The Team

REBECCA –
One month till graduation from seminary! Then what?

BIRDIE –
Soooo many said: “You’re crazy! No church will hire a woman.”

REBECCA –
We knew it. All we could say: “If God called us, that’s His problem.”

BIRDIE –
One night traveling, Rebecca said, “Wouldn’t it be awful to spend this long in school and die before graduating?”

REBECCA –
We laughed.

 

BIRDIE –
Going 80+mph, downhill on I-64. CB talk buzzing. One tractor trailer passing. Another at my bumper. Right ahead, an abandoned farm truck parked on the shoulder.

REBECCA –
It started rolling into our lane! I grabbed the dashboard with my right hand, Birdie’s shoulder with my left, “Oh God! We’re going to die!”

BIRDIE –
With only two lanes, the passing semi had no place to go! And neither I nor the tractor trailer behind me could stop!

REBECCA –
I could smell the tire rubber burning! The farm truck so close now. The tailgate was down. There was no driver.

BIRDIE –
Right before an imminent tragedy, I saw the side of the semi and slid toward it.

REBECCA –
Suddenly we were three vehicles deep on a two-lane road – between the devil (the farm truck) and the deep blue sea (the semi)! You couldn’t have put a hand between the semi on the left of us and the farm truck on the right.

BIRDIE –
The moment I saw the rear of the semi, I cut into the left lane, barely escaping certain death. I was trembling. My legs felt numb.

REBECCA –
She pulled off the road and we got out of the car. ...But there was no trace of the farm truck.

BIRDIE –
The CB was buzzing. One trucker yelled, “That was a fine piece of driving, good buddy!” Another trucker, “That was a woman driving!”

REBECCA –
Birdie picked up the CB mic. “10-4! This is the Big Bird. Thanks! But the Lord was driving that time!”

BIRDIE –
The devil tried to kill us! But neither the devil nor the deep blue sea can take you out, if the Lord’s driving!

REBECCA –
We graduated in December.

Birdie, Rebecca & Pastor Joe all graduated the same year. Tessie was with child and finished her Master’s degree later.

REBECCA -

Birdie worked at Clark’s Pharmacy. I was a substitute teacher. Then came the w...a...i...t...i...n...g ...

BIRDIE –
That’s not one of Rebecca’s strongpoints!

My granddaddy was friends with a hometown pastor. He was sure this pastor would hire me and insisted I meet him. Granddaddy says to him, "This is my granddaughter. She has a Master’s Degree in Music and wants to serve the Lord."
This pastor says: “Can you type?”
“Yes sir.”
“You single?”
“Yes sir.”
“You wouldn’t need much! You could answer the phone.”

REBECCA –
You can’t make stuff like that up!

BIRDIE –
Next, Rebecca says: “We gotta do something! We’re going job hunting.”

“Where?”

She pulls out a newspaper. “We’ll apply for the same job. If God wants a team, it’ll be evident!”

REBECCA –
First stop, insurance sales!
They had us take a suitability test. Afterward, a HR person said, “Miss Martin, you made the highest possible score. Someone will be calling you. Miss Clark, you failed!”

BIRDIE –
A...W...K...W...A...R...D...

REBECCA –
In the car I asked, “What happened!!?”

BIRDIE -
I don’t know!

REBECCA -
Tell me. How did you answer the question, "HAVE YOU ALWAYS ENVISIONED YOURSELF IN SALES?"

BIRDIE -
No, never!

REBECCA -
How did you answer, "DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD ENJOY INSURANCE SALES?"

BIRDIE -
No, never!

REBECCA -
Birdie! Did you think you would pass with answers like that!?

BIRDIE -
No! Never!!

REBECCA -
They called me. I traveled with a rep.

When we returned, the manager stopped me in the parking lot, “What do you see?”

“A lot of very expensive cars,” I said.

“Rebecca, you have the potential to become a millionaire in this business. Think on it. I’ll call you in the morning.”

I struggled all night. When morning came, I called him.

“Sir, I appreciate your time. This is a great opportunity. But ...(deep breath) ...I’m called to do something for the Lord. I can’t take this job.”

“Go through training. Try it for six weeks!”

“I can’t. I might never turn back. Thank you, sir. ...Good-bye.”

BIRDIE –
After that, a new Christian school wanted to hire us. But, they had a rule: Women are NEVER to wear pants!

REBECCA –
Not even mowing a yard!!?

BIRDIE –
Yes, we asked!

REBECCA –
No! Never! ...Job search resumed!

BIRDIE –
A Christian boarding school had ONE position open: Dean of Girls. The interviews went great!

REBECCA –
We sat waiting outside the office.

BIRDIE –
Here we were again - between the devil and the deep blue sea.
The job seemed right, a dorm full of troubled girls.
But they would hire only ONE of us.

REBECCA –
Which one...?

BIRDIE –
The door opened ...

The president stepped out ...

“Ms. Clark” ...

“Ms. Martin” ...

“I want to hire you BOTH!”

REBECCA –
WAhooooo!!! ... Long live the TEAM!

The Team