Where our Next VB Family Window will Be Located

So, you want to know what our future holds? Where we'll be 2 months from now? Okay, just look up. Higher. Yep. That's where the answer is. As of now, it's up in the air. But here's a summary of what the past few months have brought.

So, a few months back, Dave and I had pretty much determined that we were both on the same wavelength as to the area that we felt he should direct his energy in his job search: hospital chaplaincy. For one, this is the area where he feels the most comfortable in and excited about - I guess you could say "called to" - right now. And for another, the whole issue of there being a time constraint on when he needs to move on to a different position doesn't lend itself too well in the area of finding a job as pastor of a church. So it was settled. There would be no more energy exerted on looking at vacant churches, scouring the Banner classifieds, requesting church profiles, sending out letters, etc. etc. etc. The entire focus would be on hospital chaplain positions available. So the search began.

Dave soon discovered that the days of sending out the resume are somewhat over. Each and every position he found required an on-line application to be filled out. And these weren't just basic, one-page applications. They were extensive, exhaustive, and quite time-consuming. So he did have to narrow down the field somewhat. Many hours were spent on his laptop, by our kitchen table. He made a list of cities that represented the applications filled out. The cities were all over the map. Then - our first phone call. A sister from a hospital in Bakersfield, CA wanted to talk with Dave. The anxiety and excitement of the reality of the situation finally set in.

So, Dave survived his first phone interview. About a half hour later, they called back and said they wanted to fly him out there. The flight, hotel, and rental car arrangements would all be made. And he would be going to visit on July 1. So what did this mean? If they were going through all of that, certainly they must be VERY interested in him. It was looking pretty good for this California-blooded girl to maybe be getting back to her home state. And how exciting that we may end up about three hours from my parents and family!

Fast-forward to about five weeks later. Dave called me just after returning to his California hotel room, having survived the gruelling day of his on-site interview. The news came - he was not offered the job. Apparently, they really needed someone who could do much of the end-of-life paperwork - something that the chaplains do not handle in his current residency hospital. But it was really rather odd hearing this news. It would be expected that I would be really disappointed, really sad that this option was taken away. But I wasn't. In fact, I was almost relieved. Very odd indeed.

After his day of travel, and lots of thinking and reflecting time, he returned home. And he said that the more he thought about it, the more he realized that that hospital definitely would not have been a good fit for him. There were quite a few red flags - things that made him uneasy. But he also said that if he had been offered the position, he definitely would have taken it. After all, it was a "bird in the hand," right? So logic would say that this was for the best. But still there was that little blow to his ego.

And now we were at square one again. And there was even less time to figure something out. We had given our two months notice, planning to move out of our townhouse at the end of August - a mere six weeks away. But had no clue where we were moving to. August 20 is the last day of the residency. The paychecks stop. Our health insurance stops. My mom is stressing. Dave is stressing. Me? Well, for some reason, I'm not stressing so much. I suppose I should be, but for some reason I'm not. I know things will work out. I know that Dave has the gifts and talents that will be a wonderful asset to any hospital. They just need to find each other. And, we always have Gerrit and Michelle's basement - they told us a few months back we could always move there if need be. But I don't think they really thought we actually may end up taking them up on it. (:

So, this brings us to where we are today. Well, the good news is that things are looking pretty good right now. Through a personal contact, Dave was put in touch with a hospital in Racine, WI that is looking for a full-time chaplain. Dave had a phone interview with one of the heads of the department last Tuesday. It went EXTREMELY well. He had a wonderful conversation with her. But there was another woman that was also one of the heads of the department, and he needed to interview with her as well. So, more waiting for her to contact him. The weekend came and went, and then Monday morning, they finally were able to get in touch with each other. Apparently, she had been trying to e-mail him last week, but the messages never went through. So on Monday he had his second phone interview for this position. And it went just as well as the first one. Yay!

We are driving out there next Tuesday, and he will have his on-site interview on Wednesday. Although we know that this job is not a certainty, there are a few things that make it very appealing. First of all, half of the position would be in the field of mental health - which is the area that was Dave's absolute favorite over the course of the past year. Second, there is a CRC and a CSI Christian School in Racine. Considering that there is both a need and a desire to stay connected to the CRC, this would be a huge blessing for us. And third, geographically it would be a wonderful area. It is close to Chicago, so flights to CA would be reasonably priced. And it is close to his family and my grandparents, and driving distance to many of our close friends. I could definitely see some road trips to Grand Rapids and Pella in our future. Woo hoo! (:

So, now that you have read (or at least skimmed) my novel of a post, please keep us in our prayers as we continue this whole job-search journey. And please pray for Dave next Wednesday as he once again will go through the interview process. We don't have any definite answers as to where we will be living next, but things are looking very good. And we know that God knows our future. And we know that he both has been and will continue to be there to provide the strength, peace, and comfort to get through any and all of the disappointments and joys in this process.

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Oh, and what post would be complete without a picture of Ella? Here's one of our FIRST PIGGIES! Aren't they cute? She's studying her book about how the digestion system works from Uncle Paul and Aunt Dana.