Through It All

"We went through the fire and through water, but you brought us out into a fruitful place."

 Psalm 66:12. 

I started my job at Enbridge June 2nd, 2014. I still remember my cubicle on the 17th floor of the Enbrige Place high-rise building. My job was great and my bosses were very impressed with my work. Almost two months into my job at Enbridge, I got a phone call from Intelligent Imaging Systems where I had applied for work prior to my interview at Enbridge. They were looking to hiring a Data Analyst with Cognos experience and they were interested in interviewing me for the position. I had many years of Cognos experience, plus it was a permanent job so I decided to give it a shot. I was offered the job shortly after the interview. My goodness, I was confused!! I kept asking God, if I should keep the job at Enbridge, or accept the job at Intelligent Imaging, and God was silent! I had to trust God that whichever one I chose was going to be His will for me. I decided to leave Enbridge and accept the Intelligent Imaging Systems job because it was a permanent job, but unfortunately I realized that after I had started the job in August 2014 that what was advertised on the job ad was not quite what I was assigned. I was supposed to be the Data Analyst, but I ended up doing more of Business Intelligence work on the backend with a database system I was not too familiar with. There was quite a learning curve, and two months later, I was fired.

It was a horrible feeling waking up the next morning without a job and feeling like a failure. Suddenly I began to really miss the good old Charleston days and my job at College of Charleston. "God say something!" I would cry out to God day and night. "God did you bring me here to put me to shame? I was comfortable in Charleston, I had a good job. Why did this happen to me?!" All I heard was, "Trust me!" Many times, I was reminded of the scripture that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:5. I held on to God's word and like David, I encouraged myself in the Lord. What I later realized was that none of those jobs were part of God's long-term plan for me and though it really did hurt to loose my job, everything was working perfectly according to God's plan.

For almost a year, I was home with 2 year old Ethan. I had applied for all types of jobs under the sun, yet there were no phone calls. Early 2016, I got a call from Diversified Staffing Agency out of no where to come by their office, drop my resume, and do a quick interview with one of their recruiters so that a file could be created for me and they would try to get me a job with one of their clients. For months, I didn't hear back from Diversified Staffing. In August 2016, one of my church friends told me they were hiring at her workplace. She spoke to her boss on my behalf. I was invited for a brief interview and was hired on the spot as a Customer Representative at Money Mart. Three months into the job, I received an email from Diversified Staffing about a temporary Technical Coordinator position with one of their clients the very next day. When I asked who the client was, I was gasped when I was told it was Alberta Health Services (AHS). I had been trying to get a job a AHS since I moved to Canada. The interview was the most casual, and quickest interview ever. As soon as I got home that day, I got an email from Diversified Staffing saying that I got the job. I was so excited!!

I started working with Alberta Health Services in October 2015 with the Information Technology Department. I absolutely loved working as a Technical Coordinator as it entailed working directly with clinicians and hospital clerks while implementing our legacy Electronic Medical Record System called eCLINICIAN. Meeting new faces everyday was one of the most exciting aspects of the job for me. About two weeks after my first day at AHS, I found out I was pregnant with my second child. As soon as I found out, I was like, "God, REALLY? I literally just started this job and it's temporary!" I knew that as a temporary staff, going on my maternity leave would signal the end of my job and they were going to hire a replacement as soon as I left. Also, nine months was probably not enough time to try to secure a permanent job with AHS before my maternity leave and so I had to trust God's timing, and surrender my own plans and submit entirely to God's plans for me amidst the uncertainty of my future with AHS. My prayer everyday was simple - "God let you will alone be done." Two months prior to maternity leave, God revealed to me my future at AHS in a dream. In the dream, I saw myself sitting on a table with my colleagues wearing an AHS name tag rather than the Diversified Staff name tag that I had. From that day on, each time I stepped in/out of our building downtown, I would whisper to myself, "I'm coming back here after maternity leave!" One month to my due date, towards the end of May 2016, I stopped working based on my doctor's recommendation. I still remember my last day - two weeks after our eCLINICIAN go-live at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, I received a farewell card from my colleagues. As I read the card filled with best wishes with the new baby and future endeavors, I said in my heart, "No, not good bye, but see you next year. I shall be back!!" Some colleagues came up to me to say goodbye and good luck and then gave me a weird look whenever I said, "oh no, I'll be back next year." LOL. I didn't know how it was going to happen, but I believed without a doubt that what God revealed to me would come to pass.  

