Prayer Request

Good Evening All,

Hello from Colorado Springs, Colorado! Amanda, Benjamin and I have been in our house since April, and loving every moment of being homeowners. As you know, Amanda is at a new position at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) and has fit in very well. I, well, have been looking for work since before we moved (about 3 months) and since we’ve moved here. Countless Job fairs, applying for jobs through all the major sites (Monster, CareerBuilder, ClearedJobs, MilitaryHire, etc) as well as applying through specific company sites (Boeing, Lockheed, General Dynamics, SAIC, etc) with no luck.

Also, some may know, I am a part of a ministry (Outstretched Arms International) where I have to raise my own support. Some has come in, for which I am Blessed and grateful. In the large picture of things though, it has not been enough to keep us “okay.” Now, I am not one to argue with the Lord and God of the universe, so I know He has a plan and for now, we don’t know what that is. I continue to move forward with the ministry however I can with what God has brought to us (military members, local friends, neighbors) and we love to be able to minister to them, even if it’s just a simple “hello.”

With the new house, new baby (5 months old in a week!) and the new bills that come with all is much when you’re a one income family. Especially coming down from a dual-income (“dinc”) family. Now, at the moment we are close to being fine right now with her paycheck as a Captain in the Air Force, but as gas, groceries and other amenities start raising their costs, we are finding it harder and harder to have enough money left over to pay for groceries and gas, especially after paying bills (the bills that go up; oil, gas, water, trash). Even trash collection is rising as they charge a “diesel” charge, which goes up now every 2 months. Scary times.

Here’s the prayer request. I (Joseph) need to find work. It’s so bad, that when I apply to places like Wal-Mart and Target – they turn me down due to being “over-qualified.” Yeah. Good times. What makes finding jobs harder, is that all the companies want to hire me for either California, Washington DC, Virginia, Nevada or overseas (i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan). Well, that’s what we need prayers for. Currently a company is interested in me for Virginia (Just across the street from DC basically), another at Vandenberg AFB, CA and the other is a position for a year in Baghdad, Iraq. The others (CA, VA, NV) are permanent positions, in which I will be there for a while. Of course, Amanda and Benjamin WILL NOT be able to follow due to Amanda’s commitment at the USAFA. As a sacrifice, I will need to go out-of-state (or country) to properly support my family. Nothing, and I mean nothing has come up for the local area. That’s what happens when you’re an Intel guy in a Space community. They just don’t like to mix. Amanda and I have talked extensively on all possibilities (whether a year overseas or a permanent position in the US), and that sadly, it would be a benefit to make this kind of sacrifice.

To be specific, I have applied officially for a position in Iraq after being notified that I was “being considered for the selected position” also, a same message was sent for a possible high-position in Virginia. I just had an hour-and-a-half long phone interview for a position (that I’m not sure how I qualified for?) at Vandenberg AFB, CA and they want to me to contact Virginia to continue the dialogue with their higher-ups.

Our prayer request is to do what we are supposed to do… We want to the right thing, even if that means putting many miles between us. Being apart would definitely “suck” but when it’s the only option, what more can you do? As for the ministry, I plan to continue wherever I end up (locally, far away, or farther away) – the mission field starts outside our front door and extends to the farthest reaches of the world! OAI is there for everyone, not just some (not just Colorado)!

Thanks all for taking the time to read this email and lift us up. We appreciate you all.

Sincerely,

Joseph E. Salmoiraghi