A (Very) Long Story of God's Faithfulness - Part I

Happy Birthday… to me!

Guest Post- by Matt Brandenberger

Let me start by apologizing for the sheer length of this post. To be honest, I was going to make it short and sweet but Abby encouraged me (she may regret that now) to really chronicle this life-changing past few weeks. So… I guess this is more for her/us so we can look back on it someday and remember how faithful God was to us during this period in our lives. So beware, it is long. Feel free to read this if you’d like, but you have been warned.

A couple weeks ago, on a Saturday, was my birthday. Number 34 isn’t really supposed to be that exciting. However, it will probably go down as the best birthday I’ve ever had. Who’d of thought after 24 years, I’d finally top the one I got that sweet dirt bike with the big number “10” mounted between the handle bars!

Those of you that follow this blog know that it is really all Abby… I think this post probably marks #5 for me, maybe. So why am I invading this space… Well, I have some pretty exciting news to share (Before I go on, let me just say that this is PART ONE of what will be a two part post eventually)… anyways, my exciting news is that I have a new job!! I found out officially on Friday afternoon, October 26^th. It is a day that next to my wedding and the birth/adoptions of our two precious daughters will forever be known as one of the most exciting days of my life. It may seem like I’m overstating how wonderful this news is, but I guess above all else, what makes this so special to me is the way I’ve seen the hand of God at work specifically in this situation. Let me be clear, I (we) have been blessed in so many ways, but recently we’ve really felt a lot of disappointment with what feels like 12 (probably actually closer to 4) near-adoptions fall through. Through those disappointments, I’ve tried my best to lead our family in a way that still brings glory to God even when we don’t get the desires of our hearts. Equally important though, I want to proclaim praise when we are blessed with things that we really want. I just can’t really tell you how amazing it has been to look back over these past few years and see how perfectly His plan has led me/our family to this point. It’s hard to put into words… but I’m still going to try.

I guess the story of how I landed the job as Technology Coordinator for FWCS has to start back 3 summers ago when I decided to leave Adams Elementary and pursue a new teaching gig at a different school. I had a spot all but lined up at another school, but decided to interview with Dave Weber who I knew a little bit from my days of subbing several years before. The school was Glenwood Park and I really felt the Lord tugging me to accept Dave’s offer. After talking with Abs and praying about it for a night, I was convinced that GWP was where I was supposed to be. I didn’t know why. Now I do. My two plus years at Glenwood have been the best years of my teaching career. I love the whole staff, but especially my dear friends/older sisters (they prefer that over moms) in the 4^th/5^th grade hallway.  Dave has been a phenomenal principal. He really cares about his teachers and our best interests at heart.

Besides leading me to G-dub, I also feel like the Lord directed me once I got there into the position of Technology Coordinator for our building. If I hadn’t taken that over, I would not be celebrating this new job. It gave me the experience as well as the connections that were key in landing the job. Another cool thing that was big in terms of experience was the position I kind of fell into in our neighborhood as the treasurer. I’ve been doing that for the past 3 or 4 years now and that too gave me valuable experience doing something that will relate directly to my new job… My point is that even some of the smaller, seemingly insignificant, things that occupy my time really proved to be very significant in helping prepare me. Some may write that off as a coincidence. I choose to praise the Lord for being faithful to me even when I had no idea (Romans 8:28).

Back a few months ago as the school year was just getting ready to begin, I first heard about this position. As I read the job description and then talked to Abby about it, we both agreed that it sounded almost too good to be true. It was as if the job was created specifically for me. I talked to Weber and couldn’t believe how supportive he was. He assured me he wasn’t trying to get rid of me, but shook his head saying this was just too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. Again, I am so thankful for him. He not only encouraged me to go after it, he also became a strong advocate for me and talked to a lot of people telling them how he thought I’d be a great fit. This was above and beyond. For me to get this job would put him in a very tough spot. It’s never easy to replace a teacher in the middle of the year and our 4^th grade team is very strong and works so well together. It would have been very easy for Dave to either discourage me leaving or even just passively let happen what would happen. However, his encouragement is something I will be forever thankful for.

It seemed like a short eternity (oxymoron) before the job finally did “post”. In actuality it was really just over a month. In the meantime, I went about my normal beginning of the year routines: establishing procedures, building relationships with students, cramming curriculum, etc. I tried not to think about it but in the back of my mind I kept wondering how much longer I’d be around. I have to admit, I checked every day to see if the posting was up. Every day I checked and it wasn’t, I felt a weird sense of relief mixed with disappointment. I love my class and I wasn’t looking to leave. Every day it hadn’t posted meant one more day I’d be with my students…

That daily feeling ended on Tuesday, September 25^th. That’s the day it all became real. The job had finally posted. I spent the next few nights getting my resume and cover letter finalized. Abby was awesome during this week. She was very helpful in getting everything around. I am not very good at those sort of things and she made it 1,000 times easier. After I submitted everything, I kind of figured I’d hear something within a week to at least give me a timeline… nope. Actually, I didn’t hear anything for several weeks. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t even get a chance to interview… Then I got the call...

It was a Thursday morning and they were scheduling interviews for the following Tuesday. I had actually missed the voicemail from the previous day so my choices for interview times were down to 8:30 and 10:30. I chose the earlier time so I could come to school afterwards and not miss too much of the day. This is when it got real. This is when my heart really started to pick up the pace. I knew I had just a few short days to get prepared for the interview. I spent that weekend going over my notes, talking to friends, colleagues, etc. By Tuesday I felt as prepared as I could be.

