The Abundant Wife

Family Photo: Easter Sunday

Substitute Teaching: On May 10, Brad finished where he had been a substitute-teacher for the past 3 months.  He received a favorable recommendation from the staff there, and offered his services if they should need him again in the future.

Swimming Instructor/Lifeguard: On May 11, Brad began working at a day camp as a lifeguard and swimming instructor.  He has been a camper or staff person there for more than 30 years.  We are thankful for the work, but unfortunately they are only able to offer him part-time work (4-hour days) from May 11 to June 3.  Then on June 6 he will begin working full-time again, 6 days a week.  Last week there were not enough school groups to justify opening the camp for 3 days (May 16-18) so Brad was able to get two days of work as a substitute-teacher.

I have also begun working some at the day camp as a jack-of-all-trades.  So far I have worked at the pool, the rope bridge, the slide, the zip-line, the store, and four-square.  I will work 3 Wednesdays in May, and 6 Saturdays in June and July.  Brad’s mom will watch the kids while I’m gone for the day.

Para-Church Youth Ministry: On April 25, Brad and I drove out to West Virginia to see the area that has frequently come up in job-related conversations.  We went to the Visitor’s Center, drove to the three high schools, and finished off the afternoon at an historic overlook.

On May 3, Brad drove out to Pennsylvania for a Regional Staff Meeting.  On May 5, he was asked to consider a college town in Pennsylvania as a possible position.  Both of the towns I’ve mentioned have strong volunteer staffs, but not enough money fundraised to support a staff-person.  These would be “tent-making” opportunities in which Brad would work full-time at a second job until the ministry there could support a family of four.  Brad called to inquire about a Resident Director opening at the college, but found they were only looking for female applicants.

Brad has also continued to apply for every posting he sees posted on the ministry’s website, but he has not been interviewed for any further positions.

Back to School: I’ve been researching what college options might be available if Brad needs to go back to school in the fall.  After talking to three different colleges, we have narrowed it down to one.  They offer night, weekend, and summer classes that can fit around a day-time job.  Brad has 25 credits of his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education there, accumulated prior to 2004.  He has scheduled a meeting with a college representative on June 10.  Some possibilities for his initial certification might include Elementary Education, Math Education, Social Studies Education, or Special Education.  They have also suggested getting certified through Transcript Review or the Resident Teacher Program.  Teacher Certification is just one of the many forms of “tent-making” we are investigating.

Blogging: I’ve spent the last two months trying to figure out how to turn my writing into a profitable work-at-home job through blogging.  I have only just begun to learn the basics of how to monetize a blog, but you are welcome to check it out here, at The Abundant Wife.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness and your prayers.  We really appreciate how each of you has helped us through this time in our lives.

Love,

Jessie