Vapor Trail

2011-09-16: One Week

There were a few unknowns I was worried about with the decision to join the Foreign Service in 30 days.  Most of them revolved around the large assets (or liabilities if you’re a Dave Ramsey fan) related to the vehicles/house and where to live affordably in D.C.  God reminded us of his plan and basically took care of each in a way that can only honor him.

Tangible examples of God’s blessings:

Truck sold for cash in one week. 

 House rented after first showing at offer price.

The other small things like gap health insurance, work transitions, and State Department paper work have been unfolding smoothly (other than my travel orders, where are they!?!) as smaller reminders that I’m really not steering this ship and my feeble attempts at control are quite humorous to the mastermind behind all this.

We are excited, honored, nervous, joyful, fearful, and humbled by the opportunity to serve the greatest country on earth and be a constant witness to many of his unyielding grace in a fallen world. 

Thanks to all for the prayer support.

2011-09-08: 16 Days

I’ve got 16 days, 15 of those are nights.  Training starts 9/26 and I arrive in DC as early as 9/24 (still waiting on travel orders).  My boss sent out a great message today of my departure.  I’m really going to miss him and the crew at JLL: 

Matt's last day with JLL will be September 23rd. Matt has accepted a position with the Department of State as a Foreign Service Construction Engineer (FSCE). The following are some "fun facts" about Matt's new position and responsibilities:

Foreign Service Construction Engineer (FSCE) is an engineer, architect or construction manager in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations working specifically in the Office of Construction Management, responsible for monitoring contractor work on Department of State construction projects overseas. The FSCE is a member of a U.S. Government team which ensures that construction work is professionally performed according to applicable plans, specifications, schedules and standards.  Here’s a link to more details on what a FSCE does on a daily basis:  http://careers.state.gov/specialist/vacancy-announcements/ce  

Here are some interesting facts on the Department of State and OBO.  The Department of State was the first Federal agency to be created under the US Constitution ratified in 1788. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) directs the worldwide overseas building program for the Department of State’s 265 posts worldwide and the U.S. Government community serving abroad under the authority of the chiefs of mission. In concert with other State Department bureaus, foreign affairs agencies, and Congress, OBO sets worldwide priorities for the design, construction, acquisition, maintenance, use, and sale of real properties and the use of sales proceeds.  OBO’s mission is to provide more secure, safer, more functional and well-maintained facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide.  Here’s a link to properties under construction:  http://www.state.gov/obo/diplomaticproperties/dc/index.htm

I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with Matt at two different companies over the last ten years. The best way to sum up my experience with him is to quote the comments made by the FBI agent that interviewed me a couple of weeks ago as he was getting processed for his Top Secret security clearance, "candidates like Matt are extremely rare, his integrity, character, work ethic, educational and work experience is one in a million. You should be very proud to have a young man of this caliber serving us in the Department of State".

On a personal level, I'm sad that Matt is leaving JLL, he will be missed by not only by this office but his clients as well. However, I'm very excited about the incredible opportunity and adventure that lay in store for Matt and his wonderful family. Please join me in wishing Matt the very best on his departure from JLL. I will send out a time/location in the near future for us to have a drink with Matt and give him a proper JLL send off. 

We are in the process of learning how to be landlords and met with a property manager today.  We really love this house and plan to return to Texas one day. 

I’ve packed and sorted my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) and bought enough suits to get me through training.  Did you know suits are only supposed to be cleaned four times a year!

I also got my boots shined today and was chastised by Theo for my lack of attention to the custom boots Pappy had made for Marshall and me last Christmas.  He ordered me to buy a ‘boot tree’ and bring the boots back for a touch up prior to leaving. 

2011-08-30: Foreign Service Specialist

Kelly and I are excited to let you know that I have accepted an appointment to the Foreign Service as a Construction Engineer.  Training begins September 26^th in DC.  From the information we have now, we will be in DC for up to (2) years and then posted internationally off and on from that point forward.

Please join Kelly and me in prayer support over the next several weeks as we try and figure out how to pull anchor and start this adventure.  Even though God’s timing is perfect, my understanding of it hardly is.  So specifically, please ask for patience as we try to find a buyer/renter for our house in the next 30 days, a new (affordable) home in D.C., buyer for my truck, financial wisdom in planning the transition to a state/district with income taxes (and no right to carry), patience for Malosi as she prepares for a life on the move, and a constant focus on honoring Jesus in all we do. 

As St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, explained it, if I put my face up against a stained-glass window, all I would be able to see is jagged edges and broken glass.  The farther away from that window I get, the more I would see that it was spectacular.  Jagged edges are all we see now, but we know the big picture is truly spectacular.

