A year and a half ago we
made the decision to complete our commitment of serving in Kenya and return to America for the next season of our lives.
After making that decision, we would often wonder what we would do back
in America. Living overseas for 11 years
made me [Joe] question my ability to get a job when I come back home. We knew we both had immense and diverse
knowledge, abilities, skills and experiences; yet we weren’t sure how that
would translate to a job in the U.S. Whenever I had those doubts, I had to turn
them over to God and remember that He is in control of my life, not me. Walking
in faith always requires trusting the Lord to direct and provide!
Another step of faith
occurred when we felt God’s leading to take a 3 month Sabbatical at the
beginning of 2015 to take time to rest, recover, reflect and refocus as we
transition back to life in America. This was a chance to refresh our souls! The
idea of a Sabbatical didn’t make sense to us.
We thought we needed to find a job immediately and begin making money
right away. That’s what everyone does—it’s how the world works! But we know
that following God does not always look like what everyone else is doing and we are challenged to not follow the ways of this world (Rom 12:2). Out of obedience, we set aside those three
months. This was not an easy thing to do. We had no idea where or how we would
find a job, live or provide for ourselves after our Sabbatical. Again, we handed those doubts and fears to
God and reminded ourselves constantly that He is in control! He knows what the
future holds and sees the big picture while we see only a limited perspective. We had a wonderful, restful, reflective and
rejuvenating time during our Sabbatical.
In retrospect, it was much needed and we can’t imagine having jumped
straight into work and normal life in America. We are immensely grateful for
such a gift from the Lord and for all the ways He provided and cared for us
during that time!
As we began searching for
jobs (in late April), God proved himself faithful in our lives once again. He provided several different opportunities
in various fields and different parts of the country. The job searching process is very tedious and
tiresome; making calls, sending out emails, filling out applications, making
different cover letters, adapting your resume and preparing for
interviews. It can be a roller coaster
of emotions that changes from day to day, and sometimes hour to hour. We were primarily seeking out opportunities
for full-time work for Joe, yet Daneen had an integral part in the
process. She continually advised, edited
and reviewed Joe’s job application materials and even performed mock interviews
for him (she was much tougher than the real interviewers)! We make a great team!
The opportunities narrowed
down to two job offers.
#1 Dean of
Athletics and Activities at a Charter School in Longmont, Colorado
#2 College
Basketball Head Coach in Glendive, Montana.
Since we are currently living in Longmont, that job seemed to be the
easier choice. It would be ideal to stay
in a place where we have established friends who we love and people who are
like family. It provided a good salary and we love our church, along with
the wonderful Colorado weather, mountains and a plethora of activities. The Glendive offer had a lot more unknowns;
it felt a bit riskier to move to a small town in Eastern Montana where we would
need to endure colder winters and didn’t already have a large network of close
friends and community.
After multiple interviews and many interactions with both jobs, we ultimately felt more excitement
and peace about the opportunity to work at the college in Montana. There are many ways we see God moving in the
small town of Glendive and within the college, and that excites us. It was a very tough decision to make. Through much prayer, wise consultation and a
lot of faith... we know this is the direction God is leading us.
In the end, we were both
in total agreement that we wanted to follow God’s guidance and trust Him to
provide for all the unknowns. We’re excited about our next adventure!