I didn’t really know what to expect for the first interview, but I knew I had several strengths that I’d be able to point to that made me a legitimate candidate for the job. The morning of the interview came, and although I was nervous, I really did feel a peace from God and a confidence that I would be fine. The interview went pretty much as I expected. Their were a couple tough questions but overall I felt like I answered everything pretty well. If I were to grade my performance, I would have said it was an 8 out of 10. You can always do better, but I couldn’t complain too much.

My future bosses must have agreed because by the end of that Tuesday, I got a call asking me back for a second interview. This next round would be on Thursday afternoon. Mixed feelings: I was happy to still be in the game, but another interview??!! AHH! Why couldn’t I just get the job offered at that point??

Another couple days were spent preparing for a second interview. To be honest, I wasn’t nearly as nervous. I again felt a peace from God that I didn’t need to worry. I wouldn’t say that I was overconfident, but I didn’t feel quite as nervous as I did for the first interview. Thursday afternoon rolled around… It had been pajama day at school. I didn’t think going in my sweats and a t-shirt would be a good idea so I changed into my suit and headed downtown for the interview. By this point I knew that it had been narrowed down to one other candidate and me. I knew the interviews were scheduled just ½ hour apart so I kind of figured this 2^nd interview would be fairly informal and I’d really have a chance to “sell myself”… so that’s how I prepared… I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As I walked in for the interview they told me they were “switching things up a bit this time”… “Oh, (crap)” I thought. What does that mean? Here’s what that meant: I was given 15 minutes to come up with a plan of how I would implement 500 iPads being handed over to K-5^th graders at a local Elementary school. I was given a paper with several things to consider and then left alone with a legal pad to formulate my plan to present to them after my time was up. They had asked a similar question in the first interview, but this time they wanted me to really lay out an implementation plan. Those that know me best know that I am a very thoughtful, meticulous, and detail-oriented person. This task (which could determine whether or not I get the job) was not exactly up my alley. I hadn’t worked on this kind of a deadline since my days in the sports broadcasting world many, many years before.

What happened in those next 15 minutes is really the original reason I wanted to share this story. You see, I don’t have a great “conversion” (coming to Christ) story. I wasn’t some drug dealer or alcoholic or womanizer who one day woke up and realized my need for a Savior. I was raised by two loving Christian parents who raised me to know God from an early age. I “prayed the prayer” when I was six and other than a few bumps in the road, my story isn’t all that exciting. However, I have had a few times in my life where my faith has felt more than ever to me. Usually it has been in going through some hardship or struggle that has caused me to lean harder on God. This was different. I got to experience his incredible blessing and a “peace that transcends all understanding” in those 15 minutes.

When the clock started I don’t know how else to describe how I felt other than sheer panic. I spent that first minute or two scrambling to try and compute an intelligent thought. My mind was going a hundred different directions. I couldn’t focus on anything. I was trying to figure out how I would tell my interviewers, “Thanks for the opportunity, but I guess I’m not your guy.” Right about then I felt my phone vibrate. I had meant to turn it off before the interview started but had forgotten. I wouldn’t check it until afterwards but it was Abby. Later she would tell me that she had meant to text me earlier but had to deal with one of the girls and forgot to until a little after 4:30.

My cell phone record actually shows her message as saying “Praying right now!” received on Oct 25, 2012 at 4:32 PM. I know she wasn’t the only person praying right then. When I felt my phone vibrate I didn’t know who it was or what it said, but I told myself right then and there that those vibrations represented the people who I knew were lifting me up in prayer. The peace that I felt in that moment is something I don’t want to ever forget. I was able to take a deep breath, say a quick prayer, and get focused. My phone continued to vibrate several times over those final 13 minutes. Each time served as a reminder of God’s goodness in my life and made me so thankful for all those people who were praying. I settled down enough to scratch out some good thoughts and a plan that covered most of the important aspects of the project.

My final product was nothing spectacular, but it was solid enough that I was able to present it in a way that made me sound at least halfway competent. When I was done, they simply told me thanks and that they would let me know by the next day. When I walked outside on the way to my car I was overcome with emotion and got choked up. It wasn’t that I was upset or disappointed with how things went, but it was just such an intense half hour. I called Abby and let her know how everything went. I thanked her for her prayers and let out some more emotion in tears of joy and thanksgiving.

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well that night. I also had a hard time focusing all day at school. I kept praying for that peace from God to return, but I couldn’t shake the butterflies in my stomach as I waited to hear the final verdict. I really had no feel for which way it would go. I was optimistic, but at the same time I could totally see getting a call that said they were going with someone else. I’ve been blessed immensely in my life, but I’ve also had my share of disappointments where I’ve come just short… Thankfully this was not one of those times.

My phone finally rang at a little after 4:00 on that Friday afternoon (the day before my birthday). I saw from the caller ID that it was one of the two people who had done the interviews. My heart stopped for a second and then picked up a few paces as I answered. After she asked how I was doing, I told her I was waiting on pins and needles. She said, “We want to offer you the job as Technology Coordinator…” I think I let out a little girlish scream and thanked her. It was (and still is) a surreal feeling. I had done it. More accurately, God had blessed me with this incredible opportunity.

A couple weeks later, it has just now started to sink in. I can’t believe that I am actually going to be leaving my students and starting a completely different job. Today is my last day at Glenwood, and it will be very emotional for me. I’m thankful for all God has done in my life and for the incredible ways he has blessed my family and me. Even as I prepare to leave one job and embark on another, God has shown himself faithful through the love and gratitude I’ve felt from the staff and the parents of my students. I know full well He loves me and is working out his perfect plan in my life. My prayer is that I’d be faithful in shining His light so others may see Him through me.

Psalm 107:8-9:

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

Stay tuned for Part II.....you really don't want to miss this!