Nine years ago today was my first day at Compassion. Seriously? It feels like just last week I wrote this.
It's been one wild ride!
Showing posts with label job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label job. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
It's Monday
Oh my goodness.
It's only 11:01 and I've already had one of those mornings. I know you know what I'm talking about.
Every time there's new information on a crisis, I send email updates to a distribution list of 199 people. These people are all over the world. So I always pay very careful attention to my emails to make sure they are error free.
Well, always except today, apparently.
This morning I sent out an update to 199 people. After a minute I saw that I had forgotten to attach the report. So I quickly sent a correction (to 199 people) with the subject "REPORT ATTATCHED" and the following message: "Oops. Please find the final report attached. Sorry for the mistake!"
And then a few minutes later I noticed that I hadn't attached the report to the correction. So I RE-forwarded it (to 199 people) with the subject line "REPORT REALLY ATTATCHED" and this message: "Wow. Last one. I promise. I’m so sorry."
30 minutes later I realized that I had only sent the message to myself, not the list. So I sent it again. To 199 people.
Then my boss Chuck pointed out to me that I had spelled "attached" wrong.
Chuck, please fire me now.
It's only 11:01 and I've already had one of those mornings. I know you know what I'm talking about.
Every time there's new information on a crisis, I send email updates to a distribution list of 199 people. These people are all over the world. So I always pay very careful attention to my emails to make sure they are error free.
Well, always except today, apparently.
This morning I sent out an update to 199 people. After a minute I saw that I had forgotten to attach the report. So I quickly sent a correction (to 199 people) with the subject "REPORT ATTATCHED" and the following message: "Oops. Please find the final report attached. Sorry for the mistake!"
And then a few minutes later I noticed that I hadn't attached the report to the correction. So I RE-forwarded it (to 199 people) with the subject line "REPORT REALLY ATTATCHED" and this message: "Wow. Last one. I promise. I’m so sorry."
30 minutes later I realized that I had only sent the message to myself, not the list. So I sent it again. To 199 people.
Then my boss Chuck pointed out to me that I had spelled "attached" wrong.
Chuck, please fire me now.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Want Ad
As the economy slows down and more people are looking for work, I would imagine a job like this one would be very popular.
According to the article ...
According to the article ...
No formal qualifications are needed but candidates must be willing to swim, snorkel, dive and sail.And what might you be compensated for this "job"? Well nothing much ...
In return, the successful applicant will receive a salary of A$150,000 ($103,000) for six months and get to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool.Australia's tourism department is currently accepting applications. The deadline is February 22, 2009, so you still have time!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
8
Today is my 8th anniversary at Compassion.
Eight years. It's hard to believe I've worked here for almost a third of my life. It's getting the point where it's hard to remember life before Compassion, actually.
A little background for you ...
I spent the last semester of college living in downtown Chicago. I was an intern in the event planning department at the National PTA. As the weeks wound down towards graduation, I thought more and more about what was next. I considered many options, but moving back to Colorado Springs was not one of them. I had this idea in my head that moving back to the city I grew up in was somehow a cop-out. So I applied for jobs all over the country - FL, CA, WA, IL, MI - basically everywhere but Colorado.
I didn't get a single job offer. Not one. Finding a job long distance is very difficult. Finding a job in event planning with very limited experience, is virtually impossible. As the rejection letters continued to come, I resigned myself to the fact that I had to add "Moving back in with Mom and Dad" to the list of options.
So I graduated and moved back to Colorado. I spent the next six months applying for all sorts of event-type jobs here. I applied at many different non-profits and ministries. I went to dozens of interviews. All of them told me the same thing - something I'm sure every college graduate dreads - they really wanted someone with more experience.
In November, I began working at a local coffee shop. Four days into that job, I got a call from Compassion. (Unbeknownst to me, they had kept my resume from an earlier job that I applied for and hadn't gotten.) They asked me to come interview for an assistant job. Desperate for anything that paid more than minimum wage, I was ecstatic. I interviewed with HR, and then a few days later with the managers I'd be assisting. Finally, I got a call.
It was only when I accepted the job offer and asked more about the job that I found out that I'd be assisting the event managers in the marketing department.
So you see, that is how I know God called me here. That is why I've stayed here for eight years. As it turns out, event planning is not for me. But Compassion is and, of course, God knew that. In those eight years I've changed positions. I've changed departments. I've changed teams. I've changed desks. Through it all I've fallen in love with this place and what God is doing here. I'm in a position now that fits my gifts and calling so perfectly that it could only be God.
I don't know what He has planned for me in the future. I'd like to live somewhere else, eventually. Maybe even another country. What I do know, though, is that for today, this is where He's called me.
I love this ministry. I love my job. And I feel so blessed.
