How God Has Provided

Over the last few weeks, I had piles of stress poured on me like concrete while I managed college life and classes, attempting to find myself a place to live after graduating, the actual graduation process (planning the family visits and my time with them), and the inevitable job search. Yet despite how extenuating the process, God provided for me like none other. It is literally amazing to look back and see His handy work.

For instance...

My Apartment: It was back in February when I asked two of my friends if I could join them in their apartment plan for post-graduation. I wasn’t sure if I really could stay down in Southern California, but I knew it was what I wanted to do. We started lightly looking at apartments and houses here and there somewhat expecting something to fall into our laps at our low price range. This unfortunately didn’t happen. Days turned to weeks and before we could realize it, we were just days away from graduating and had yet to secure a place. Our searching became frantic. We came close a few times to finding a place we all agreed upon, but for one excuse or another we didn’t follow through as planned. Finally, after receiving a recommendation to a place from a friend, we attempted to fully apply for an apartment in San Dimas. At first glance, the placed seemed almost too nice. With 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, a dog park, fitness center, tennis court, FREE COFFEE, as many parking spots as we needed, and a reasonable price tag for it all, Waterstone Apartments looked to be the perfect fit. 

It was the week before finals, aptly nik named, Dead Week, and we decided to apply since we had to be out of our school apartments in less than 2 weeks. I didn't know how much time and effort went into applying for an apartment, but I was thrown into a crash course full of turmoil. Once we turned in our money for a hold on the apartment, we were informed we had three days to complete the application process or forfeit the money. Here is where chaos ensued. The stress level over those three days as we pulled our stuff together to please the leasing office was overwhelming and completely unnecessary. It was an act of God that allowed us to hold it together as slowly things started to go wrong. During the application process, it seemed like anything that could go wrong, did. 

-We had a roommate shockingly announce he would be breaking the lease before the contract was up. This meant he wouldn’t sign if he could not easily leave when he desired. This added pressure on the others to find "real jobs" in order to be approved for the apt on their own and afford it. 

-A different roommate incorrectly filled out the application which, once corrected, led us to need to find a co-signer with less than a day's notice. 

-My pay stubs were considered insufficient to the leasing office since the company I worked for oddly did not put my name on any of them. This eliminated, on paper, the income I brought to the table for our approval process. 

-The specific apartment we chose apparently broke (where, I’m not sure, it’s a mystery to me) and we were placed in a new spot which raised our monthly rate. 

-The main person we worked with originally was on his days off and we had to work with a different person whom gave inconsistent information from what we had from our first person.

The struggles we faced made me question almost every moment if it is supposed to be this hard or if was even worth it. Silently, I prayed to God for his help to make things smoother, because I felt like so many things were outside of my control and I could not handle it. Above all else, I wanted to stay in the SoCal, I didn’t consider moving to NorCal as an option. On the third day when everything needed to be turned in, literally in the final hours of the process, I'm not quite sure where everyone because we running around scrambling to get what we needed and finish it all. The water was murkier than we had yet to see, but it was becoming clearer. Somehow our co-signer was able to apply on short notice and attain all the extra paper work they needed despite their information being in a different state. Divinely, I had my business phone (to share internet to my computer) and laptop with me allowing me to sign our renter's agreement online, while I sat in my car in the middle of a parking lot miles away from our apartment office, the situation’s battleground (a different story for another time...) And despite the obstacles we had consistently thrown in our path, everything came together and the keys were handed to us a few minutes before the office closed. Sigh of relief! 

I laid on the carpet of my new apartment next to one of my roommates, celebrating our victory by resting in our new home. I could hardly believe it all came through in the end. The feeling is hard to explain because so much work went into it in such a short amount of time, but to explain it in a few words I’d say it was like being stuck in traffic for hours and taking an exit where miraculously there is no one else stopping you from going home. One week before graduation, I held the key to the next year of my life in my hand, thanking God for watching over us and coming through during the final hour and supplying all our need. 

My Job: I have been applying to jobs for life after college since January. I learned from a friend that the job search can be a very long process. Even the statistics will tell you the average time for finding a job is around six months. Thus, I started early hoping the months would be cut down by the time I graduated. Five months later I graduated and all the hours I put into applying left me with two mediocre job offers, and no job. The two offers I received I had declined because after learning more about the first one I realized it was a job I was simply not a good fit for, and the other ended up offering me slightly more than minimum wage for a position I had done for a year at a higher rate at part time status, because of that I rendered it a silly offer. I convinced myself that it was the right decision to decline those positions, but then again, they were jobs I could have been working, gaining experience and a little money. 

