I was very honored recently to be the subject of an article in the Kernersville section of the Winston-Salem Journal. I debated posting it here because I didn't want to appear to be "tootin' my own horn". But, there's a message in this article that may be helpful to someone else. So, I decided to go ahead and share it, hoping that my story of deliverance from a difficult situation will encourage others in a similar situation right now. Thanks to Journal Reporter, Monica Young, for doing such a great job with this piece.
Christian radio host says God put her in place
Unhappy at previous job, Tami Rumfelt had a new door opened
By Monica Young
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
Thursday, March 1, 2007
God sometimes knows more about what we need than we do, said Tami Rumfelt, a morning-show host for WBFJ, a Christian radio station.
Rumfelt was working as the teen director at the Kernersville Family YMCA, a job she never felt suited her and one she did not enjoy when YMCA officials eliminated her position because of low enrollment, she said.
“It wasn’t where I needed to be, and God knew that,” said Rumfelt, who lives in the downtown historic district. “For several months, I would leave exhausted and crying but wasn’t able to make that break.
“I like to say that God tossed me out of the boat I was in,” she said. “At first, I was bitter and angry and hurt, but over time, looking back, it had to happen this way. God really just has a plan for our lives.”
That plan was revealed shortly. Rumfelt, who has a degree in communications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, had volunteered at WBFJ, which is 89.3 FM in Winston-Salem and 103.5 FM in Greensboro.
She told the station manager that she was looking for a job.
Events clicked like building blocks snapping together. Within two weeks, she was broadcasting, co-hosting the morning show at the radio station.
“Tami with an i” as she bills herself on the air, found that her new job was where her passion for God and for radio could blend seamlessly. She had worked for WKZL when it was known as the Eagle, back before she was a mom to three children and before she was a Christian.
Being a part of a family-oriented, Christ-focused radio show was where Rumfelt felt God wanted her talents to shine, she said. “The radio show is definitely a God-thing. There is no doubt this is where God wants me,” she said.
Her morning show is as entertaining as any other in the Triad, she said. The station covers the news, traffic, weather and other topics relevant to a morning radio show.
“We listen to our mom every day before school at my grandma’s,” said her son, Andrew, who is 9. “It’s really cool to have a mom who is broadcasting everywhere.”
His sister agreed. “People know her,” said Carley, who is 8.
Having three children and doing an early morning show can be a challenge. Rumfelt arrives for work between 5:30 and 6 a.m. while her husband, Alton, gets Andrew, Carley and Laura, 5, ready for school.
He drops them off next door at Tami’s mother’s home, and Joan D’Ambrosio puts the children on the bus every morning for school.
“I’m home every day when the kids get home,” Rumfelt said. “Sometimes, I am able to squeeze in a nap, and that definitely makes me a better mom. I get to do their homework with them. But believe me, 8:30 (p.m.) is definitely our bedtime.”
Her job has allowed many extra activities for the family to participate in that Rumfelt counts as blessings. Three years ago, Rumfelt wanted to go on a cruise.
She committed it to prayer, saying she felt guilty praying over something trivial given all that people go without on a daily basis. However, she had dreamed on going on a cruise, something that was just financially out of reach at the time.
After she began working for the radio station, she and Alton were asked to go on a cruise as part of a promotion. Last November, Rumfelt went on a Girls-Getaway cruise for another promotion.
The job, the perks, and the ability to be home with her children in the afternoon are part of God’s plan for her life, she said.
“In my case, I just had to be thrown out of the boat; but I was willing to submit to God’s will,” Rumfelt said. “It’s been so much better than I could imagine.”
■ Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
This story can be found at: http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193444733&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099
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