Witness Wednesday #32 Catherine D. (5)

Today I would like to witness about how faithful God is and how He is always listening even when you don’t think He is.  My husband, Tony, joined ROTC in college and was commissioned into the Air Force right after his four years of college was over,  Although he was enjoying the Air Force, after his four year commitment was up he started looking for a different job.  He had always wanted to be a criminal investigator for a government agency.  His top choices were the Marshal’s or the FBI.  He applied to many positions and was often considered for the jobs, but ultimately didn’t get hired a lot because veteran’s had preferential treatment and although he was in the military, he was not a veteran yet because he was still in the military.  I talked with him about getting out of the military and then finding a job but we had three small boys at the time and giving up a steady income and great health care in the hopes of finding his dream job was not something he was willing to do.  

He searched for several years while we were in New Jersey.  There wasn’t any real urgency to his search though because he really liked being in the military and was happy in the various jobs he had on base.  Then in 2009 we moved to Stuttgart Germany.  We were excited for the move as we had lived over seas, in the country of Turkey, a few years earlier and loved it.  Tony did not love Germany.  He was not happy at his job and he was not happy in Germany.  We were supposed to be there three years I think but he was really wanting to go home the whole first year we were there.  He was finally settling into Germany and beginning to think it wasn’t so bad, when October 2010 came around and our lives changed forever.

In the Summer of 2010 we heard there was going to be a reduction in force for Air Force personnel officers that were in Tony’s year group.  What this means is that they have too many personel officers with the same rank, and they need to let some of them go.  Basically the air force was doing a lay off.  Tony’s bosses told him not to worry.  They usually cut the bottom 10%.  They look at your performance reports and see who is not performing as good as the rest of them.  I am sure they take other things into account, but I don’t know what they are.  Tony’s bosses said he had nothing to worry about because he was always given really high scores on his performance reports.  He was always rated #1 our of how ever many officers there were that he worked with.  

One morning in Oct 2010 Tony went to work and found out his name had been selected to be laid off.  It was devastating news.  Everyone was astonished.  His bosses called to see if there was some mistake.  They said there wasn’t.  This board was different than previous boards.  They let a lot of people go that scored high on their performance reviews and they kept a lot of people that others though would surely be let go because they didn’t score well at all.  Many people said it did not make any sense.  They let go some squadron commanders and in order to have that job it means you are in the top 10%.  It was confusing and no one understood why they made the decisions they made and yet there was nothing we could do about it.  There was no appeals process.  None of us could understand what happened and yet, God knew.  

We were now living in Germany, We had four months to find a new job and to move.  Tony had to find a job while living in Germany, so he had to fly back to the states for interviews or take them over the phone.  This was a very difficult time for Tony.  The uncertainty of the future and how he was going to provide for the family was weighing heavily on him.  We did pray together that God would provide and find him a job.  We knew God would take care of us and yet there was still that worry, especially as it got closer and closer to the deadline of us having to move.  However, even in that we could see God working.  For instance, because it was the military saying we had to move, they would pay for the move.  We didn’t have to worry about how we were going to afford to move back to the states.  I believe they also let you keep the medical care for 6 months after you got out of the military until you found another job so we weren’t going to be left out in the cold.  Although after giving the military 11 years of your life and then being let go, I am sure to Tony it probably felt like they were abandoning him.  

Tony started applying for jobs right away.  In December he went back to the US for a transition class that helps people who are transitioning from the military back to civilian life.  While he was back there he got a job interview for a job at Lakenheath England.  The job was to be the Mission Support Group Deputy Commander.  He said he felt like he had a pretty good interview, he really liked the commander who was interviewing him and it sounded like the job would be something he would really enjoy.  He was unsure if he would get the job though because the other person they were interviewing had a lot more experience than he did.  The other person was retired Col, so he had over 20 years experience.  Right before Tony got on the airplane to come back to Germany he found out they were offering him the job.  He was so excited.

Although Tony was excited for this job, we really had no idea how much of an answer to prayers it was until we got there and he started working it.  Tony had wanted to get out of the military for a few years, but especially that last year and a half, however, he wouldn’t just leave the military without having another job because he wanted to be a good provider for our family.  All of the sudden there is a situation where he has to leave the military.  That part of the story is not great.  I know Tony hates the way he left the military and yet it forced him to take the step he had been wanting to take.  He absolutely loved the job he went to.  It was a promotion.  He was a major in the Air Force, and he was a GS 14 in the civilian world, which is equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force.  In his job he was not in the military but everyone he worked with was so he got to have the best of both worlds.  His job as deputy Mission Support Group commander meant that he got to over see the workings of the support side of the base.  Anything that had to do with the services for the people that worked on base.  For instance, the security forces and the fire department, the hotel on base and all the restaurants, the civil engineers and the housing offices, Tony got to work with all these different squadrons.  

This job was exactly what Tony was looking for, even if he didn’t know it when he first got it.  Tony was so grateful to have a job and to get to stay overseas in England.  Although Tony was not happy why he had to find this job, he was so happy in this job.  He really enjoyed working with the commander that hired him into the position, even though she was just there for a few months before she moved.  Then he had two great commanders after her before we moved back to the united states.  We stayed in England for about 4.5 years and Tony loved his job.  It was more than he could have ever asked for. He loved helping people, he loved being around the military and he loved those he worked with.  He could not have asked for a better outcome or a better job.  We also found an amazing house when we moved there, the boys each had amazing friends, we were blessed with family friends who had children our boys age.  We were able to go on family vacations with them and have them over to our house.  It was an incredible 4.5 years.

As I said at the beginning this is a witness as to how God is faithful and how He is listening even when we don’t know He is.  Tony talked about getting a job outside the military but I don’t know if he ever talked to God about it specifically.  Tony wanted to get out of the military but didn’t want to jump ship without another job, God heard that and took care of it.  I also want to point out how God always out does our expectations.  Tony was looking for any job.  He probably would have taken any job, even if it was one that wasn’t perfect  because we needed and income and we needed health insurance.  Yet, God found him the perfect job.  It wasn’t just another job, it was a job and a promotion.  It was a job helping people, which always fills Tony’s heart and soul.   He found us the perfect friends, and made sure each of our three boys had a best friend as well.  He found us the perfect house that was big enough for us to have our friends over.  He put the perfect bosses in Tony’s path so Tony had awesome leadership to help him learn this new position.  

God goes above and beyond.  It won’t always look like we want it to.  It won’t always happen in a way we want it to.  There will be times of uncertainty when we need to step out in faith and keep trusting even when we don’t see the ending.  This was a period of extreme uncertainty and yet we can see God’s hands all of it.  If you are in an uncertain period right now, just hold on, just keep trusting, God is working on a plan that is going to knock your socks off.  I know it is hard when you are waiting and I know its frustrating because its in God’s time, not ours, but your answer is coming, I promise! 

We have all seen God working in our lives, however, we might not all be aware it is God who is working in our lives.  This is why it is so important we start talking about it more.  The more we share our experiences the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us.  If you would be willing to share any experience you have had of how God has worked or is working your life, please email me at [email protected] or just click here.  It won’t take up much of your time and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today.  Prayerfully consider sharing.  Everyone has a story and the world needs to hear them.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow and I will have another witness for you next Wednesday.  Have a blessed day!

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