May Madness

No, Im not going to write my thoughts on the NBA and all that has been happening with various teams. This madness, I am going to speak of, is about the great 'madness' I experienced in May. Lets go back to the first week.

I knew May was going to be a pivotal month for me. I had three big things that were going to shape, redefine and challenge who I was. May was the month I was going to have to make huge life changes and choices. I thought I knew exactly how it would happen..and boy was I wrong.

On May 9th, I got on a plane at 5:30am and headed to Boston. You can read here and here about an idea of the journey I've been on. The prayer tour to Boston changed my life. In the four days I was there,  Jesus revealed to me so many things. Things like vulnerability, trust and grace are just naming a few. It would take me far too long and boredom might sink in, if I went into full fledged detail. I hate to say the phrase, but it is one of those experiences that no matter how hard you try and re-capture for people, "you kinda had to be there." This trip was more about visiting Boston and being with a church family I love, I thought it was about deciding if I could move to Boston. Did I like it enough? Would it ever stop raining? Where would I work? Who would I live with? BLAH BLAH BLAH. And on the very first day, praying over the city, I realized this trip was not about me. It was not about my desires. It was not about my goals and wants. This trip was about Bostonians and  Jesus. The only part I had in the equation was to serve. I was not to "figure" it all out by myself and for myself.

I left Boston confused about my future. My best friends and sister text me on the trip something like this " have you decided..how are you feeling?" And all I could say was " I am at peace." Period. That was the end of it. I had no idea what I had peace about. I had no idea where I'd be living. But I had peace. The kind of peace that passes human understanding, yep, that kind. Phillippians 4:7. It was about the third time I had experienced it in my life.

Two days after I came home from Boston--confused but content-- and received an email from a wonderful man who I knew was going to someday be my boss. This story is another huge and long process. Telling it all would date us back to September of 2011. Needless to say, I want to work for this company. The email read something like this " Hi Erica, I hope Boston was a blast. Are we still planning on meeting next monday? Im excited to chat with you. -Peter." Wow. So now, I have to decided between Boston and Denver. Boston meant being with a church I love and want to stand behind. Denver meant comfort, friends and the promise of a new and wonderful career.

I met with Peter, and I got the job. I was so excited. Finally I could say I would be working with this company. A company that really cares for their people and wants to see them succeed. A company that wants to invest in the future of what they are doing today. I could not contain my excitement. Before I accepted, he asked me "Where are you at though? We want you to be happy and in the location you desire." Ok...coolest boss ever. I spat out " Los Angeles." Wait, What? Since when did this come into the equation? He answered " The last thing we would want is for you to come on board and then in 6 months say, ' I wish I would have looked into different locations', Let me contact the LA manager, and we'll set something up for you." Yep, coolest boss ever..again.

Four days after that meeting/job offer/chat, I flew to LA to surprise my sister. I got in super late on May 24th, and had a 7:30am interview with Brad (LA boss man), 30 miles from my sister's house. You know what that means. I had to be out of the house at 6am. Yay. It wasn't like I went to bed at 2am or anything. I met with Brad and failed miserably. My shirt wasn't tucked in, I forgot my resume, my answers sucked. I thought to myself, "Well Erica, you love Peter and really want to work for and with him. Denver is not a bad option." But I wanted LA. I wanted the crazy city life it breeds. I wanted to be within a short driving distance to my home church. I wanted to see the ocean whenever I wanted. I wanted to see my sister and husband a couple times a month. All these things I wanted. But I was so convinced I failed at the interview, I started telling myself how great Denver was. And it is. I came home on Tuesday morning and was waiting for the phone call. The interview ended with, "we are interviewing a few more people, I will call you sometime next week." Oh, that sound so promising. Tuesday went by as a blur from jetlag, and nothing. No call. Wednesday morning happened, and nothing. Then, when I had just gotten to work and was coming to terms with the fact that I would be in Denver for a few more years, I had a voicemail from a random LA number. My heart started racing. " Hi Erica, this is Susan (aka-Brad's colleague) and I wanted to follow up with you on your interview.....long pause ( ..great, here comes rejection) and we have good news, we want to offer you the position." Holy. What?? I  now have two job offers. Oh geez.

Boston to Denver to Los Angeles. My prayer before the Reality Boston Prayer Tour was to have me wherever He would want me. I remember saying "you are going to give me the answer I don't want, and I trust in your will." The month of may has been a tornado. A whirlwind, if you will. I thought one city, then the other, then another. These last 72 hours have been some of the most challenging of my life. Fear and Doubt sunk into every part of my being. Boston= scary. Denver= comfortable. LA= regressing. All these lies were not true. I cried and was scared and contemplated where I really should be. I chose LA.



To the city of angels,

Welcome me home. Im coming back for you.

xo.