Leah’s Scotland Blog

 I have been working at a biotech company called Invitrogen for three and a half years.  Today, I gave my notice that April 13th will be my last day. Why, you might ask, would a person who had spent the last 10 years pursuing a career in chemistry/biochemistry (since 8th grade), working at a company where she had received raises, promotions, accolades, and awesome placements in foreign countries, decide to quit. The answer, God has a different purpose for me and I am going to answer His call. 

If you know me or read my first blog you know that my company in Madison, WI sent me to work in Glasgow, Scotland for a year.  Well, during that year I got involved in Regarding Hope Next Generation Church (Re:Hope, www.rehope.co.uk). Over the next few months God impressed on my heart His plan for me to dedicate my life to Him by leaving my job at the biotech company and becoming a missionary by going on staff for the church. 

So that is what I am doing this April when my commitment to the Scotland site ends and I would have been going back to Madison.The plan was that I would call up my boss back in the states in March and give my one month notice.  This was for two reasons, first it gave me a safety net so that if I hadn’t raised enough support I could wait on quitting and go back to the states for a few months to work and finish raising support.  Second, it wouldn’t give my boss a chance to let me go early before I had any support (I don’t believe she would have done this, but it would be her right). I have been praying this last week.  “God, here’s the plan, let me know if I am supposed to be doing it another way”. 

Well, this week I have been in the states on a visit.  And I have been in at work the last three days.  I was just going to skirt around the issue while there, but God impressed on me that I should give my notice today.  That this is a journey of faith that He is taking me on and my ill-conceived safety nets can become barriers. 

So, after a lot of prayer and swallowing down the butterflies, I met with my boss this afternoon.  It was awesome.  She was incredibly happy for me that I was following my passion.  We even talked about churches and my faith for a little bit.  She wants me to finish out my commitment in Scotland through April and told me that as long as she was at the company I would have a job available to me (I don’t think that will happen, but nice to know she thinks so highly of me).

Amazing! I was saved almost two months of dread and I could tell she respected me for being straight-forward with her. May I always have to faith to allow God to direct my path.