Blogs I Recommend! You will be touched. Promise.

I just read about this amazing 15 year old girl named Paige who is making such an impact in Haiti! I found out about her blog through Kim Rhodes http://kimrhodes.wordpress.com/ Who also has such an honest and inspirational story to tell. Read her blog and you will fall in love with her and her family!

Here is the link to check out the amazing work that Paige is doing! Enjoy!

http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/04/from-paige-noelle.html

Letter of Resignation!

Okay, so do you remember when I committed to being honest about this crazy journey? Well I have another update.

My current boss approached me on Monday and asked for my letter of resignation. I knew this day would come, and honestly I knew that I would not take it well. I knew that I would be uncomfortable when this time came, not because I am heartbroken and shattered about leaving this school and/or not teaching next year. I have enjoyed my year, but I have also found peace with possibly starting a new type of job and an exciting move. Anyway, I let him know that I would get him the letter, then I preceded to put it off for the entire week. Today is Friday and I said to myself "you just need to do it". So this morning I sat down at the computer and typed it, short, sweet, and to the point. No big deal right? WRONG! I was completely nervous as I typed, and then off and on throughout the day about actually giving him the letter. I began to wonder why I was so nervous... I should not have put too much thought into this, because I came up with many reasons that did nothing but make me more nervous and confused. Here are just a few....

"You are worried because you know that if you turn it in and for some reason you don't end up in California then you will be job less and by your own doing"
"You don't really love Luke and you don't want to move"
"Handing over that letter signifies that you no longer have a job, you are expected to have a job, particularly teaching"
"If you are worried about this, it must be because you are doing something wrong"

So, needless to say I had a minor panic attack and began to make all of these a reality in my mind. I have developed this habit of taking thoughts or situations that I fear and attempting to turn them into my reality. I am working through this and beginning to realize when I am doing allowing this to happen.

The problem with fear is that it is usually false information that appears to be true. Now if I look back at my life over the past few years and think of things I have been afraid of I realize that very few of them have actually occurred.

So after much panic and an attempt to walk out of the building without putting the letter of resignation in his box, I finally did it! I put the letter stating that I will not be working at this school next year because we are MOVING in the box. So it is official! I have given the letter to my boss and my fear to my Creator.

I am feeling much better now! I came home after this monumental exsperience and still did not have a ton of pep in my step. I was still allowing myself to think too much and analyze all that had just occurred. So, I spent sometime reading, journaling, and putting everything into perspective. Now I am feeling so much better and ready to continue the count down until the big day! 57 DAYS!

Jobs!

Okay! Luke had a job interview last week at the Coffee Bean and he has a 2nd interview this week. So please keep him in your prayers. He is looking to work part time and I am looking to work full time for sure! One of the most common questions I get asked is, "Are you planning on teaching in California?" or "Do you have a job out there already?"...

So for the record...."Do you have a job out there already?" I do not. But I will keep you posted. "Do I plan on teaching in Califnornia?" If something comes available I would consider teaching for sure! But am I consumed by the thought of getting a teaching job? Not at all. At first I was really set on finding a teaching job. However, as I have continued to grow and learn about myself I am not so sure that is what I will end up doing. To be honest I have no clue what is in store for me as far as a job. As of right now I am praying that I will be ready and willing for any type of job that is brought my way. I do not want to get so stuck in being concerned about a "teaching" job that I possibly miss out on something great! I am not saying that I will not teach, I am just saying that I feel like I need to keep an open mind. I think I realized that I was pushing myself to find a teaching job because I felt like it is what I "should" do or what people expected of me. If you do not know, both of my parents work in education so people were not surprised when I chose the field. This is fine, but it has caused quite a bit of shock when people find out I do not have a teaching job lined up after the move. I do love teaching and I believe that I am good at it, however, I also know that God has gifted me in other areas. If He wants me to explore other avenues, I definitely want to check them out.

Do you ever feel like you are walking blind? Like He is not letting you in on the secret of the future He has? Well I have felt like that during this Journey. I mean I can see some of the future that may be to come... Living in CA (but for how long?) Serving with Mosaic (but in what way?) Working in a job of some sort (but what kind? and when?) I could go on and on. Not knowing the answers to these questions used to terrify me, but I have started to become really intrigued by the mystery of it all. I am becoming aware that many times we have to act without knowing for sure what will happen. I am some what thrilled by this idea.

So to everyone who is concerned that I do not have a job in California, or who has been wanting to ask "Do you have a job?" "Are you going to teach?" Thank you so much for caring so much about my future. It really makes me feel so loved. Please know that I do not have a job or even a lead on a job, but I do serve an amazing God who has this all figured out. He just hasn't given me a look into what He is thinking. I am at peace with that and am continuing to pray for guidance. I ask that you do the same! Like I said, I find myself excited about the mystery rather than scared of the unknown. I am shocked that I feel this way, but I see this as a sign of growth.

