I arranged my papers and the file folder in front of me.  The water decanter and plastic cups sat in the middle of the table.  As the men pulled up their chairs, I took a deep breath.
We began our Executive meeting, the five of us, with our agendas ready and I held my pen poised above my notepad to take the minutes.  Walter opened our meeting just after 9 am and he seemed more nervous or uptight than usual. 
Glancing up at the clock on the wall of Walter's office, it felt like the meeting was crawling at a slow pace!  We were making good progress through the agenda items but still, I couldn't wait until 10:15.  Walter's eyes wandered to the parking lot view through his window; was she here yet?
At 10:05, I went out to check if the interviewee had arrived yet. 
Finally, a grey Cavalier pulled into the lot.  I put my pen down and announced, "She's here!"
Walter smiled and stood up.  His nervousness disappeared and now he looked happy, eager.  The other guys stood to stretch and shift gears for this next part of the meeting.  And then the young lady walked in the door.
Everyone took a seat, shuffling an extra chair for our new addition to the meeting.  Some joking and laughing, and then Bob, our treasurer, took charge of the interview.  The young woman, in her twenties, looked even younger as she responded to the questions.  She seemed nervous, but kept her smile and answered with thoughtful replies.
When there was a pause in the conversation, Walter excused himself and I stood, too.  The other three gentlemen remained in the office to finish the interview process. 
Almost thirty years ago, I remember waiting out in the foyer/reception area of the NCEM office, as Walter was being interviewed.  We were an engaged couple and the mission leaders chose to interview us separately.  So, I recalled those memories while we looked for things to occupy ourselves until they called us back in the office.
Finally, the door opened and Bob waved us in. 
Then the five of us met for a few minutes to discuss how the interview went and make a formal decision.  Now it was the woman's turn to wait outside.  We sent her to the kitchen to help herself to coffee.
Should we accept this young woman as a candidate of NCEM? 
The decision wasn't difficult.  We discussed some of the details of her new role and the specifics of equipment and the process of developing the social media area of our ministry...then I glanced at the clock and realized the poor gal was waiting for us to call her back with our verdict!
When we all sat down again, Bob gave the news:  welcome to the NCEM family!
And Caylea, our daughter, grinned and laughed.  So all our anxiousness and her nervousness melted into hugs and congratulations!  Caylea would begin her journey as a faith missionary, social media coordinator for both Healing Hearts Ministry and now NCEM. 
Proud parents couldn't be happier - and as we promised our daughter we would keep it professional - we didn't even cry once!