‘
me for building the restaurant. I told her I just found the piece of dirt to build it on, that many others were involved in the process. But she insisted on thanking me, explaining that her husband was on disability and couldn’t work, that she had not been able to fi nd a satis- fying job until the restaurant had been built. “I came to the realization that my vocation wasn’t
just about how much sales and profi ts I could generate for the company, but also related to how my vocation could help others, specifi cally fi nding new or meaning- ful vocations for others and how each community can benefi t from what I was doing.” Daniels recently found work with a distinctive, small
restaurant steakhouse chain. He’s found 13 locations for it to develop in 2014 and 2015.
Ramelle Timm A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Kansas City, Mo., Timm held nearly a dozen administrative positions over many years. In some instances the jobs turned out to not be a good fi t. In one case she leſt because the business couldn’t make payroll. T e fi rst time she became unemployed the business simply
closed. In her last job she was let go. Timm was told she was an exemplary employee but
wasn’t good enough at customer service. But, she said, “[I received] notes of thanks, giſt s and verbal praise for the customer service that I gave. I believe the true reason for my termination was that I was not young enough or pretty enough.” To supplement her income over the years she fre-
quently held part-time jobs, oſt en in retail. Today, Timm, 57, is the receptionist for the Kansas
City regional offi ce of a car company. “I love everything about my job,” she said, “I am so blessed. I believe God’s hand was in the whole process of my getting this job. Two years, four years ago, it wasn’t available. Before getting my position with [the car company] I had been unemployed for 16 months over the previous four years. “It was a journey in a faith walk. … God has always
played a really important role in my life, and over the years my faith has deepened to the point where God is truly fi rst in my life. I believe my unemployment experi- ence is part of the reason for that. “During the past four years God was teaching me
to trust him in all the areas of my life. God was teach- ing me to have more grace for all people in my life
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www.thelutheran.org
and beyond. T e journey has been hard, scary, tiring, painful, joyful, questioning, rewarding and confusing, but so worth it. I have reached a point in life where I am content and at peace.”
Tom and Judy Landis T e Trinity (Lansdale, Pa.) parishioners found them- selves supported greatly by their faith as they both made fresh career starts aſt er their adult children were out of the house. Tom had become increasingly dissatisfi ed with prac-
ticing law on his own. “One day a dear church friend of mine came to my offi ce and took the time to counsel me and off er guidance as to how I might follow a process toward developing a new career. I will always be thank- ful to God for the support he gave me during those dark days.” He shuttered his law practice to concentrate on
fi nding new direction, working part time on occasion to make ends meet and fi nally settling on a career in contract administration. But his job search journey kept ending in frustration. “Without prayer and faith, insight and persistence, I could not have achieved the career
I had faith I would be led in some way by the Holy Spirit,’ she said. During the drive out west, she found meaning in the words of a favorite hymn,
‘Here I am, Lord.’ Judy Landis with husband Tom
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