Thursday, June 28, 2007

my job

Some of you have asked about my new job. So I thought I'd fill you in. First of all, I love my job! They handed me a check today and I was like... you mean I get paid to do this!
I am so grateful every morning as I drive the 30 minute commute to my job because I can't believe I get to do what I do!
It is so much more than being the receptionist for the church I have attended since the week that Randy and I were engaged in Feb. of 1979. I love this place... this community of grace we call Open Door Fellowship. I get to see so many that I love and I get to serve them and answer the phones and help the various ministries in any way I can and best of all, the staff is so fun and awesome! And because our church happens to be in a very congested, busy part of Phoenix ( oh and a half a mile from one of the "top ten most dangerous intersections in the nation"! )... well, we get needy, drug-addicted, mentally ill, homeless people in our offices every day. And the stories are heartbreaking. And I get sad... and mad... and feel so helpless. We offer them what we can... knowing it's not enough. And I pray I will not grow weary and heartless to their plight but that I will be an encouragement to them with kind and loving words.

So, how about a little, light-hearted story that happened a couple of weeks ago. It was VBS week on our church campus.
Ok, let me back up 25 years... my last job was the music teacher and cook at a preschool, the five years prior to Shawn's birth. But I was also the resident "tooth-puller" those five years. And a mighty darn good one I might add. Never made a kid cry in all those years. Well, word must have gotten out... cuz that week of VBS, I was called out of a meeting, and there stood the sweetest, saddest little girl. Our Children's Pastor explained to me that this little girl was sad cuz her tooth needed to be pulled... so I knelt down and pulled it... umm, more like the tooth fell onto the tissue as I reached in to pull it. The little girl, who btw, did not even know me, gave me the biggest smile and the biggest hug! I walked back into my meeting and yelled out "I'm back! I still got it!" Seriously, I was in tears... that I would be so blessed to have made a little girl so happy by pulling her tooth. Come on, how many of you get paid to do that!!

So, I am the receptionist and I also input updated information for each member of our church on FileMakerPro, while I am answering the phones. And I work Tuesday, Wed. and Thursday. And I love my job.

5 comments:

Nonie said...

So gald you love your job. Theres nothing like having a job you love. What a great place to be too...

Amy said...

That's so cool! Having a job you enjoy makes it all worthwhile :-)

Anonymous said...

Linda, you rock! Someday, when you retire, I want your job...except I'll call you to pull teeth because loose teeth creep me out.

Anonymous said...

Every thing is just beautiful in here,i like your creations.

NanAZ said...

Linda, Maybe someday I can join you in that awesome fun place...I'll let you keep the teeth pulling gig, because that definitely is disgusting to me!