One Year Anniversary

One year ago, we said good bye to our church, our job, our friends, our home, our city, our state.

We loaded our four children in the car and headed south. We had only been home with Ella and Josiah from the DR Congo for 26 days. Ella had a stomach virus all weekend while we were in the midst of moving and farewell receptions. (That was really awesome.)

We moved to a place where we knew no one but each other. And we barely had that.

Tonight, one year later, my husband was at a sermon planning meeting with our partner church, where he has preached for the past two weeks. I picked up Ella from school where she told me all about the elaborate fairy game she played with her friends on the playground. She informed me of yet another kid who wants to have a play date with her. I carried a plate of biscuits to a neighbor's house for dinner where he fried fresh catfish he caught over the weekend. He had my family and another neighbor over last minute (I may or may not have basically invited us both over as we all picked up our kids from school today). There were 3 adults and 8 kids (ages 3-9). I sat and talked school, race, disabilities, relationships with these two new friends. I even sacrificed 30 minutes of bedtime and the premiere of Dancing with the Stars. :) Then I came home, put my happy kids to bed, and felt our fifth and newest blessing kicking and squirming inside my belly.

My oh my how much things can change in a year.

There are still so many days when I am terribly lonely. Aching for my friends back home, wondering if those deep life-on-life relationships with other believers will ever come here in my new city. There are days when I look at my kids and wonder when the swelling, overwhelming affection will take me over the same for all of them. There are days when I wonder if we will ever feel cohesive, normal.

And then I see God in days like today. Anniversaries of various events really mean something to me- I like dates. When I realize 9-16-12 vs. 9-16-13 I must stop and thank God for His faithfulness. For His provision in the easy and hard times. When things seem to flow well and moving here and ministry seem fruitful and make sense. And those times when the pit is so deep and I think my treading water is bound to give out at any moment.

So often, we don't see God moving in huge ways all at once. He removes barriers, builds relationships, redeems brokenness, answers prayer, heals hurt little by little. And if we are not careful to recount His faithfulness in the smallest of things that may even seem ordinary or coincidental,we may not realize one day He has in fact done something huge.

A lot can change in a year.


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