Faith & Vocation: Amanda Hawkins
As part of a year long project focused on faith and vocation we are highlighting various parishioners by having them answer seven questions.
Meet Amanda Hawkins!
How long have you been in Seattle and what do you most enjoy and struggle with about living here?
I have been living in Seattle for almost 3 years and attending Harbor for about the same amount of time. To be honest, I didn’t love Seattle after moving here. However, this city is becoming and has become my home for as long as God allows me to be here. I’m established and settled and despite the weather and my love hate relationship with public transportation and the high cost of living I feel like this is where I am supposed to be for now.
How long have you been at your current place of work and do you see this as a place of longevity? Why or why not?
I am currently a flight attendant for Horizon/Alaska Airlines and moved to Seattle because the airline is based here. I don’t know if I want to do this long term or what long term means. But for now it is a good fit. I like the different schedule and also the flexibility. I also fly for free, which is a hard perk to give up!
Do you see your calling and your career as the same or different?
I don’t see my calling and my job as the same. However, I feel like God is using me in my workplace. I also don’t think a calling is a destination per se. Maybe some are called to preach or be a missionary or lead in some way, but maybe you are called to just be open to what God asks from you at a certain moment in time and a different moment another time. I don’t feel like it has to be a position necessarily but just being open to what God is asking of me. I think that is me, at least for now. Ultimately, I believe God wants us to be like him, and to live for his glory, not for our own, which may lead to a specific thing that we do or many things along the way.
What are some of the things that you find most enjoyable about your work?
I like that my job is the same but different every day even though I fly regionally. I love that I work with different people every trip. If you like someone you’ll hope to work with them again, and if you don’t you only have to work with them a few days. I also work independently for the most part and I am always meeting interesting people. It’s a roll with it kind of job and it’s fun and it’s pretty easy day to day. Unless there is an emergency, which we are trained for.
What do you find particularly challenging?
The most challenging thing about my job are the hours. Sometimes it’s an easy day but we can be scheduled up to 12 hours and pushed to 14 if needed. 10 hours is considered minimum rest and rest time starts from when they put the blocks behind the wheels. At the point passengers still have to deplane, and by the time you get to your hotel, eat, sleep, and then back for the next flight, 10 hours is really about 8. We fly anywhere from 1-6 days away from home, and it all depends on seniority and how you bid or choose your schedule, which is based on seniority also. It’s not glamorous, but for me I can’t imagine doing something else at this time. I can’t sit at a desk, so scheduling and rest is probably the most challenging part of flying in my opinion.
How do you see your faith intersecting with your work?
It’s not always easy to be in the world but not of the world. When I flew before 10 years ago I made some poor choices so I really sought the Lord as I trying to decide if I should come back into it. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to resist whatever may come my way, however I felt like I had the okay from the Lord to work in this industry again. I work with a lot of broken people, people running from something, people who have had trauma and people who are just needing attention. I also used to be a little bit of all those people. I truly believe when God heals you of your past, whatever that may look like, he doesn’t do it just for us but for us to be able to love and speak into other’s lives because we’ve been there and we can relate. People talk to me and lean on me and it’s not fun all the time or easy, but I wasn’t either. So you meet people and you spend time with each other after your beverage service is finished and you learn about some truly interesting and sometimes heartbreaking or even annoying things about these people and they somehow trust me and share. I don’t always agree or know the answers but I feel like God is using me in an industry that’s known for scandal and sin to just be there and be someone’s friend and sometimes its just for that short flight but I can see how God is using me even in small ways.
If there was something the church could do to support you more, what might that look like?
I think the church for me is a place to worship and seek God, and gather with community that are like minded. I am so grateful for church, and I’m especially grateful for Harbor. I always feel welcome, I love my group, and the people I've come to know at church. I wish I could be more social, serve more often, but I appreciate church being a stable place I can go and I know what to expect for the most part. That is all I can ask of the church and I feel like I have that. I feel safe, loved, and God’s presence.
