Welcome to Adulthood

For the last 1 1/2 years, Lyndsey has been looking for a job. Unsuccessfully, I might add.

When she came home for the Christmas break, she continued to look for a job. Application after application was filled out and turned in or submitted online. Then the followup phone calls were made and she heard time and again, "Sorry, we are not hiring."

She got somewhat discouraged.

A couple of weeks ago, her daddy and I sat down with her and had a long talk with her about life. Things that she basically knew but we needed to get them out in the open so we all were on the same page about where her life was going - back to college or not. It was a good talk, but a difficult one, nevertheless. This decision was hers to make and hers alone. We believe she is old enough to make decisions like this now and we felt we would be interfering if we made it for her. Welcome to adulthood, Lyndsey.

She wanted desperately to go back to college. But with a small outstanding balance left over from last semester and no job to promise the college she could pay the bill for the upcoming semester, it was looking very bleak for her to be able to continue this spring.

Lyndsey put job hunting into high gear for the last couple weeks she was home. Hours and hours of scouring the internet, filling out applications, followup phone calls, being told no, etc. But she kept trying.

Lots of people were praying for her. Several were fasting and praying for her. She was fasting and praying.

With each passing day, she became a little more discouraged. The prospect of going back seemed to dim more and more.

She started filling out applications locally thinking that she might as well look for a job here since she couldn't find anything in Lancaster/Palmdale.

Friday was miserable for her. Walter talked with her again. He told her to start thinking 'outside the box.' That maybe college needed to be put off for a while and she could come back to it a little later. That maybe she should think about joining the military (boy do I chuckle to myself just thinking about her joining the military - I don't really think she's military material) or something like that. Who knows? Lyndsey did NOT like that idea at all. I think it really set the tone for her day - miserable.

She struggled all day Friday. Very quiet, but totally unsure about what to do. We didn't really talk about Saturday at all. We just tried to keep the day as light and cheery as possible. Walter and I knew the weight of the decision was so heavy on her. It was a decision that we could not make for her.

Saturday rolled around and she was still unsure of what to do. There were two options: go back and stay until Wednesday (the last day she could register) hoping for a miracle or go and pick up all her things and come back home. We reassured her that if she sat out for the new semester, it wouldn't be the end of the world (though I don't believe she saw the situation from our point of view). She could hopefully get a job and save up for the fall semester as well as work on getting her driver's license.

We waited for a few hours for her to make up her mind.

She finally came to the same conclusion we had already stated as an option. She said, "I figure that I've got nothing to lose by going back and staying til Wednesday, so I'm going back." It put a smile on both her daddy's and my face.

On the drive back to school, I realized a pattern that is emerging in Lyndsey's life. God works a pattern in each person/couple but not the same pattern for everybody. For instance, with Walter and I, God always tells us both the same thing (I'm talking about major life changes) at the same time but we don't usually tell the other person for a while. Then when one of us starts the conversation, the other one already knows what will be said. But how God works with us isn't always how He works with other people.

For the last 3 semesters, Lyndsey has gone to school with only enough money to buy books. But each time she has gone back, the amount of money has been less than the time before. It was basically no different this time.

Monday, she went out job hunting and was hired at Wendy's, but only technically. She has a job but not until a position opens up. God provided a job for her but still no income. We were thrilled for her, but told her to keep looking just in case something else turned up. Nothing did.

With a large amount of money due today, she was very nervous as to what to do. She asked if she should go to the finance director and talk with him to see if he would extend her some time. She did and was a little disappointed. He told her if she could come up with $300 today, he would let her finish registering for classes. We had gotten a surprise check in the mail yesterday for her for $100 and that was all we had. I paid that money on her bill asap. But she still needed $200.

Walter called her and talked with her for a long time. He told her to form a plan - call the manager at Wendy's and find out all the little details, then go back to the finance office and tell the director what money she had and what Wendy's told her. We don't know why, but Lyndsey really didn't want to do any of it. She just knew the director wouldn't accept what she would tell him. Walter encouraged her not to pre-judge the situation and told her it was her last chance to stay.

Well, she told one of her friends the predicament she was in - she needed $200. "Valerie(for privacy sake) (a fellow student) asked her how much money she had - $100, but she was saving it to buy any notes she needed for her classes. Valerie told her to use all of it for her bill and talk to her teachers about getting the notes emailed to her. Then Valerie told her she and a couple of other friends were pitching in and giving her the other $100 she needed!

She hightailed it back to the finance office and paid the $200. Lyndsey was able to register for classes and they begin tomorrow morning, bright and early!

We have much to pray about as she still owes $5,000 for the spring semester and she doesn't have a penny to her name right now. But with God, ALL things are possible!

Job hunting will continue every day and we covet your prayers in this as well.