I don't normally blog about my life or the spiritual experiences that drive it, but this week I got a job that was clearly provided by the Lord. So as an answer to President Uchtdorf's challenge to "use your hands to blog or text message the gospel to all the world" I have decided do so now.
I applied for a biology teaching job in Roosevelt, UT and they called me for an interview, but we were camping so we had to schedule it on a different day than they wanted. Courtney and I were really excited and I worked extra hard preparing for the interview, but when I called the day before, I found out they gave the job away already. The asked me if I had any math background and I told him, "No" because, well, I didn't take a single math course in college, but later that night I found myself writing the principal an email, telling him how awesome I'd be at teaching math. So I interviewed for the job two days later and it went really well. I felt really good about it and--despite my lack of proof of my math proficiency--I thought I would get the job. Nearly a week passed, however, with no word from them, so I called the principal to see what was going on. He said that I beat out the other 20 Utah applicants hands down, but they were interested in seeing a few of the out of state applicants in person, which would be on Tuesday, and he told me that they would call me after the interviews so I could make my case for hiring me. I started the next day (Thursday) preparing to take a practice math teaching exam (called the Praxis) so I could show them I was proficient in math. Friday I got a call from Jerome High School asking me to interview for the biology teaching position over there and heavily hinting that they wanted to straight up hire me. Well, I took my practice test and passed the Utah passing score by 6%, and we drove to Jerome after church on Sunday. Monday morning I had the interview, and I hadn't been home an hour when they called to offer the job to me. I asked for a day to sleep on it, but really I just wanted to hear about the Roosevelt job. Tuesday came and the principal phoned me with the sad news that I did not get the job. BUT apparently the assistant superintendent who was in my interview was really impressed with me and wanted to contact me about another job in the district. He called about 20 minutes later and had me on speakerphone with the principal of their alternative school (the school where kids who behave poorly go). The job would be teaching math and science to kids at this school and perhaps even starting a basketball program. Just to let you know, earlier I substituted for an alternative high school and I absolutely loved it. After that day I wanted to teach at a place like that more than anywhere else. So they ended the call and five minutes later they called back and offered me the job. I took it, of course I did. So here are some of the little miracles:
1) We knew we were supposed to move to Roosevelt from the start. It was a strong spiritual impression that both Courtney and I felt, so I kept doing all I could do to get hired there--for as we learn from Nephi, "it is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do." I knew that it was only through a constant, faithful effort that God would make up for what I lacked. (Which is also the reason I applied for every job I could this summer)
2) I didn't make it to the biology interview. If I had, I wouldn't have gotten that job and maybe wouldn't have even applied for the math position.
3) There was a math position open. It wasn't even posted online because it was their third round of interviews, they were still interviewing original applicants.
4) They needed a football coach. A big reason I was considered was because I could coach the football team. If not for that, I wouldn't have been given the time of day.
5) The assistant superintendent was impressed by my interview, so he pursued hiring me for the alternative school job. The interview went really well, but it was hard to judge who was skeptical of me and who wasn't.
6) I was offered the Jerome job. Without the Jerome offer I wouldn't have been able to push them to make their decision about me the same day. They wanted me to come in and interview and drag it out over another week, which would have been torture.
7) I actually think this job is the one I would prefer over the other 200 I applied for (and I didn't even apply for it)
So this is going to be awesome. This week has been yet another revelation to me about the power of fasting and prayer (which I had done the last two Sundays with the purpose of gaining the faith requisite to bring to pass the miracles necessary to get a job). I had told Courtney a number of times, "It's going to take a miracle for me to get a job," and as it turns out it took at least seven--I don't know what else happened that I'm not aware of.
This experience reaffirms what I already knew--God and Jesus Christ love us and that if we ask our Father for bread he will not give us a stone, but will give us even more than we asked for. I just read Elder Bednar's conference talk and I have a testimony that revelation and blessings come line upon line, but he who is patient and has faith will eventually receive God's blessing.
