2. We got new jobs!

Once we got to Arizona, we hit the pavement, and started looking for new jobs. What we saw from here in NH, painted a lot different picture than when we were out there. Since there are so many people who live in Mesa, what would look like a lot of open job opportunities here, really wasn't when you realized that you were competing with a much larger job pool. The really great thing about Mesa, Az was the high LDS population. There were so many more opportunities for networking, and the various wards had a lot of workshops to help people to improve their job search. After a lot of prayer, and fasting, we were both blessed to be able to find new jobs. Everyone in our new ward was shocked. They weren't the best jobs, but they were just enough to get us through. I got a part time job doing home care for the elderly, and Nick was able to get a job as a telemarketer. The best part about this was the Nick's job was literally right across the street from our apartment, so he was able to walk to and from work, so that I could take the car to be able to drive my clients around as needed. (THANK GOODNESS FOR A GPS!) The worst part about our new jobs was the fact that I worked in the morning, and Nick worked in the evening, so we weren't able to see much of each other.

To supplement our income a bit more I applied to the local Deseret Industries. Again, everyone was shocked that I was able to get in so quickly, as many people had to wait for months to even get a call back from them due to the fact that so many people were out of work in the area. The best part about this, was that the DI pays for you to get extra education so that you can get a better job. I wasn't able to get a job in a facility like I was in NH because the regulations were so different, even if I had the experience. In Az I would have needed a caregiver's license, and then a medication certification, and then a manager's license, to be able to do all the same things that I was doing in NH. Of course, all those things cost a decent amount of money, which we didn't have at the moment.

I really wish that there were more DI's around. It really is such a wonderful program, and a wonderful place to work for. It teaches people how to be good workers, and gives them the tools they need to be able to best look for a new job. Part of the requirements for working there are that, during your working hours, you participate in the Career workshop that the church sponsors, and that monthly you participate in other various workshops which are taught by your supervisors. I don't have enough good things to say about this part of the Lord's works.

Us getting these jobs in the middle of one of the hardest hit places during this recession, and my being able to further my education, was something that really testified to us that we were supposed to be in Arizona, which was something that we struggled with. We felt strongly going out that this is what the Lord wanted us to do, but there was still that tiny part that was afraid, "Well what if this ISN'T what we're supposed to do?" We're not saying that everything went perfectly smooth, but we were definitely blessed by going out there.

So, just to put this out there...contrary to what some people think, we didn't move back because we couldn't find jobs. :)