The Job Search

Matt has officially been on the search for a job since last Thursday.  At the beginning of April we found out that Discover Card would be laying off 500 employees between May 1st and the 15th.  Last Thursday, Matt found out that he was one of those employees.  He has applied for 5 or 6 jobs this past week, and we are still waiting to hear from all of them.  It has been an interesting month for us, anticipating the possibility of Matt no longer having a job.  I am so grateful that we were able to listen to and attend General Conference last month.  It has really helped me understand and deal with the situation so much better.  Many of the talks seemed to be directed specifically for our situation, and I really have recieved so much strength from them.  Today I read Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually, by Elder Robert D. Hales. 

( http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-2,00.html ).  He tells us that the Lord will never allow us to sufffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).  Also, that Christ stands ready to help each one of us.  "Fear not, " He said, "for you are mine, and I have overcome the world" (D&C 50:41).  

I remember when my cousin Brooks was ready to leave on his mission and he became really sick.  We were all pretty nervous that he wouldn't be able to serve his mission, or that he might even die.  My grandpa told my aunt Liz that you can not have fear and faith at the same time.  I remember that she tried so hard to not have fear, so that she would be able to have the faith that was needed for Brooks.  I have been trying to do the same thing for the past month.  At first the thought of not having a job was very scary, but I have tried to not have fear.  Since Matt has been officially laid off, i have had a peace in my heart and I truly am not scared.  I know that because we have made good decisions and because we obey the commandments we will be blessed.  We may not be blessed with all of our wants, but I do know that we will get through this.  

We already have seen so many blessings in our lives this past month, and I wouldn't trade any of those blessings for a job.  My grandpa had a cancer scare, and a near death experience, and we were able to have a family fast for him, and everything has turned out fine!  We are expecting another baby, and I have been blessed with a healthy pregnancy and as far as we know a healthy baby.  We have a beautiful daughter who continues to grow and learn every day.  She is a strength to us and helps us remember what is really important.  We have family members who support us through everything and have actually been in our situation for longer than we have.  I feel like we have been blessed in abundance and am grateful to the Lord for that!

If any of you do know of or hear about any leads on jobs, please let us know.  We have found that the best way to find something is by asking around!  Thank you for all of your support.  We think of each one of you as one of our blessings!