(Romans 11:36).  “For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be glory forever. Amen.”

2011-07-28: Cats Outta the Bag

Family, well most of them, know now that we are considering Foreign Service.  I’ve yet to tell my side, which happens tomorrow.

I’m enjoying getting back into blogging and having an interesting subject to write about.  Peace Corps was always so creative and interesting thoughts naturally flowed. 

Since returning home, I haven’t really feel comfortable about exposing intimate details about Malosi, but I guess I could write about all the stuff she does in general terms.  She is quite talented. 

Work is just work and not much to interest the writing brain cells there. 

So, I guess I’m back in the saddle.  Hopefully, my blog skills come back to me soon and I can start writing in security sensitive general terms to make the experience I’m going through general enough to be publishable to the universe while meaningful to those willing to spend the time reading it!  I’m sure a disclaimer will be required soon….

2011-07-23: Security Interview

The security officer and I had a good chat at Denny’s today.  I was rather uncertain about how to dress so Kelly outfitted me with slacks and a polo shirt.  I sat down and was immediately presented a thick-rimmed coffee cup.  There is something about drinking from one of these in a breakfast themed restaurant that makes you think you’ll avoid the jitters after 6 cups.  At 7:57am I texted my investigator, who is a retired FBI agent, my whereabouts and he promptly showed up at 7:59 in a white shirt, dark slacks, and dark tie (did I mention he is a retired FBI agent?).  His first comment on arriving was the text and how his daughter is trying to get him into the new method of communication.  I let him know my father in-law texts more than anyone I know as a way of encouragement and the interview began.

2011-07-22: Hard Day

I reached a point in the security clearance process that telling my manager, Jon, was no longer avoidable.  So at 10am this morning I let him know the State Department had made me a conditional offer to build Embassies.  He took the news better than I was expecting and it was most definitely harder for me than him.  I was in this same position about two years ago when I let him know Kelly and I were joining the Peace Corps and felt horrible for letting him down once again.  I broke into tears a few times because of how great a boss he is and how rare it is to have a strong Christian in authority over you at the workplace.  He encouraged me to stay in God’s will and that he was praying for my family and me. 

The atmosphere will be different from this point forward. Despite everyone’s best intentions, I know it will be difficult to not feel left out of future planning.  Our family has made the decision after prayerful consideration to pursue this life and I’m at the point in my career where it will not be easy to turn back.  The beauty of all this is Jon reminded me that faith is all about making tough choices and if everything was crystal clear there would be no need for us to depend on God and not on ourselves.

I’ve got my interview with the investigator in the morning and then off to the in-laws to break the news.  That one will be the toughest.  My prayer is that they’ll understand the broader perspective of God’s plan and the unique opportunity this will provide for our family to grow closer to Him and utilize the gifts He’s given to honor Him.  

2011-07-19: Next Steps

I’ve done quite a bit of research over the last month.  I’ve finished the book Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America, by Shawn Dorman.  It was very thorough and thoroughly boring.  I guess it was good getting a feel for the ways of the State Department overseas but most of the stories had a dated feel (and there where no perspectives from the Construction Engineer specialist position...booo!) I’ve heard version three just came out.  Hopefully there are more post 9/11 stories in there.

I also came across a few blogs:

http://www.aafsw.org/overseas/blogs.htm (clearing house for many blogs)

http://deadmenworking.blogspot.com/2011/05/this-memorial-day-remember-diplomats.html#links  (interesting perspective on honoring civil service as well as the military)

http://foreignservicespecialist.blogspot.com/ (good, really only one I’ve found, perspective on the specialist position)

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=582047 (interesting view on tenure and politics inside the compound)

I’ve also started reading Realities of Foreign Service Life Vol 1 by Patricia Linderman and Melissa Brayer-Hess.  I’m only about half way through and so far it reads like a disgruntled house-wife blog.  Is it really a shock to FSOs and their families that they can’t find their favorite foods and shopping is a lot different outside our comfortable bubble of Middle North America.

Needless to say our Peace Corps experience has prepared us for dealing with the unexpected and unfamiliar conditions as it relates to food procurement (can anyone say Dalo/Cassava for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!).  It just appears much of what we read is flat out whining about how things are different than back home.  Don’t get me wrong, I did my fair share of complaining whilst in Fiji but tried not to see it from a better/worse viewpoint, but just different.  Unpacking the reasons why and details how it was different is the fun part.  It explains a lot about culture and the amazing depth and creativity of the human.

So, I will continue reading and try not to get too bitter about it all.  Hopefully there are more constructive descriptions and lessons learned about realities of foreign service life that will help us get better prepared for what is about to come. 