One job I tried my absolute best to get was the Executive Team Leader position (this ETL position is essentially an assistant store manager) at Target. The internship version of this position eluded me a year before, but I was determined to end in a different result. I actually applied quite a few times during my job search as Target stores in my region post over and over again the ETL position being available. A few times I received calls back and even started the interview process. Each time I received a call it was from a private number, thus giving me a head’s up that this was going to be important. Each call I received had anywhere from a couple days to a month in between. The first time I was called during a class, even though I previously stated I wouldn't be available during those times. I was left a message and asked to call back, but unfortunately they left no call back number. Silliness. Failed attempt number 1. Next I received a call from a store in the Sacramento area where I lived previously with my sister. I applied up there just in case all my other plans fell through. Plan B had me moving in with my sister and taking the Target ETL position up North. The conversation/small interview was going well until the woman on the other end learned I was in SoCal. Immediately after I was currently living in Azusa because of school was revealed to her, I was told to apply in the Southern California area and hung up on. Unfortunate. Failed attempt number 2. The third call I received from the Target district I lived in was the most promising. Not only did I perform well in the first series of phone interviews, I was invited to their regional office for another series of interviews. A day or two before the big interview day, I was called by one Target within the district asking to interview me early before the regional store got to me. They wanted to see who I was and interview me for their open positions just in case the other store didn't require my services. This made me feel special, as if they were truly interested in hiring me soon. I accepted and interviewed with them. The positions they had weren't what I wanted but they were good back up jobs, I decided to myself. 

Finally I had the interviews I had waited so long for at the Target regional headquarters. During these interviews I assumed since they put me through so many interviews, I believe it was 6 in all, they were genuinely interested in me and I would have the job I wanted the most. Unfortunately, a week went by and I heard nothing from any store or office I interviewed. I emailed the regional headquarters, the Target which called out to me before, and the original person who gave me the first phone interview asking if there was any information about the ETL position I applied. I received one email from the three groups, and it was the generic email which they send to every person whom applies and are declined. Not only was I not offered the ETL position I had been looking forward to, I was not offered any position in the entire Target region of stores, yet encouraged to apply elsewhere or at another time.  Frustrating. Failed attempt number 3. I applied again once more when they re-posted the job I wanted as available again. This time there was no contact whatsoever from any Target representative. Complete failure. Failed attempt number 4.

I essentially gave up on that position and continued to apply to arbitrary jobs elsewhere. A couple days before graduation, I received a call from TJ Maxx asking me to come in for an interview. I accepted and soon found myself in an office with a the store manager of their Burbank store (which I learned has small time stars like women from America's Next Top Model and other shows I don't watch as regular customers) and their district manager. The district manager noted to me that herself and the other woman interviewing me had once worked for Target and were very familiar with the Target program which essentially was the Executive Team Leader. Apparently they ran the program for their respective stores during their time there. For reasons unannounced, they left Target and came to TJ Maxx, where they now started the same program and establishing the same position, only under different names. I laughed at myself because I literally applied for the same position for a fifth time without knowing. The store manager stated she used to do the hiring for the ETL position and was astonished I was not hired previously by Target. "I would have hired you on the spot!" she said to me genuinely. My heart warmed hearing those words. I put all my effort into the interviews hoping to secure the position I desired so much with Target and was more than disappointed when I was offered nothing. Little did I know, God was planning on giving me the position I prayed for, just with a different company.  

A few days after I left the TJ Maxx interview with a smile on my face and expecting to be offered the job, I received the call I had been waiting for, for so long. Finally, I was offered the job for the position I wanted. Excitement. Successful attempt no. 1! The regional manager spoke candidly and honestly on the phone stating how through her experience between Target, TJ Maxx and even Nordstrom, I was in the best store for the position I was in. The pay is better, the benefits are finer, the hours are superior, the balance between work and outside life is easier, basically the whole situation was greater than what the other stores have to offer. My goals and even what I imagined would happen were completely shattered as I was told so much good news. God showed Himself strong on my behalf granting me the desires of my heart and pouring into me more than I dared to ask, think or hope. 

The stress I once had bearing down on my shoulders, has been lifted off of me. I have a good place which I can call home. I have a job which doesn't start for a couple of weeks, giving me some much needed vacation time to rest, relax and have fun. I am just so thankful at how good God was to me. I have no idea where I'll go from here, but I do know where ever I go, I'll have Him by my side, providing for me every step of the way.