Last week, it was finally warm enough to snow.
I know.
As someone who grew up in the desert of Southern California, this statement doesn’t make sense to me.
Warm enough to snow.
Strange as it seems, it was very beautiful. Sabine and I went out for a jaunt and of course I brought my camera along. Hope you enjoy the snap shots.
Continuing the adventure,
Jessica
Hopefully, I will be starting an internship in March at a local company here in Düsseldorf.
This internship will reduce my monthly income by about 50%.
So why would I do such a thing?
Strategy.
The job I currently have allows me to work with great people, in flexible hours, and pays decently. However, it is not a career. It does not utilize my greatest strengths. It will not bolster or improve my resume or recommendation to others. It is not in a field I want to work in for the rest of my life.
I could probably get another job which would pay better, have better benefits and more security. However, based on my previous work experience it would most likely be in a customer service role which would also not utilize my strengths and would actually require me to work from my weakest points.
So I am taking a leap. This internship will help me to break into a field which I want to work in. It will allow me to utilize my strengths. It will help me to learn about how a real creative firm works. At the end, I will have a new entry in my resume which will recommend me to other firms and companies in this field.
Ultimately, the value of the experience and the improvement to my resume outweighs the immediate financial gain I would have by staying where I am. It is an investment which looks long term over short term.
When was the last time you evaluated your career strategy?
Continuing the adventure,
Jessica
A miraculous thing happened yesterday.
We all had nothing to do.
So we Boctors and Baetckes took the dogs to the Rhein to walk and play on the ice. It was a beautiful day full of fun and wind chill. Paul brought the camera and captured some great shots of the Baetcke family.
I have had some really great conversations with friends about the Holy Spirit lately. As a result I thought it would be a good idea to re-read the book of Acts. It didn't take me long to find something particularly applicable to my life.
I really want to share some good news.
I just don’t have any.
It’s during these times I truly struggle to blog and share our lives. I don’t want my attempts at practising authenticity to turn into a free fall of whining.
But really?
The past few weeks Paul and I have been feeling the pressure of taking an offensive step in building the kingdom of God. Our few victories since moving to Germany–my job, registering Paul for school, navigating our way through bureaucracy–feel as though we have cut them from stone with our fingernails. The many walls we have faced–physical affliction, delays in Paul’s Visa and work permit, the draining of our financial resources–have started to feel insurmountable.
Today, as I was trying to keep composure in the face of this pressure, I began to think of Job. He was a man who lived a blameless life and even he could not escape misfortune. He was attacked financially, relationally, and physically.
Paul and I are far from being out on the street but the continuing delays in getting a work permit for Paul are costing us money. While I do have a job the money I make barely covers our expenses currently and will not cover us if we moved out on our own. The money we brought with us to Germany (with the exception of our bingo fund) has been used up faster than anticpated because of large expenses which we didn’t know to budget for; such as Paul’s classes or the possibility of having to go to another city for Paul’s A1 certificate.
Since arriving in Germany Paul and I have both been hit physically. He immediately had a reaction to the tap water which gave him stomach problems (the water is perfectly safe but doesn’t agree with his system). I had the flu. He got a splinter in his eye which required an emergency room visit. Upon our return from the states I faced my third bout of shingles. The last few days have been filled with doctor visits and check up’s as Paul developed a superficial Venous Thrombosis which we have had to deal with.
Our biggest blessing is our relationships. All of Job’s children were taken from him when God allowed him to be tested and his friends turned on him. I am thankful that our marriage is doing well and the community here in Düsseldorf has rallied around us. This is an amazing love to experience. I am grateful God has provided these people in our time of need. We would really be lost without them.
If you would like to know how to pray for us right now I think the best way to sum it up would to ask for wisdom, shielding, and provision. We need wisdom in the best ways to move forward with Paul’s Visa/Work permit requirements. We need physical shielding and health to be restored to us both. We need financial provision and jobs which will allow us not only to be self sufficient but to be a blessing to others.
We need God to move on our behalf.
In remembering Job’s story I was reminded Satan was not allowed to do anything to Job without asking God’s permission first. The God who loves us is in control. Things may not go how I think they should but even the difficult times are for our benefit. This gives me comfort and helps me to remember it’s all for God’s glory.
Continuing the adventure,
Paul and Jess
I can’t decide which better describes how I feel right now.
Sometimes it feels like the information to paperwork to bureaucracy systems are never ending loops. Like the sideways eight which describes infinity.I strangely feel like I have been here before though I am falling in a new concavity.
Other times it’s as if there is light to guide us. If we can just get around the next corner everything will be done and we will be free of this maze–only to turn the corner and realize we somewhere we have been before.
Not all is lost, I haven’t given up hope. Paul and I are making progress and taking the steps we need to in order to get settled. It just seems like much of it is costing us time and we are in a state of limbo until certain papers are signed and important documents (like a visa) have been obtained.
The things which need answers most right now and which we would ask for prayer are the following:
1, Medical Insurance – Here in Germany it is a BIG deal if you don’t have medical insurance (like a large-eyed ‘WTF do you mean you don’t have insurance?’). I have started an application to get insurance but it is taking a long time. Paul also needs an insurance card for his visa appointment.
2, Work Permit – This has been an elusive and frustrating process. Admittedly, it may not be just the bureaucrats fault as it turns out I may have misunderstood a key piece of information early on in the process. My prayer is not only for clarity in how to move forward, but also that I wouldn’t beat myself up over the misunderstanding or allow Satan to hold it over my head (as I have a tendency to do).
3. Paul’s Visa – Paul’s visa appointment is January 16th at 11 AM our time (January 16th 2AM PST). We have a friend who will come with us to the appointment and for the most part all of our paper work seems to be ready. The last thing we need is the medical insurance. Please pray Paul would be able to get his visa THAT DAY.
Adventurers sometimes lose their way and repeat their steps. Paul and I are very fortunate to be surrounded by a loving community who are helping us through these things and shining light when we don’t know which way to go.
Hopedully we will have another update soon,
I know these are much overdue, but here they finally are! Enjoy our perspective on Paris.
Jess Boctor 