Where have you been?

Well all, we have been very busy with life. Raising a toddler, 2 dogs, and working full-time jobs has really just kept us from working on a blog! Plus family and friends have been able to keep up with us on Facebook, and Joseph has been working on his WordPress to challenge himself to being in the Word daily, and be more open about his life and faith, and his struggles with both.

Also, at the moment, we are separated (not in a bad way!). Amanda has been asked by the Air Force to go and get her PhD, so she applied and got into University of Maryland in College Park, MD. So, Joseph found a job in Washington, DC, and moved ahead of her and Benjamin to work (and find a house and church).

Hopefully come July 2010, we will be reunited!

Just Because

When we are Weak, He is Strong... Miracles are Real!

MATTHEW 6:25-26

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

That's all we can say... THANK YOU LORD FOR WHO YOU ARE. That's it. We are on the floor, weeping, crying, rejoicing...

A few Miracles have happened yesterday and today that have just given us strength beyond the sorrows. After church, we received an email from someone in Texas who wants to bu your car (amazing!), and this was right after a Pastor had prayed for God to do miracles in our life this week. All we could do after seeing the email (besides taking more pictures of the car as they asked) was rejoice and pray to the Lord, thanking Him non-stop. To some this may be small, but to us it was big!

This morning (Monday) Amanda comes to me around 0645L (6:45am MST, hehe) and wakes me up, she is crying and trying to tell me something was left at the door. My first reaction as a husband is that my wife is crying and said something was at the front door... who's the prankster and who do I have to hunt down! NO!!!! It was nothing even remotely close. She had found on our doorstep a card and a bag of items (baby diapers, dog food, baby food jars, baby wipes, soap, shampoos, toothpaste, and more). We were both thrown back... and in the card was another gift and the scripture of Matthew 6:25-26... and the card, when opened sang the Casting Crowns song, "Praise You In This Storm." This was not big... This was huge!

It was more than we could have ever asked or prayed for... It might not have been a job offer - this was God showing us, in no uncertain terms, that He knows are situation; even when we couldn't see Him through the fog of our situation.

We've prayed and tried to be there for people, maybe not in this exact way, but with our hospitality and food we cooked a free meal and a peaceful place for others to stay...

We pray that we also can be like whom ever the Lord used to do this, and be able to bless people just as much in their time of need as He leads us to do.

God, you are mighty and sovereign, we thank You for who You are and what You are doing; even if we can't see beyond our own two feet. We also thank You for whoever you used on this earth to do what they did for us. We pray you bless them, and they would know our true gratitude and appreciation we have for what happened this morning.

Thank you for being a light in the darkest of nights for myself, Amanda and my child. Though Benjamin may not know of you at this moment (or understand anything related to You), that he will know about You and of You through us as we tell of Your great Mercies, Grace and Blessings upon us, even this day!

Thank you Lord, Thank You Lord. Thank you for everyone in our lives, and thank you for clearing the fog this day!

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

Work Seeking, Continued

Well, after a small conversation with Amanda, I have begun to apply for jobs posted that are in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle East / Southeast Asian countries. Most of these jobs are for 1 year, and pay well (at least we hope they still do).

It would be without my family... but to help be that support, this is a sacrifice that is becoming the only option...

We shall see... <><

No Work, No Money, School, Lots of Stress and our car is for sale

It's been quite a while since our last update. Stress just doesn't seem to be the word that covers it all.

We are a one-income family at the moment (hopefully not a forever moment). New location, new house, new baby, new school and all the stress that comes with it. I (Joseph) have been to 5 job fairs to no avail. I have applied even at the places of business that are not big companies that do government work (i.e. Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) - where I was either not called back or told I was "over-qualified" for any positions.

I have been searching work since 3 months prior to having to move and since we moved here end of March 2008 (so, about 6 months of searching) through the internet, in-person and job fairs. It almost seems all the effort I put is fruitless. I have a family to take care of and provide for, bills to pay and I am at a loss as what to do that is different from what I am doing. Also, the only jobs that would seem to fit me are positions that are in Denver (which is about 2 hrs - with traffic - each way) or over seas (which is hard due to our 4 month old).

I am still trying, praying and far from giving up. It can be very hard to keep going, but I have much support - First and foremost, my strength comes from the Lord, Second, my wife and my child keep me going when I feel as though I do not have the strength to to even look up.

Okay... on to the positives...

Well, I have lost 15 lbs in just over a month, and I am working out everyday now to make myself healthier (I want to be around for my grandkids and just plain have the energy to play and raise my son). As well as in the process of trying to get back into the reserves as a "weekend warrior." Please be praying I can lose the required weight and pass the entrance physical, this will at least be a partial income to help. So, I am eating better, working out everyday (really, I am working out - some intense stuff) and just doing all I can to be a better Husband and Father to my family.

I am back in school! I am attending Colorado Christian University, studying for a B.S. in Organizational Management in Project Management. Less than a year to go!!!! MAY 2009! Well, I hope all goes well! Thanks to student loans and the amazing Montgomery G.I. Bill, I can finish immediately. I hope and pray the finishing of this degree (or the in-progress part) will help with the job seeking.

Also, we are selling our car, since it's the one you can't fit a baby in, hehe. So, we are hoping it will sell better than a house! So, if you are interested or know someone who is, you can find our car on craigslist (http://cosprings.craigslist.org/car/731604354.html) and firebirdtrader (http://www.camerosandfirebirds.com/page-1503.html) with pictures and some good descriptions of the car.

So yeah, that's life so far...

Holding our heads up high on a cloudy day <><

2 Years, WOW!

So, we've been married two years as of of yesterday (20 June), and it has been quite the adventure and Blessing!

Some have asked, "What have you learned so far?"

Here's the answer...

"We are different!"

What a revelation, but hey, it's only been two years... We have many, many more to go!