Eight years. It's hard to believe I've worked here for almost a third of my life. It's getting the point where it's hard to remember life before Compassion, actually.
A little background for you ...
I spent the last semester of college living in downtown Chicago. I was an intern in the event planning department at the National PTA. As the weeks wound down towards graduation, I thought more and more about what was next. I considered many options, but moving back to Colorado Springs was not one of them. I had this idea in my head that moving back to the city I grew up in was somehow a cop-out. So I applied for jobs all over the country - FL, CA, WA, IL, MI - basically everywhere but Colorado.
I didn't get a single job offer. Not one. Finding a job long distance is very difficult. Finding a job in event planning with very limited experience, is virtually impossible. As the rejection letters continued to come, I resigned myself to the fact that I had to add "Moving back in with Mom and Dad" to the list of options.
So I graduated and moved back to Colorado. I spent the next six months applying for all sorts of event-type jobs here. I applied at many different non-profits and ministries. I went to dozens of interviews. All of them told me the same thing - something I'm sure every college graduate dreads - they really wanted someone with more experience.
In November, I began working at a local coffee shop. Four days into that job, I got a call from Compassion. (Unbeknownst to me, they had kept my resume from an earlier job that I applied for and hadn't gotten.) They asked me to come interview for an assistant job. Desperate for anything that paid more than minimum wage, I was ecstatic. I interviewed with HR, and then a few days later with the managers I'd be assisting. Finally, I got a call.
It was only when I accepted the job offer and asked more about the job that I found out that I'd be assisting the event managers in the marketing department.
So you see, that is how I know God called me here. That is why I've stayed here for eight years. As it turns out, event planning is not for me. But Compassion is and, of course, God knew that. In those eight years I've changed positions. I've changed departments. I've changed teams. I've changed desks. Through it all I've fallen in love with this place and what God is doing here. I'm in a position now that fits my gifts and calling so perfectly that it could only be God.
I don't know what He has planned for me in the future. I'd like to live somewhere else, eventually. Maybe even another country. What I do know, though, is that for today, this is where He's called me.
I love this ministry. I love my job. And I feel so blessed.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Spent
Have you ever been so busy that you feel like no matter how hard you try to keep up, life is still passing you by? That's how it's been for the past couple of days. I'm spent.
Today I actually got to the point where I was so overwhelmed that I basically shut down. I was sitting in my team meeting, normally a relaxing and slow-paced time of catching up with each other, and I just sat there like a zombie. The whole time, all I could think about was everything that wasn't getting done. I had spent the last three days working on an enormous project that was overdue, and while I was working on it, other urgent things were piling up in my inbox.
The thing is, with the position that I'm in now, when something doesn't get done, it directly affects the kids we work with. Sometimes in not such a small way. It might mean they have to wait another day before they get an emergency kit after a hurricane or that less money is raised for the Global Food Crisis. It's a lot of responsibility, so it makes days like today - when I feel totally inadequate - very difficult.
It's not just work that's overwhelming me. I feel like I've neglected ... well ... pretty much everything else in my life: my friends, family, my dog, my gym schedule, my blog and most importantly, my time with God.
I'm a strong extrovert, but I've discovered that there's limits to my extrovert-ness and I think I've reached my limit.
I need to recharge. I need to get plugged back into God and His word. It's hard to believe that I started this month off with 12 days of vacation. How quickly I can get sucked back into the crazy pace of life and lose focus on what's important.
If you think of it this week, pray for me. I could use it.
"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." ~Jesus
Today I actually got to the point where I was so overwhelmed that I basically shut down. I was sitting in my team meeting, normally a relaxing and slow-paced time of catching up with each other, and I just sat there like a zombie. The whole time, all I could think about was everything that wasn't getting done. I had spent the last three days working on an enormous project that was overdue, and while I was working on it, other urgent things were piling up in my inbox.
The thing is, with the position that I'm in now, when something doesn't get done, it directly affects the kids we work with. Sometimes in not such a small way. It might mean they have to wait another day before they get an emergency kit after a hurricane or that less money is raised for the Global Food Crisis. It's a lot of responsibility, so it makes days like today - when I feel totally inadequate - very difficult.
It's not just work that's overwhelming me. I feel like I've neglected ... well ... pretty much everything else in my life: my friends, family, my dog, my gym schedule, my blog and most importantly, my time with God.
I'm a strong extrovert, but I've discovered that there's limits to my extrovert-ness and I think I've reached my limit.
I need to recharge. I need to get plugged back into God and His word. It's hard to believe that I started this month off with 12 days of vacation. How quickly I can get sucked back into the crazy pace of life and lose focus on what's important.
If you think of it this week, pray for me. I could use it.
