Today

I wanted to update my close family and friends on my wild and crazy day so I created a new blog site to make it easy to update everyone on the latest development. I plan on blogging about this in more general terms but wanted to share this personal account with all of you first. Those who have supported me so much. Please share this with anyone you think would like to read it. Especially if it is someone you know that has "anonymously" helped us out.  I hope to create a new 'The Feeble Soul' blog post before the weekend is over. I have a lot to do this weekend so hopefully I can get to it. 

Sorry, no Readers Digest version to this. You will need to read to the end to find out what happened today.    = )

In my search for employment over the past 5 months (almost 6 now) I have searched long and hard. I have applied for dozens of jobs locally and jobs in almost a dozen states. All to no avail. Several jobs could have and should have worked out but immovable forces seemed to be blocking the already difficult path. 

In November I had the stirrings (prompted by many of you) to look into teaching Seminary for the LDS Church. Something I did in college and almost completed my student teaching for but felt I needed to pursue another path when a potential full time hire date was only a few months away. This was 8 years ago this last October. Two months ago I blogged about starting over "Wrong Roads, Questioning God When Starting Over"

You can read it here if you have not already, Seminary teaching was not on my mind yet:

http://thefeeblesoul.blogspot.com/2013/11/wrong-roads-questioning-god.html

I contacted the Seminary Preservice trainer in Rexburg on Christmas Eve day and figured I would give it a shot. It was made easy by the information provided to me by my brother-in-law, Tom, who is a Seminary teacher. I placed the call and the trainer, Brother Taylor, said to send him a biography about myself to him and over the break he would review things. 

Yesterday I e-mailed Bro. Taylor again and finally he got back to me last night saying to come in and meet with him this morning. He did not really start the process of seeing about me student teaching until this morning. Jill and I met with him in his office at BYU-I and he said I should sign up for the Preservice Institute course again and hopefully a student teaching position would open up in a few months. He said he was also waiting to hear from my new Bishop and my former Bishop. He seemed to be dancing around things and it seemed that the meeting was wrapping up. Then his cell phone rang. 

He said it was important, took the call, and left Jill & I in the office alone. Once again, I felt the walls building as Jill and I discussed things while we waited. The choice now was to commit fully to the program or move on to another career option without wasting any more precious time pursuing this one. 

At this point I started thinking of the phone interview yesterday with a Credit Union, a lunch appointment set for Monday to discuss an opening with another company and a recruiter waiting in my inbox for a time when she could talk to me. I was hoping that something amazing would happen over the Christmas break and I would be either offered a job or offered a position student teaching, starting this Monday. With Monday only 3 days away at this point I figured my chances were non-existent. Due to the overwhelming support this Christmas holiday we have a window where I could teach, go to classes and focus on getting a full time position offered to me in April/May. It all hinged on me getting a student teaching spot immediately. If any of you are familiar with the Seminary program, it is generally not a quick process. They usually want you to take a course or two over the period of several months and then do your student teaching. Usually a year long process. Placing a student teacher, teaching a religion class to young high school students, is not taken lightly. 

Earlier this morning Bro. Taylor had been able to reach my former Preservice trainer and also my neighbor, Brant, who is a Seminary teacher. That helped, I believe, but it seemed it was too little too late. If only I had called sooner... like in November when so many wise people suggest I do so.

My wife still did not doubt. She said we should push on in the Seminary program and have faith things will work out. I still had some reservations.

At this point Bro. Taylor bounded back into the room, excitedly saying that we must of known who the caller was. I looked at him puzzled. He said that it was my current Bishop and he had provided the awaited for authorization. Bro. Taylor said since he now had clearance he could offer me a job student teaching at the Madison High School Seminary and it starts Monday. The previous student teacher had contacted him right before the Christmas break to say that he felt like he needed to pursue a different career path. Something "entrepreneurial or business related" he said. This rang familiar. Ironic maybe, coincidental at the very least. To further solidify things and put the final stamp of approval on the entire process, my previous Bishop called 10 minutes later. 

Stunned, and wide eyed, both my wife and I sat there as Brother Taylor dumped a barrage of information on us over the next 20 minutes to help get me "ready" for Monday. "Drinking from a fire hydrant" is the best way to put it. 

After we left the Institute building on the BYU-I campus I called the Seminary Principle for where I will be teaching. After lunch he said he would be able to meet with me. We drank deeply and tried to breathe as the flood continued. As if to seal the entire process, I saw that the Stake President who released me when I returned home from my mission, President Steenson, walk into his very own classroom down the hall from where I will be teaching. Today was a blessed day. 

All of you have helped to make this possible in one way or another. I can teach and know we are taken care of. That we are prayed for and our temporal needs met.

I still need to be hired full time but at this point it almost seems like a formality, given the miracles that have brought us to this point.  I will need to grow a lot and learn even more. Prayers will still be needed. There will be a lot of challenges over the next 5 months but they will be the good kind of challenges. Already I have been briefed on one of my soon to be students. She just lost her father and is struggling in her faith. Another student suffers from anxiety issues.  To be the Seminary teacher, one who has had his fair share of anxiety and struggles, to share and help uplift, is a sacred duty. One that I was not ready for 8 years ago. I still don't feel fully prepared, but the timing finally feels right. 

Thank you for your love, support and prayers. Onward and upward!

Love,

Jeff & Jill