'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper' (Genesis 32:9)
Joelle and I had been considering a possible move to the UK for a while when I read this verse. Was this guidance? My family tried to discourage us - the UK economy was a mess and the job market was very sluggish - but we wanted to make the move if we could get the finances and Joelle's visa together. Despite a few hurdles, we moved to Gravesend, Kent in October 2009; although I had no guarantee of work, we had enough savings to support us while I jobhunted.
Our first UK home was a 2-bedroom flat overlooking the town's park. In the winter, once the leaves had fallen from the trees, it was even possible to see container ships passing on the Thames. We settled in quickly, helped by the amazing love and support we received from our new church NKCC. The winter months were a hard slog; (largely) fruitless jobhunting was made all the more frustrating as the days got shorter and shorter.
In February, I put hopes of editing work to one side and did a month's CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) training in the hope that would open the door to a new job. It did, eventually, and I began teaching in London in late May 2010. The story of how that job came about is pretty amazing. Our church pastor spoke about faith on 16th May and our home group prayed for me the next week. Within 24 hours of that prayer I was invited to a job interview, offered a job almost immediately and asked to begin work on 24th May.
Joelle and I had been considering a possible move to the UK for a while when I read this verse. Was this guidance? My family tried to discourage us - the UK economy was a mess and the job market was very sluggish - but we wanted to make the move if we could get the finances and Joelle's visa together. Despite a few hurdles, we moved to Gravesend, Kent in October 2009; although I had no guarantee of work, we had enough savings to support us while I jobhunted.
Our first UK home was a 2-bedroom flat overlooking the town's park. In the winter, once the leaves had fallen from the trees, it was even possible to see container ships passing on the Thames. We settled in quickly, helped by the amazing love and support we received from our new church NKCC. The winter months were a hard slog; (largely) fruitless jobhunting was made all the more frustrating as the days got shorter and shorter.
In February, I put hopes of editing work to one side and did a month's CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) training in the hope that would open the door to a new job. It did, eventually, and I began teaching in London in late May 2010. The story of how that job came about is pretty amazing. Our church pastor spoke about faith on 16th May and our home group prayed for me the next week. Within 24 hours of that prayer I was invited to a job interview, offered a job almost immediately and asked to begin work on 24th May.
Comments