Give Him the Glory

Ten days ago I got the call. I knew my life was changing whether I wanted it to or not. I had been praying that when it was my time to go from Nortel, God would make it happen. In 2001 they had roughly 96,000 employees worldwide. The last number I heard in January was that they were down to 25,000. I made it through roughly 75,000 cuts! It wasn't my time.

Then it was.

My family has clung to this verse since the call:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11

God has blessed us with a peace that passes understanding. We had lost a huge chunk of our income and yet, we were really not stressed out about. We truly believed that God had a plan for us.

Boy, did He have plans!

The day I got the call, I had to deliver something for photography up on campus. While there I was telling a good friend about the call and he told me they were looking for a Director of Admissions. I thought, "Wow, I would LOVE that!" But a million other thoughts swirled as well.

A few days later I got my resume and application all ready and took it to Sherri Phelps. We talked about some possibilities and my excitement built about the chance to work at OBU in any position. But I started thinking again about Randy Garner and what a huge impact he on me and my decision to come to OBU. Does anyone else remember his purple sportscoat he wore? I gotta get me one of those! (okay, not an actual purple sportscoat, goofy, but a signature piece. I've got an idea...but you'll have to wait for that one!)

I didn't think I'd hear anything for a while.

Then Tuesday came.

I got a call from Dr. Kluck and we visited about the position. This more challenging than you might imagine because of the booming thunder (it's hard to concentrate on a phone call with the sky booming outside your window) and the flickering electricity. (If you aren't from Arkansas, you can't imagine imagine the rain we've had this month. I stopped counting at about 20 inches...IN MAY!). My mom was here part of this week, so she was here for this call. She got to be super excited with me as I paced the floors with excitement. Because let me tell you...once this became a real possibility and I let myself really let the idea in, I haven't been able to sleep or stop my mind from racing!

We set a meeting for Wednesday. A face to face meeting

A side note here: Have I mentioned that I've worked from home for 9 years? Have I metioned that no one saw cared if I brushed my hair before noon, much less put on something other than pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt? I don't think the administration at OBU would approve of my interview, much less giving campus tours in that attire! My sweet neighbor, Rachel, must have known I am accessory deficient. She made (Tuesday night!) this beautiful, purple and gold necklace for me to wear. (I'll post a picture tomorrow. I'm having issues!)

2:00 on Wednesday finally rolled around. I found one outfit I thought would work in my closet. The meeting was great and built my excitement level even more. The next step was meet with Dr. Horne...on Friday...Dr. Kluck would be there, too...he's already seen my one good outfit...uh oh!

That 48 hour wait was brutal. I paced. I couldn't sleep. (I stayed on Skype with Casey's cousin's wife, Anna from 11pm until 2 am Thursday night. They live in Minneapolis, so it was nice to have a good long visit with her and while away the hours).

When Friday finally rolled around, the meeting was smooth and easy. They walked me from the meeting to HR to start the paper work.

I was expecting to start around June 1. Instead, I start next week! I'm going to Dallas on Sunday night. My step-mom, Gail, has sold her house (after 15 days on the market! Did you know God can also serve as a Real Estate Agent?!) and we need to got through some of my dad's stuff (That's another blog post). I also need to do some SERIOUS shopping!

So that's the past 10 days in my life. Isn't God amazingly awesome!

So what does that mean for photography? I'm not sure. I know it will drastically slow. Which is okay. It can go back to being a passion more than an income. I can feel free to use it as more of a ministry than a business. I love photography (so does Dr. Kluck by the way and he has some REALLY cool photography toys) and will always shoot pictures. I'll still shoot for friends and family. I've learned so much in the past year about photography. The main thing I've learned is that I have SO MUCH more to learn! I'm really excited about the Momarazzi. I hope that can grow into a fun group ministry.

God is opening some really exciting doors. Please pray for me as I enter this new chapter.

• Pray that He will help me learn what I need to learn quickly and that I can be a blessing to those I work with and especially the students we come in contact with!
  
• Please pray for my family. This is going to be a HUGE adjustment for us. The first full week of work for me Casey is going to be out of town on a research trip. I have no idea how we are going to manage child care for that week. (It never occurred to me that I would be working by then.) Pray that I can get myself and everyone else ready and out the door by myself and on time after 9 years of pj bottoms.

Thank you SO much for all of prayers you all have already lifted up for me and my family.

And now, for a little Saturday morning feel good...check this out!