, IA - four hours southwest of Waterloo. We didn't know what we were going to do. And we had until Friday morning to decide.

The first thing we did (after making some phone calls to our parents...) was to pray. We asked God to give us guidance to make the right decision. We asked him to speak to our hearts. We asked for an answer. Then we sat and talked about all the different possibilities. About all of our options. The pros and cons. There was a lot of talking this past week. A lot of wondering.

AJ did have another interview on Wednesday of this past week at a school district only an hour away from us now. But it wasn't the ideal position and it was only part-time. Although he felt confident about his interview and the prospect of the job. We talked before we went to bells that night and we had pretty much decided AJ was going to turn down the Oakland job. Although neither of us was probably comfortable with that thought necessarily, we didn't know what else to do. It was just too far to make something work half way and he didn't want me giving up my job at Kruger. And honestly, I wasn't ready to give that up yet either. Again, I asked that God make it clear to us what we needed to do.

We went to bells rehearsal and then I left before choir. I ran to Walgreens to pick some things up and called my mom on the way. While I walked up and down the aisles, I told my mom that AJ is probably going to turn down the job. She told me that she hoped it wasn't something that he regretted later in life. We talked some more and then we said good-bye.

After that, I thought about leaving my job again. On Tuesday, when I had thought about it at work, I got very anxious at the thought. But standing in the Walgreens, I was surprising calm. I was suddenly okay with the idea of having to leave my job and follow AJ to Oakland. I knew then that this was his opportunity to do something great. To really build a program from the ground up. I knew that God was calming my heart and letting me know this was the right choice for us. I couldn't help but smile! I knew this was God making things clear for us. Letting us know that this was the right choice. That we were going to be okay and He would provide all we need. It was a great feeling!

I went home and waited for AJ to get home from choir. When he did, I asked him to sit down so we could talk. I told him I think he needs to take the job in Oakland. At first he didn't understand. I explained to him that I was okay leaving my job. I've got some great experience there but it was time to move on so that he could do this. I didn't know when another opportunity like this would come up and I wanted to make sure he got this chance. We talked some more and after AJ made sure I wouldn't change my mind, he decided to accept the teaching position!

So, AJ has officially signed the contract and has his first teaching job lined up for this fall, working for the Riverside school district. We are very excited about this new opportunity in our life and we believe it is the right move for us right now. The nice thing about Oakland is that its only 40 minutes from Council Bluffs so there are plenty of job opportunities for me in Council Bluffs and Omaha. We don't really have any details figured out yet but the nice part is we have the time to work it all out.

It was a big week for us. A big decision - our first big decision in the six months (today!) that we've been married. This week helped me remember what our marriage is about. It reminded me about what I committed myself to - who I committed myself to when we got married. Marriage is about sacrifice. It's about supporting each other. I lived that this week for the first time. I even told AJ on Wednesday night - there was a reason we had the Bible verse from Ruth in our wedding. "I will go where you go. Live where you live." (see Ruth 1:16 for the full verse) It was a great experience to be able to live that. It reminded me that we're growing up and maturing. We're living this adventure together.

It was a refreshing week. An exciting week. An anxious yet thrilling week. A lot of things will be changing. New adventures will be taking place. We will continue to grow and learn and love together. And we invite you to be a part of that with us.