I am going to try to counter one of my not-so-witty, sarcastic, and not normally so serious blogs with a serious one that will actually help people. The Lord has done a lot for my family in the past four months and I feel I need to 1.) give a testimony of the Lord's goodness and 2.) clear some unknowns up about what has happened recently.
I used to work for US Cellular as a Customer Service Help Desk Representative (Supervisor). I was on a team of about twenty people who helped out Customer Service, took escalated calls from customers, made decisions concerning customers' situations that CS could not do, etc. I was promoted March of 2005 and started with US Cellular July of 2003 (I had been there three years). I really did enjoy my job and was GOOD at it as I had saved customers thousands of dollars (literally), developed several tools that were being used by Customer Service to shorten calls and make them more accurate, among other things. Despite these things, my supervisor began making my life miserable about one month or so before I was dismissed, wanting me to add things to my position that required me to read other peoples' minds and emotions (while at my desk on the phone, literally!!).
Anyway, this went on for one month and caused much frustration. Sarah was going to tell me to quit anyway because this person was making my life miserable and stressful! I loved the job, but felt that I had to look over my shoulder for every decision I made. The company during this time implemented a Zero-Tolerance Verification Policy, which is still in enforcement. This policy caused many good people to be fired from and/or quit the call center, while leaving the ones who stayed fearing for their job security. For every customer that called into the center wishing to get information on the cellular account, that customer had to verify a certain amount of information before anything could be given...
Being a supervisor, my coach had drilled into my head during the past year that we were to make decisions outside-of-the-box, meaning outside of policy, in order to help the customer in the best way possible. In endeavoring to do this I received a call one day from a customer who was authorized on the account called for, but could not verify the last four of the social in order (this is common for authorized users). The account holder was in the hospital and could not be reached; to make things worse the account was about to be suspended for non-payment! After talking to the customer for forty-five minutes I felt it best to give the past due balance and due date on the account to alert her as to her standing and help her out. This call came up on a call my coach and I listened to and she threatened my job right there, stating it would have to be reviewed by management.
The following Monday (on a day my Coach was gone, by the way), management called me in and fired me on the spot. I had never been told previously that I could not or was not supposed to make such a decision and had never been warned about such a thing before. These people knew I had an expectant wife and daughter, that I was in college, and the I was an asset to the company, but still fired me that day, effective immediately.
I say these things to let those of you who know us to know exactly what happened on that day. As mentioned before, US Cellular has fired many good people since that day and other good people have either transferred from the center or quit to work for other companies. Oh, and one of the managers that fired me was fired within two weeks of my leaving. I have never been fired from any company before and these people hurt our family deeply...
And again I say these things to say the following that I have learned from this:
01.) The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who provides for me and mine, not Man. The Lord may use companies and people to help us, but they are the tools, not the Carpenter. I believe I forgot this working for USCC and am glad to have learned this.
02.) US Cellular may "Connect with you" the customer, but not "you" the employee. You are expendable in so many ways no matter what position you may be in. I am trying to get away from this company and never be associated with them again.
03.) The Lord uses the just and the unjust in His Grand Design. It was the Lord who removed me from US Cellular, because He had things to teach us that could not be best accomplished at the call center. As hurtful as it was for man to reject me, it is good to realize that it is God who was trying to draw us closer to Himself.
04.) Faith is an every day occurance, not something to be used occasionally. If you are not in the place where you have to have faith in God for something every day of your life, I pity you. The faith life is a life of adventure and excitement, knowing that God is bound to supply for you and yours or else He ceases to be God and Lord by His own doing. God has never failed us and never will!
05.) Jesus takes our burdens upon Himself to make ours more bearable. If I did not have a Savior to pray to and give my burdens to, I would be sitting in a corner whimpering somewhere with my family in rags, debt and despair. Praise the Lord that Jesus takes our burdens and supplies our needs!!
