One year ago, I was a part-time
Childcare Specialist at Jill's House, but for the last 6 months or so, I have
been full time. There have been both blessings and struggles (which are
ultimately blessings) in becoming full-time, though I think that is the case
with any transition. First-off, doing the job that I do full-time is an all
around exhausting affair, mentally, physically, and spiritually. There
certainly have been days where my patience has worn thin, my heart and mind
have grown weary, and the monotony of it all has just gotten to me. In the
summer most of my hours come from the 8-4 camp days, meaning I leave my house
at 6:15am and get home after 5:30pm, which the traffic just adds to the mental
strain of it all (though having evenings is extremely nice). During the school
year, though the traffic is lighter, the shift schedule can be wearisome,
whether that being a 12 hour double or working the 1-9 just to return at 6am
the next morning (or sometimes both). And while there are tremendous upsides to
working for an Organization based on Christian principles that has a very godly
purpose, (which I will get to into in s second), sometimes the Christianity of
it all can actually create the struggles. Yes, there are weeks when you need to
make sacrifices, taking on extra shifts to fill the child to staff disparity,
happily coming in on a moments notice to cover for a fellow staff-member who
has called out, or working a shift you probably shouldn't be because of your
own health, etc. But it is when those sacrifices have become the norm and the
expectation, to the point where there is a shaming of the workers who don't
make them every single time it is asked of them, all under the so called banner
of loving these kids, that you create the burn-out and high turnover culture we
have here at JH, both on the CCS and corporate side of things. One set of
biblical principles: mainly service and sacrifice, have been propelled above
another: rest, humility, faithfulness, longevity. And how ironic that a
place designed to give and provide rest doesn’t understand the importance of it
for it’s own employees.
With all of that said, the blessings of working here far
outweigh the difficulties. First of all, to even work at Jill’s House, you
have to at least nominally be a Christian, and have some idea of how your faith
impacts the work you do. Within that we have a devotion and time of prayer
before each shift, and conversations about faith with your peers are the norm,
which is a very different picture from the typical work environment. Another
aspect of that is the wonderful relationships I have been able to build. I go
to a church that averages maybe 75 people, and I can count on one hand the number
of people there who are in their mid twenties and single. Jill’s House helps me
to have fellowship with those my own age. Second, the intentions of Jill’s
House are ones worth fighting for, to provide rest for parents of kids with
special needs by loving there kids with the love of Christ through overnight
and daytime respite care, and pointing both the kids and their families to the
one in whom eternal rest can be found all for His glory. This is the biggest reason
why I love Jill’s House, for what we do and why we do it, despite how tiring it
can be. Third, and I've said this one many times before, I have always told be people that no matter what I do, I want to
love God by loving people, and for the time being, this is very much my literal
job. How cool is it that I am paid to love these kids? Fourth, not only do I
have like minded coworkers and can find encouragement that way, but these kids
point me to Christ all of the time. They have taught me about patience,
passion, finding joy in the small things, righteous anger, compassion, and many
other things.
Jill’s House is an incredibly special place, and God has
definitely used it to grow me over the last year (and really since the day I
started). I am grateful for what He has already done in my life through this
place, and am excited about what He is going to do in the time I have left, however
long that may be. As always, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you
were able to find it profitable in some way.