Strength Finder

Luke took the Strength Finder 2.0 when he started serving with Mosaic. He has been encouraging me take it for weeks, so I finally got around to it over spring break! I must say that I am so glad that I did. The whole thing with Strength Finder is that we tend to focus m ore on the weaknesses that we have than capitalizing on our strengths. I am surely guilty of this! After you complete the strength finder survey it gives you a list of your top 5 strengths. They will not even tell you your bottom 5. Which is a good thing considering I know that I would be too interested in what I am not good at instead of excited about the strengths that I have. I was shocked to find out that my top 5 were dead on. I was a little skeptical and did not know how accurate it would be but boy was it correct!! I was not shocked however to fin out that my top 5 and Luke's top 5 were completely opposite. I know this is one reason we work so well together.

Soooo here are our results...

Jessica

1. Restorative: Love to solve problems. Enjoy the challenge of analyzing to find a problem and then find a solution. Enjoy bringing things back to life and are energized by solving problems for self or others, but may feel defeated when a problem goes unsolved.

2. Responsibility: Whether large or small you feel emotionally bound to follow through with anything you have committed to. Excuses and rationalizations are unacceptable. Near obsession for doing things right. Dependable. Willingness to volunteer may cause you to take on too much.

3. Consistency: Balance is important. Aware of the need to treat people the same. Believe that people function best when rules are clearly established and are applied equally. Believe all people should have a chance to show their worth.

4. Harmony: Look for areas of agreement. Try to find common ground with the people who surround you. Try to steer people away from confrontation. Do not think others should impose their views on others.

5. Achiever: Have a constant need for achievement. Must achieve something each day to feel good about yourself. Can work long hours without giving out.

Luke

1. Adaptability: Live in the moment. Discover the future one choice at a time. Very flexible. Can stay productive when demands are pulling you in different directions at once. You don't resent unforeseen detours, you expect them and on some level look forward to them.

2. Woo: Win others over. Enjoy meeting others and getting them to like you. Drawn to building relationships with strangers. Rarely at a loss for words. In your world there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet.

3. Communication: You like to explain. Like to speak in public. Like to make ideas exciting, vivid, and bring them to life. People enjoy listening to you.

4. Significance: Want to be heard. Want to stand out. Will push others to succeed. Want work to be a way of life and not just a job. You want freedom to do things your way at work. Want to move away form mediocre to exceptional.

5. Activator: You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. Impatient for action. Once you have made a decision you cannot not act. You believe that only action can make things happen.

See how different! I'm sure you are not shocked. We were not shocked either. I am convinced that God totally knew what He was doing when he placed us together and allowed us to grow together and start this journey. We are ready to use these strengths to serve others and make each other stronger!

The New Apartment!!!

Well Luke moved into our apartment last week! He has it all cleaned up and is working on getting the basic things ready before I get there. I have been sending him links from the IKEA website! I know he wants to get everything put together before I get there... because I will be NO help with that. I could try, but would most likely find myself in the way! Since he has moved in everything is becoming more of a reality and I am thrilled. I find myself thinking of the future more often than I used to. For example, when we looked at the apartment in February I remember walking out the front door and looking to my left only to see the most gorgeous mountains I have ever seen. I can't wait to step outside to that daily! I catch myself thinking of what the future holds "What jobs will we have?" "What kind of relationships will we build with people?" "What type of influence will we have?" "What new things will we try together?".

I am so excited for the adventures that we are going to be able to take and all of the experiences that are waiting to be had!!! I am still a little intimidated about leaving all I have known, but I have realized more and more how much I have grown to really desire this move and opportunity to grow more into the person that God wants me to be. Who would have thought I would be so ready?... Not me. Now don't get me wrong I do not feel completely prepared for everything that is to come. But I don't think that I am supposed to feel completely prepared! I am praying daily for a willing heart and sensitive spirit for the people that I will be serving and serving with!

Here is a picture of the outside of the apartment. This just our front door :)To you it probably just looks like a door, but I see bliss!

Sweetness!!!

So I wanted to share what a sweet surprise I found on my door step on my birthday. Luke sent me flowers :) He is soooo far away that I had just accepted the fact that we would not be celebrating my birthday together. I figured I would get a call and he would be really sweet (which he was). But when I got home from school I found a box form ProFlowers. I was beyond thrilled and immediately knew who the sweetie was that sent them to me. They are beautiful. I should also throw in that my birthday was 2 weeks ago and they still look really good. The picture above was taken after 2 weeks and only one water change! I think they still look beautiful. They have been a wonderful reminder of the man who loves me very much and how special he makes me feel. I feel like I should say thank you to his mom Nancy for raising such a sweet individual! I could not ask for a more supportive, understanding, and genuine husband to be!