06.) Prayer is an everyday necessity for daily sustenance. I have to pray to the Lord several times per hour of every day for provision in my line of work for the funds to meet our needs. By all odds and statistics we should not be able to exist in our current state, but we are SAVING money!! And I am making very close to what I was making at USCC! It is only by God's provision. By prayer to the Lord and reminding Him of His responsibilities to provide for us and quoting Scripture, He encourages and strengthens me and mine.
07.) Proverbs 3:5-6 is to be lived, not ignored. This is my life verse and our family's verse. We are to trust the Lord with ALL our hearts, not just part. I fail in this every day in my faithlessness and questioning (Lord forgive me), but in this verse is strength. We are not to EVER lean on our own understanding (look at the above and present circumstances and try to understand). We must learn to acknowledge the Lord in all we do, in good time and bad, and then He will direct our paths. God is doing that, praise His Holy Name!
In closing, I want to say this. I am far more happier at Cracker Barrel as a server than I was at US Cellular. I am in better shape, feel better, and look forward to going to work each day! Management works with me, is competent, and knows that I was fired from US Cellular for strange reasons. People know that I am a believer in Christ at work, respect that, and respect my decisions. The Lord is teaching me to deal with problems and talk to people face to face now, rather than over the phone. The skills I learn now are helping train me further for the ministry! I love my job, know that it is not my career, and know that God has me and my family in His training camp. When He deems us ready and fit for His work, then and only then will we leave Knoxville, Cracker Barrel, wherever. In the future I will be giving the Bread of Life to others while I serve biscuits and cornbread now. What better way to train to be a servant of the people in the work of the Lord than to serve others in the work of food?
Monday, September 25, 2006
But Seriously...
I am going to try to counter one of my not-so-witty, sarcastic, and not normally so serious blogs with a serious one that will actually help people. The Lord has done a lot for my family in the past four months and I feel I need to 1.) give a testimony of the Lord's goodness and 2.) clear some unknowns up about what has happened recently.
I used to work for US Cellular as a Customer Service Help Desk Representative (Supervisor). I was on a team of about twenty people who helped out Customer Service, took escalated calls from customers, made decisions concerning customers' situations that CS could not do, etc. I was promoted March of 2005 and started with US Cellular July of 2003 (I had been there three years). I really did enjoy my job and was GOOD at it as I had saved customers thousands of dollars (literally), developed several tools that were being used by Customer Service to shorten calls and make them more accurate, among other things. Despite these things, my supervisor began making my life miserable about one month or so before I was dismissed, wanting me to add things to my position that required me to read other peoples' minds and emotions (while at my desk on the phone, literally!!).
Anyway, this went on for one month and caused much frustration. Sarah was going to tell me to quit anyway because this person was making my life miserable and stressful! I loved the job, but felt that I had to look over my shoulder for every decision I made. The company during this time implemented a Zero-Tolerance Verification Policy, which is still in enforcement. This policy caused many good people to be fired from and/or quit the call center, while leaving the ones who stayed fearing for their job security. For every customer that called into the center wishing to get information on the cellular account, that customer had to verify a certain amount of information before anything could be given...
Being a supervisor, my coach had drilled into my head during the past year that we were to make decisions outside-of-the-box, meaning outside of policy, in order to help the customer in the best way possible. In endeavoring to do this I received a call one day from a customer who was authorized on the account called for, but could not verify the last four of the social in order (this is common for authorized users). The account holder was in the hospital and could not be reached; to make things worse the account was about to be suspended for non-payment! After talking to the customer for forty-five minutes I felt it best to give the past due balance and due date on the account to alert her as to her standing and help her out. This call came up on a call my coach and I listened to and she threatened my job right there, stating it would have to be reviewed by management.
The following Monday (on a day my Coach was gone, by the way), management called me in and fired me on the spot. I had never been told previously that I could not or was not supposed to make such a decision and had never been warned about such a thing before. These people knew I had an expectant wife and daughter, that I was in college, and the I was an asset to the company, but still fired me that day, effective immediately.
