Lots of Changes: School

I am going back to school! I have been accepted to in TWU's Counseling and Development program and will be starting classes in January. The program is designed to be about 5 semesters long, but that depends on how many classes you take. Currently I am registered for 9 hours in the spring, and I plan to continue to take as many classes as I can manage while also working part time. I met with my advisor on Friday and was totally freaked out to learn that after the first semester, I will have clinical hours every semester after that. That means that in less than a year, I'll be meeting with clients. Yikes! I mean, I know that's the point, but still, it's a bit intimidating to think about! Anyway, this first semester will be heavily content based with a lot of papers and projects (oh joy). But as the program progresses, it shifts to a more counseling, hands-on focus. My advisor said that the demand shifts from work-load to time requirements as I progress through the program. Toward the end, the difficult part will be getting all of my hours in around actually having a life.

So, for those of you who felt I fell off the planet when I was in school before, well, I'm diving back off the edge. :) I am nervous, but I am also really excited. I really do feel like this is the direction God has called me and there's no better place to be than smack in the middle of His will, even when its scary.

Lots of Changes: Jobs

Hi Friend! Hope you are doing well...

For a long time I have felt that there hasn't been much to blog about. Now I feel like there's too much! So, I'll start with just one area: new jobs! That's right, Jason and I both have new jobs.

Jason:

He has left Hilton and is now working full-time at our church (Cross Timbers Community Church), as of the beginning of August. Hooray! His official title is Volunteer Team Media Specialist. You may ask, what does that mean??? Common question. :) He is now working within the children/youth department of our church. He is on the volunteer team branch of student ministry, which means he schedules, trains and generally takes care of all of the children and youth volunteers for our CT Denton campus. The "media specialist" part of his job title has not fully come into play yet, but he will be building that up over time. This part of his job entails researching, testing and implementing various forms of technology that will help the student ministries team run more efficiently. So he gets to mix his love of kids and youth with his complete nerdiness about technology. The perfect job!!! So far he is LOVING it. It is exactly what the Lord has equipped him for and the people he works with are amazing! We already feel more cared for and invested in within one month of his working there that we did during his entire time at Hilton. Not that I am bashing Hilton. It was the place the Lord provided and it was where he needed to be for that 2 1/2 years. Without that job he wouldn't have been prepared or equipped for this one. But, Hilton is smack in the middle of corporate America and there are draw-backs to that environment. We will always be grateful for how the Lord took care of us through Hilton, but we are also VERY glad to be with Cross Timbers now. It is going to be exciting to see all that the Lord has in store for us both through this new opportunity.

Heather:

I recently started working with Texas Interpreting Service (TXIS). This is an interpreting agency based out of Ft. Worth that covers all sorts of interpreting jobs all over the metroplex. My pal Stephanie has been working with them for 5 years and per her recommendation, I finally decided to check them out. After a brief interview, they deemed me worthy of the status of interpreter and I started working about 2 weeks ago. Since they have contracts with many of the colleges in the area, I was able to get some classes that provide steady, weekly work. I am also able to pick up various one-time gigs as the opportunities arise. For instance, I filled in as a sub earlier this week for a UNT class, and next week I have a meeting and a training seminar I am covering. It has felt really good to be back in the work-force, to be able to contribute to our family's income, and to bust out my rusty old interpreter skills (and hopefully get them polished up all shiny and new again). I have started out pretty shaky. I haven't interpreted since I left McNair 4 years ago. Just like any language, if you don't use it, you lose it. But I can already feel myself smoothing out and the vocab is slowly building back up. My fingerspelling is glitchy and I've got some major vocabulary gaps, but I'll get there. The Lord has been sweet in the sense that He has gifted me with a talent and ability in this area and the roots of that are still solid.

It is also cool to get to have such a variety of experiences. I get to learn new things in the various classes, travel to interesting places and meet lots of new people. For example, one of my classes is an organic gardening class. Part of my interpreting is done outside in the garden while the class builds a landscape. We also get to travel around on field trips and do cool stuff like make earthworm compost in the lab portion of the class. So, if you need any gardening tips, I may have some for you! :)

Also, since I am trying to go back to grad school in the spring (more to blog on that later), this job will enable me to pick and choose my work hours around my own classes. Perfect!

So, that's the general update on the job stuff. I am so thankful for how the Lord consistently provides for us, and gives us unique opportunities perfectly suited for our unique skills. I am excited for this new season in our life and am looking forward to all He has in store.

There's a bunch of other stuff going on, too, but I'll have to get into that some other time. Until then, love and blessings to you and yours!!!

Heather

Deep Thoughts: Love

My pastor, Toby, always talks about how Jesus transformed the world in profound ways with extremely simple concepts. One of those concepts that has me contemplating the entire structure of my existence is love. That is the “greatest commandment”, He called it. The most important. Numero uno. Just to love. To quote one of my favorite movies, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return” (Moulin Rouge).

And, not only does He prioritize it above everything else He’s called us to, he staples a profound promise to it. “Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8). The Creator of the universe promises us that if we will just love like He loves, we will never fail. This is the answer. The answer to every relationship, every fight, every misunderstanding, every injury…just love.

I know, I know, easier said than done. But luckily for us, we serve a gracious God who honors our smallest, fumbled attempts to mimic the eternal floodwaters of His love. (“If his love is the ocean, we’re all sinking.”) So attempt it. Sure, clumsily, awkwardly we stumble along with our pitiful paper flowers of love, but I imagine that when you look at those construction paper flowers in someone else’s hands, they will have been transformed into a bouquet of eternal ramifications and heavenly fragrance.

Update

So, I haven't posted in a while, but there's not that much to post about. I graduated in December (HOORAY!) and just chilled out through the holidays. Mid-January I took the GRE and did ok on it. It wasn't spectacular, but it was good enough that I feel comfortable not taking it again. Next is the start of the grad school application process. I have been procrastinating on that because it feels overwhelming, if you want the honest truth about it. So yeah, other than that, I'm in the process of cleaning the house. I've cleaned out the laundry room, our closet, the kitchen, and am planning on hitting the office area next. Jason and I are getting some much needed time together, which is awesome. After two years of dealing with my nose in a book, I think he deserves it. So there you have it. There's a small update so that I don't miss another entire month without posting. :)