“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not
know I will guide them and I will make darkness into light before them and
rugged places into plains. These are the
things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.” (Ia. 32:16).
Hey Gang: In my 50 years, since God called me and my
family to sell all that we had and move to Michigan and wait for further orders
from the Throne Room of Heaven, I have wanted to- even tried on several
occasions- to write a short version of what led the Hainley family to quit
their jobs, sell their house, move their family across country when, for all
apparent reasons, there was nothing at the other end of the journey that would
provide for our needs.
Tried, but I found the task
impossible. The story had too many side
trips and soon turned into an epistle I feared no one would read. So, it has laid on the back burner of my mind
for many years.
Then one day I felt that
tug in my heart to share ,not what I did but the things God did through
me.
The message received was to be one
of not how much talent and ability I had, for I had very little, but rather
when we make ourselves available to God’s leading and commit to allowing Him to
use us wherever He chooses, we are able to do far greater things than we ever
dreamed we could do.
I could title chapter one of this
narrative “Don’t Get Too Comfortable”.
When I did a quick review of how I arrived at the door of becoming, as
my wife said many times “The unemployed director of a non-existent boy’s home”,
I found there had been plateaus in my life when God told me, “Don’t get to comfortable” I have other
things for you to do.
As an Air Traffic Controller in the
Air Force, I found a nitch that really rang my bell. For the first time in my life I found
something that I was very good at and I liked the discipline of being part of
our nations protection system. I had
made up my mind to accept the Air Force offer of moving up in rank, if I
re-enlisted for four more years. It was
settled, right? Oh, by the way, during the
Air Force years I married the love of my life who later presented me with a son-
so my planning now included three.
A day or so before I was to sign
the papers for the re-enlistment there was no question that was not God’s plan
and that door was closed. But I had
gained a skill in the Air Force that was in demand in the civilian world, the
Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) was looking for military-trained controllers that
they could retrain into civil controllers. Once again I had found my
niche. I liked the opportunities
provided by the government and was moving up the ladder with each passing year.
Settled right for life, right? Wrong! There was that voice again, “Don’t get too comfortable”, I have other
things for you to do! At that time the
Pittsburgh Control Center was being merged with the Cleveland, Ohio Control
Center and the Pitt controllers would have been at the bottom of the totem pole;
that was my message to cut and run. Oh,
by the way, while in Pittsburgh my bride presented me with my second child.
Prior to enlisting in the Air Force
there is a side story; I had received my
draft notice the week before and knew, if I did not open it, I could enlist in
any of the services I wanted to serve my time.
My brother happened to be a pilot in the Air Force and made a very
strong pitch for me to choose the Air Force.
Many thought it strange that I choose the Air Force for four years when
I could have allowed the draft to fill my obligation in two years.
Oh, I forgot to mention, prior to
my enlisting in the Air Force I had successfully flunked out of college three
times. The dean called me in one day and
informed me that at the rate I was progressing it would take me seventeen years
to graduate. He also suggested that I
take a hike until I became more serious about what I wanted to do with my
life. Uncle Sam helped me with that
process.
Upon leaving the FAA ,I chose to
finish my college; my bride, became our main bread winner. I, too, added to feeding the family- which consisted
of four plus one on the hanger deck.. An
interested side road to this part of the story, we lived in a mobile home
during this time and my bride, who was very pregnant, provided high school
tutoring services for ten young lassies who were with child. The old gentlemen of the park had a tendency
to look at me with a jaundiced eye until we let them know our sole service was
restricted to the girl’s education.
Graduation day arrived! After received my diploma I informed the Dean,
who had suggested I get lost until I grew up, that it didn’t take me seventeen
years- only twelve to finish. It was now time to get very serious about what
our future plans should entail; not only
did I gain a college diploma, in that two-year period, but two additional
mouths to feed. We were now a family of
six.
One might say we were up to our arm
pits in alligators during this time. No
job, no home, so we began to look for the next open door that God wanted us to
go through. Off to California we shall
go!
Stay tuned – there is a point to
this story that might impact you!
Blessings,
Gramps
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