"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." ~Jesus
Monday, July 28, 2008
Ethiopia
Did you know there is a food crisis going on? If you didn't, it's okay. We're pretty insulated from suffering here. I was happily ignorant of it until a month ago when I started my new job. Now it's my responsibility to understand what's going on.
And it's breaking my heart.
If you are brave enough, let it break yours too.
Here is what the crisis looks like in Ethiopia.
Please.
Do something.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday's Update
So. It's been a few days. But I have some news for you ...
1. This is Hawaii week! (Ok, that's not news. I've already blabbed about it enough.) I've been checking the weather online daily, and although it's supposed to rain a lot while we're there, they keep adding more and more sunny days. WOOHOO! Still, I bought a new rain jacket (sort of a foreign concept in Colorado.)
2. I have a new job! It was rather sudden to me and I'm still transitioning mentally and emotionally. But it was too great an opportunity to pass up. I'm still working at Compassion, but now I'll be working on the field communications team doing crisis communications. It wasn't something I'd planned, but it seems God had other ideas. And I'm learning that when I listen to Him, things tend to work out.
3. A week from today I turn 30. That's a big one. I know this will be a special birthday because I already received the best gift I've ever gotten. In my life. My friend Karen (with the help of my brother) coordinated getting all my friends, family and coworkers to write letters to me telling me what I mean to them. Then she put them in this really cool album with some photos. Seriously, guys, you have NO IDEA what this means to this "words of affirmation" girl. It's like a grown-up yearbook, only 1,000,000 times better. I used to read the messages people wrote in my yearbook over and over again. You can bet I'll be reading those letters over and over again! To everyone who contributed, I can't really explain to you what it means to me. Thank you for already making this the best birthday ever. I love you!
1. This is Hawaii week! (Ok, that's not news. I've already blabbed about it enough.) I've been checking the weather online daily, and although it's supposed to rain a lot while we're there, they keep adding more and more sunny days. WOOHOO! Still, I bought a new rain jacket (sort of a foreign concept in Colorado.)
2. I have a new job! It was rather sudden to me and I'm still transitioning mentally and emotionally. But it was too great an opportunity to pass up. I'm still working at Compassion, but now I'll be working on the field communications team doing crisis communications. It wasn't something I'd planned, but it seems God had other ideas. And I'm learning that when I listen to Him, things tend to work out.
3. A week from today I turn 30. That's a big one. I know this will be a special birthday because I already received the best gift I've ever gotten. In my life. My friend Karen (with the help of my brother) coordinated getting all my friends, family and coworkers to write letters to me telling me what I mean to them. Then she put them in this really cool album with some photos. Seriously, guys, you have NO IDEA what this means to this "words of affirmation" girl. It's like a grown-up yearbook, only 1,000,000 times better. I used to read the messages people wrote in my yearbook over and over again. You can bet I'll be reading those letters over and over again! To everyone who contributed, I can't really explain to you what it means to me. Thank you for already making this the best birthday ever. I love you!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Some Stuff I'm Thinking About
I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into any sensible order tonight. I sat down to write a new post and so far it's gone in about 17 different directions. So I'm going to stop trying to organize my thoughts and instead, simply write whatever comes to mind. Here we go...
My dog is sick. Again. All over my house. So instead of spending the evening as I had planned, I spent it steam cleaning the carpet. I'm not sure what's giving her the Big D regularly, but I have a hunch it is the rawhides I got at Walmart. Reason #3,764.
Compassion is restructuring. I found out yesterday that my team is being disbanded and my job is moving to the Web and Interactive team. While this will provide me with lots of opportunity for growth and new challenges it also means being on a team with four men. Which I guess can also be considered an opportunity for growth.
This is the first year in 11 years that I will be home for Thanksgiving. I've spent the last decade giving thanks in Callifornia, Minnesota and Morroco. This year I will be giving the most thanks that we have not yet had a blizzard in Colorado Springs.
That's it for now. I'm going to bed. I'd wish myself sweet dreams, but I never remember them. Ever. It's really weird.
My dog is sick. Again. All over my house. So instead of spending the evening as I had planned, I spent it steam cleaning the carpet. I'm not sure what's giving her the Big D regularly, but I have a hunch it is the rawhides I got at Walmart. Reason #3,764.
Compassion is restructuring. I found out yesterday that my team is being disbanded and my job is moving to the Web and Interactive team. While this will provide me with lots of opportunity for growth and new challenges it also means being on a team with four men. Which I guess can also be considered an opportunity for growth.
This is the first year in 11 years that I will be home for Thanksgiving. I've spent the last decade giving thanks in Callifornia, Minnesota and Morroco. This year I will be giving the most thanks that we have not yet had a blizzard in Colorado Springs.
That's it for now. I'm going to bed. I'd wish myself sweet dreams, but I never remember them. Ever. It's really weird.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