I say these things to let those of you who know us to know exactly what happened on that day. As mentioned before, US Cellular has fired many good people since that day and other good people have either transferred from the center or quit to work for other companies. Oh, and one of the managers that fired me was fired within two weeks of my leaving. I have never been fired from any company before and these people hurt our family deeply...
And again I say these things to say the following that I have learned from this:
01.) The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who provides for me and mine, not Man. The Lord may use companies and people to help us, but they are the tools, not the Carpenter. I believe I forgot this working for USCC and am glad to have learned this.
02.) US Cellular may "Connect with you" the customer, but not "you" the employee. You are expendable in so many ways no matter what position you may be in. I am trying to get away from this company and never be associated with them again.
03.) The Lord uses the just and the unjust in His Grand Design. It was the Lord who removed me from US Cellular, because He had things to teach us that could not be best accomplished at the call center. As hurtful as it was for man to reject me, it is good to realize that it is God who was trying to draw us closer to Himself.
04.) Faith is an every day occurance, not something to be used occasionally. If you are not in the place where you have to have faith in God for something every day of your life, I pity you. The faith life is a life of adventure and excitement, knowing that God is bound to supply for you and yours or else He ceases to be God and Lord by His own doing. God has never failed us and never will!
05.) Jesus takes our burdens upon Himself to make ours more bearable. If I did not have a Savior to pray to and give my burdens to, I would be sitting in a corner whimpering somewhere with my family in rags, debt and despair. Praise the Lord that Jesus takes our burdens and supplies our needs!!
06.) Prayer is an everyday necessity for daily sustenance. I have to pray to the Lord several times per hour of every day for provision in my line of work for the funds to meet our needs. By all odds and statistics we should not be able to exist in our current state, but we are SAVING money!! And I am making very close to what I was making at USCC! It is only by God's provision. By prayer to the Lord and reminding Him of His responsibilities to provide for us and quoting Scripture, He encourages and strengthens me and mine.
07.) Proverbs 3:5-6 is to be lived, not ignored. This is my life verse and our family's verse. We are to trust the Lord with ALL our hearts, not just part. I fail in this every day in my faithlessness and questioning (Lord forgive me), but in this verse is strength. We are not to EVER lean on our own understanding (look at the above and present circumstances and try to understand). We must learn to acknowledge the Lord in all we do, in good time and bad, and then He will direct our paths. God is doing that, praise His Holy Name!
In closing, I want to say this. I am far more happier at Cracker Barrel as a server than I was at US Cellular. I am in better shape, feel better, and look forward to going to work each day! Management works with me, is competent, and knows that I was fired from US Cellular for strange reasons. People know that I am a believer in Christ at work, respect that, and respect my decisions. The Lord is teaching me to deal with problems and talk to people face to face now, rather than over the phone. The skills I learn now are helping train me further for the ministry! I love my job, know that it is not my career, and know that God has me and my family in His training camp. When He deems us ready and fit for His work, then and only then will we leave Knoxville, Cracker Barrel, wherever. In the future I will be giving the Bread of Life to others while I serve biscuits and cornbread now. What better way to train to be a servant of the people in the work of the Lord than to serve others in the work of food?
I used to work for US Cellular as a Customer Service Help Desk Representative (Supervisor). I was on a team of about twenty people who helped out Customer Service, took escalated calls from customers, made decisions concerning customers' situations that CS could not do, etc. I was promoted March of 2005 and started with US Cellular July of 2003 (I had been there three years). I really did enjoy my job and was GOOD at it as I had saved customers thousands of dollars (literally), developed several tools that were being used by Customer Service to shorten calls and make them more accurate, among other things. Despite these things, my supervisor began making my life miserable about one month or so before I was dismissed, wanting me to add things to my position that required me to read other peoples' minds and emotions (while at my desk on the phone, literally!!).
