God Made A Way

The scene in The Dark Knight Rises where Bruce Wayne escapes from an underground prison has always inspired me. In that scene, Bruce faced his fears and tried to regain his strength to get back to Gotham as quickly as possible in order to save the city that was falling apart. Against seemingly impossible odds, Bruce was able to escape because of help from the inmates there; one inmate cured his severely injured back and guided him to escape the prison. This scene reminds me of the goodness of God in my life. In my darkest times when all odds were against me, He remained with me and made a way for me. I was once an international student desperate for a job but God helped me through that situation and provided me with a secure, fun, and inspiring job.

I came to the U.S. in May of 2017 in hopes of starting a new chapter in life. I studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for my master's degree. As an international student, I knew that I had a time limit for how long I could stay unemployed in the country after I graduated— roughly three months. 

After the first few months I realized that getting a job in the U.S. is extremely difficult due to visa restrictions limiting the number of companies that could hire international students; thus, competition in the job market was much higher for international students like myself. Also, I lacked confidence because of all the new changes I was going through. In a job market where recruiters valued confidence so much, no one gave me consideration. 

I completely freaked out at the first career fair I went to— the lines for companies that offer sponsorships for employment visas were twice as long as those that did not. I felt so desperate and hopeless. But somehow, when I prayed, I knew that God would provide me with a job.

Applying for jobs online wasn’t much different. I remember submitting my resume to several hundred companies on all the well-known job posting websites. I didn’t get any response back from the recruiters. I eagerly prayed for guidance from God and sought His ways in my seemingly hopeless situation.

God did not answer my prayer right away, but a couple weeks later I had the chance to speak to one of the members of my church small group. He was also looking for the same job position at the time and despite not having work experience, he had many interviews–some of them were even in the final round. He pointed me in the right direction and gave me hope again.  

After that day, I changed my strategy and soon after, I started getting interviews. I realized that being comfortable in an interview and the ability to answer questions well is a skill that I could practice and improve upon. I made the most out of every opportunity to practice and sharpen my skills. In December 2018, I received an interview from a well-known company in Oregon. I managed to pass to the final round of interviews and the company decided to fly me out to its headquarters for the final onsite interview. I practiced as much as I could for this interview in hopes of securing this job.

I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep well the night before the interview. I prayed desperately that everything will go well with the interview the next day but as I prayed, I felt that God was telling me that this job was not for me. 

As it turns out, the interview did not go well. I knew immediately after the interview that I wouldn’t get the job. I felt so disappointed and even more desperate than I felt at the beginning of the process. It seemed that all my efforts had been completely futile. To make matters worse, I did not have much time to search for another interview due to my visa time limit. 

On my flight home, I continuously prayed to God. That flight was the scariest flight of my life. The plane was extremely small and it was raining very heavily outside. The journey was so turbulent that the flight attendants couldn’t even serve the drinks and there were passengers vomiting all over the place. In that moment, God reminded me to trust Him in every situation. 

Thankfully, I landed safely. After the disappointment of the interview and the scary flight, I was so thankful to be holding onto God's goodness regardless of the situation. In February 2018, when I heard back from the company that as expected, I did not get the job, I was disappointed, but I knew that God still had a wonderful plan for me. As it says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Whatever it is that God was leading to me, I believed it would be the best for me. 

The interview that finally landed me a job did not come until just three months before my graduation. It was very stressful because I didn’t have much time left. I received an assignment from the recruiter and an interview after I submitted the assignment. After the final round of the interview, I received a job offer with a very competitive salary, which I had been hoping for. 

My faith journey has been a very bumpy ride; however, through the struggles and hardships, it was definitely worth it as these moments shaped my faith and brought my life to new heights. I listened to one song that helped me get through these tough situations and hold onto God's promises, “God will make a way where there seems to be no way” written and sung by Don Moen. It’s so true, God made a way for me, where there seems to be no way.

Pongpon Tienthong
Software Engineer 
Long Island, New York