Over the past year and a half since moving to Washington, Chris and I have lived in two different apartments, bought three cars, traveled to Michigan and back six times, driven thousands of miles, camped in seven state parks, made hundreds of pots of coffee, and held down five jobs.
It is that last statistic that I want to focus on briefly. While the Lord has provided for us in all of those areas (and in ones I haven’t included in that list), we have most obviously seen His work in our job hunts. The very reason we moved 2,263 miles away from our family and friends was an unexpected job offer. Chris received an arbitrary phone call from a school in rural Washington, and that single conversation started an idea that grew into a plan and resulted in a cross-country move. Seven months later, I found myself living in a sparsely decorated apartment in a city I had never heard of.
Not only was I adjusting to being a newlywed, but also was frustratingly unemployed. Chris and I prayed fervently that something would come my way, and we asked our family and friends to do the same. I was daily growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of job prospects and leads. Still, we continued to pray. More time passed and more prayers were said. And then one day I got a phone call from a hiring manager, and that is all it took. Just like Chris, one phone call turned into interviews and, ultimately, a yearlong contract job.
We spent the next year working, exploring the area, getting connected at Sanctuary, meeting new people, becoming coffee drinkers, and mastering our cooking skills. Chris picked up two more part-time jobs throughout the year, which brought our job total up to a whopping four. Then December 2012 came, and I was suddenly in the same spot I was a year before. Only this time, I was armed with an arsenal of resources, connections, and a community who covered me in prayer. The job hunt consumed me, and consequently Chris. I sat by my computer for countless hours and applied for a few jobs I wanted and even more I was not remotely interested in. I was desperate and growing more and more discouraged by the day. Chris and I prayed tirelessly for an opportunity, and still I waited. Months passed by, and I felt as if I was getting nowhere.
Just when I thought I was at the breaking point, the Lord answered our desperate prayers. In one week, I had three different interviews, and two clear job directions. After a series of interviews with two technology companies, I was offered both positions. Instead of taking whatever job I was offered, I was actually able to choose between jobs. The Lord blessed us in ways we could have never imagined, and I feel silly for having doubted His plan throughout this job hunt.
And now, we ask again for your prayers as we head into the unknown again. We have both been feeling the Lord calling us to move into Seattle, and feel at peace with this decision. The scary part comes when we realize that this move would mean a job change for Chris. After we finally feel settled, we are willingly uprooting ourselves again for another job search. We ask that you will cover us in prayers as we take a leap of faith and trust in the Lord that He will provide for us again. I felt this community’s love and prayers throughout my search, and now I ask that Chris will feel the same over the coming months.
Here’s to hope that our upcoming year’s statistics will read like this: held down two jobs.
Elizabeth Gunnink