Anyway, this went on for one month and caused much frustration. Sarah was going to tell me to quit anyway because this person was making my life miserable and stressful! I loved the job, but felt that I had to look over my shoulder for every decision I made. The company during this time implemented a Zero-Tolerance Verification Policy, which is still in enforcement. This policy caused many good people to be fired from and/or quit the call center, while leaving the ones who stayed fearing for their job security. For every customer that called into the center wishing to get information on the cellular account, that customer had to verify a certain amount of information before anything could be given...
Being a supervisor, my coach had drilled into my head during the past year that we were to make decisions outside-of-the-box, meaning outside of policy, in order to help the customer in the best way possible. In endeavoring to do this I received a call one day from a customer who was authorized on the account called for, but could not verify the last four of the social in order (this is common for authorized users). The account holder was in the hospital and could not be reached; to make things worse the account was about to be suspended for non-payment! After talking to the customer for forty-five minutes I felt it best to give the past due balance and due date on the account to alert her as to her standing and help her out. This call came up on a call my coach and I listened to and she threatened my job right there, stating it would have to be reviewed by management.
The following Monday (on a day my Coach was gone, by the way), management called me in and fired me on the spot. I had never been told previously that I could not or was not supposed to make such a decision and had never been warned about such a thing before. These people knew I had an expectant wife and daughter, that I was in college, and the I was an asset to the company, but still fired me that day, effective immediately.
I say these things to let those of you who know us to know exactly what happened on that day. As mentioned before, US Cellular has fired many good people since that day and other good people have either transferred from the center or quit to work for other companies. Oh, and one of the managers that fired me was fired within two weeks of my leaving. I have never been fired from any company before and these people hurt our family deeply...
And again I say these things to say the following that I have learned from this:
01.) The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who provides for me and mine, not Man. The Lord may use companies and people to help us, but they are the tools, not the Carpenter. I believe I forgot this working for USCC and am glad to have learned this.
02.) US Cellular may "Connect with you" the customer, but not "you" the employee. You are expendable in so many ways no matter what position you may be in. I am trying to get away from this company and never be associated with them again.
03.) The Lord uses the just and the unjust in His Grand Design. It was the Lord who removed me from US Cellular, because He had things to teach us that could not be best accomplished at the call center. As hurtful as it was for man to reject me, it is good to realize that it is God who was trying to draw us closer to Himself.
04.) Faith is an every day occurance, not something to be used occasionally. If you are not in the place where you have to have faith in God for something every day of your life, I pity you. The faith life is a life of adventure and excitement, knowing that God is bound to supply for you and yours or else He ceases to be God and Lord by His own doing. God has never failed us and never will!
05.) Jesus takes our burdens upon Himself to make ours more bearable. If I did not have a Savior to pray to and give my burdens to, I would be sitting in a corner whimpering somewhere with my family in rags, debt and despair. Praise the Lord that Jesus takes our burdens and supplies our needs!!
06.) Prayer is an everyday necessity for daily sustenance. I have to pray to the Lord several times per hour of every day for provision in my line of work for the funds to meet our needs. By all odds and statistics we should not be able to exist in our current state, but we are SAVING money!! And I am making very close to what I was making at USCC! It is only by God's provision. By prayer to the Lord and reminding Him of His responsibilities to provide for us and quoting Scripture, He encourages and strengthens me and mine.
07.) Proverbs 3:5-6 is to be lived, not ignored. This is my life verse and our family's verse. We are to trust the Lord with ALL our hearts, not just part. I fail in this every day in my faithlessness and questioning (Lord forgive me), but in this verse is strength. We are not to EVER lean on our own understanding (look at the above and present circumstances and try to understand). We must learn to acknowledge the Lord in all we do, in good time and bad, and then He will direct our paths. God is doing that, praise His Holy Name!