June 2016, Azarel was born. Nothing could possibly describe the joy I had to finally hold him in my arms. I spent a whole year at home with my two boys - my two kings. During that time, I would wake up super early every morning before the kids woke up and head down to my home gym in the basement working out and crying out to God for 1 hour while I watched the kids through a baby monitor. So many prayers were answered as a result of those early morning workouts and time alone with the Lord. Eleven months into my maternity leave, a colleague from AHS added me on Facebook. I reached out to him to find out if there was any openings on the team and he told me that unfortunately there was none at the time. A week later, he sent me a job ad for a 6 months temporary Learning Analyst position with AHS IT and encouraged me to apply. I applied. He spoke to the manager about me and put in a good word for me. I was invited for an interview and few days later, I got a call from the manager saying that I got the job. Few days after accepting the job, I got a call from Alberta Blue Cross about a Reporting Analyst position, but I turned down the interview invite. My husband thought I was crazy. I remembered the revelation I had about becoming an AHS staff so I went with the 6-month temporary job at AHS. I was covering for a lady who had gone on maternity leave and had returned to another position on the same team and also covering for another lady on maternity leave. Confusing huh? So, it turns out that the lady she was covering for decided to accept a permanent position elsewhere, so the lady I was covering for became permanent in her position. Subsequently, my position opened up and I had the opportunity to apply to become a permanent staff in my role. Five months after accepting the temporary job, I became a permanent AHS staff. Exactly one year later, I applied for another job within the AHS IT department and went from being a Customer Support Analyst II to becoming an IT Analyst II (Application Coordinator) doing exactly what I love. These days, 3 years later, I occasionally take a look at my AHS name tag and have a flashback. God is so good. I love my job, I love my organization, and I love my colleagues. I love that I get to make a difference for Albertans by building and supporting a system that is used to make health information easily assessible to health providers across Alberta. My job encompasses everything I prayed and believed God for. Every path God took me through to get to this point was totally worth it. God is not done ordering my steps. Greater things are on the way. There are many more promises yet to be fulfilled and I know that there shall be a fulfilment of everything God has promised. So in the meantime, all I do is trust God, allow Him to guide me, and listen for that still small voice saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

The end, for now :-). Thank you for reading!!!

Canada, Here We Come!

It was October 2013. I stood by the door of my almost empty apartment as I inspected the living room reminiscing about the amazing memories from my three years in my cozy apartment. My furniture had all been listed on craigslist and buyers had bought almost all of the furniture except a few ones left. I looked down as I cradled my growing baby bump and gave it a gentle rub. I even felt a little kick. I smiled. "I hope Canada will be good to us little one!" I whispered. I was 7 months pregnant and couldn't wait to meet my little boy in just two months. My life was about to change in many ways. It was my last day at work a few days earlier. My colleagues had thrown a baby shower/send off party for me. It was an emotional day. My former professors came, former bosses and colleagues from the Graduate Admissions office, Undergraduate Admissions office, and Information Technology office came. Colleagues from the Institutional Advancement office came. Coworkers from across the hall came just because they were going to miss the girl they crossed paths with often on the hallway with the warmest smile. I was touched. Everyone took turns presenting gifts and gave the sweetest farewell speeches. I was overwhelmed by all the love and was truly going to miss working at the College of Charleston. Great memories I would cherish for a lifetime! As I stood by the door reminiscing, I heard the door bell. I opened the door - It was my friend Marcelle (not her real name), one of my closest friends since undergrad.