Speaking of next steps, I shipped off our medical forms today!  Kelly of course got hers done a week a head of me.  My doc forgot to ask for a cholesterol test so I had to fast and go back for more blood work late last week.  The gauntlet of requirements for medical where much more reasonable compared to Peace Corps.  Other than the strange requirement for a chest x-ray, we did much less in this round of governmental medical testing.  No dental or eye exams were required, and we didn’t have to provide a bone marrow analysis.  That bone bit was just a joke, but I do know a Peace Corps volunteer that had to do this to get in!  I often wonder who actually reviews these and what their evaluation is. I picture the red stapler guy from Office Space sitting in a basement reading reports: “Well, I see here that Mr. Jones has a 5% GGT test with a 45bgm callipered wollypop, that seems normal, approved! Next...”

After medical is security clearance which could take up to 90 days.

After all that is done, my conditional offer goes before a final review panel that determines if I’m a good guy.  If I keep my nose clean beyond this point I get a formal offer and placed in a queue for the next training class.  My ranking depends on test scores and the number of folks on the list.  So if it is just me, I’m number 1.  Woo hoo!  The waiting could last up to 18 months.  After that you get to go back to square one and start all over again.  I’ve been told that is rare, but who knows at this point.

My guess it I’ll get spotted for training next spring.  We’ll see!

2011-06-24: FSS Oral

We got back from our five day trip to DC on Wednesday.  Traveling with a four month old wasn’t as difficult as I expected.  There were several lessons learned and we feel more confident in knowing how to sync Malosi’s schedule with the travel schedule.

The main reason for our trip was my interview with the Foreign Service.  I applied in August for the position, along with about 125 other applications to miscellaneous companies across the globe, and didn’t think much of it until I got a letter about two months ago requesting my presence on June 21^st at 9am for an oral assessment and exam. 

The first step was a written test.  After this myself and another candidate were escorted back to the lobby for a short wait.  I made my way to the restroom where I encountered a man transitioning from commuter biker gear to work gear.  He seemed to be taking a paper towel bath, wiping his brow hunched over his gear bag.  I commented on the heat outside just to be friendly and break the awkward tension of walking in on a man toweling himself.  He hesitated a bit from his paper scrub down and rebutted my statement that it really wasn’t that bad.  I then quickly realized I wasn’t in Texas and friendly exchanges about the weather were not culturally appropriate (at least in the State Dept building) as they could turn into full-scale global warming debates and the impact this is having on the barometric pressure of an Artic Wales upper intestinal chamber (did I mention while in Fiji I gave the prime minister of Tuvalu a book debunking not so solid science behind the religion of man-made Global Warming?).

After the break we proceed back to the exam room for a multiple-choice test. The next step was a brief wait (through lunch) in a large open lobby with about 25 chairs, TV with CNN, and several copies of State magazine.  Surrounding the lobby were issues of a cartoon that is published on the back page of each State magazine.  I found these amazingly funny and was in tears on a couple of them.  The best part is I understood about half the punch line due to its pointed focus at insider life as a foreign service officer.  This definitely helped loosen the mood a bit and made me realize that humor would definitely be needed if I actually make it through the next steps.

Next was an interview with a FSO and FSS in my specialty. After the interview I was ushered to the waiting room again and then brought back for a review of my scores.  I was informed I passed and allowed the opportunity to ask questions.  My brain was so fried at this point I just tried to string a few complete sentences together to try and show my excitement.  I think they were pretty zonked I made it as well. 

I then had a security briefing on next steps for this process and soon found myself heading back to the hotel about 5 hours later.  I was now in possession of a conditional offer of employment from the State Department in the Foreign Service.  On my walk back to the hotel I looked at everyone with suspicion and checked for trails.  Isn’t that what James Bond would do?  Oh whatever and who knows, get me some food!

Updated Fiji Page on http://www.peacecorps.gov

Check out the video...If US newsbroadcasters could master the art of eyebrow manipulation watching the news would be much more intriguing and informative.  Don't underestimate the power of the brow!

The photo section has a ton of Kelly's amazing pics!  She's amazing!

Fun Facts on Fiji: Over 2,267 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Fiji since the program was established in 1968. Currently, 65 Volunteers are serving in Fiji. The program was briefly closed in 1998, re-opening in 2004. Volunteers in this Pacific nation work in the areas of health, business development, and environment. Volunteers are trained and work in Fijian and Hindi.

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.pacificislands&cntry=fiji#

 

US foreign aid efforts get a corporate boost - US news - Giving - msnbc.com

When IBM executive Chandu Visweswariah went to Rio de Janeiro as part of a volunteer team to help city officials plan to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, he found himself immersed in a mash-up of a corporate Peace Corps and "The Apprentice."

via www.msnbc.msn.com