God provides

Summer break has now officially ended, the fall semester has begun, and now, as in the past, it's a time of mixed emotions for me. On one hand it is exciting to return back to campus, reunite with friends, and resume life where it ended the semester before. However it has also been a time of stress about classes beginning and trying to get back into the busy schedule that always makes me pine for the more relaxing days of summer. The worries of this particular semester have also been compounded by the fact that this the start of my senior year at Transylvania University, a time when many college students have to deal with great uncertainty about their future and wrestle with the many decisions they will have to make soon which will guide them past their undergraduate work. I would certainly place myself within this category of students trying to piece together their future, but I believe that I have emerged from this summer more prepared than ever to face these challenges.

This has been no ordinary summer for me, first and foremost because it was my first extended stay with my parents in their new home of Wilmington, Ohio. My priority once I moved in was setting out to find a summer job in this new place. I have had my share of temporary job-hunting experience in the past and have come to find that the key to getting such a job is to persevere and keep trying no matter how many times you are told there are no available positions or that a place simply will not be hiring for the foreseeable future. This knowledge and my patience were truly put to the test in Wilmington, which posted an unemployment rate of 18% the month I arrived. Still I began searching for work, following up on all tips and suggestions from my family and members of my church congregation who were all trying to help me find a job. It was not until the end of June when I finally found a viable job opportunity working for a Pepperidge Farm store outside of town. Still it was going to be an additional two to three weeks after I had been accepted by the company before I could begin working because of the paperwork that had to be processed through their corporate offices. God provided a way, however, and this downtime was put to good use because a member of the church offered me a part-time job helping her prepare a house for the market, which meant plenty of sorting, packing, painting, and various other jobs. This opportunity helped me financially before I could start my other job, and it also gave me a close relationship with a member of the community which helped me feel more at home in Ohio.

Another challenge came in the form of my high-mileage car, which had taken a beating with the hour-and-a-half round trip from work, to the bank, and back as well as the multiple day trips I had taken back to Lexington to visit friends and family. In July, the long hours of driving finally took its toll and the transmission died. Having the system replaced would have cost more than the car was worth, so while we searched for a suitable car to replace it, I had to rely on my family to ferry me back and forth from work for almost two full weeks, an enormous strain on them and their schedules but one I was extremely grateful for. Once again my family came through in a pinch, and I was eventually given my dad's previous car once he was able to find a suitable replacement for himself. Just as it seemed that things were becoming bleak, a door opened. I ultimately ended up with a perfect solution, a car which is much more reliable and economical than my previous one and should easily last me well into my post-college future.

Looking back, this summer could be accurately portrayed as having times of enormous disappointment and struggle, but always followed by times of great success and fulfillment. There were no shortage of obstacles and challenges to overcome, but there was also no shortage of help from my family, friends, and most importantly from God who always provided a means to overcome the obstacles. Soon enough classes will be chaotic and stressful, but I will gladly face these challenges and those of finding my future direction with the faith that God will always provide a way and that no challenge, no matter how daunting or impossible it may seem at the time, is too much to handle with that knowledge.