An Unlikely Anniversary
This week marks my sixth anniversary serving at NorthStar Church Network. Many aspects of this surprise me. First, of my eleven other paid jobs since high school, this is the first place I’ve worked for more than one year. Before you label me a total loser, let me explain.
My father was military, and I moved my senior year of high school. My first paid job was at the base commissary, but we only lived there for one year. In college, I worked one summer at a childcare center, one school year at the cartography department (as a typographer), and the following year at our church. Following college, we married and headed to Louisville for Mike to continue seminary. I was initially hired to work at a brokerage firm and though I loved working downtown with a great firm, a teaching position came available at a rehab center teaching preschool children with severe disabilities (for which I had no education or experience.) A first-grade position opened the following year at a small private school, and I was excited to finally use my education degree. Fast forward one year and I was offered a job in the public school system. The next year I had a child and we moved. During our military career, we moved every two-three years. I loved staying home with my children and volunteering in their schools, on base, in our communities, and at PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel). I picked up a few temporary jobs working the Census Bureau and one base thrift store, none of them lasting more than a year.
When we moved to Virginia eight years ago, I continued to volunteer and through a dear friend became acquainted with a local organization called NorthStar Women’s Network. While it took me more than a year to understand exactly what this organization was all about, I was quite intrigued and thought it worthy of a few hours of my volunteer time each week. After a few months of volunteering, I was all-in and was offered a part-time job. And as they say, the rest is history.
Applying two definitions of success, the first and most accurate is simply obedience to God. With this in mind, my time with NorthStar has been very successful. The second measure of success is how much fun is involved. There have certainly been many fun days, but there have also been hard days when I contemplated how to run away. Or just quit. However, Jesus made it very clear to me that I was to stay. And learn. And grow.
So, at the beginning of my seventh year, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity the Lord has gifted me to be part of this Kingdom work. For my colleagues who have been encouragers, teachers, cheerleaders, and iron sharpening iron, I am ever thankful. I look forward with great anticipation to many more years of serving the churches and the people of Northern Virginia, together with a few of my favorite people.