Has it really been 5 years?

I am proud of my husband. April 2nd was his 5 year "anniversary" of working as a test engineer at NACCO Materials Handling Group, the company that makes Hyster and Yale lift trucks. For those of you who don't know what he does at his job, Greg tests (ie, "breaks") fork-lifts and then finds ways to fix them and make them better. That's the way he explains it to us non-technical people. He sent me this photo to show that he really does know how to drive and work these things.
Anyhow, I'm proud of the work that he does, the way he does it, and that he works so hard to provide for our family. His co-workers know that he is a Christian, and I know he does his best to show them what being a Christian is all about, to be a good example of how God really can make a difference in your life. I like hearing about the different conversations he has with people at work about life, family, and spiritual matters. He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and yet he seems to communicate and share his beliefs in a nonconfrontational, caring, and honest way.

When I think back to how he got this job and how God led us back home to Gresham, I can't help but see God's faithfulness and remember that He is in control and has a plan for our lives. That year was a little crazy. I was in my first year of teaching at Stayton High School (small town east of Salem), and Greg was finishing his degree at OSU. It was 2002-2003, the year of major school budget crisis and also a year in which job opportunities for new engineering college graduates were few. Many districts in the state were shortening their school year and some even had to lay off teachers. I was one of those teachers, the newest hire and thus lowest on the totem pole.

It was difficult to understand why it was all happening and why God would give me this job only to take it away again, just when I was finally starting to like it! (The first couple months were pretty rough. I had some 11th grade boys in a couple of my classes that made my life miserable. I was a young 22 at the time. They were all either expelled or transferred--self-destruction--before the end of the semester, by the way.) Everything started making a lot more sense, though, when Greg graduated the end of March and was offered a job in Fairview, OR--right back near "home." It was the only job he was offered, so it seemed rather obvious that he should take it, but we hesitated because there was a catch--he would have to work swing shift and he was only guaranteed 12-18 months. Ugh. We prayed about it, talked to our parents, and finally decided he should accept it.

I had been subbing almost every day at the school I taught at after I was laid off. (Ironic isn't it, that they still had me on their payroll, and with medical benefits, nonetheless, which the union reps made sure was part of the deal.) It was actually kind of fun to sub. I already knew the staff and most of the students, but I had no lessons to plan and no papers to grade. I even got a crash course on animal classification when I subbed for 3 weeks in a biology class while the teacher was out for surgery. I handled all sorts of nasty creatures in and out of glass jars.

Anyhow, when Greg found out his starting date for work was April 2nd, I was able to just tell the district to take me off the sub list, and we were free to move. It would have been a lot more complicated had I still had my teaching contract. We also got pregnant with Kari around that time, so it was nice to not have to be working. We were able to move back to Gresham near both our families, and later that year were able to become part of the new church plant my dad was starting, the church we love being involved in now, Cornerstone. Oh, and swing shift never happened! He started on days for training and such and then they never moved him. They finally abandoned the contract, too, after two years of uncertainty, and he became a regular employee.

[This has turned out to be a very long, reflective post--not my typical kid pic and short caption. So, if you're still reading, you must really care about us or have nothing else to do. :) I'm supposed to be taking a nap, but I started thinking about all this and couldn't sleep.]

I'm just so grateful for what God has done in our lives and the way he's taken care of us. For someone like me who has a difficult time trusting and not worrying, it's good to think back and reflect on the ways God has proved faithful again and again.

Greg, thanks for working so hard for us and for taking the time to explain the various aspects of your job and tasks in plain English so I can understand what you do in that big building every day you're away from us. I'm proud of you for being "salt and light" at your workplace and for remembering that you're "working for the Lord and not for men" when things get tough. I love you!