We wouldn't normally begin a Christmas letter recapping the last two years of our lives. But this journey has been long, and the events of this past year only make sense in light of the years prior. So this story begins in 2012.
As many of you know, in May of 2012, Eric graduated from Baylor University with a PhD in Religion (New Testament). The joy of this achievement quickly waned in light of the realization that he was unable to find a full-time position for the fall of 2012 and, like many of his colleagues with PhDs in the humanities, was trying to find a job for the fall of 2013 in a job market that was (and remains) tough. And by tough we're talking about only a handful of job openings per year -- nationally.
Because of this, I also began job searching in hopes that my graduate degree and eight years of experience working in higher education would open doors for the both of us. After a brief job search and interview process over the summer of 2012, I was offered a job in Virginia. After much deliberation, I had the very difficult task of turning down a position that I was very excited about. It was a hard decision for me personally as I felt pulled between what I knew would be good for me professionally and what was good for my family. But it did not do the one thing we wanted it to do: it wasn't opening doors for both me and Eric.
And so, much to my own dismay, mid-July 2012 I found myself returning to Baylor for my seventh year as a hall director, only now under new leadership. Much was changing in the department. I cried every.single.blessed.day of our three weeks of intensive hall director training. I was grieving for myself (and a missed opportunity in Virginia), grieving for my husband's challenging job search (and ten years of graduate work to get where he was), and grieving the loss of a most beloved supervisor. I am not going to lie. I anticipated that the coming year was going to be hard. Very hard.
And so, much to my own dismay, mid-July 2012 I found myself returning to Baylor for my seventh year as a hall director, only now under new leadership. Much was changing in the department. I cried every.single.blessed.day of our three weeks of intensive hall director training. I was grieving for myself (and a missed opportunity in Virginia), grieving for my husband's challenging job search (and ten years of graduate work to get where he was), and grieving the loss of a most beloved supervisor. I am not going to lie. I anticipated that the coming year was going to be hard. Very hard.
And then, my students arrived. :) (For those of us working in higher education, they are the wind in our sails, are they not?!) Although things were very different in Baylor's Division of Student Life on the macro level, on the micro level, I experienced a year of deep satisfaction and tremendous community within the Apartments. I consider my last and final year as a hall director at Baylor University a capstone year, because it was rich and good and full of fruit that only God's grace allowed me to see. My team was incredible - truly incredible! I know that this, too, was God's mercy in a season that, at first, I honestly dreaded. My hopes for the coming year were small, and yet, God did more than I could have asked or imagined within my community!
Although fall 2012 was rich in relationship and community, spring 2013 was the darkest season Eric and I have weathered. In the entire continent of North America (!), there were fewer than ten full-time faculty or post-doctoral positions for which Eric could apply. Of those positions, there were only a few where Eric thought he actually had a chance at getting an interview. And for each position, there was a guaranteed 200 or more applicants. As interview season marched on from fall of 2012 into 2013, the prospect of getting a job for 2013 became increasingly bleak. As opportunity after opportunity began to close, it became more and more difficult not to despair. In moments of little faith, it was hard for us to make sense of ten years of graduate work, and we wondered ... "For what?" It was in these quiet, dark days that we wrestled with fear.
Now, you can only imagine our delight and sweet, sweet relief - and joy - when Eric was offered a tenure-track position at Judson College, a liberal arts women's college set in a rural Alabama community. Though it is a small institution with limited resources, it is filled with good people and steeped in traditions and Baptist heritage dating back 175 years! There is much work to be done in our very small town of Marion, Alabama, with its 3,000 inhabitants, but as a family, we are excited to commit to a community with great need. Yes, we miss Waco. We miss Baylor University, our family away from family. We miss DaySpring. We miss Waco Montessori, and Cameron Park, and at times the intensity and messy life of life in residence with college students (or, our 412 closest "friends" :)
But because of our journey, we are grateful. We view our new life in Alabama as pure gift. Grace. Eric's job has answered a number of prayers: Eleven years of apartment living is over, and we are living in our first house! (And what a house! A historic Antebellum home circa 1865!) We are no longer living below the poverty line! Eric's career is off to a good start! I am able to spend much more time with my two children! We live much closer to family! God has been faithful!
2013 has been good for Eric in more than just his getting a job. His dissertation, Revelation 21-22 in Light of Greco-Roman and Jewish Utopianism, has now been published with a major academic press! It is now available in print through Amazon or any other major book distributer, though be warned, its price is not set for mass consumption. In his new position at Judson, Eric is working very hard. This semester alone, he is teaching five brand new courses with five different preps. But he loves it, and the students love him! We have already been asked to be class sponsors! :)
I am working part-time at Judson College in the Academic Dean's Office as SACSCOC consultant. Essentially, I am assisting in the College's decennial reaffirmation for accreditation process. I am learning a ton. I am also home educating Ezra, our sweet, sweet kindergardener. I love having more time at home with my kiddos this season of life, but I also love working and continuing to develop professionally.
Ezra, who will turn six in January, has transitioned to life in Alabama quite well. He has guy friends ages 3-8 coming out of his ears. He loves our awesome new play set, having his own room, and a large yard where he likes to dig for treasures and play spy. School is a joy for him (and me). He loves reading, math, and creating art - lots of it! All Ezra wants for Christmas is anything related to Angry Birds, Legos, or Star Wars Angry Birds (a marriage made in heaven apparently).
Lizzie will be three in March and is attending a local pre-school three days a week. She is full of sas and spice and is nothing short of pure adorableness. Potty training is a recent development for her that is not happening. All Lizzie wants for Christmas are dolls and princesses - no matter how much we fight princess culture!
The move to Alabama has been good for the entire family. The kids are happier. We are happier. The home is peaceful. And we feel a sense of stability and security. We are grateful that we are better people after a very long season that tested our faith and endurance. We could not have made it without God's grace and the community and family that carried us.
Merry Christmas from the Gilchrests!
