Moving...moving...moving

It is now 1:30 a.m. and I should be in bed asleep--I'm not. I am sitting up waiting on some pain medication to give me relief so I can go to bed. This is not the night to be having problems with my side pain but nevertheless here I am.

We're in the process of moving. We had planned on being at Swan Pond the rest of our lives unless the Lord said otherwise, but after much prayer and deliberation my husband knew it was time for us to leave here. It's been difficult for me and for our children because we love it here.
The people of Swan Pond Baptist Church have been like family to me and leaving your family is not easy.

When we came here I was desperate for a church family that loved and accepted their pastor's wife and this church did just that. I have made some of the best friends of my lifetime here at this pastorate. Thank You Lord for giving me this time and these friends.

Over the past few weeks I've walked down memory lane as I've walked through my house packing boxes. Long forgotten "treasures" have shown up as I have gone through closets and cabinets. I've read letters and notes from my children and had to wipe a few tears. I've handled shelf items that brought back a sweet memory of the person who bought them for me.

I've relived our days here as I walked through my yard. I'm going to miss watching the Rose of Sharon bloom, watching my roses blooming and smelling honeysuckle in May. I'm going to miss listening to my children playing wiffle ball in our front yard in the evenings, and listening to the sounds of summer while I sit on the carport and drink coffee and watch the sun go down.

I'm going to miss this house. It's been a house I've enjoyed living in and learned to love. We've had many, many wonderful hours of family fun and fellowship with others here.

Right now we are in limbo. My husband wasn't planning on making a change in pastorates and so we've rented a home for now and will be looking for what the Lord wants for us in the future.
He'll be looking for a job to supply our needs (tentmaking, I guess Paul would say) until the Lord opens the door for us and we know where He wants us next.

When he first went into full-time ministry we actually had days we prayed in our daily bread we were on such a tight budget. Only Niki has clear memories of those days and the miraculous ways the Lord sent ravens!

Then in 1995 when we had an unexpected ministry change all four of our older children watched the Lord supply our food, exact amounts of money needed for Asher's constant medical needs and even Christmas gifts. It helped me to confirm that we made the right decision for our family and it helped the children know that God is real and He cares for our smallest need.

I have wondered if the Lord has allowed this to happen so our younger three can see Him meet our needs even when there isn't a steady paycheck coming in. It's good for all of us but especially for our children.

So tonight I'm sick tired after filling boxes and boxes and then looking in cabinets and shelves and wondering where all this stuff came from! Most of what we're packing will be stored until we know what the Lord has planned for us.

Years ago I gave the Lord everything---my time, my clothes, my possessions and especially where he wanted me to live. I've lived mostly in parsonages since that day and He's been so good to provide us with homes better than we could afford on our own.

Tomorrow my furniture goes to a lovely rented home in Crossville. It has a shaded yard, a big kitchen, beautiful wood flooring, and best of all my precious family will be there with me. I'm already looking forward to making it warm and cozy and filling its kitchen with the aroma of fresh baked bread.

I call our parsonages "Ebenezer"..."hitherto hath the Lord led us". It's like an adventure! So, come along with us as we enter the next chapter of our lives. I'm sure the Lord has a wonderful story for us as we follow Him!

With love,

Mom