Mitch's Conundrum

So, to sum up a long story that has finally reached a conclusion after several weeks, let me record the following:

Mitch works for a company that wins contracts with the government (i.e. the air force to design/build/maintain missiles) that typically last 5 to 10 years. If they don't win contracts, they don't have work. The big contract that they have in our state was ending and, considering his company has managed the work here since the 1950s, Mitch figured it was a no-brainer that his company would win the new contract. Well, for once in our married life, Mitch was wrong. (Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but he's really rarely wrong. About anything. Sometimes this drives me nuts, but that's another story for another day.) They lost the contract.

Rumors went flying. Everyone expected this new company to offer them jobs with a pay cut. Mitch ended up applying anyways. He didn't hear anything from them for two weeks after interviewing. During those two weeks his current employer gave him a 5% raise, a promotion, and a large bonus if he is still working there in one year from now (they had heard he had applied for the new company and wanted him to stay).

Two weeks later and Mitch finally hears back from the new company. They offered him another 5% raise and a promotion to a management position. At this point we had a big decision to make. We prayed our little hearts out and did not feel that either option was good or bad. This went on for several days. We tried to go to the temple to think about it some more, but when we showed up at noon on a Saturday the temple was closed! Grrrrr! (It was the General Relief Society Meeting that evening, which I even went to, but did not think the temple would close so early that day!)

Anyways, eventually Mitch declined the offer from the new company. So they came back and offered him a very large sign on bonus on top of everything else. I'm not going to lie, but when I heard the number all I could think of was a new kitchen table. Only this could have bought us a lot of kitchen tables. Ha, ha. So, Mitch went and told his current employer, who then doubled the bonus they will give him if he is still there in one year from now. Basically it turned into a bidding war over Mitch's employment.

We talked in circles again that night. Mitch was SO torn. He is very loyal to his company, they have been nothing but good to him, and they value him and his hard work. And Mitch is really going places there. I swear he's going to run the place someday. The other company offers very little (pretty much none) room to advance, their health insurance is more than double what we pay now, and they do not offer bonuses. They also wanted him to hire six employees to work under him for a very low income and Mitch was worried that he would have a hard time hiring people at that salary.

We made a list of pros and cons. Not just any pros and cons list though. Oh no. That would not be good enough for my rocket scientist, engineer hubby. Let's just say this list involved addition and multiplication. Ha, ha! The list said Mitch should stay. I said Mitch should stay. Mitch's gut said he should stay. At one point I actually put my hands on Mitch's shoulders, looked him square in the face, and told him I thought he should stay. He said he thought so too.

The next day at work he declined the position with the new company again. Man, it was a whirlwind of emotions. But we both feel so good about it and know that we made the right decision to have him stay where he is. It always amazes me how we can pray and pray for an answer, but the answer doesn't come until after we take a step forward into the darkness. Somehow showing our faith and stepping forward brings the peace that we were searching for all along. And who would have thought that Mitch applying for a different job would grant him a promotion, a raise, and a large bonus next year? Also, Mitch got his job with his company in the first place because he was a pro at Microsoft Access, which he learned as an office elder on his mission. And now that knowledge he gained on his mission lead to his job and has brought us here to our blessed lives. Pretty crazy the way things always work out. This was a really good reminder to me that Heavenly Father always blesses us when we try our best and are obedient to His commandments. I am so thankful for my husband's hard work and the blessings our Heavenly Father has granted us as a result.