Praise: Moving forward again...

[deep breath]

Whew! It appears that the unemployment extension has been accepted, and it only took a few days to get past the Workman's Comp "issue" this time. [A nice change.] So, if God is willing to keep us from any financial emergencies, we will have manna (i.e. just enough).

Many thanks for your prayers!

More potentially good news: Although I'm not at liberty to share the details until something "official" happens (perhaps in a few weeks), it looks as if Mr. Squirrel may be in a position to accept a job appointment that is associated with ministry and Bible teaching. This is where his heart longs to be.

So, if any of you are inclined, please add some prayers that this opportunity would gel into a reality, and that it might grow in its ability to teach God's Word.
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God Bless & Godspeed

Time will tell...

There is a lot of stuff happening right now as the seasons change. The school busses are running again and the signs are saying that it could be an early winter. Just this week we've started trying to catch up on those odd-jobs that need to be done before snow flies, like scrubbing the front porch and steps in preparation for some water seal among other things. We also had to update the church calendar as the Head-Start program has resumed and the community concert schedule is filling up. [They rent our church.]

In addition to these pop-up tasks, this is my reporting week. Every two weeks, I have to submit a report of my school progress to the Job Service training committee. I also have to submit my unemployment claim.

The first is easy with a committee-provided form added to my own copy of a completion report from the school. Typically that is all I send, but today I added some information about the hours I've been dedicating to the course work. I've just reached that point where I have to justify 'out loud' that I'm not messing around, but the hours they 'predict' it takes to get module work done... isn't enough for me to get it done. I'm old-school and I've always been one of those students who had to work hard to get it all done.

[Note: I do get good grades from the efforts, so it is a fair trade-off. But I was a bit shocked when I figured from my notes that I was averaging around 25 to 32 hours per week. Especially when the school was predicting that 15 to 16 hours per week would be sufficient to complete the course in the time bracket that I have set for myself. But, I have to remind myself. They aren't including time for working in the companion work books... or creating computer flash cards to help study all those names, terms & processes, or doing "ear training" (i.e. listening to dictated reports and getting a feel for the language), etc.]

All that being said, it is the second that is of greater concern to me. My unemployment benefits are at an end... or are very, very close to it. A few weeks ago, I contacted them to nail down the steps towards applying for an extension. The only reply I got was that "you can't apply for an extension until the awarded funds are exhausted."

So, two things can happen with this claim. If they return my typical funds, there will be about $6 left over in my award. I may have to submit yet another claim to use up that $6 BEFORE I will be eligible to apply for an extension. Or, they can tack that $6 onto this last claim. I won't have any way of knowing until the payment is received in a couple of days. I wonder which way it will go? The gaps could be unpleasant to deal with if the bill-timing hits in that interim between exhaustion and application... and accepance (I HOPE) of that application.

In any case, this will be launching me into yet another "voyage of discovery" in order to figure out how to go about getting things done. Hopefully, they will keep their word and send me the information I need... in a timely manner.

Many thanks for continued prayers, and I continue to pray for my readers.

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God bless & Godspeed

Why is it...

... that the brain insists on churning on all the bad stuff in the middle of the night? I was sleeping so well, too. At least until the 2am wrong phone number went off next to the bed.

God does that sometimes, though.

I spent the next hour and a half listening to Bible mp3 files... hoping for comfort and distraction from my thoughts. The first hitch came when I discovered that my Old Testament files were incomplete. [Gotta restore the originals to get the complete set back together.] Then, what I ended up choosing (1, 2, 3 John), only brought up more questions.

Am I doing what God wants me to do? What is it that I'm supposed to be doing differently? I've tried to work hard on my studies. I've tried to get more work done at the church. I've tried to help my family... Yet, we are failing.

Does God want us to fail in order to teach us something (or teach someone else something)? Will He choose to rescue us at the last second that His glory might be praised? [It should be praised under any circumstance.] Is this yet another faith-stretching exercise... for me. God showing me that my faith in Him is weak and needs to be strengthened? [Probably.]

There are some unpleasant challenges & decisions ahead as my unemployment benefits run out with this next claim, and our savings is... dwindling. ...and we seem to be heading into an early winter. I've been told that once the funds are exhausted, I will be given the opportunity to apply for an extension, but who knows the gap-time... if it is authorized.

So far, God has not shown us much concerning Mr. Squirrel's job options. That alone is frightening and disheartening and discouraging. It makes me want to cry.

Mr. Squirrel's only job opportunity (with possible income attached) that has appeared in the last 7 months is on the schedule for October 10th. He has been invited to preach at a church in another small town. If they like him, he may be invited to preach again. It could lead to steady work. Maybe.

So many questions. So much doubt. What to do?

I've heard that if you haven't heard from God in a while, you go back and keep doing the last thing He told you to do. So, I guess I'd better get back to my studies. [Keep on keeping on.] The sooner I complete the course, the sooner maybe I can get a paying job again... Lord willing.

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God bless & Godspeed.