In closing, I want to say this. I am far more happier at Cracker Barrel as a server than I was at US Cellular. I am in better shape, feel better, and look forward to going to work each day! Management works with me, is competent, and knows that I was fired from US Cellular for strange reasons. People know that I am a believer in Christ at work, respect that, and respect my decisions. The Lord is teaching me to deal with problems and talk to people face to face now, rather than over the phone. The skills I learn now are helping train me further for the ministry! I love my job, know that it is not my career, and know that God has me and my family in His training camp. When He deems us ready and fit for His work, then and only then will we leave Knoxville, Cracker Barrel, wherever. In the future I will be giving the Bread of Life to others while I serve biscuits and cornbread now. What better way to train to be a servant of the people in the work of the Lord than to serve others in the work of food?
Two Months, Twenty-Nine Days...
Two hours, five minutes, and seven seconds until Christmas! Yes, that wonderful, cheery time of the year is almost upon us again when families and friends exchange gifts, food, and goodwill. Are you ready, or are you going to wait until fifty seconds before Christmas Day to do your shopping (we take gift cards, cash, check, and major credit cards)??
Seriously, sorry about the lack of posts. I have been busy regulating my work schedule and have been in between work, family, and sleep. Jimmy is doing great, is three weeks old, and is almost sleeping through the night! It is a blessing to have two children. I never thought I would ever have such a blessing in my life, but am very thankful to have the two God has given us! Phoebe is learning more and more each day and is a great help to both of us. I have never seen a two year old who helps with trash, dishes, clothes, and cleaning as she does. The Lord has truly blessed us in so many ways!
Sarah's parents are coming down Saturday to visit and see the kids. It will be good to see them as they live in New Hampshire and we get to see them once every year or so, if that...They are going to stay for a few days and we are going to dedicate Jimmy at church while they're here.
...and remember, only three months until Christmas!
Seriously, sorry about the lack of posts. I have been busy regulating my work schedule and have been in between work, family, and sleep. Jimmy is doing great, is three weeks old, and is almost sleeping through the night! It is a blessing to have two children. I never thought I would ever have such a blessing in my life, but am very thankful to have the two God has given us! Phoebe is learning more and more each day and is a great help to both of us. I have never seen a two year old who helps with trash, dishes, clothes, and cleaning as she does. The Lord has truly blessed us in so many ways!
Sarah's parents are coming down Saturday to visit and see the kids. It will be good to see them as they live in New Hampshire and we get to see them once every year or so, if that...They are going to stay for a few days and we are going to dedicate Jimmy at church while they're here.
...and remember, only three months until Christmas!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Got His Nights Regulated!
Last night Jimmy finally got his nights regulated! The thing is waking him up now, but when he is hungry enough, he has no problem doing that. Today was the Knoxville Remembers gathering hosted by Temple, which was held in Market Square of Knoxville, TN. We should never forget the atrocities of 09/11 and hold our freedom dear as it may one day vanish. We must endeavor to support our President and troops as they fight terror at home and abroad and pray for wisdom and safety. The world became a more dangerous place to live five years ago and will never be the same...even so come Lord Jesus...
Sleeping, of which babies do a lot...
Sleeping, of which babies do a lot...Saturday, September 09, 2006
Sleeping Through The Night (Well, Kind Of)
After a few sleepless nights, we have finally kind of gotten Jimmy regulated through the night. He has his nights and days mixed up a little and is learning that darkness means nighttime, not cry-until-mommy or daddy-gets-me-time! He is getting used to it. Thank you for your prayers, letters, and calls as we need them very much! God is helping us get used to two kids and now I know what Mom and Dad went through with me and Justin (I am so sorry, Mom and Dad)!! No, really, both children are a blessing (and challenge). Today was Stephanie Bussard, Naomi Chamberland, and Great-Grandpa McMaster's birthdays, of whom we want to wish a happy birthday (they are not all the same age). I am teaching Sunday School again tomorrow, as I am now the Sunday School leader for our table. It is a challenge, but I really enjoy it, since the Lord is giving me many ideas we can implement as a group and I get to teach consistently!!! The Lord is very good to us and continues to be as we follow Him. Until tomorrow...