Marcelle walked into my apartment and looked around. Wow! "You've sold almost everything! So, this is really happening! I'm so happy for you Sana. You now have the life you've always wanted. Your life has changed so much this past year. First, you got married, now you're about to become a mother. So happy for you!" She said. We sat down for a few minutes and chatted. Then Marcelle purchased a few items, we said goodbye, and she was gone shortly after. It had been an emotional week saying goodbye to my friends in Charleston. I was a bit apprehensive about starting over in a new country and having to make new friends. I absolutely loved everything about Charleston, but I knew that moving to Canada was God's will for me, so I had no choice but to embrace all the challenges that would come with starting all over in a new country. Few days later all the furniture were gone, my apartment was cleaned, and all I had left were boxes of clothes and books. I loaded up the boxes into my Toyota Corolla and drove 2 hours to Columbia. In a few days, I would be moving to Canada to join my husband. I could barely wait!

It was November 5th, 2013. After a series of uncomfortable flights, and fearing that I would go into labor mid-air, I landed in Canada. It felt so surreal. I passed through all the airport checkpoints and finally arrived at baggage claim and there he was! My husband! After doing the long-distance thingy for so long, we were finally together. I was beyond happy. We embraced. Shortly after, we claimed my luggage, loaded everything up in the car and we were on our way to our home, my new home! :) I peered outside that night as we drove home and realized there wasn't much difference from South Carolina where I spent 12 years of my life. Ermmm… actually, there was a big difference; it was white everywhere. "Wow! Snow!" I said with all amount of excitement. In 12 years, I had only seen snow in South Carolina 3 times. "Oh, it's so pretty. I love snow!" I said. My husband laughed. "Wait till you start driving here, you will hate it." He said. My husband was right. Now each time it starts snowing, I feel the urge to scream, "Nooooo…" so loud till it echoes all over the earth planet lol. I went from one extreme, to another. The things we do for love! LOL!

A month and a half later, my baby boy was born. Ethan - that's what we named him. I was in love! He was the most precious little baby ever! My mother came to Canada for one month to help with the baby and then returned to the United States. Six months later, my husband travelled to Nigeria to bring his mother to Canada to help with the baby. I decided to apply for work since I was going to have some help with the baby. By the time my husband returned from Nigeria with his mother, I had landed a contract job with Enbridge working as a Data Analyst. I remember the shock when I told my husband that I had gotten a job with Enbridge Pipelines while he was still in Nigeria. From the way he sounded, I could tell it was a pretty big deal. I remember getting a message on LinkedIn from a recruiter about the job asking me to apply if I was interested. I was invited for an interview shortly after applying. The interview was the best I'd ever had. The panel kept nodding and saying "wow" to everything I said. They were so impressed that they made it clear at the end of the interview that I was their best candidate so far, and their last candidate, *wink wink* :). I will never forget getting a call from the recruiter few days to my birthday informing me that I had gotten the job. I dropped my six-month old baby in his crib then jumped and screamed, "Thank you Jesus!!!" God granted me favor that I was able to get my very first job in Canada with a company I never imagined. The best part was that it came with ease - nothing but the hand of God!

To be continued...

Taking Possession

I woke up to the church bells that beautiful summer morning. I got prepared and dashed out for my 15 minute walk to campus. Everything felt different that morning. The morning light shone brighter. The air was crisp with the compelling tang of the ocean a few blocks away. The birds chirped and sang in the glow of the daylight. I hummed a sweet tune as I waltzed my way to campus that morning to begin my new job. Finally, I could see a ray of sunshine after three tumultuous years as a graduate student. Finally, I felt like my worst days were behind me, and better days were within reach. My joy knew no bounds.

