Time is filled with swift transition...

We sing this song at church a good deal, and it pretty aptly sums up
what's going on with our lives.

Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God's unchanging hand.

Refrain:
Hold to God's unchanging hand,
Hold to God's unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God's unchanging hand.

Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring,
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling.

Covet not this world's vain riches
That so rapidly decay,
Seek to gain the heav'nly treasures,
They will never pass away.

When your journey is completed,
If to God you have been true,
Fair and bright the home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view.

--Jennie Wilson
-----

It seems like this whole year has been full of the promise of change,
but none of it has been the change I hoped. Well, only a couple
things.

I think you all know most of the saga of Roy's search for
employment--how RUF at Tougaloo didn't work out, and so we visited
churches, with several seeming VERY interested in us, but ultimately,
none of them hired us. And so we decided that God must want us in
Jackson, and Roy went to look for teaching jobs in the public school
system here. His certification was out of date, so none of the schools
were as interested as they should be in such an awesome teacher. [:)]
We were interested in the Jackson public schools for a couple
reasons--we wanted to be working where we lived, we are pro-Christians
serving in the public schools (and sending their kids there!), and
the pay was good...not compared to other states, but compared to our
current situation. And state benefits are decent. But none of the
schools wanted to hire Roy. We had gotten to the point of saying "If
you don't have a job by September, maybe we should look for church
jobs again." I think the next day, Roy got a call from a private
school in Clinton. The call was on a Monday, interview was on a
Tuesday, he accepted the job on a Wednesday, and he starts next
Tuesday. It is not the same financially as JPS would have been were
Roy to be hired there, and definitely provides fewer benefits, but it
is a JOB!! and we are very thankful for it. (Take note that benefits
are important--this will be explained later.)

For Roy, this means that he will get to stop keeping Iris and start
going to work. For me, this means I am now working 15 hours a week at
the job that I love (most of the time), and have to find a sitter
(even though, really, there's no reason that sitter-finding is solely
my job, especially because I am not good at it) for when I am working,
and I'll be at home, keeping Iris, for most of my time. I am also
losing my benefits, and getting paid enough (not counting what taxes
will take out) just enough to pay for COBRA health insurance coverage.
And that's NOT counting paying the babysitter. [If anyone wants to
keep Iris for free a couple days a week, let me know. She's sweet and
fun, and when she smiles, she's radiant!] While I am so glad that Roy
has a real job and a real paycheck, I'm a little stressed about how it
will all work out.

Roy will also be doing a little bit of RUF stuff with Tougaloo/JSU and
teaching a Bible class for Belhaven's adult education program.

Now, about why benefits are important--we're having another baby! This
doesn't help with the stress...but we are really glad and excited.
Little Jo-Lo should be born when Iris is about 17 months old--March
sometime (I know that was your first thought--don't even try to lie!)
and as fast as Iris is growing up, I think it'll be okay. But that's
why having benefits--and keeping me insured, is very important. If my
insurance lapses, from what I understand, the pregnancy will be
declared a pre-existing condition, and wouldn't be covered. I also
switched doctors so I can try to not have a c-section this time...his
practice is much smaller than where I was before, and I already feel
happier about having to go to the doctor all the time again. By the
time Iris was born, I was so sick of the doctor's office, I could
barely stand it. I also got my medical records from the doctor's
office and was very sad to see that there wasn't very much information
about Iris's birth--maybe I need to get that from the hospital? I was
really curious to see what had happened, since I don't really remember
that much. But we are excited about God's blessing us with this newest
little one. I get to go to the doctor next Friday to get another
sonogram--the first one disagreed with my dates by about two weeks, so
the doctor wanted to get another look.

So, that's what's up with us Hubbards...Roy is going to be teaching
math to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders at Clinton Christian Academy, and me
and Iris are going to be hanging out most of the week...I'll be
working a little bit and growing a baby as well. A lot of change, all
at once, and none of it exactly like I anticipated... Time is filled
with swift transition, indeed! I better be reaching out to God's
unchanging hand, huh?

Also, come to think of it, Iris and I, and to a lesser extent Roy, are
sick--Iris with an ear infection (doctor diagnosed) and me with a
sinus infection (self diagnosed)...Iris has antibiotics, and I'm
drinking hot Tang and being grumpy (apparently a symptom associated
with being pregnant...I've been very internally grumpy at work, so it
seems fortuitous that I get to take a break now).

So, what's happening with y'all?

We might get to get a kitten after all, too and might not have to move
from the church house--but I'm too tired to explain all that.

So, that's all.

Love,
Emily