I'll never forget the day I told my boss I was leaving my job at Prairie Island . It made me physically ill to leave something known for something unknown. You see, my folks were both born in 1918 and grew up during the Great Depression. My father's father lost his farm in Texas in the 1920's. He moved to Oklahoma looking for work and landed in Tulsa. He worked till he was 85 years old at Stringer Nursery, tending the plants and shrubs. My mother grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, as the daughter of a foreman at Republic Steel. It is an understatement that they both knew the value of hard work. They instilled that in me. I've always gone to work thinking that if I don't perform my very best, I may not have a job the next day. Maybe not so good for the stress level, but it's helped me perform at a high level when otherwise it would not have been so.
So leaving a well-paying secure job for the contract world was enough to make me sick to my stomach. Although I talk a lot about trusting God, I'm not so sure I trust anymore than I doubt. My employer in Illinois, Exelon, has been so good to me. My contract here has lasted two and a half years, and a few more weeks when we get back from Costa Rica. I love the power plant, the people, the company, and our friends and neighbors here in Byron. When I was recently told that my contract would not be renewed for 2012 due to budget concerns, we began a mad scramble looking for work anywhere in the United States.
I don't like the unknown, but we knew when we started our missions adventure, part of the deal was learning how to overcome fear and doubt with belief in God and His perfect plan. I can't say I'm there yet, but through prayer and study and my wife's faithfulness to God, our family, and our mission, I can see now that His timing and His plan are always good and right.
So what's in store for us next year? Things are clearing up now somewhat. I'll be at Byron Station until May 2012, and then Exelon would like me to become a permanent employee. With our children at the ages they are, we plan to do this, and also continue our mission work in Costa Rica. We are working out the details now. Whatever happens, we know that God is so good to us. For no earthly reason, He loves us with a heavenly love that is inexplicable and awesome. Enough for now, enjoy Christmas with your families, and may a tear come to your eye on Christmas morning as you contemplate a baby born to die.
Bill
There is nothing like unemployment to distill faith in so many ways. For us it really revealed where our trust lay. This second round of unemployment hasn't hit us nearly as hard as the first round did - both financially and emotionally. The first round also made me realize there are people who will do wicked things in the name of self-preservation, but this second round made me realize, again, that God is bigger than that...and them. Although I wouldn't choose this route on my own, I'm thankful to know God's presence in the midst of it and for all He's been teaching us.
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