Hey Guys,
Sorry it's been a while since I was on and have forgotten to up-date you guys on the whole City of Schenectady paid position. Unfortunately, I had to turn the position down for the following reasons; I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket so to speak and so I applied to another job around the same time the City of Schenectady was conducting interviews.

The other j0b was as a Logistics Coordinator with Compassion International. I'm sure you've all heard of Compassion International-mostly as a Faith based organization that helps people of Faith adopt financially a child in poverty. But "CI" does more than that. We also work with both Faith based and not Faith based organizations like "Doctors without Boarders" and other Humanitarian groups, in setting up missions trips to countries and areas in need. What I do as a Logistics Coordinator is contact some of our Missionaries and people in the field and see what their needs are ie: people, equipment, medical needs, etc. After receiving their needs I then try to find local organizations whether faith based or not who are looking to support or contribute to meet these needs. Suffice to say most of the time, it is area church's and youth groups that step up, but we do have a lot of non-faith based orgs. that do contribute-right off the bat "Doctors without Boarders and Nurses Abroad" come to mind. The cool thing about my job is that it is salary-so I can pretty much make up my own schedule-obviously I do need to be seen and have people I have to answer to-so I do need to have something to show for my work-->once a week I have to give a presentation usually lasting 30mins or so to my director about what some of the needs are of the missionaries I work directly with and what my game plan is toward meeting those needs. But what I really love is that I get to go to some of these places and actually meet the missionaries and see the actual support go into action whether it be money, equipment or manpower.

Now I'm no stranger to mission trips. In February 2007, I accompanied my youth grp to the Central American country of Belize (located just South of Mexico and East of Guatemala). There we supported two missionaries-->the de Klerks, Basil and his wife Vera. Some of our duties were to repair some of the solar panels, install a Desalinization membrane which turns salt water into fresh water and general maintenance around the missions base. So anyways, I am being blessed again, as I will return to Belize sometime in April-still working on all the details, but this is one of my first trips that I was the sole coordinator within my new position as an LC-Logistics Coordinator. So I'm really excited.

Back to the down side-I mean I would have been honored to be a Paid City of Schenectady Fire-Fighter but there were a lot of things that helped me in the face of a very difficult decision. First, my interview went really really bad-at least I thought so. After that first interview-Compassion had called me back for a second interview with them so I said yes. After Compassion's second interview they pretty much all but offered me the job right then and there-I mean it went really really well. And then there was about a week in-between when a lot of my friends who had also been interviewed by Schenectady that were receiving Chiefs interviews and I had still yet to receive one-so I was beginning to believe that I wasn't going to be hired. And then I was scheduled a chief's interview. The night before the interview-I was told that it had to change to the following day due to scheduling conflicts on the chief's side. That was ok I understand he's a very busy man-so I didn't mind at all-at least I was getting an interview. So the next day came and the interview that was scheduled for the following morning at like 9 or something, was once again re-scheduled for a different time on the same day or a different day at a different time-I really can't remember because all I remember is right after I got that message, I got a call from Compassion, from my now boss-although we like to use the term director-it's less harsh!, who told me that he was pleased to offer me the job and told me I had till the next day to let him know since openings for LC only happen once in a blue moon-or something like that! So I did think about it-I sat in my room and started to ask God what he thought I should do. After about an Hour and a half spent in devotions with the Lord-I really still had a bad taste in my mouth from the Schenectady interview.
My thought process went something like this:

Pros:
-20 yrs of service and I retire with an amazing pention.

Cons:
-Give up being a volunteer Fire-fighter.
-After discussing the job in the interview and being told due to my size I wouldn't be able to perform the duties of a interior qualified fire-fighter ie-meaning I would be a medic running EMS calls for the next 20 years only-->would I love the job after a year???
-I'd have to move out of my beautiful small town of Alplaus into a crime-infested and dirty section of Schenectady-the only place I could probably afford rent.
-I'd be taking a $20,000 pay cut initially from yr/earning at that time working just @ Mohawk Ambulance Service
-I probably wouldn't be able to volunteer my time with Hancock Hope as part of the Emergency Rescue Team or go on any future missions trips due to lack of vacation time and weird monthly schedule.

See so when it came down to it-I'd be losing a lot more by joining the ranks as a paid fire-fighter for the City of Schenectady. And when I started to think about it-why did I want to be a City Fire-fighter?? It really wasn't about the money-I know I know everyone says that-but it's true. I really wanted more experience as a fire-fighter-to expand my qualifications and abilities with regard to helping out my local community. And when I was told in the interview by a Deputy Chief that I couldn't possibly "hump hose to the 3rd floor and fight a fire, based on just looking at you"-to quote him accurately, then I really didn't really want the job.

I think a lot of times we forget what's right in front of us and how good we really have it. Man I love to volunteer with Alplaus Fire Department and that doesn't make me any less of a professional just because we don't get a pay check! And I love the fact that I can volunteer half-way across the country in a little place called Perlington, Mississippi with the Hancock Hope Organization where they don't care whether you're paid or volunteer, they're just glad you're there to help. No for me it wasn't an easy decision-but one I don't think I'll ever regret.

Well I think this thing is long enough so I'll leave you with the above and if anyone has questions regarding Compassion International, Hancock Hope, or even more about how to overcome difficult decisions, feel free to contact me and we'll talk!
Layter Guys,
Runx