No Job Yet...

This is Suz writing this time.

I still have no job. I have finished my degree, done everything I need to, have handed in lots of application forms, and have had nothing back. Absolutely nothing. No interviews. And for the first time that I can remember, I have no idea what to do. I am completely out of control, and have no idea where I'm going! It's happened to my family before, and therefore I've been impacted by it, but I don't think it's ever happened to me before. It's quite a scary feeling.

But...God is in control. God has a plan. I know that only by God's grace I made it through my degree - it was not easy! So God must have a reason for doing that. And now, even though I don't have a job and feel completely out of control of my own life, it's ok. It's frustrating, and sometimes I feel quite down about it. God is control though, he has a reason for everything - he has the whole world in his hands, and I'm part of that world.

I'm currently listening to a song based on the words of Isaiah 53:4-5.
"Surely he took up our infirmites, and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was piered for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds we are healed."

All this evening I've felt very unsettled about not knowing whats going to happen next in my life, not knowing God's plan or purpose. But after listening to that song and thinking and praying, it's ok. It doesn't really matter that at the moment, for this relatively short space of time, I don't have a job. God is providing for us. He's shown that. Marc and I are still breathing, eating, enjoying the company of our friends, driving our car, going to church, and he's working. God hasn't forgotten us. But none of that even matters - looking at the bigger picture, God sent his son to die to me! And for Marc, and my family, and you. I am healed because of his wounds and his death. God is ultimately in control of EVERYTHING, he has a perfect plan for me, and for you, and in his time he'll show me what he wants me to do. Maybe this is just another test to see how closely I follow God and trust in Him.

So, all I need to do is keep praying, trusting, waiting, listening and thanking God for what he's blessed me with - a wonderful husband who (currently!) has a job, a lovely place to live, good friends, wonderful family, and a degree in nursing! Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Excitingly Scary...

We're on a path and we don't know exactly where it goes.

We don't know what's next and the fog appears to be drawing closer.

But there is a path there, and God walks it with us as our guide.

Even though we stumble, he will not let us fall, as long as we "Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with our God" (Micah 6v8)


Life:

God has blessed us hugely over the last 3 months since we've been married. The wedding was great and we shared the day with loads of people who are incredibly special to us. Following the wedding we got away for a few days for some much needed R & R, but not too many as we both needed to be back in Glasgow pretty sharpish.

Other developments have seen us re-homing a rabbit and sacrificially taking on a car that would otherwise have sat still for the year. The latter has been a huge blessing in giving us freedom to visit the familials, and also allowing more options with regards to work.

All in all, married life is treating us both well, and we like it even better when we get to see each other!

Work and college:

Work to this point has been busy, with us passing like ships in the night and sometimes not seeing each other for days due to shifts, but for all our grumbling about that so far, what's to come may be even more frustrating...

Come the end of this week Suz will have finished her consolidation placement and will officially be signed off and put forward for registration as a fully-fledged nurse. Because she hasn't got a job yet lined up it means that, although she has many application forms in for jobs, she will need to sign on next week.

Next week is also the first week back for me at ICC for my fourth year. There are several different ideas in my head for dissertation topics, but I want it to be relevant to where I am and where I'm working... and at the moment, that's a blurry area!

As it stands the funding for my job isn't guaranteed so I am working on a month to month basis, with very few other opportunities being visible at the moment. (and even if it was guaranteed, it wouldn't bring in enough money for both of us to live on...)

Church:

Church is an interesting organism to be part of at the moment, with Martyrs' being in a period of change and opportunity. I'm involved in leading and preaching as part of a rota and Suz is leading worship regularly. Although we are currently happy to give to Martyrs', we are mainly only there because of my work, and if that changes to another church, we will have to follow

In other news...

Laura (Marc's sister) has moved to Italy for a year as part of her degree, and therefore the family are looking forward to cheaper holidays...

Aaron and Lynne (Suz's Parents) are on sabbatical for the next couple of months, looking forward to a trip to Africa, and adjusting to an empty house...

Michelle (Suz's sister) has moved to start her course at college near Middlesborough...

Daniel (Suz's brother) is dreaming with God and the local church...

Alan and Jackie (Marc's parents) are listening to God...


So things to thank God for:

Being happily married!
Suz having a degree (God really must want her to be a nurse because of the way He has blessed her over the last 3 years!)
The opportunity to study
Church and what it could be
His faithfulness even when we can't see what He's doing


Thing to pray for:

A willingness to see what God has in store for us
Jobs and God's other provisions
Faith and Patience in even greater amounts
Discipline for Marc in studying
More opportunities to share God with those we meet
Wider families in exciting times


So... Have fun, be good, Act, Love and Walk!

Marc

We're Blogging Because...

"I don't know... Why are we blogging?!"... My wife is particularly helpful tonight...

We're blogging because we have valuable things in our heads that the world needs to know about, but also because this may well be the easiest way to keep people up to date with our lives and life together, what we're up to, and with things for everyone else to pray for...

So this is as much a newsletter as it is a blog... more will follow soon I am sure... but for now, we'll get back to "the Resistance"...