Article August 20, 2007 Issue

WHAT I HAD TO GIVE

BY LORI DOUTRICH

Since my family and I have lived in many places around the globe—including Eritrea, the United States, Tunisia, and now Jordan—I've had plenty of opportunities to pray about what it really means to trust God's unique plan and purpose for me. There have been many spiritual lessons along the way, and I've gained a renewed sense of inspiration from this statement in Science and Health: "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds" (p. 1).

About a year ago, my family was planning to move to the country of Jordan, so I applied for a "dream job" as a community liaison coordinator at the United States Embassy. The responsibilities of this job would include welcoming newcomers into the country, helping them adjust, and providing information on jobs, schools, and entertainment. I felt this employment would be a nice fit since I'd had a job similar to this before and a background in education.

At the last minute, I decided that a face-to-face interview might be worthwhile, so I flew to Jordan, planning to stay with some friends for a few days. To my surprise, I discovered that one of the people I was staying with was interviewing for the same job. Although we were both good sports about it, I felt a bit awkward about this situation.