China was a go... now it's a no go!

So we had to make the decision to go to BEIJING or not by last Monday because Luke had job offers in school districts here that needed a answer. We didn't have very many details about our job responsibilities or pay or living arrangements in China or if they even wanted us for sure yet. After a nervous weekend of pretty much doing nothing but discussing, praying, fretting, and getting excited and dreaming, (sunday night we stayed up till 4 am deciding to go, then talking ourselves out of it, and then talking ourselves right back into it) we got no answers from the China company by 10 AM. We decided to go on FAITH and decline both speech-language pathologist jobs here with our answer to China being YES pending the contract being what we expected. SCARY but it felt right.

NOW about a week later...
we finally have more information from the moneybags guy (Daniel Wang) that changed our decision to NO. We are BUMMED but feel good because it is the RIGHT DECISION. It turns out that they wanted us to be a LEAD COUPLE meaning we would be fully involved doing and being whatever and whoever -- WHENEVER they need it. And frankly, that just doesn't work with kids.

Anytime we have put our kids second or sacrificed their needs, it is always the WRONG choice and we usually end up being mad at each other, mad at our kids, or mad at the obligation/thing that made us put our kids second. This last year and a half has been the hardest ever with many challenges and trying to run a business with Luke's dad. We have spent MORE time talking about business stuff and thinking and working on it than we have gotten out of it, and really our kids have been the ones who have suffered when our minds and energy have been absorbed elsewhere with no time for them. We KNOW that is what it would be like in China or even worse combined with new culture and other unkowns. And WHY make sacrifices if we aren't even invested in the company? I think the TURNING POINT was when Luke pointed out that if one of our main reasons for going to China is to build a little money nest egg, we could do that right HERE in a couple of months by having me go to work too and having someone else watch our kids. DUH! We are so BLESSED that we don't have to do that and we CHOOSE not to. Money is not that important and we DON'T have to go to China to GET it if it was!!! That is WHY I have my degree!

The final DEAL BREAKER is when Wang said he wanted a 2 YEAR CONTRACT and while there, MOVE and start new schools after each one was up and running smoothly. So just when bus routes, restaurants, parks, and stores would start to get familiar, we would have to start all over again. TALK ABOUT COMMITMENT AND STRESS AND TIME that is not worth the ADVENTURE, CULTURE, FUN, or MONEY... if there was any time left over for fun anyway.

So... I am going to go work for few hours doing HOME HEALTH speech therapy to take the STRESS off Luke while he decides what career path he wants to take. He is going to put his resume on Monster and Career Builder to see if anyone would hire him for his skills not in Speech Pathology. Here are the job choices he is CONSIDERING....

• speech therapist turned administrator/principal in a couple of years and schooling
• speech pathologist manager
  
• fireman/paramedic after going back to school
  
• railroad guy
• UPS boxman turned fulltime driver after like 6 years
• elevator repairman/installer with 4 yr apprenticeship
• internet marketing if his skills/experience are enough

SO FAREWELL BEIJING! You will always have a soft spot in our heart for what could have been...Maybe someday we will cross paths again ;)

THANKS to everyone who let us pick their brains, offered perspective, or just let us dream! It is good to see Heavenly Father's hand in making tough decisions and in our lives.