On September 29, I got blindsided at vor . . . I was voted off the island, though I don’t think the whole tribe had spoken) and found myself in the land of the jobless [http://palmersworld.blogspot.com/2008/10/whole-lotta-catchin-up-to-do.html]. In retrospect, it seems providential, in that just two weeks later the board at
If you know me, it won’t surprise you to know that I jumped into the job search pretty aggressively right away. For a little while, it appeared that my search would be over quickly: Within a couple of weeks I had had a number of phone interviews and two invitations to interview on campus. Using 20-20 hindsight now, I may even have been too proactive as it turned out that I didn’t interview particularly well coming off the shock of suddenly being “retired.” In all, I applied for jobs at thirty different places—colleges, high schools, and companies that work with these schools. I ended up doing phone interviews with 17 of them, was invited to eight or nine campuses and did face-to-face interviews with six.
Just before Christmas, I sent an e-mail and resume to
As soon as 2009 started, I went on a whirlwind of interviews from They saw how I might help them keep moving forward at a time that’s pretty exciting in their history and tried to figure out how they might be able to accommodate our family’s needs. One of our highest priorities in looking for a job was, if possible, to find an opportunity that would allow Phillip to stay at
THE PART YOU’RE WAITING FOR
On Wednesday at 8:51 PM, I sent Brian Mills a text message: “I’m yours.” Hmmm, that sounds creepier now than it did when I typed it into my phone. Oh well. The plan is that Jeannette and I will go to
Founded in 1944, Lincoln Christian has a little less than 1100 students, with roughly two-thirds being undergraduates. It’s located in a small city about a half hour southwest of
The first priority for me is to invigorate and refine their undergraduate admission efforts. Later, as the school rebrands itself as Lincoln Christian University next year, they hope I can investigate ways for the institution’s three admissions operations—undergrad, seminary and, for lack of a better term at this moment, adult ed—to work together more cohesively and effectively. In my head, I’ve already been working at
BACK TO TEDIOUS SELF-REFLECTION
Undoubtedly, there will be modifications along the way, but the plan is that I’ll be on campus four days a week and then return to
This has been an interesting process. People have expressed admiration for how we’ve handled the disruption in our lives but, really, it hasn’t been all that terrible a trial. God has met our needs. Jeannette and the kids have been great about not panicking or putting extra pressure on me. And whenever things seemed about to become discouraging, there were expressions of support and encouragement from unexpected corners . . . a phone call out of the blue from a colleague in Oregon wanting to know how we’re doing . . . a Facebook post from a former student employee saying that she had thought of me at 2:30 in the morning and prayed for us . . . the friend of a friend letting me know about a job possibility . . . a helpful book in the mail . . . and on and on.
We’re very excited to close the chapter on unemployment and anxious (a purposefully chosen word) to move into the next chapter in our lives. We still need your backing and encouragement but want all those who read this to know how much we have appreciated your help and expressions of support over the last five months. Thank you!
4 comments:
yay! A job! And in Illinois!!
I don't know what to think about you being even further south than Bloomington . . . I mean, I thought PEORIA was on the edge of the boonies. Moved there and people were speaking an unfamiliar language, with words such as "soda" and "spiffy" and "cool beans".
On the bright side, there's a Famous Dave's in Bloomington.
Amanda Heinsch
Congratulations...and thank you Lord for a job!
Just how far away is the travel? Praying it all works out for you and family. We will continue to keep you in our prayers.
The Lymans
YEYYY----Congratulations Palmer! We've been thinking of you and are so happy for you & your family! Great job and very fortunate considering the timing and current economy. Way to go! Love the blog with the details, keep it up.
-Jess, Dusty & baby Ayla :)
Hi Palmer, I don't know you yet, but I look forward to getting to know you and your family as you serve at Lincoln Christian.
Contrary to other posters opinions, Lincoln is a great spot to be in Illinois since it is less than an hour away from five other larger cities and only two-three (depending on how fast you drive) from St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis.
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