I reached a point in the security clearance process that telling my manager, Jon, was no longer avoidable.  So at 10am this morning I let him know the State Department had made me a conditional offer to build Embassies.  He took the news better than I was expecting and it was most definitely harder for me than him.  I was in this same position about two years ago when I let him know Kelly and I were joining the Peace Corps and felt horrible for letting him down once again.  I broke into tears a few times because of how great a boss he is and how rare it is to have a strong Christian in authority over you at the workplace.  He encouraged me to stay in God’s will and that he was praying for my family and me. 

The atmosphere will be different from this point forward. Despite everyone’s best intentions, I know it will be difficult to not feel left out of future planning.  Our family has made the decision after prayerful consideration to pursue this life and I’m at the point in my career where it will not be easy to turn back.  The beauty of all this is Jon reminded me that faith is all about making tough choices and if everything was crystal clear there would be no need for us to depend on God and not on ourselves.

I’ve got my interview with the investigator in the morning and then off to the in-laws to break the news.  That one will be the toughest.  My prayer is that they’ll understand the broader perspective of God’s plan and the unique opportunity this will provide for our family to grow closer to Him and utilize the gifts He’s given to honor Him.