The End of the Tunnel

It has been an incredible week. Not only did Dave get his job offer, we found a place to live 3 days later! It's going to be such a blessing to have our own place to hang our hats once again. We have been living on a rotational basis with friends in the area, usually one week at a time. So every 5-7 days or so, we've been loading up the cars and our weeks' worth of clothing and moving on to the next location. We stayed at each home 2 or 3 times. Livvy, our dog, has been in and out of kennels, backyards, and laundry rooms, and will surely be excited to see her own, new fenced-in backyard-to-be tomorrow morning! Not only that, Lucy will be able to sleep in her crib for the first time in 9 weeks (rather than in her pack & play). What a blessing it is to have homes of our own!

The past 9 weeks have found us dependent on others for shelter, and we have learned a great deal about hospitality, generosity, and love from these people. We have enjoyed so many great conversations while sharing meals, and we've felt a real sense of community among those with whom we've spent so much time. It's funny; Dave and I set out on this journey of a new move & job with the goal of finding community, and we discovered much of it with people we already knew here in town. God clearly had other plans for us, and we are grateful to be staying in the general area. We are also eager to contribute to our new church community in Colonial Heights. We are really excited about living there.

I would like to thank those who have provided for us in our great time of need these past 2 months: Robert, Cindy, Jonathan, Chrissy, Rob, Jessica, Dave, Amy, Benjamin, Kalei, Micah, Nate, Laurie, David, Sandy, Sue Z., Sue S., Steve, Carl, Matt, Gina, Matthew, Michael, Susan, Tim, Betsy, Alyson, and Paul. We could not have made it through this time without you.

I'd also like to thank all of you readers in the blogosphere who have been faithfully praying for us and encouraging Dave & me all the way through. Some of you are facing similar struggles (or struggles of a similar magnitude), and it has been a blessing to walk through the valley alongside you. I know God has a purpose for this time in our lives (even though I may never understand it), and that He will use it for His glory and our good.

Here are some passages I have clung to in this trial:

Ezekiel 36:26 - "And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new Spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart."

Psalm 22:19 - "But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me."

Psalm 25:16-18 - "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins."

Psalm 30:4-5, 11-12 - "Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning . . . You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever."

I'm glad to now post things that are random, irrelevant, and generally FUN from this point on, not having to do with job searches and house-selling. Blogging is nice, though, as a way to keep so many people in the loop. What a blessing.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Amen.

p.s.
Phil? Like the groundhog Phil?
Yeah, like the groundhog Phil.
Look out for your shadow there, buddy!
Morons, your bus is leaving.