A dry spell in temp work + many challenges in returning to Holland = Opportunity for God to be glorified

OK.
Here's the latest with me (I just didn't want to use that as a title).

I've had no work for over a week. It seems that the woman at Staffing Connection I was hearing from all the time and who understood my predicament as an overseas missionary wanna-be no longer works there, as I've not seen or heard from her for the last month, and coincidentally have not worked as much since my assignmnet at Masterfeeds ended. I've had two individual shifts at the recycling plant in town and one place on a farm in Little Britain (a village an hour drive from here). From my perception, judging by the fact they keep calling my parents' house despite the fact I've given them my new address information (including new phone number) FOUR TIMES they seem to believe I live at home and don't need any real employment to pay any substantial bills.

Also, what worked to my advantage as being a reliable employee seems to make them only call me now for those emergency shifts whenever a client needs a temp ASAP on little to no notice, because they knew I'd go. But I can't live off of these rare shifts, and am beginning to be backed into a corner. If no real ongoing and consistent temp job opens up, I'm going to start hitting the trail and handing out resumes, which is the last thing I wanted to do employment-wise. I don't want to deceive in order to get a long-term job, knowing fully well I won't stay somewhere but will go to Holland in June--God willing. Then being upfront about my plans in an interview could cost me being hired. Please pray temp work provides steady employment, because that was the whole reason I called them when I returned to town--to avoid these situations where I'd needlessly 'burn bridges' when I left the country again. It's a tight spot. I was so busy with work when I moved into my apartment, that I couldn't actually move in on the day our lease began, but a few days later. I definitely didn't forsee the work drying up like it seems to have.

It's a good thing I worked a lot and saved some coins, as well as getting plenty of money for Christmas, because my January rent is paid just fine. You may think I'm over-worrying my predicament, but I've just never found a real job fast when I've been in town, and I need one like now. So, I know God will take care of everything, but I do not want to spend days at a time handing out resumes, and being too busy looking for work that I don't get work in time to be getting a paycheck to pay my next rent on time with. I plan on going in to the Staffing Connection office tomorrow to remind them I need work and I have a brilliant excuse that I need their references for my resume anyway.

Hopefully the resume part won't be necessary, but my FI application that I finally got around to filling out asks for work-related references, so who better than the agency that can vouch for me that I actually take work they give me?

Yes, just because I haven't been working doesn't mean I've not been keeping busy. I've got an apointment on Wednesday with Rick Kirschner, director of KAOS Radio, which I really am looking forward to since I have not talked to him since I went to Selwyn the night before going to Charlotte last October. Seems how he's been my most enthusiastic and encouraging leader in my life about this Holland mission, and offering to send me thru King's Kids when I was having some, let's say 'discouragement' when it comes to other logical arrangements (if you want to know, IM me or e-mail me, I won't publicly say on my blog what I meant).

I guess I partly procrastinated it, but it stems from having a hard time sticking my foot in busy peoples' doors for "my" own agendas (for lack of a better term). But then every time I finally meet with him, he's always disappointed I took so long to speak to him because he always asks how I'm doing, says he's encouraged by our meetings, etc...that I feel retarded for not making appointments sooner than I do. I like Rick a lot because I don't ever feel I have to be careful what I say or that I have to "prove" myself or what I'm doing is really good for the Kingdom. Rick's no fool, and builds the kingdom of God wherever he can and through whomever he can, and I see God blessing him for it in his endeavours.

So I've been over at my parents' house for a few hours tonight, free of some other distractions here at the apartment, and wrote up a testimony (kinda like the one on my blog already), and other pertinent information. I wrote my last newsletter, but it's not ready to send out since I don't really have the information in place about who the money can be sent to yet, since I have some complications with King's Kids, FI, myself. If I have money sent to King's Kids, they can't legally give it to me, but have to give it to a charity. I've already talked to Frank Pot in Holland and our stichting (the Dutch for non-profit organization) is not a charity, but only a non-profit org and doesn't count. So I'm kinda... well, scratching my head about a few things and clueless as to how to make it all work. If you read this blog and pray for me as you do so, well, finances and employment and monthly support will be necessary for these projects to come to pass.

My cost of living is going to be higher than living in Leeuwarden was. Frank told me he had a potential place for us single guys to live, and it would cost 300 euro a month each, plus utilities (at De Fakkel, when 5 of us lived there, it cost us 140 euro/month each, utilities included). Plus, as insane as gas prices suddenly got here in Canada in the last week, it's still at least half--maybe a third of what it costs in Europe! Plus, since I will be moving somewhere new, I will likily need to buy appliances, furniture--since everything at De Fakkel was mostly already there before I moved in so I was blessed through the Heiks and Gregg.

I still don't know if I will be using city transit or if it will be necessary to buy a car yet. Plus, I believe but I'm not sure-- it's an FI policy for their missionaries to have out of the country medical insurance coverage. My internship was kind of unoffical--it was through FIRE, but I didn't do it for any school credit, so I wasn't worrying about things like health insurance and how to file my taxes. But being ordained and a part of an organization has a lot more necessities with it. I was in Leeuwarden living off of a lot of my own savings and profits from selling the bracelets and in all technical terms could say "doing my own thing" but not really. But now I will need to document my spendings, do my taxes differently, etc...I'm intimidated by the many more challenges I face than before. And I've got a shorter window with which I'm trying to return to the country, when it was over a year of planning just for the six months I was there last.

At any rate, monthly costs will be like $1000 Canadian a month minimum. I know that sounds like a lot when that is comfortable single male living costs in Peterborough, but come overto Hollan and visit, and you'll understand instantly when you see your money sucked out of you like a vacuum. This is going to be a bigger challenge than doing my internship and having a lot of money already saved up before going.

So, it's bad enough I've not had enough work, when I already need far more money than working for 9 or 10 bucks an hour fulltime will accomplish. But our God is a big God and His arm is NOT too short and I've seen Him come through in big ways before. Also, please don't read this and think "oh, that is a shame, but I will pray" if you have a little extra cash yourself you could part with every month. If a lot of people give a little, it's STILL a lot, and can cover those expenses.

Anyway my newsletter will go into more detail about the FIRE House in Rotterdam and what I will be a part of when I return to the Netherlands. I know most of you reading this will get my e-mail anyway even though it's like a short condensed version of stuff I already blog about if you're following my entries.

Thank you for reading. I know some of you will be disapointed that this wasn' meaty (Duncan) but others of you get upset if I don't write about how I'm doing (Elise) but this is important for me to share. In keeping in continuity with the faith-themed entries as of late, I've still got entries to come on the topic, but just don't know how soon I'll get around to completing them and posting them, as other things like what I've mentioned have been occupying my time.

Thanks for your encouragement, and how many of you have more faith in me than I do in myself sometimes. I'm grateful you take an interest.

Be blessed

Tot ziens.

Stevie B.