Walking by faith continued...

Despite how much I do share about our life, there is still a lot I leave off of the blog. There are a lot of reasons for that, one has been keeping discouraging comments/people at bay...so while in the thick of things, I try to just shut up...I'm only successful sometimes. I think it's time to share some of the recent details of our faith walk.

Over the last few months a LOT has been going on, and all at once it seems. Here are the high points. Sorry, this will be long.

Unemployment. All the unemployment stuff was pretty stressful for me...like more stressful than I anticipated. George was a great support and I am so thankful for him! I got through my hearing and found out the next day that I won. I immediately received the judgment from the hearing officer explaining why I won. I felt very confident in the decision, but more importantly, I felt validated. Then, the day after Thanksgiving I found out that my former employer is challenging the appeal! That was pretty upsetting because this crap just keeps dragging on!! Also, if they win this appeal (which is unlikely, but you never know), I have to pay back my unemployment, so it puts us in an odd financial situation. I'm not sure what will happen next and we don't have a timeline. I'm praying the commissioner who makes the decision sticks to the norm and that there is no hearing...just a quick decision in my favor. More practice in just giving the hard and stressful things over to God.

Housing. As you may have guessed, with George's job situation and the unemployment issue, keeping and/or finding a place to live was getting tricky. I had no clue where we would live or where exactly our Cocoapuff was going to sleep. Some days, that was pretty overwhelming. However, God just kept giving us peace and gentle guidance through it all, we are so thankful. We thought of ways to keep our current little 1 bedroom, but then got the lease renewal info and were shocked by the pricing. To keep rent as low as possible (but still a lot higher than what we pay now) we would have to sign on for another long term lease. A whole year here with a third person did not seem like a good idea (our bedroom is too small for a crib, so baby would be in the dining area, which has no real walls or sound barrier). We checked on a bigger apartment here (small, 1 bedroom/study) and that was super pricey as well! Despite the discouragement, we started checking around and looking into other options. We tried to take our wants off the list and just focus on needs- price, space, location and most importantly, SAFETY. That was harder to find than we thought. Except for God. On a whim, I stopped into an apartment G had been interested in-I hadn't gone in before because I knew we couldn't afford it. Much to my surprise, I was wrong!! This was definitely the place God had for us. A week later, and without really knowing how the future would work out (or even being positive we could make ends meet), we signed a lease for a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom. We'll be moving 3 weeks before Cocoapuff's due date. This apartment has not just our needs, but every want that I tried not to think about. God provided above and beyond for us, even the little things...tile floors, huge closets and no vertical blinds! Our God gave us such a wonderful gift in this apartment and we are so blessed and excited to be able to live there.

Job. Goodness, goodness. There is really too much to say on this one. George had a lot of interviews over the past few months. Notably, there was a very hopeful position with another retail company. G had 3 or 4 interviews with them that all went very well. The position was management, salaried, had benefits and we could see it being a good thing for us. George was offered the job. Only the position was not what had been promised. It was a much lower management position; it had benefits, but no one would tell us what they were, how much they cost, or when they went into effect. Oh, and it wasn't a salary, it was an insultingly low hourly rate and he couldn't have another job to make up for the pay cut. All in all, the title of the job was better than what he had, but the income would be less and there was a lot about it that just wasn't right. It was very hard to turn it down (in addition, there was a lot of other outside relational junk going on that made this situation even harder). We felt very confused and discouraged about God's plan for us and what our future might hold. Things were getting very tough and we could see the bottom of the savings account in the not too distant future. Though disappointed, we doubled our job search efforts and tried to keep brave faces. To our cautious delight, one of the literally dozens of jobs applied for got back to G pretty quickly and the ball started rolling on the interview process.

One month, crazy international paperwork drama, several trips to South Austin, 3 interviews and one branch observation later....G was offered the job!! This one, he accepted. :) We are so, so thankful!!!! This job will provide for our family, has great career potential and insurance will kick in shortly after Cocoapuff arrives. For 23 months (longer, possibly) we have been asking God for a career job and He has given it!! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

I have learned a few things from this struggle and process. The biggest thing I've learned is that I cannot know God's timing or reason for allowing/making us wait for things, but that's okay. I've learned to slow down and try to enjoy the wait. I realized that God really does have a plan for us. He has a plan when skies are blue and life is great and He has a plan when we are in the midst of storms and darkness. I have learned we can BOLDLY go to our God with our needs and requests and He really does care-we cannot expect too much of Him. I have learned that obedience and walking by faith can be scary, but it's also wonderful. We try to be wise and to make good decisions-sometimes though, that "wisdom" and "logic" is very earthly. I've learned that the answer is to simply trust in God and follow Him, one scared step at a time. I've learned when you do that, people think you're crazy (and other nasty things).

We want to be very clear that God is our provider, our rock and salvation, in all things and regardless of how we are coping with life's tough times. We trust Him with our eternity and we trust Him with our day to day needs and desires. This job, or any job, is certainly not The Answer. It is however, a wonderful way to receive God's provision and we are thrilled! Over and over again, God takes our impossibles and makes them possible. We are so, so blessed and more grateful than we can express.