2010 What a Year!

2010 – Wow what a year!! What a Wonderful, challenging, hard, journeyful year. I sure am glad that God has us in the palm of His hand and that He speaks to us in so many ways otherwise I believe I would just feel CRAZY!!

2010 brought a HUGE move…at the end of May we moved from Alabama to Missouri to go back to school. It was a huge move. It was a hard move. IT WAS THE RIGHT MOVE.

We spent the summer getting acclimated to the new city and finding jobs. Hubby got a job as a cook at a Bar B Que place called the Rib Crib. I eventually was offered a job at the Dress Barn which I promptly turned down as it did not feel right at all. I soon after got a job at Old Navy. Hubby got a second job as a cook at a pizza place on the other end of town called Old Chicago Pizza. He works so very hard for us!! He also started a third job doing what he did back home a much smaller scale (four stores).

We quickly found a church home at Prasie Assembly! We felt like home the first Sunday we visited and it was only the third church that we visited!! God answered our prayers to find a home church quickly!!! We are excited to being working in their Children’s Ministry next Sunday (January 9, 2011).

In August we both started back to school. I poured myself into studying and working. I literally studied and worked and slept. My poor hubby was very neglected during this time of adjustment. I soon learned better how to balance my time and gave my studies over to God in prayer. He absolutely honored every second I committed to study after that as well as every second I was able to spend with my wonderful supportive hubby. I learned a lot about balance during this first semester.

In October we celebrated our ONE YEAR Wedding Anniversary by going on a Couples Retreat with our new church. We had a great time with some great couples and were greatly challenged in a great way!!!

My brother began dating and unfortunately it was not a very pleasant experience as I feel I reached out to build relationship with his girlfriend and received very little response in return.

My parents came up for a visit just before Thanksgiving and it was so great to have family with us for the first time since May. We had a great time and just soaked up their presence.

Hubby’s job at the Rib Crib cut him down to one day a week shortly after our anniversary trip and then right after my parents visit Old Chicago let him go as well. But God was so very faithful and in a passing conversation with my boss at Old Navy I mentioned that my husband’s jobs had cut him back and Old Navy was our only income just about. She (who never really listens when others speak) heard what I said and replied that they needed a good worker for Shipment and within days Hubby was an official Old Navy employee. He quickly gained favor and they have currently offered him a key holder position. We are both happy at Old Navy and happy to be working together again.

We WORKED hard through Thanksgiving and was actually able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my brother Daniel while it Snowed for the first time!! It was a great day!!

Finals week came and I was stressed to the max trying to get all of my papers, projects, and exams completed. I finished the semester Strong with Four A’s and One C!!!! Incredible I tell ya, all GOD!!! He is so Faithful!!!

We WORKED hard through Christmas getting any extra hours possible in preparation of going home for Ten days at New Years!! We loved being home for the first time in EIGHT LONG LONG months!!! We just soaked up the LOVE like sponges to get us through until our next visit!!!

While home I received a great push from the Lord that I really needed. I went home to our home church expecting it to be comfortable, home, and a refuge. It was NONE of those things. Truthfully it was weird. It was great to see everyone and again soak up the love everyone passed out!!! But I realized that is no longer my home and that I no longer have a place there…I am not supposed to have a place there. It is not due to anyone making me feel like I do not have a place…it is simply that I am not supposed to have a place there any longer. I drove through my home town and loved it and missed it but realized very quickly that it is just not where we are supposed to be. We are supposed to be in Missouri, we are supposed to be at Praise Assembly.

I truly needed that push! I needed it to open my heart to Praise and allow it to become my home church. I had not allowed that at all. It is no accident that we came home when we did and that we will be starting in ministry at Praise NEXT SUNDAY and this Sunday I realized all of this. God is so very faithful and that doesn’t even cover half of it!!

In Sunday school we touched on a few things that I feel like spoke to us and the place we are in. Hubby has made the decision to sit this semester out and seek God to find out what he is supposed to be doing as he now realizes that teaching is not what he is supposed to be doing. I am BEYOND proud of my husband. For making it through a semester so well in the process of realizing his path was shifting. For making the hard decision to stop and seek the Lord for direction. I am just so very proud of Him every single day. He blows me away.

I am blown away that God placed such a man in my life and allows me to be apart of his journey and him apart of mine. I know that God has GREAT and INCREDIBLE things in store for the both of us!!

I cannot wait to see what 2011 holds for us and I cannot wait to see what our ministry looks like when we get to that point!!
I am so Thankful for a Faithful Heavenly Father that NEVER leaves us or forsakes us!!!

2010 was a year of Adventure and Change. Wonder what 2011 has in store for us!!

We have decided to adopt the motto that Pastor Tim presented to KOR this morning…

LOVE God

GROW in Christ

SERVE others

…we have many goals for the new year and we are adopting this as our motto as well and pray to live it our to the best of our abilities and ALWAYS WITH GOD’S HELP!! As we cannot do this without HIM!!