Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Where Is Your Faith?

It’s been a year since I took the leap of faith to start Latrobe. And my, how things have progressed! I asked God to order my steps (Psalm 119:33) and not only has He given me the vision for this engineering services company, but He has provided an avenue for two offices. Within the span of one year, I have an operation in Uniontown, supporting Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia manufacturing activities; but before my 41st birthday, I will have in operation a second office in Port Arthur, supporting southeast Texas and Louisiana. God is good.

This summer, He revealed some things to me.  In May, when I did not win the Women in Technology Award, He told me that the night was to show me where He was preparing me to play. According to His word in 1 Corinthians 2:9, it is written: No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. Just continue to walk in faith…

The move to TX took a lot more adjustment for our family than I planned. As such, I did not work/travel as much this summer, choosing instead to be home for James and Quincy. In the natural, I began to tithe based on the incoming revenues, which were lower than the first three quarters of operations. During the same time, I started to hear Reverend James Cleveland’s song frequently on the radio, ministering directly to me, according to Luke 8: 25--Where is your faith?

What’s the opposite of faith?  FEAR: false evidence appearing real. Our cost of living increased. I hired my first employee to manage the Uniontown office and we saw the opportunity to expand the operation into Texas.  Along with that comes the expense of marketing material, new office infrastructure, more payroll costs, etc.  Did I also mention that we have two kids: one preparing for his second year of college and one preparing to find his way as a student athlete?  God was testing us, to see if we would respond out of fear or faith. He already knew what He was planning to do for us (John 6:6).

Givers are gainers. You should give at the level that you expect to be blessed. We decided to start giving at a radical level, standing on the promises found in Luke 6:38--Give and I’ll give it back to you, good measure, shaken together and running over. The proverbial windows were opened and the blessings started to pour. The funny thing is that I do not have the contracts signed that will pay for some of my obligations, but if you could see the details of my lease agreement or some of the project negotiations in process, then you’ll agree that it’s a good bet we can continue to tithe at this level. In the meantime, I can hold fast to Psalm 23:1—The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!!! We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

This journey of Latrobe is not about our family’s financial stability. We have more than we need. I asked God to use me and He gave me a vision that utilizes my passion for manufacturing to create jobs. We are blessed, so I asked God to enlarge our territory, like He did for Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10), so that we may be a blessing to others. Stay tuned for more updates on those jobs.

In the meantime, I leave you with these lyrics: You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try. The more you give, the more He gives to you. Just keep on giving because it’s really true. You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try.

The Best of Both Worlds

Part of my motivation to pursue my entrepreneurial spirit was to allow flexible time for Q. As a working mom, I was torn between whether it’s better to be home for your kids when they’re younger or older. I asked God to provide a season for me to be home, according to John 14:14, if you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. By standing on the promises, He made a way for me to spend the summer of 2011 with Q as we transitioned from PA to SETX.

James and I are advocates for public school. As such, we purchased our homes in communities with the best educational programs. In both PA and TX, those communities were both semi-rural with little diversity. In Lumberton, Quincy is the only black child in the Intermediate School (4th – 6th grades, about 900 students). For cultural balance, we make a concerted effort to have him involved in programs in Beaumont, where there is greater ethnic diversity (but, unfortunately did not meet our criteria for exceptional middle school educational programs).

We opted to move during the school year so that Q could become familiar with the local community and meet new kids during the summer. Sports is big in TX, so he could participate in a summer track club in Beaumont, which would help him condition for fall football league in Lumberton. Generally speaking, the track team was predominately black, while the football will be predominately white.

Q had a couple of incidences during the transition. We were driving home from his first day of VBS, and he casually shared this: White kids tease me because I’m black. Black kids tease me because they are bullies. (of course, my heart ached for him). I asked him how it made him feel. He told me it was OK because he does have friends. This was a proud mommy-moment because I know this experience is building character and wisdom (Matthew 21:16—out of the mouths of babes comes praise).

I mentioned VBS because this was another of our purposed efforts for balance. During the same week in July, we enrolled him in a morning VBS offered by a church in our local community, attended by several kids in the neighborhood. In the evening, he attended a VBS in Beaumont, hosted at the church of a new acquaintance. Again, the kids attending VBS in Lumberton were predominately white, while the kids in Beaumont were predominately black. Thankfully, Q enjoyed both sessions.

I am thankful to be there as a witness and to make general observations. One thing that I noticed, based on these few experiences, is differences on how kids are grouped. In track, he was grouped with the older kids. Q did not win many races against 12-year olds, BUT, he was fastest kid on the field when he tried out for fourth and fifth grade football league. At VBS, in Beaumont he was placed by the grade he was advancing (fifth and sixth grade), while in Lumberton, he was placed by the grade he just completed (third and fourth grade).
As a mom exposing Q to two worlds, which is best? In one world, he is stretched to compete at the next level. In the other world, he has the confidence that comes when you know what you know what you know what you know. Regardless of the world, the one thing I know is that as long as the Son of God is for us, everything will be ok. Now unto Him that is able to keep us (Ephesians 3:20)!

Donnie McClurkin's Ooh Child