When it was announced last November that Cascade College would be closing at the end of the 2008-09 school year, I was saddened for so many reasons. I was losing my alma mater where I learned so much and made so many great relationships, I would have to say goodbye to a job I really loved, I worried about others who would have to find work or education elsewhere, I thought of the negative impact it would have on churches in the area, and I mourned that this place that was a blessing to so many would be no more. Compounding my emotional reaction to this news was the fact that I was due to have our first child just weeks before the college would have its final graduation ceremony.
What a bittersweet time I had this past spring! Oliver was born at the end of April and quickly became the center of the Rude universe. (It's funny how a little baby will change your entire world!) As planned, Cascade had a celebration/reunion weekend to coincide with the graduation events and we got to see many of old friends who came from far and wide for the closing ceremony. David and I started to fill our summer with church and family activities and I adjusted to being a stay-at-home mom to a newborn - an adventure in itself!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 3+ months at home with my baby boy and I truly find joy in being a mommy. All along, however, I have known that my housewife status was only temporary - our mortgage, student loans, and other bills simply can't be paid with a single part-time youth minister's salary. David's ministry is important to both of us, and we have agreed that I will need to work outside the home to help supplement his income for our family. As the summer progressed we continued to pray that God would open up the right doors for us so we could clearly see where He wanted me to be. Should I try to find a job watching another child (or children) so I could continue to stay with Oliver? Should I find something part-time so David and I could stagger our schedules to be with Oli? What kind of work should I be seeking? How long could our finances last without me bringing in an income? There were many questions to be asked, but in all of it, we remained unworried and turned the situation over to God.
Well, I didn't even seriously begin my job search when the perfect opportunity presented itself out of the blue. (Isn't that how God seems to work many times?) I received a call from a former co-worker who asked if I might be interested in a position at Columbia Christian Schools and could she pass my information along to the person who would be doing the hiring. I was pleasantly surprised by the offer and excited about discussing the opportunity. Bill called me the next day, we met the following afternoon, and I accepted the position of Office Manager the following week. Everything just fell perfectly into place. I got to start in August (which was the soonest I wanted to begin working again), I am working for a Christian school which I wholeheartedly support, I am doing a job very similar to the one I had at the college, I am working with a great group of staff members and teachers, my commute is less than 10 minutes and my office is right next to the church where David works.
The prayer-answering didn't just stop there though! David was able to rearrange his schedule so he will be home with Oliver on Monday and Fridays and will take Oli with him to the office on Wednesday. A very nice and generous woman from our church volunteered to take our baby into her house on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that has been going great so far! I don't have to worry about the little guy at all while I'm away from him - he's in very good hands! Also, my employers are very supportive of family life and encouraged me to take the measures I need to in order to continue breastfeeding and providing care for Oli. The blessings just keep coming!
You know, I find that it always encourages me to look back at situations in life and to see how God truly does work things out for the good of those who serve Him who have been called according to His purpose. I hope that I always appreciate the ways He cares for us and that I will look for opportunities to share those joys with others.
On a mostly unrelated note, I've found that it's never really fun to learn a new computer program, especially when the one giving you the instructions is not very familiar with it herself! Just one of the joys of acclimating to a new job!
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