New Jobs!

In light of some recent happenings I would like to highlight some of the ways God has provided in our lives. God has provided in perfect timing, with rich bounty, and in miraculous ways in my life. This is in response to how God provided for Bethany and I as we chose to move out of GAP Ministries and into more regularly scheduled 9 AM to 5 PM jobs.

About two years ago I had two roommates who were helping me to pay rent for our apartment. Sadly, neither of them had held down a job before as they were both quite young and they also were both unemployed. I watched as my bank account dwindled down to $200. We started to get together and pray more often about the finances of our house because the prospect of not being able to afford food was a growing reality. God provided jobs for both of my roommates and they held onto their jobs.

One of the ways God provided financially during this time was when our only vehicle the Toyota Echo broke down. The serpentine belt which powers the coolant to the engine snapped and smoke started to rise from the hood and engine. My roommate Ross and I looked up the part and bought it for cheap at an auto parts store. We drove to the site of the car hoping to fix the broken belt ourselves without paying a mechanic. We started in the afternoon to give ourselves plenty of time. We worked until nightfall without any success. We started to ask God for help with the car because I did not have money, it was dark, and we needed transportation. God provided a man on a motorcycle to come by and ask if we needed help. I responded, "Yes please." And the biker let me know he used to be a Toyota auto mechanic. He finished helping us and said, "Make sure to help others when you see them in need." I told him I would.

One weekend while Bethany came down to NH she needed to find a job, an apartment, and a car. God provided all three in one weekend in response to our prayers.

Recently I was applying for jobs because Bethany and I were burnt out from doing foster care with GAP. Bethany and I sat down and talked about what kind of a job we thought she would be good at and we both agreed administrative and secretarial work would fit her gifts well. God provided a job working for Justin's (our small group leader's) father doing secretarial work at a State Farm!

While this was going on I was applying all over the place. I wanted to do computer work but I still wanted to be plugged into a social work environment. After doing 11 applications and 5 interviews I got a job offer to do computer helpdesk support for Arizona's Children Association. Evidently there were around 50 applications for that position and I had not heard anything for a month after I put in my application. This was my favorite job that I applied for and I got this call two days before my other job ended! The timing could not have been better. A few days after I got the job I got a call saying I was getting a raise before I even started work! I was humbled and very thankful when this happened. I still am praising God today, two weeks later.

The next week Bethany and I were looking for cars and God provided for us to get our favorite car we found for sale for a good price. See previous post titled "Bethany's Sweet Ride".

Now all this said I want to add two qualifying statements. Number 1: earthly treasures are of very fleeting value. They do not satisfy the deep desires of the heart nor do they provide any lasting joy. Number 2: God does not owe us anything. Bethany and I are wretched sinners who are separated from God. But through Jesus Christ's death on the cross we were adopted into the family of a God who can richly provide! I hope in these stories you can see God providing in miraculous and abundant ways. Trust God, trust His timing, and remember to trust His heart even when you cannot see His goodness in your present circumstances.