McNew update

per Lauren McCaghren's facebook request :) here is an update on the McNews.

For those of you that don't know, God provided a job for D.R. back in September at an urgent care clinic in Columbus, GA. We packed up in Mobile, AL and headed east on August 31. We were extremely thankful that God provided a job for D.R. so quickly after his graduation in July. After applying to over 100 jobs and being rejected or not even considered due to his Nat'l Guard status, we had almost given up hope of finding a job. God is faithful. The P.A. that hired D.R. is retired Army and actually hired him BECAUSE of his enrollment in the Nat'l Guard. He viewed it as a positive: that he was a hard-worker, devoted, loyal and conservative :) We were thankful. Over time D.R. became frustrated and stressed with the nature of the job. Urgent care clinics are unpredictable. You never know what will come through the door. With the wide-variety of illnesses and situations, he started feeling more and more dependent on the doc's for answers and less and less confident in himself as a P.A. I hated this for him. Every time he walked in the door I would see that look of exhaustion and defeat. It made my heart sink. But D.R., being the man he is, was always determined to improve and get better; only the nature of the job really doesn't allow for that if you are not used to total inconsistency. We spent many days praying that if God wanted D.R. to be somewhere else, then He would open the door in time. It happened while D.R. was at drill in March. ("Drill" is his monthly commitment as a P.A. in the Nat'l Guard to go to an army clinic and do physicals. He remained with the AL Nat'l Guard so he drilled in Birmingham) He met a man who works on Fort Benning, the army post in Columbus. This man told him that there was a P.A. position coming available in a certain battalion and would he be interested. Well of course he was. When we got home, the man that formerly held D.R.'s position called him and asked if he wanted to come on post and check it out. He did and felt an excitement about the possibility of working full-time for the Army. After a couple months, they offered him the job. It wasn't an easy thing to tell the urgent care clinic that he would be leaving but we both felt God had provided this new job which would really benefit us as a couple. This new job is wonderful all the way around! It's a higher pay, more consistent hours which allow D.R. to always be at church on Sundays and small group on Wednesdays, it's less stressful as his patients are all army men and women whom he has health profiles on and it allows him to create his own schedule which he is really enjoying. His busiest hours are in the morning from 6:30-9:30. Then depending on the day, he may have lots of free time to himself. He said he plans to work-out everyday, read, learn Spanish on Rosetta Stone and moonlight at different places once in a while. Sounds like a great job! D.R.'s hours are 6:30-3:30/4:00 M-F and once in a while on Sat/Sun from 3:30a-7:30a (i know crazy) during a road march test. (where the guys run a ga-zillion miles in full army gear in the 90 degree heat...D.R. is pretty useful during those shifts) So all in all, we are so thankful that God provided this new job for D.R. He is so passionate about being in the Army and serving his country by helping these men and woman be in optimal physical health. He's definitely been a more relaxed D.R. since starting this job last Friday. He's laughing more, singing more (yes, he's always singing or whistling around the house) and I love it. Plus, he looks so hot when he gets home everyday in his fatigues! rawr!!

As for me, I took a job back in April as High School Administrative Assistant at Calvary Christian School. I love it! I currently work part-time 9-1 M-Th and that's been stellar summer hrs! I have loved getting to know the students and the teachers and really look forward to them being back in the fall. The job is challenging as I wear so many hats. I really can't name all the tasks/responsibilities but I love them all. It's definitely the most challenging job I have held and for that I am thankful. I feel so blessed to be able to work and minister in the same place with teenagers- which are my heart! I love them and their messy lives! Many of them have been such an encouragement to me so far b/c I can tell they love Christ. I know God will teach me so much being at Calvary.

Champ McNew is doing super. He just turned 3 on May 22 and is healthy as can be. I give him lots of exercise, probably too much. D.R. & I truly love him. He's our child. Forreal. He's such a sweetheart; he still thinks he's a 16 lbs puppy and will crawl in our laps. ouch!! 80 lbs later doesn't feel so good! He's a joy in our lives and it's neat that D.R. & I love something together.

D.R. & I look forward to what this next year will bring. Talk of starting a family, taking a big trip somewhere far away, pursuing further education....who knows! We'll keep you updated. :)