Telling Me Where to Go

For over a month now, I’ve been looking forward to the day when I will walk to the front of the Concordia Seminary chapel and, in front of my friends and family and fellow seminarians, and I will hear the announcement of what was as close to my dream job as I had ever been offered:

“Jedidiah Maschke
Pacific Southwest District
Lutheran High School of Orange County
Orange, California”

Well, the day had come. As I was standing around with all the other candidates and realizing that I was much more nervous than I thought I would be. What if they had given me some sort of call to somewhere I would never have thought of going? I guess that would be OK, wherever I go that’s where God wants me to be. So why are my hands shaking and my chest heavy?

I managed to survive the opening hymn and the Bible verses and even the sermon wasn’t too long, and before long I was standing there ready to hear those words I had so longed to hear. In the back of the chapel, Anna raised the camera to catch my reaction. I heard my name announced:

“Jedidiah Maschke
Michigan—“

The camera dropped, as did my jaw, and in that very instant the thought ran through my head: “Well, if it’s Michigan, I guess it’s got to be something special, a nice little church there…wait. Me? In a nice little church?” But before I could think any thing else, the voice continued:

“--Southwest District
Lutheran High School of Orange County
Orange, California”

I was so in shock that I didn’t know what to do, besides go and shake the hands, get my call packet, and stumble back to my seat with a very confused look on my face. I hadn’t misheard. People as far away as Texas heard “Michigan.” (Ok, they were listening on the live webcast.) I realized that I had received the call I had wanted and prayed for. I also realized that I was the first person ever to get a call to the “new” Michigan Southwest District, and I had to be pretty special for them to create a district just for me. I got my pictures taken with the Pacific Southwest District people, but just to make it official, I am declaring myself the president of the Michigan Southwest District. Just so you know.

Anna has her second interview, with Abiding Savior in Lake Forest, coming up later tonight. She’s already interviewed at Hephatha Lutheran School in Anaheim (Hills), and she’s been contacted by Immanuel in Orange also. We’re praying that the right decision be made regarding her job now, and also for a smooth transition for me. Any prayers you would offer would also be much appreciated.

Right now, it looks like I’ll be taking off after my summer CPE unit, so I’ll be working the chaplain job until mid-August. Trips to Wisconsin will be frequent but brief…I’ll be up for Nate’s graduation and the State track meet, sometime in July probably for my ordination, and then the first weekend in August for Ben’s and Jen’s wedding. Then it’s out west! Things will be pretty busy for a while now, but I thought you all should know what’s happening.