I’ve just begun a new job, full time, with high overtime potential between now and January. This isn’t the job I’ve been hoping for, but it’ll do in this season. As a matter of fact, one of my writer’s night friends referred to her current job as “not the perfect job, but the perfect-for-right-now job.” She said I’m welcome to borrow that phrase.
The job is essentially vetting non-profits and grant requests, which means I’ll learn another layer of business that could be applied to Silent Blessings and any other ministries I work with. In my two weeks on site, I’ve already learned a fair bit.
It’s located within 20 minutes of Silent Blessings, which means I can continue working there in the evenings on a reduced schedule. Everything is stable at this time, so there’s no harm in me having fewer hours in office. The work to finish Dr. Wonder’s Workshop Season 5 and the Sign Lab VBS Curriculum rests with video editors and the curriculum director. By the time we kick the VBS back into high gear, we should be beyond the “busy season” at the new job and I can re-balance my schedule accordingly.
I’m currently sponsored for 14 hours a month, while Silent Blessings has been dipping into their ministry accounts to make sure I’m paid for 20 hours a week. My first several years were focused on the SignLab VBS, which we expect to release in 2020 after a few more adjustments. In the past two years, I’ve been the key person in the development of the God Loves Deaf Kids app and the build/rebuild of four websites — God Loves Deaf Kids, Dr. Wonder’s Website, the DWW and More Store, and Silent Blessings.
The commute is longer than the 110 miles I’ve been driving near-daily for the last 6 months. This means I’ll be looking for a different lodging arrangement. I’ve researched studio apartments in the area, and it looks like a $600/mo minimum proposition once utilities are factored in. The current challenge is finding a short-term arrangement because it’s not time to risk signing a long term lease and needing to buy out of it. (The Deaf ministry in TX posted another job opportunity, we’ll see.) So far, I’ve spent a week with a friend and a week in a motel.
The rest of the paycheck (the point of the job search) will go toward paying back the school note which has grown from $32K to $36K while in income-based-payment. Some will also be set aside for the next vehicle. The Camry just passed 253,000 miles, I’m holding out for 300K or more, per Camry’s reputation.
Deaf Ministry is still my priority pursuit. Jesus is coming back, obituaries are never empty, and over 95% of the world’s Deaf population don’t know what to do with these facts. That puts them at a severe disadvantage, and prods me to do what I can. Deaf people are learning to reach one another, and indigenous is best in any culture — but there are also supporting roles that allies can fill, and that’s what I can bring to the effort.
But at this moment, I have a money job that will become portable once I’ve learned it thoroughly. It’s the perfect-for-now job, and for that I’ll give thanks (while I wait for news from the ministries).
UPDATE: The job ended in Jan 2020. I never did get that lunchbox (or nearby apartment).