New Job

You may be sitting at your computer, with your iphone, droid or other portable interwebs device at this moment in disbelief. "Wait a minute, what? I thought you just got a new job that you loved, spoke highly of and were thankful for!" Wrong. I had an internship that I loved, spoke highly of and was thankful for.

When Good Gets Better

As most of you know (I'm estimating "most" of the readers of this blog equates to about nine people), I started as a year-long intern with Amor Ministries on May 11, 2010. My internship with Amor was designed to focus around field work. I sometimes work in the office, but the biggest reason that I am here is to take groups down to Mexico and help them to build houses for those that need them. As soon as I got to the office at Amor, I began to feel very comfortable. It is a place full of brilliant, compassionate people that are driven to serve God, one another and those in need. Before I even got to head into the field, I was feeling very happy with my decision to come work for Amor. Once I got into the field to do the type of work I was planning on, I was even more pleased. The only element that really bothered me about working at Amor was my impending departure. As silly as it sounds, within a couple of weeks of starting it, I was already worried about my internship coming to an end on May 10, 2011. While I was certainly looking forward to coming back home to Virginia, I dreaded the idea of leaving the people here and also felt unsettled by the uncertainty that would accompany another job search and career change. Despite these concerns, I quickly started to see a plan at work. First, my roommate (Drew), who is a field specialist at Amor, decided to resign from his position at the end of the summer. I knew that this would most likely leave an opening in the near future. Next, an e-mail was sent out to current Amor staff, interns and volunteers that there was an internal opening. This was a very tough time for me. I have felt very at home here, but the thought of leaving my home and so much of what I love in Virginia for an indeterminate amount of time was hard. After some difficult prayer and consideration, I decided to apply for the internal opening. By mid July, I was interviewing for the position. Within several days of my interview I was informed that I had gotten the job. Again, I met this information with mixed emotions. If you had informed me six months earlier that I would have a full time position with Amor Ministries, I would have jumped through the roof. Coming to the realization that I would have to make massive sacrifices of a long term nature tempered my joy. Even so, I was comforted because I could still see a plan at work. Something of a temporary nature had taken me away from my home. If I had known that I was leaving for a longer period of time, this might not have happened. Once I was lured here for a short time, this wonderful opportunity was opened up for me. In short, I was given the chance to transition into leaving my home rather than being forced to jump in with both feet immediately. The result is that I wil continue to work, learn and have relationships here at Amor. The only thing that could have made this job better, knowing that it would not have to come to an end, was given to me.

The Aftermath

I became a full time field representative with Amor on September 1. There will be a lot of change in my life as a result of my decision to stay with Amor. It appears that for the time being, I will remain in California, rather than return to the best state in the nation. I will have to give up the ambitions that go along with having a business or corporately related career. The nature of my relationships with people back home will certainly change. A lot of my priorities are being forced to change. In spite, and perhaps as a result of some of these difficulties and sacrifices, I am receiving numerous blessings. I am making incredible friends and finding tremendous support here. I am getting to see God at work in me and all around me on a daily basis. In addition, I believe I am starting to see an awesome plan for my life laid in front of me. This is a terribly exciting time.

What You Can Do

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I feel confident that I am exactly where I should be in my life. Despite this fact, I deal daily with some pretty staggering changes and sacrifices. Having this position offered to me served as strong affirmation from people I have quickly grown to appreciate and confirmation that I am where I should be. Even so, continued encouragement and affirmation will help me through challenging times right now. Donate. It is not critical to my financial well-being anymore, but I will continue to fundraise for Amor. I will soon add a link to this site that will direct you to donate to Amor. Please give as you feel led. This is an awesome organization that does incredible work. Keep following along with me and encourage other people to check out this site as well. I don't see myself running out of things to talk about any time soon. I have gotten some awesome feedback from people reading this blog, and that is what makes writing it truly worthwhile. Finally, if you feel led to take a leap of faith in your life, do it. Do not hesitate. Do not be pragmatic. Be faithful and courageous. There will be tough moments, but it will be worth the struggle.

Adelante!

-Clint