It was about three months since graduation. My two jobs in the Information Technology Department and Institutional Research Office were going great. I had a few months left on my contract with the Institutional Research Office, but I had a strong feeling that something big was ahead. I prayed daily for the Lord to continue to fulfil his promise of keeping me in constant celebration. August 2010, I finally moved out of the bedroom I was renting downtown into my very own apartment. I started out with no furniture, but I had never been happier to sleep on the carpet lol. The best part of this apartment was the kitchen. I finally had a kitchen!! I no longer had to cook with crock pots and table-top stoves like I did in my little room during grad school. My friend at work who was like a mother to me brought me every single item I needed for my kitchen - pots, pans, kettle, cooking spoons, chopping board, plates, cutleries, I mean every single thing one would need in a kitchen! That was a huge blessing! Gradually, I was able to furnish my new apartment. See some pictures below.

Living Room

Living Room

Dining and Kitchen

Bedroom

In 2009, shortly before my former boss left the college, a Data Analyst position had been created at the Institutional Research Office and the position was filled. At the time, I was still a student, so I couldn't apply for the full-time position. In August 2010, the guy who was hired decided to resign and seek other opportunities elsewhere as he felt the position was not exactly what he was trained for in graduate school. At the time, I didn't have an office and my desk was in a corner in the hallway of our office suite, so I was asked to move into his office temporarily until his replacement was hired. I remember that day vividly. I moved most of my stuff into the office and once everything was set-up and arranged, I closed the door slightly, then I stood up and decreed, "Father, you said in your word that wherever the soles of my feet tread, it belongs to me. So Lord, I decree that if this job is for me, I will remain in this office and this job will be mine in Jesus' name, Amen." Soon the job ad was posted. I started hinting to my Acting Director that I was interested in applying for the Data Analyst job. I will never forget what she said to me one day. "Sana, you are very smart and you learn really fast. I should warn you though that if you apply for this job, we will definitely receive applications from more qualified candidates with more experience and we intend to hire the most experienced person." Upon hearing this, I decided not to apply... yet. I prayed a simple prayer, "God, if this job is for me, no one will qualify for this job." 

I was added to the interview panel for the Data Analyst position after I indicated that I would not be applying for the job. I laughed within me when I started reviewing the applications. The candidates for the job were not even remotely qualified for the job. Bartenders applied, people with History, Fine Arts degrees with absolutely no IT background applied. The other two people on the panel felt it was a joke. "How come there is not one single person qualified for this job among the candidates?" One of them asked. I shared their sentiments but within me, I perfectly understood that the hand of God was at work. None of the candidates were invited for an interview and the job ad was posted again, same thing. At this point, people were stopping me around campus and asking me why I didn't apply and I would make up a little excuse. The job ad was posted the third time and the application deadline was a bit further than usual. This time, there were three people who were just a bit qualified but did not have the experience that was required. We decided to interview the three candidates. After all the interviews, it was decided that one of them would be hired. Just before my boss made the call to the successful candidate, she decided to look him up online and what she saw about the guy was very discouraging, and so she decided not to hire the guy. We decided to post the job ad again the fourth time. But this time, my boss was really discouraged regarding the pool of candidates we were getting. One day, she called me to her office and said to me, "Sana, we cannot find a more qualified candidate than you. We really want you to apply." I applied and just before my work contract with Institutional Research was to expire, I was offered the permanent job as a Data and Reporting Analyst to the glory of God. I was finally able to use the SAS programming training I got at the office as a student worker. The office I occupied became mine permanently, my salary was doubled, and my life changed for the better. Months later, I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla. See pics below.

My mother taught me an important lesson right from when I was a little girl. I watched life throw punches at my mother, yet she never allowed life to break her. She never allowed her situation to reflect on her countenance. She spent time constantly in the word and on her knees. That's where she drew her strength from. My mum taught me that the moment you allow situations and circumstances shake you, or stop you, the enemy is winning. She taught me to be strong, tenacious, and to keep moving forward in the midst of adversity. My mother taught me to never give up and to fight until I win. There were moments I could have given up in Charleston, but I knew that God took me to Charleston and He had great plans for me there, so I decided  to constantly decree the word of God over my life and take possession of all the Lord had in store for me in Charleston. God has been faithful to me. He brought me praise and fame in the land where I was put to shame. He gave me double for my trouble. I encourage you today not to quit. Decree the word of God over your life, get on your knees and pray daily and take possession of everything God has promised you. Don't quit until you win!

