In order to do so, I’ve got to back up the truck to November of 2010. It was in this month that the Lord really started planting a new vision for me in my heart. I was unclear at the time of what that might look like and I spent many days seeking Him and asking Him to paint the blank canvas before me. In essence, I said yes to whatever picture God wanted to paint for my life – not knowing exactly what that could mean.
At the same time, I continued to do my job which in part entailed scheduling guests for my boss, Lynne, to interview. We received a lovely Advent devotional from a young lady who worked at IWU. Inside was a letter from the author. To this day, I still remember reading her note and how I laughed at a funny story she included regarding her encounter with the son of one of my co-workers. There was something about her letter that made me like her immediately. I handed the book off to Lynne for consideration and shortly thereafter I was emailing her to set up an interview for our program.
She said yes of course, and since she only lived an hour away, she decided to join us in the studio for the full experience. Good choice. As she shared from her heart, I took note of her depth of insight and love for Christ. She was thoughtful and what she had to say resonated with my soul. After the interview was over, I chatted with her a bit and felt like I could be good friends with her if the opportunity presented itself.
Lynne apparently was thinking the same thing. She immediately said to me that there was something special about that girl and she encouraged me to connect with her and maybe have coffee. That’s was all the confirmation I needed. I quickly emailed her and thanked her for joining us that morning. Then I proceeded to tell her that I never really do this kind of thing, but she seemed like she would be a great friend and would she be interested in connecting again? Soon after that and several emails later we met up in Marion for coffee as I was traveling through the area one day. I didn’t quite understand why God was leading me into a new friendship with someone when I knew transition was soon to ensue. But I knew this was a God appointed friendship and I was sticking around to find out why.
We continued hanging out about once a month and I marveled at how many things we had in common. We both love God’s Word, like to cook, have a creative flare, read and write for our hobbies, have been heartbroken and experienced God’s healing thereafter, are in love with Jesus, have a sweet tooth, the list goes on and on…believe me, it’s sort of uncanny.
As time passed by God gave me a clearer vision of where He was taking me. However, I didn’t feel released to mention it to my new friend just yet. So I waited. And while I waited, I was also praying God would provide just the right person to carry on my job after I left. And low and behold, not once, not twice, but several times, the Lord brought this new friend’s name to mind: Rebekah Freelan. So I sat on it. And I waited. And the Lord kept bringing her to mind. So I mentioned it to Lynne and she immediately saw the potential. Shortly after I notified my bosses that I was resigning, I told Bekah my plans to leave. But I didn’t mention I thought she would be a good fit for my job. That had to wait for two more weeks until the ad for my position was posted.
As soon as the ad for my job was posted, I emailed Bekah entitling it: The email I’ve been waiting to send you! I stated why I thought she would be a good fit for my position, that the Lord had brought her to mind several times, and if she was interested, she should apply. After emailing back and forth with her and getting together for coffee occasionally, I had the privilege of seeing her heart for God and her desire for serving Him in ministry. It was evident to me that not only her skill set, but her heart for ministry meshed well with my job as Mid-Morning Producer. Did I mention that she was experiencing stirrings in heart to move onto a new occupation as well? Two days later she sent us her resume. We went through the process of interviewing several wonderful candidates but Lynne and I were in agreement that God’s fingerprints were on Bekah for this position. It was as if God had written it on the wall for us.
So we offered her the job on the second interview, and we’re absolutely elated that she accepted! Bekah starts in one week and I get the privilege of spending the month of July with her! I’ve spent the last couple weeks creating a training manual because I’m just that nerdy. I happen to like writing manuals. Plus I simply want to do all I can to help with the transition. I’m currently on Section Eight – don’t worry there are only ten sections total. It’s a good thing because July 5 is going to arrive before we know it! And that’s when the training begins!
So, yeah God! He is amazing indeed! The way this has all unfolded serves as a huge confirmation to me that yes, I’m on the right path. And I’m oh so excited for my friend, Bekah! The way this has unfolded for her is also confirmation that yes; she’s on the right path too. To get the story from her angle, start by reading this. She told her story in three posts though…so be sure to check out her Stirrings and Writing-on-Walls postings as well to get the full story.
Stay tuned – God story # 2 is soon to follow!
