I am writing this from the encouragement of my friend Amanda, who said she enjoyed my writing while in Haiti and suggested I start up again, and seeing as God continues to work even post Haiti, I shall do so. For those who aren’t aware of my going ons since I returned, let’s start with that. Upon my return to Tennessee, I began to earnestly look for work. Unfortunately, I was unable to find work. There were definitely a couple of moments of “God, I gave up half a year to serve you in Haiti…throw me a freakin’ bone.” And of course, that never takes the shape of what you think it will. A friend of mine, David (Amanda’s husband), worked for Capital One in Richmond, VA, and suggested a couple of positions I might qualify for. I applied, got a phone interview and was told “we’re really interested in you for one of the positions….but you need to come in for an interview.” Well, crap. I can’t afford to go out for an interview without a guarantee. No money for a plane ticket. No money for gas for a car. Heck, no car. Got rid of mine before Haiti because I simply couldn’t afford it. So I wrestled with/prayed about what to do and finally felt a peace to just move. Now, of course, there still presents the “how do I get there?” And once again, God provides. My friend Ash travels a lot for work and has tons of airline miles. He cashed them in for a one-way on Southwest to Norfolk, VA, where I was able to be picked up by Dave and Amanda and taken the appr 90 minutes back to Richmond. Now, I know what you’re thinking (or maybe you weren’t really thinking it, but work with me here…), “Getting there is fine and dandy. Where are you gonna live? How are you gonna get to a job if you get one?” Well, it just so happened that David’s parents have a basement apartment that they would allow me to live in and get settled rent free. And a spare vehicle I can use (just gotta put gas in it). Isn’t God amazing? Yeah, I thought so, too. So on August 24, I flew out to Virginia, had an interview August 26, got hired and started September 20. In the mean time, I found some temp work with a moving company. Things definitely were looking up.
I just finished my second week at Capital One. The company seems great to work for and I am thankful for the job. Even more thankful for 4 paid weeks of vacation each year. This will allow me to visit my family and friends in Tennessee multiple times and also will allow 1, maybe 2 weeks in Haiti in 2011. The time I spent there awakened something inside me. I have always been the guy who bent over backwards to help others. And loved doing it. It’s who I am. So spending 3 months being able to serve others was amazing. I know for sure that God isn’t done with me serving. For not ever considering myself a missionary, I can legitimately see myself doing it full time eventually. It’s exciting and daunting at the same time. Those three months in Haiti changed me. In a good way. I’ll have more thoughts on that soon, but for now it’s time for dinner, so I will have to come back (you all know how I am with food….)
BenHoleton.com 
Love & miss you!