I remained in my position as a Data Analyst for almost 3 years until I moved to Canada to join my husband. Wait until you hear my Canada story, you will attest that God was just getting started with me in Charleston!

To be continued...

Great Manifestations Part 2

They say life is unpredictable. Sometimes God shows us a glimpse of the big picture, or clues about what the future will look like. If you are like me, you put the little clues together like a puzzle and come up with a picture of your future that pales in comparison to what God has in store. This sums up my Charleston story. I occasionally imagined what my future in Charleston would look like based on what God promised, and the revelations I had. But when God began to unveil His plan, I marvelled because His plans for me were greater and much more beautiful than what I could've ever imagined. Spring 2010, my last semester in graduate school started out with some members of the College of Charleston administrative staff coming together to raise money to pay off my tuition debt. Already God had started fulfilling His promise of keeping me in constant celebration in 2010. 

Few weeks into the semester, the Undergraduate Admissions office heard about my Cognos reporting skills and decided to also hire me as their Cognos Report Writer. However, I was working for two other offices on Campus. All three offices decided to meet and make a decision on how to utilize me and share me between the three offices if I was onboard. A proposal was made and I was totally onboard with it. The Institutional Research Office, Graduate Admissions Office, and the Undergraduate Admissions Office decided that it would make more sense to work for them from a single office. I was assigned my own office in the Undergraduate Admission Office building where I worked with very little supervision. I was told that there was a possibility of getting a job with any of the three offices after graduation. 

Few weeks prior to graduation, the Acting Director of Institutional Research called me into her office and told me that she would like to offer me a six-month part-time temporary job as a Cognos Report Writer after graduation and that another executive on campus, the Vice President of Fiscal Services was interested in also offering me a part-time temporary job to write financial analysis reports in Cognos for the Fiscal Services office for a year, and my office was going to be based in the Information Technology department. I also became one of the two Cognos experts on campus who was the go-to person for help with complex Cognos reports for the entire college. I was to divide my time equally between both offices. These positions were created for me and none of them required an interview. However, my Acting Director told me that the VP for Fiscal Services had arranged to meet me along with my Acting Director for lunch at the Francis Marion Hotel restaurant the next day just to get to know me before I commenced work. I was extremely nervous meeting someone of her calibre for lunch, but it went better than I expected, and before I knew it, I signed two contracts to begin work shortly after graduation. Little did I know that this was just a stepping stone to something even greater that God had in store for me at College of Charleston. You will read about this in my next blog post. The Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions Offices were a bit disappointed as they were also looking into hiring me. 

Graduation Day came, May 7th 2010. A day I won't forget in a hurry. I walked across the stage of the beautiful Sotille Theatre at College of Charleston and received my Master's Degree in Computer and Information Science before my family, friends, and those who had initial doubts that I would succeed in the Computer Science graduate program. "Sana Ndon!" my name was called as I walked across the stage and my family, friends, and professors cheered and screamed! I thought my heart would burst from excitement. After the toils and tears, I finally graduated! After the graduation ceremony, the graduates and their families were entertained in a beautiful garden beside the Sotille Theatre. I walked around the garden shaking hands and thanking the professors who taught me during my graduate program. I was just about to walk out of the garden with my family when I saw a familiar face walking towards me with a big smile on his face. My Java professor - the man who tried to discourage me when I was struggling with my Java course at the very beginning and drove me to tears. "You know I wouldn't miss your graduation for the world! I'm so proud of you. Congratulations!" He said as we shook hands. "So Sana, what's next after graduation?" He asked. I told him about my job offers and then he looked at me with a more serious face after congratulating me on the job offers and then said, "Sana you have taught me a big lesson on faith these few years I've known you. Wow! Look at all you endured to get to this point, yet you did not give up. I really admire your faith!"

To be continued...