By the end of next month my employment contract expires. There has been talk about this for quite some time but the end of this road is near. There are a lot of possible outcomes with the upcoming change, a new contract with altered wages, altered shift schedule… Due to chronic instability over the past year while being under a temporary “bridge contract” I have seen a lot of my coworkers leave and secure work which alleviated the stress of the question marks at the end of each day. I have also looked for other jobs but always found the issue of my resume to be a complicating factor in securing the next position. Although working on the resume was always highly amusing!
A few weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to meet several World Race alumni for a night or worship and prayer. The alumni who hosted this gathering opened the evening with an activity that really got me thinking about my resume. He gave us a small puzzle piece, we had to describe what the Lord spoke to us about our piece. You would think the amount of information on the piece would be so limiting as it didn’t tell any particular story in and of itself. However, there were some really interesting insights into what each piece represented because we could guess as to what the surrounding context was. In the end there was a reveal of the put together puzzle and we were asked to place our piece into it. Each piece was special and unique but when together there was the bigger picture.
In anticipation of my time with these new friends I read through their World Race blogs and got a better understanding of their journey and what a World Race missionary adventure really looked like. What I discovered brought such a smile to my face, the Lord really did have a plan and purpose for each one of my job experiences! The resume that I long thought of as a hot mess pointed to the very thing I am about to do.
At fifteen I started working as a lifeguard, over the span of six years I graduated to the level of swim instructor. Every summer I would teach water safety and swimming to a bunch of preschoolers who were just as terrified to learn as the adults I taught. I was also reminded yearly of lifesaving rescue techniques and CPR. World Racers teach swimming to kids and adults and Lord help me if I have to remember those lifesaving techniques! Throughout college I worked as a nanny, caring for children of all ages. World Racers spend a significant amount of time at orphanages! In college I also worked at a hotel, I prepared food for large events, set up, served and cleaned up from feeding the masses. This, too, a practical skill set quite applicable as a World Racer. Nearing the end of my years as a student I worked with the animal “inventory” at PetSmart. I treated and cared for, as well as provided information about all the rodents, birds, reptiles and fish. I have a bizarre bank of small critter experiences from which to draw on when living in the wild. After graduating college with a fine art degree I became employed at a furniture showroom, I learned how to sell, not just the inventory but my talents as a designer. This experience in marketing has helped me to promote myself throughout this entire World Race process. For a brief time I worked in mobile home sales. I was dubbed the “repo queen” because of my uncanny ability to sell repossessed trailers. These homes were brought to the lot in halves, never set up and I would have to show one half then the other. The clients who were interested in them were going through difficult times, so I would bring good cheer, excitement and vision into the rough situation. I suspect when we are building or rebuilding houses next year I will inject the same amount of life and positivity into that as well! When I left sales I went to work for a temp agency with a contract at the VA, and because I had no medical administration experience it was intended for me to be placed in the file room. Somehow on my first day I was lead over to a cubicle and instructed on creating authorizations for treatment of veterans being placed in the community for medical treatment. Oops? I quickly learned all about various diseases, conditions, treatments, and the red tape of working with the government…I suspect years of experience in the medical field and governmental employment will serve me well as a missionary. For a three year period in between this career I served the developmentally disabled, I built up an art program within a non-profit. The art was a tool to enable communication, it brought income to the participants, and they became active in their community by participating in local art events. All of this gave them a sense of accomplishment. I also learned how to care for people with physical and emotional limitations. There are so many places around the world where I can help creative, talented people earn an income from their craft. I also know that I will be involved in caring for many who face all sorts of challenges.
Now that I can see the bigger picture all the pieces have come together! When I applied for the World Race the process was familiar…I spent time completing my application, I was interviewed and it took two months to hear something. However, it was not just my resume of life experiences that translated into awesome World Race candidacy but the deposit of the Lord that gave me the right heart for this job, which I gladly accepted! I will occupy the most important position I’ve ever held, working for the Great Commissioner.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
