Since E graduated with his Master of Divinity degree, he has been doing a few odd jobs here and there and working as an intern at our church. About two weeks ago the librarian at his school retired, and they offered E the job. He's also teaching two courses here - but both gigs will be up in January. We are so thankful he has such a great job for the time in between. (but I'm still not ready to think about student loans coming due next month...)
He spent almost all summer preparing for his licensure exam at the local presbytery meeting. The church denomination we are in (Presbyterian Church in America, or PCA) requires a process to qualify candidates to become pastors. Usually in the last year of, or after graduation from seminary, future pastors are given an extensive written and oral exam to test their qualifications for ministry. If they pass, they are licensed by the presbytery (a group of local PCA pastors and elders). Last week E sustained his exam!! (and did extremely well, I might add :-). Our pastor said he hit it out of the park.)
Now that he's licensed, he can start to look for a call to a pastoral position in a church and we've been asked more than ever - what's the plan?
I'm torn between knowing he needs to become a pastor (ahh!), and being really comfortable where we are right now. We love the San Diego area, we love our church, we both have stable jobs - so it's hard to imagine moving away. But at the same time, knowing this school thing was temporary, I'm getting antsy for a new adventure.
It feels like we spend every other night talking, praying, and dreaming about the different options for the future: short-term missions, long-term missions, planting a church, college chaplaincy, solo pastoring, in an urban church, rural church, east coast, west coast, overseas - who knows? It's weird and unnerving not knowing where we'll be in one year, five years or fifteen years. But it's also exciting and comforting for us to know that God has it figured out for us.
In the meantime, we are enjoying a lifestyle that doesn't involve E studying every night, and a tiny bit of extra income to start paying down our loans. I'm in the middle of travel season for work as a recruiter, and LOVE this time of year, even though I miss a lot of happenings at home. The midwest and east coast are putting on a great fall color show as usual, and I have one more wedding to finish off this wedding season (in Charlotte, NC!).
What are you guys most looking forward to this fall?
