Harry & Andrea

5

The number of job titles I have had.

• Office Assistant/Secretary: In high school, I spent one summer as a secretary for a judge in Birmingham. I remember feeling very important–even though my dad essentially got me the job. During college, I worked as a student office assistant at the Kennedy Center doing everything from making copies to helping with special events. I worked for a couple of different temp agencies doing data entry for a bank, as a secretary for risk management and PR firms. The temp agency work paid the bills and I was grateful for it at the time, but those jobs were probably my least favorite and yes, that’s putting it nicely.
• Nanny/Babysitter: I’ve gotten to be a nanny three times and have been so blessed each time. I was a nanny for Lucy S. when she was 6 months old and I needed a summer job while I was teaching, for Luke P. when he was 2 months old and I had just gotten married and needed a low-stress job, and Jackson F. when he was a year old and I was getting ready to move to South Asia. I think it was for about 6 months each time. I’m grateful the relationships God gave me with these families and enjoy watching those little ones grow up–even from a distance. I have no idea how many times I was a babysitter, but I definitely have fond memories of so many children and families that I got to know this way.
• Teacher: For four years I taught high school English to juniors and seniors. For one semester, I got to teach 7th grade Language Arts. There are so many emotions when I think about teaching and not enough room here to flesh them out. Teaching is something that takes ALL of you to do well and it is the best and worst of jobs for me. I think I will always be a teacher, but I am learning how to use those skills in different ways without being trapped in a classroom all day and grading papers all night and weekend. And who knows, I may end up back in the classroom in a more traditional way some day, but with the support of an amazing husband and a little more confidence in my own identity and God’s ability to use me.
• Writer: I really think I’ve always been a writer, but it’s only been in the last 3 or 4 years that I’ve found out how own being a writer, and how many different ways writing can be a career. Most of the writing I’ve done has been for non-profits, but I’ve also gotten to write lesson plans for magazines about career exploration and Bible studies, as well as publicity pieces and prayer brochures. And then there was that poetry project in the 8th grade…
• Program Coordinator: For a little over a year on two separate occasions, I worked for a non-profit that supports elderly and adults with disabilities. My favorite part of this job was supervising the staff and getting to know the elderly clients. When I left this job, I was mainly working with the elderly. Part of my job was actually getting to visit with them once a month! As I learned to be a supervisor, I was able to redeem some of the not-so-great supervisors I’ve had by striving to balance encouragement with correction when necessary.

When I look back on all of the jobs I’ve had, I am amazed at how God has used each of them to grow me in different ways and prepare me for the next thing.