It’s crazy how quickly time goes by. We have been in Houston for almost 4 years. It doesn’t seem like it was long ago that we left our sweet North Carolina home and came to Texas. God has been faithful and we have learned so many great lessons during this time.
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| North Carolina, year 2011 |
• Saying goodbye is never easy - oh, I shed tears. I still miss our North Carolina family so much. Thank God for technology and old photos and videos!
• Transition kicked my behind - I knew that transitioning would be difficult but I didn’t know exactly how hard it’d be until I experienced it. Honestly, packing my house was very tough. A sweet mentor told me that disassembling the nest is never easy. I learned compassion for people who are in that position.
• Adaptation was tough - not because I didn’t want to adapt to a new place but because I wasn’t alone. Pregnancy hormones, the demands of mothering young kids and transitioning to a whole new place was very difficult. I tried hard to make friends, so Pinterest was a BFF for a while - sad but true. I kept persisting until I got to a place where I found community. Having a church home and finding community are two different things. If you want me to, I’ll write a new post about my thoughts on this subject.
• Discovery is great - once we got through the tough part of transitioning and adapting, we found out what an amazing place God had prepared for us. It was a clear as looking at my backyard. The previous homeowner had planted a bunch of fruit trees. We moved in close to harvest time. We had more fruit than we could use, so we spread the joy in the form of citrus (we had mostly citrus trees that were very VERY fruitful).
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| Houston, year 2015 |
From the hot day we stepped in Houston for the first time, I had Jeremiah 29:5-7 in mind. It starts with “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.” Eating fruit… check!
It goes on to say “have children. Multiply! Don’t dwindle away!” You know that’s a check because we were blessed with a brown haired Texas girl.
This particular passage also says to seek the peace of the city and to pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its peace you will have peace.
When my husband and I came to Houston to interview for his job, I looked at the skyline of Houston and I searched my heart before God. I asked Him for love for this new city. I’m happy to report that we haven’t lost this love but it has actually increased.
I will not lie to you so you think that every day of these last 4 years have been similar to a trip to Disneyland. Ministry (and life) is not always easy or glamorous but the fact that we are serving God is worth all the difficulties we experience.
I am thankful to God for this amazing opportunity. It feels that as we chose to look at every part of this assignment as a gift from God, He keeps revealing His purposes for us. I am thankful for the growth our family experienced while here in Houston (in the natural and the spiritual). I am also thankful for the friends who haven’t forgotten to pray and encourage us in our journey.
I’m looking forward to serving God and my family in this new year of ministry here in Houston.
Previously in this Series:
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