Intermission

Hello friends,

I want to apologize for not writing any time recently, but things keep going on, and I wanted to let you all know some happenings in the last month.  

When I came back from Costa Rica, I had started a job application process with an eMi representative whose business partner runs a civil engineering firm here in Austin.  His partner was looking to hire someone to produce documents for him, which would have been a good fit for me.  However, things changed a bit, and they ended up not needing someone on the civil engineering side.  However, they did pass my resume off to a local friend who runs a civil engineering firm and may be looking to hire.  I had an interview last Tuesday, and was supposed to hear back from that on Friday.  I haven't heard from them yet, so either they're super late and swamped or they have chosen another candidate.  Obviously, not getting the job isn't necessarily what I would have asked for, but God has done a wonderful job of showing me my worth and value in the engineering field by bringing me so much interest from companies just in the Austin area, and I am confident that it's only a matter of time before I get going on an engineering career here in Austin.  (or maybe an outdoor guide career, which I'm slightly tempted to start into.  Maybe working the floor at REI?  Just a thought.)

In the mean time, I've been working temporarily with Ridge Hill Investments, owned and operated by Steve Hickerson, who is a man full of grace and integrity, and a lover of Jesus.  His company builds and rents properties, and right now, I am working on-site at a current construction project he has going on some town homes.  I'm doing mainly clean up work, small laborious handiwork, and supply pickup with another co-worker, but I'm really enjoying being on a construction site.  I've always loved to build things and simply being on a job site is exciting for me.  I'll be looking to put in a few more hours here in the near future to earn a little more cash.  

The church search is going really well.  We've settled in on a little "Spirit filled" church called True Life Fellowship in Round Rock for Sunday mornings and have met some folks from the young adult ministry and their pastors.  It's really awesome.  The Friday after we went to their young adult group for the first time, I was talking to a friend from the prayer group at Southwestern, and he told me that when he looks for a Christian community, he looks for a group of people whose passion and commitment to knowing Jesus scares him.  I confidently told him that I was slightly scared of the folks the night before, and that's about when I realized True Life would be an excellent place.  They are very filled with life, and genuine, unconditional, brotherly love for one another, which Shelley, her roommate Bekah and I have been yearning for for a while.  

Things with Shelley have been growing through joy and beginning trials.  Her mom reminded us a few weeks ago to be thankful when trials come because of the opportunity they bring to grow deeper in mature love for each other, and I can certainly say that after a while of awesome blessings from God of understanding, patience, and compassion, God finally brought us some issues to work through.  Mostly dealing with my heart, but yet in those, He has shown wonderful grace, and strengthened our relationship.  Additionally, this past Thursday night at the wave, God revealed to me that I had been idolizing Shelley, and brought me to repentance.  It is very sobering to realize you've been idolizing your girlfriend, but repentance is ten times more freeing, and the moment I asked God's forgiveness and repented, I felt a huge weight lift and I was filled with joy, I could hear God speaking clearly and specifically to me, and I've been able to enjoy Shelley much more fully and honoring.  

Thank you all for your prayers, and I'll continue to keep you all in touch