Donan's thoughts on work and motherhood, Summer 2015

"God often calls people to the obscure, the ordinary, and the mundane. Some of the most important word that God accomplishes in the world is fulilled by ordinary people doing ordinary work, This is not and cannot be merely tolerated, but rather is something we must embrace and even celebrate."
Courage and Calling. Gordon T. Smith. 140.

As a recently minted mother of two, I find most of my day filled with the ordinary and mundane. Sometimes, I think this is a great blessing, Other times, I find it tedious. I've sensed that God is inviting me to continue on right where am, in the tension between the blessing and the the tedious.

What does this mean for my employment with InterVarsity? I'm grateful to work for an organization that is so accommodating to mothers, letting me craft my job so that I can be fully present with my children and pursue living out the vision of InterVarsity. I've realized that as my kids grow, my desires for work will also change (like the number of nights a week to spend on campus, amount of travel, etc.) In this season of life, I want to work from home as much as possible with the option to travel to retreats and trainings. And so, my supervisor and I have crafted a job description that will help out the area team, allow me to try some new things as a staff worker and be home with my children.

My plan is work about 10 hours a week with time divided evenly into the following categories:
- area logistics: arranging our team meetings, coordinating student gatherings and communication
- coaching: new type of job for me! I'll be helping other team leaders develop chapter growth goals and implement plans to reach these goals
- teaching and training: one of the things I love to do! I'll be working with Jeremiah to provide training and mentorship for our interns. I have flexibility to travel to other schools within the area for large groups or scripture dig-ins.
- discipleship: another thing I love to do! I'm looking forward to coming alongside younger women to help them see where God is at work in their lives.