Happy Birthday!!
My Mom, Stephanie and our newborn, JimmyI would like to say happy birthday to my mother, Stephanie. She has been a great mother to me and Justin through the years and deserves a medal just for putting up with us at all! My mother has grown greatly in the Lord over the past twenty-four years of my life and I am thankful for her guidance and support. She looks like she is twenty-something, but has three grandchildren and a cat to put up with! She also works in medical billing (just got her degree) and has worked in everything from sewing to Fanny Farmer to, well, medical billing! We love you, Mom, and just want to you know we are proud of you!
Friday, September 08, 2006
First Day Back To Work...
After a brief vacation I went back to work today. I really did not know how much I missed being at Cracker Barrel until I got there and started back into the swing of things. God really provides for us through this company and I am thankful for the funds and friends I have (and am gaining) there. Sarah also did well with her first day on her own with two kids. Phoebe has some adjusting to do as she is just now figuring out that the baby is not going home! Things will get better with time, of course. No new pics today, as things have been a bit busy with taking the baby to the doctor and working eight hours...
Thursday, September 07, 2006
First Day Home...
After a loooooong night, Jimmy had his first full day at home. He is doing very well and we are learning how he eats, sleeps, and sleeps some more! Tonight should be much better and he has his first doctor's appointment tomorrow (sarcastic "yay!"). I also get back to work tomorrow after taking three days off (off???). Anyway, here are some pics I took today, hope you enjoy them!
Right before going home...
In his cradle...
Momma and baby are both tired...Wednesday, September 06, 2006
We're Home!
After one night and less than 48 hours in the hospital, Jimmy, Sarah, and family are home! We came home at 6pm today with all doing well, praise the Lord! Jimmy had his bottle tonight and we are getting ready to go to bed ourselves, knowing that it will not be long until he is hungry again... No pics this time as we are all exhausted and need sleep... Thanks for looking though!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Finally...
Praise the Lord! That is all I have to say. As of 2:52pm today, a new addition has been officially added to the Bussard clan. James Elisha Bussard was born naturally with no complications weighing 8lbs 6oz and measuring 22in long. God blessed us with a miraculously short and easy labor (as far as labor goes). Both mother and baby are doing well, while Phoebe absolutely adores him. He has red hair and blue eyes and already enjoys his pacifier. Please enjoy the following pictures and thank you greatly for your continued prayers!
James, Sarah and Little Jimmy
Mother and Baby
Mother and Baby Part II
Isn't he so cute?!?
Dialated 10 cm and doing great!
James, Sarah and Little Jimmy
Mother and Baby
Mother and Baby Part II
Isn't he so cute?!?
Dialated 10 cm and doing great!Monday, September 04, 2006
We're Goin' In...
At 5:30am tomorrow we are going in to have this baby (unless he decides to come tonight...typical Bussard stubbornness). We appreciate your prayers for Sarah and that baby as the labor occurs tomorrow and know that the Lord is with us. Mom and Dad will be watching Phoebe, who will soon have a little brother! Again, thank you very much for your prayers as we will need them...
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Three Days To Go...
Will she go today, tomorrow, Monday? When? That is the big question in the Bussard household right now. We are praying that the baby comes before the big Tuesday deadline, but if he does not, we are going to force that stubborn child out into this world anyway! Sarah had her last pre-natel visit yesterday and Jimmy is still doing great, thankfully! We appreciate your prayers in these last few days as we prepare for the new arrival and anticipate great things from the Lord as He works in our lives...stay tuned, you will be getting a phone call soon...
Star Wars Poster
...And remember, only YOU can keep the Galaxy a safe place to live!(This was so funny that I just had to post it)
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